Quick and Easy Apple Puff Pastries

Each time when I think of wanting to try out recipes of Puff Pastries, I will only opt for the store bought ones as I have no interest in making them. I came across this simple, quick and easy recipe online, and having a packet of store bought puff pastries sitting in my freezer, my taste buds is yelling inside me, thus I decided to try it out.  

Ingredients: (makes 2)
2 pcs of 4 inch square puff pastry (store bought)
1 crunchy red apple
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
Icing sugar (for dusting)

Methods:

1. Thaw the pastry.
2. Peel and cut apples into half, remove the core and slice into 4mm thick slices.
3. Arrange the pastries on a parchment lined baking tray.
4. Prick the pastry with a fork and brush with beaten egg.
5. Mix the ground cinnamon and castor sugar in a bowl.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the pastry.
6. Arrange apple slices on top.
7. Bake in preheated oven of 200 degree Celsius for 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Let cool and dust with icing sugar.
9. Serve warm to enjoy the crunch of the puff pastries.

This recipe is adapted from 'No frills recipes' with very slight amendment.

Stir-fried Yam Abacus in Char Kuay Tiaw Style

I have been so much tempted by this recipe which I came across online not that long ago.  I keep telling myself 'I must cook this dish!'  One morning while I was doing marketing, I manage to grab hold of these 3 main ingredients: prawns, Chinese chives and bean sprouts, and happily came home prepping this dish for my lunch.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
15 pcs Prawns (peeled and deveined)
5 sprigs Chinese leeks (washed and sliced into 1" long)
A bowl of bean sprouts (washed and drained)
3 shallots (peeled and thinly sliced)
3 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)
3 tbsp Cooking oil

Abacus Seeds recipe refer here

Seasonings: (mix well in a small bowl)
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
Dash of dark soy sauce (for colour)
Dashes of chicken stock granules (to taste)
Dashes of water

Methods:

1. In  a pot of boiling water, add dashes of cooking oil, put in the abacus seeds, and once it floats to the surface, dish out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. In a heated wok add cooking oil.  Fry the shallots until golden brown, fragrant and crispy.  Dish out the fried shallots and set aside.
3. Using the remaining oil saute the garlic and prawns until fragrant.
4. Add in bean sprouts and some seasoning mixture, mix well.
5. Add in yam abacus and the remaining of the seasonings and stir-fry well to combine.  More dashes of water can be added if the dish is too dry, but add bit by bit.
6. Add in the fried shallots and Chinese chives, stir fry to combine and taste for correct seasoning.
7. Off the heat, dish out and serve hot.

This recipe is adapted from "Bake with Paws' with slight amendments.

Sweet Potato Balls and Local Barley in Coconut Milk

With the purple and orange sweet potato balls sitting in my freezer, I just can't help thinking of what dessert to come up with next ~ smile ~  It doesn't take me long to figure it out, and with these 5 ingredients:  Sweet potato balls, local barley, pandan leaves, sugar and coconut milk, here is the end product of today's simple dessert....

Few simple steps to kick start my cooking:

1. In a medium pot bring water to a boil with few pandan leaves (knoted). 
2. In another pot bring water to a boil.  Add in the sweet potato balls, each colour at a time as I prefer to have a clear purple and orange coloured potato balls.  Once the potato balls floats up to the surface, it's cooked.  Dish with a slotted spoon and set aside. Repeat until both potato balls are cooked.
3. Once the pandan flavor fills the kitchen add granulated sugar, stir to dissolve and taste for correct sweetness.
4. For the local barley, I boiled it separately, refer to the recipe here 
5. Scoop the barley grains (grains only) and put it into the sugar water, amount depending on your preference.
6. Add in both the purple and orange sweet potato balls and stir to mix.
7. Lastly, add in the coconut milk, amount also depend on how much you are cooking and your preference.  Some people prefers a more pungent coconut milk taste than others.  Once it comes to a boil remove the pot from heat.
8. Remove the pandan leaves.
9. Scoop into a bowl and let it cool a bit before consuming.  This desserts is best served either warm, room temperature or cold.  

Local Barley Soup

At any one time I always keeps stock of this 'local barley' in my fridge, and once a while I will boil a big pot of it to drink and the balance stored in water containers placed in the fridge.  During hot days, this is one refreshing drink which my family enjoys any time of the day.

To boil this barley drink all we need is just a few simple ingredients:

• Barley grains (amount depending on your preference and how much soup you need)
• Few pandan leaves (put more if you are boiling more soup)
• Granulated sugar/rock sugar/brown sugar (your preference)

Few simple steps:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Use a bigger pot so that the water and barley when boiled will not overflow out of the pot.
2. Wash the barley grains, drain and add into the boiling water.
3. Leave the pot cover half open and always watch out as the water might overflow out of the pot when it's boiling.  
4. When it comes to another boil reduce heat to medium high and continue to boil.  Add in the knoted pandan leaves.   The soup is ready when the barley grains are soft.  More water might need to be added during cooking.
5. Add in sugar and taste for correct sweetness of your preference.  Stir until sugar dissolves.
6. Remove the pot of the heat and leave it to cool down.
7. The soup is ready to be served.  

Tips: 

• Normally, as soon as the soup is cooked,  I will scoop out the grains and soup onto a bowl to let it cool down faster, as I just couldn't wait to enjoy it.
• Some people might not like to consume the barley grains, that is fine.  

Taiwanese Sweet Potato Balls Desserts

I always enjoys cooking desserts and having them at any time of the day, especially on hot days.  Recently, I tried a hand on this Taiwanese Dessert using both the orange and purple sweet potatoes.  Yam is another tuber ingredients which is commonly used to cook this delectable desserts.  This time round I am not using yam.  Let's start cooking...

Ingredients:
250g orange sweet potatoes
250g purple sweet potatoes
200g tapioca flour or starch (divided into 2 portions)
Some hot water (to be added into the sweet potato and flour dough)

Methods:

1. Peel, cut both the orange and purple sweet potatoes and arrange them on  two steaming plates.  
2. Steam both the sweet potato separately until soft.
3. Immediately transfer steamed orange sweet potatoes onto a mixing bowl and mash with a hand masher until mashed.
4. Add in 100g of tapioca flour or starch while the sweet potato is still warm.  Mix with a spatula or spoon until incorporated.  Add 1 tablespoon of hot water at a time, if the dough is too dry until you get the correct texture for the dough.
5. Turn the dough onto the counter top and knead with hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Cut the dough into 3 portions.  Roll each portion into a log.  Cut rolls into small pieces at your desired sizes.
6. Lightly dust with tapioca flour. Set aside for later use.
7. Proceed with the purple sweet potato using the same steps 3 to 6.

From the above prepared orange and purple sweet potato balls I cooked 2 desserts to enjoy.

1.  Taiwanese Orange Sweet Potato Balls with barley, gingko nuts and candied winter melons.

Few simple steps to cook this dessert: (1 serving)

1. In a medium pot of boiling water add 2 tablespoons of washed barley, and let it boil until soft.  Drain the barley and discard water.  For this purpose I prefer to have a bowl of clear dessert, which is why I discard the barley water.  If you want to make use of both the barley and the water, it is also fine.
2. To boil the orange sweet potato balls, boil a pot of water and once the water boils drop in the balls.  Once the balls rise to the surface, off the heat, scoop out the balls and set aside.  If I am cooking a larger portion, I will put the boiled balls into ice water to let it stop cooking.  
3. In another clean pot  add water and let it boil together with 2 pieces of pandan leaf  tied into a knot.  Let it boil for about 5 minutes.
4. Add in the barley, gingko nuts (has been cooked earlier) and some candied winter melons, and continue to let it boil for a few minutes.
5. Finally, add in the orange sweet potato balls, stir and taste for correct sweetness.  The candied winter melons is sweet.  Add a bit of rock sugar or granulated sugar if needed.
6. Off the heat and this dessert is ready to be served warm or cold.

2.  Orange Sweet Potato soup with Taiwanese purple sweet potato balls.

Few quick and simple steps: (1 serving)

1. In a medium pot, add water and bring it to a boil with 2 pieces of pandan leaves tied into a knot.  Pandan leaves is a must as it enhanced the flavour of the dessert.
2. Peel the orange sweet potato and cut into chunks, sizes according to your preference.  
3. Add the sweet potato chunks into the boiling water and let it boil until almost soft.  Add in some rock sugar or granulated sugar or brown sugar (depending on your preference) and taste for correct sweetness.  Remove from heat.
4. While the sweet potato is boiling bring a small pot of water to boil, add in the purple sweet potato balls and once it floats to the surface, off the heat and scoop out the balls and set aside in a serving bowl.
5. Scoop the orange sweet potato and soup in the serving bowl with the sweet potato purple balls.  
6. This simple dessert is ready to be served.  

Notes:  The uncooked leftover sweet potato balls can  be placed in an airtight container, separated with parchment paper in between and place in the freezer.  To use, bring it out at room temperature until thawed or place the container inside the fridge overnight.

I adapted this recipe from 'Bake with Paws' with some amendments.