Light orange-flavoured Fruit Cake

Off late, I have been baking Fruit Cake quite often.  Though I love fruit cake, but I seldom want to buy the ready bakery baked ones as they are usually too sweet.  I have a few keeper recipe in hand, so anytime when I yearn to have it I will just bake one to enjoy. Last week I bake an orange-flavoured fruit cake, which is so light and moist. This is another keeper recipe to share with all fruit cake lovers....

Ingredients:
250g plain flour (sifted)
250g unsalted butter (softened)
250g dry fruit mix
150g castor sugar (actual amount is 170g)
2 tsp baking powder (sifted)
1/2 cup freshly squeeze orange juice
2 tbsp condensed milk
4 eggs

Methods:

1. Soak dry fruit mix in orange juice overnight.
2. Beat butter and castor sugar until light and creamy.
3. Add in one egg at a time and beating well after each addition.
4. Mix in flour little by little, alternating with milk and stir until well mixed.
5. Add in fruit mix together with the orange juice and stir to mix.
6. Spoon mixture into a lined 7.5" square cake tin.
7. Bake in a preheated oven of 170 degree Celsius for 60 - 70 minutes or when a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean.
8. Let it sit in the cake tin for 10 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool.
9. Enjoy it warm, at room temperature or cool from the fridge.  After 2 days I place the leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge.  

This recipe is adapted from treatntrick.blogspot.com.

Sweet Potatoes Onde-Onde

I've made the green colour Onde-Onde which is of the pandan flavor before and is now trying a hand on this 'eyes-catching" orange or rather golden ones. Though it is one same dessert or snacks but the two recipes differs slightly. Let's get on with it....

Ingredients:
200g glutinous rice flour
200g orange sweet potato (peeled, diced, steamed and mashed)
160ml. water
Enough Palm Sugar (grated)
Fresh coconut shavings
Pinch of salt

Methods:

1. Into the mashed sweet potato add flour and water.  Mix into a dough, cover with cling film and let it rest for 10 minutes. (I prefer not to add all the water at one time, leaving a bit till the end to ensure that the dough is not too soft.)
2. In a deep plate add the fresh coconut shavings, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and stir to combine.
3. To make the onde-onde, pinch a portion of the dough and roll into your desired sizes, flatten with fingers, spoon some grated palm sugar in the middle (add more if you have a sweet tooth), fold up to seal and roll again into balls.  Repeat until all is done.
4. To cook, boil water in a half filled pot, drop the rolled onde-onde carefully into the pot, once it floats dish out with a slotted spatula and roll them in the coconut mixture to coat them evenly.  Place them onto a serving plate.  Repeat until all is done. (I will cook the onde-onde in batches to enable me time to coat them and to prevent the onde-onde to be over-cooked, especially when I am  making it all by myself.)
5. These eyes-catching golden onde-onde are ready to be served.

This recipe is adapted from Lisa's Lemony Kitchen with increased in the portion, as I am making 2 portions from her actual recipe.

Deep-fried Chicken Boxing coated with Nestum

Chicken Boxing is my family's favourite!  As time is needed to prepare the drumettes,  I will normally buy the chicken wings and get them ready before hand and leave them in the freezer. The night before cooking I will bring out the drumettes from the freezer and leave it in the fridge.  On the day itself, after the drumettes have defrosted I will marinate and let it sit until the time for cooking. 

If you prefer your Chicken Boxing to be crunchy on the outside and without any coated sauce, this is one yummy recipe which I would recommend.  I can assure you that your family would love them too...

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
8 drummets (with a sharp knife scrape the meat from the joint area downwards to form a ball)
Nestum for coating
Enough cooking oil for deep-frying)

Marinade:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chicken stock granules
1/2 tsp grounded white pepper
1 small egg
1 1/2 tbsp cornflour
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour

Methods:

1. Marinate the chicken drumettes with the marinade ingredients and leave to sit for few hours, or until cooking)
2. In a deep heated wok add enough cooking oil.
3. In a plate add few tablespoons of nestum.  Coat the drumettes with nestum and deep-fry in the medium heated oil, turning in between frying until golden brown.
4. Dish and drain on kitchen paper.  
5. Serve!

Notes:  Deep-fried Chicken Boxing also makes good Finger Food in a party or home gathering. Though having it immediately when hot is the best, but I have it half an hour later and I still get the crunch!

Pan-fried Spicy Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
300g chicken wings
1/2" knob ginger (minced)
1 onion (sliced, keep some to mix in later)
2 tomatoes (4 slices for garnishing and the rest finely chopped)
2 green chilies (sliced)
1/2 tbsp chili powder (not in picture)
1/4 cup tomato ketchup (not in picture)
4 tbsp water (not in picture)
3 tbsp cooking oil (not in picture)

Marinade:
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp tumeric powder

Methods:

1. Clean chicken wings, cut into 2 pieces (in between the drumette and the mid-wing), pat dry, marinate with salt and tumeric powder and set aside.
2. In a large frying pan of medium heat, add oil, when the heat is hot enough switch to low and add the marinated chicken (this is to prevent from splattering).  
3. Mix the chicken wings and let it fry not completely but until the edges turns slightly golden brown.
4. Add in grated ginger, onions, green chili and chopped tomatoes and mix all the ingredients well with the chicken for about one minute.
5. Add in chili powder and give it a quick toss.
6. Pour in the tomato ketchup and water, toss to coat the chicken and taste for correct seasoning with a balance of flavours, add salt and dash of sugar for sweetness if necessary.
7. Once the sauce has reduced, add the remaining sliced onions, give it a quick stir and off the heat.
8. Dish onto a serving plate, garnish with sliced tomatoes and dinner is served!

This recipe is adapted from Island Smile with some amendments to suit my family's taste-buds.

King of Ribs (Pai Kut Ong)

Locally, this dish is popularly known as "Pai Kut Ong" in  Kuching.  Today, many food outlets are serving this authentic Chinese dish.  I have here a 'keeper recipe' which I will cook when my children are back home for holiday or when our KUEK family are having home gatherings.  

Ingredients:
400g rib eye (I use pork shoulder)
Cooking oil (for deep-frying)

Marinade:
Drizzle of sesame oil
Dash of salt
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

For coating:
Plain flour (sifted)

Sauce: (Mix together)
3 tbsp tomato sauce
1 1/2 tbsp chili sauce
1/2 tsp curry powder (I use watch brand)
1 1/2 tsp LP sauce
1 tsp sugar (to taste)
3 tbsp water

Methods:

1. Normally, I will ask the butcher to slice the meat for me.  Wash,  pat dry with kitchen paper and use a meat pounder to tenderize the meat. In a big bowl mix meat with marinade and let it marinate for at least an hour or two.
2. Coat the meat slices with plain flour prior to deep-frying.  
3. In a medium heated wok with enough oil, deep-fry the coated meat slices in batches until golden and remove from heat.  Repeat until all is done.
4. In a clean heated wok (without oil) bring sauce to a boil until it reaches a thickened consistency.  Add in (3), stir to coat the meat with the sauce and let the flavours set in.  Remove from heat.
5. Dish onto a serving plate.  
6. To make this dish looks more presentable serve it on top of lettuce on a plate with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

This recipe is adapted from Y3K Recipes No. 56, Page 50 with slight changes.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I love meat dishes of sweet and sour taste.  It arouses my taste buds and boost up my appetite and calls for more rice! Come, let's join me in cooking this yummy dish to enjoy with freshly cooked fluffy rice....

Ingredients:
2 cups minced pork
1 tsp ginger (minced)
1 tsp garlic (minced)
1 sprig spring onions (green part only, chopped)
3 tsp cornflour
Cooking oil (for deep-frying)

Marinade:
Pinch of salt
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
Drizzle of sesame oil

Sweet and sour sauce: (mix together)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
4 tbsp water
1 tsp white/black vinegar (I use black vinegar)
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornflour
Pinch of salt

Methods:

1. In a large bowl put in the minced pork, add minced ginger, garlic, chopped spring onions, cornflour and all the marinade ingredients.  Mix until well combined and has becomes slightly sticky and paste like texture.
2. Shape into balls of your preferred sizes.
3. In a deep wok add enough cooking oil and deep-fry the meatballs using medium heat in batches until golden brown, turning them in between frying.
4. Dish and drain on kitchen paper.
5. When all is done, discard off excess oil leaving about 1 tbsp in the wok, using medium-low heat add in sweet and sour sauce mixture, and when the sauce starts to simmer give it a stir and quickly taste for correct seasoning of your preference.
6. Return the meatballs into the wok, stir to coat and continue to let it simmer for another minute or so until the sauce thickens.
7. Off the heat, dish onto a serving plate and serve hot.

This recipe is adapted from 'Authentic Chinese Food Blog.'

Stuffed Bittergourd with Homemade Sauce

I have shared a number of homecooked recipes in my blog for this favourite vegetable of mine, Bittergourd. Though I am the only one in my family who eat this bitter vegetable, but once a while I will still cook it.  Today, I would like to share with my readers this stuffed bittergourd with homemade sauce.  

Ingredients:
1 bittergourd
1 cup minced pork

Marinade:
1/2 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp cornflour
Dash of chicken stock granules
1 small shallots (chopped)
1 tbsp water

Homemade sauce: (Mix together in a bowl)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp chicken stock granules
Dash of grounded white pepper
Drizzle of sesame oil
1/2 tsp cornflour
4 tbsp water (adjust accordingly)

Methods:

1. Marinade the minced pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for later use.
2. Wash the bittergourd, cut into 1/2" rings, cored, quick boil, drain and let it cool.
3. Stuff the bittergourd rings with the marinated minced pork, set aside on a plate and steam until the meat is cooked and the bittergourd is soft. Remove the bittergourd and place them onto a serving dish.
4. In a heated wok, pour in sauce and cook while stirring until it thickens.  At this juncture, taste for correct seasoning (add any seasonings if needed).
5. Turn off heat, drizzle the sauce over the bittergourd and serve hot!