Chocolate Rice Cocoa Pancakes

Who would say 'NO' to chocolate-cocoa pancakes?? They sure are the favorites of many especially kids.  I try out this pancakes for breakfast and my grandson Brendan enjoys it very much. 

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup plain flour (sifted)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (sifted)
1/4 cup caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder (sifted)
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 tbsp butter (melted)
2/3 cup chocolate rice
Icing Sugar (for dusting, optional)

Methods:

1. In a large bowl add flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar, baking powder, salt and whisk to mix all the ingredients.
2. In another bowl add eggs, milk, melted butter and whisk until blended.
3. Fold the wet ingredients (2) over the dry ingredients (1).  Stir using a whisk until all ingredients are combined and fold in the chocolate rice.  Stir to mix.
4. Coat a non-stick pan with cooking oil under medium heat.
5. Pour the batter using a soup ladle onto the pan.
6. Cook until bubbles on top begin to pop, flip over and continue to cook until lightly browned.
7. Dish onto a plate and continue with the rest until all is done.
8. To serve, dust the pancakes with icing sugar accompanied by fruits at the side.

Notes:  I prepare the batter ingredients the night before and leave it covered in the fridge.  In this case I only add the chocolate rice in the morning, just before cooking.  Add a little water if the batter is too thick.

This recipe is adapted from "Taste of Home" by Joyce Moynihan with some amendments.

Double Chocolate Cookies

Trying out this chocolate cookies for the first time, it is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  If you are a fan of both crispy and chewy cookies, this is one cookies to try out and enjoy, and I can assure you that they will be gone before you realise it.....

Ingredients:
250g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
200g fine caster sugar
100g brown sugar
185 g butter (melted)
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
100g button white chocolate
100g chocolate chips

Methods:

1. Sift flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and mix with a spatula.
2. Stir in sugars, then mix in melted butter, egg and yolk and give it a mix.
3. Add in the button chocolate and chocolate chips, and stir until well mixed. Leave the dough in the fridge while preparing the parchment paper for the baking sheets and preheating the oven.
4. Roll the cookie dough into balls of your preferred sizes and arrange them on prepared baking sheets, giving space in between for the cookies to spread out.
5. Bake in a preheated oven of 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool on baking sheets for few quick minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
7. Store cookies in an air tight containers.
8. Time to enjoy!

Tips: In between baking, leave the cookie dough in the fridge to ease rolling and prevent the rolled dough from spreading out on the baking sheets while waiting to be baked.

Recipes adapted from COOKIES Recipe Book by Popular, with slight amendments.

Dakgangjeong/Sweet Crispy Chicken

Ingredients:
200g chicken thigh (deboned)
1/4 cup milk
Dash salt
Pinch of pepper
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp ginger (minced)
Cornflour (for coating)
Oil for deep frying
Chopped peanuts for garnishing (I omit)

Sauce:
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp gochujang
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp ginger (grated)
Pinch of grounded white pepper

Methods:

• Cut the chicken thigh into bite-size pieces, place in a bowl, pour in 1/4 cup milk, mix and let it soak for 2 hours in the fridge.
• Drain chicken pieces, add minced garlic, ginger, salt and pepper.  Stir to mix and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a deep wok.  Coat chicken evenly with cornflour and fry chicken until golden brown.  Drain on kitchen towel.

• Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil, stirring constantly, lower heat to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes and off the heat.
• Add the chicken into the sauce, stir to coat the pieces evenly and serve immediately.

This recipe is adapted from Diana Gale of Domestic Goddess Wannabe.

Traditional Orange Cake

As usual I can't help trying out new recipes with any leftover oranges in my fridge. Anything traditional has always been sentimental to me. Thus, I am trying out this simple recipe which turns out deliciously yummy with fabulous texture for my palate.  

Ingredients:
4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups flour (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder (sifted)
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tsp orange zest

Methods:

1. In an electric mixer beat together caster sugar and butter using medium speed until creamy.
2. Add in the three eggs and beat again using low speed until fluffy and creamy.
3. Add in the pre-mix flour, baking powder and salt and mix with a spatula.
4. Add orange juice in few additions and fold until you get the right consistency (you might need to add a little more or less). Batter should be springy and fluffy not loose and runny.
5. Lastly, fold in orange zest and give it a quick mix.
6. Pour the batter in a lined cake tin and bake in preheated oven of 170 degree Celsius for about 40 - 45 minutes until done or when a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. It can be serve warm or cool.

This recipe is adapted from "Talking To Nelly."

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!