Wake Up and Smell the Cake

Yet another kuih Melayu conquered: kuih bakar lauk. Not too difficult lah since it's a mix of roti kirai and kuih bakar pandan. Got the recipe from here , since the blogger tried and tested before deriving this version.  I fried the minced meat a day ago with sliced onions, fennel and cumin seeds, curry powder, salt and pepper. Kuih Bakar Lauk 1 box santan Kara (coconut cream) 150ml water 100g flour 3/4 tsp salt 2 eggs Tumeric powder for colour Garnishes: sliced red chili, bawang goreng, parsley For the bigger tray, after cooking till the sides don't stick, put in a preheated 180 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness. The first batch was done using the small moulds but I wasn't used to it yet and turned out horrible. First batch. But no matter, the son finished them up anyway. After pouring the batter and adding the garnishes, cover the pan to cook the batter. Doesn't take too long to cook.

I've been on a cookie baking spree for a few weeks now, from huge soft cookies to crunchy cookies.  Below are two recipes which are worth trying, I made the first one twice already, and the close-to-Famous-Amos cookie yesterday. I've attempted another recipe a few years ago, with coffee oil, almond and oatmeal, and this version here uses malted milk powder instead. The second attempt seems closer, or maybe I can combine the two and get a better result? In any case, here's recipe #1, from Rasa Malaysia . Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies 250g butter, softened 110g brown sugar 120g caster sugar 2 eggs 1/4 tsp baking soda 80g cornstarch 320g flour 50g cocoa powder (actually it's less but I accidentally added more and it's better) 250g chocolate chips (this is the minimum) The recipe said bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, but that won't give crunchy cookies. I baked at 14 to 16 minutes instead, depending on the size. But the chocolate chips won't be melt

Experiment time! Tried out jeneket, even though I don't know what it is. I might have eaten it before, but I can't recall. It is an old school snack but isn't readily available now. It is like making doughnut, but since the yeast is not a lot, the batter can be left overnight. And I love easy peasy recipes. I have avoided making bread because you need to wait for a certain number of hours, go to it again, then let it proof again. Also, kneading. Nope. But this 'bread' just requires using the k-beater on my Kenwood, then let the dough rest overnight, or 8 hours.  Recipe is from here , and I've searched many many times and all sorts, just to make sure I know what I'm doing. I made half a batch. Jeneket  300g flour 200ml water (supposed to be 100ml) 1/2 heapful tsp bicarbonate soda (or potas but can't find that) 1/4 tsp salt 1 egg 100g caster sugar 1/8 tsp instant yeast 1 tsp baking powder Beat egg and sugar until volume increases. I used the highest speed

I've done this  a few times , but today I tried with different chocolate combo: dark chocolate chunks, salted caramel chips and milk chocolate centre. For ease of reference, here's the recipe again! I dare say these are better than the original combo I used. Ben's Triple Chocolate Cookies 200g butter 300g caster sugar 1 egg 265g flour + 10g baking powder 50g cocoa powder 150g 70% dark cocoa chunks 150g salted caramel chips Galaxy milk chocolate bars for the melted surprise

I've been growing lots of Thai Basil (I have three pots) and they're finally ready for cooking. I've also made Thai Green Curry paste way earlier and it's been sitting in my freezer ever since. I've made green curry before, but that was using a paste bought from a recent trip to Bangkok. That turned out perfect, complete with pea eggplants (those small green bitter balls) & Thai eggplants (green and round). Wanted to try making from scratch, so I followed the recipe from here . Thai Green Curry Paste 4 green chilis 6 green cili padi 2 medium onions 2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped 2 tbsp galangal 5 cloves garlic 2 1/2 tsp belacan 2 tsp lime zest, grated 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp tumeric powder 2 tbsp chopped coriander root and stem 1/4 cup coriander leaves Thai Green Curry Recipe 1 set green curry paste Oil for frying 250ml coconut cream, and then some (recipe calls for 400g) 3 tsp fish sauce 1 bloc

Googled for Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake, but turns out I didn't have much Lotus biscuits left so this is now a normal cheesecake. HAHA. Also replaced the sour cream with mascarpone cheese, cos that's what I have (exactly 240g of it!) and somehow the cake turned out looking like a burnt basque cheesecake instead. But it still has a wobbly centre and so it should be awesome. Can't wait to cut it but well it needs a few hours to rest so I just kopek some edges instead. I think my previous attempts at cheesecake were a little dense save for the mascarpone cheesecake , and now I know that should be the way cheesecakes are baked! Recipe is originally from here . Cheesecake Layer (i.e. what I used) 900g cream cheese 240g mascarpone cheese 4 eggs 3/4 cup milk 300g sugar 32g flour 1 tsp vanilla essence Using a mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add in milk and vanilla and mix well, then eggs one at a time. Finally, add in the flour. For the base

My snack stash finished, but there's still work from home. So yesterday night I made some cookies. Oatmeal with sunflower seeds, to make use of ingredients in the pantry and also those stuff makes it kinda healthy. Although 2 cups of sugar AND flour aren't very healthy but hey, there needs to be a balance right? Haha. Recipe from allrecipes.com Ingredients 250g butter (I used salted) 1 cup caster sugar 1 cup brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 2 cups flour 2 cups oats (I used quick cook) 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup mini chocolate chips Mix the batter using the normal creaming method i.e. butter with sugar, then with eggs (one at a time), then flour, then oats and finally the seeds and chocolate chips. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls, on a baking sheet and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes. The cookies will flatten out, won't look pretty but it is still crunchy and yummy! Snacks done. Now I

Tried my hand at mutton mysore! My ultimate favourite whenever I have rice set meals at Indian restaurants. Boil 1kg lamb before hand. Although you can just boil just like that, I wanted to make the meat slightly frangrant. So I fried an onion, few cloves of garlic, an inch of ginger, threw in the usual bay leaf, cardamom, clove, star anise and boiled. Note to self, pressure cook for 15 minutes only. I did at 20 and the meat was soft yes, but that is if I were to eat it straight away. Since I was gonna cook it again, I should have par boiled it. Now for the spices! Spices to fry: 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 10 cashew nuts (obviously I added like 30 or more) 2 cinnamon sticks 5 star anise 4 cardamoms 3 cloves To saute: 5 cloves garlic, pounded 1 inch ginger, pounded 3 red chillies, slit lengthwise 3 onions, sliced 3 stalks curry leaves 5 tomatoes, sliced Curry powder: 5 tsp chilli powder 3 tsp coriander powder 1 1/2 tsp cumin

I finally did it! And it's so quick and yummy. Highlight of my otherwise moody day. I got the recipe from a news editor that I follow on Instagram and she said this is the Malay version of kacang pool. I don't know what's the non-Malay version but yes this is the one I'm looking for! Kacang Pool 1 can of broad beans, I think about 270g? 200g cooked minced meat 1/4 tsp black pepper Pinch of salt To blend: 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (dry fried) 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (dry fried) 2 onions 3 cloves garlic 1 inch ginger Remove the beans, drain and wash them. Mash with back of the spoon coarsely, depending on the texture you want. Dry fry the fennel seeds and cumin seeds for a few minutes till slightly roasted. Grind. Blend the onions, garlic and ginger together. Because my grinder can't grind 1 tsp of seeds, I ended up grinding all those together. On hindsight, I should have just used the pestle and mortar Hahaha. Fry the paste till fragrant, then add the

Tub of mascarpone waiting to be used sits in my fridge and was contemplating if I should do another batch of kunefe, or try out a cheesecake since I have cream cheese too which is expiring soon. Also have kids' leftover biscuits to clear. These kids will say I love this snack! And keep asking for more and you need to go find them cos you didn't know they'd finish them so fast, and when you actually do stock up at home, they moved on to another snack. So. I'm left with a packet of opened, unfinished Zoo biscuits. Googled and found this recipe , so cheesecake it is! I did half the recipe and was more than enough still. This is a keeper recipe, the cheesecake is not heavy, not cheesy and the crust is oh so GOOD. Lotus biscuits, even though only 2, made a difference and almonds too! Love the nutty flavour it gives to crusts.  In you go, zoo biscuits. No need for Graham crackers. Cheesecake 250g cream cheese 250g mascarpone cheese (1 tub) 2 eggs

Since today McDonald's closed for 2 weeks because of COVID-19, I took the opportunity to feed the kids my pancakes and remind them that storebought isn't always best. PLEASE GET THAT IN YOUR HEADS KIDS. See lah, dowan to believe mama can cook right. But I'm glad all pancakes were finished! Yay! There's no need for buttermilk for these, and it's fluffy and soft and wayyy better than McDonald's honestly. Pancake Recipe 1 1/2 cup flour 3 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt (but my butter is salted butter so I omitted) 1 tbsp sugar 1 egg 3 tbsp butter, melted 1 1/4 cup milk Add wet ingredients together, mix. Then pour into bowl of dry ingredients. TADA. SEE SO FLUFFY

Came across this recipe in my Instagram feed and it's perfect for using up egg whites. I end up with 3 egg whites after making pineapple or nutella tarts, and this recipe calls for exactly that! Bookmarked it, and since I did nutella tarts last Friday, I decided to make this even though there's so many sweet treats I've made these past few days of circuit breaker. Flourless Fudge Cookies 3 egg whites (105g) 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla essence 225 confectioners' sugar (I didn't have enough so I topped up with caster sugar + 1 tsp cornflour) 85g Dutch processed cocoa 2 cups of nuts/chocolate chips Mix the wet ingredients together. Put the dry ingredients in the processor and blend to get them into fine powder (because I'm lazy to sieve). Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Line baking tin with baking paper. Scoop 1 tbspful and spread onto the baking paper, it won't spread much so can put more. Cookies of 2 inches in diameter bakes at 8 minutes

Also another request from a friend. I love baking so if there's requests, I'd gladly do so, I get the joy of baking, taste a bit then offload the calories to someone else hahahah. Win-win! This cake isn't sweet, it can be a base for cakes with frosting. But since I wasn't gonna eat it, I didn't bother. HAHA. Chocolate Keto Cake 1 1/2 cups fine almond flour 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa (I used Dutch processed) 2 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 cup milk 3 eggs 1/3 cup sugar 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes in an 8x8 inch pan or longer until the centre is cooked. I think it took 20 min? Can't rememeber and no picture!

Pandan seems to go with coconut milk for everything. I made a different version of bread pudding at a friend's request. The custard before baking tastes awesome but somehow the coconut cream has the slight tengik smell after baking, but it's tolerable lah. I'm sensitive to such tastes. Tried the recipe from here , and the ingredients are: 1 small loaf of bread 1/2 cup sugar 3 eggs 2 cups of (200ml coconut cream + water) 7 blades of pandan leaves blended with 1 cup water Easy peasy, mix all the ingredients except bread (duh) and pout into baking tray, steam for 1/2 hour.

Makcik level unlocked y'all! My first successful kuih Melayu kukus. I call this putri salat but some people call it Kuih Seri Muka too. I googled a few recipes and did a few tweaks (orginal from here ) so here's what I used. This makes a perfect balance of pulut and custard cos I don't like when the pulut is more than the custard. Like a rip off. Also, I only had 285g of pulut left. HAHA. Pulut 200ml santan milk 285g pulut/glutinous rice 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp oil Soak the glutinous rice with water for about an hour prior to using. Drain the water. I used my IKEA glass bakeware which I don't know the size, probably 8x5 inches? and oiled the whole baking dish. Mix the santan, salt and pulut together and let it soak for a bit. Put pandan knots if available. Steam for 30 minutes. Fluff up the pulut, get the santan all mixed well then flatten the steamed pulut with a greased spatula. Make sure there's no gaps. Steam for another 10 minutes. Pandan Custa

The boy wanted this and helped make them too. By far the best Milo tasting cake ever, I think I've added Milo before but didn't get the same effect. It is also not easy to get a Milo recipe since it's only famous in this region and Australia. Milo Cupcake with Frosting Cupcakes  40g unsalted butter ,softened 140g caster sugar 1 egg 115g plain flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 pinch salt 2 teaspoons cocoa powder 120ml milk 3 tbsp Milo Milo Buttercream Frosting 200g cing sugar 120g unsalted butter, softened 50g cocoa powder, sifted 50g Milo powder 100ml milk (add bit by bit, may not need all) He helped me to frost the cupcake. There was shouting on my part, of course. HAHAHA.

This was a challenge by a friend, and since I haven't done biscotti before, why not! I used the recipe here and followed per the instructions, but some of the biscotti wasn't crunchy. Was kinda disappointed but friend said it's good enough. Ingredients 1 cup dried cranberries  2 3/4 cups flour pinch salt zest of 1 orange 5 eggs separated 1 cup caster sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence 1 1/2 cups pistachio nuts Soak the cranberries for about 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks and gradually add the sugar and vanilla. Add flour, salt and orange zest to egg mixture and incorporate. Mixture will look like bread crumbs. Incorporate the pistachios and cranberries. Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, with whisk attachment beat the egg whites until they reach the stiff peak stage.  Fold the egg whites in the flour and nut mixture.  Divide dough into thirds. Place each third on a lined baking sheet; with damp h

I love apam balik. The soft one, with lots of corn. So when @khairulaming posted this on his instagram, I bookmarked it. The recipe is not too much until you get sick of eating apam balik, but I do feel it needs some tweaks to get the pancake king version. But not bad for a first try. 2 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 tbsp melted butter 1 1/4 cups water 1 egg Additional butter for the pan I do feel it needs some salt, more sugar and I shouldn't have liberally made it so thick HAHA. The pan is important too, I kinda burnt some parts of the pancake. Got them bubbles!! This recipe made 2 large pancakes. Also, the filling needs to be sprinkled with sugar liberally (read: 3 tbsp or so), my first try wasn't enough. Pancake was soft even for the next few days after that (kept in the fridge then reheated in the microwave). Husband found it to be acceptable, but I was kinda not okay with it but ohwells. I can tweak it

Okay. I think I can stop my search for the go-to brownie recipe. I've made this before at my sister's house, but somehow it didn't bake long enough and was too gooey to cut and I had to leave before I could see it set, but I made it again without the peanut butter chips and it is amazing! I added walnuts and chocolate chips for this. Me being last minute and all, this was done for teacher's day haha. I added a bit more flour this time round, so here's the recipe with the tweaks: (original from Sally's Baking Addiction ) 145g butter 1/4 tsp salt 250g caster sugar 75g Dutch processed cocoa powder 75g plain flour 2 eggs (normal ones) Melt the sugar, salt and butter together. Add in the cocoa powder and flour, and lastly the eggs when the batter is cooled down. Bake for 30 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes in an 8 inch square pan. The result is a decadent chocolaty gooey inside, with melted chocolate chips, and a crinkle top! Anddd now

I've tried a few times to perfect this, and I think I'm getting close! The trick is to use more santan, more flour, less liquid. Also, I cooked it over the stove first before putting it in the oven.  Kuih Bakar Pandan 2/3 cup + 1 tbsp flour 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup coconut cream 2/3 cup pandan juice + coconut milk 2 eggs Heat the pan over the stove. Pour batter in and cover the top. Cook for a few minutes until the sides are cooked and doesn't stick to the pan. Put it in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes, depending on how thick the batter.