Spiced Carrot Cookies
Sunday, May 24, 2009Flavored with chilli, nutmeg and oregano,and studded with grated carrot, these one bowl carrot cookies are so easy to make, tender and delicious. If desired, add some roasted nuts, raisins or chocolate chips to the dough,whatever sounds good to you is the way to go.
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- Combine all ingredients and mix well. Wrap the mixture with a plastic film and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Remove the mixture from the fridge and shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until cookies are firm. Remove and cool completely on a wire racks. Store the cookies in an airtight container. This recipe makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.
Kirsch-Blechkuchen Cherry Butter Cake
Saturday, May 23, 2009"Blechkuchen" is usually a basic sheet cake topped with seasonal fruit, very similar to a coffeecake. The name is a combination of two words "Blech" meaning "baking sheet" and "Kuchen" cake.
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- Drain the canned cherries. Grease a 15x25-cm rectangle glass baking pan and sprinkle the bread crumbs on the bottom. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
- Sift the flour into a bowl. Add in sugar and vanilla Mix together the flour, sugar and vanilla sugar. Add in butter and eggs, blend to mix well. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Flatten the cake surface with the wet hands.
- Place the drained cherries on the cake, and lightly press them into the batter. Bake for 45 minutes. The cake is baked through when you insert a skewer and it remains clean. Cool the cake completely and dust with icing sugar.
Spätzle German Egg Noodles
Tuesday, May 19, 2009Spaetzle(literally translated from German language as (little sparrow). The dough typically consists of just flour, eggs, and a bit of salt. It can be firm enough to be cut into small thin pieces or batter-like, which can be pressed into a boiling salted water via colander or a special Spätzle press or maker.
There are two kinds of Spätzle: button-shaped/Knoepfle and elongated noodle alike. Spätzle is not only just popular in Germany, but also in Austria and Switzerland. Spätzle is eaten as a side dish and usually served with gravy or other desired sauces. Of course you can try making flavoured Spätzle, herb?paprika?cheese? Just give it a try. And I LOVE to stir-fry the plain Spätzle with some vegetables(like cabbages, onions or sweet peppers) in red chilli oil, just giving it a spicy touch.
Find Monday Mouthful Spätzle by Chef E and Mindy .
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- Stir together eggs, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and flour in a mixing bowl. Gradually add water to make a thick but smooth batter.
- In a large pot bring 5 cups of water and one teaspoon of salt to a boil. Set the Spaetzle maker over the pot. Scoop the batter in and crank the handle to have the button-shaped Spaetzle fall into the boiling water.
- Boil gently for a few minutes till they float to the top of the water. Remove them with a slotted ladle and toss with a little butter. So that they won't stick together. If you prefer stir them with some chilli oil and vegetable shreds. Another way to prepare them is to bake them with grated cheese and onion.
Shrimp Cake served with Prune Sauce
Sunday, May 17, 2009You will find "shrimp cakes" in Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Koren and Chinese cuisines. They are either coated with bread crumbs or sandwiched with wraps, and then pan-fried until golden crispy. This version of shrimp cake is said to be invented by Thai restaurants in Taiwan and has been called Yue Liang Xia Bing (月亮虾饼), literally translated as "Moon Shrimp Cakes" in English, because its round shape. Shrimp paste are spread between two sheets of spring roll wrappers and pan-fried. If you have the difficulty to get spring roll wrappers, then tortilla wraps would be a perfect substitute.
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- Mix all the ingredients, except for the wrappers, in a bowl. Stir the mixture until it becomes a paste with smooth and shiny consistency.
- Spread a tablespoon of mixture on a wrap, top with another to form a pancake. Heat up some oil in a frying pan on medium heat. When the oil is ready, put the shrimp cake in and start frying until both sides turn golden.
- Drain and serve with plum sauce.
Diced Chicken and Carrot with Sweet Fermented Flour Paste
Thursday, May 14, 2009“Sweet Fermented Flour Paste” (or Tian Mian Jiang in Chinese) is a savory runny paste with salty sweetness made from flour and flour through fermentation. It is an ideal fix for stir-fry dishes, and a dipping for Peking duck. It’s not made from soya bean, and it’s not the same as hoisin sauce or plum sauce. It’s a traditional sauce used in northern Chinese cuisine while hoisin often seen in Cantonese or other southern kitchens and used as a substitute to serve with Peking Duck.
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- Clean the chicken breast and pat it dry with kitchen towel. Cut them into 1-inch dices. Marinate chicken dices with cornstarch solution and salt for 30 minutes. Rinse the carrots and cut into 1-inch dices too.
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the sauce. Set aside. Deep-fry diced carrots for about 5-8 minutes until cooked. Pour all but a tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add in marinated chicken and stir until tender.
- Remove chicken and add in sesame oil in a skillet, add in the sauce and stir until thickens. Return the carrots and chickens, stir until thoroughly heated.
Crispy Salmon Potato Cutlets (or Patties)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009A rather nutritious snack or one-dish meal by combining mashed potatoes with salmon. Delicious with mayonnaise, but sour cream would be perfect for those irresistible pancakes.
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- Cut the leek in half lengthwise, then wash the leek thoroughly beneath cold running water to remove all dirt, sand and grit trapped between each layer. Drain and finely chop.
- Wash the potatoes under the running water with a sponge. To boil potatoes, fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Sprinkle in a generous amount of salt Add the potatoes to the pot and boil until cooked through. Peel potatoes with a knife. The skins should come off easily. Return the potatoes to a large pot with butter and mash them together until smooth.
- Dice the salmon and add into the mashed potatoes with egg, chopped leeks, rosemary, bread crumbs and the seasonings. Divide the mixture into 8 portions and shape each into a round. Heat the oil on a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the salmon pancakes with flour, patting off the excess flour. Place them onto the hot pan and cook until golden brown, turning halfway through. Remove from pan to drain and serve with sour cream or mayonnaise.
Espresso Brownies
Sunday, May 10, 2009A wonderful chocolate treat---rich, moist and dense brownie is named after its brown color. There are many different brownie recipes, but they are all prepared similarly.
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- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and espresso powder. Grease a 20x30cm baking pan with some butter. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Melt butter and chocolate over a double boiler, stir until smooth and remove from heat. Blend in sugar, eggs and extract. Gradually sift in the flour mixture and combine until incorporated. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle rack of oven for about 28 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
- Meanwhile prepare the glaze. Over a double boiler melt the milk chocolate and butter. As soon as the chocolate starts melting, add in espresso and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze over the brownies. Sprinkle the roasted almond slices over. When the glaze is set, cut into 12 squares.
Shrimps with Herbal Tomato and Garlic
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
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- Rinse the shrimp and pat them dried with with the kitchen towels.
- Stir-fry the onion with olive oil over the medium heat until the onion transparent, about 3 minutes. Add in minced garlic and chili. Stir fry until the garlic appears golden in colour. Add in diced tomatoes and parsley. Season the herbal tomatoes with salt to taste.
- Turn the heat down, stirring briefly, and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in shrimp and stir until they are even coated with the sauce. Cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes until completely heated through and cooked. Season it with a little more salt if needed.