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Prawns in Blankets

Posted by kellysiew on May 27, 2012 in Baking, Seafood

A while ago we had an impromptu BBQ party at a friend’s. Initially the idea was to make ‘tons of Buffalo Wings’ and plonk ourselves in front of the TV for movie marathon. But the idea soon transformed because we ‘discovered’ a rather unloved BBQ nestling at Ralph’s balcony. And with that, several other dishes were thought up including quite a few salads and this particular item that I’m immensely proud of: Prawns in Blankets. Cheesy ones, even.

Prawns in Blanket all Golden and Cheesy and Irresistible looking.

Technically this is a non-recipe as it’s just so simple! All you need: Bag of large enough prawns, bacon, some mozarella and spring onions.

First, you get your assistant to peel and devein the prawns (my least favourite chore in the kitchen). No assistant? Well get your hands dirty and stinky! Don’t forget to rub your finger tips over stainless steel surface to get rid of the prawn smell. Trust me, it really works!

Get the bacon strips ready, sprinkle some Mozzarella cheese on top, and few chopped up pieces of spring onions (chives would work well too), then place the prawn next to the pile and start rolling! You might not need the whole strip of bacon so cut off as you please. Use the rest of the bacon in the potato salad! Repeat the process for the rest of the prawns and then you are ready to go. Place them on a baking tray, and sprinkle more cheese if you like. I did.

Now all you need to do is to bake them in a 180 degree celcius oven for no more than 15 minutes, or judge your instinct, don’t overcook the prawns! Once the prawns are done, squeeze some lemon juice on top. Prepare to wow the crowd.

It might not look like much but I can guarantee you this would accidentally become the star of the party. So simple yet completely delicious. These would be served up everytime we have a BBQ from now on.

So, what about the Buffalo wings? Well they were great too (in fact we finished nearly 4kg between the 4 of us) but like I said, they became the accompanying dish instead.

But still I have to say the potato salad is still fabulous.

Plenty of Bacon bits in there!

Soft potato pieces, apple slices, hard boiled eggs, crispy bacon bits and spring onion dressed by Japanese Mayonnaise, English Mustard, Lemon Juice, Salt and Pepper. Perfect.

Here’s the spread.

There was a three beans salad, green salad, as well as a wholemeal bread loaf I let proofing overnight and baked early morning. Yes we did burn the first batch of Chicken Wings. 

Can’t wait for the next BBQ party!

The Happy People. Aka Chicken Wing Munchers. 

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Luscious Potato Gratin with Cherry Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Bleu Cheese.

Posted by kellysiew on May 22, 2012 in Baking, French, Vegetarian

Having a partner in the pub business means that often our meal times could be quite unpredictable. More so for him as I’m usually the one waiting for him to get off work. Sometimes, he’d fend for himself. More often than not, he’d come home with a massive appetite and hunger. Which means sometimes I need to come up with something delicious quickly.

This dish actually came together by accident. I picked out the potatoes which had been sitting in the fridge for almost a week and though I’d do a quick Chinese-style stir fry. But I discovered an unopened box of thickened cream while the potatoes and onion were 2 minutes into the pan. Why not turn this into a gratin, I thought. The cooking time has already been reduced, so…. perfect!! There was still half a block of Bleu Cheese left from making the dip for Buffalo Wings a week ago so I’ve decided to use that too.

This dish is not for the faint hearted, you have been warned. The aroma of Bleu Cheese actually made this a lot more interesting. That is, if you can tolerate Bleu Cheese. The non-appreciaters would compare this to foot odor. Which kinda makes sense because they are caused by the same bacteria.

Oh I’m sorry, did I just kill your appetite?

Anyway, here’s a pic to redeem myself. Of course, you could always use other types of cheese or none at all!

Look at that gorgeousness!

Luscious Potato Gratin with Cherry Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Bleu Cheese.

1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 large potatoes, cut into thin slices (use a mandolin if you have one, or if you are awesome like me, just practise your knife skill)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Handful of cherry tomatoes, to your liking, halved
Salt and Pepper to taste
100ml Cream
1/4 cup Grated Mozarella
1/4 cup Blue Cheese, hand torn
2 spring onions, chopped

Heat both olive oil and butter in a skillet, and add onions. Cook until soft, and add the potato slices. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until potatoes start to soften. (You could eliminate this step all together, just throw in a cast iron pan and bake, but increase baking time by about 15 minutes)

If you had thought ahead, you might have already been using the cast iron pan, but I didn’t. So I had to transfer the content. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. The Bleu Cheese tends to be quite salty so bear in mind with the seasoning. Lighthanded with the salt! Pour in the cream slowly, sort of around the sides and then the middle. Sprinkle both cheeses on top, followed by the cherry tomatoes.

Bake in 175 degree celcius oven until the top becomes golden brown – about 20 mins. Sprinkle the spring onions. Serve when warm as a side dish or on its own.

Heavenly!

By the way, who was the first idiot who went and try a piece of that moldy cheese? Or shall I say, a damn brave soul? I do believe this is very much an acquired taste, much like the King of fruit Durian. I for one did not like it until in my late 20s.

As I was saying, the unique taste of the cheese, unapologetically creamy (and soft) potatoes balanced by the sweetness/tartness of cherry tomatoes. It’s positively decadent!

Bon Appétit!

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Poached Egg, Salmon, Quinoa Cakes and Wilted Spinach

Posted by kellysiew on May 15, 2012 in Brunch, Fish

When it comes to eggs, there’s no denying how versatile they are. It’s impossible to count ways you could use an egg. But when it comes to breakfast, usually the simplest form suffice. I mean, who can resist a perfectly poached egg, that when you cut into it, gorgeous runny yolk flows out like nobody’s business? That, is what you call food ‘porn’! It never fails to excite me.

So it goes without saying that one of my favourite brunch food is the Eggs Benedict. Sinful Hollandaise sauce (consist entirely of egg yolks and butter flavoured with lemon, cayenne and sometimes parsley), eggs, ham, toasted English Muffin. Sometimes an episode chest pain comes attached with the meal. True, with my already elevated cholesterol level (familial, really not because of my love of all things buttery. And uh… Chicken skin.) it’s best to consume Hollandaise sparingly, or none at all. But that’s not to say I can’t have this dish ever again, with a few changes.

Which is what I’ve done exactly the last time I crave for Eggs Benedict. Swapped the Ham for Salmon (Omega 3!), Hollandaise sauce for a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of cayenne, and most importantly, the bread for oh-so-delicious Quinoa cakes (Yet another way to prepare this super healthy food and even the kids would love it). Sure, I sneaked in a little cheese in the Quinoa cakes, but let’s face it, it’s not as fun if I deprive myself completely!

Poached Egg, Smoked Salmon, Quinoa Cakes and Wilted Spinach

First we shall start with the Quinoa cakes

Ingredients (Makes about 10)

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cups water
1 eggs, lightly beaten
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup flour (I used wholemeal)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 stalks Spring Onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoon of Milk or more if the mixture doesn’t look ‘wet’ enough
salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
oil for frying

Simmer the quinoa in water for about 15-20 mins, until the water is all absorbed. Set aside and let cool.

Mix the cooked quinoa with the rest of the ingredients except for the oil, adding more flour/milk if required.

Heat up the pan with small amount of olive oil, and place 1/4 cup of mixture to cook until both sides are brown. Repeat for the rest of the mixture.

Once the Quinoa cakes are done, we can start with the other components of the dish.

In a pot of boiling water, poach the egg (or eggs if you are serving more than one). I used the cling wrap method as shown previously on Masterchef Australia, but you could do it however you are most comfortable with. You’ll only need 3-4 minutes until the white is set. Do not over cook! Note that with the cling wrap method there’s no need for swirling the water or vinegar. Remove the egg with slotted spoons

Wilt the baby spinach in pan that you’ve just been frying the Quinoa cakes with, hopefully still a little bit of oil left so won’t need to add extra. Season with salt and pepper.

Get the Smoked Salmon ready (2 or 3 pieces each).

To plate, arrange 2 pieces of Quinoa cakes on a plate, place Smoked Salmon on top and then finish with a poached egg. Squeeze some lemon juice over, and if you like, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper would be lovely.

And what do you do next?

This!

Tell me what doesn’t excite you!

The Quinoa cakes are perfect for this dish. Crispy outside, fluffy inside with the unique texture of the pseudo-grain. Take a bit of the egg white, the salmon, cut a small piece of the quinoa cake, smear with the egg yolk, occasionally adding the wilted spinach. A mouthful of deliciousness. Your day will be instantly better.

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Chicken Piccata with Spaghetti

Posted by kellysiew on May 7, 2012 in Chicken, Italian, Pasta

Wow! It sure has been super hot over the past week or so. I’m pretty sure I’m allergic to the heat. Everytime I go out, I suffer a headache and worse still I start feeling faint and dizzy. Can’t keep up the water intake with the water loss! Needless to say, I can’t be more thankful for the rain. The hectic gig-ing and partying (Amei’s concert was AMeiZING indeed albeit the raised temperature in that open air stadium) has also left me with a slightly fragile throat. Must replenish my lemons storage (for the Vit C and superb healing properties). Plenty of rest until my next gig this weekend at Tom, Dick, and Harry’s.

Speaking of lemon, here’s a dish that packs a punch of flavours thanks to the almighty citrus and some capers. It’s essentially a merge of 2 great and simple dishes, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio and Chicken Piccata. Aglio Olio pasta I’ve spoken about, not long ago in fact.  We are definitely going through a pasta crazy phase. Soon I’m going to be speaking with an Italian accent. Chicken Piccata is my new favourite way of cooking Chicken. It made me fall in love in otherwise boring Chicken Breasts.

Piccata means ‘to prick’, apparently the Italian adaptation of the french word ‘piquer’. The sauce is sharp and intense with Lemon, Capers, Butter and Wine (or stock, because I never any leftover wine). Chicken cook this way is tender, juicy, refreshing, and oh-so-addictive.

Psst…. wanna hear about the bonus? I’ll tell you anyway: This whole dish takes no more than 30 minutes to prepare and cook. Perfecto!

Chicken Piccata with Spaghetti

Ingredients:

2 heap tablespoons all purpose flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded thin and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter, divided
1/4 cup chicken stock (you can also use a mixture of wine and stock)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (about 2 good squeeze)
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Enough Spaghetti for two
1 cup baby spinach leaves
Once again, 2 tablespoons of cream cheese (or a little bit of cream if that’s what you prefer)
Cayenne pepper, to taste

Method:

First use a meat mallet or the back of a knife to pound the Chicken breasts until desired thickness achieved. Season both sides with salt, black pepper, a bit of lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

In a shallow dish sprinkle the all purpose flour over then coat the Chicken breast with flour, turn around and sprinkle more flour on, set aside.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted boiling water according to packet instruction. Blanch the baby spinach in the last minute and drain together.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; stir and cook the garlic until light brown, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic from the skillet and set aside.

Place 2 tablespoons of butter into the skillet with the olive oil. Cook the chicken pieces in the oil and butter over medium-high heat until brown, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Pour the wine or chicken stock into the hot skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping the browned pieces from the bottom and sides of the pan. Boil the wine until it is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add reserved garlic, lemon juice and capers. Use a fork to mash up the capers a little bit too to release more flavour. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat. If it starts dying up too quickly add a bit of the pasta water. Stir in the cream cheese at this point.

Return the chicken breast to the skillet and continue cooking over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and remove chicken to set aside until serving.

If you time yourself right, the pasta and spinach should be ready by now. So drain and add to the sauce, toss to coat. Stir in half the parsley and baby spinach. To serve, plate the pasta first followed by the chicken breast, sprinkle the remaining parsley. If you are like me, you’ll be adding some chili flakes or cayenne pepper before digging in.

Bellissimo!

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Dak Galbi (Korean Spicy Fried Chicken)

Posted by kellysiew on April 25, 2012 in Chicken, Korean, Noodles

Dak Galbi, packed with enough heat to kick you in the head.

Several weeks ago, my friend Louise and I visited a Korean restaurant in Solaris Mont Kiara “Uncle Jang”, which specialises in Dak Galbi. It was my first experience and boy I was hooked. For the uninitiated, Dak Galbi is a dish consisting of spicy marinated chicken pieces, stir fried with various vegetables, plus or minus some kind of carb component, commonly Udon, Ramen or simply rice. The unique way of eating this, much like the Japanese Teppanyaki (minus the frills, or terror, of catching the food with your mouth)  is that there is usually a huge skillet on the table and the restaurant staff would cook this in front of you. Watching the dish come together is a joy in itself.

Hailed from Chuncheon, South Korea, this dish is also known locally as students’ galbi or commoners’ galbi due to the large portion and cheap price. It’s amazing how the simple ingredients of Chicken, Cabbage, Sweet Potato, Rice Cakes and Noodles could be so additive. Thanks to the Gochujang-based red spicy sauce, Yang Nyum Jang. Then again, Gochujang pretty much makes everything taste good. Except maybe Ice cream. And fruits. Hmm.

Since it’s nothing other than just 10-15 minues of stir fry, I figure I’d replicate this at home. It would have been perfect if I have a portable cooker of some sort, but using just a pan works the same too. If you can take the heat, feel free to pile on the chili flakes!

Ingredients:
1 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts sliced into bite-sized pieces
3 stalks spring onions, chopped into 1″ pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 large cabbage, cut into small chunks
1 sweet potato, sliced into 2 inches sticks
1 cup of Rice Cakes, soaked in hot water for 15-20 mins
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
sprinkling of sesame seeds
Optional: Udon Noodles (I’ve used fresh ones and only half a packet, small eater)

For the Yang Nyum Jang:
1 tablespoon Gochugaru (Korean Chilli flakes), or just substitute with normal ones. *
3 tablespoon Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon Shao Xing Wine (or sake)
Dash of pepper (to taste)

Make up the Yang Nyum Jang by mixing everything together. Marinate the Chicken with 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Set the rest of the sauce aside.

Addictive Spicy Goodness!

Heat a pan or electric skillet to medium, add both oils. Add the cabbage, sweet potato, onion and rice cakes. Give it a little stir.

Push the vegetables aside and add the marinated chicken. Or you could just pile the chicken on top. I’m just fussy. Let it cook a little, no more than 1 minute.

Now it’s time to add the delicious sauce. With that, throw in about 1/4 cup of water as well so the mixture doesn’t get too dry.

Now, we just stir, stir, stir! If you are using Udon noodles (or Ramen), time to add them in too. Turn the heat slightly lower so it doesn’t burn

Note that due to the nature of rice cakes there will inevitably be some parts sticking to the bottom. Hence the lower heat. If you don’t mind the carcinogens too much these burnt bits are actually quite enjoyable.

You’ll be surprised how fast this cooks! The whole process should not take more than 15 minutes. The trick is when the cabbages are sufficiently softened. Add the spring onions and you’ll be ready to dig in!

Dak Galbi, done!

I’m anticipating Dak Galbi party! With good friends, laughters, and yeah you guessed it, plenty of soju!

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Angel Hair Aglio Olio with Broccoli and Mushrooms

Posted by kellysiew on April 19, 2012 in Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian

My appetite has been rather poor for the past week or so. I suppose this has to do with the out-of-whack sleeping pattern. The constant drilling next door starting from early mornings doesn’t help (Why do they need to drill for the whole week from 9-5??). I remember reading somewhere that constant noise do have a negative effect on appetite. To add salt to the wound, the kitchen is where the noise level is the highest. Needless to say, it’s not exactly my favourite place at the moment. Fortunately, I do have another mouth to feed in this household so at least I’m not starving myself. At least I can cook (and eat) in peace at night. Even so, I’ve been keeping it simple.

And what’s the easiest thing to cook? Pasta in garlic and olive oil based ‘sauce’ of course. Also known as ‘aglio e olio’, this has become my favourite way of eating pasta. That’s a long way since the old favourite of Carbonara. The aroma of garlic and herbs never fails to pique my appetite. Usually spaghetti is used for this but I’ve ran out, so I’ve substituted with Angel hair. Shorter cooking time too which is a bonus. Of course, most of the time Aglio Olio is eaten plain but I like to add whatever vegetables I have on hand.

Almost Instant Pasta

Ingredients:
100g dry angel hair
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
50g of cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (traditionally chilli flakes but I don’t have them in my pantry)
big handful of chopped parsley
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
*It’s not traditional, but for extra richness I added 2 tablespoon of cream cheese too. Try it, it’s delicious!

Cook Angel hair pasta according to packet instruction. Usually only 2-3 minutes. Cook the broccoli with the pasta (for 1-2 minutes as well, so just dump in the same pot)

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan, and before the oil gets too hot, add garlic. Turning the heat to low, cook the garlic slowly until it starts to colour. Add mushrooms and cook for another minute or so. Then, add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water and turn off heat.

Loosely drain the pasta and broccoli, add it to the pan and throw in the parsley and both type of cheese. Toss well. Serve it when hot. Sprinkle the cayenne pepper liberally. And also for me, a decadent addition of truffle oil.

Now isn’t that the simplest recipe you’ve seen? It’s better than Instant noodles! And better for you too.

So let’s hope my kitchen ‘dry spell’ wouldn’t last too long! Have a great weekend everyone!

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Ratatouille with Quinoa

Posted by kellysiew on April 13, 2012 in French, Vegan

Many of us have come to know this adorable sounding dish Ratatouille from the hugely successful Pixar animation movie of the namesake. The cooking rat has indeed captured the hearts of many. I bet the sales of eggplants, red capsicums and zucchini went sky high following the release of the movie. And I am guilty of rushing to the kitchen to reproduce the said dish. The first time though, I swapped the Zucchini for Cucumbers thinking they were pretty much the same thing (zucchini was not on my favourite list back then), so the stew turned out to be a little, uh… strange tasting. Of course, I’ve come a long way since then and have now become a zucchini convert.

Ratatouille is in fact, a traditional (and humble) French Provençal stewed vegetable dish which is often served as a side dish. The silkiness of eggplant, the slightly crunchy texture of zucchini (be careful not to let it go mushy), the tender sweet red capsicum, all rounded up in a rich tomato flavour permeated by fragrance of thyme. What’s not to love? Serve it with steaks, grilled fish or chicken, or keep it vegetarian like I did, serving it with Quinoa. The colourful dish will not only help your appetite (we eat with our eyes too, after all) , it’s also incredibly good for you.

Ratatouille with Quinoa

1 eggplant, roughly diced
1 zucchini, roughly diced
1 red capsicum, sliced
3 tomatoes, roughly diced
1 onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
olive oil
bay leaf
thyme sprig
salt and pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 cup vegetable stock, plus a little more if needed for the ratatouille
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the eggplant and cook, turning occasionally for five minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remove the eggplant from the skillet.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and add the zucchini pieces. Cook for about five minutes, turning occasionally, then season with salt and pepper and remove from the skillet.

Repeat the process for red capsicum.

Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

Add the garlic, tomatoes and the pre-cooked vegetables: eggplant, zucchini, and red capsicum. Stir to combine and then add the bay leaf and thyme. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes. Check for taste and season further if needed. Adding some vegetable stock or water if it’s drying out too much.

While the vegetables are cooking, cook the Quinoa in vegetables stock for about 20 mins or until all stock is absorbed. Set aside.

To serve, arrange a bed of Quinoa on a plate and topped with the Ratatouille.

Variation: Naughty Ratatouille with addition of bacon and white wine. Also fabulous. To make it a main meal, you could add some beans to bulk it up. Oh and by the way, mine was of course served with a good dash of cayenne pepper. Customize it anyway you like!

I’d love to watch Ratatouille again! Must hunt for the DVD soon.

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Cheddar Biscuits

Posted by kellysiew on April 10, 2012 in Baking, Biscuits/Cookies, Vegetarian

As promised, more frequent blog posts. I actually have a few more reviews to write but for some reason I just don’t know how to start. Perhaps these places are not exciting enough for me to wax lyrical over them. Or maybe I’m just ‘better’ at sharing recipes. Either way, this definitely helps me to be more productive in the kitchen and encourages me to try different things. I’ll think about those reviews later. Heh.

Lately I’ve been using my oven a lot again. Maybe I’m just addicted to the aroma filling up the apartment. It’s definitely a cheer-me-up. So I’ve made the Hot Cross Buns, a vegetarian pizza, some cupcakes and yesterday these delicious morsels. I’m not sure why I had the sudden urge to bake something cheesy. But it sure was a great urge! Upon checking the fridge I saw half a block of Cheddar and it was just meant to be.

These are Southern Style Biscuits so they might be a little different from what you would expect. Unlike the typical hard biscuits, these have a fluffier texture and are slightly soft inside. Think Biscuits and Gravy. Perhaps more closely related to scones. This version is unapologetic-ally cheesy, buttery, with a hint of pepper and the fragrant of the parsley. I’ve used extra sharp cheddar, so you could imagine the bitey taste. Mmmm. They disappeared in no time! Well, mostly in Frank’s stomach but I managed to snap a few. They are also incredibly easy to make. So try it for yourself!

Cheddar Biscuits Recipe:

(Makes 12)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup wholemeal flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (The sharper the better)
1/3 cup milk

For brushing on top:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper.

Add the butter cubes. Use hands to rub the butter in with flour mixture until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add oil, grated cheddar cheese and milk. Stir till well combined and holds together. If it looks too dry, add a bit more milk.

Divide the dough into equal rounds and place on baking paper. Flatten the rounds with a spatula. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 degree celcius until nicely golden brown.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl with the parsley. When biscuits come out of the oven, use a brush to spread this parsley butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Do this a few times until all of the butter is used up. Serve warm.

Simply Irresistible!

Have them as is, or with a piping hot bowl of stew (like a good chili con carne) or soup. Yum!

And it’s time for me to restock the cheese counter.

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Hot Cross Buns

Posted by kellysiew on April 8, 2012 in Baking, Bread

Hot Cross Buns

Happy Easter to everyone! How have you been spending your long weekend? I spent most of yesterday recovering from an epic hangover.  But Friday night was spent with excellent company and delicious food. Perfect.

This post is 2 days late, as Hot Cross Buns are meant to be consumed on Good Friday, which we did. Don’t know why I’ve never made this before, the aroma emitting from the oven while these are baking is just unbelievable. And it’s ridiculously simple too, even without a stand mixer. I’ve used Joy of baking’s recipe and made some changes to it. You could make this outside of Easter period too, just glaze it in a different way, if you must. The succulent raisins, and the wonderful aroma from the spices, you won’t be able to resist having one, or 3. Eat it as is, or lightly toasted with a thick layer of butter. Heavenly.

I know my buns are a little rustic looking. Have to be more patience when it comes to shaping the dough. I also didn’t use a piping bag for the glaze. Who cares, it’s for our own consumption! Hehe. I’ve also reduced the amount of sugar in this.

Recipe slightly adapted from Joy of Baking

200ml milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
3 cups all purpose flour plus extra if needed
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup raisins

Glaze:

1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Microwave the milk until lukewarm (about 38 degrees C). Add the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and stir to combine. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until the yeast is foamy.

Combine the flour, sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Once the yeast is foamy, gradually add to the flour mixture and use a spatula to stir until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the melted butter and egg and continue to stir. Knead the dough until it is silky smooth and elastic while gradually adding the raisins. Add more flour if necessary.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until it has almost doubled in size (about 1 1/2 – 2 hours).

When the dough has doubled in size, and divide into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a small round ball and place on a parchment lined baking sheet (Place three buns to a row, four rows altogether. They should be spaced so they have enough room to double in size.) Make an egg wash of one beaten egg with 1 tablespoon milk, and brush the tops of the buns with the wash. Cover with lightly oiled clingwrap and place in a warm spot until almost doubled in size (about 60 minutes).

Preheat oven to 20 degrees celcius. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash, and with clean kitchen scissors, cut a ‘cross’ in the top of each bun. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned. Place on a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

Glaze: Combine the icing sugar and lemon juice and mix until smooth. If you want, you can use a piping bag to pipe the crosses on each bun. I was lazy, so I just spoon the glaze.

Makes 12 buns.

Enjoy baking! I promise I’ll be more hardworking and post my blogs a little more frequently too. *Sheepish Smile*

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Curried Carrot Soup for a Rainy day, or Anytime really.

Posted by kellysiew on April 4, 2012 in Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

Living in a tropical country means we have to endure the same hot and humid weather all year round. The only saving grace is, of course, the rain. Having said that it’s only nice if you are indoors and planning to stay that way for a little while because KL turns into a massive car park whenever it pours. Yesterday was such a day, we woke up, mesmerized by the sound of rain. Sure enough, true to its nature, the rain continued for the whole day.

And what better to cheer up your gloomy, wet day than a bowl of bright orange piping hot soup? Carrot, the humble vegetable, takes centre stage. I’ve never thought of making carrot soup but having run out of most fresh produce before groceries shopping day, this was a pleasant surprise! The soup, velvety smooth, the natural sweetness of the carrots and onions, with the rich curry flavours and packing quite a bit of heat, it warms up your gut like no other. The bonus? It costs no more than 4 bucks to make! That’s if you ignore the truffle oil….. But if you have it, use it!

By the way, yes it’s totally vegan! Of course, you could add some cream, or coconut milk, even butter but I felt this wasn’t even necessarily. Trust me, you’ll fall in love with it too.

Curried Carrot Soup

Ingredients (serve 2)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, skin peeled and diced roughly
1 stalk of celery, diced roughly
300ml Vegetable stock plus more if needed.
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to garnish
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon curry powder if available
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt if needed, and round black pepper to garnish
Dash of truffle oil

Preheat medium pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil, onions and garlic cook for 2-3 minutes until soft.

Add carrots and celery, saute for  5 minutes more, then add all the spices and the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and cook until carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes.

Process soup in until smooth and carrots are fully pureed. You might want to do this in small batches. Return completed soup to the soup pot and place back over low heat. If the soup is too thick, add remaining stock, to achieve desired consistency. Adjust seasonings.

Serve while still hot, sprinkling more cayenne pepper and some black pepper. Add a dash of truffle oil.

Enjoy the bowl of sunshine.

Have this hearty soup on its own, or with freshly baked bread. Bliss.

So, tell me, do you love soup and which is your favourite?

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