Chicken Macaroni Soup... for the Soul

2nd daughter is down with fever and I decided to make some soup to whet her appetite. Don't feel like having rice as well, hence, the macaroni. Hubby hates pasta but he'll agree to the soup...So I'm safe...

Ingredients

1 packet of macaroni - cooked to al dente
1 whole chicken - cut into 12 pcs, skinned of excess fat
4 medium potatoes - peeled and cubed
4 carrots - peeled and cubed
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
3 cloves
salt
pepper

Soup Base (to be blended)

3 onions
4 cloves of garlic
an inch of ginger
2 pcs of knorr/maggi chicken cubes
6 tbsp of soto spice mix

mix the above with a little water to form a thick paste

Garnishing

fried shallots
spring onions (chopped)
chinese parsley (chopped)

method :
Heat abt 1/2 cup of oil. Thrown in cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves. Stir for a few secs and then add in soup base paste. Saute till fragrant and cooked. Stir in the chicken, potatoes and carrots. Add sufficent water to cover and make sure it's a little dilute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer till chicken is cooked and tender.

To serve, place macaroni in a bowl. Pour over soup with chicken pieces and sprinkle with a garnishing of fried shallots and chopped greens....and THAT....is comfort food for the sick...

Orange Vanillin Tang Yuan

Closely related to the traditional chinese dessert of glutinous rice balls in sweet fragrant soup. U can choose to fill the balls with red bean paste but its ok to leave it blank as it is as the soup base is already sweet. The balls will be chewy and this will be the contrast texture against the smooth syrup.

Balls

300g orange vanillin glutinous rice flour
1 cup of water

mix together in a bowl with your hands and knead until it's pliable enough to work it into a dough. If it's too dry and crumbly, wet yr hands a little at a time until u get a workable texture. If it's too wet, add a little bit more glutinous rice flour. Shape into little small balls and set aside.

(if u can't find orange vanillin glutinous rice flour, just mix 300g glutinous rice flour, 2 tsp vanillin powder, 1/2 tsp orange zest and add 1/2 tsp of orange essence to the 1 cup of water)



Boil enough water in a pot. Drop the raw balls into the rapidly boiling water and let it cook approx 10 mins. The balls will float to the surface when it's cooked. Scoop out and dunk into cold water. This is to prevent them from sticking to one another. U will notice it will sink when placed into the cold water. This is normal.

Sweet Soup

Meanwhile, throw the water away from the pot and boil another 8 cups of water with 4 or 5 cups of sugar plus a few knots of pandan (screwpine) leaves. Adjust the sweetness according to yr preference. Add 3 slices of fresh ginger, which is optional. Omit if u don't like it. Drop the balls into the sweet soup and let them simmer for abt 5 mins b4 turning off the heat.
Serve.

Banana Demerera Muffins

Made these for breakfast today as I was feeling too lazy to scout for something and I also need to recycle my last remaining 4 bananas on the countertop.
The sprinkling of demerera sugar on top gives a crusty topping as u bite into, but, if u don't have it, ordinary white or brown sugar will do. Serve with yr favourite milk or hot beverage.

Dry Ingredients

3 cups of plain flour
2 cups castor sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
combine the above in a big bowl.


Wet Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup of veg. oil
4 mashed ripe bananas
1/2 tsp lemon juice/orange juice
2 tbsp vanilla extract
combine the above in a bowl.

some demerera/white/brown sugar for sprinkling

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Mix thoroughly and scoop into muffin tins lined with paper cases. Fill 3/4 full. Sprinkle the top generously with demerera sugar. Bake in a preheated 180d oven for abt 20 - 25 mins.
Cool on wire rack.

Multi-Fried Chicken with Oregano Potatoes

Made these for dinner the other night when I suddenly don't feel like having rice. Had drumsticks and wings..

Ingredients

Chicken thighs (make slashes on thick areas) and wings

Marinade :

3 tbsp of tumeric powder
1/4 cup of hot chilli sauce
1 tbsp of light soya sauce
1 tbsp of ginger powder
1 tbsp of garlic powder
1 tbsp of ground cumin
1 tbsp of ground coriander
2 tbsp of light golden syrup
salt to taste
1/4 cup of water

combine the above and marinate the chicken well, preferably a few hours. Chill to avoid contamination.
Deep fry in hot oil with medium heat till cooked. U may also fry the other parts of the chicken with a box-ready frying mix.

Oregano Potatoes

some potatoes - cut into chunks, deep fry in hot oil. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper and while still hot, sprinkle with a little salt and some dried oregano. Mix thoroughly.

To serve, add blanched broccoli and carrots as sides.

Christmas Cupcakes

These are for Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of Film & Media. (Hubby's Dept). A Christmas party. A chocolate moist cake with vanilla crusting buttercream. I personally loved the little christmas sugar cookies in the shapes of christmas trees, snowboys, stars and angels. Hubby's colleagues were very warm and welcoming. I was a little late (I think) delivering them and hubby was a little busy. Still, everything went well and now, my youngest girl is still munching on the extra christmas cookies that I made...

Kiddies Cupcakes

Made these for a celebrationa at Lela's house..

Aidiladha Cupcakes

hi all...and a belated eid adha..

made the above for hubby's side and brought it on the day itself..snapped up by nephews and nieces and naughty Haikel (nephew) decided to rearrange the letters to make a joke on Dali (another nephew)..and the whole gang laughed as it meant something else...*smile*...
(haikel - if u are reading this, u know what u did!) ..*spanking u on the butt*

best part?...father-in-law didn't know how to unfold the souffle cups and so, decided to dig it up using a - butter knife!..*cute*

Pink Birthday Cake

Lela's mum-in-law's Bday is on 19th Nov and it's one day after mine..*hint hint*
They ordered for a cake big enough for a few 'aunts' to 'help' during the 'cake cutting ceremony'..there wasn't any theme/colour preference except that it should be subtle enough for an elderly...nothing too fancy or funky...something to remind them of the time when we ordered our cakes from a heartland confectionery back in the early 80s....so I made this 12-inch square magnolia vanilla cake with buttercream icing..just added some white fondant flowers on the sides and my fave choc hearts on top..sweet memories..

Sweet Pink C-Cakes

Lela ordered these for her mum-in-law to complement her big bday cake. So, I guess these are for her grandkids, I suppose. The big one would be for the adults..

Bloo C-Cakes

hi people...phew..busy2 these days..meanwhile, I had an order for these minis for a 'majlis cukur rambut' for my sister's new nephew Adam Nadim. A mix of vanilla and choc fudge flavour, I initially intended to make some cookie monsters but I just don't know where my 'grass' icing tip went. Therefore I couldn't ice the fur..so I make do with little 'Bloo' from 'Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends' instead..


The naked cakes - before frosting...

Spicy Tofu Balls

Made these sometime back but didn't have the time to post in...a quick, healthy snack, great to dip into mayonnaise or yr favourite hot sauce..

Ingredients

4 pcs hard beancurd (toufu) - mash with hands or potato masher
some spring onions - thinly chopped
some flat-leaf parsley - thinly chopped
2 red chillies - finely sliced
1 cup of fried shallots
1 egg
3 tsp of pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
salt n sugar to taste

Mix all of the above with clean hands. Scoop some of the mixture and shape them into balls. Deep fry in wok with a medium heat till golden brown. Remove and drain excess oil on kitchen paper. Serve hot.

Cupcakes for Customer

*sharing some pics*
hi all..had an order over the weekend for cupcakes for a product launch..customer didn't have any preference for colour nor theme..so I just made them in subtle colours. Cakes are in vanilla and chocolate. Thank u Dr Li, Dr Yan and Dr Gan..not forgetting, Izan.
Plus hubby.
After the delivery, met my sis and when I showed her the pics I just took, she placed an order for a ..oops..i forgot...oh..a 'majlis cukur rambut' for her in-law in 2 weeks' time.
Alhamdulillah, and InsyaAllah, will post the pics soon.

Cup My Cake

Hi all...just wanna share some pics of cupcakes that I'm selling. Have an order coming up over the weekend for a company product launch..busy busy..will post d pics soon..in the meantime,..let's have a cup..

I have something to say..

to all who have been here since the last time i updated,...please accept my sincere apologies for the long absence...
a belated eid mubarak to all my muslim correspondence, a big heartflet thanks to all well wishers and please please forgive me for not posting yr Hari Raya Cards, messages and shout-outs here...not forgetting the awards...will slowly rummage through and try to post them here...thank u so so very very much for the kind thoughts and messages...

Was terribly busy with work and chores and i'm filled up to my brim...with schedules, cholesterol-laden food and gaseous drinks in which i have failed miserably to avoid...

However,...my little blog of comfort shall not be left abandoned for long...or that will spell the end of me...

will be back, in which, i WILL try,..after 14th Nov...(i think)..

so please do not 'leave' me for other kitchens....

do continue to drop by to say hi and i hope to come back with 'glory' after this...hehe...



PS - i'm serious - don't forget me ...

What's the mood?

This is what I'm feeling right now.....

Banana SpringRoll with Hot Mango Salsa

Initially wanted to make some popiah but when I saw the bananas hanging helplessly in my kitchen, I decided to save their lifespan..by giving it a twist..
As for the salsa, I saw something like that on TV once, but I concocted one of my own to suit my taste and to prevent myself from having to go out for more groceries again..

Again,...trust my taste...*wink*

The way to eat this?..Cut the springroll in half(diagonally) and scoop some salsa with it and aim right into yr mouth. Enjoy!

Banana SpringRolls

Some bananas
SpringRoll skin

Depending on the size of your bananas,..err...I mean..THE bananas..(hehe)..u may want to halve them if it's too big. Wrap a piece with the SpringRoll skin,just like u would for a Popiah. Seal the edges with cornflour solution. (I double wrap mine using 2 pieces of skin, wrapping one at a time)
Deepfry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain and set aside.

When cool, drizzle with some melted chocolate and finish with a dust of icing sugar.
Dead easy.



Hot Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango - cubed
1 green apple - cubed
1 bird's eye chilli - deseeded and chopped REALLY fine
1 stalk of green onion - chopped fine
1/2 red capsicum - diced
1 tbsp of ginger juice
juice of 1 lemon
a sprig of mint - chopped fine

Combine the above ingredients in a bowl and mix really well, but try not to mash up the mangoes brutally. Serve with the banana springrolls.

Mee Betawi

Have been eating rice for Iftar lately and so, would like to try some noodles. Mee Betawi...said to originate from the old Batavia..but then again,..no one knows for sure...but what is certain, is its robust gravy, exploding with flavour..

Ingredients

Yellow Noodles - blanched
Bean Sprouts - blanched
Spinach Greens / Chye Sim - blanched
Red Capsicum - thinly sliced - blanched
Beancurd / Tofu - cubed and deep fried
Pickled Green Chillies
Fried Shallots

Gravy

Blend :
5 onions
6 cloves of garlic
2 inch ginger
2 inch galangal
15 birds eye chillies
2 red chillies
2 green chillies
2 cubes of beef granules
3 tbsp rempah soto (Soto spices)

1 cinnamon bark
2 star anise
2 cardamoms
1 stalk of lemongrass - bruised
2 pcs of bay leaves
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2/3 cup of soy sauce (kicap manis)
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of ground black pepper
salt and sugar to taste
10 cups water or more
500g fatty unlean beef (tetel)
500g beef - cut into thick cubes

Heat abt 1 cup of oil in wok and saute the cinnamon bark, star anise and cardamoms, followed by the ground ingredients till cooked and fragrant. Add in the bruised lemongrass and bayleaves.Add in the tomato, soy, oyster sauce and black pepper. Season with salt and sugar. Add in the water. Dump in the meat and under medium heat, cook gravy until meat is tender.

To serve, place noodles and sprouts in a bowl. Spoon gravy over and complete it with the veggie, capsicum, beancurd, fried shallots and pickled green chillies.

Peach Tart

..mmm...I got greedy and felt like eating one...so, I scoured for a good recipe and found this one from happybaking, in which I have adjusted to my preference..frankly, I've tried other tarts before but I am only gonna stick to this for the rest of my life!..please...trust my taste..*wink*

Pastry

250g flour
50g ground almond
60g castor sugar
125g butter at room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Using a wooden spoon, beat butter and sugar until just combined. Add ground almond, egg and flour plus the vanilla. Work into a dough. Do not overknead or pastry won't be flaky. Work into a disc, cover with cling film and chill for abt 30 mins or so.

Roll out pastry to fit an 18 - 20cm tart pan with a removable base. Carefully fit into the greased pan. Neaten the edges. Freeze for abt 20 mins. Poke holes and blind bake in a preheated 180degrees oven for abt 12 mins.Cool completely.



Filling

20g flour
120g ground almonds
100g brown sugar
125g butter at room temperature
1 egg

Beat the above with a balloon whisk until just combined.Set aside



Sliced Peaches - well drained
Icing Sugar - for dusting

Spread filling neatly onto the pastry base. Line with the drained peach slices. Bake in a preheated 170degrees oven for abt 40 mins, depending on yr oven. Check and remove when a cake tester inserted in the centre of the filling comes out clean. Dust with icing sugar.

Thank You

Assalamualaikum.

I'd like to take this opportunity to express my hearfelt thanks to my dearest fellow friends for your kind words and support for me for the last couple of weeks,...

well, as they said,everthing happens for a reason and I should believe that behind every cloud is a silver lining...the sky is at its darkest before dawn,...but as day breaks....the ray of the sun brings new hope and gives new life another chance..
So, thank you again for being such loyal visitors and friends,...I shall continue to finish my Ramadhan and at the same time, spread food on the table..(sounds horny right?..)...**smiling**....and so will u....

a special thank u to the following friends, pls accept my thank u note and paste it on yr blog..

Nur - Cetusan Rasa
Ratna - Kitchen Stories
RRozie17
Katak Ayu
Yummilicious Jun
Aishah Ummiaqil
Ida Sinarrasul
Cik Mat Gebu
Liana
VG
Kak Ummi
S_Shamen
Eyna Muffindummi
DarlingFarah
Edazman
HanaMemories

sorry if I left out anybody..but u know who u are..

Cendol Kilat Ramadhan

Cendol = A sweet cooling dessert
Kilat = Lightning
Ramadhan = Muslim month of fasting

The classic cendol or chendol (say chain - doel)..BUT do u see the relevance of it's name?..Let me explain..its the fasting month, (check)...and I happened to crave for a sweet cooling dessert to break my fast (check)...however, I have no time and I gotta make it in an instance and as fast as lightning (check)...gettit?

Ingredients

Store bought chendol
some boiled and cooled red beans
Palm sugar syrup - u can find one in a convenient ready-to-squeeze bottle
500ml coconut milk - scalded in a pot, with a tsp of salt, and cooled
Some ice cubes/ice shavings

In a tall glass, dump in drained chendol, a tbsp of red beans, 2 tbsp palm sugar syrup, 5 tbsp of coconut milk. Top with some ice shavings or ice cubes.
Chill well b4 serving,not forgetting to stir. Adjust the syrup as per yr liking.

Sardine Vol-au-Vents

Another quick snack. Perfect for days when u don't know what to do with yr leftovers.

Filling

Could be anything. If using sardine, like the one that I made,
just make sure u drain the excess gravy off.

Puff Pastry - I used the store-bought one

Roll out yr thawed puff pastry as according to the instructions on the packaging. Cut out circles of dough with a 7cm round/fluted cutter. Then make enough circles with a 5cm hole cut in the middle. Pile three rings of dough onto a round base.



Adhere the dough with some water. Egg wash the top and bake in a preheated 200degrees oven for abt 15-20 mins or till it's adequately puffed up. Stuff the filling into the holes and serve.

Pear & Raisin Bread Pudding

I am such a fanatic fan of bread puddings. Previously made some minis but this time, I made a custardy one. Love it when it's time to scoop a serving out of the pan.

12 slices of white bread - cut into 1-inch squares
3 tbsp of butter - melted
1 cup of raisins
3 pears or granny smith apples - cored, cut into small chunks or sliced
3 cups of milk
1 cup of heavy cream
7 eggs
1 and 1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp of mixed spices of nutmeg and cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
some brown sugar for sprinkling

Arrange bread on a greased 9x13 pan. Alternate with an arrangement of pears/apples and raisins. In a big bowl, whisk eggs and sugar. Add milk and heavy cream. Add vanilla,spices, and salt. Whisk till frothy and pour into the pan through a sieve.Let the bread soak up the wet mixture for abt 5 mins. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top for a crusty caramel touch. Bake in a preheated 180 degrees oven for abt 1 hour, depending on yr oven, or until the custard is cooked. There's no need for a water bath.
Cool completely b4 serving with a dollop of ice cream.

BerryGrape Tartletts

Made these minis after noticing the luscious abundance of champagne grapes available at my heartland mart. Added the strawberries which happened to be in stock in my fridge. I made banana pastry cream as a twist.

Pastry

125g butter
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 egg
180g flour
50g ground almonds

Work out the above ingredients into a dough. Press into a tartlet mould and use a fork to prick holes onto the pastry.
This is to prevent the dough from puffing up during baking. Bake blind in a preheated 180 degrees oven for 15 - 20 mins or till golden brown. Cool on wire rack and remove pastry cases from the moulds. If not using immediately, store them in an airtight container.

Banana Pastry Cream

1 egg
60g sugar
2 tbsp custard powder
100ml banana-flavoured milk
100ml heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk egg, sugar and custard powder till smooth. Scald the milk and heavy cream in another saucepan . Slowly add to the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and under low heat, stir continuously till it thickens to a prefered consistency, adding the vanilla along the way. Cool. To set aside, line a cling wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust forming on its surface.

Pipe pastry cream into cooled pastry tarletts.(u may also brush the insides of the pasty tartletts with melted chocolate first - to prevent sogginess) Arrange champagne grapes, strawberries or any prefered fruit of yr choice. Brush with warmed apricot glaze.