Dinner_21 March10

Here's what we had for dinner today :) I love these simple dishes. Hhmm...couldn't finish the pumpkin so might think of what to do with the leftovers tomorrow;p

Stir Fried Kailan with Garlic, Chicken Soup, Chicken and Vegetables Stew with Rosemary & Pumpkin and Mushroom with Fermented Black Beans.

Mango Chiffon Cake

This cake is very soft and nice to eat especially after it's cooled in a fridge, but unfortunately the mango taste is not strong. I don't want to put mango essence, so maybe will need to put in some very ripe mango or just add in more mango puree.

Ingredients:

A.

Egg Yolks (6)

Plain Flour (9 tbsp)

Mango Puree (2/3 of a mango - cut into small cubes, blend with 4 tbsp of water)

Sugar (1tbsp)

Oil (1tbsp)

B.

Egg Whites (6)

Sugar (6tbsp)

Corn Flour (1tbsp)

C.

Mango (cut remaining 1/3 of mango into small pieces)

Preheat oven at 170C.

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in A together and leave aside first.

2. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites till soft peak forms.

3. Add in sugar and beat for 3min or so.

4. Add in corn flour and beat until the mixture becomes quite stiff. When you turn the bowl upside down, the mixture will not drop.

5. Take 1/3 of the egg white mixture and mix evenly with the mixture in A. Continue to mix 2 more times with the other 2 portions of 1/3 of egg whites mixture.

6. Add in C and mix well. Do not overmix.

7. Pour into a chiffon cake pan and bake for 50-55min.

8. Invert the cake once out of oven. Unmould when the cake is cool.

This cake is best eaten after being cooled in the fridge for a few hours.

Raisin and Walnut Cupcakes

This cake is very easy to make and yet the result is excellent. The cake is fluffy, moist and the aroma of the toasted nuts in the cake really makes me want a second piece of it. If you want to bake a simple and nice cake, I would say this is it.

You could bake it as one whole cake in a larger baking pan or in a loaf tin and even in cupcakes form. The baking would be longer though if you bake it as one cake.

Ingredients:

Butter (150gm)

Sugar (130gm)

Eggs (3)

Vanilla Essence (1/2 tsp)

Plain Yoghurt (5tbsp)

Self Raising Flour (190gm)

Milk Powder - you can use soy powder too (2tbsp)

Walnut (chopped coarsely and toasted)

Raisins

*For walnut and raisins, put as much as you like.

Preheat oven at 175C.

Method:

1. Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

2. Add in egg one by one and beat till combined.

3. Add in vanilla essence and yoghurt. Beat till combined.

4. In another bowl, mix self raising flour and milk powder evenly.

5. Pour in the flour mixture into the wet mixture.

6. Mix evenly.

7. Add in raisins and walnuts.

8. Pour mixture into baking pan.

9. Bake for 30-35min (for loaf tin and cupcakes). You might need to bake longer if you bake it in a large pan.

Birthday Cake

I baked this cake for our monthly birthday celebration in the church. So, this is for March birthday babies :)
There is nothing special about this cake. It's made of 2 layers of cakes - vanilla and chocolate sponge, with chocolate frosting and some simple decoration (you can see I am quite hopeless when it comes to decorating a cake).

A friend called this a porcupine cake....with all the chocolate chips at the sides of the cakes. ;p

Coffee Walnut Butter Cake with Coffee Chips

The whole cake

Yum....this is great with a cup of hot coffee

Ingredients:
Butter (250gm)
Plain Flour (230gm)
Sugar (230gm)
Baking Powder (1tsp)
Coffee Paste (1.5 tbsp)
Eggs (5)
Walnut
Coffee Chips

Preheat oven at 180C

Method:
1. Cream butter and sugar till fluffy.
2. Add in eggs one by one and beat until it's mixed evenly.
3. Add in coffee paste and beat till it's mixed.
4. In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder evenly. Pour this into the wet mixture and mix till combined.
5. Add in some walnut and mix.
6. Pour into a lined baking pan.
7. Sprinkle coffee chips and walnut on top.
8. Bake for 45-50min or until cooked.

Stir Fried Bean Sprouts (Taugeh) with Chili and Dried Shrimps

A simple and tasty dish....

Ingredients:

Bean Sprouts

Dried Shrimps (soaked and chopped)

Chili

Garlic

Salt

Water

Oil

Method:

1. Heat oil and saute garlic till fragrant.

2. Add in dried shrimps and chili and stir fry till fragrant.

3. Add in bean sprouts. Stir fry over high heat for 1min.

4. Season with a little salt and add a bit of water.

5. Continue to stir fry over high heat for about 1/2min. Dish up and serve with rice.

Dried Vegetables Soup with Tofu

This is my brother's favourite soup and I remember whenever my mum asked him what soup to cook, this is the one he would choose. Hubby has not tried it before so I wanted to make this for him, to see if he likes it.
I love vege and soup, so this is quite a perfect combination for me. Good that hubby likes it too, especially the vegetables.

You can get the dried vege from supermarkets or even the wet market (same section where ikan bilis, dried shrimps, etc are sold).

Ingredients:
Dried Vegetables (soaked in hot water and washed clean, then chop them up)
Red Dates
Pork Ribs (best cooked with roasted pork ribs but couldn't get any from the market)
Tofu
Water
Salt

Method:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil.
2. Put in all the ingredients.
3. Cook for at least 2 hours. Season with salt and serve hot.