tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12868123710826280072024-03-19T20:19:50.514+10:00My Culinary Memoirs"Cooking is an art and patience a virtue... Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one more thing - love. Love for food and love for those you invite to your table."
Keith Floyd, 'A Feast of Floyd'Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-3249739595113752472012-11-05T20:21:00.001+10:002012-11-21T14:27:36.094+10:00Chocolate Chip Cookies<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Freshly Home-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This recipe is similar to the one that I used in my previous blog entry on White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies at http://myculinarymemoirs.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/white-chocolate-and-macadamia-nut.html. This recipe was adapted from ‘Taste.com.au’ and written by Dixie Elliott from Super Food Ideas – August 2004, Page 47.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some of the changes that I made to the recipe were to use chocolate chips instead of white chocolates and macadamia nuts. Also, I preferred my cookies to have a crispy texture so I baked them for 20 minutes instead of 12 – 15 minutes in the oven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The turnout was rather great. Crispy, slightly crunchy and tasted delicious for a cookie lover! This is an easy-to-follow and hassle free recipe. Have fun baking!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Great Cookie Stack...</span></b></td></tr>
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<b> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Recipe for the Chocolate Chip Cookies </span></b><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">written by Dixie Elliott</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">• 250g butter, softened</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">• 1/2 cup white sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">• 2 eggs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">• 2 1/2 cups White Wings Plain Flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">• 1 teaspoon baking powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">• 200g – 250g chocolate chips</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugars and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Sift flour and baking powder over butter mixture. Add the chocolate chips. Stir with a large metal spoon until well combined.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Drop heaped tablespoonful of mixture onto the baking trays. Bake, 1 tray at a time, for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden and firm to the touch. Repeat with remaining trays. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-8683884995716513862012-10-25T22:49:00.000+10:002012-11-07T17:10:10.059+10:00White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My husband LOVES white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies and I decided to bake some for him. With one of my friend’s help, she introduced me to this web site ‘Taste.com.au’ and that was how I found this lovely cookie recipe. There were quite a few white chocolate and macadamia nut cookie recipes in this web site but this particularly one I used was my favourite. It was written by Dixie Elliott from Super Food Ideas – August 2004, Page 47.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The only change I made in the recipe was to bake my cookies for about 18 – 20 minutes as I was concerned that the cookie dough was not cooked thoroughly. If you like your cookies to be soft and chewy, 15 minutes of baking time would be ideal for the biscuits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Try this recipe at <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/8050/chocolate+macadamia+bisucits">www.taste.com.au/recipes/8050/chocolate+macadamia+bisucits</a>. It is a quick and easy to follow cookie recipe. Have fun trying it out!</span></div>
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Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-31758914395137650112012-10-06T21:52:00.005+10:002012-11-07T17:11:54.268+10:00Curry Pastry Puffs<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Homemade curry pastry puffs</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Curry puffs filled with potatoes and eggs</span></b></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was craving for some spicy curry puffs over the weekend and decided to make some on my own. I would like to emphasise that this is not the traditional curry puffs that we have in Singapore and Malaysia. Rather, this is an improvised homemade version of those curry puffs. I call them “Curry Pastry Puffs” instead as I used the ready-to-be-baked puff pastry sheets (from the supermarket) in my recipe. While these puffs cannot be compared to the famous Old Chang Kee curry puffs (a popular curry puff chain in Singapore), they were nevertheless good enough to satisfy my craving for spicy food.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The potato curry paste (filling of the puffs) was a success and I was very happy with the outcome. The diced potatoes were pan fried over medium to high heat and later simmered over a low heat for about 15 minutes. Simmering the potatoes helped to retain their shape, soften and prevented them from breaking apart and forming into a mushy paste. Also, if you have a preference for less spicy food, you might like to omit the dried red chillies in the recipe, and use 2 tablespoons of the curry paste instead of 3.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For the more health conscious, this recipe might be suitable for you as the puffs were baked in the oven instead of deep fried in oil. This will save us from consuming a few extra calories!</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Recipe for the Curry Pastry Puffs</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Ingredients</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">:</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3 – 4 tablespoons cooking oil</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2 large brown onions (chopped)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 to 2 strips dried red chillies, chopped finely (optional)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ayam Malaysian Noya Curry Paste or a curry paste of your choice (2 - 3 tablespoons)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4 large potatoes (peeled and diced)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">½ - 1 tablespoon salt (or season according to your preference)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">½ - 1 tablespoon black pepper powder</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 tablespoon sugar</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4 – 5 tablespoons of water (add more water if the potato mixture dries up)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6 puff pastry sheets (cut into circular sheets)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3 hard-boiled eggs (sliced into quarters)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 egg lightly beaten</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Heat a non-stick cooking pan and grease it well with the cooking oil.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Add the chopped onions and cook them over medium heat till they turn fragrant. Add the dried chillies and stir fry it with the onions. If you prefer your puffs to be less spicy, leave the chillies out. Take care that the onions do not get burnt at this stage.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Stir in the Ayam Nonya curry paste and mix well. Once the curry mixture has turned aromatic, add in the diced potatoes. Turn the heat up and pan fry the mixture for a few minutes.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Add in the salt, pepper, sugar and water, and mix well. Bring the potato mixture to a boil before simmering it for about 15 minutes over low heat. Add an additional 2 – 3 tablespoons of water if the potato mixture is too dry.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> 5. Check to see that the potato mixture is cooked. The diced potatoes should be soft but not mushy and that the mixture has hardly any liquid. Turn the heat off and let the potato mixture cool down to room temperature.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">7. Spoon about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the potato mixture and place the sliced hard-boiled eggs onto each of the cut out pastry sheets. Fold the sheets into half and seal them up gently with your fingers. Use a fork and press its tine onto the sealed edges to form a pattern.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">8. Brush the puffs lightly with the beaten egg and sprinkle some sesame seeds on them before baking them in the oven. Bake them for about 30 - 35 minutes at 230 degrees or until golden brown.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">9. Garnish the puffs with fresh mint leaves and tomato ketchup. Serve them hot.</span></div>
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Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-77084257797462808742012-10-01T20:47:00.000+10:002012-10-02T23:44:37.522+10:00Strawberry Heart Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Butter cupcakes with strawberry frosting and fresh strawberries.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Birthday cupcakes baked for a special 22 year old!</b></span></td></tr>
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Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-19346647607816848572012-10-01T20:15:00.000+10:002012-11-07T17:13:23.799+10:00Chicken and Potato Curry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Staying abroad these past few years, I have come to miss the Chicken Curry in Singapore, particularly the home-cooked ones that my mum used to make. As a child, I remember her spending hours chopping the fresh ingredients (fresh and dried chillies, onions or shallots, lemon grass, tamarind and so on), and thereafter blending them in a food processor or pounding the ingredients into a curry paste using a granite mortar and pestle. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Being lazy, I was hoping to find a suitable pre-made curry paste at the stores, so that I would not have to go through the hassle of pounding or grinding the ingredients myself! Fortunately, I found Yeo’s Singapore Curry Sauce and the Ayam Malaysian Noya Curry paste from Woolworths Supermarket. Even though I am not a fan of processed food, I nevertheless thought that their flavours were amazing! If you cannot find these same ones, try looking for similar products that are described as Noya (or Peranakan) Curry on their labels. These are the ones that will give those beautiful South East Asian flavours to your curries.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Curry paste and sauce used in the recipe.</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The following recipe is easy to follow and hassle free – very suitable for someone who does not have very much time to cook, or dislikes spending too much time cleaning up in the kitchen. It may not be the best curry recipe but it is definitely a dish that I can work and improve upon quite easily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Have fun trying this out and enjoy your home-cooked curry dish!</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Recipe for the Chicken and Potato Curry (serves 4 persons):</span></strong></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Chicken and potato curry served with Jasmine rice.</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Ingredients</strong>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Chicken thigh meat (about 4 to 5 large pieces)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">½ - 1 tablespoon salt (or season according to your preference)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">½ tablespoon black pepper powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 tablespoon sesame oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3 to 4 strips dried red chilli (chopped finely)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 large brown onion (chopped)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 tablespoon of garlic (chopped)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4 large potatoes (peeled and cut into quarters)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ayam Malaysian Noya Curry Paste (2 tablespoons full)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yeo’s Singapore Curry Sauce (400ml)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">About 250 – 300 ml of water (add less water if you prefer a thicker curry sauce)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Coconut milk (165ml)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2 tablespoons sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Procedure</strong>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Marinate the chicken thigh pieces with salt, black pepper, sesame oil and the dried red chilli in a large bowl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave the marinated chicken meat in the fridge for at least an hour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Heat up a non-stick cooking wok and grease it well with cooking oil. Add the chopped onions and cook them over medium heat till they turn fragrant. Add the chopped garlic and cook it for a short while before adding the marinated chicken thighs into the wok. Turn the heat up to high and add in the potatoes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Once the meat has turned slightly brown and become aromatic, stir in the Ayam Noya curry paste and mix well. Be careful not to overcook the chicken meat at this stage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Add the Yeo’s curry sauce and water into the wok. Stir well and bring the curry mixture to a boil before reducing it to low heat. Cook the curry mixture for about 40 minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. Add the coconut milk and sugar into the curry mixture and bring it to a boil before simmering for another 20 minutes over low heat. Add more water if the curry gravy is too thick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">7. Turn the heat off from the stove. Garnish the chicken and potato curry with fresh mint leaves and serve with warm jasmine rice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Enjoy!!!</span></div>
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Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-69300461925534476512012-03-31T22:13:00.001+10:002012-10-01T18:06:47.026+10:00Easter Cupcakes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter Cupcakes</td></tr>
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Getting ready for Easter! Butter cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Decorated with shredded coconut, chocolate eggs and baby chick figurines.<br />
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Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-5667209231701060842011-12-26T20:56:00.000+10:002011-12-26T20:56:47.268+10:00Mango Salad <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XTzOXHsnis4/TvhSGVi3B8I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/UTZXaTE1PMM/s1600/DSC02402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480px" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XTzOXHsnis4/TvhSGVi3B8I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/UTZXaTE1PMM/s640/DSC02402.JPG" width="640px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mango Salad served with christmas ham.</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="text-align: justify;">I had this salad at a Christmas lunch over at a friend’s place. His mum shared the recipe of this salad with me and I couldn’t help trying it out myself today. It’s a lovely salad that is so refreshing and goes very well with any type of roast – pork, chicken, turkey or beef as well as seafood. I had it today with some leftover ham and couldn’t stop for more. This is a very easy-to-make salad and I highly recommend it to all mango lovers!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<strong>Recipe for Mango Salad</strong> (serves 3 persons):<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Ingredients</strong>:<br />
3 medium sized mangoes (semi ripe)<br />
Half of a large onion (thinly sliced)<br />
Spring onions (finely chopped)<br />
4 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar<br />
<br />
<strong>Procedure</strong>:<br />
1. Remove the seeds and skin of the Mangoes. Cut the fruit into smaller pieces.<br />
<br />
2. Sliced the onion thinly and chopped the spring onions.<br />
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3. Place all the cut ingredients into a large bowl and add the rice wine vinegar. Mix the ingredients well and chill the salad before serving.<br />
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<br />
Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-61905020553781682272011-12-26T20:49:00.000+10:002011-12-26T20:49:53.561+10:00Christmas Goodies<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJmMTHaT9wY/TvhQMrY5sQI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/eQ63Ypa63FY/s1600/DSC02333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480px" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJmMTHaT9wY/TvhQMrY5sQI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/eQ63Ypa63FY/s640/DSC02333.JPG" width="640px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Christmas Mixed Fruit Cupcakes</strong></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aXimgp8K3ko/TvhQWB97EII/AAAAAAAAAJc/bUT1D-f4mCI/s1600/DSC02352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aXimgp8K3ko/TvhQWB97EII/AAAAAAAAAJc/bUT1D-f4mCI/s640/DSC02352.JPG" width="480px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2kEp9JhTCX0/TvhQjfzE56I/AAAAAAAAAJo/98ksaQDQgek/s1600/DSC02349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480px" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2kEp9JhTCX0/TvhQjfzE56I/AAAAAAAAAJo/98ksaQDQgek/s640/DSC02349.JPG" width="640px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Christmas Holly Brownies</strong></td></tr>
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</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-68455344077473893312011-10-29T00:16:00.001+10:002011-10-29T00:25:10.928+10:00Chocolate Brownies with Mixed Berries<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Getting ready for Christmas with yummy desserts... One of my favourite and easy to bake recipes is the Chocolate Brownies with Mixed Berries. They are always popular among all ages.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOvQQnhYTqTmixFf-a5QKNlsvTLvhUdT8_MwPGdn8ZwyysG3KHn2Rer91o9RGm4ZQK23xaybmc9J7tzMgnzqGIlcehBH0Z5AZlTGvEnWL-Cs9xmUIs2tFEDPRJAmm_6gPMwwUV6OyACo/s1600/DSC02008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOvQQnhYTqTmixFf-a5QKNlsvTLvhUdT8_MwPGdn8ZwyysG3KHn2Rer91o9RGm4ZQK23xaybmc9J7tzMgnzqGIlcehBH0Z5AZlTGvEnWL-Cs9xmUIs2tFEDPRJAmm_6gPMwwUV6OyACo/s640/DSC02008.JPG" width="640px" /></a></div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-59520370906123786292011-10-04T18:15:00.003+10:002011-10-04T18:24:41.539+10:00Chicken Claypot Rice<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiK-3NtdfD2qVNNOObGzXX9O0zwOGKkNzVPxT7SG_CPXLx2_jCMweXfhpvfsSeGEF2vY78rNGQPXrHiKnWTYzxEJF2Is-ag_M8PiWHdSH6CeQKYTWl2eeIKfhhzbAallKr3YYD9zerg8/s1600/DSC01862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiK-3NtdfD2qVNNOObGzXX9O0zwOGKkNzVPxT7SG_CPXLx2_jCMweXfhpvfsSeGEF2vY78rNGQPXrHiKnWTYzxEJF2Is-ag_M8PiWHdSH6CeQKYTWl2eeIKfhhzbAallKr3YYD9zerg8/s640/DSC01862.JPG" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="640px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Home cooked claypot rice – one of my most favourite forms of comfort food when I was growing up. It is easy to prepare and requires little cleaning after cooking this dish. All the tasty ingredients (including the rice) goes into an electric rice cooker, and after the rice has been cooked (as indicated on the electric cooker switch), it is ready to be served! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This savoury rice dish is also healthy food as very little oil is used in the cooking process. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The trick to this dish is marinating the chicken meat overnight so that the flavours of the seasoning get absorbed into the meat. This process also tenderises the meat, allowing it to be soft and tender when it is cooked.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Here is my personal recipe for this dish:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTtRWFyqQIY5Qz5Wg8o0dO3brnhx0A_GhI4i3ru-ZYcvIUR11jsmExF3SDpBz9_pPMv70r-u7IXpXLyyJUUdU7dZUFvEM04Hxg8gUOqd8Fxy0uzCvE2q5kw-p5MEkPXk2vZtNGh0NvA8/s1600/DSC01874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTtRWFyqQIY5Qz5Wg8o0dO3brnhx0A_GhI4i3ru-ZYcvIUR11jsmExF3SDpBz9_pPMv70r-u7IXpXLyyJUUdU7dZUFvEM04Hxg8gUOqd8Fxy0uzCvE2q5kw-p5MEkPXk2vZtNGh0NvA8/s640/DSC01874.JPG" width="640px" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<strong>Recipe for Chicken Claypot Rice</strong> (serves 2 persons):</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Ingredients</strong>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong><u>(For marinating the chicken meat</u>)</strong></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;">250g – 300g of boneless chicken thigh (cut into bite size pieces)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tablespoon grated ginger</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tablespoons shaoxing wine</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tablespoons light soy sauce</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 teaspoon salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tablespoon sesame oil</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong><u>(For cooking in the rice cooker)</u></strong></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 cups of jasmine rice</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3 cups of water</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tablespoons sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tablespoons shaoxing wine</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 tablespoons light soy sauce</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tablespoon dark soy sauce</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tablespoon salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tablespoon sesame oil</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 pieces of dried shitake mushrooms</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 small piece of Chinese sausage (washed and cut into small slices)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Marinated chicken meat (from above)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spring onions as garnish</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Procedure:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Cut the 250g – 300g of boneless chicken thigh into bite size pieces. Marinate the chicken pieces with the ginger, wine, light soy sauce, salt and sesame oil in a large bowl.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave the marinated chicken meat in the fridge overnight.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
3. Wash the rice grains thoroughly with water and drain well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Drain the soaked shitake mushrooms and cut them into thin slices.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
5. Wash the Chinese sausage and cut it into small slices.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
6. Place the washed rice grains, water, sugar, wine, light and dark soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, marinated chicken meat, cut slices of shitake mushrooms and Chinese sausage into an electric rice cooker. Mix it well before cooking.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. Once the rice is cooked, leave it in the rice cooker for about 10 minutes before opening the lid. Mix well, sprinkle the chopped spring onions and the rice is ready to serve!</div><img height="72px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiK-3NtdfD2qVNNOObGzXX9O0zwOGKkNzVPxT7SG_CPXLx2_jCMweXfhpvfsSeGEF2vY78rNGQPXrHiKnWTYzxEJF2Is-ag_M8PiWHdSH6CeQKYTWl2eeIKfhhzbAallKr3YYD9zerg8/s640/DSC01862.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 493px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 517px; visibility: hidden;" width="96px" />Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-28020640704313438162011-09-16T00:10:00.003+10:002011-09-16T00:16:57.842+10:00Szechuan Braised Pork Belly<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kBmvWCs8gaub3M7oWyyQrO0qHfffo9F63UQYgR-tUe6tiBqLVVIp8JpMhvf3HSz5UZrE1sLzNVsAc9gVG9sJ92t8Ji6syiiNVJw2Dph1gUp8kM6DImLsVZljyn4h5W9CK5pFLOBbL8c/s1600/DSC01807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480px" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kBmvWCs8gaub3M7oWyyQrO0qHfffo9F63UQYgR-tUe6tiBqLVVIp8JpMhvf3HSz5UZrE1sLzNVsAc9gVG9sJ92t8Ji6syiiNVJw2Dph1gUp8kM6DImLsVZljyn4h5W9CK5pFLOBbL8c/s640/DSC01807.JPG" width="640px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is one of my favourite dishes – Szechuan Braised Pork Belly!!! If cooked properly, the meat ends up very soft and tender and the fats just melt in your mouth. Pork belly (also known as pork rashers) has always been one of my favourite cuts of pork. Although it has a higher level of fat content, cooking it in a more healthy way (for instance, braising) and only eating it once in a while – allows my loved ones and I to still enjoy this delicious type of meat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This dish has a slightly spicy taste and for those who prefer to have it more spicy, you could add additional fresh red chillies and ginger to the recipe. For those who do not like spicy food, you could leave out the chillies from the recipe without sacrificing its yummy taste. That said, I personally think the fresh red chillies gives this dish a distinctive and authentic Szechuan flavour to it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here are my few tips to ensure that the meat for this dish is succulent and tender. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Firstly, marinate the meat overnight. Marinating the pork for a longer period tenderises the meat and makes the meat more flavoursome.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Secondly, browning the meat over high heat first before braising it over low heat for about 2 hours (or for a longer time if more meat is used) is highly recommended. Please take note that if the heat used while braising is too high, the pork belly will break into pieces and will also result in the toughening up its texture. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thirdly, the amount of water to add into the pot before braising the meat is very important. Too much liquid might dilute the savoury taste of the dish and too little liquid could cause the meat to turn out too dry and tough.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have written out the recipe on this dish for those who like to give it a try. This dish is best eaten with a hot steaming bowl of plain jasmine rice as it complements the strong flavours of the meat, and its gravy.</div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Recipe for Szechuan Braised Pork Belly </strong>(serves 2 persons):</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Ingredients</strong>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oil for cooking</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pork Belly (about 600g)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 teaspoon of salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 teaspoon of pepper powder</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tablespoon of sesame oil</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 tablespoons of shaoxin cooking wine</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 tablespoons of dark soy sauce</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 tablespoons of light Soy Sauce</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tablespoons of sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 – 2 tablespoons of grated ginger</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spring onions (use only the bottom or whitish part, cut into 3cm sticks)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 red chilli (sliced)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">About 200ml of water (or enough to cover the surface level of the pork in the wok)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Procedure</strong>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Marinate about 600g of pork belly pieces with salt, pepper, sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of shaoxing wine, 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce in a large bowl.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Mix the pork belly pieces with the seasoning using your hands and while doing that, gently press the pork with your fingertips (like massaging actions).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave the marinated pork belly in the fridge overnight or for about 24 hours.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Heat up a non-stick cooking pot or wok over high heat. Grease the wok well with cooking oil. Add the pork belly pieces into the wok and brown them. Dish them up onto a plate once they turned browned and aromatic (do not overcook the pork belly at this stage).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Heat up the same wok over a medium heat this time and add the grafted ginger and spring onions. Cook them for a short while till they turn fragrant. Add the chilli slices and cook for another minute before adding the browned pork belly pieces back into the wok.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Add the remaining shaoxing wine, dark and light soy sauce, sugar and water into the wok (make sure that the water level covers up to the surface of the meat only).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. Bring to a boil and quickly lower the heat to low heat. Braise the pork belly pieces for about 2 hours over low heat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. Throughout the cooking process, check to make sure that the liquid in the pot does not dries up. The liquid should be reduced and thicken to a dark coloured sauce or gravy at the end of the cooking. If the liquid is reduced too much, lower the heat and add a bit of water to the work. You should also turn over the pork belly pieces a few times while cooking to ensure that the meat is cooking evenly in the liquid and does not end up dried up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">9. After 2 hours, turn the heat off from the stove. Serve the pork belly pieces with fresh red chillies and chopped spring onions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Enjoy!!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoYbniLPkZ91x23uMDm6K_XyVhi0EI2Hc0pebLFz_XMnb6hyVwJ3905czekfpHkNyWdssFr-ZShYhaPbo2bF5QHC6r613tPTbPD2E-09-8jLjInhC7hnroIo9CoVop0Sg4PR_7DFksOc/s1600/DSC01804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480px" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoYbniLPkZ91x23uMDm6K_XyVhi0EI2Hc0pebLFz_XMnb6hyVwJ3905czekfpHkNyWdssFr-ZShYhaPbo2bF5QHC6r613tPTbPD2E-09-8jLjInhC7hnroIo9CoVop0Sg4PR_7DFksOc/s640/DSC01804.JPG" width="640px" /></a></div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-63624385941672575892011-07-04T13:44:00.001+10:002011-07-04T13:45:06.782+10:00Strawberry Jam Cupcakes<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFz22AoUlJJZa5N666Z2uL8W0z0eyn9mETjocZ4i2Ziw8I_1WQwFNwK_cLiTWfz4YW_ldYdErcdqcWMg8RoqYXLdOnNcuKA9zttEpKosmJ_oEhGlQv-70dWXol8fsNNLQXLXtCG_tJHSw/s1600/DSC01701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFz22AoUlJJZa5N666Z2uL8W0z0eyn9mETjocZ4i2Ziw8I_1WQwFNwK_cLiTWfz4YW_ldYdErcdqcWMg8RoqYXLdOnNcuKA9zttEpKosmJ_oEhGlQv-70dWXol8fsNNLQXLXtCG_tJHSw/s640/DSC01701.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strawberry Jam Cupcakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">I read up on a cupcake recipe recently and was very keen to try it. I was rather pleased that it turned out quite nicely. I modified the recipe a little and filled the cupcakes with strawberry jam and called them strawberry jam cupcakes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The cupcakes could have turned out nicer if they were slightly more moist. However, my husband and one of my friends enjoyed them very much and it was such a joy to see them eating the cupcakes!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcttn3b75oYygv5e0_k4pzYqtXlLn8Bd0N07GH_8xbADNxidaCvAO1lLEvZxhyRNRI1qS_QtG7RalzOafCpjTFGYYuAFG4KbmxlMAN7kcVozm6RHKZgN08owEuM9gLIVn4NzYLk2HCAI/s1600/DSC01693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcttn3b75oYygv5e0_k4pzYqtXlLn8Bd0N07GH_8xbADNxidaCvAO1lLEvZxhyRNRI1qS_QtG7RalzOafCpjTFGYYuAFG4KbmxlMAN7kcVozm6RHKZgN08owEuM9gLIVn4NzYLk2HCAI/s320/DSC01693.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTDDU6TUOkCdGqv_WbLvPQZ1tbpxEbUBsm37-6BVjDP35UL9xJMMhmAgyQ4n8NIDLxwPpbDbRHAUM_uw7KHqyezzZmPSYhWJWWH4hp7K7Jgm6C8Uh4-zIVoGXRmqdlQJ7MsOBlW0oDjY/s1600/DSC01689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTDDU6TUOkCdGqv_WbLvPQZ1tbpxEbUBsm37-6BVjDP35UL9xJMMhmAgyQ4n8NIDLxwPpbDbRHAUM_uw7KHqyezzZmPSYhWJWWH4hp7K7Jgm6C8Uh4-zIVoGXRmqdlQJ7MsOBlW0oDjY/s320/DSC01689.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjhHtR8SOWywEnaRBck9IOqGuu22qo7z0wbrlunjzUWmbUQZit51Xos2p6u9_NlkUP7BJS3J-uFlU47N2uzJ-Uh-ubpTrHgK_9TikBLv8UQdceBC87zpXr3LfouFrrUrUPML9bVNZ5RQ/s1600/DSC01696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjhHtR8SOWywEnaRBck9IOqGuu22qo7z0wbrlunjzUWmbUQZit51Xos2p6u9_NlkUP7BJS3J-uFlU47N2uzJ-Uh-ubpTrHgK_9TikBLv8UQdceBC87zpXr3LfouFrrUrUPML9bVNZ5RQ/s640/DSC01696.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly baked cupcakes!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cupcakes decorated with icing sugar and strawberry jam.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU3Ng3l5h-fe5xfEbJGPQL4U-1QoADRSpqEyDOxBjwlvsGHNu4yV3I-w5oT3cDbEKDCVdhWVnHr5xDJFMaSWpgJVtFYYsH-GC6mneCkbdWQOTd8ALKuWHlI0DmERnwurHKmEL1dWlbuk/s1600/DSC01723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU3Ng3l5h-fe5xfEbJGPQL4U-1QoADRSpqEyDOxBjwlvsGHNu4yV3I-w5oT3cDbEKDCVdhWVnHr5xDJFMaSWpgJVtFYYsH-GC6mneCkbdWQOTd8ALKuWHlI0DmERnwurHKmEL1dWlbuk/s640/DSC01723.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cross-sectional view of a cupcake.<br />
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</tbody></table>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-43524403824453344162011-07-03T22:15:00.000+10:002011-07-03T22:15:05.998+10:00Inarizushi Bento<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGpO3VDOA-tyJNRD8VucOnmmkFICoHIY_pXOK57qVGuztgEmNTnHbSox9JetgFcA488sDS-_pd0TieVenIUaflDNTs5Y_C6zKExHp292GlXo-vqK88kb3JyjVtEs1fgwSoevASfAzDVo/s1600/DSC01675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGpO3VDOA-tyJNRD8VucOnmmkFICoHIY_pXOK57qVGuztgEmNTnHbSox9JetgFcA488sDS-_pd0TieVenIUaflDNTs5Y_C6zKExHp292GlXo-vqK88kb3JyjVtEs1fgwSoevASfAzDVo/s640/DSC01675.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bento - inarizushi with avacado and egg omelette rolls.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Inarizushi is a fried tofu pouch that is usually filled with sushi rice. I wanted to make my own inarizushi but I could not find the tofu pouches or inarizushi at the shops in Townsville. Undeterred, I bought a pack of the pre-seasoned tofu pouches from Singapore and had it shipped over to me in Townsville.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-Mj64dkTvTTjLv4vg1ywniIpiSMx22YPddDbYaLqy8W_DXuvtttlMry6qMS-3uphT1HxPDuLQCbIY2E1q2HCzbfqZODUWRyqXCsx51oPCg7t8bmQPZrn4IaeI1JEdAmXH0Gy-Z-lAK8/s1600/DSC01665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-Mj64dkTvTTjLv4vg1ywniIpiSMx22YPddDbYaLqy8W_DXuvtttlMry6qMS-3uphT1HxPDuLQCbIY2E1q2HCzbfqZODUWRyqXCsx51oPCg7t8bmQPZrn4IaeI1JEdAmXH0Gy-Z-lAK8/s400/DSC01665.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-seasoned tofu pouches from a NTUC supermarket in Singapore.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Instead of just filling the tofu pouches with sushi rice, I made a mushroom and carrot mix with the sushi rice before stuffing the filling into the tofu pouches. It was quite a success and the inarizushi tasted really yum! I packed them nicely into a bento box for my husband’s afternoon tea and he really liked it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To make the rice filling for the inarizushi, I stir-fried some diced carrots and dried shiitakae mushrooms and added the following seasoning: soy sauce; sugar; Chinese cooking wine (as a substitute for sake) and shiitake liquid (used to soak the mushrooms) while cooking it. After that, I mixed the mushroom mixture with the cooked sushi rice (mixed with sugar, salt and rice wine vinegar) and added toasted black sesame seeds and tiny cuts of nori sheets at the end. After the mushroom and rice mixture was well mixed, I shaped them into balls with the cling wrap and stuffed them into the tofu pouches.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeClJEdpiazKEY4ubmNm2wTnFFppmXq90vvchvapyXABzsRJSI6IXz-HMxIY3MFZWTiH9F9ICTDuRFodAqdGPjICdsB0qMfTCIV8ouXopUgEcJv3OVCUfUfXiBVYr2vcGUj0kyQvKo_7s/s1600/DSC01679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeClJEdpiazKEY4ubmNm2wTnFFppmXq90vvchvapyXABzsRJSI6IXz-HMxIY3MFZWTiH9F9ICTDuRFodAqdGPjICdsB0qMfTCIV8ouXopUgEcJv3OVCUfUfXiBVYr2vcGUj0kyQvKo_7s/s640/DSC01679.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious inarizushi with mushrooms, carrots and sushi rice.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">They tasted great especially with the toasted black sesame seeds which gave that added aromatic flavour in the inarizushi. They are healthy to eat and go very well as a bento boxed lunch or snack.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-42232633004367964122011-06-19T00:18:00.001+10:002011-06-19T00:25:10.968+10:00Maki Sushi <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpd2-cA2hyphenhyphenHg8oDsg0ehaGWFElyqTTbxSNmZLnDVCVbsE3g4AvBXCmRy607Jeo8ydWP2CYySBnVPO6FpEyboHk9ZeJ8-d0qRR-tbbnY0GRQjPNLQDlBtQG6Yz6SPJBk3NlUN3p-pPVKM/s1600/DSC01662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpd2-cA2hyphenhyphenHg8oDsg0ehaGWFElyqTTbxSNmZLnDVCVbsE3g4AvBXCmRy607Jeo8ydWP2CYySBnVPO6FpEyboHk9ZeJ8-d0qRR-tbbnY0GRQjPNLQDlBtQG6Yz6SPJBk3NlUN3p-pPVKM/s640/DSC01662.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A delectable plate of home-made maki sushi! Yum!</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">From a long holiday, to a big move, new job, some dramatic experiences suffered during a natural disaster and finally having a new kitchenette, I finally had a chance to cook again recently. As you can imagine given the long absence, I am now so excited to be trying out new recipes and blogging once again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I learnt how to make sushi over the internet about a year ago after discovering that there were very few Japanese restaurants in Townsville. Being a great fan of Japanese food, I decided not to let this stop me from trying my hand at it, so I took the DIY route and made my own “personal” brand of sushi. I soon found that the art of making good sushi rice required a well balanced solution of salt, sugar and rice wine vinegar. This has to be mixed in well with the cooked sushi rice while the latter is still warm. The rice mixture also has to be kept moist so that it will not be too dry or wet when rolled with the nori sheets. It is the vinegar solution that gives the sushi rice the aromatic flavour as well as the beautiful glaze.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVKchlA9AnTDMCeC48RVA0w3DrfKeB4yUG2HxvxDkJtgc3AnjqIDcu_YW_CU-QVR1uAnAUHTK024GKQSfwlBVnYpJ1loje6QYunn5bZJa5OksBNmENWJBsMYSU445a476li_modQmYzg/s1600/DSC01622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVKchlA9AnTDMCeC48RVA0w3DrfKeB4yUG2HxvxDkJtgc3AnjqIDcu_YW_CU-QVR1uAnAUHTK024GKQSfwlBVnYpJ1loje6QYunn5bZJa5OksBNmENWJBsMYSU445a476li_modQmYzg/s640/DSC01622.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Cooking sushi rice in a rice cooker.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmZBobRyjdpp9DSFXpy3L-ORxAjjyHkBHKYFGKGBcQiRL7dFzAcNsF6s3A3sbWB0AcCkMEnK0vf0TNn-jltDDsOLLZLYU2wziuP4a98BzhGES_KmtUAb_sySYbThGZPdB_iQoST7aBHY/s1600/DSC01625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmZBobRyjdpp9DSFXpy3L-ORxAjjyHkBHKYFGKGBcQiRL7dFzAcNsF6s3A3sbWB0AcCkMEnK0vf0TNn-jltDDsOLLZLYU2wziuP4a98BzhGES_KmtUAb_sySYbThGZPdB_iQoST7aBHY/s640/DSC01625.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Mixing the cooked sushi rice with the vinegar solution.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="text-align: justify;">Personally, I think sushi is healthy food. You do not require any fat to cook it and you can choose your own choice of fillings depending on your palate and dietary needs. It is also particularly suitable for vegetarians or health-conscious people who prefer a sushi roll wrapped with fresh carrot sticks or a mixed salad filling. The fillings that I used in my maki sushi were seafood sticks, avocado and home-made tamagoyaki (slightly sweetened egg omelette). Another easy-to-prepare filling that I used was tuna mayonnaise (canned tuna with mayonnaise, salad sauce and seasoned with pepper and salt). All of this is fairly simple once you get the hang of making your own sushi. There was no fuss caused by tedious food preparation, deep-frying, stir-frying or long stewing time and so on. With a rice cooker, one could easily prepare their own sushi rolls.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJqMpJzbKX7pyYm04apY2AFB_xUnhJZlrelhlW8JGUkYHia46tsS_0SnPEaaaYsVABul-Ay8zURvkfNv7Bl4ooFYdZgDWrf-gsHWejBZEyaosCHd5slheKXN99l8wqbCPwlI-bVbVk8M/s1600/DSC01626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJqMpJzbKX7pyYm04apY2AFB_xUnhJZlrelhlW8JGUkYHia46tsS_0SnPEaaaYsVABul-Ay8zURvkfNv7Bl4ooFYdZgDWrf-gsHWejBZEyaosCHd5slheKXN99l8wqbCPwlI-bVbVk8M/s640/DSC01626.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Some of the fillings used for the maki sushi are tamagoyaki, seafood sticks, avocado and tuna mayonnaise.</span></td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I used the sushi making moulds in my first few attempts of making sushi. However, I found cleaning the moulds quite troublesome, and was not all that much simpler to use than if I had made the sushi using the traditional sushi bamboo mats. No surprise – I now use the bamboo mats instead of the moulds. They are easily available at most supermarkets (the Asian/ Japanese section) and are relatively affordable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you want to explore and make your own sushi, do try it. It is certainly very fun, cheaper than buying them from a sushi bar, and tastes almost as good as the ones sold in the shops.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrYHLTu2cM48EBmAK9uMI3dT5GBoY_HSBs9_OeCQ6mUysgBm0dPELeijURhtnFBOuTxkiSed0Kkg7Viwds8ErWhIBaQnvhOL5QqyDD6T1A-OnW56jDSNOuJ0CLxp7Y-KdfRUQhoQnhyphenhyphenc/s1600/DSC01631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrYHLTu2cM48EBmAK9uMI3dT5GBoY_HSBs9_OeCQ6mUysgBm0dPELeijURhtnFBOuTxkiSed0Kkg7Viwds8ErWhIBaQnvhOL5QqyDD6T1A-OnW56jDSNOuJ0CLxp7Y-KdfRUQhoQnhyphenhyphenc/s640/DSC01631.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Placing the nori sheet, sushi rice and fillings neatly on the bamboo mat.</span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKh4ZZSgImdgjOUp_ZasLw7LPeK_C0v0_yItV7ApOYytqmnkpxREgMWqv4PYmosBIUPG_2Gg9Fq1hO9tAJgeiIlOjqVzNbObrYu0o4yjLvMAP1h6l2-77okgH9Wp21Lad_QmiPNyI05LM/s1600/DSC01634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKh4ZZSgImdgjOUp_ZasLw7LPeK_C0v0_yItV7ApOYytqmnkpxREgMWqv4PYmosBIUPG_2Gg9Fq1hO9tAJgeiIlOjqVzNbObrYu0o4yjLvMAP1h6l2-77okgH9Wp21Lad_QmiPNyI05LM/s320/DSC01634.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5hkYd5fj6-8VeDX1QdJ868xOteoveIqST2hqabTSb6EtVwjWdOwn2SfzrCcz4aJ_VYtt885yEawtt4mvs6nPsLhswBbDsoYeJoGGeQ4yr0b6IAFCvjBiJtcs3gdN3NixKauKRZt0rAY/s1600/DSC01635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5hkYd5fj6-8VeDX1QdJ868xOteoveIqST2hqabTSb6EtVwjWdOwn2SfzrCcz4aJ_VYtt885yEawtt4mvs6nPsLhswBbDsoYeJoGGeQ4yr0b6IAFCvjBiJtcs3gdN3NixKauKRZt0rAY/s320/DSC01635.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaf23_9rEK-hnAeHwx51oi6w5ycVZ1AQ3ag3VyXfy_fui6iP99mR-UeX1ADiMlPQLJ9ORxg9ZavOqKdlypRCSZePIMQmpM2hyphenhyphenXT_n2tuynwtvDlPfQLS1X0bwLlha8vYKUYXTVlRu71g/s1600/DSC01656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaf23_9rEK-hnAeHwx51oi6w5ycVZ1AQ3ag3VyXfy_fui6iP99mR-UeX1ADiMlPQLJ9ORxg9ZavOqKdlypRCSZePIMQmpM2hyphenhyphenXT_n2tuynwtvDlPfQLS1X0bwLlha8vYKUYXTVlRu71g/s640/DSC01656.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Maki sushi filled with tamagoyaki, seafood sticks and avocado.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7TXZxjlrxblYbXJDsD_GtzzFU7RKeQHVGPeSJ0iWFK8uhQa809S84yYxsIcG1clxWtIi3xnpLQW333Y0NTWQNIRePkr5VKAYgS7MEoRoXujz6oC4nO_pKD_Z4sbLqPk9s8D45a6qDhA/s1600/DSC01658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7TXZxjlrxblYbXJDsD_GtzzFU7RKeQHVGPeSJ0iWFK8uhQa809S84yYxsIcG1clxWtIi3xnpLQW333Y0NTWQNIRePkr5VKAYgS7MEoRoXujz6oC4nO_pKD_Z4sbLqPk9s8D45a6qDhA/s640/DSC01658.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Maki sushi filled with tuna mayonnaise and avocado.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_O5EeYsPT-Y2GMhyuWhpziGgOndx7z5MQmB5NYnwViy6ImKdTdhWv2PUhUaZMv4gWEF0Hz2-gfvPhjwguTmvbwdvbe_tpUsjIMiFlONNVzGItJwVex1p8ekUuEo-ssxemyxhnFAV_AE/s1600/DSC01657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_O5EeYsPT-Y2GMhyuWhpziGgOndx7z5MQmB5NYnwViy6ImKdTdhWv2PUhUaZMv4gWEF0Hz2-gfvPhjwguTmvbwdvbe_tpUsjIMiFlONNVzGItJwVex1p8ekUuEo-ssxemyxhnFAV_AE/s640/DSC01657.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Home-made slices of tamagoyaki garnished with pickled ginger.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHzAOq34JXveII7F8hWzZN20iCMKckwVTpeu3DjvjXSiwTvUwsxwkgC5RCMIiO8LLgweWbeOl9VO3pXq-h5yUimPO_IziKmaCQPekWN9KZjNLKocbqA668CG6wMKqBKb0rgjmUr4s3Yk/s1600/DSC01641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHzAOq34JXveII7F8hWzZN20iCMKckwVTpeu3DjvjXSiwTvUwsxwkgC5RCMIiO8LLgweWbeOl9VO3pXq-h5yUimPO_IziKmaCQPekWN9KZjNLKocbqA668CG6wMKqBKb0rgjmUr4s3Yk/s640/DSC01641.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-58692652062634521012010-11-25T12:17:00.001+10:002010-11-25T12:21:33.292+10:00Banana Fritters<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR5xqRMmqI0l3ei8HprmqlJ8zAHHDESZNL0CCv7ixVPf9NvmWpAC63kqriVaTDs5y1nFaljCetH5189GgIipsBPK5URriO_gfRXICm6ivKAbB2Bit2EP3CJanIeP2vz1KTGUQLMKOXcg/s1600/DSC01336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR5xqRMmqI0l3ei8HprmqlJ8zAHHDESZNL0CCv7ixVPf9NvmWpAC63kqriVaTDs5y1nFaljCetH5189GgIipsBPK5URriO_gfRXICm6ivKAbB2Bit2EP3CJanIeP2vz1KTGUQLMKOXcg/s640/DSC01336.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Banana fritters coated with icing sugar</span>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I made some banana fritters and the batter turned out to be quite nice with a lovely crunch. The batter was fairly easy to prepare. I used self-rising flour, eggs, water and some oil for the batter. The bananas on the other hand, were slightly unripe and the fritters did not turn out to be the way I expected. Lesson learnt: use ripe bananas for making fritters. Nevertheless, the batter was quite a success from this attempt.</span></span><br />
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</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-86390867437414264732010-11-24T00:19:00.005+10:002010-11-25T11:07:58.750+10:00Yaki Soba<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCUm0U69SF13Zci1lF2t10S6PW0ZDvYQAicbkN2PNXOi5ktvctKaxWGB7eU4ZW2ZG9qeZDEeWoBTuI3WHba-qyDpPSMjLF25VFWBJ19b37Fa19yA7E9eQx9T_xIa6qmXvQJGOxLcFe9k/s1600/DSC01340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCUm0U69SF13Zci1lF2t10S6PW0ZDvYQAicbkN2PNXOi5ktvctKaxWGB7eU4ZW2ZG9qeZDEeWoBTuI3WHba-qyDpPSMjLF25VFWBJ19b37Fa19yA7E9eQx9T_xIa6qmXvQJGOxLcFe9k/s640/DSC01340.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I bought some soba noodles some time back and wanted to make cold soba with it. Unfortunately, I did not have the ingredients for that noodle dish and made Yaki Soba instead. ‘Yaki’ means grilled, broiled or pan-fried in Japanese while ‘Soba’ is a type of Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour. This noodle dish is basically a stir-fry with meat and vegetables. I chose chicken meat, carrots, mushrooms and brown onions for my yaki soba and the combination of the ingredients went quite well. Although mildly flavoured, it was still a tasty dish.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjNBTpV2dXx_S8PDctXJl3S5hK1N5hYkKzvb4ja9BBP4TnQG_8UYhW2E6GoufCNepHhqQ31_EBsd7vjGlg_Q4GAS6GBEgSZmTz6WFRc9BfIbJM-FNOny_Rj35XUc38S15heNxfIPVUpc/s1600/DSC01354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjNBTpV2dXx_S8PDctXJl3S5hK1N5hYkKzvb4ja9BBP4TnQG_8UYhW2E6GoufCNepHhqQ31_EBsd7vjGlg_Q4GAS6GBEgSZmTz6WFRc9BfIbJM-FNOny_Rj35XUc38S15heNxfIPVUpc/s400/DSC01354.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serve Yaki Soba while it is hot with chopped spring onions and nori strips.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yaki Soba Recipe (serves 2)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ingredients:</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 large chicken thigh (sliced thinly)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">½ teaspoon salt</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">¼ teaspoon pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">½ teaspoon corn flour</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3 tablespoon soy sauce</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3 teaspoon sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 teaspoon sesame oil</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">180g of soba noodles</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">½ of a small brown onion (sliced)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 small carrot (sliced thinly)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 brown mushroom (sliced thinly)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 egg (lightly beaten)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Spring onions (chopped)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Small piece of nori sheet (cut into small strips)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Procedure:</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1. Marinate the chicken slices with salt, pepper, corn flour, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sugar for at least an hour.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the soba noodles and cook for 1-2 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water. Leave it for later use.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3. Mix the remaining soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil in a bowl.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4. Heat up a wok with some oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until lightly browned (do not overcook the meat). Remove it from the heat and leave it for later use.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">5. Heat up some oil in the wok again and stir-fry the onions for a while before adding the carrots and mushrooms.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">6. Add the cooked soba noodles, chicken meat and sauce mixture into the wok and combine well.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">7. Make a well in the centre, pour in the beaten egg and cook for 1-2 minutes. As soon as the egg starts to set, stir though with the noddles.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">8. Dish up the noddles and garnish it with the chopped spring onions and nori strips.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
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</span></div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-42925474347778033592010-11-22T02:39:00.003+10:002012-10-03T00:04:57.648+10:00Yaki Onigiri (filled with Tamogoyaki)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iQTfmKv6POI55exNitzj3T9HGCLBGcbSKhrkTplcgHqF4rD8Q3zqc_iDJwhkAZVTmG-Q139ys7Nmo_XjeN26ngUhiaVpnRMJB1Gi-6JmJYioAPO-PqFQf-7ISVImM-ZWuCEiLSbymns/s1600/DSC01398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iQTfmKv6POI55exNitzj3T9HGCLBGcbSKhrkTplcgHqF4rD8Q3zqc_iDJwhkAZVTmG-Q139ys7Nmo_XjeN26ngUhiaVpnRMJB1Gi-6JmJYioAPO-PqFQf-7ISVImM-ZWuCEiLSbymns/s640/DSC01398.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lightly pan-fried onigiri stuffed with tamogoyaki.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yaki Onigiri are also known as
Japanese grilled rice balls. Onigiri are made from white rice, shaped
into triangular or oval shapes and usually wrapped with nori sheets
(seaweed). Traditional onigiri are usually filled with pickled
ingredients and is normally eaten as a quick snack. I once read that
onigiri were popular in Japan as early as the 11th century. They were
usually eaten during outdoor picnics, or wrapped in bamboo leaves by the
Samurai as food that they could eat on the go. Since then, nothing has
change much, and onigiri are still very popular in Japan, available as
they are with various types of stuffing and in different flavours.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I
was inspired to make my own onigiri after reading so much about it on
the internet and in books. They taste great and make good main meals,
side dishes or snacks. To make them, I used sushi rice and added a
vinegar mixture (rice wine vinegar mixed with some sugar and salt) to
the rice after it has been cooked. Once the rice had cooled, they were
shaped into balls and stuffed with some tamogoyaki (slightly sweetened
egg omelette) before pan-frying them lightly on a pan. For some added
colour and flavour, I coated some Japanese soy sauce (I prefer this as
it is less salty than Chinese soy sauce) on both sides of the onigiri
while pan-frying them. You could also cut some strips of nori and wrap
them around the onigiri as garnish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjgqoccZg3NvDV9Oa08F3aVMAlDD7A_ea7DkVMb5koRwCzAuWhz3m4X90HH9RTVEHLZ5_c3nElM1zNWhREeYfgc8_JwVKmoveldNUDMq0CPnxEShk7EfX5l5VzWIZ2pSOaTx8z5OmH8o/s1600/DSC01409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjgqoccZg3NvDV9Oa08F3aVMAlDD7A_ea7DkVMb5koRwCzAuWhz3m4X90HH9RTVEHLZ5_c3nElM1zNWhREeYfgc8_JwVKmoveldNUDMq0CPnxEShk7EfX5l5VzWIZ2pSOaTx8z5OmH8o/s640/DSC01409.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serve yaki onigiri while hot and with pickled ginger slices.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Onigiri that has been mixed with soy sauce before pan fried.</td></tr>
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There is another similar recipe as the above but this time the cooked sushi rice is thoroughly mixed with some vinegar mixture and Japanese soy sauce before pan-frying them lightly. Once the rice has cooled down a little, shape the rice quickly into balls, stuff them with the tamogoyaki and wrap some slices of the nori around the onigiri. Onigiri are best eaten with pickled ginger slices. Oishii!!!</div>
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Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-29262579578106924062010-11-09T15:52:00.012+10:002010-11-25T11:35:39.667+10:00Chicken and Potatoes in Black Peppercorn Stew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYhhyGjIm1HzG2w9XBBiLFu01GGdWmsE4AQj2eWqTLhRkvrg_xA10OLdwmqKWBt7GTXHpXx3aX5N9s0uOhmf6mlDq8upBXDRf292E_Hmso2395_TNPgIPxSKaC8TmtnxtzpxweGI__6w/s1600/DSC01266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYhhyGjIm1HzG2w9XBBiLFu01GGdWmsE4AQj2eWqTLhRkvrg_xA10OLdwmqKWBt7GTXHpXx3aX5N9s0uOhmf6mlDq8upBXDRf292E_Hmso2395_TNPgIPxSKaC8TmtnxtzpxweGI__6w/s640/DSC01266.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> was just looking at some of my previous blog entries and realised that I have been cooking meat dishes using more chicken than other types of meat (Honey Baked Chicken Wings, Chicken Laksa, and Drunken Chicken in Spicy Dark Sauce). I have not really tried much dishes using seafood and I hope to cook tuna or salmon one of these days. I guess my favourite type of meat is still chicken. Yum! I was cooking this dish last night – Chicken and Potatoes in Black Peppercorn Stew and it turned out quite pleasant. So for now, another chicken dish to share!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is an all time childhood favourite from my mum’s kitchen. The ingredients for this stew are not extravagant and this is a dish that could be easily prepared. The taste is sweet, savoury (as a result of the slow cooking of the onions, carrots and chicken) and has a nice aroma from the peppercorns. As I said earlier, the ingredients for the stew are fairly common and the taste is nothing extraordinary. However, what I really like about this homely hot stew is the combination of sweet and savoury flavours over a bowl of warm rice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have tried cooking and perfecting this stew several times so that it could matches my mum’s original recipe. The first few attempts were not so successfully, but after several trial and errors (cooking is after all a practice of patience), I managed to create something which is somewhat similar to my mum’s dish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Chicken and Potatoes in Black Peppercorn Stew Recipe (serves 4-5 persons)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSU4DyLHuQmfgy6SPdwZ1GYGNtot0UvldzNHoy31mFf8setpKL2R92hIC9TwlHsh0dCig-WeO9DSpqY15lUHX6-g0fouV5Czfi9971twkBZ8AqwF4Zi-lnfB-9n1e3xBu73ZnjuO_tZk/s1600/DSC01275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSU4DyLHuQmfgy6SPdwZ1GYGNtot0UvldzNHoy31mFf8setpKL2R92hIC9TwlHsh0dCig-WeO9DSpqY15lUHX6-g0fouV5Czfi9971twkBZ8AqwF4Zi-lnfB-9n1e3xBu73ZnjuO_tZk/s400/DSC01275.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ingredients: </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 teaspoon of grounded black pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4 tablespoons of light soy sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4 tablespoons of dark Soy sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Vegetable oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2-3 large brown onions (chopped into small pieces)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">½ tablespoon of black peppercorns (lightly crushed)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 kg of chicken meat (boneless chicken thigh or drumsticks)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3 large potatoes (cut into quarter pieces)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3 medium sized carrots (cut into bite-sized pieces)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">500ml of water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 teaspoon of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cornflour paste (mixture of 1 tablespoon of cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water)</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Procedure:</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1. Marinate the chicken meat with the grounded black pepper, 2 tablespoons each of light and dark soy sauces. Set the meat aside for an hour or longer. Keep the remaining light and dark soy sauces for later use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2. Heat up some oil in a large wok or cooking pan. Add half of the onions and stir-fry in high heat for a while (be careful not to burn the onions).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3. Add the crushed black peppercorns and stir-fry them for a short while before adding the chicken meat into the wok. Brown the chicken meat lightly and do not overcook the meat. Remove the meat from the heat and set it aside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4. Heat up some vegetable oil in the same wok and stir-fry the remaining onions in high heat for awhile. Add in the potatoes and carrots and stir-fry until fragrant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">5. Return the chicken meat into the wok and add in the water. Turn the heat to low-medium heat and simmer the mixture for an hour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">6. Stir the mixture occasionally to prevent the vegetables or meat from sticking at the bottom of the wok and to cook them more evenly. If the stew is boiling, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking. Add more water to the stew if it appears too dry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">7. After an hour, add the salt, cornflour paste, remaining light and dark soy sauces into the stew. Mix well and check if the meat and vegetables are cooked properly. Taste and adjust accordingly if you need to add more salt or soy sauce into the stew.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">8. Bring the stew to a quick boil and remove from the heat. Dish the stew out and serve with warm rice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-32483632493116722102010-11-07T22:22:00.007+10:002010-11-25T11:41:38.225+10:00Pikelets with Butter and Jam<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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Pikelets are basically the smaller version of the usual pancake size. They tend to be very popular with children because they are bite-sized.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of my friends introduced me to this cookbook called ‘Margaret Fulton’s Creative Cookery Course: A step-by-step guide for all occasions’. This book was written by Margaret Fulton and published in 1981. The recipes are very clearly explained, well illustrated and has instructions that are easy to follow. According to my friend, Margaret Fulton’s recipes were very popular in the 1970s and 1980s. This cookbook has definitely given me insight into Australian cuisine and lovely western home-cooked meals. This cookbook is highly recommended to anyone who wants a copy of good home-cooked western recipes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">All thanks to Margaret Fulton that I no longer need to rely on instant pancake mix. In my previous blog entry, I used a pancake recipe from the Coles Magazine. Comparing the two, Margaret Fulton’s pancake texture is more puffed and slightly cake-like. Personally, I think the taste is better too. Margaret Fulton uses a little lemon juice, butter and a pinch of salt in her pancake mixture. I think these are the keys to making well flavoured pancakes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Making your own pancakes is not only quick and easy to prepare, they taste great too! It is also a great idea for parents who like to spend good bonding time with their children in the kitchen – they can prepare them together, and eat them with their favourite toppings (butter, jam, honey, fresh fruit, nuts or ice-cream). They are wonderful desserts for morning or afternoon teas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4JSLBq70fApzlQ5c57RSyJPBHVwnFNdbiDdrIr_J50KLV9MDTdeCZDhjh8KCWrcno17FqAfhS1g1XOHj_rZCFdE97npnBoLpzOPAOoVJBdrgL8nZK0-7IQ_IKtEYlXIoit7ePGOU_us/s1600/DSC01316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4JSLBq70fApzlQ5c57RSyJPBHVwnFNdbiDdrIr_J50KLV9MDTdeCZDhjh8KCWrcno17FqAfhS1g1XOHj_rZCFdE97npnBoLpzOPAOoVJBdrgL8nZK0-7IQ_IKtEYlXIoit7ePGOU_us/s640/DSC01316.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pikelets topped with butter and strawberry jam.</td></tr>
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Pikelets Recipe (makes about 10-12) <em>written by Margaret Fulton</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 cup self-raising flour</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pinch of salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;">¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tablespoons sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 egg</div><div style="text-align: justify;">½ cup milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice added</div><div style="text-align: justify;">15g butter (melted)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Extra butter for cooking</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Extra butter and jam to serve</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<strong>Procedure:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate into a medium-sized bowl.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Make a well in the centre and add the sugar, egg, milk and melted butter. (I whisk the wet ingredients together before adding them into the flour mixture.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Stir in the mixture from the centre gradually drawing in the flour from the sides, until you have a smooth batter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Grease a non-stick frying pan with a little butter. Drop the mixture by tablespoonfuls into a pan and cook over medium heat until the bottoms are brown. Turn carefully and brown the other sides. (If the batter thickens too much, thin with a little milk.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Serve the pikelets warm with butter and a good berry jam.<br />
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</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-91447297572602289822010-11-07T22:09:00.014+10:002010-11-25T12:00:20.239+10:00Pancakes with Banana and Ice-cream<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4UGBOidQB-4cNb7HqcirADkBAU3zHAM3VRhI4TiW-dupctWPGDGmxakogUL4FOrNwDnGEAAus4zmG1d0Nvg7_nc9tS3weAuaz4YxrLOeYjRJ_Btc7o69rZfvyZJ5Qu7bnOi_KcTi7Po/s1600/DSC01283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4UGBOidQB-4cNb7HqcirADkBAU3zHAM3VRhI4TiW-dupctWPGDGmxakogUL4FOrNwDnGEAAus4zmG1d0Nvg7_nc9tS3weAuaz4YxrLOeYjRJ_Btc7o69rZfvyZJ5Qu7bnOi_KcTi7Po/s320/DSC01283.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuKWkym3z_xVZMJ42NXdOOAiBZnwCI5ohrj0lYeln1bTOw-N-WKV_9OB4NhAb8iLOY7T7DN1h2tThDH_3bumayuXziWQ010e9Ul8McDyqfTubFNMUTrhnU-qhgH1Brpmnm5ilmjMPywE/s1600/DSC01302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuKWkym3z_xVZMJ42NXdOOAiBZnwCI5ohrj0lYeln1bTOw-N-WKV_9OB4NhAb8iLOY7T7DN1h2tThDH_3bumayuXziWQ010e9Ul8McDyqfTubFNMUTrhnU-qhgH1Brpmnm5ilmjMPywE/s320/DSC01302.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is a simple pancake recipe for those who like to have a quick and easy dessert (and not having to rely on pancake mix). It tastes great and can be topped with various yummy ingredients of your choice. I like mine with fresh bananas, vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup. This is a delicious combination for adults who have a sweet tooth but I wouldn’t recommend this to the children as they will most likely be bouncing off the walls from the high sugar levels. Personally, I think pancakes with nuts and fresh fruit will suit the children much better.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This pancake recipe was adapted from the Coles magazine. It was really easy to prepare but I find the texture of the pancakes to be slightly heavy. I prefer a softer and cake-like texture. Hopefully with more practice, I will be able to make my ideal pancake!</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Pancakes topped with fresh bananas, vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pancake recipe (makes about 6) </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ingredients:</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 cup self-raising flour</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 tbsp caster sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">¾ cup milk</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 egg</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1tsp vanilla essence</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Some butter for cooking</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bananas, vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup to serve</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
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</span><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Procedure:</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1. Sift the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2. Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla essence together in a jar.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir gently until combined.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and grease the pan well with some butter.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">5. Spoon the mixture with a ladle and cook the pancakes on the pan until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn over the pancakes and cook until golden brown.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">6. Serve the pancakes with bananas and vanilla ice-cream. Top it off with some maple syrup if you have a sweet tooth.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
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</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4UGBOidQB-4cNb7HqcirADkBAU3zHAM3VRhI4TiW-dupctWPGDGmxakogUL4FOrNwDnGEAAus4zmG1d0Nvg7_nc9tS3weAuaz4YxrLOeYjRJ_Btc7o69rZfvyZJ5Qu7bnOi_KcTi7Po/s320/DSC01283.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 535px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 265px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" /></span></div><img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4UGBOidQB-4cNb7HqcirADkBAU3zHAM3VRhI4TiW-dupctWPGDGmxakogUL4FOrNwDnGEAAus4zmG1d0Nvg7_nc9tS3weAuaz4YxrLOeYjRJ_Btc7o69rZfvyZJ5Qu7bnOi_KcTi7Po/s320/DSC01283.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 370px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 218px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" /> <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-4495155736428451762010-10-12T14:47:00.001+10:002010-10-12T14:53:34.745+10:00Mapo Tofu with Pork Belly<div style="text-align: justify;"><em>“People interested in lowering their cholesterol should probably acquire a taste for tofu…”<br />
David Jenkins</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZLYuVPEPuuKILTDpNWAS9vtJYKXFWpvljUYVmWttduQ8r8MwhJcnPLeg6LKWnE6w-sjMMrpXuY-95qt4h-GNCKQP-S1PUqOY8LINW14WNdNF1EzuyWhj82xaNJNKmmATOc1DRvy9_J8/s1600/DSC01168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZLYuVPEPuuKILTDpNWAS9vtJYKXFWpvljUYVmWttduQ8r8MwhJcnPLeg6LKWnE6w-sjMMrpXuY-95qt4h-GNCKQP-S1PUqOY8LINW14WNdNF1EzuyWhj82xaNJNKmmATOc1DRvy9_J8/s640/DSC01168.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WEiRibGM9cobwJA5H_YrVeULwmuM7s1FXtBOiFvVJyQPKrM6m85eOjRswxB60E5dRDr1E5-Hvdr2Ok8Hn1FETR1zihPcRwKATGob9vwAgQEqDD58wQlIun60z9heQXif_FW5iiR4OvU/s1600/DSC01169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WEiRibGM9cobwJA5H_YrVeULwmuM7s1FXtBOiFvVJyQPKrM6m85eOjRswxB60E5dRDr1E5-Hvdr2Ok8Hn1FETR1zihPcRwKATGob9vwAgQEqDD58wQlIun60z9heQXif_FW5iiR4OvU/s320/DSC01169.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Tofu has always been known to have high nutritional levels. It is an affordable ingredient, cooks well with most ingredients (such as meat and vegetables) and can be prepared in a variety of ways. It is probably one of the healthier ingredients to introduce into a young child’s diet.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">‘Mapo Tofu with Pork Belly’ is a non-spicy tofu dish which was adapted from my favourite cookbook by Chen Kenichi. I substituted the minced beef in this dish with pork belly instead. According to Chen Kenichi, this dish is very suitable for children and adults who do not like spicy food. Despite this, the ingredients used in this adaptation are more extravagant compared to the usual version of Mapo Tofu (Chen, 2009).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-76953191061303399482010-10-10T17:36:00.000+10:002010-10-10T17:36:39.506+10:00Honey Baked Chicken Wings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHvDKbMWocJkHk0C9gw_WjNmeN3Tsd3NwCebwDViNtqfi3KhsSAWzWxTBMb6RZv4016glAYGfMqX8Fs-gVMwF1wZUEg7Cax9tWl1uwssOuv5BA0lWLPytzuEhoOBGRpJY7ra8hqbO1xA/s1600/DSC01146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHvDKbMWocJkHk0C9gw_WjNmeN3Tsd3NwCebwDViNtqfi3KhsSAWzWxTBMb6RZv4016glAYGfMqX8Fs-gVMwF1wZUEg7Cax9tWl1uwssOuv5BA0lWLPytzuEhoOBGRpJY7ra8hqbO1xA/s640/DSC01146.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey baked chicken wings served with fresh tomatoes and lemon juice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RwcCGqcGq2rouaLq2W0ZeU663ocAfQiwl1Mlz20ejpHNj8ckDQ6BKoqr33d7_C-tRuh0Y-FtGIuCm22MXvtn7Mey-d1MZAgnRqvwLxPlVpY1IWX8s6yZXKd7NUguXgp2FZICeudwdzY/s1600/DSC01069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RwcCGqcGq2rouaLq2W0ZeU663ocAfQiwl1Mlz20ejpHNj8ckDQ6BKoqr33d7_C-tRuh0Y-FtGIuCm22MXvtn7Mey-d1MZAgnRqvwLxPlVpY1IWX8s6yZXKd7NUguXgp2FZICeudwdzY/s320/DSC01069.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookbook by Iron Chef - Chen Kenichi.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Honey baked chicken wings is one of the recipes I have learnt from ‘Iron Chef Chen’s Knockout Chinese’ cookbook by Chen Kenichi. His cookbook includes recipes that incorporate a combination of Chinese and Japanese ingredients and cooking styles. He is my most favourite chef and his cookbook is a must have for those who love Chinese and Japanese food.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjVRM5NOLn46Lj6-3RzEUDW_EWFloesILtU-JlTUd5iIYvzakq6VWJD4ZYxLMGAt6tF0edLNTidm2t2BU_sOb0HCvsVc6SLnhdviR3yeiTvzWZdB8Boq7GOZ0iWnXmKq4h6wrBhHljyE/s1600/DSC01162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjVRM5NOLn46Lj6-3RzEUDW_EWFloesILtU-JlTUd5iIYvzakq6VWJD4ZYxLMGAt6tF0edLNTidm2t2BU_sOb0HCvsVc6SLnhdviR3yeiTvzWZdB8Boq7GOZ0iWnXmKq4h6wrBhHljyE/s320/DSC01162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey Baked Chicken Wings (adapted from Chen Kenichi's cookbook).<br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is a simple dish that reduces the hassle of cleaning and washing. All one needs to do is to marinate the chicken wings for at least 2 hours beforehand and bake them in an oven. I have improvised some of the ingredients for this dish as I do not have those as required in the cookbook. Nevertheless, the turnout was still great. The ingredients are: chicken wings; salt; rice vinegar; soy sauce; honey; and Chinese cooking wine (adjust according to your preference). Before baking, brush the baking tray with some vegetable oil and bake the chicken wings till they turn dark brown in colour. Squeeze some lemon juice on the chicken wings just before serving and they go very well as finger food or with rice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div align="justify"></div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-74096527527430303622010-10-02T23:37:00.000+10:002010-10-02T23:37:48.316+10:00Macadamia and Cashew Nut Chocolate Muffins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIGwCEh-22ItOhIoO7xRGhaTsoQTEzkio9Ka24i8zuineUg4yKz-7ppoD75WgwpcihSeESLnfesFFCEkZUE0qOkBfsjJI-ICFcVsQteSwyeAfoBrAxb8Ac07I7rAkZi5o0ZTWMTisGsc/s1600/DSC01119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIGwCEh-22ItOhIoO7xRGhaTsoQTEzkio9Ka24i8zuineUg4yKz-7ppoD75WgwpcihSeESLnfesFFCEkZUE0qOkBfsjJI-ICFcVsQteSwyeAfoBrAxb8Ac07I7rAkZi5o0ZTWMTisGsc/s640/DSC01119.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is another desert recipe that I learnt from the Coles magazine. This muffin recipe is very similar to the Chocolate-Lemon Muffins recipe in one of my earlier entries. The only difference in this muffin recipe is the use of macadamia and cashew nuts instead of lemon. The chocolate muffins go extremely well with vanilla ice-cream. It is a must try with the ice-cream! The chocolate flavour in the muffins complements well with the cold vanilla ice-cream and the nuts in the muffins give an overall nice crunch to the dessert.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWp8mC5Yr35zFooPWZLkobXiF43YWmt97wdUNDqbKL5Phk4nO-Bt1MrQrkbGS7EMSnMdVRPAIkVy_pHYh3cRU4W_NeqTcbBxptkaQXuOMniJitW35ghGqERUPJa7T8RpeobmI3hk8939Y/s1600/DSC01135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWp8mC5Yr35zFooPWZLkobXiF43YWmt97wdUNDqbKL5Phk4nO-Bt1MrQrkbGS7EMSnMdVRPAIkVy_pHYh3cRU4W_NeqTcbBxptkaQXuOMniJitW35ghGqERUPJa7T8RpeobmI3hk8939Y/s640/DSC01135.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macadamia and cashew nut chocolate muffin served with vanilla ice-cream, chocolate sauce and crushed nuts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdd_TxTTjCMmMZdhm24SxvIMzrxoE5uykeT0bVlTlctK25m9t02-5P7tdPL5t9u0b7ASAV_i2owqQIi8qgvvZzdD0Sp-dA-GGt6b98njjKRn2x41nUEJYau9XgTxB9ZL9zNFBHMjMPvak/s1600/DSC01129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdd_TxTTjCMmMZdhm24SxvIMzrxoE5uykeT0bVlTlctK25m9t02-5P7tdPL5t9u0b7ASAV_i2owqQIi8qgvvZzdD0Sp-dA-GGt6b98njjKRn2x41nUEJYau9XgTxB9ZL9zNFBHMjMPvak/s400/DSC01129.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Macadamia and Cashew Nut Chocolate Muffins Recipe (makes about 12)</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gthqqU54f20v5g6_LeltCt2NxM_0Aqp-Lku4eItn_Y-HYd4qhusBLWhESgfRe92OmlP-hIDGWKoyliEj5wJE4DQzOp_fKI6AfFPnvDGLdbzpntUX0zC0xtXWsf0TJeIUleMeF-O_MDA/s1600/DSC01113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gthqqU54f20v5g6_LeltCt2NxM_0Aqp-Lku4eItn_Y-HYd4qhusBLWhESgfRe92OmlP-hIDGWKoyliEj5wJE4DQzOp_fKI6AfFPnvDGLdbzpntUX0zC0xtXWsf0TJeIUleMeF-O_MDA/s320/DSC01113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">200g of butter (at room temperature, chopped)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">200g of cooking chocolate (chopped)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 cup of brown sugar (adjust according to your taste preference)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3 eggs (lightly beaten)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 cup of roughly chopped macadamia and cashew nuts</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1cup of self-raising flour</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tbsp of cocoa powder</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some unchopped nuts as garnish</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<strong>Procedure:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Add eggs and beat with a wooden spoon until well-combined.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Sift the flour and cocoa powder and fold into a mixture, until just combined.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Add the chopped nuts and stir gently into the mixture.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Fill the prepared muffin pan with the mixture and top each with the unchopped nuts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-88078210666334500612010-09-12T15:42:00.000+10:002010-09-12T15:42:30.789+10:00Grilled Steak with Rotini Pasta Salad<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2v7Ka9Tml98fFW080W4ORwYNrLU_VBOywBvRzI55rbHGsJY_RcokBVWj6gAko5CtEjl6SBlJKmDi5uAmjMngiHHbCO5RaVBVouPQ2Lo4UPvm8UUzip5gzRyiai9NxqKhdCrV1r3ZrdKM/s1600/DSC01063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2v7Ka9Tml98fFW080W4ORwYNrLU_VBOywBvRzI55rbHGsJY_RcokBVWj6gAko5CtEjl6SBlJKmDi5uAmjMngiHHbCO5RaVBVouPQ2Lo4UPvm8UUzip5gzRyiai9NxqKhdCrV1r3ZrdKM/s400/DSC01063.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had a simple dinner of steak with some salad with my husband last night. The steak was lightly grilled with some salt and pepper. The main invention however, was the pasta salad and it was quite a successful attempt as my husband enjoyed the side dish.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Salads are such a good way of complementing a meat dish. On top of that, they are healthy as they are made up of lots of fresh vegetables and usually do not require any form of oily cooking. Making salads are also very simple because you can use any type of ingredients that suits your palate. My husband and I are meat lovers so I usually like to add in a small amount of meat or protein in my salads. The ingredients in my pasta salad are: rotini pasta; sweet corn; cherry tomatoes; chives; bacon; mayonnaise; Heinz salad sauce; pepper and salt. In my opinion, it tastes better when served chilled as it is quite refreshing to eat on a warm day. The rotini pasta salad is easy to prepare and serves as an excellent side dish or packed lunch (since it consists of a well balanced diet of carbohydrates, fresh vegetables and some meat).</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286812371082628007.post-14707992592903525332010-08-24T17:59:00.001+10:002010-08-24T23:42:05.794+10:00Vegetable Spring Rolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrmrIR4MZCNFRa5lBabVClxClnCv-_nYzZ1Kaja8kUCzQfDtLPV_zreD1Wy8tzCDDF_NOCnXJbLqxBZ2D3fG99mi6dr6oWFTPSCJRWmNiLE0ISE7Sjs3l4PfXhkn7E0GKeZynkrGUf6E/s1600/DSC01043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrmrIR4MZCNFRa5lBabVClxClnCv-_nYzZ1Kaja8kUCzQfDtLPV_zreD1Wy8tzCDDF_NOCnXJbLqxBZ2D3fG99mi6dr6oWFTPSCJRWmNiLE0ISE7Sjs3l4PfXhkn7E0GKeZynkrGUf6E/s400/DSC01043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is one of my most favourite entrées. Although it can be quite time consuming to make (wrapping the spring rolls individually), the effort is not wasted when you pop these crispy hot rolls into your mouth. Health conscious people might shun these lovely crispy rolls but there are ways to make it ‘less unhealthy’:). I once read in a food magazine that frying food in less oil (i.e. just enough to cover the surface level of the food), using vegetable oil (such as canola oil) and making sure that the excess oil from the fried food has been drained properly (using kitchen towels), makes it LESS unhealthy. After all, we don’t eat fried food everyday and enjoying fried food once in a while can be pardonable. (I am a fried food fan…can’t keep away from such goodies for too long). Fresh vegetables are used as the filling in these spring rolls. This might encourage children to eat more vegetables.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
I have tried a few types of spring roll wrappers and in my opinion, the best type of spring roll wrappers are still the ‘Spring Home – TYJ Spring Roll Pastry’ brand (manufactured in Singapore). The spring roll wrappers are much more flexible and easier to fold compared to some other brands. It does not break easily during the wrapping process and has this thin crispy texture after they are deep fried.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NuEmc2yZ4zs0UjNOJ6_p2l_3t8J2LtBfFGoCcQOnT-vCMhNZhuCdIYrK-jXoP-d9piFmTr2gRXLdokFknB-KCIRrra5-VQ3_pdGi6N_CoZlXtpefeEGTa03NxqZVQ2ysstpM6pjkE1Y/s1600/DSC01052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NuEmc2yZ4zs0UjNOJ6_p2l_3t8J2LtBfFGoCcQOnT-vCMhNZhuCdIYrK-jXoP-d9piFmTr2gRXLdokFknB-KCIRrra5-VQ3_pdGi6N_CoZlXtpefeEGTa03NxqZVQ2ysstpM6pjkE1Y/s320/DSC01052.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Recipe for Vegetable Spring Rolls (makes about 20 mini spring rolls):</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 small slice of ginger</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 small glove of garlic (chopped finely)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">½ of a small round cabbage</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 medium sized carrot</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5 medium sized mushrooms</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Light soy sauce</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pepper</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spring roll wrappers</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Small cup of water</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cooking oil (preferably vegetable oil)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Procedure:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Wash and cut the vegetables (cabbage, carrot and mushrooms) into strips.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Add small amount of oil onto a pan and fry the ginger and garlic for a short while (till fragrant) before adding the cabbage, carrot and mushrooms. Cook the vegetables till they turn soft. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of water to the vegetables if they stick to the pan or look dry.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Add the light soy sauce and pepper to taste. Mix well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Remove the cooked vegetables from the heat and cool to room temperature.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Once the vegetables have been cooled, remove the slice of ginger and wrap the rest of the vegetables with the spring roll wrappers. Brush the end tip of the spring roll wrappers with water. This is to ensure that the spring rolls do not open up while frying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Fry the spring rolls in vegetable oil till they turn light golden brown in colour. Drain off the excess oil and serve while it’s hot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00733305205070142296noreply@blogger.com0