Category: Fruits

Singapore Fruit Salad (Rojak)

Some dishes just bring back strong memories. And to me, Rojak is one of them. It brings me back to one of my earliest memory that when I was around the age of 5. I was staying in Toa Payoh, one of the earliest town in Singapore. I remember that school was fun and play was part of the learning. There was this lesson which I enjoyed very much and I could still remember vividly. The teacher brought my classmates and I to the hall. There, I saw many tricycles and the teacher got us to cycle on them in the hall. Because there were not enough tricycles to go around, we took turns and was told to ferry our classmates when it was our turn to cycle. From that lesson, I learnt about caring for one another and also to always extend help to someone in need. Such lessons are so valuable and important as part of my growing years. 

In the same year, I had also experienced the feeling of fear and worry. My mum liked to bring us to the town center to do some shopping and get lunch. On a fateful day, I wandered off and soon lost sight of my family. Although, I knew the town center at the back of my hand and knew my way home, I started to get frightened as I was worried that my family would not be able to locate me. Tears started to well. I walked to a pavilion nearby and stood there for my family to spot me. I waited and waited… Minutes felt like hours. After some time, I heard my sister calling out for me and I was relieved to see her and my mum. Tears poured. Instead of being reprimanded, my mum told me that she had reported the police and now I had to go to the police station to apologize to the policemen. (During those days, kids were told that policemen are out to catch naughty kids and put them into jail) I was so scared that hid behind my mum when she walked towards the police post. As we walked, she steered away from the direction of the police post and towards a coffee shop to get our usual dosage of Rojak!  Although I am not sure if that store is the famous Toa Payoh Rojak, I remember it was very delicious and it was wrapped with a colored rubber band. 


Ingredients:

A) Main
  • 1 Apple, thinly sliced
  • 1 small turnip, thinly sliced
  • 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 pineapple, cored and thinly sliced
  • 2 Dried Beancurd, toasted and sliced
  • 2 doughsticks (You Tiao),  toasted and cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 1/2 cup Beansprouts, blanched
  • 1/4 cup Grounded Peanuts, toasted 
  • 1 Ginger torch
  • 1/4 tsp Grated lime zest

Steps:
  1. Prepare the ingredients. 
  2. As for the ginger torch, chop the top 1 inch of the flower finely. This ingredient is important to bring out the flavour of rojak.

B) Sauce
  • 3 tbsp Prawn Paste (Hei Ko) 
  • 2 tbsp Assam, mixed with 3 tbsp of hot water and strained
  • 2 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Fresh Green Lime juice
Prawn Paste (Hei Ko)

Steps:
  1. In a mixing bowl, mix the assam mixture with sugar until sugar dissolves. 
  2. Add in the prawn paste and lime juice. You may adjust the sauce according to your preference. 
  3. Add half of the toasted peanuts and mix well. 
  4. Add in ginger torch and grated lime zest. Mix well. 
  5. Add in the main ingredients and ensure every pieces is coated well with the sauce. 
  6. Plate it on a serving plate and top it with the rest of the peanuts. 
by Categories: Fruits, Vegetables Leave a comment

Asian Fried Mashed Bananas Fritters (Goreng Klodok)

I am going to visit my hairdressers today, not for a hair cut but to visit them as long time friends. It was about ten years ago when I lost control of my unruly hair (there was no rebonding technology then), I met Ethel and Terri. They are two of the most amazing women I have ever met so far. Every time I visit them, it  is like going to my third place where I feel welcomed, loved and happy. Ethel and Terri treat me like their own daughter and they would share with me their life experiences and even till today they would contact me once a while to make sure I am well. Although I do not visit them as often as I would like to, the bond we share is still fresh and strong. One of the interest we shared is the love for food. As Terri said,” We shall eat first then work on it later.” I totally agree with her. So today, I would like to bring something sweet for them for tea, something from my heart.  


Goreng Klodok is a typical Singaporean finger food that can be found at many Malay food stalls. It is getting difficult to find good ones nowadays. The ideal fritters should be packed with bananas, light in the inside and crispy on the outside. In my attempt in making these, I have also added brown sugar to add a depth of flavour to the sweetness and rice flour for the crunch.  




Recipe (24 pieces) 
Ingredients:
  • 500g Ripe bananas
  • 80g Caster sugar
  • 20g Brown Sugar
  • 120 All Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp Rice Flour 
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 60 ml Water
  • 2 tsp Oil 
  • Oil for frying

Steps:
  1. Mash the bananas with a whisk/ fork. We still want some bits of bananas in the mash to have the bite in the fritters. 
  2. Mix in the sugars.
  3. Add in the flours and baking powder. Mix well. 
  4. Add in salt and water. Then lastly the oil. 
  5. Set aside for at least 5 minutes. Prepare for oil for deep frying. I used a small saucepan with 2 inch of oil. Drop a small dough to check for temperature. It should sizzle quickly. If the temperature is too low, dough may absorb too much oil and end up with greasy balls. 
  6. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into the hot oil. The dough should float up shortly. Make sure both sides are brown before removing from oil. 



I am very happy that Ethel and Terri loved my “heartwork”. The fritters were snapped up so quickly. 😛  This made my day and I am sure it brightened theirs too. If you are reading my blog, please join me in making someone’s day different. Cook for them…  
by Categories: Desserts, Fruits, kueh Leave a comment

Coconut and Mango Friands

Hi friends, let’s have friands! What are friands? This is my first time to get to know about friands and of course needless to say it is also my first time baking them. After tasting it, I am very  impressed. 




Friands means dainty or a gourmet who delights in delicate tastes (wikipedia). In addition to my internet search, friand is a spin off from financier which uses almond flour, butter and egg whites as key ingredients. However, friands, popular in Australia, has additional flavouring like coconut, fruits, chocolate and nuts. The rich and buttery cake amazes the tastebuds on the first bite and your mind will beg for for.. This ‘phenomenon’ is universal! My in-laws witnessed it too! 

Coconut & Mango Friands (12 portions)
Ingredients:

  • 125g All-purpose flour
  • 300 pure icing sugar
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • 65g Desiccated coconut 
  • 90g Almond meal
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon 
  • 8 Egg whites
  • 250g Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 mango, chopped to make 1 cup 
Steps:
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius. 
  2. Sift flour, icing sugar and baking powder into a large bowl. 
  3. Stir in coconut, almond meal and lemon zest. 
  4. Lightly forth egg whites with a fork. Add to dry ingredients with melted butter. Beat with a spatula. 
  5. Fill the friands tray with batter to 3/4 mark. Top with mango.
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check with a skewer inserted into the centre and comes out clean.
  7. Serve well with a dash of icing sugar. 
by Categories: Desserts, Fruits Leave a comment

Strawberry Heart Cheesecake Squares

I have made these dainty Strawberry Heart Cheesecake Squares a couple of months back but haven’t had the chance to post it up. I wanted to make these again as they do not look camera prefect but it tasted pretty good. It would have been better if I have the right tools and jello powder. 


This no-bake cheescake was very popular in Singapore for some time and it was only available through home bakers. I guess it is easy to do and pretty to sell. 😛 I am sure we all can make these to impress your family, friends and neighbours. 


I wish I bought a better jello. As I got a vegan/ organic version of jello powder (from Whole Foods), it gave a translucent and blurred look rather than a transparent one. 

If you have noticed the blue dish I have used here to hold the cheese cake, it is made by yours truly “ME”. It is one of my ceramic pieces which I  made during my wheel-throwing beginner class in MIT. I like the shape and colour of this dish and made several other pieces with the same colour too. 🙂 


Recipe (12 pieces)
Ingredients:
A) Base

  • 120g Digestive Biscuits, crushed into fine crumbs
  • 40g melted butter
Steps:
  1. Mix the biscuit crumbs with melted butter.
  2. Using a fork, press onto a rectangular baking tray. 
  3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before use. 

B) Filling

  • 250g Cream Cheese, soften to room temperature
  • 50g Confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 tbsp Gelatin Powder
  • 40ml Boiling water
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
Steps:
  1. Mix the gelatin powder and boiling water in a bowl. Keep it warm by placing over a pot of simmering water. 
  2. Using an electric beater, beat the cream cheese and  Confectioner’s  sugar until smooth and creamy. 
  3. Add in vanilla essence and mix well. 
  4. Add in the gelatin mixture. Mix well. 
  5. Spread the mixture over the chilled biscuit base. 
  6. Chill it for 3 to 4 hours. 

C) Topping

  • 1 box of Jello Crystal (Strawberry Flavor) 
  • 1 cup of boiling water
  • 1 cup of cold water
  • 6 Strawberries, cut into 12 heart shapes
  1. When the cream cheese filling is chilled, prepare the jelly topping. 
  2. Lay the strawberry hearts over the cream cheese. Make sure you can get at least 12 pieces. 
  3. Stir the jello crystals into boiling water. Make sure all crystals have melted. 
  4. Add in the cold water. 
  5. Carefully pour over the cheesecake. 
  6. Chill it in the fridge and serve it in cut slices when set. 
by Categories: Cookies and Biscuits, Desserts, Fruits Leave a comment

Panna Cotta with Berries sauce

I remember during my honeymoon trip in Italy, my hubby and I had dinner at an Italian restaurant nearby our hotel for two consecutive nights. It was a small and cozy family-run restaurant. The food was authentic, delicious and reasonably priced. On one of those nights, we had the best Panna Cotta by far. It was smooth, silky and yummy. Ever since, I want to learn to make some Panna Cotta.



Panna Cotta is a very common Italian dessert. It is very simple to make. You can make it in advanced and serve them chilled in pretty little glasses at your parties. There is a variety of accompanied sauces, flavourings or toppings which it goes well with. But today I would like to share a simple and easy-to-make recipe which gives you an idea of the creamy Italian puddings. 


Recipe (Four 3″ molds)
Ingredients

  • 1 Gelatin Package, approx 1 tbsp
  • 2 1/2 cups Heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup Whole milk
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence (You can opt for 1/2 Vanilla pod or 1 tsp Vanilla paste)
  • 3 tbsp Cold water
  • 1/2 cup Blueberries
  • 1/2 cup Blackberries
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • 3 tbsp Sugar
  • Mint leaves (Optional)

Steps:

  1. Mix the gelatin powder in the cold water and let it sit for 5 minutes. 
  2. In a saucepan, heat heavy cream, milk and 1/3 cup sugar over medium heat. 
  3. When it starts to boil, remove from heat and add in vanilla essence and gelatin mixture. Mix well.
  4. Divide the mixture equally among your molds. Cover and chill the puddings for at least 4 hours.  
  5. In a separate saucepan, simmer the blueberries, blackberries, honey and 3 tbsp sugar until the sauce turns to a thick consistency. Chill. 
  6. To serve, remove the Panna Cotta from the mold to a plate. Drizzle with berries sauce and top it with a mint leaf. 
by Categories: Desserts, Fruits 1 Comment

Light Refreshing Citrus Tart

I love tarts. I love staring at colorful decorated tarts … Beautifully displayed on the cooled shelves in bakeries. My eyes will be glued at the layers of fresh colorful fruits and I wish I could reach out to them and pop them right into my mouth. Yum!


As I was shopping at Burlington Mall, I walked into a kitchen store and saw a 9″ fluted round tart pan printed with “MADE IN FRANCE”. I liked it so much and I bought it together with another rectangular fluted tart pan. It is rather difficult to get large fluted pan with removable base in Singapore and Boston. Furthermore if you want a pan from France (Land of Pastry), rather impossible!   



This recipe reaps a nice 9″ round tart pan and it tastes very refreshing and light. The choice of fruits is important as it makes up much of the taste. I love navel oranges. They are generally very sweet and juicy. Grapefruits have a bitter aftertaste but try to choose riper ones to have more sweetness to overcome the bitterness.


Recipe
Ingredients


Tart Shell

  • 1 1/4 cup Cake Flour
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup and 1 tbsp Confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 Large egg
  • 1 tsp Orange zest
  • Pinch of Salt
Steps:
  1. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer until it turns pale and creamy. 
  2. Add in egg and beat until well incorporated. 
  3. Add in orange zest. Mix well. 
  4. Using low speed, add in flour and salt. 
  5. Mix well. Remove dough from mixing bowl. 
  6. Wrap dough in cling wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. 
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. 
  8. Roll the dough on a floured surface to 3mm thick and lay it on the tart pan. 
  9. Trim and remove excess dough. Use a fork to prick the dough to prevent dough from puffing during baking. 
  10. Bake for about 30 minutes or golden brown. 
Custard
  • 1 cup Whole milk
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla essence
  • 1/4 cup Caster sugar 
  • 2 Large yolks
  • 2 tbsp Corn starch
  • 1 tbsp Unsalted butter
Steps:
  1. Mix milk, vanilla, 2 tbsp of sugar in a saucepan. 
  2. Bring to simmer.
  3. Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch and remaining sugar in a mixing bowl. 
  4. Slowly add the milk mixture into egg. Do not add all at one time as eggs will curdle.
  5. Add the mixture back to the saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. 
  6. Stir continuously until mixture thickens. 
  7.  Transfer to a clean mixing bowl.
  8. Stir in butter. 
  9. Cover the custard with a cling wrap. Chill for 2 hours. 
Fruits Topping and Assembly
  • 2 Large Navel Oranges
  • 2 Large Grapefruits
Steps:
  1. Using a fruit knife, cut the skin off the fruit. 
  2. Cut the fruit into segments. Use the natural segments of fruits as a guide. 
  3. Drain the fruit segments with a colander. 
  4. Spread the custard on the tart shell. 
  5. Arrange the fruit segments on the custard in a circular pattern. You may want to start with a darker color on the edge of the tart. 
  6. Serve cold. 


by Categories: Desserts, Fruits 1 Comment

Sweet Bananas in Coconut Cream with Toasted Sesame seeds

I was planning for a Thai Cooking Challenge for my Culinary club. The menu looks good except that it needs a dessert!! I needed something that is easy and quick. But most importantly easy on the palate because we have international friends in the club who might not be able to take exotic Asian taste. 


After browsing Sam and Forest Leong latest recipe book, I saw something I like, “Bananas in Coconut cream”. Perfect! I had some bananas which I just bought so I quickly tried out the recipe. Mmm… Mmm! The bananas are sweet and soft. And the coconut cream adds a layer of creaminess and a tint of saltiness which that enhances the entire gastronomic experience. My hubby then said,”How about some toasted sesame seeds to go with it!” That is a marvelous idea. We tried that and it was really a brilliant suggestion. 


I have used large bananas to try this recipe. I sliced them equally before cooking so to make cooking more manageable. I suggest that if you can get hold of small bananas, use them as they look more presentable. 


I hope this recipe will work out well for the coming Thai Cooking Challenge. It will be so much fun!


Recipe (Serves 5) 
Ingredients
  • 150ml Coconut Cream
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 400g Sugar
  • 200ml Water
  • 10 – 20 Small bananas, peeled and soaked in water with 1 tbsp lime/lemon juice for at least 15 minutes
  • 1 tbsp of toasted Sesame seeds

 Steps
  1. Toast sesame seeds on a pan over low heat. Remove when they turn light golden brown. Set aside.
  2. Prepare sauce. Mix coconut cream with salt and boil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Boil sugar and water over high heat until sugar dissolves. When syrup starts to thicken, turns heat to low.
  4. Drain the bananas and add to the syrup. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bananas start to become translucent, about 10 -15 minutes. Do so gently to prevent bananas from breaking.
  5. Drain bananas from syrup and top with coconut sauce. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds.
  6. Serve immediately.
by Categories: Desserts, Fruits Leave a comment

Poached Bosc Pears in Red wine

Back in the olden days, Romans cultivated pears and only eat them cooked. They would stew them with honey. Then slowly people moved to enjoy pears stewed in wine and spices. But presently we enjoy pears in many ways: fresh, canned, juiced and dried. 


Hmm.. I think pears is an under-rated fruit. Why? Perhaps it does not have a distinct taste and not delicious when unripe (which is most of the cases when bought from the supermarket). I enjoy eating ripe and soft pears as they are extremely juicy and sweet. But it always seems so difficult to get pears to ripe. But do you know that the trick is to place pears in room temperature and put them next to bananas. I think there must be some chemical reaction between the two. 


The funny thing is that no one should associate your gal friends to a pear (even though you think she does look like one). Women hate to have pear-shaped body, small at the top and heavy at the bottom. 


This dessert which I am sharing requires pears which are hard and unripe as it has to be stewed in red wine for some time. Bosc pears are best for this as they are denser and firmer. So if you have ripe and soft pears, please just savor it fresh as it is.  



Recipe (Serves 3-4)
Ingredients

  • 2 Bosc Pears (Halved and cored)
  • Half a bottle of red wine 
  • Half a lemon, juiced
  • 1/2 cup of Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 small Cinnamon stick
  • Half a Star anise
Steps:
  1. Prepare the pears. 
  2. In a saucepan, lay the pears flat and add in wine. Ensure that the pears are submerged. 
  3. Add in the rest of the ingredients. 
  4. Bring the wine to boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. 
  5. Cook the pears till tender. Use a toothpick to test. Takes about 30 minutes.
  6. Remove pears and put aside. 
  7. Boil the rest of the liquid and reduce to a thick glaze. 
  8. To serve, drizzle the pears with glaze. Ice-cream is optional. 
by Categories: Desserts, Fruits Leave a comment

Blackberry Almond Crumb Squares

I am on a crazy baking marathon this week, preparing samples for a holiday fair that is coming up in December. I am really excited about it. Perhaps it is the little entrepreneur growing in me which I am look forward to the day that I can turn my culinary dreams into reality. 


I bought some blackberry squares from Russo’s couple months back and they are quite good. But there’s something which I would have done to improve it. Probably add some almonds into the dough. I think you will agree with me the wonders almonds can do for pastries. 

 This pastry is relatively simple and great for an after dinner dessert with ice cream. It can be made a day ahead. 


Recipes (12 squares) 
Ingredients:
  • 140g or 1 1/4 cups Softened butter
  • 1 3/4 cup Plain flour
  • 1/2 cup Ground almonds
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup Powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Almond extract
  • 2 cups Blackberries, rinsed, pat dry and halved
Steps:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit ( 180 degree Celsius).
  2. In a bowl, mix flour, ground almonds, cinnamon and salt together. Set aside.
  3. Using a electric mixer, blend butter and sugar till pale and light. 
  4. Add in almond extract. 
  5. Mix in flour mixture until a crumbly dough is formed. 
  6. In a pan, use 2/3 of the dough and press it on the bottom of the pan.
  7. Arrange the blackberries on the dough. 
  8. Sprinkle the rest of the dough on top. 
  9. Bake it for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 
  10. Cool and cut into squares. 
It serves well with dusted sugar or ice cream. 
You can replace the blackberries with either blueberries, raspberries or cranberries. 
by Categories: Desserts, Fruits Leave a comment

Crispy Wasabi-Mayo Shrimps with Mango Salsa

Our club just had our second meeting this evening and it is a themed Potluck session. It is titled “Taste the World” and each club members have to bring a self-prepared dish representative of their country. There were about 13 of us who turned up and 8 nationalities were represented.  Cool isn’t? I was thinking to myself that no restaurant in this world would be able to serve me such great authentic cuisines from different countries all in one seating. (Ok, forget about those international eat-all-u-can buffet thing!)

 


We had a little dinner roadmap printed as our place-mat. We could scribble our comments of each dish on it. It was really fun because it is like going through a maze exploring different countries using our taste buds. Many of us were intricate by the spices and ingredients used by different cuisines. 




So what did I bring for the party?
This dish is something I learnt from Chef Sam Leong at his cooking studio. It is fairly simple to make and often loved by most people. Well, except old folks who do not really like mayonnaise. If you do not like wasabi, you can go without too. The mango salsa is a good match for the shrimps as it gives a contrasting taste to tickle your palate and refresh your taste buds for more. 


Recipe 
Ingredients
A) Shrimps

  • 15 – 18 Jumbo shrimps, shelled and deveined
  • 1 Egg white
  • 1/2 Salt
  • 1/4 tbsp Sugar
  • A dash of Sesame oil
  • 2 tsp Corn flour
  • 1 cup Corn flour for coating 
  • Oil for frying
B) Wasabi-Mayo
  • 150g Mayonnaise
  • 25g Condensed milk
  • 15g Wasabi paste
  • 1 piece Fresh lemon, juice
  • Green colouring

Steps:

  1.  Marinate shrimps with egg white, salt, sugar, sesame oil and 2 tsp corn flour for 20 minutes.
  2. Mix mayonnaise, condensed milk, wasabi, lemon juice and green coloring together. Keep in fridge.
  3. Heat saucepan with cooking oil.
  4. Coat shrimps with corn flour lightly and deep fry about 1 minute.
  5. Mix shrimps into wasabi-mayo immediately. Serve immediately. 



C) Mango Salsa

  • 2 whole mangoes, cut into dices
  • 8-10 mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
Steps:
  1. Mix the ingredients together. 
  2. Before serving, drain the excess water away. 
Serve the shrimps with mango for a heavenly match. I think it will go well with white wine too!
by Categories: Fruits, Seafood 4 Comments