Kuih Kodok/Cekodok

Kuih Kodok is a Nyonya tea-time treat … best described as Fried Banana Pudding 😉 … one can get these in any stalls that sells Banana Fritters/Goreng Pisang in Malaysia!

Mash 2 big over-riped bananas well

Mix the mashed bananas with 1 egg,  2 – 3 Tbsp sifted flour + ½ tsp baking powder until well blended

The ‘drop’ consistency you want to achieve for the banana batter

Drop big dessert spoonfuls of the banana batter into a pot of heated oil

Deep fry until golden brown 

Red Waldorf (Velvet) Cake

Baked a Red Waldorf (Velvet) Cake for hubby’s birthday …he has great passion for horses hence the horse-theme and I’ve coated cake with chocolate ganache instead of a white creamy frosting because hubby loves chocolate 🙂

Mix the cocoa powder and red colouring together and set aside

Sieve the all purpose flour

Beat shortening together with sugar & vanilla until well mixed then add eggs, 1 at a time … beating until combined

Beat in cocoa mixture

Alternately, add flour mixture …

… and buttermilk …. beating after each addition until combined

…..beating after each addition until combined … pour mixture into prepared pans

The cake is ready .. cool cake layers in pans for 10 minutes

Seen here, is the chocolate ganache I’m using to coat my single layer cake … you may want to opt for the normal white Creamy Frosting, which makes the cake more attractive ….red & white 😉

If you are coating with Chocolate Ganache, spoon it evenly over cake and let it flows over side of cake … transfer cake to a platter once Ganache sets

Decorate as desired

The red colour of the cake is not as vibrant against the brown Chocolate Ganache but the cake is still melt-in-the-mouth soft and the Ganache makes it tastes even richer!

A slice of Red Waldorf (Velvet) Cake coated with a thick layer of Choclate Ganache + a glass of Dom Pérignon champagne …. can’t get any better than this to kick-start a birthday celebration 😉

Seen here, is a cake I baked last Valentine’s Day with white Creamy Frosting ….and as you can see, the red colour looks more vibrant against the white frosting 🙂

RECIPE

Ingredients :

2 eggs

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup red food colouring

2  cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ cup shortening

1½ cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vinegar

½ tsp salt

1 recipe Chocolate Ganache or Creamy Frosting

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180ºC …  grease and flour two 9 x 1½ inch round cake pans or one 9 x 4 inch round cake pan 
• Stir together cocoa powder and red colouring, set aside 
• In another small bowl, stir together flour and ½ tsp salt, set aside
• In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds …add sugar and vanilla to shortening, beat until well combined
• Add eggs, 1 at a time beating on medium speed after each addition until combined
• Alternately, add flour mixture and buttermilk ….beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined
• Stir together baking soda and vinegar … add to batter, mixing until combined … pour batter into prepared pan(s)
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes for 2 round pans, about 40 – 45 minutes for one round pan or until a wooden skewer inserted into centre comes out clean
• Cool cake layer (s) in pan(s) for 10 minutes … remove cake layer(s) from pan(s) and cool thoroughly on wire rack(s)
• Frost with Creamy Frosting or coat cake with Chocolate Ganache and refrigerate to let frosting/ganache to set

Tiramisu Cake

My son’s birthday today, 13 July .. and he requested for a Tiramisu Birthday Cake so I baked him this cake and decided, at last minute, to surprise him with 2 hand-crafted ‘Despicable Me’ minions :-p

Beat egg yolks with half the sugar until thick and creamy

Whisk egg whites until it forms soft peaks then trickle in the remainder of the sugar and continue whisking until it forms stiff peaks as seen in this picture

Carefully fold in the whisked egg whites into the egg yolk mixture

Sift the flour & cornflour into the mixture and fold in

Pour mixture into prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes

Leave sponge cake to cool for 2 hours

Split sponge base horizontally 2 or 3 times into 3 or 4 layers

Soak gelatine leaves in cold water

You will need rum & Amaretto

Mix the amaretto with the espresso coffee and sprinkle allover the sponge layers equally

Beat together egg yolks, confectioner’s sugar and seeds from vanilla pods until pale and foamy in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water

Gently heat rum & lemon juice together … squeeze out the soaked gelatine and add into the warm rum mixture and stir until dissolve …

The cheese cream 🙂

The layering process … put a layer of sponge base inside a cake ring then spread smoothly with a quarter or a third of the cheese cream and continue this layering process, with final sponge layer on top

Coat the cake with the remaining of the cheese cream and chill in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 hours

Dust the cake thickly with sifted cocoa powder

Decorate cake as desired …

Slice cake and serve cold

RECIPE

Ingredients:

10 leaves gelatine

60 ml  Amaretto

4 Tbsp strong espresson coffee

3 Tbsp rum

2 Tbsp lemon juice

5 egg yolks

100g confectioners’ (icing) sugar

1 vanilla bean pod

700g mascarpone cheese

200ml whipping cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

cocoa powder, for dusting

for the sponge base:

6 eggs

180g sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

120g all-purpose (plain) flour

80g cornflour

Methods:

• Preheat oven to 180ºC … grease the base of a 9″ spring-form cake tin
• To make the sponge : separte the eggs and beat the yolks with half of the sugar and the vanilla extrct until thick and creamy … whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks then trickle in the remaining sugar and continue whisking until they form stiff peaks … carefully fold the whisked egg whites into the egg yolk mixture
• Sift the flour and cornflour into the mixture and fold in … pour the batter soothly into the prepared tin … bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean
• Leave sponge cake to cool slightly, then carefully run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the tin to loosen the cake … turn cake out onto a cake rack and leave to rest for at least 2 hours 
• Soak the gelatine in cold water … split the sponge base horizontally 2 or 3 times into 3 or 4 layers … mix the amaretto with the espresso coffee and sprinkle over the sponge layers 
• Put the egg yolks, confectioners’ sugar and the seeds scraped out of the vanilla bean pod in a bowl standing over a saucepan of simmering water and beat together until pale and foamy 
• Gently heat the rum and lemon juice together, squeeze out the soaked gelatine and add to the warm rum mixture and stir until dissolved and then stir into the egg mixture … beat over cold water until cold and then stir in the mascarpone cheese
• Whisk the cream and vanilla extract together until stiff and fold into the cheese mixture
• Put 1 sponge base in a cake ring and spread smoothly with a third or a quarter of the mascarpone cream … put the 2nd layer sponge base on top, press lightly and spread with a quarter of mascarpone cream … continue this layering process and finish with layer of sponge o top … coat the cake with the remaining cream … chill in refrigerator for 4 – 5 hours
• Dust thickly with sifted cocoa powder and decorate as desired and cut into slices and serve cold

Pizza Night!

Mama’s Gourmet Hawaiian Delight … packed full of mozzarella & cheddar cheese, chunky cubes of ham, pineapple chunks & fresh mushrooms … for recipe, click on “from Mama Judie’s Pizzeria”

Pepperoni, Anchovies, fresh sliced tomatoes, mushrooms, cheddar & mozzarella cheese …for the recipe, click here “from Mama Judie’s Pizzeria” 

Perfect Chips

The choice of potato is important for a good chip. A floury potato is best as they have a soft, dry texture making them good for chips. Look for King Edwards, Maris Piper, Romano or Desirée potatoes. Use a good vegetable or oil!

Not the healthiest cooking methods ever but deep-fryng is best way to get golden, crisp chips 😉

Golden, crisp home-made chips …. seen here served up as Fish & Chips meal with some garden peas!

RECIPE

Ingredients:

250g potatoes per person, peeled

1 litre Vegetable oil, lard or dripping to cook

Methods:

• Cut the potatoes into 1cm slices then slice these into 1cm-wide chips …place the chips into a colander and rinse under cold running water
• Place the washed chips into a pan of cold water, bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 3 – 4 minutes … drain through a colander and dry with kitchen paper
• Heat the oil to 120°C in a deep-fat fryer or large, deep saucepan…blanch the chips a few handfuls at a time in the fat for a couple of minutes…do not brown them
• Once they seem drier and slightly cooked remove from the fat and drain, set aside and keep covered and at room temperature until needed
• Reheat the fat to 200°C and cook the chips until golden and crisp about 5 – 8 minutes … serve immediately

Sticky Toffee Pudding

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING … Very British? Yes! Simply decadent? Double Yes!! Pick-me-up comfort food? ABSOLUTELY 🙂 I’ve made 1 big + 1 medium pudding but the recipe quantity I’m going to give you here is good for making a medium pudding which may be cut into 9 squares

Pitted dates … you will need 175g of it … chopped

Put the chopped dates + 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda into a medium saucepan and pour over 300ml boiling water – the mixture will foam up as you see in the pic here so don’t panic :-p … set the pan over medium heat and simmer for 1 minute, remove from heat and leave to cool for 15 minutes

Meanwhile, heat oven to 180ºC then beat 75g butter + 175g caster sugar until light and fluffy

Gradually add 2 beaten eggs into creamed mixture, beating well after each addition

Gently fold in 175g self-raising flour …

… followed by the date mixture & 1 tsp vanilla extract then pour mixture into an 18cm square cake tin (greased with butter) and bake for about 35 minutes until springy to the touch or when a skewer inserted into middle of sponge comes out clean

Whilst pudding is baking, make the toffee sauce … put 200g soft dark brown muscovado sugar + 100g butter + 150ml double cream + 1 vanilla pod in a medium saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted then bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, until thick & toffee coloured

for the toffee sauce, you will need 200g of this soft, dark muscovado sugar

Spoon a little of the toffee sauce over the cooked pudding to coat the surface and return it to the oven for a couple minutes more so that the top turns sticky …

… cut sponge into squares and serve up with hot toffee sauce poured over + either vanilla custard or vanilla ice-cream as I did so … sinful but who cares because it is heavenly yummmmeh 🙂

Corned Beef Stuffed French Toast Sandwich

I baked my own 5-seeded wholemeal loaf … blanched a handful of fresh spinach, drain and squeeze out all the water …crumble some feta cheese … layer one side of the bread with the corned beef, spinach and crumbled feta cheese

Whip 4 eggs + 1/4 cup milk, seasoned with some salt & pepper and dip the assembled sandwiches in the egg mixture and let it soak up the egg mixture ,.. this quantity of egg mixture is for 2 sandwiches to serve 2 pax 🙂

Heat a pan with some butter and fry sandwiches until golden brown

Just look at that … an awesome savoury stuffed french toast perfect as an all-in-one light lunch 😉

from Mama Judie’s Pizzeria . . .

The pizza base … I made the dough using my bread-making machine … once dough is ready, remove from machine and shape into 2 x 10″ base (for thin crispy base) using base of palm and leave to proof for 20 mins in a warm place

The ingredients for one of the pizzas I was making … Margherita Pizza with loads of anchovies .. the way we love our pizza … sliced beef tomatoes, fresh basil, cubed mozzarella cheese, anchovies and chopped garlic

The ingredients for the 2nd pizza I was making … instead of Italian salami, I used Chinese liver & pork sausages (lap cheong) and loads of sliced mushrooms and sliced shallots

for the tomato sauce, I used a jar of Tomato and Basil tomato sauce … spread pizza base with the tomato sauce leaving 1/2″ border all around

Then sprinkle evenly with the cubed mozzarella cheese

Top with the fresh basil, sliced tomatoes and anchovies then drizzle with couple tablespoon olive oil … note I’ve not added any salt & pepper since I’m using a store-bought Tomato & Basil sauce which would have already been seasoned

The 2nd pizza I’ve made … with an Asian twist to it … topped with cubed mozzarella cheese, sliced mushrooms, Chinese sausages and then drizzled with shallot oil (together with the sliced shallots)

Pizza Margherita with Anchovies … ready to be served up 🙂 … bake pizza in a pre-heated 220ºC oven for about 20 minutes or until base is golden browned and cheese melted and bubbly

Asian Twist Pizza … with Chinese sausages and loads of sliced mushrooms and shallots … hot outta oven and ready to be sliced 😉

Yam/Sweet Potato ‘Nian Gao’ Sandwich Fritters

Niángāo, Year cake or Chinese New Year’s cake is a sweet cake prepared from glutinous rice flour and consumed traditionally during Chinese New Year.   It is considered good luck to eat nian gao during this time, because “nian gao” is a homonym for “higher year.” The Chinese word 粘 (nián), meaning “sticky”, is identical in sound to 年, meaning “year”, and the word 糕 (gāo), meaning “cake” is identical in sound to 高, meaning “high or tall”. As such, eating nian gao has the symbolism of raising oneself taller in each coming year (年年高升 niánnián gāoshēng).  This sticky sweet snack was believed to be an offering to the Kitchen God, with the aim that his mouth will be stuck with the sticky cake, so that he can’t badmouth the human’s family to the God of all Gods :-p

Note : The above information has been adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian_gao

This is what we called ‘nian gao’ in Mandarin or ‘nin go’ in Cantonese which literally translated to be ‘Chinese New Year Cake’ … it is actually Steamed Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake … these are store-bought ones but can easily be made at home … made up of sugar & glutinous rice flour mixture and steamed in banana leaves lined tins … apparently the longer it is steamed, the caramel colour would be richer and the cake will last longer without going mouldy too quickly and when steaming, have to be careful that the condensed water from the steam do not drip onto surface of the cake otherwise bubbly patches would appear on the surface giving it a ugly ‘pimpled look’!

‘Nian Goa’ is a sweet/dessert/tea-time snack and may be deep fried in flour batter sandwiched with yam & sweet potatoes or may be steamed till soft & gooey and then rolled in fresh grated coconut or even just dip in egg and deep fried on its own or eaten on it’s own 😉

From top anti-clockwise .. the ‘nian gao’ = Chinese New Year Cake = Steamed Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake; sliced Sweet Potatoes; sliced Taro Yam; sliced ‘nian gao’; flour batter

Sandwich the ‘nian gao’ with a slice of yam and a slice of sweet potato

Coat the sandwiched ‘nian gao’ in the flour batter ….. this is a simple self-raising flour mixed with just enough water to a ‘coating’ consistency + a pinch of salt

Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a pan/pot and deep-fry the batter coated ‘nian gao’ sandwich until golden and yam/sweet potato are cooked through (pierce with a bamboo skewer and if it pierce through easily then it is cooked)

Cantonese style Fried ‘Nian Gao’ dipped in egg

Lemon Coconut Syrup Cake

All my friends enjoyed this truly light and moist cake … I personally love it too much!

finely grated lemon rind … ok in case you’re wondering why is lemon rind green in colour and not yellow … well, the local lemons here are green that’s why :-p

The cake mixture ready to be poured into the prepared pan

Beautifully risen!

Drizzle hot lemon sauce over hot cake

Decorate with some grated lemon zest and some sprinkle of icing sugar

RECIPE

Ingredients – for Cake :

125g butter

1 Tbsp finely grated lemon rind

1 cup (220g) castor sugar 

3 eggs

 1¼ cups (260g) self-raising flour

1 cup (90g) desiccated coconut

½ cup (125ml) yogurt

½ cup (125ml) milk

Ingredients – for Tangy Lemon Syrup :

1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice

¾ cup (165g) caster sugar

¼ cup (60ml) water

Methods  – for Cake :

• Grease 21cm baba pan and preheat oven to 180ºC
• Beat butter, lemon rind ad sugar in a medium bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined …mixture may curdle
• Stir in the remaining ingredients, in 2 batches then spread mixture into prepared pan
• Bake in moderate oven about 45 minutes
• Stand cake in pan 5 minutes, turn onto wire rack over tray
• Drizzle hot tangy Lemon Syrup over hot cake

Methods – for Tangy Lemon Syrup :

• Combine all ingredients in a small pan, stir over heat without boiling until sugar dissolves
• Simmer, uncovered, without stirring for 3 minutes and transfer to a heatproof jug