Thai Chilli Paste (Nam Prik Pao)

 

Adapted from She Simmers' Nam Prik Pao Recipe (น้ำพริกเผา) – Thai Chilli Jam

Ingredients:

160g fresh cayenne chillies
130g garlic, sliced
200g shallots, sliced
60g toasted shrimp paste (belacan)
125g pure coconut sugar/palm sugar, grated
80g dried shrimps, washed and drained
4 tbsp tamarind paste
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 cup water
200ml cooking oil

• In a dry wok over low-heat,  toast chillies until lightly charred.  Set aside.
• Heat a little oil in a wok over medium-high heat and fry the sliced shallots, garlic and dried shrimps separately until light brown and fragrant.  Set aside.
• Grind the dried shrimps in a grinder until very fine.  Set aside. 
• Using a food processor or a pestle & mortar, process the chillies, garlic, shallots, toasted shrimp paste and water until a thick paste is formed.  
• Heat oil in a wok and add in the paste, dried shrimps, tamarind paste, fish sauce and sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally; for about 15 minutes or until you achieved the consistency you desired.  
• Store your chilli paste in clean, dry glass jars.  They will keep for months in the refrigerator.

Hot Cross Buns

Adapted from :  BBC Australian Good Food Magazine

450g bread flour
3 tsp dried yeast
40g pure coconut sugar / palm sugar - grated
10g caster sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
50g dried cranberries - roughly chopped
1 tsp salt
150ml warm milk
50ml warm water
1 egg, beaten
50g unsalted butter, melted

50g plain flour + water - to make a thick paste
extra melted butter - brushing

• In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, sugars, yeast, mixed spice and cranberries together.  Knead to form into a slightly sticky soft dough.  Add in salt and continue to knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).

• Add in melted butter and continue to knead until fully incorporated.   
  [At this stage, the dough should be able to stretched to form a window-like thin membrane without breaking].

• Shape the dough  into a smooth ball and place in a greased  bowl.  Cover with lightly oiled clingfilm.  Then place it in a warm, moist and draught-free place to allow the dough to rise until at least double or nearly triple its original size.
  [To determine if the dough has risen long enough, poke a floured finger into the  dough.  When you remove your finger, the dough shouldn't spring back at all.  If the dough springs back immediately, it is under-proved and needs more time to proof further.]

• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down by pressing the dough out evenly with your hands.

• Divide dough into 12 pieces.  Shape each piece into a smooth round ball and place on a lightly greased baking tray, allowing room between each bun for rising. 

• Using a small sharp knife, score a cross on top of each bun, then cover with a damp tea towel and stand in a warm place to prove until almost doubled in size.

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.  Combine flour and just enough water to make a thick paste.  Spoon into piping bag and pipe crosses on tops of buns.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

• Brush the buns with melted butter.  

White Sandwich Loaf

Adapted from Joceline Lyn' 'Egg White Toast'

220g bread flour

80g plain flour

20g caster sugar

2 tsp active dry yeast
130g Greek yoghurt 

80g (2) egg whites egg, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp salt
45g olive oil

• In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flours, sugar, yeast, yoghurt and egg whites together.  Knead to form into a slightly sticky soft dough.  Add in salt and continue to knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).

• Add in oil and continue to knead until fully incorporated.  
  [At this stage, the dough should be able to stretched to form a window-like thin membrane without breaking].

• Shape the dough  into a smooth ball and place in a greased  bowl.  Cover with lightly oiled clingfilm.  Then place it in a warm, moist and draught-free place to allow the dough to rise until at least double or nearly triple its original size.
  [To determine if the dough has risen long enough, poke a floured finger into the  dough.  When you remove your finger, the dough shouldn't spring back at all.  If the dough springs back immediately, it is underproved and needs more time to proof further.]

• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down by pressing the dough out evenly with your hands.

• Roll the dough into a ball. Rest for 10 minutes. 
   
• Flatten the dough and roll it up like a swiss roll.

• Place the roll into a greased loaf pan and cover with lightly oiled clingfilm.  For final proofing, leave it to rise in a warm, moist and draught-free place until it nearly doubled in size.   

• Bake in a preheated oven of 175 degrees C for about 20 -  25 minutes or until golden brown.

• Brush the bread with melted butter.  

Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad

A no-fuss pasta salad which is great for hot summer days where minimum cooking is required.  In fact, you don't really need a recipe to make a salad.  Just look in your refrigerator to see what you may have on hand.  It will be more interesting to add a variety of different colours and textures into the salad.  Instead of whisking up your own dressing, just open a jar of store-bought pesto and add to your salad.

Ingredients:

150g Angel Hair Pasta
1 jar of Sundried Tomato Pesta (190g)
celery (cut into small chunks)
salad leaves
cherry tomatoes
cucumber (cut into small cubes)
button mushrooms (sliced)
carrot (cut into small cubes
salt & pepper
olive oil

• Cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain.  
• Combine everything in a big mixing bowl.  Toss well.
• Drizzle some olive oil before serving.

I’m submitting this to Little Thumbs Up, hosted by Mui Mui@My Little Favourite DIY & Zoe@Bake for Happy Kids.

This is Mui Mui@My Little Favourite DIY’s 1st time in co-hosting an online cooking event with Zoe@Bake for Happy Kids.

Chocolate Almond Cookies

This Chocolate Almond Cookie recipe was given to me by an acquaintance more than ten years ago and it is definitely a keeper.   They look pretty too - see how the slivers of almond flakes stand out against the 'chocolatey' colour of the cookies?  These cookies are so delicate and melt in your mouth and they taste pretty awesome too.  

Ingredients:

250g butter
125g icing sugar
300g low protein flour
30g cocoa powder
100g cornflour
150g almond flakes
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

•  Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
• Sift together flour, cocoa powder and cornflour.  Fold into the butter mixture.  Then add in the almond flakes and combine to form into a dough.
• Divide the dough into two and shape into logs.  Wrap with clingwrap and chill in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
• Cut the logs into slices and bake in a preheated oven of 175 deg C for about 20 minutes.
• Cool the cookies on a wire rack and store them in an air-tight container.

* I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover *

Earl Grey Tea Cake

Source:  Okashi Ishida's Earl Grey Tea Cake with slight changes


Ingredients:

150g butter, softened
130g icing sugar, sifted
3 eggs
150g plain flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
15g almond meal
Earl Grey tea dust from 3 teabags
1 lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice

• Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
• Line a loaf pan.
• Sift flour and baking powder together twice.  Set aside.
• Beat butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.  Gradually add in eggs, one at a time.  Beat well to combine.  Add in tea dust, almond meal, lemon juice and zest.  Mix well.
• Fold flour mixture into the egg mixture.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and make a lengthwise slit down the middle of the batter with a spatula.
• Bake for 50 minutes or until cake is cooked.

Braised Lamb Shanks

My last post for the year ...  

Happy 2013 !

Ingredients:

6 lamb shanks 
2 pcs  streaky bacon, cut into pieces 
2 large onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
3 carrots, cut into chunks
4 potatoes, cut into chunks
1 small red capsicum, cut into chunks
2 ½ cups beef/chicken stock
2 cup red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup passata
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
½  tbsp brown sugar (or white sugar)
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
4 sprigs rosemary
salt & black pepper, to taste
olive
1 tbsp butter

• Season lamb shanks with ground black pepper and salt.
• Heat a frying pan until hot; add about 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan.  Fry the lamb shanks until browned all over.  Remove from the pan and arrange on a large ovenproof casserole dish.  
• Fry bacon pieces until brown.  Transfer into the casserole dish together with the lamb shanks.
• Add about 1 tbsp olive oil and butter to the pan and saute onion and garlic until just softened (not browned).  Add in all the vegetables and fry for about 2 minutes.  Transfer into the casserole dish.
• Deglaze the pan with wine.  Pour in stock, passata, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and worcestershire sauce.  Bring to the boil and season with brown sugar, salt and pepper.  Pour over the lamb shanks and vegetables and place rosemary sprigs on top.  Cover the casserole dish with a tight fitting lid.
• Cook in a preheated oven at 160°C for about 3 hours or until lamb is tender and falling off the bone.
• Remove the lid and sprigs of rosemary.  
• Carefully transfer the lamb shanks onto a warm serving platter.  
• Blend the vegetables and the juice together.  Pour the thick gravy over the lamb shanks and serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetables of your choice.