Interesting facts about my favourite piggy

Click on the image and you can read the details.

Now only I know that piggy is so useful *v*

Japanese Souffle Cheesecake

Trying out this recipe since hubby keeps on asking for a cheesecake. It turns out great and nice but too moist. The wet base of this cheesecake reminds me of the texture of 'Japanese tauhu'.

Recipe (adapted from The Little Teochew)--I make 6 muffins

125g cream cheese
60ml milk
40ml canola oil (I replace it with vegetable oil)
3 egg yolks
40g caster sugar
20ml lemon juice
30g conflour, sifted
3 egg whites
70g caster sugar (I use 60g)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. Place a large tray of hot water inside the oven (just below the shelf where the cheesecakes are to be baked).
3. Soften the cream cheese with milk and oil in a bowl placed over simmering water, or in a double-boiler. Whisk it until smooth, remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm.
4. Beat egg yolks with 40g caster sugar until combined, then beat in lemon juice. Gradually whisk in cheese mixture to combine. Lightly whisk in sifted cornflour, mix it well. 
5. Beat egg whites until foamy. Then gradually beat in 70g caster sugar, spoonful by spoonful, until firm but just under stiff peaks stage.
6. Fold 1/3 of egg white mixture into the cheese mixture until thoroughly mixed in. Repeat 2 more times with the remaining egg white mixture.
7. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup nearly to the rim.
8. Bake for 40 minutes (top lightly browned) -- I think I need to bake for extra 8 minutes next time cos I'm using silicone bakeware so the base won't be wet.

Christmas Eve

This is how I spent my Christmas Eve:

 

Went to church with hubby

*miss the Christmas atmosphere in Malaysia cos St Mary always have a Christmas sketch play*

 'Angmoh' used to have turkey for Christmas but now we have "turducken" on our Christmas dinner table. Haha. It actually refers to a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey.

We bought this ready made turduken; Three Bird Roast as it is new and only can be found here, I presume. 

*costs us £9.99*

 It looks like a juicy bug and it tastes awesome

 Our Christmas meal together

 *I love my Christmas gift, Samsung Galaxy Tab*

Merry Christmas from us

I'm having a lot of fun editing and playing the Christmas video, thanks to the software ElfYourself by OfficeMax. The video clip is so adorable and I sent it to my family members (mom, check your yahoo mail!)

Share some of the pictures here (too bad cannot share the video here)

A HAPPY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS to you all 

Tang Yuan

I proudly made my own 'tang yuan' today. Hehe. I know yesterday is Winter Solstice Festival but I don't dare to go out and walk in the snow by myself to buy the main ingredient; glutinous rice flour. So my hubby accompanied me today and we bought a lot of food stock from Chung Ying (the one and only Chinese shop in Glasgow).

My first homemade 'tang yuan'

Recipe (from Rasa Malaysia)

110g glutinous rice flour
100ml water
85g canned red bean paste
water, for boiling 'tang yuan'

For ginger syrup:
3 cups water
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, lightly sliced or pounded
Rock sugar to taste



Method

1. Mix glutinous rice flour with water in a bowl until it becomes a smooth paste (no longer sticks to your hand).-- I pour extra glutinous rice flour on a plate and add it as I roll it to achieve the smooth paste.
2. Divide the dough and red bean paste into 10 balls each (roll into ball shape).
3. To wrap 'tang yuan', flatten a sticky rice ball and place a red bean ball in the center. Fold the edges to seal it tightly. Gently roll it again using your palms. Make sure no leakage.
4. Prepare the ginger syrup by boiling water. Add ginger and boil for 10-15 minutes. Add rock sugar and boil for 5 minutes.
5. Heat up another pot of water and bring it to boil. Drop the 'tang yuan' into the boiling pot. As soon as they float to the top, scoop them out and transfer them into the prepared ginger syrup.
6. Serve immediately.

*since I still have plenty of red bean, I will try to make mochi soon*

Banana crumb muffins

I remember my coursemate, Joyce said this before,
"Banana makes us happy." Indeed it is!

Somemore, it's a good source of fiber, vitamin C,
magnesium and potassium.

I always enjoy munching banana especially banana cake cos
I like its texture and nice aroma.

My banana crumb muffins (I like its crunchy topping)

Recipe (adapted from here) - I make 12 muffins

190g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 bananas, mashed
150g white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
75g butter, melted

For the crumb topping:
75g brown sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp butter


Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups. (I preheat my oven to 175°C cos I'm using silicone muffin tray and scared it'll bake faster. I omit the greasing part cos mine is a silicone tray)
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter.
4. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until everything is combined together. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.
5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tbsp flour and cinnamon. Cut 1 tbsp butter until mixture resemble coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes (I bake for 18 minutes). Insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean, then the muffins are ready to be taken out.

Mashing banana in action

The mixture as in step 2

The mixture as in step 3

The muffins as in step 4

The mixture as in step 5

The muffins with toppings are ready to enter the oven

The freshly baked banana muffins

I bite it after cooling it for 5 minutes. Yummy delicious!

Bakeware - the old faithful metal or the newbie silicone?

I google this cos I just bought a 6-muffin silicone tray and 10-mini muffin cups for my baking craze. Still thinking of buying a silicone cake tin but after searching and reading the reviews online, I make up my mind and went out to buy a metal cake tin with a removable bottom.

The answer to my question above is it depends on what you are trying to bake.

If you are baking cupcakes or muffins, you can choose either one.
If you use silicone muffin cups, you don't have to buy new paper muffin cups anymore cos you just need to clean and reuse the silicone muffin cups.  *environment friendly*

If you are baking anything bigger than muffins like bread, layer cake, chiffon cake, cheese cake and etc, better play safe with a metal cake tin.      *I perceive that cake baked using metal tin will taste better anyway*

Since silicone bakeware is still new to me (maybe also new to some of you out there), I decided to list out its pros and cons as a quick reference.


The pros:

1. It requires shorter time to bake.
2. It is flexible, bendable.
3. It is easy to clean.
4. It does not stain, dent or rust.
5. It lasts for lifetime.
6. It is freezer, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher and oven safe.
7. It comes in various shapes and colours.
8. The baking process stops immediately when it is removed from the oven.
9. No need greasing or flouring before baking.
10. It cools down quickly after coming out from oven.

The cons:

1. The baked product reported to have faint rubbery taste (happened to cheap and low quality silicone).
2. Have to use an extra tray or cookie sheet for stability to place it inside the oven.
3. The silicone bakeware smells like burning plastic.

*For me, I choose to invest in a good brand of silicone bakeware for 
  muffins and go for metal cake tin for cakes*


More info about silicone bakeware
here, here2, here3, here4, here5, here6, here7

Moist Butter Cake

Crazing for a butter cake now. Since I have all the ingredients with me, I plan to bake one today.
*excited cos this is my first butter cake*

Recipe (adapted from here)

195g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
140g butter, softened
210g sugar
1 large egg, plus one large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
12 tbsp whole milk


Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
3. Using a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy for about 2 minutes (I'm using a hand mixer and it only has one speed, so I take about 5 minutes for this step).
4. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla until well-combined (I use a metal spoon to do so).
5. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with milk (I use a sieve to add in the flour and stir using a metal spoon - cos I stop using the hand mixer after step 3). 
6. Switch mixer to medium and beat for 10-15 seconds, just until batter appears uniform (I use a metal spoon to stir it). 
7. Pour batter into a prepared baking tin and smooth the top with a spatula (I smooth the top with the back of the metal spoon).
8. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean (I bake it for 33 minutes).
9. Leave to rest in pan for 5 minutes before serving (I leave it there on the rack to cool down for 15 minutes before popping it out from the baking tin and into my mouth).

 The butter cake batter before going into the oven

*sorry, only snapped 2 pics cos busy with the cleaning and clearing process*
 

I share this cake with my hubby and flatmate. 
We enjoy eating it with a cup of Latte in the cold winter day. 

As the snow is here again today, anything hot will be just nice and soothing for our stomach now

Cantonese Egg Tarts

I think I have fallen in love with baking.

Really into bakery stuffs lately - searching for recipes online, buying the baking ingredients and utensils. Anyway, the lucky ones (hubby and flatmate) get to try my end products.

Ok, here comes the recipe for the delicious egg tarts (adapted from Christine's recipe).
(I consider this recipe easy cos I succeed at the first attempt.                   Mind you, I only start baking recently. I'm a beginner in this baking community *v*)

 

My first baked tart

Ingredients (for the crust):
225g plain flour
125g butter
55g icing sugar
1 egg, whisked
a dash of vanilla extract

Ingredients (for the custard):
3 eggs
110g castor sugar
225g hot water
85g evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Method (making crust):

1. Place the butter at the room temperature until softened (if you stay in cold country like me, you better melt it using the stove or microwave cos this is faster). Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer over medium speed until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and light in colour.
2. Add in the whisked egg, half at a time, beat over low speed. Add vanilla extract and mix it well.
3. Sift in flour in 2 batches, make sure all ingredients combine well. Knead into a dough.
4. Roll out the dough to a 1/2 cm thickness. Cut the dough with a cookie cutter (a bit smaller than your tart tin - I use the cover of my hot cocoa. Haha. No need purposely to go out and buy a cookie cutter). 
5. Line the dough in the middle of the tart tins. Lightly press dough with your thumbs (I use my fingers as well), starting from bottom then up to the sides. Trim away any excess dough (using a small spoon).

 The unbaked crust

Method (making custard):

1. Add the castor sugar into the hot water, stir it (using a spoon) until everything is dissolved completely.
2. Whisk egg with the evaporated milk. Pour in the sugar water (from the step 1). Mix well.
3. Sift egg mixture to get rid of any foam into a tea pot. Carefully pour egg mixture into each tart tins. (If you don't have any teapot, you can also sift the egg mixture into a large bowl and use a spoon to scoop it out for the tart tins)

They are ready to be put into the oven

Method (baking tarts):

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Position the rack in lower 3rd of the oven (so the tart base is cooked well before the custard puffs up). As for my oven, it will turn on the heater for the top and bottom when I select the "baking mode" - the same type of oven used by Christine. 
2. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the edges are lightly brown (I use 15 minutes)
3. Lower the heat to 180°C. You have to observe the tarts properly now. Once you see the custard puffs up a bit, pull the oven door open about 2 to 3 inches. Bake for another 10 minutes until the custard is cooked through. Just insert a toothpick into the custard. If it stands on its own, then it is ready to be taken out.

 

See, the custard is puffing up and it looks like it is going to explode

(Don't be scared cos it won't once you open the oven door as instructed above)

The puffing tarts (they will cool down and sink down after awhile)

This is the first tray of my tarts (they taste really nice though they don't look perfect)

The total tarts I made using this recipe: 16
The leftover custard : about 200ml (shall make the crust again tomorrow or just steam it as desert)

Enjoy eating these tarts while they are hot. Yummy delicious. Not too sweet, just nice ^^

Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread

 

My Brazilian cheesies

Recipe (from Simply Recipes)

1 egg
1/3 cup of vegetable oil/ sunflower oil
2/3 cup of milk
Scant 1 1/2 cups (170grams) tapioca flour
1/2 cup (66 grams) grated cheese of your choice
1 tsp salt (to taste)


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.                                                                          (Mine is a fan assisted oven so I think have to know the type of oven you used and check the mini bread inside from time to time)
2. Grease a mini-muffin tin preferably a 12-muffin tray.                            (I am using a silicone 10-muffin tray so I can skip this step)
3. Blend all the ingredients and pulse until smooth.                                     (I blend it for about 5 mins)
4. Bake in the oven for 20 mins (I use 14 mins) until puffy and lightly browned.
5. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for a few mins. 
6. Best eaten while still warm.

*Extra tips*

• Tapioca flour and tapioca starch are the same thing. I google them cos I only managed to buy tapioca starch in a Chinese shop, Glasgow after searching for tapioca flour in the big stores -Sainsbury, Tesco, Aldi, and Lidl, but to no avail. 
• I will omit the salt next time cos the mature grated cheese (parmesan and cheddar) I used is salty enough.
• The batter can be kept refrigerated for a week so we can bake anytime when we want to bite this cute little cheesies.

  

The blended mixture

The baby muffins are ready to enter the oven

Close view of the cheesy mixture

Fresh from the oven

They are so cute!

New interest

Sorry for disappearing from my blog and seldom updating it these days. I have been busy baking and cooking new dishes everyday. Enjoying every single moments searching for yummy recipes and trying it.

*busy mode in the kitchen* 

After all, I can get the dairy products and western ingredients easily and cheaper while I am still in Glasgow.

I shall share my yummy recipes with you all in the next post *v*

Trip to Edinburgh Castle

Thanks to St Andrew's Day, all the Scottish and the tourists in Scotland can enjoy free entry to all the castles for the weekend. But the timing is so wrong cos it's winter season now plus it's snowing.

Waited at this station to get the train to Edinburgh.

Ticket is £10.70 for return journey 

Us*

Reach Edinburgh (the capital of Scotland) after 50 mins train

This is the Edinburgh Castle

(Scotland's most visited tourist attraction)

Normally charge £11 (per adult), £5.50 (per child)

A beautiful building in front of the castle

The entrance of the castle

(lots of people coming in and out)

Pretty frosty floor

St Margaret's Chapel

The view of Edinburgh's new town from the castle

The infamous One O'clock Gun

So naughty till get scolded by the staff. Haha

The Crown Square

Too bad cannot take the picture of the real crown due to the tight security inside

The Royal Mile

Fake Sir William Wallace

(u'll know if u have watched "Braveheart" movie before)

This couple is so brave to have wedding photoshoot outside 

during winter time

The brave 'angmoh' newlyweds coming out from a church

The gallery beside the Holyrood Palace

(pity that the palace is closed when we reached its main gate
around 4.50pm)

Night view of Edinburgh; the Christmas Market

 

Haha. I even can skate on my own at the roadside 

in Glasgow if I have a pair of skating shoes

Imagine that we are walking outside when the temperature is -6°C. We feel like we are walking inside a freezer. *so cold*