不亦乐乎

65 deg C 汤种全奶吐司 - 只可领会不可言传

 my weekly bread consumption

these breads - soft as cotton light as feather

Ingredients : 540g bread flour, 80g caster sugar, 5g salt, 7g instant dried yeast, 85g egg, 60g cream, 55g full cream milk, 50g softened butter and about 200g tang zhong

Ingredients used for making tang zhong : 50g baker flour and 250ml full cream milk

NEGARAKU, 这是什么道理?

五月六日, 沉重的一天.

肉骨茶

怀念享用肉骨茶的日子......

没有人要和你玩平等的游戏

每个人都想要你心爱的玩具

亲爱的孩子你为何哭泣?

五月五前夕

A quesadilla is two toasted tortilla with melted cheese inside. This dish is originated in Mexico and the name is derived from "Queso" which means cheese in Spanish. In addition to cheese you can put anything in a quesadilla.

Bean and Corn quesadillas with tomato and avocado salsa

This is an ideal vegetarian dish which is high in fibre and protein. It can be served as breakfast, snack and light lunch. My favourite fillings for quesadillas are mixed beans, corn, onion, chilli, coriander and of course cheese.

明日五月五,扫腐败,扫贪污,变天成功. 

归去来兮!

甜蜜蜜

Everyone loves desserts, who doesn't?

Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Cranberry Jelly and Pistachio Tuile Biscuits

Ingredients used for making pana cotta : 300ml thickened cream, 90g caster sugar, 2tsp vanilla essence, 300ml vanilla yoghurt, 50ml milk, 2tsp powdered gelatine and 2tbs water.

Ingredients used for making cranberry jelly : 60ml water, 3/4 tbs powdered gelatine, 250ml cranberry juice drink, 1tbs lime juice, 35g caster sugar

Ingredients used for making pistachio tuile biscuits : 65g plain flour, 65g icing sugar, 65g butter, 2 egg whites and 50g crushed pistachio nuts

I had a full day of "apply first aid" course plus pre course assignment plus 60 questions to answer during the test today. All these made me feel sick and need a CPR..... fortunately I have my desserts to make me feel good again after such a hard day. Wahaha.....

Vanilla Panna Cotta with fresh fruits

Chocolate Panna Cotta

入味人生?

茶叶蛋密码 :

有人比喻人生就像茶叶蛋, 有裂痕才入味.  I wish I am "flavoursome" to me and others without "cracks and wrinkles".

茶叶蛋

有没有这种说法,常常飞行的人离天堂比较近,有没有这种说法,多喝几杯的咖啡就能写出动人的文章.......

我想我的人生入味但不想伤痕累累,有没有这种说法?

My bread dough, my play dough

Playing with flour, butter, sugar and eggs is my greatest joy of the day.

椰蓉吐司 - 令早餐亮丽起来

Ingredients : Baker flour 400g, plain flour 100g, sugar 60g, pinch of salt, instant yeast 7g, overnight sponge dough 100g, eggs 2, milk 180g, butter 90g

Overnight sponge dough : Baker flour 100g, water 60g, yeast 1/4 tsp

Coconut filling : butter 50g, icing sugar 50g, egg 1, milk 25g, desiccated coconut 100g 

Chopsticks and Toothpicks

Flavoursome Asian dish, 生炒糯米饭

This dish is cooked like you would Risotto; stir fry the ingredients and rice by adding stock little by a little until the rice is fully cooked. 

Love this dish. It can be served as a snack, lunch or dinner; most importantly is used to make packed lunch for my old man.

 I substitute chinese sausage with roast pork

Ingredients : 随心所欲

飘洋过海

多年以后相聚在墨尔本 ..... 陌生的城市,熟悉的角落.

胡亚銮,黄丽芬,周慧玲,王妹莲

当年我们离校时才一十八,有着一颗炽热的心和一头短发.....

数理化的高材生

四合院求学的日子,仍历历在目,一恍几十年,不甚唏嘘!

Beetroot, my last summer crop

Beetroot is a very versatile and tasty vegetable, you can roast it as a side dish, add it to salads, make soup, dip, relish out of it. Today I make beetroot pickle.

Pikled beetroot

 My last summer crop of the year

Mixed vegetable pickle

Ingredients : 2 cups apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, pinch of salt and 2 large beetroots

Method : 

1. Bring sugar, vinegar, water and salt to the boil until sugar has dissolved, cool the mixture and set it      aside.

2. Wash beetroot thoroughly and cook in the water until tender.

3. Cool and remove skin, cut beetroot into slices.

4. Place sliced beetroot into a sterilised jar and top with vinegar mixture.

Pickled beetroot can be served along with sandwiches and salads, these are my favourite ways of serving.

自制面包新语

My bread talk .....

Wholemeal walnut bread loaf

Wholemeal bread rolls

home made bread rolls and home grown, home made fig jam, back to the basics

Ingredients : 400g baker flour, 160g wholemeal plain flour, 35g brown sugar, pinch of salt, 7g instant yeast, *160g overnight sponge dough, 360g cold water, 1/2 teaspoon honey,  40g butter and 100g chopped walnuts

This recipe is adapted from Alex Goh, Baking Code

*Ingredients for overnight sponge dough : 100g baker flour, 60g water, 1/4 tsp instant yeast

Dissolve yeast in 20g of water, combine the remaining ingredients and knead into a smooth dough, proof for 30 minutes, wrap with glad wrap and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours

Every ingredient has a story to tell ......

Happy Easter 2013

March is the best month of the year as workers in Melbourne enjoy two long weekends during the month. 11th March Monday was Victoria's Labour Day and this is followed by today, 29th March Good Friday and 1st April is Easter Monday. Woohoo!

Fig and Mascarpone Cheese Tarts

For Sweet Pastry : 160g plain flour, pinch of salt, 100g unsalted butter, 50g castor sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp zest of  orange

For Filling : Place 250g of mascarpone cheese, 120g of thickened cream, sugar and lemon zest in a  bowl and whisk until soft peak, pour mixture into tart shells, top with sliced figs, drizzle with warm fig jam, honey, sprinkle chopped nuts and serve.

Pasta Collection

Dinner for a lazy evening - Tuna Penne with tomatoes and red capsicum

Ingredients : Penne pasta, olive oil, brown onion, garlic, tomatoes, red capsicum, fresh parsley, chilli flakes, tuna in chilli oil, salt, freshly cracked black pepper, parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.

Method : 

1. Cook pasta in boiling water according to packet direction.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan, add onion and garlic, cook until tender.

3. Add tomatoes, capsicum and chilli flakes, cook until tomatoes and capsicum soften.

4. At last, add pasta and tuna to the vege mixture and toss to coat. Season to taste. 

5. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Pasta for the kids at work place :

Meat balls and elbow pasta

Beef Lasagne

Pasta carbonara

Tuna Pasta Bake

Spaghetti Bolognese

Sweet childhood favourite

Pan-fried Nian Gao with taro and sweet potato

Fantastic feeling when the Nian Gao is oozing in your mouth ...... less is more.

Ingredients for making the batter : 1 egg, self raising flour, rice flour and a pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients into a smooth mixture, add a little water if the mixture is too thick ...... the consistency of the batter should be able to coat the back of the spoon thickly.

Get You In The Mood

Panna Cotta is a traditional Italian dessert meaning 'cooked cream'. It is made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar. Mixing this mixture with gelatine and letting it cool until firm.

Gula Melaka Panna Cotta with Walnut Praline and Raspberries

A delicate, rich creamy and deliciously wobbly texture

                                                             
Ingredients : 2 tablespoons water, 2 teaspoon gelatine powder, 380ml thickened cream, 120ml fresh milk and 70g gula Melaka

Method of cooking :
1. place the water in a bowl and sprinkle over the gelatine, set aside for for 5 minutes.
2. place the cream, milk and gula Melaka in a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.
3. add the gelatine and cook until gelatine is dissolved.
4. strain the mixture and pour into lightly greased moulds, refrigerate until firm.

Hot Cross Buns

A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with currants or raisin and marked with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday - from Wikipedia

 Before baking

After baking

Ingredients: 4 cups baker flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice, 7g sachets dried yeast, 1/4 cup caster sugar, 350ml lukewarm milk, 2 eggs, 1 cup currants, 1/2 cup dried apricots, 1/2 cup dark chocolate baking chips

For the crosses: Mix together 50g plain flour, 50g water and 1 tablespoon cooking oil.

 Egg wash for glazing

Ready to eat with a cup of hot coffee

果酱百分百

Figs are small, pear-shaped fruit with thin edible skin and sweet pulpy flesh. Although dried figs are available throughout the year, there is nothing like the unique taste and texture of fresh figs. Figs are seasonal fruit available between February to May ( My observation from the garden ). 

Figs are delicious eaten on their own, in salads or in desserts and baking.

Two fig trees and a plum tree

These fig trees are from my 太后's garden, they are lusciously sweet with a texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin and the crunchiness of their seeds. I have planted one in my garden unfortunately the tree is not growing well .....

I pick some figs from the garden and use the left over figs for jam making ..... jam making is one of my favourite cooking methods, I used to make jam and bring them back to Kuala Lumpur for my family and friends.

Here you go .....  My beautiful fig jam, 100% fruit with limited quantity of sugar

Bumper harvest of figs - they can be brown, purple or black and vary in size. 

Fig jam on toast

I always use avocado to replace butter or margarine on toasts, add fig jam and some sliced fresh figs, it's simply delicious ..... cottage cheese or ricotta cheese are another great option too ...... Ideal for Sunday brunch, tea time or supper ..... use crackers for light snacks.

Happy Birthday To Me

My Gorgeous Birthday Cards From The Kids .....

Thanks to Carly, the centre director for the surprise birthday cake and also to Alice, Anne and Emily for helping the kids to make such beautiful birthday cards for me ..... I will treasure them always .....

Crispy Skin Salmon on Braised Onion Sauce

I cook this dish after watching My Kitchen Rules, the crispy skin of the salmon I have cooked is really spot on......

Crispy skin salmon on braised onion sauce

Normally I cook this dish in two ways, after eating this dish for dinner I will use the left over to make salmon rice the day after. It is pretty easy and convenient after a hard day's work and you are tired of eating out.

I use balsamic vinegar to braise the red sliced onion; it has a contrast texture of the taste, some saltiness, some sweetness and of course some sourness ....... a complexity of flavours and texture ..... haha ... I am thinking like Pete and Menu, the judges of MKR ......

And I'd like my salmon to fully cook through ..... I do not like the pinkish colour in the middle .....

忙, 这个字很有意思, 左面是心, 右面是亡. 太忙了, 心就死了. Magician, thanks for sharing this phase, I wish my 慢活能在不久的未来实现 .....