Rolled Pineapple Cookies

I still have some leftover pineapple jam in my freezer from making cheesy pineapple cookies in chinese new year, so instead of dumped it to the garbage bin, i decided to bake another batch of cookies to used it up. The jam still tastes great, same as the fresh made one, though i've been keep it for more than a month.
I use my previous recipe for the cookies (only substitute 30 g cheese powder with all purpose flour), roll it like the way how you make swiss roll, chill in the fridge, cut once it firm enough, bake and enjoy.

Fried Rice With XO Sauce

It is Sunday and i am lazy, hungry and crave for something nice yet easy. Digging my fridge, i found a jar of XO sauce, some seafood and leftover rice. Yay...something delicious ready in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 bowl leftover rice
3 tbsp chopped onion
3 tbsp XO sauce
4 large prawn, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 red chili, chopped
bunch of chinese chives
salt to taste

- Heat few drops oil, scramble egg and set aside. Saute onion until fragrant, add chopped chili, prawn and rice. Stir for few minutes, add in scrambled egg, XO sauce and soy sauce. Keep stirring for another 3-4 minutes. Taste with salt and add chopped chives. Serve while it is hot.

* Use less oil is better since XO sauce is already oily.

Padang Style Chicken Rendang

If you wonder what Padang mean, it is capital city of West Sumatra, Indonesia, which is very famous with their delicious cuisine. Rendang is the most famous one. If u ever went to Jakarta, you'll find Padang Restaurant almost in every corner of street, with their glass window stacked up with food.
Rendang is basically meat cooked in thick, creamy coconut milk and spices. There are two kind of rendang, one is made from beef and the other from chicken. The spices used in both dishes also different, so beef and chicken rendang has a different flavor.

Ingredients:
600 g boneless chicken thigh, cubed
1 large potato, cubed
4 cups thick coconut milk
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
2 bay leaves
2 lime leaves

Spice to grind:
8 red chili
5 cloves shallot
3 cloves garlic
4 candle nut
1/2 inch ginger
1 tsp galangal powder
1 tsp turmeric powder

-Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a wok, add all the ingredients except chicken, potato and coconut milk.
Stir for 2 minutes, add chicken and stir again till chicken no longer pink. Add potato and coconut milk and taste with salt. Simmer for 30 minutes until chicken tender. Serve over warm white rice.

Spaghetti With Mushroom and Sausage

Mushrooms are one of my favorite food. I love to buy any kind of mushroom when i saw the fresh one, though sometimes i really don't know what to do with it.
Few days ago, a friend take me to Italian restaurant and their fettucine alfredo was soooo good!! I notice that i never try to make alfredo sauce by myself, so today i attempted to try it. And in order not to waste my fresh shitake mushroom that already sitting in my fridge for almost 2 weeks, i add it to the sauce along with chicken sausage and it tasted yummy(not as good as the restaurant's one for sure hehee)

Sauce Ingredients:

110 g cream cheese
50 g butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp parsley flake
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 fresh shitake mushroom, slice
1 chicken sausage, slice

-Melt butter in a sauce pan, add sliced mushroom and sausage. Pour cream, add garlic granules and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat, add cheese and stir quickly. Pour sauce over cooked spaghetti and sprinkle with parsley flakes.

Strawberry Cheese Tart

This tart is modification from my previous cheese fruit tart, only substitute mixed fruit with strawberry and everything is done.
The combination of cream cheese and heavy cream was so smooth, went perfectly with sweet and juicy strawberry. I still have a lot of strawberries in my fridge, so maybe i'll post
more strawberry recipe in few days ahead.

Strawberry Swiss Rolls

Strawberry now is in season. I bought a box of fresh and beautiful tiny strawberry from night market last night and it only cost half of the usual price. Beautiful and delicious dessert, that's the first thing come to my mind when i saw strawberries.
Too bad, the berries season only lasts for only 3-4 weeks here. Click here for the swiss roll recipe.

Lapis Surabaya

Wow...it's been 3 long weeks since my last post. I was in blue mood for entering my kitchen after big long feast of Chinese new year. And today, i bake this cake for the sake of new post. Lapis literally mean layer and Surabaya is one of the big city in Indonesia and it is my hometown. So, lapis surabaya will be layered Surabayanese cake in English :)
The chocolate layer turned to be dense caused by over mixing. However, it tasted great and my kitchen smell heavenly while it baking in the oven.
Recipe adapted from aunty Yochana

Cheesy Nastar

Finally, my lazy days has come to an end. I managed to make pineapple jam 2 days ago and baked these cookies yesterday. I use my mom's recipe and do slight modification by adding edam cheese powder and it turn out great.

Ingredients:
275 g butter, soften to room temperature
370 g all purpose flour
30 g edam cheese powder
4 egg yolk
45 g caster sugar

- Mix all purpose flour and cheese powder together. Beat butter and sugar till light(but not very light) and egg yolk one by one, beat well. Fold in flour mixture and knead lightly. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. Wrap with pineapple jam and bake at 180 degrees celsius for 25 minutes.

Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry

I'm getting lazier to write and post anything recently. Beside i have nothing to write about also i haven't cook anything unusual or fancy. It caused by the weather.... it's so cold in past few days. I'd rather cover myself up on the bed, than doing cleaning and washing around my kitchen.
Last night, a friend called me and asked if i'm interested in a tour to Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry. Woww....i jumped up from the bed, yess...here i come.
Kuo Yuan Ye founded and started their bussiness in 1867. Their first museum established in 2001 located in Yangmei - Taoyuan county and the second is in Shilin - Taipei county. Now, they are considered as one of the best pastry maker in Taiwan. We learn how to make Taiwanese pineapple shortcake (fong li shu), with the main ingredients flour, butter, sugar, coconut milk for pastry dough and pineapple, wintermelon, sugar for pastry filling.
This is the first time i tasted their pineapple shortcake, the pastry has crunchy texture and buttery smell, far different with other pineapple shortcake which usually too soft or very hard. Beside pineapple, they also made strawberry, blueberry, mango, orange shortcake and many more. So, if you happen to be in Taiwan, don't miss it!!!
Here are my shortcakes with koala, bear and owl shape. It cracks everywhere....i still need more practice. As usual, i forgotten my camera so i use my cellphone for taking the pictures.


Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry
Wen Lin Rd No.546 Shilin
Taipei County (only few steps away from Shilin MRT Station)

Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Lately, i got probs with my cheap Sony DSC-W55. Every object looks so yellow and blur although i took the pictures in the bright place. I've adjusted all the setting and it become more yellow. Guess, i need a better camera.... *sigh

I never been a big fan of cookies, but all of sudden i crave for something sweet so i bake a batch of this super easy and awesome cookies. I don't even need taking my mixer out, just stir, bake and enjoy! I'll bake more for Chinese new year giveaway.

Ingredients:

120 g butter, soften to room temperature
180 g all purpose flour
1 egg
100 g caster sugar
40 g light brown sugar
60 g oatmeal
60 g chopped pecan
50 g raisin
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

- Sift flour, baking soda and salt. Mix butter and sugar till well mixed, whisked in egg and stir till smooth. Fold in flour and the rest ingredients. Drop a tablespoon of dough to lined baking tray and bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 15-18 minutes till golden brown.

Chinese Style Fried Rice

I learn this fried rice from a chinese takeaway restaurant nearby. They used chinese dried sausage (臘腸 / la chang) too cook this fried rice. It is real simple yet awfully delicious, perfect solution for lazy winter days.

Ingredients:
2 bowl white rice (leftover is great)
2 egg, lightly beaten
2 dried sausage, minced
2 red chili, minced
3 tbsp chopped onion
1 scallion
2 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper

- Heat a tbsp oil, saute onion until fragrant. Add chili and sausage stir for few minutes, pour in beaten egg and stir quickly. Add in rice, taste with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Turn off heat and sprinkle with chopped scallion.

Happy New Year 2009

Wishing all of dear friends and visitor happy new year 2009, another year has passed by. Best wishes and may God bless you in the years to come.
Good bye 2008, i'm a year older.... *sobbing*

Nutella Swiss Roll

Hahaaa....my swiss rolls 'marathon' is not over yet. I bake a lot of swiss rolls for Christmas give away. And some friends decorate it to make a Christmas log.

Merry Christmas

Wishing all friends and visitor a very merry Christmas and best wishes for the new year.

Here is my ugly Christmas log that i made today.
Christmas is not public holiday here in Taiwan since most of the residents are Buddhist. My boss treat me a fabulous dinner last night, give away some 'hong pao' too and let me off from work today. Thanks boss for being such...... nice boss of course!! Stay that way :D !!

Strawberry Swiss Rolls

Another beautiful swiss roll made by me, heheee....
My next attempts is macaron, so just wish me luck.

Ingredients:
3 medium eggs
60 g sugar
80 g cake flour
30 ml corn oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
strawberry jam as required

-Beat egg and sugar till light and fluffy, fold in flour, vanilla essence and corn oil. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 12 minutes. Spread with strawberry jam and roll up.

Devil's Food Cake With Peanut Butter Chips Frosting

I become chocolate freak again recently. It's only few days ago since i bake beautiful, super rich and sweet chocolate muffin. I'm about to take some pictures of it, and somehow my camera disappear again. Found it out under my messy blanket finally.
Today is devil's food cake again with creamy peanut butter chips frosting.
For peanut butter frosting:

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1-2/3 cups peanut butter chips(i use Reese's)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

-Combine butter, milk and peanut butter chips in medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Place powdered sugar in medium bowl. Gradually add chip mixture, beating until well blended. Cool, stirring occasionally, until of spreading consistency (about 1 hour)

Stewed Fresh Seaweed

I used to hate seaweed when i was small, i'll avoid any meal with seaweed in it. Till oneday, mom told me that my hair will grow beautifully if i eat a lot of seaweed. I become seaweed lover ever since. And true, the most nicest part of my body is my hair, i have shiny and very straight hair. Coincidence or.....?

Ingredients:
250 g fresh seaweed
2 cloves garlic
2 slice ginger
2 red chili
1 tbsp rice wine
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar

- Heat 1 tbsp oil, saute garlic and ginger till fragrant. Add 2 cups water, seaweed and all the ingredients. Cover and stew for 20-25 mins till tender.

Lemon Bars

This recipe had been queue-up for long time in my trying list, but sometime i would prefer trying fancy and not-so-easy recipe rather than the simple one. Yesterday, i went through my trying list again and i attempted to bake it almost immediately hehee....
It is very easy and simple yet awfully delicious. I purposely cut down the sugar to keep the strong sourish lemon flavor, since i'm a big fan of lemon.
Recipe from Stephanie Jaworski at joyofbaking.com

Chocolate Swiss Roll

Hi hi.... i'm comeback again with my "new skill" in making swiss roll hahaa....how i really excited about it. I made chocolate swiss roll today and the sponge cake turned a bit dense due to over pressing while it is still warm. I should let it cool before rolling next time.
It still taste yummy however. All the ingredients and instruction are same with the previous vanilla swiss roll, i only reduce the amount of flour, adding cocoa powder and extra sugar.

Vanilla Swiss Roll

Finally!!!! after 7-8 attempts, here come the result. Yes, this is my very first success swiss roll, the rest went to the garbage bin. I was jumping up and down in my kitchen till sister call me seng cing ping hahaa...
Recipe come from Aunty Yochana It called for ovalette/cake stabilizer, but i omit it since i run out of stock, it still turn out beautifully and best of all, this recipe did not require folding method which to me is kinda dreading job.
Yipeee.... i can make Christmas log for this coming Christmas.