Strawberry Shortcake

I always had this problem of buying the largest punnet of strawberries and not being able to finish them at a time. Yet, I refuse to buy a smaller pack! I'm so greedy. I made some strawberry-yogurt snack the other day and mum did not like it. I know she loves strawberries but she couldn't enjoy it with yogurt. To compensate for that, I made her favourite strawberry shortcake. I have no idea why it is called a shortcake. All I know is that shortcakes are made from sponge cake layers and whipped cream.

I made the sponge cake with this recipe. Once the sponge has cooled completely, it is divided into 2. A piece of it was spiked with brandy syrup and topped with whipped cream and strawberries. The second piece of sponge is placed on top and is spiked with brandy too. *grins*

The plastic cake case was pretty handy. I notice that the cake does not get dry as fast as when stored in a box.

Anyway, the cake didn't last that long either. 3/4 of it is gone by now.

White Ruby Layers

I bought some strawberries with no intention of baking or cooking. I ate a few, only to realise later that I could make a snack with yogurt! In one of her shows, Nigella whipped up glasses of Raspberry Oatmeal Swirls for her breakfast guests.

I decided to try it out! I altered this recipe to fit whatever ingredients I could get hold of. Particularly the part where it called for raspberries and oatmeal biscuits. I substituted it with strawberries and Digestive biscuits instead. As for Greek yogurt, I used our regular low-fat yogurt from supermarkets. Despite the alterations, strawberries and yogurt complement each other well. The crumbs of Digestive biscuit gave some bite to it. This dessert/snack is interesting; sourish with bits of strawberry pieces and yet its sourness is cut down by the biscuit crumbs. My mum didn't like it though. She couldn't stand the smell of yogurt.

It wouldn't be right if I were to name it Raspberry. No raspberry, no Greek yogurt, no oatmeal biscuits in those I made. Perhaps I can call it White Ruby Layers?

White Ruby Layers
(adapted and altered from Nigella Feast: Raspberry Oatmeal Swirls)
250g Strawberries
500g Fat-free yogurt
3 pieces Digestive biscuits
1 tbps Sugar

Same method as stated in Nigella's website.
This is a simplified version of mine. =P

1. Place biscuits in a plastic bag. Secure bag's opening and smash biscuits to small crumbs. Set aside.
   
2. Remove strawberry caps. Cut strawberries into quarters (if they're too large). Place into a blender and add sugar. Pulse it about 3 times, until becomes a puree. Not too much if you want small bits of strawberry pieces.
3. Place a layer of biscuit crumbs, approx 1 tbsp, into a serving glass.
   
4. Top it with 1-2 tbsp yogurt.
5. Top the yogurt with 1-2 tbsp strawberry puree.
   
6. Repeat steps 3-5 until glass is full. Sprinkle with biscuit on the final layer. Serve cold.

Love Sick

I still recall,
The gloomy dawn,
My heart grieved,
As thou moved on.

I could not blame,
Nor rancour destiny,
But thy eternal glory,
Lingered in my memory.

Days go on,
As normal it seemed,
My patience being torn,
I silently screamed.

I waited longingly,
Believing in miracles,
And glad I did,
To finally embrace thou.

My eyes gleamed,
And thou glimmered back,
Oh, how I longed for thee,
My beloved Internet.



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If you're wondering, I wrote this poem out of boredom. It's about the absence of both my modem and router. They got struck by lightning last Friday.

Grr... curse you, you lightning.

Cost me RM 230!!

Anyway, I'm glad I can blog, play games and chat again. Wheee~!!

Bento the 3rd

Ok, this bento was not made for today nor yesterday. It was made weeks ago for my family and cousin. I just had not have the opportunity to load up the photos from the camera till today. I just found the missing USB cord. I have been using my handphone to snap snap since Monday. Not too bad huh?

I don't know why but I love making these for them. This time I tried frying some tempura for them; aubergine, okra and lotus root. It wasn't easy to deep fry these things. It takes time and I hate frying food. Not only do I tend to overcook them, I'm also very afraid of hot oil spitting onto me. I was practically in a "defensive mode". Covered up with oven mittens and was standing at least 1 meter away from the wok until the thing is cooked.

Anyway, after a few tries and lots of OWW! OUCH! ACK!, I managed it. I think I was in a good mood then to even bother decorating the onigiri.

Dad's bento


Mum's bento


Bro's bento

I couldn't find the photo of my cousin's bento. I think I might have accidentally deleted it. *sobs*

Hy Thian Restaurant

My family dine at this restaurant quite frequently. We've been dining there for at least 10 years now, ever since they started as a small shop with no air-conditioning system. To think back, it's nice to see their restaurant 'grow', from a small corner shop lot with zink roofs to a giganto nicely furnished 5 double storey shop lots!

This restaurant is non halal and has a wide variety of dishes, yet almost every one is delicious. Well, this mainly depends on each person's taste buds. In order to enjoy the dishes that suits you best, it is wise to have the 'captain' to recommend and take your orders. One thing is for sure, the service is top notch. Once you are seated, it takes less than 2 minutes to have their waiters/waitress to serve and you are able to place an order. Once the order goes in, it takes no more than 10 minutes for all, yes ALL of your dishes to arrive. Sometimes only 5 minutes and rarely later than 15 minutes. It's no joke.

We went there last Sunday for dinner. Sorry ya, some photos are a bit blurry. I'm not good with the cantonese names for the dishes below, but I'll try coming up its English equivalent.

Yam ring with sweet sour pork

Roasted chicken (my favourite!!)

Suckling pig

Homemade tofu with kei chi and i-dont-know-what gourd

Veggie with oyster sauce

My family's other favourites are their:
- Steamed white pomfret (bawal putih)
- Deep fried aubergine coated with honey and garlic
- Spinach soup with century egg and anchovies
- Royal Stout tiger prawns (my favourite!!)
- Sweet sour crab
- Lala in ginger
- Shark's fin fried with eggs, wrapped in lettuce leaves
and many many more

They do cater for weddings and parties as well.

Hy Thian Restaurant is located at Seri Kembangan, just 2 doors away from a bakery and is opposite a Petronas station. You can't miss it with all the bright lights and it's the only 5-shop restaurant there.

Telephone: 03-89488781

Birthday Cupcake

A friend of mine called me up yesterday morning if I could manage a small birthday cake for his dear little sister. They held a party at a restaurant in Mid Valley and I was to deliver the cake to them there. After much discussion on the phone, we came up with the idea of surprising her with 8 cupcakes instead of the usual 1 big cake.

Why cupcakes? They wanted something simple yet different, a small cake which they can finish it there. Secondly, the birthday girl is 8 this year and is from a family of 7. Just nice! It seems she likes chocolate and cheese, and adores pink and purple flowers, roses in particular.

The cupcakes were moist chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting decorated with sugar flowers.

I am glad the cakes arrived safely and they were happy with the cakes.

*disclosure of names are as requested. Lolz*

Carrot Cake, Chicken Feet & Liqueur

We visited my grandma again at uncle Mike's place last weekend. She's aging a lot but anyhow, she seemed fine. I made some langues-de-chat and a carrot cake for my uncle... in exchange for a pot of his super heavenly yummy kai kiok. Yes, I love chicken feet. And only kai kiok cooked by him are the best. My brother used to dislike chicken feet until he had a taste of this. And boy, did I REGRET giving him to try. I now have a competitor.

I remember about a year ago my uncle told me to bake a carrot cake for him and said he'll cook me a pot of kai kiok. I never knew how to make a good carrot cake until now. I frosted the cake with my own concoction of cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese, icing sugar, butter, and orange zest, tasting along the way. The frosting turned out pretty good. I had some leftover frosting and decided to decorate the cake a bit. Hehehe... mini carrot border.

Some big, some small.

Ready to trade. Finally, I got to eat my favourite kai kiok! And to uncle Mike, his carrot cake! Good trade isn't it?

When we arrived, we were greeted by a very lively welcoming party: 5 shih tzus!

Zorro and Uno.

My, they have grown so much! Sorry there aren't any photos of the kai kiok, chicken rice and the other dishes. I was too busy stuffing myself with kai kiok. Mmmm~

I like that mini cherry glass.

After we had our dinner and my kai kiok, we ate the cake, cookie, pulasan, ume, drank green tea and liqueur. That liqueur was something different. I was actually amazed with it. It was a milk-coffee liqueur, a product of Ireland. Sheridan's Coffee Layered Liqueur Original.

One side milk, one side coffee. Pretty cool.

It came in a very unique bottle. The milk and coffee were separated! And when you pour it out, both coffee and milk comes out simultaneously! Non drip some more. Easy to pour, so nice to drink with ice.

2 layers. Ying yiong or Michael Jackson?

Give it a light swirl before drinking. *hic* *hic* very very delicious too! *hic* It tasted something like frappucino, with alcohol. *hic*

Quick Meal

There are times when I have not taken any meal and am already running late for classes, train, meetings, whatever. Worst still, I only have a mere 10 minutes or less to eat and there aren't any edible on-the-go food to bring along. But I simply have to eat or I'll faint along the way.
Instant noodles are an option. They take approximately 2 minutes to cook and 5 minutes to eat. Through many years of experience, soupy ones are not that 'fast' to eat. Kon lou or noodles tossed in sauce are the fastest. That's me... and I'm not proud of those experiences. Hehe..

I was trained not to take too much instant food stuffs that are laden with MSG. But I love them anyway. *bad girl* This fast and simple kon lou Maggi was inspired by my mum. She used the noodles and discard its packet of powder soup base. I guess that reduces the unheathly bit. My mum used to make this for breakfast during my schooling years. Sometimes with chicken pieces and vegetables, sausages or dead yummy fried pieces of pork lard. *drools* I missed those mornings. I didn't have to prepare breakfast for myself

Ma, can you make this for me tomorrow?

Kon lou Maggi

1 packet Maggi mee (only noodle is used)
1 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp chilli sauce
Pepper

1. Place noodles in boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, pour oyster sauce, sesame seed oil, tomato and chilli sauce into a bowl. Vary the tomato and chilli proportions according to your preference. For a spicier blend, use 1 tsp chilli and 1/2 tsp tomato. Add pepper to taste.
3. Once noodles are cook, drain out the water and pour into the bowl with prepared sauce mix. Toss and stir the noodles until well mixed.
4. Serve hot.
   

Unhealthy, I know.
But when you're in a hurry, anything goes.

Cats' Tongues

Kimiko has gone crazy and ate cats' tongues. She's on a sugar high attack. Yeap. You did not read that wrongly. She ate cats' tongues!

Can I have my tongue back pretty please?

No, sorry Puss. I did not take your tongue away... But you can have some of my cat's tongue cookies!

Okay, that was lame. Cats' tongue cookies are actually a type of French sugar cookies called Langues De Chat (langs du shard). Most probably they called this "cat's tongue" because of its shape. A lovely cookie that goes very well with black coffee, latte and expresso. I tried with milk and it seems nice too. They're very easy to make yet highly addictive, sweet and are chewy in texture. Oh, in the video, I used a star nozzle to pipe since I don't have any plain ones. But it does not matter as the batter will spread out leaving no lines, which they're originally supposed to be. I learned this a few days back and made a small batch again. And while making this, I made a short video too. Hope you all enjoy watching it.

Langues-De-Chat
80g icing sugar
100g butter
3 egg whites
100g plain flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Cream butter and icing sugar until pale. Add vanilla and zest.
3. Beat in whites, one at a time.
4. Sift in flour and fold until combined.
5. Pipe onto lined pans using a plain nozzle, piping each about 2 inches long, 1 inch apart.
6. Bake until edges turn golden brown, approx 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks immediately.
   

ps: I simply could not resist taking another bite!

Harajuku Doll

Saw this Harajuku Doll contest by Hotlink. I think every Hotlink users have received the same sms. Haha... Got bored today and I decided to create 1 ugly harajuku doll to participate in it.

Pretty limited selection of designs though. I wanna make it harajuku like... but no true harajuku designs available. *sighs* Anyway, tried it out for fun, don't win also nevermind. Haha... So, this is mine:

Presenting you.... Lollie!

Like aunty hor? Vote me if you'd like.
Type GS12931 and send to 28700.

Don't vote also nevermind. Cause... it costs RM 0.50 per sms sent.

Flour

-Warning: Long and boring post -

7 and more!

Were you able to differentiate the types of flour in the photo above? Don't look at the labels la... That's cheating. But honestly, without their packaging and labels, it is normally difficult to tell them apart. Today, I'll be writing up on the types of flour and their respective usage. I hope this post will somewhat help you Kevin, and others who are just as curious as him.

Flour is basically a powder like ingredient used in many foods. Flour is the main ingredient in many cakes, bread, pasta, cookies and many many more. There are many types of flour available today, ranging from cereal based, legumes to nuts. So how do we know which flour is suitable to make a bread, chiffon cake, roti cannai or popiah skin?

Their respective usage would depend purely on its protein content, because it is the protein content which determines the amount of gluten that can be developed. Simply said, the more gluten it can produce, the "tougher/chewier" the baked product will be. Lesser gluten, a more "finer/softer" end product. Flour can be categorized in two main types: hard flour and soft flour. Hard flour has high gluten content, whereas soft flour is the lowest in gluten.


Wheat flour

• All purpose/plain flour - A common and easily attainable in groceries. It has a combination of hard and soft flour. This flour is slightly weaker than bread flour and it is suitable for most usages.
  

• Cake flour - It has the lowest protein content, pure white in colour and has a very soft, smooth texture. It is used for soft-textured cakes like chiffon and sponge cakes. This flour is also ideally used in many other delicate baked goods.

• Pastry flour - It is also low in protein but is slightly higher than cake flour, lower than all purpose flour. It has a creamy white colour and is used for light-textured pastries: pie doughs, muffins, cookies and biscuits.

• Bread flour - This has the highest protein content and is used for... well, bread. For instance, pizza dough, loaves and croissants. It can also be used to strengthen doughs which are made from flours that contain little or no gluten.
  

• Self raising flour - It is an all purpose flour in which baking powder has been blended in uniformly.

Other flours
The origins of these flours are pretty obvious, so I'll just state their common usage.

• Cornflour/ cornstarch - Usually mixed in flour to create crisp cookies and biscuits. It is also used as a thickening/binding agent to gravies and puddings.
  

• Corn /maize flour - This flour is different from cornstarch. Coarser textured ones are known as corn meal. This flour is widely used in Mexican dishes like tortillas. "Nachos" would be a good example for us.

• Rice flour - It is made from white rice and is usually used in Southeast Asian cuisine like popiah skin.

• Glutinous rice flour - This is made from glutinous rice and is not the same as rice flour. It forms a very sticky dough when mixed with water and is used to make desserts like tang yuen.
  

• Atta flour - A form of wheat flour that has much higher protein. Used in Indian cuisine in breads like roti and chapati.

• Rye flour - This flour has some proteins but they do not form gluten. Breads made from rye flour are heavy and dense. An example of such breads would be sourdoughs.
  

Oklah... I think I'd better stop here. Else this post will never end and I think I saw someone sleeping already. Hehehe.... It is impossible to list everything here as there is a vast variety of flour from all over the world. I just hope that this will give you an idea why I have more than 7 types of flour at home. However, you don't need to specifically buy special flours for certain item. I can imagine how loaded your cupboard can be.

Tip: For most baking, just 2 types of flour would be sufficient. Cake and bread flour. Don't bake breads and hardly bake cakes and pastries ah... Then all purpose flour will do just fine. Don't bake but does cooking? Cornstarch and all purpose flour should be enough.


ps: Honestly, I never knew I had that many until I took a few out for photo session. If there are any discrepancies, feel free to correct me.

I'm alright now

This will be a short post. I'm going out shopping in awhile. Just a brief update of what has been going on around the kitchen since my recovery. Hehehe... It feels sooo good being able to bake and to destroy the kitchen once again.

Lately, my family and friends have been telling me that I should sell my cakes and pastries. I have been making and giving all these years. And they said I should get some cash as pocket money. I don't know... I did gave it a thought, but somehow, I don't have the heart to really do so. Earning money from friends seemed weird to me. *shrugs*
I guess a better option might be working part time at a bakery.

Anyway, I made some blueberry cheese tarts 2 days back. I gave them out to family and friends as usual.

And off they went~

Hope they liked it.