Little Mermaid Cake

I am still a novice when it comes to cake decorating.  However, when a friend of mine came and asked me to do a birthday cake for her daughter, I gladly said yes! Furthermore, she is a darling and I don't want to break her heart as she came with her Mom to ask me. My friend told me that something simple will do as its so last minute. Her daugther wanted Little Mermaid...as she said "Just Ariel will do" but  must have my name on it, Aunty! And that's what I did..."just Ariel" and her name...ha!ha!  I didn't had much time as they only gave me 2 days warning (as I call it)...ha!ha!

The cake which I made is from my Grandma's recipe - Fruit Cake. I covered it with a layer of buttercream and then wrapped it with fondant. Ariel is from gumpaste and the rest is piped with buttercream. I was worried that her daughter will not like it but when I got a call from my friend telling me that everyone was asking for my contact and how happy her daughter was (MMS-ed me a photo of her daughter and the cake)...I could breathe again...:)

Here's a photo which I took before my buddy came and took the cake for the birthday party.

That's all for this post...nothing much to add! Just so glad that I didn't ruin a girl's birthday!

Till next time....happy baking!!!

White Bread Loaf

My 2 precious were asking me if they could have some white bread and there was only 1 piece left. Hence, I decided to bake another 2 loaves of bread. My Prince has begun to request for egg sandwiches, chicken nugget sandwiches (made from home, not deep fried, baked), etc. However, he did say that he wants the bread to be as soft as those commercial ones. For me, I am trying my best not to let them eat too much chemicals add-ons (preservatives).

I have been trying quite a number of recipes...somehow, when I give it to my kids, they will immediately know its not from Breadtop. This is my quest...to make homemade bread and its similar to the commercial ones and my kids will not be able to tell the difference immediately. Gosh...this is just so hard for me.

Made another 2 recipes for white loaf bread...
It was OK for the 1st two days (very soft, just like the commercial ones)...but on the 3rd day.......... :(

Onwards...my quest for the homemade bread which is like the commercial bread continues....
Till next time...happy baking!!!

Bak Kut Teh, Pig's Trotter in Sweetened Vinegar and Salted Vegetable

I remember those nights when DH and I went out and ate bak kut teh, chee keok chou, salted vegetables and yau char kway when we went back to our homeland.  These BKT stalls open till wee hours and as we were in a way "tourists"...we can neglect our sleeping time and makan all the way. When we got home, we missed those times as 99% of the shops close after 11pm.  Now and then, we will make our own version of bak kut teh  and chee keok chou. However, we never made 2 of the dishes together.

This week, we were talking about it and was thinking of whipping up these 2 dishes together...trying to re-capture those memories of the good old days. We made both...Chee Keok Chou and Bak Kut Teh.  Here's the 2 photos which I managed to take before a group of us (including our peng yu) ate it all up...ha!ha!

We also made steamed veggies with oyster sauce to go with our rice...must have our veggies!!!

Till our next food adventure....ta-daa!!!

Mee Goreng

Whenever I mentioned Mee Goreng, my friends tend to think its an Indian dish. However, mee goreng is a famous 1-dish meal from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Each race (Chinese, Indian, Malay and Eurasians) have their own version of this humble dish.

For me, I have my own version too which is passed down by my Grandma. I firstly prepare the mise-en-place which consists of garlic, shallots, fishballs/fishcakes, cubed potatoes, cubed chicken meat, beansprouts (taugeh), eggs and the sauces (dark sweet sauce, chilli paste, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, soy sauce and seasonings). Once I get my mise-en-place, its cooking time. Heat up the wok with some oil, and fry the garlic and shallots till fragrant. Add in potatoes, fishballs/fishcakes, cubed chicken meat and goreng (fry) till the meat is cooked. Add in the yellow noodles, fry for a minute or two, make a well and add in the eggs.  Scramble it and mix it with the noodles. Add in the sauce and lastly the taugeh.  Serve it hot (that's the best) and top some fried shallots, a squeeze of lime and red chilli.

Here's a photo of the mee goreng we had tonite....

One word... S E D A P !!!

Oh...before I forget, remember the soft buns which I made...its still pretty soft today!!! :)

Till next time....

Happy cooking!!!

Soft Buns

My 2 precious just love Breadtop breads and I am trying so hard to bake it at home and I found another recipe  from Alex Goh and here's how it went. Even though its Spring now, the weather has turn cold....its 15 degrees C now.

As always, I used my mixer with the dough hook to knead the dough. I don't have any expensive, arty farty equipment...just my humble Sunbeam Mixmixer and a desktop oven. I kneaded the dough for 12-13 mins and once I was able to see the window (window test), I let the dough proof till it doubled in size in the bowl. It took me more than 2 hours for my 1st proof. Once its doubled in size, I punched down,divide and roll into 40g dough balls.  Then, allow it to proof till it double in size again.  The weather turned colder, down to 13 degrees C and I decided to proof it with my MV. Finally, I eggwash and bake it in the oven at 200 degrees C till its golden in colour which took me about 12-15 mins.

What's the verdict? Who are my testers? My 2 precious and of course my DH.  It was really soft and fluffy but I am really not sure it will be so tomorrow and the following day.  My little Princess loved it and asked for seconds. Will update this post in a few days time.

Here's a photo or two of the little buns:

Happy baking, everyone!!!

Wat Tan Hor

Now...this is my another all time favourite 1-dish meal. Wat Tan Hor is a really popular dish is South East Asia countries like Malaysia and Singapore. I even found this dish in Thailand. Some places even sell is with ngau yoke (beef slices).  However, we don't eat beef due to our religion. Therefore, instead of beef, I tend to use chicken and other meat as a replacement.  It a simple dish to prepare...

Firstly, fry the hor fun (flat rice noodles) with oil and sesame oil. Add in some soy sauce and dark caramel sauce to give it some colour.  Fry it till the corners get a little burnt. Scoop and set aside.

Next, prepare the gravy. Just heat up the wok, add is some oil, garlic and ginger.  Add in the meat and stir-fry till its cooked. Add in the stock and bring it to boil. Throw in the fishballs, fishcake and other veggies. Add in cornflour mixture (to thicken the gravy) and seasonings. Once its cooked and just before dishing it out, add in the egg and stir till its cook. Pour the gravy over the hor hun and serve. Sedap!!! (Yummylicious!)

Here's a photo of my humble wat tan hor.

Till next time... Happy wat tan hor-ing!!!

Rice Cooker Chicken Rice with Veggies (new style of Claypot Chicken Rice)

I guess some of you know "Claypot Chicken Rice" very well.  This was one of my favourite dinner dish and I could only eat in on weekends as my family were free to bring me out and makan.  This 1-dish meal is normally served with lap cheong (chinese sausage) and vegetables like pak choy, dried mushrooms, etc. There will also be hum yu (salted fish) on the side. This dish is cooked in a claypot where the rice is cooked first.  Then, the marinated chicken, lap cheong and other ingredients are added in few minutes before the rice is cooked.  One thing I remembered...I had to wait very very long for this dish.

When I was younger, I often urged my Grandma to teach me how to cook this dish and when I grew older and were allowed to use the kitchen, I made this dish each week.  The "adults' always asked me if I jelak or not...since when will I be jelak of my own cooking...ha!ha!

When I got married, I still cooked this dish with a claypot. But, now, with my 2 precious, I take short-cuts. I also add in more vegetables...got to ensure they have their servings of veggies.  So, I ended up using my humble rice cooker.  So, here's my version of the this yummy dish that I don't get jelak with.

That's all for now...
Till my next cooking adventure....
Happy makan-ing!!!