Chinese New Year 2013 | Blackcurrant Tea Cookies

Busy …busy ….and still busy! I believe whoever celebrating CNY will be busy on house cleaning and cookies baking.

Yeah….busy but still happy….excited c’t wait for CNY to come :p

In fact, I have seen Sonia post the CNY Delights since Jan….and I also was about to start my CNY cookies baking journey and start accepting orders!
Hmn.…let’s me start this with Blackcurrant Tea Cookies which was adopted from Lisa and I did some modifications.

Ingredients:
230g salted butter
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2½ cup flour
½ tsp salt
2½ cup chopped walnut (finely)
¾ cup chopped dried blackcurrant
some extra sugar for rolling

Directions:
1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add in milk and vanilla and mix to combined.
3. Evenly mix in flour and salt.
4. Use spatula to fold in blackcurrant and walnut.
5. Divide the batter into 2 portion and roll in 2 logs.
6. Wrap and chill for 2 hours.
7. Roll the log on sugar and cut the cookies about ¼ thick.
8. Baked in preheated oven at 160c about 12mins.

Enjoy!

* I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover *

Bro n Sis New Shoes

My little poor boy, this is the 1^st time he get a better shoe from mummy.All the time since he was born, he is wearing 2^nd hand shoes from the other cousins.

Since Chinese New Year is coming, me and hubby decided buy him a better shoes and he love it very much. He c’t stop walking around the dining room after wearing the shoes.

Same goes to Iris, even this is not 1st time we buy shoes for her.....she is also very excited for it.

Mummy love both of you so much!

Rich Marble Chocolate Muffin | 大理石巧克力松饼

I have just bought this muffin pan in one of the grocery mall nearby my house….very excited and c’t wait to try it out. Previously, I used to bake muffin without the tray; so this time I wanted to know what’s the different by using the muffin tray.

Searching the internet rounds and rounds and finally decided this recipe from Kak Rima. I can say that 10 out of 10 of her recipes are my favorite. Am really admired her skill and salute her well done job for those super layer cakes!

Ingredients:
150g butter
125g sugar
125g melted dark chocolate
155g self raising flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
80ml fresh milk

Directions:
1. Melt dark chocolate and set aside to let it cold.
2. Beat sugar, salt and butter until creamy.
3. Add in egg 1 at a time and beat until well combined.
4. Add in vanilla essence.
5. Pout in flour and milk alternately.
6. Take out partial of the batter and mix with melted chocolate. Fold evenly.
7. Pour both type of batter alternately and make a swirl using chopstick or knife.
8. Bake in preheated oven at 170c for about 45-50 mins.

Enjoy!

Orange Chiffon Cake | 鲜橙戚风蛋糕

I have baked this chiffon last year after Christmas. After so many delicious foods and I feel wanted to eat a freshly fruit cake.  I am lazy to bake a complicated fruit cake, so end up this chiffon which has adopted from wendyinkk. I had made some modification hence this cake not dry.

Ingredients:

(A)

150 ml fresh orange juice

4 eggs yolk

75 ml corn oil / vegetable oil

80 g sugar

150 g flour

1 tsp baking powder

(B)

4 eggs white

70 g sugar

pinch of cream of tatar

Directions:

1. Sift flour and baking powder, set aside.

2. Eggs yolk, corn oil, sugar and orange juice - all mix evenly.

3. Combine egg yolks mixture and flour, put aside.

4. Use electric mixer, whisk egg white until frosty. Add in cream of tartar and continue beat until soft peak.

5. Gradually add in sugar and beat until stiff peak. 

6. Put 1/3 of the egg white into the egg yolk batter, use spatula to fold evenly.

7. Pour the batter into the remaining egg white and fold by hand.

8. Pour the batter in to baking pan, lightly knock the pan on the table top to get smooth surface and release some gas from batter.

9. Bake in preheated oven at 180c for 45-50mins.

10. Invert the pan immediately after taken out from oven, only remove the cake when is totally cold.

Enjoy!

Spinach Black Sesame Pork Lean Porridge | 菠菜，黑芝麻猪瘦肉粥

This porridge is sweet and tasty with add on of wolf berries  Dear mummy …. I am strongly encouraging you to buy those good quality wolf berries.

Iris is growing up now….also getting naughty and naughty. Somehow I thought the brother will influence her to act naughty stuff, however it’s work the other way in my house  >_<

I know some mummy will try to give all nutrition food to their little in a meal, this will end up the meal w’t taste as good as it was. Imagine I serve you potato, broccoli, tomato and fish in 1 pot meal, do you think it’s will turn out tasty? For me, definitely not! Unless I cook it separate like make a ABC soup (potato and tomato), sauté broccoli and steam fish. Yeah, this is tasty for me.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp black sesame powder (homemade)
1½ inch of pork lean
1 tbsp of wolf berries
10 scoops of rice
Anchovies stock

Directions:
1. Cook porridge with anchovies stock (mummy should know this steps, so i d't write in details)
2. Bring water to boiled and put in pork lean for 1 min, rinse to clean.
3. Wash and rinse spinach, cut in 2 inch and set aside.
4. Soak wolf berries and rinse to clean.
5. Put in pork lean when the rice is starting to boiled.
6. Put in spinach and wolf berries when the porridge is almost done.
7. Take out the spinach, wolf berries and pork and bring to puree.
8. Return the puree into porridge and add in black sesame powder.
9. Stir evenly before serve.

Thus, each time I try to imagine and make combination for my kid’s porridge which can turn out tasty and match to liking. Try this out, my kids very welcome it especially little Iris.

Peking Pork Chop | 京都排骨

Each time I buy pork ribs I will just cook using steam. Steam with oyster sauce, black soy bean. I am not daring to cook with other method as not confident. When i come across this recipe…..i know I must make a change.

These days also busy days ….. busy for cny’s cookies….hehe. However, I still have to consider family’s stomach to avoid complaint :p

Ingredients:
800g – 1kg Pork ribs

To marinade:
1 egg
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp Shao Xing wine
2 tbsp Oyster source
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp salt

Sauce:
3 tbsp tomato sauce
1½ tbsp chili sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tbsp water

Directions:
1. Clean and wash to rinse the pork ribs, dry pad and put in medium bowl.
2. Mix evenly with marinade ingredients for at least 30 mins. ( marinade over night)
3. In another bowl, mix the sauce ingredients. Add more water if needed. Set sauce mixture aside.
4. Deep fry pork ribs until golden brown. Dish up then drain with paper towel and set aside.
5. Bring sauce to boil and pour in the ribs. Keep stirring until all ribs are well coated with sauce.
6. Dish up and serve while it’s hot.

Saute Chinese Spinach | 清炒苋菜

This is called Chinese Spinach or Amaranthus in English. They are a very good source of vitamins including vitamin A, K, B6, C, riboflavin, foliate and dietary minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese.

Last time I used to squish the juice for my baby. But now they toddler; thus I cook this dish for them while also can serve for whole family too!

Ingredients:
A bundle of Chinese spinach
2 bulbs garlic – chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Heat the oil and sauté in garlic until fragrance.
2. Pour in spinach and keep on sauté.
3. Add in pinch of salt to taste when the spinach almost done.
4. Dip up and blend to puree serve with porridge.
5. Store the balance in ice tray.

Simple Poached Egg and Toast | 简单的水煮鸡蛋和烤面包

Sometimes preparing breakfast really has to depend on mood, so am I? When the morning mood is good (the kids are behaved), I will just prepare some so called simple and east breakfast; else instant noodle will do….:p

Ingredients:
Duration: 20min      Yield: 1
2 pieces bread
butter for spread
2 slices luncheon meat (午餐肉)
2 eggs
1 piece cheddar cheese
1 tbsp vinegar
Any veges you preferred

Directions:
1. Cut luncheon meat and cheddar in cube or rectangler shape.
2. Spread butter evenly on bread.
3. Topping with luncheon meat and cheese.
4. Bake in oven until the cheese melted or the bread turn golden brown.
5. Boil water in a pot, add in vinegar when the water is boiled.
6. Stir the water and slowly pour in egg cook for 1.5 mins.

enjoy!