Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken (简易糖醋鸡）

The first time I came across chicken popcorns was at a dinner at my brother-in-law's place. My sister-in-law cooked them the simple way; just deep fried without having any sauce to go with them. First bite and I liked it straight away. There were not as meaty as chicken nuggets neither they were too battery with just flour.

I have always liked to pair these chicken popcorns with sweet and sour sauce. This dish has never failed to be the winner on our dining table. I hope it will the same case on yours too :)

Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken (简易糖醋鸡)

Ingredients:

1 packet (400g) chicken popcorns

Sauce:

2 medium size onions, cut into wedges

1 tomato, cut into wedges

3-4 tbsp cooking oil for stir frying

2-3 tbsp tomato sauce

100ml water

1/2 tsp rice vinegar (optional)

2 tsp sugar

Cornstarch + water, as thickener

Method:

1. Deep fry chicken popcorns according to direction on packaging.

2. Heat oil in a work/pan till smoky hot. Fry onion till fragrant, add in tomato wedges and continue to fry for about half a minute.

3. Add water, bring to a boil. Cook until tomato is soft. Taste with vinegar and sugar.

4. Add in cornstach solution to thicken the sauce. Return fried chicken popcorns to wok and give it a quick stir such that all chicken popcorns are coated with sauce.

5. Serve hot with white rice or fried noodles.

Notes:

1. To enhance flavour and color of sauce, add in canned pineapple slices, red and green capcicums instead of just tomatoes and onions.

Chicken popcorns

Carrot & Raisin Cupcakes

I will be off to Vietnam for a weekend getaway. Meanwhile, just wish to keep this blog of mine a little busy with this recipe which I shared on a newly launched forum of mine. Oh, in fact, not mine but all cake decorators and enthusiasts'.

Carrot & Raisin Cupcakes

Makes 12

Ingredients:

180g all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

180g butter

145g brown sugar

4 eggs

150g carrot, grated

100g raisins, soaked in 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Grated lemon rind from 1 lemon

Decorating suggestion:

Marzipan carrots (see how to make marzipan carrots here)

Method:

1. Prepare solo baking cups or line muffin pan with paper cups. Preheat oven to 170 degC.

2. Sift all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon powder into a mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy on high speed. Reduce speed and beat in eggs one at a time, making sure it is incorporated before the next addition.

4. Add in grated carrot, raisins, lemon rind and sifter dry ingredients. Fold using just a wooden spoon carefully to not overmix the batter.

5. Fill prepared baking cups with mixture. This recipe doesn't raise much so you will need to fill to approx. 85% full if you need the cupcakes to reach the brim for decorating purpose.

6. Bake in preheat oven for 30 minutes until golden brown and skewer inserted into the centre of cupcake comes out clean.

7. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

8. For decorating idea, please refer here.

Ham & Garlic Pinwheels

Entertaining could be less hassle than we thought it should be. Dishes can be simple yet sensational. We can easily make use of store bought products, dress them up with our own fillings and call them our own. They are just as delicious and inviting to our guests. This was exactly what happened in Jeriel's birthday party recently. The dishes were really easy to prepare. They took the stress out especially you are the only one who takes care of the party from the planning, shopping till the preparation of every single dish to the desserts. I would like to share this idea with you and hope you will find entertaining less stressful too.


Ham & Garlic Pinwheels

Preheat oven at 200 degC. Roll out ready-to-use puff pastry to 3mm thick. Spread with garlic & herb spread (for garlic bread). Place ham and roll up tightly. Cut into 2cm pieces. Place cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry puffs up. Remove from oven and brush with beaten egg. Return to oven and bake until golden. Serve hot or cool on wire rack.

To make ahead of time, you could also pack the rolled up pastry in zipper bag and freeze. Before baking, remove from freezer and thaw for 5-10 minutes. Cut into pieces and bake as mentioned above.

Sardine Samosa

Bone and mash a can of sardine in tomato sauce. Take only a few tablespoon of the sauce and mix into the mashed sardine so that it will not be too dry. The filling should not be too runny either as the sauce may ooze out during frying or it will turn the spring roll skin soggy later. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. I would add in juice of a lime (limau kasturi) if my guests are not kids. Cut each spring roll sheet lengthwise into 3 long pieces. Place filling on a piece of skin, fold in triangular shape and seal with beaten egg at the end. LCOM did provide a really good tutorial here if you have not done this before. Deep fry samosa in medium-high heat until golden brown. Serve with tomato or chili sauce.

Minced Chicken & Mushroom Pasta in Bolognese Sauce

Think most of my visitors would know how to prepare this :)

Jeriel's Snack Box: Wholemeal Bread with Cheddar Cheese Topping

Another trick of a fishy mom sneaking nutritional elements into food. I actually made this bread more than a week ago for breakfast and for Jeriel to bring to his pre-school but it is not until today that the post finally makes its 'appearance' to the public. There are other more interesting recipes in the queue before this.

Despite the good intention, this fishy mom was trying to cut down the tedious bread making process by dumping everything into the breadmaker so that she could enjoy her tv series and net surfing. The result was satisfying, comparable with the ones I occasionally made with bread improver added. You could probably tell from the close-up below.

Off track a little, I don't quite like these two pictures. It was a result of rushing, rushing off to work as I could find no other time when I could shoot under the natural light.

Lagging today. Tired and need a good rest after conducting classes the whole weekend out of town. So guys, not posting the recipe unless requested ok?

Mom's Fishy Patties (Fish & Wheat Germ Patties)

Mommies are 'fishy', we just have to be. We are constantly trying our best to sneak kids not-so-welcomed food into their diet, i.e. celery, spinach, wheat germ, wholemeal, greens, fish, etc. We are fishy, we are cunning.

Ever since my kid started on solids, I have never stopped thinking or more appropriate, having to plan his menu. This process can be really taxing but it is so rewarding seeing my little one growing up daily, healthily an happily.

So, today's recipe is about sneaking healthy food into a kid friendly dish. These Fish and Wheat Germ Patties are packed with calcium and omega fatty acids from the fishes, Beta-carotene and vitamin A from the carrots, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, minerals and enzymes from the wheat germs. These patties aren't difficult to make. The preparation is pretty fast. I would mix all the ingredients up, cling wrap it and send to the refrigerator for a night to firm up. To cut down the messiness in shaping, instead of shaping with your hands, I have suggested below that you use an ice-cream scoop to scoop the mixture into the frying pan and flatten with a wooden turner. Do try this out.

Tuna & Wheat Germ Patties

Makes approx. 10

Ingredients:

1 can sardine in brine, drained, boned and mashed

1 can tuna (preferably in water but tuna spread was what I had) (Note 1)

1 egg

1 tbsp mayonnaise

3 tbsp wheat germ

10 tbsp all purpose flour

3 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Olive oil or vegetable oil for frying

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and black pepper.
2. Chill overnight or at least 2 hours in refrigerator to firm up the mixture.
3. Heat oil over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan.
4. Using an ice-cream scoop (Note 2), scoop mixture into pan and flatten with a tuner to make round patties. Pan fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Notes:

1. Cut down the amount of flour if you are using tuna in brine or oil. Drain well, bone and mash the tuna. The suggested flour amount is due to the wet condition of tuna spread.
2. In the absense of ice-cream scoop, dust your hands with flour and hand shape mixture into flat round patties.
3. Serve on hamburger buns or English muffins if desired.
   

Jeriel's Snack Box - Mini Tuna & Spinach Quiche

I am back. After a month's break, I am back again. Not that I've not been doing anything since the Chinese New Year, but I am simply too lagging in my usual photographing, editing and writing. No mood.....

I had some shortcrust pastry left over from my last Jam Tarts bake out. It was used for making Egg Tarts (shown below) shortly after the CNY break and then today's recipe, Mini Tuna & Spinach Quiche. So our breakfast has been heavily dominated by tarts lately, but the old and young gentlemen absolutely loved them. No more tarts from me at least for some time, I have finished all the shortcrust pastry in my freezer.

March will be a pretty busy month for me; teaching, cake orders and traveling to other state to teach. Anyhow, will be back to share more goodies with you guys. Wish to try out new recipes on my ever-growing wish list. Yet to share cooking recipes on this blog as cooking is done in a rush most of the time. Will be back soon, promised.



Tuna & Spinach Quiche
Makes 12 x 8.75cm

Ingredients:

200g cold butter, but soft enough to leave a print when pressed
315g all purpose flour
15g icing sugar
1.5 eggs, lightly beaten

Filling:

2 (185g) cans tuna, drained and mashed
30g spinach, cleaned and cut into sections
1 onion, chopped
250ml milk
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper

Method:

To prepare shortcrust pastry:

1. Sift flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl.
2. Rub in butter with hand, or by using the paddle attachment of your mixer on low speed, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add in the egg gradually. Observe the change in dough consistency. Do not be tempted to add in all the egg if not necessary. Mix just until the pastry begins to form large lumps.
4. Press together gently with your hand until the pastry forms a ball.
5. Chill pastry dough for about 30 minutes to 1 hour to relax the dough.
6. Grease tart moulds. I like to use non-stick spray.
7. Prepare filling while chilling dough.

To prepare filling:

1. Blend milk, mayonnaise, eggs, salt and pepper with a hand whisk until smooth. Add mashed tuna, spinach and chopped onion.
2. Divide chilled shortcrust pastry into 16 portions (approx. 50g each). Press pastry evenly into each tart mould. Trim the edges to remove excessive dough. Prick base of each tart with a fork to allow air to escape during baking.
3. Divide filling into shell.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 190 degC for 50 minutes or until brown.
5. Remove quiche from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on wire rack. Remove quiche from mould and serve. Otherwise, continue to let cool completely before storing.

Notes:

1. Traditionally, filling of quiche contains shredded cheddar cheese. For an even richer filling, cream can be used to replace part of the milk. I have omitted cheddar cheese and cream due to the calorie contents but added in mayonnaise for a little complication in taste.
2. I added all two cans of tuna (total 370g) because I hated left-over. The filling was on the more compact/substantial side, so reduce the amount of tuna to 330g if you could get smaller can at where you live.
3. Refer to Jo's Deli & Bakery's Pastries, Pies and Tarts sections for more ideas.