Banana Bread

When you have overriped banana never throw them away! Best for making banana bread and makes a great breakfast on-the-go. This is the easiest  banana bread recipe. Loaded with ripe bananas, tangy-sweet raisins and toasted walnuts.

Ingredients:

•  3 very very ripe large bananas 
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 115g butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1½ cups plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup walnuts
• ½ cup raisins

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Grease and flour a 2lb bread loaf pan.  

Lightly roast walnuts on a pan, continuously stirring so not to burn the walnuts. Coarsely chop and cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Mash bananas with fork  until the consistency of chunky applesauce and add them to the batter along with 2 eggs, mixing until belnded.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the sifted ingredients to the batter. Add the vanilla extract and mix in chopped walnuts and raisins. 

Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. let the banana bread rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Apparently an avid  Malaysian chef cracks Famous Amos cookie recipe. Her post has been shared on social media. Here I am having a go with the recipe. My verdict-nearly there but not the Famous Amos signature intoxicating smell. The warmth scent of sugar caramelising in the oven along with those toffee notes that makes you eager for cookie!

Ingredients:

• 250g butter
• 1¼ cups brown sugar
• 2½ cups plain flour
• ½ cup corn flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 egg

Method;

In a bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, egg and mix well

Add all remaining ingredients (except chocolate chips) and mix well again.

Finally add chocolate chips into cookie batter and mix again.

Preheat oven to 150ºC/140ºC for fan oven. Coat the baking tray with some butter or line with baking paper. Roll cookie dough into small balls and distance them in the tray.

Bake for 15 mins to 20 mins until cookies turn golden brown.

Biscuity Lime Pie

Found this recipe on BBC Goodfood. Zingy and citrus. The base uses ginger nut biscuits.

Ingredients:

• 300g ginger nut biscuits
• 100g butter, melted
• 3 egg yolks
• 50g castor sugar
• zest and juice of 4 lime
• thin lime slices, optional for decoration
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 397g sweetened condensed milk

Method:

Heat oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist Tip biscuits into a food processor and blitz to crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine. Tip the mix into a fluted rectangular tart tin, about 10cm x34cm or a 20cm round cake tin and press into the base and up the sides right to the edge. bake for 15 minutes until crisp.

While the base is baking, tip the egg yolks, sugar and lime and lemon zest into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until doubled in volume. Pour in the condensed milk, beat until combined, then add the citrus juices.

Pour the mix into the tart case and bake for 20 minutes until just set with slight wobble in the centre. Leave to set completely then remove from the tin, cool and chill. 

Serve in slices topped  with thin lime slices, if you like.

Vegan Cheddar Cheese

Smokey red pepper vegan cheddar cheese. Firm and sliceable and totally delicious on crackers or sandwiches or even grated on pizza

Ingredients:

• 150g raw cashews
• 80ml water
• 5 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 60g tahini
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 medium red pepper, deseeded and chopped, about ¾ cup
• 2½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 15g Nutritional Yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp + ½ tsp agar agar powder

Method:

Add cashews, 80 ml cup water, lemon juice, coconut oil, tahini, soy sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, red pepper, salt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and onion powder to the blender jug. Blend until smooth. Set aside, but do not remove from the blender.

Add 1 cup of water and agar agar powder to a saucepan and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling let it boil for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and pour it into the blender on top of the cheese mix. Blend until smooth.

Working quickly, as it will start to set very fast, pour it out into a round dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Smooth it down and then place it into the fridge to set.

To remove from the bowl, turn it upside down onto a plate.

Vegan Fried Egg

When I heard about vegan fried egg, I wonder how cool is that you can make that ? I think it's absolutely fantastic ! Vegan eggs and vegan egg replacement is something that caught me during the lock-down. Vegan, rejoice! Here is the perfect vegan egg recipe that makes for an egg-cellent breakfast addition.

It taste like egg-it's pretty crazy. The main ingredient that gives the eggs flavour is the black salt, Kala Namak. I had google and searched about this amazing stuff. Can't find in my local Asian shop , had to order online. I read a lot about it before I tried it myself and I couldn't believe in my wildest imagination that it would smell and taste as much as eggs as it actually does!

Ingredients:

For the yolk:

• ¾ cup pumpkin, cut into cube, boiled and drained
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp black salt (kala namak)
• 2 tbsp water
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• pinch of salt

For the egg white:

• ¼ cup coconut milk
• ¼ cup rice flour
• 1 tbsp water
• pinch of salt

Method:

Put the pumpkin into a blender together with the rest of the yolk ingredients and blend until smooth. Separately, in another bowl, combine all the egg white ingredients, stirring until there are no clumps.

Heat a small pan on a medium to high heat and add a teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add 2 tablespoon of the egg white mixture in the center of the pan, cover with a lid for 10 seconds. Next ass 1 tablespoon of the egg yolk mixture to the center of the egg white and cover it with a lid again for about 30 second or until the edges are crispy. 

Ready to serve! Enjoy the egg on top of avocado toast, Malaysia Nasi Goreng and the decadent English breakfast. Here you can see I serve it with Malaysia Curry Laksa with fried tempeh.

Butternut Squash Wellington

The Wellington is absolutely classic British dish.

Traditionally made with beef, this vegan version uses bold colours, wonderful textures and of course delicious flavours.

The hero here is butternut squash! Stuff with mushrooms, walnuts and thyme. Great for Christmas dinner !

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 60g walnuts
• 3 shallots
• 400g chestnut mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6 springs fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 handful spinach
• plant-base milk for glazing
• 2x 320g puff pastry

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC for fan assist oven.

Trim the top of the butternut squash, carefully slice it into half lengthwise, then peel and remove the seeds. Cut off the bulbous part from each half of the butternut squash (where the seeds were) leaving you with two long pieces and 2 bulbous pieces. Roughly chop the bulbous parts and transfer all the butternut squash to a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 30 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven, add the walnuts and roast for another 5 minutes.

Add a drizzle of olive oil to a frying pan on a medium heat. Peel and dice shallots, then add to the frying pan and fry for 8 minutes.

Slice the mushrooms, and peel and dice the garlic. Add both to the frying pan and fry for 10 minutes.

Transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor along with the dijon mustard, generous pinch of salt and pepper, as well as the walnuts and slices of squash from the oven. Process until mostly broken down.

Add the spinach along with a tablespoon to a pan on a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until wilted, then drain any access water from the spinach.

Before assembling the wellington, roll out the first roll of puff pastry onto a large baking tray. Spoon 2/3rd of the mushroom mixture down the middle of the pastry, around 3 inches wide, leaving a couple of inches clear at the top and bottom.

Pop the wilted spinach over the mushroom mixture and place the long roasted pieces of butternut squash on top. Spread the remaining mushroom mixture over and around the butternut squash, filling in any gaps.

Roll out the second puff pastry sheet and place it over the wellington. 

Press down with your fingers to seal the two sheets of pastry together. Trim the excess pastry with a knife  and use a fork to crimp the edges. Then make three cuts on the top of the wellington to allow the moisture to escape.

Brush the wellington with plant-base milk and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Serve with your favourite sides and a good helping of gravy. Enjoy!!!

La Mian ( Hand-Pulled Noodles)

What are hand-pulled noodles ? As the name suggested, hand-pulled noodles are formed by pulling wheat flour dough by hand into long elastic strips. Compared to hand-cut and machine-made noodles, they usually have a more silky, springy and chewy texture. They are always served fresh as pulling and cooking process happens at the same time.

Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 125ml water
• cooking oil for coating the dough

Method:

Mix flour and salt. Add water gradually. Mix with chopsticks/spatula until no more loose flour can be seen. Combine and knead briefly into a dough. Covered and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes. Knead again for about 2-3 minutes until very smooth.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. With a rolling pin, flattened each piece into a rectangle shape, about ½cm thick

Thoroughly coat each piece with oil then place them on a tray. Cover with cling film then leave to rest for 1½ hours.

Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. While waiting, cut the dough. Place one piece of dough on a chopping board. Width-ways, cut into strips, about 1cm wide if making round thin noodles and about 3 cm wide if making flat,wide noodles.

Pick up a strip of dough by holding each end gently. Pull towards opposite directions. The movement should be smooth and consistence.

As your arms move apart, bounce the noodle against the worktop to help it stretch further. Fold the noodle and repeat the movement.

Drop the pulled noodle into boiling water. Repeat the procedure to pull other strips cut from the first piece of dough. Cook 1 minute for thin noodles or 2 minutes for wide noodles. Transfer the noodles to a serving bowl using a pair of chopsticks.

To avoid the noodles sticking to each other, serve immediately. If not serving straight away, you need to briefly rinse the noodles with cold water then add a few drops of sesame oil and stir well. Keep in the fridge up to 2 days. To reheat, bring a pot of water to a full boil. Add the noodles and cook for no more than 30 seconds

Bacon-Wrapped Stuff Pork Tenderloin

Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin stuffed with apples, onions and herbs. Fancy enough for a dinner party and easy to make !!

Everything is better with bacon, right? Instead of tying the stuffed tenderloin together with twine, just wrap it in bacon instead.

Butterfly the pork loin might sound tricky, but in fact just means cutting it down the length partway through. Just careful not to cut all the way through!

Open the butterflied pork loin like a book and then pound it with a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin until slightly flattened. This makes it easier to wrap the tenderloin around the stuffing and hold it closed while you wrap it with bacon.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 small apple, peeled and cut into small dice
• ¼ medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 thick slice bread
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp salt, or more to taste
• ¼ tsp pepper, or more to taste
• 1 pork tenderloin, about 450g to 600g
• 8 to 10 strips of bacon

Method:

Heat the oven to 230ºC/210ºC for fan assist oven.

Making the stuffing: In a skillet over a medium heat, heat the oil. Add apple, onion, rosemary and thyme, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until softened. 

Meanwhile, pulse the bread slices in a food processor until you have make a coarse crumbs. You should have about ½ cup of breadcrumbs

Remove the pan with the onions and apples from the heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs, mustard, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool briefly.

Butterfly the tenderloin, cut a deep lengthwise  silt down the centre of the tenderloin, stopping about ½  inch from the bottom of the roast. Open it up like a book. Cover with piece of plastic wrap, and with a mallet or rolling pin, gently pound it until it is an even thickness.

Spread the stuffing in  a line along the centre of the meat. Bring the edges of the meat together to return it to its original shape. Secure with toothpicks.

Lay out the bacon slices on a cutting board, overlapping them slightly. Place the tenderloin on top with the toothpicks facing up. Removing the toothpicks as you work, wrap the bacon slices around the pork to form a log. Place the tenderloin, bacon seam side down, on a baking sheet.

Roast the tenderloin for 25-30 minutes and the bacon is brown and crisp. If the roasts is ready before bacon browns, place the tenderloin under the grill for 3-5 minutes to brown the bacon.

Let the tenderloin rest for 10 minutes before cutting into slices. Serve with pan juices spooned over top if desired.

Chocolate Flower Cake

I love chocolate flower trend. Fondant flowers are fun, Buttercream flowers are classic. But chocolate flowers feel like a newer, fresher spin on floral desserts !! Chocolate flowers can be as simple or as complicated as you want them to be. I think I first saw them on a blog designed by Erin Gardner. 

The flowers are SO easy! You  will need melted candy coating, a small icing spatula or a clean paint brush and parchment paper to draw triangles in various sizes.

Found the template idea from Erin Gardner. Step by step photo is also courtesy from Erin Gardner. She uses 3 sets of petals fr 8 inch round cake, approximately 2,3, and 4 inches long. For 6 inch round cake she uses 2 sets of petals,size 2 and 3. I have bake an 8 inch and 6 inch round cakes and follows her method  and the cake looks amazing.

Melt candy melts in a small heatproof bowl

Use a small icing spatula or paint brush to spread melted chocolate onto the petal template. Work from the tip to the base of the triangle. Don't worry about getting the petals perfect. This will give you more of  a petaly look.

While the petal is still wet, place it into a bowl to give it shape. Use tape to hold the petal into place while it dries. Repeat with the rest of your petals. It's a good idea to make extra petals in case breakage.while assembling the flower.

Once petals are completely set, peel away the parchment paper. Place the largest petals in a circle on the top of a buttercream iced cake.

Fill a piping bag with a small amount of buttercream. Use the buttercream to attach a second layer of smaller petals on top of the first layer. Repeat with more layer of petals as desired.

Finally, after all the petals are arranges around the cake, finish them off with a bit of frosting and a pretty candy or sugar pearl in the center.

Vegan Nut Roast

A nut roast or roasted nut loaf is a rich and savoury vegetarian/vegan dish consisting of nuts and grains and seasonings formed into a firm loaf shape. Often eaten as alternative to British style roast dinner. This vegan nut roast , which is great served hot for Christmas dinner, or cold for your festive buffet table.

Ingredients:

• 300g mixed nuts, eg: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans or Brazil nuts
• 1 vegan vegetable stock cube
• 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for greasing
• 1 onions, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced, about 100g
• 2 carrots, coarsely grated, about 150g
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 tbsp cashew butter**
• 180g cooked chestnut, broken into small pieces
• 75g dried cranberries
• 20g fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, finely grated zest only
• 4 tbsp soya or almond milk
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Put the nuts and stock cube into a food processor and blitz until chopped into small pieces but not fully ground. If you don't have a food processor, chop all the nuts as finely as you can.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC for fan oven. Lightly oil and line the base of a 900g/2lb loaf tin with baking paper.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion, celery, leek and carrots for 5 minutes or until softened, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds more.

Tip into the mixing bowl and stir in the cashew nut butter**. Add the chopped nuts, chestnuts, cranberries, parsley, lemon zest, soya or almond milk and salt. Season with lots of ground black pepper and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Press down with a spoon firmly to compact the mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for further 20 minutes, or until the loaf is hot throughout and lightly browned.

Remove the tin carefully from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before loosening the edges of the loaf with a table knife and turning out onto a board or platter. Cut into thick slices and serve hot with vegan gravy.

**To make the cashew butter: 240g roasted lightly salted cashews and ½ tsp salt or to taste.

Add the cashews to a blender and blend low for 8-10 minutes or until creamy, scrapping down the sides with spatula as necessary. Add salt, and blend for another 20-30 seconds. Transfer to a jar or airtight container, and store in the fridge.

Moist Banana Cake aka Banana Bread

I always have one or two bananas in a bunch that get too ripe for my liking, so I leave them in anticipation of them getting really speckled. Moist Banana Cake aka Banana Bread should be made with overripe bananas, going black on the outside and soft inside. The more spotty bananas you have, the sweeter it is. 

Transform those overripe bananas into this great loaf cake. This homely and wholesome cake is also light and moist, with the natural sweetness of sticky bananas, the warm toastiness of nuts and tangy-sweet raisins.

Ingredients:

•  3 very ripe bananas
• 115g butter, softened at room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1½ cups plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp banana essence, optional
• 1 cup walnuts
• ½ cup raisins

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Grease a 2lb bread loaf and line the base with a baking paper. 

Lightly roasted walnuts on a pan, stirring continuously so that the walnuts is not burn. Coarsely chop and cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until lightly and fluffy.

Mash bananas with fork until the consistency of the chunky applesauce and add them to the batter along with 2 eggs. Mix until blended. Add the vanilla extract and the banana essence. Blend to mix.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients, nuts and raisin to the wet ingredients.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the banana cake rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.