奶油螃蟹Creamy Buttery female crabs with roes

This is my favorite crabs and I simply love the sauce. I bought the female crabs with roes at NTUC for about $37 for 2kg worth of crabs. This is simply divine and you can eat all you can. I made extra sauce for this recipe so that I can go with rice or breads or mantou. I have tried many times with this recipe and it was proved yummy by my family and relatives.

Ingredients:

 2 kg female crabs with roes
100 gram of butter
1 can evaporated milk
4-6 birds' eye chillies (leave whole and lightly smashed)
4 stalks curry leaves (leaves only)
1 tsp salt
3 pieces of ginger slices
A dash of fish sauce
1 tbsp of white cooking wine
1 1/2 tsp corn flour mix with 1 1/2 tbsp of  water

Garnish

~ chopped spring onions
~ curly crisp lettuce

~ celery

Methods :

~ Wash the crabs clean
~ Heat up wok
~ Add butter , chilli flakes , curry leaves, ginger slices  n fry till fragrant

~ Add in the crabs except the shells

~ Stir fried for till crab turn slightly red

~ Add in white cooking wine and fish sauce
~ Add in a can of evaporated milk
~ Bring to boil and add in the shells
~  Give them a good stir n cover pot
~ Simmer till crabs are cooked n gravy reduced
~ Finally scoop up the crabs and turn big flame.
~ Add in corn starch mixture to thicken the butter sauce till creamy .

~ Pour the sauce on top of the crabs n serve with garnish

~ Pair with rice, breads or mantou.

Special note:

~ For a luxury taste, I use 100g of Doux beurre d'isigny butter last round to try out the taste. It was awesome as well.
~ If  you run out of birds' eye chillies, you can use the about 2  packets of dried chilli flakes from Pizza Hut.



Ham & Cheese croissant top with chia seeds

This is a yummy, quick and easy snacks for the young and old. I am using pampas ready puff pastry to make these croissants. To give it a healthier crunch, I added some black organic chai seeds on top.


Ingredients

~ 5 slices of  round honey baked ham ( cut into half )
~ 5 slices of kraft single cheese ( cut into half )
~ 1 big piece of ready pampas puff pastry
~ Some chia seeds
~ 1 egg lightly beaten

Methods:

 
~ Preheat your oven to 230 degrees
~ Cut the puff pastry with a pizza cutter into triangle shapes
~ Place the ham and cheese on top of the pastry
~ Roll up the pastry together with the fillings.
~ You can brush some egg wash at the end tip to stick the roll together
~ Do a final egg wash on top of the pastry.
~ Top with chia seeds.
~ Bake in oven at 230 degrees for about 15 mins or  till pastry turn golden brown and crispy.
~ Serve warm

Special note:

~ Make sure the puff pastry is still cold when working on it.
~ Oven must be preheated first to get the nice crispy and golden brown look

Another variation that I have done:

Nutella croissants

Crispy potatoes balls

These are breaded potatoes balls which is crispy and yummy.These are a sure hit as an appetizer or an afternoon snack for kids. I managed to eat 1 ball while the rest of the balls "disappeared".

Ingredients:

~ 5 pre-washed potatoes
~ 3 slices of luncheon meats
~ Some Japanese mayo
~ 1 egg lightly beaten
~ 1 cup dry bread crumbs
~ Some chopped green onions
~ 1/4 cup of shredded cheese of your choice
~ Oil for frying

Methods:

~ Chop up the potatoes into small pieces and boiled till soft.
~ Cook the luncheon meats in boiling water to remove any salt.
~ Mashed the potatoes and luncheon meats till all well mixed
~ Add in spring onions, Japanese mayo, shredded cheese and mix well.
~ Cool in the fridge for 2 hours 
~ Roll into balls and dip into the egg mixture follow by the bread crumbs.
~ Fry the potatoes balls a few at a time until golden brown.
~ Remove and drain on paper towels
~ Serve warm with your favorite sauce or eat on its own.


Special note :

~ You can replace with any type of meat you prefer like bacon bits.
~ Fry on medium or low heat as the bread crumbs will turn brown quickly
~  Shredded cheese can be omitted if you like .

Cranberry cream cheese buns

These are my family favorite buns. And they are easy to make and they are so soft and fluffy. There are also methods of using TangZhong to make these breads. But this round, I am using this yogurt recipe shared by my baking buddy Ms Yen Li. I love this recipe as it is easy and soft till next day.

Basic bread dough recipe:

280g bread flour
20g light brown sugar
3g salt
4g yeast
37g egg
30g condensed milk
100g milk
50g strawberry yogurt
28g unsalted butter
30g cranberries

Cream cheese fillings:

125g of cream cheese
30g icing sugar
1tbsp of lemon juice

Methods for the fillings:

Whisk the cream cheese and sugar  and lemon juice together until well combined. Then keep in the fridge for easy wrapping into the buns later.

Methods for the bread dough

~Place everything into the bread maker except the cranberries and mix till well knead and proof for 1 hr. Once ready, take out the dough and punch out the air inside the dough.
~ Divide into individual dough about 45-50g each and add in some cranberries(4-5) inside each dough. Roll into round ball and rest for about 15 min covered in cling wrap.
~ Then flatten each dough with a rolling pin and add in about 1 -1.5 tablespoonful of cream cheese into the center of the dough.
~ Wrap up the dough and pinch tightly with your finger tips. Roll into nice round ball and slightly flatten them with your palm.
~ Proof the balls for about 45min to 1 hour on baking sheets.
~ Bake in oven at 170 degrees for 10 -15min, then flip over the buns and bake for another  10-15 min till both sides of the buns turn brown in colour.



Special Note:

~ Egg wash is not required for these buns.
~ If you have excess cream cheese, you can pipe round the top of the buns to give it a nice swirl.
~ Extra cranberry can be cut into nice heart shape and place on top of the buns.



Original recipe is adapted and modified from:http://siewhwei80.blogspot.sg/2013/03/blog-post_23.html#more

Baked cheesy cauliflower bites

Want some vegetables snacks for kids ? Try out this yummy baked cheesy cauliflower bites! Taste really yummy and the best part is that your kids will gain the hidden nutrients in side these yummy snacks.
Among the cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower is something you might want to add to your regular diet. Cauliflower consumption has been studied for its cancer-preventing potential and antioxidant properties. Cauliflower contains many nutrients, making it an excellent addition to any diet. More information can be found here : http://www.3fatchicks.com/5-health-benefits-of-cauliflower/


Ingredients

2 eggs
45g, 1.5oz Cauliflower
40g Mozzarella grated cheese ( or any of your desired ones)
1 tsp of Italian herbs 
A dash of Paprika powder
Oil for greasing the muffin pan

Sauce

I mixed some wasabi, mayo and cheddar cheese sauce to go with this bites.

Methods

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Cook the cauliflower in boiling water for 4 minutes (or use leftover cauliflower).  
Crack the eggs and add in the cheese. Mix well.
Grease a mini muffin tin.
Once the cauliflower is cooked, drain and cool with cold water. I grind the cooked cauliflower into smash and mixed into the egg and cheese.  Put into the wells of the mini muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes or until puffed up, golden and cooked through.

Note: If you do not have a grinder, you may chopped up the cooked cauliflower as well.

Original recipe and modified from : http://www.britmums.com/2013/05/cauliflower-bites-finger-food-for-toddlers/

Heart in a Valrhona chocolate cupcakes

This is a yummy chocolate cupcakes using vegetables oil and valrhona cocoa powder. For the heart shaped, I just baked a regular sponge cake and cut out using heart shaped cutters.
This cupcakes recipe is shared by my baking group buddy Jasmine which she modified from Ina Garten. They are so soft and you just cannot resist the aroma of chocolate. You can also omit the heart shape sponge cake and make it a chocolate cupcakes and top with frosting of your choice. Below I am sharing the recipe on the chocolate cupcakes only.

Ingredients:

120g buttermilk
55g vegetable oil
1 extra -large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
110g cake flour
195g caster sugar
46g valrhona cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 fine salt
1/2 freshly brewed hot coffee

Methods:

Combine the buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla extract into the mixing bowl and mix well.
In another bowl , combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda ,baking powder, and salt , mix well.
Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture in 2-3 batches and mix till incorporated.
Gradually add in the coffee and mix till just combined
Pour the batter into the cupcakes liner till 3/4 full
Baked in a preheated oven at 170degrees for 20 mins or until the stick come out clean when inserted in the middle of the cupcakes.
Let them cool completely before frosting and serve.

For those who are interested to take the challenge to insert the heart shape into the cupcakes, you can refer to these links below for more information. Have fun!!!!

http://madewithloveby.me/2011/03/how-to-bake-a-heart-into-your-cupcakes/
http://bakeitinacake.com/recipes/heartinacupcake

Mangoes with Sticky Rice ( Mamuang Khao Nieo)

Thai cuisine is rich in sweets and desserts but they are not always served after a meal. They are often reserved for banquets , special meals and festive occasions. The usual finale to a meal in Thailand is a platter of fresh fruit ( Ponlamai) , artistically arranged and often skillfully carved into decorative shapes. The simplest of them all, Classic mango with sticky rice , is hard to beat ! It's the perfect finale to a Thai feast and will have your guests begging for more.

This easy recipe is adapted from Thai cooking class cookbook by Somi Anuntra Miller & Patricia Lake

Ingredients:


375g freshly made cooked sticky rice
1 Cup (250ml ) thick coconut milk
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Teaspoons salt
4 Tablespoons coconut cream, skimmed from top of coconut milk
Roasted sesame seeds to garnish
6 large ripe mangoes, peeled, halved


Methods:
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring coconut milk, sugar and salt to a boil, lower heat and simmer until milk thickens, about 4-5 minutes.

Pour the mixture carefully over sticky rice, fluffing up rice with fork and allowing coconut mixture to trickle through but not" drown" the rice.( otherwise it will becomes too soggy and you lose the lovely translucent quality of the sticky rice.

Allow rice to stand for 10 min, then turn out in any mold ( I am using star shaped mold)  you like on a serving plate.
Garnish with thick coconut cream and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Slice managoes and arrange around the sticky rice.

Enjoy !

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How to make Sticky rice ( Khao Nieo)


200g glutinous sticky rice
water, for steaming

Methods:

Rinse rice several times until water runs clear. Soak in water for 12 hours or overnight.
Drain.
Line a saucepan steamer or bamboo basket with cheesecloth . Put rice in the steamer and steam for 45 minutes until rice is tender and translucent. Remove from heat and fluff up with a fork.