Kimchi Cheddar Omelette

Not a typical traditional Korean dish. I prepared this omelette dish for my family as we love any kind of omelette, kimchi and cheese. As expected this Kimchi Cheddar Omelette was well received by all of us. 맛있어요 ma-si-sseo-yo!! ^0^

Ingredient (2 servings)

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup Napa Kimchi, roughly chopped
• 3 eggs, beaten (add pinch of salt & pepper)
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar

Method

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 tbsp sesame oil and saute spring onion briefly.
2. Add in chopped kimchi and fry for 2 mins. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Using the same pan, add in remaining sesame oil. Pour in beaten eggs. Cook till the edge is set and middle is still slightly creamy.
4. Sprinkle cheese over the omelette and cover the pan. Turn off stove heat and let it residue heat to melt the cheese.
5. When the cheese has melted, place kimchi mixture over half of the omelette. Fold into half and carefully slide the omelette onto a serving plate.
6. Garnish with more spring onion and chilli flakes before serving.

Recipe ref : tastewiththeeyes.com

Hong Kong Egg Tarts

This is not the first time I've attempted egg tarts. As-at-todate this is the third try and the best looking egg tarts of all for my attempts :D The first two attempts tasted good too (different recipes) but not so nice in appearance hahaha....This time round I managed to get the custard right, smooth and wobbly good! The crust though not perfectly shaped but is fine for me as they are buttery and crumbly good! As egg tart is my kids' favourite pastry, I've doubled the original recipe so that it is enough for their snack and breakfast tomorrow! 

Lining of the small tart case, the cases are rather shallow, so I've followed Annie's tip on 'building' the dough higher over the edge to contain more filling.

Recipe ref : Annielicious Food

Ingredient (approx 15 small tarts and 4 big tarts)

Pastry

• 280gm plain flour
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg white
• 150gm salted butter

Filling

• 150gm fine sugar
• 150gm hot water
• 4 large eggs (I'm using 60gm egg size, try using 'Golden Corn Egg' which will give a deeper golden hue to the custard)
• 200ml fresh milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/8 tsp salt

Method

Pastry

1. Combine butter, sugar, egg yolk and egg white in a mixing bowl. Using a electric mixer, cream the mixture till light and creamy.
2. Add in flour gradually and lightly beat till just combine. Once it is well mixed, using hand to press the mixture together to form a dough. Do not overwork the dough. 
3. Cling wrap the dough and chill in fridge for 10-15 mins.
4. Take the dough out of the fridge. Divide the pastries into equal portions. For my tart cases, small cases I'm using 25gm, large cases using 40gm of dough.
5. Roll individual dough into a ball. Place the dough into tart cases and lightly press out to line the cases.
6. Chill the lined tart cases for at least 30mins before using.

Filling

1. Add fine sugar into hot water and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool down.
2. Beat eggs with milk, vanilla and salt. Pour in cooled sugar water and mix well.
3. Sieve the egg mixture TWICE to achieve smooth egg mixture.
4. Preheat oven to 180 deg cel. When is ready, remove the tart cases from fridge, pour in egg mixture into each tart shells. Bake for 20-25 mins for small tart, 25-30 mins for big tarts. (I've separately baked the small and big tarts 'cos of the difference in baking duration)
5. Cool the egg tarts in mould for 10 mins before unmoulding to serve.

 the small egg tart

 This is the cross-sectioned of the bigger egg tart...a little overbaked, best to stand at the oven at the few 5 mins to monitor the doneness :)

Best Recipes for Everyone May 2015 Event Theme: My Favourite Desserts Organized by Fion of XuanHom's Mom and co-host by  Aunty Young

Pumpkin Pancakes

Good morning to a beautiful Monday and is a holiday! No school and Mummy can laze in bed slightly longer hehehe....Wanna try this beautiful sunshine looking pancakes for your family? Actually I adapted a recipe called potato waffles from Martha Stewart  and I replaced the mashed potato with fresh pumpkin puree. And yes initial plan was to make waffle too but plan flopped hahaha....The pumpkin batter was rather runny and hard to cook in my waffle machine, making rather a mess as it all stuck to the machine >.<" So in the end I cooked the batter into pancakes instead! 

Still trying to master my skill of cooking a nice poached egg, not too bad for this time :) 

golden fluffy pumpkin pancakes dipping in runny yolks...yumz!!

Ingredient

• 350gm peeled pumpkin, steamed & mashed
• 250gm plain flour 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs, separated
• 400ml buttermilk
• 120gm butter, melted

Method

1. Sift flour into a large bowl. Stir in sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the flour evenly
2. Whisk egg yolks, buttermilk and butter together. Pour into flour mixture and stir just till combined. Mix in mashed pumpkin.
3. In another clean bowl, beat egg whites with a electric mixer until stiff peak formed. Fold the meringue into batter.
4. Lightly grease a non stick pan, ladle about 1/4 cup batter and pour into pan. Cook over medium low heat till edge is just set. Flip and cook the other side briefly. Repeat till batter finish. Serve warm with seared asparagus, grilled bacon and poached egg!

This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (Oct 2014 Event: PUMPKIN) organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Mui Mui (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Eileen (Eileen's Diary)

And I'm submitting this post to "My Treasured Recipes #3 - Taste of Autumn (Oct/Nov 2014)" hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House. 

Coconut Waffles (Nom Pum)

I love any food that have coconut flavours in it so does my son :) This coconut waffle is flavoured with coconut milk and fresh grated coconut therefore it tastes good on its own though my boy love smearing lots of butter over it! The texture of the waffles is slightly denser than the usual soft and fluffy traditional waffles but after grilling them for 2-3 mins it transforms! The crust is so crispy and the coconut flavour seems to intense after the grilling process....nom nom nom really addictive and my son actually love it so much that he had this for breakfast and snack till I told him there were no more left in the fridge ^0^

Recipe source : cambokitchen.com
Ingredient 

• 200gm rice flour
• 120gm brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 120ml thick coconut milk
• 3/4 tsp pandan paste (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
• corn oil for greasing

Method

1. Preheat waffle pan.
2. In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, eggs, coconut cream till smooth. Stir in grated coconut. Set aside for 30 mins.
3. Generously brush waffle pan with corn oil. 
4. Using a ladle, scoop batter into heated waffle pan. Cook till waffle is set and browned. 
5. Repeat till all batter are used up. 
6. To serve, grill waffles till crisp on both sides. Serve immediately. Balance waffles can be chilled for 3 days or freeze for a month.

 I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest – IndoChina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks

Baked Eggs in Avocado

Here comes the June school holidays! Besides helping my son to improve on his weaker subjects during this holiday, I've also plan to bring them out for some fun of course....All Work & No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy hahaha...Let's us start this beautiful morning with this lovely breakfast! ^0^

Place the halved avocado snugly in a line baking dish and fill the cavity with whole eggs.

This is how it looks after baking :)

I've made a simple grilled salad (bell pepper, red onions and fresh shiitake mushroom) to serve with the baked avocados :) 

Ingredient (2 servings)

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp lime juice
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Slice avocado in half, remove the pit. Scoop out some of the flesh from the centre of the avocado to create a deeper crater for the eggs.
2. Place the halves avocado snugly in a line baking dish. Sprinkle lime juice over the avocado.
3. Crack eggs in a small bowl. Gently scoop the yolk into the avocado. Fill up the cavity with egg whites. Add pinch of salt & pepper to taste.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 15-20 mins until the egg whites have set.
5. Remove from oven and serve with toast and salad.

Homemade Salted Egg 咸蛋

After patiently waited for one whole month, my homemade salted egg is ready for harvesting!! ^0^ Traditionally salted egg are made using fresh duck eggs, but it is impossible to find any fresh duck eggs in the market here, therefore I've used extra-large chicken egg. Glad that they all turn out better than I've expected.

Day 1 on 11 Jan 2014 which I started the brining process...

Lovely deep orange tone salted egg yolk after 30 days. From the picture below, you will realize the different in size of the egg yolks. I've actually used a couple of small normal chicken eggs, so it is better to use larger chicken eggs so that you can taste more yolks :D The white tasted real salty and the whole egg is infused with the spice flavour, taste different from the usual store-bought duck salted egg. I like it!!

This is how it looked after boiling….taste great with a bowl of piping hot porridge :D 

Recipe source : christinerecipes

Ingredient

• 10 extra large chicken eggs (egg yolk will be relatively small if using small normal chicken eggs)
• 1/2 cup rock salt
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp 汾酒 (or use Shaoxing wine)
• 1 star anise
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

Method

1. Rinse the eggs and drain well. Set aside.
2. Put water and salt in a saucepan. Add star anise and peppercorns. Bring it to a boil. Once the salt has completely dissolves, turn off eat and cool the liquid completely.
3. Pour in wine and stir well.
4. Use a clean glass container, carefully arrange the eggs in the container. Pour the salted water into the container to submerge the eggs.
5. Seal the container tightly and place it in a cool area. The brining process will takes 30-40 days.
6. After 30 days, drain all the eggs and wipe dry. Keep them in fridge to prolong the shelf life.
7. To cook hardboiled salted eggs. Place eggs in a pot of water, bring it to boil and cook on medium heat for 10mins. Drain away water and cool down before serving.

What's these?? Fillings for Liu Sha Bao 流沙包 whereby salted egg yolk is the core ingredient …stay tune for this awfully delicious & sinful Chinese dim sum soon!

Christmas Morning Breakfast

**Merry Christmas Everyone!!**

Let's start the day with this hearty breakfast on this Christmas morning!!

Homemade Soymilk/Tomato Juice

Banana Pancakes with Crispy Bacon & Syrup

Gordon Ramsay's Scrambled Egg

Strawberry & Kiwi

Fluffy and moist banana pancakes top with grilled crispy bacon and sweet maple syrup

Recipe source : Good Food Mag Apr 2013
Banana Pancakes with Crispy Bacon & Syrup
Ingredient (4 servings)

• 8 rashers streaky bacon
• 140gm self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 ripe bananas, 1 mashed, 1 thinly sliced
• 2 large eggs
• 25gm melted butter
• 125ml milk
• Maple syrup

Method

1. Heat grill to high. Arrange the bacon on a baking tray lined with foil. Cook for 5-7 mins until crisp, then turn off the grill, leave the tray inside to keep warm.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and sugar with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and add the mashed bananas, eggs, butter and milk. Whisk to a smooth batter.
3. Heat a little butter in a frying pan. Ladle in small dollops of the pancake batter, put 2 or 3 slices of banana onto the surface of each pancake and cook for 2 mins over a medium heat. Flip the pancakes over and cook for another 1 min, until puff up and golden.
4. Serve the pancakes with the crispy bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup.

This is the best scrambled eggs I've ever made! It is real creamy and soft!

Watch youtube on Gordon Ramsay's Scrambled Egg 

Ingredient (4 servings)

• 6 eggs
• 25gm butter, cold and cubed
• 1 tbsp creme fraiche (I replaced with milk)
• freshly ground black pepper
• chopped chives
• salt to taste

Method

1. Break eggs into a pan and add the butter.
2. Turn on the stove and place the pan over. Using a spatula, stir the egg mixture until it thickens up slightly, remove pan from heat and continue stirring.
3. Repeat the process (on and off from the stove) 3-4 times until the scrambled egg are creamy and fluffy. Mix in creme fraiche, season with salt and pepper and fold in chopped chives.

I am submitting this post to  Cook Your Books #7 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Tamago (Japanese Egg Roll) by HCP

This is my experiment on tamago using Happy Call Pan. I have a smaller rectangle pan just to make this tamago as my kids love it a lot :) I adjusted the amount of eggs used in my previous recipe  just to fit into this larger HCP. It is not that difficult in making this tamago, just need plenty of patience  in the rolling hehehe...hopefully you are able to understand what am I writing on the steps of making the egg roll >.<

Ingredient

• 6 eggs
• 1.5 tbsp sugar
• 3 tsp light soya sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine

Method 

1. Using a chopstick, stir the egg to combine. Do not beat vigorously. Stir in the seasoning. Over stirring will create too much bubbles in the mixture and may result wrinkle omelette.
2. Lightly grease heated Happy Call Pan. Pour some egg mixture into the pan, an even thin layer will do. Tilt the pan to coat the base of the pan evenly. Cover the lid and cook for 1 min or less on low heat till the top is almost set. Roll up the egg to the left side of the pan.
3. Shift the egg roll gently back to the right side of the pan. Pour in some egg mixture over the pan. Using a chopstick, lightly lift up the egg roll and let the raw egg run underneath.
4. When the edge has set, roll up the omelette towards to the left pan again with the help of a chopstick and a spatula if necessary.
5. Slide the egg roll towards to the right side of the pan again. Repeat the steps with the remaining egg mixture.
6. Leave the rolled omelette to cool before cutting in pieces.

Minced Pork Mushroom Rice Set

Flavourful minced pork mushroom rice which my kids adore! They especially love the lava egg! I actually cooked the egg for 2 consecutive days for them hehehe of course for myself also :D This dish is so delicious that I could not stop topping up more rice! 

香菇肉燥饭
Ingredient

• 400gm minced pork
• 30gm dried shitake mushroom, softened and chopped
• 60gm dried shrimps, softened and chopped
• 150gm shallots, chopped
• 50gm garlic, chopped
• 1 piece preserved beancurd
• 2 tbsp chinese wine
• 5 tbsp oil
• 600ml water
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 40gm rock sugar
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp five spice powder

Method

1. Heat oil in wok, sauté shallots, garlic, dried shrimps over low heat until fragrant and golden brown.
2. Add mushroom and stir fry for 2 mins.
3. Add in minced pork, preserved beancurd and wine. Use the spatula to loosen the minced and stir fry over high heat until well combined. 
4. Add in water and seasoning, bring to boil.
5. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 45mins until the flavour has been absorbed. Dish out and serve with hot rice.

Recipe modified from Y3K recipe

Recipe adapted from wokkingmum

Nitamago aka Lava Egg

Ingredient (4 eggs)

• 5 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 3 tablespoon Water
• 3 tablespoon Mirin
• 2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Superior Dark Soy Sauce

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer.
2. Once sugar has melted, let the marinade cool completely.
3. Place 4 lava eggs*  in a zip-loc bag and carefully pour the marinade into it.
4. Carefully squeeze all the air in the zip-loc bag out (ie, no air pockets) so the eggs will be completely in marinade.
5. Marinate overnight.
6. To serve, drain eggs from marinade and cut into half.

Note : Bring a pot of water with a dash of salt, enough to submerge 4 eggs, to rolling boil. Turn down heat, gently place down 4 60gm cold eggs into the hot water, swirl lightly with a spoon. Cook on low heat for 7 mins. Remove from fire and plunge eggs into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Gently crack and peel the shells. 

台式泡菜

Ingredient

• 500gm cabbage, shredded
• 1 small carrot, julienned
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp white vinegar

Method

1. Place shredded cabbage and carrots in a large mixing bowl. Toss in salt and mix well. Set aside for 10mins.
2. Squeeze away excess liquid and place the vegetable in another bowl. Add in chilli, sugar & white vinegar. Mix well.
3. Transfer mixture into a clean glass container. Seal and chill for at least 2 hours for flavours to infuse.

Recipe adapted from '简易泡菜。凉拌菜

Avocado Milk Pudding

When my girl was first introduced to semi-solid food, avocado is one of the fruit she consumed regularly. Now at 33 months she has completely stopped eating mushy smooth puree with cereal for breakfast. So what's for breakfast nowadays? Choices are bread with jam, pancakes, hardboiled eggs, chee cheong fun, steamed buns, carrot cakes, egg tarts, fruits etc etc etc :) I guess if now I give her plain  mashed avocado she will definitely spit out! She does that when I've made some salad with avocado >.< Left with 1 ripen avocado in fridge and thinking what to do with it! Tadah! Again I was looking for inspiration on web and found this interesting milk pudding! 

Smooth and custardy pudding with subtle avocado taste! Both the kiddo managed to finish the small ramekins of this pudding for their breakfast! And the big ramekin?? wiped out by Papa! hahahaha...

Recipe adapted from Xin Shi Pu
Ingredient

• 1 ripen avocado, mashed
• 500gm fresh milk
• 4 eggs
• 70gm sugar

Method

• Combine milk, eggs & sugar and beat till sugar is well dissolved.
• Stir in mashed avocado.
• Strain 3-4 time till mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
• Pour mixture into ramekins and steam bake in preheated oven at 160 deg cel for 50-60 mins, depending on the size of the ramekins, i.e. small ramekins cook through faster whereas large one will take a longer time. Remove from oven and cool completely. Best serve chilled.

I'm submitting your post to Aspiring Bakers #24 (October 2012) : Jellies & Puddings hosted by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

This is awfully GOOD !!! Feel so satisfying by scooping and eating directly from the baking dish >.< Me and my boy just whack off 1/2 of the pudding! 

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson
Ingredient

• 150gm stale bread, cut into 3cm cubes
• 65gm chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 25gm soft brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 85ml double cream
• 300ml milk
• 2.5 tsp demerara sugar

Method

1. Grease a 6" ovenproof dish with butter. Place in bread cubes and toss in chocolate chips evenly.
2. Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, double cream and milk. Pour the mixture over the bread and press down to coat them in the liquid.
3. Leave to soak for 20mins, then sprinkle with the demarara sugar. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 40-50mins until golden brown.
4. Cool down slightly before serving.

I'm submitting your post to Aspiring Bakers #24 (October 2012) : Jellies & Puddings hosted by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House