Indonesian Spiced Chicken Soup (Soto Ayam Kudus)

The recipe is from my mum whom originally from Kudus - a small city in Central Java
This city has the most authentic soto ayam ever - hence the name 'Soto Ayam Kudus'
Singapore does have its own version which is slightly different in taste

What you need:

For the soup:

1 tsp coriander seeds - pounded

5 shallots, 2 cloves of garlic - cut

4 candlenuts - cut thinly

yellow ginger (approx thumb size) - put directly on fire for a fe minutes til the skin slightly burnt, off heat, let cool and peel the skin, wash clean and pound lightly

All the ingredients above to put in food processor til forming smooth paste

Heat a little oil on frying pan, pour in the paste, add in 3 tbsp of thick coconut milk and 6 tbsp of water - mix well and simmer for approx 5minutes

Boil a pot of water with 1 chicken breast and pour the fried paste above - mix well, bring to boil and simmer for 30minutes, off heat

Take out the cooked chicken and tear apart to thin cut - set aside

Prepare and set aside:

*2 handful of beansprout - blanched

*2 handful of bean vermicelli (tunghoon) - soaked in hot water to soften

*3 eggs - hard boiled and cut

*fried onion (I bought packed ready to eat)

*fried garlic (I cut thinly 10 cloves of garlic and fry in a lot of oil on low heat til golden in color)

*2 large lime - cut

*fresh coriander - cut small

*dark sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)

For chilli sauce:

5 large red chillies - blanched and cut

salt, sugar

===> Pulse two times (not so smooth)

This makes a non spicy chilli sauce, to add the spiciness you may add 2 bird eye's chillies

How to eat...

On a serving plate, arrange rice, tunghoon, chicken, eggs, beansprout

Pour the soup over

Sprinkle with fried onion, fried garlic, fresh coriander cut, a dash of juice from the lime cut, and kecap manis

Mix everything and add chilli sauce

Best to eat with prawn crackers or any other cracker

If you see in the pic above, I made quail egg on stick

That is so yummy when you eat together with the soup

This is how to prepare:

===> Boil quail eggs for 10minutes approx, drain and peel

In a small pot, boil the peeled eggs together with 2 crushed cloves of garlic, water, palm sugar, a little tamarind sauce (I mixed seedless tamarind with a little water), salt, and dark sweet soya sauce (if not dark enough)

Bring to boil and simmer for  15minutes - off heat and leave the mixture on the pot

Only drain when it's time to consume

Best to prepare a day before to get the perfect taste

This soup is also excellent to eat with bergedil (we Indonesians call it 'perkedel')

A lot of preparation but it's all worth it :)

Cheesy Stuffed Crust Pizza

Made this pizza I love - usually I bought from Pizza Hut, this time I tried to make myself
Not as pretty, but very very happy with the taste :)

Before baking...

After baking...see the mozzarella cheese are everywhere - should name it 'dotty pizza' instead :)

See my hubby pull the cheesy crust - yum!

One slice is not enough :P

The pizza base recipe is from HERE - nice and soft!

I used Prego pasta sauce, topping it up with sliced breakfast ham, button mushrooms, grated parmesan cheese, grated cheddar cheese, and finally - grated mozzarella cheese

What I did for the pizza crust, I sprinkled the 3 cheese combo - grated cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella all around the edges

I rolled the dough away from me til the cheese hidden inside and made several cuts all around the edges with approximately 5cm distance each

I twist each part 90deg pointing outwards - do the same to the rest

Do not overbake or else the crusts will be hard

Very cheesy indeed! :)

I'm submitting this cheesy pizza to Aspiring Bakers #8 June'11 Bread Seduction hosted by Jasmine from The Sweetylicious at this LINK

Rolled Crepes With Coconut Filling (Kueh Dadar Intih)

Remember my coconut buns?
I still had some leftover coconut filling, and decided to make kueh dadar intih
In Indonesia, we call it 'dadar gulung' (gulung means - rolled)

My coconut filling was white in color whereas usually this snack has brown coconut filling (done with palm sugar)
But, it's only color - taste is just as yummy so I just proceeded :)
Found some several recipes, then decided to try Hesti's (yes, again! ^_^)
Thanks Hesti for the yummy recipe and also the tips :)

Yes I know, I gotta practise in the rolling part :P

The coconut filling I made was initially for buns filling so it's a little more moist than the normally coconut filling for kueh dadar 

What you need: (modified a little)

150g plain flour

1 egg

150ml water

125ml coconut milk (I used Kara)

1/4tsp salt

1 tbsp sweet condensed milk

1 tbsp butter - melted

1 tsp pandan paste

Mix all the ingredients above

Heat flat non stick pan, spoon 1/4cup of batter into the pan and tilt the pan around to form a circle - flip and cook the other side

Once cooled, fill with coconut and roll

Note:

To achieve the perfect texture (with perforated holes on the crepes), make sure the pan is real hot when pouring the batter and immediately turn it to low heat - mantain at low heat throughout cooking process

The thickness of the crepes has to be just nice - too thin, it can burn very easily when cooked - too thick, it can break during rolling

It all depends on the batter - the thicker the batter is, the thicker crepes you'll get, the thinner the batter is, the thinner the crepes

I love this snack - love love love! :)

Next time, I will use the original recipe for the filling - definitely will be much yummier :)

Titi Noodles (Mie Titi)

Very unusual and never heard name I guess, for those non Indonesian
In fact, I didn't even know about this dish' existence til I met my hubby
This noodle dish is originally from Makassar - a city at Southern Sulawesi province in Indonesia, the city where my hubby was born
My in law always cook this dish everytime visiting us - and we all love it :)

What you need:

a packet of ready to eat dried noodle (easily found in supermarkets)

3 cloves of garlic - crushed

1 small onion - chopped

1 chicken breast - diced

8 fried fishballs - cut

6 chicken livers - each cut into 2

6 chicken gizzards - each cut into 2

10 medium prawns - peeled, deveined and cut into 2

10 medium button mushrooms - cut into 4 (I use 1/2 of a big can)

2 carrots - thinly sliced

1 pack of xiao bai chai - cut into 3 parts

some large limes - cut

oil, salt, pepper, water, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, corn flour mixed with water

To marinade chicken: cooking wine, salt, pepper, soya sauce, cornflour

Marinade chicken and set aside - leave for 30minutes

Heat oil on the frying pan, stir fry onion followed by garlic til fragrant

Add in chicken, prawns, fishballs, mushrooms, carrots and water - in that order

Followed by oyster sauce, fish sauce, drops of sesame oil, salt, pepper

Stir well til all cooked - bring to boil

Add in chicken livers and gizzards - stir well

Add in xiao bai chai - mix well, followed by cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce

Adjust the  taste and thickness, off heat

Arrange dried noodle on the serving plate

Pour the mixture on top,  drizzle with cut large lime - mix well

Eat with bottled chilli sauce

Another option that my in law also does is by using beehoon (rice vermicelli)

Bring a pot of water to boil, and boil beehoon til soft

Heat oil on frying pan, and fry beehoon til crisp

This is also yummy but I am always scared everytime seeing how the beehoon absorps all the oil on the pan - after frying, the pan can turn dry - all oil are gone!

Also, many used normal (not fried) fishballs and also beefballs - another option which I didn't do as my kids don't really like beef balls

The recipe above can feed 4 hungry monsters! :)

Mine still have some leftover after 4 of us had our meal, and it's only finished after my hubby & I had it for lunch :)

Below is the cost (approx)...

dried noodles - pack of 4 = $2.50

garlic + onion = $0.50

chicken breast = $1.70

fishballs = $1.50

livers + gizzards = $2

prawns = $2.50

button mushrooms = $1.20

carrots = $1

xiao ba chai = $1

large limes = $0.50

others - from my existing stock approx $1

total  = $15.40

I am submitting this post to [June $20 Budget Meal - Noodle] host by Ellena of Cuisine Paradise at this Link HERE.

Pan Fried Fish In Plum Sauce

This is another super yummy dish you gotta try!

What you need:

1 seabass (approx 700g) - I cut into 2parts

3 cloves shallots - shredded

Marinade the fish with:

salt, pepper

(make sure to clean the fish first and then pat dry with kitchen towel)

Seasonings:

3 tbsp juice of a lemon

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp plum sauce

3 cloves of garlic - chopped

2 small green chillies (I used bird's eye chillies) - chopped

1 large red chilli - chopped

oil for frying

Marinade fish - set aside for a few hours

Heat oil on the frying pan (around half of the height of the fish)

Pan fry til golden brown on both sides (low heat) - first side to fry is around 10minutes and then turn  and fry another 5minutes on the other side (cover the pan)

Combine well seasonings amd pour over the fried fish - scatter over the shredded shallots

Heat a little oil and drizzle over the fish

Coconut Buns

Bread again! :)
Something that I've also been craving lately - coconut!
And it's not easy to find buns with coconut filling here in Singapore
Found the recipe here

Another soft and fluffy recipe :)

What you need:

 

250g bread flour

40g castor sugar

1/2 tsp salt

7g instant yeast

24g butter

11g shortening

1 tsp condensed milk

1 small egg

115g water

For the filling:

100g fresh grated coconut

100g caster sugar

100g butter

1 egg

---> To make the filling, mix all the above ingredients  well. To achieve the correct consistency, pinch the mixture and if it holds, you are on the way to a great bun

Using desiccated coconut might make a dry mixture, you may add evaporated milk - 1 tsp each time til the right consistency achieved

Using breadmaker:

Pour in egg, water and condensed milk - followed by flour, sugar, salt, and lastly yeast

Set to dough programme, after 5 minutes kneading add in butter

The programme is 1hr 30mins

After dough is ready, punch out and take it out from the pan, knead for awhile to release the air bubble

Leave for 5minutes

Divide the dough into 6 mounds

How to assemble the buns...

Original recipe made such a lovely fan shape buns with pandan leaf strings used

I - as u all know, don't belong to the category of those capable in this hehe...not yet :P

So, I didn't use any pandan leaf string

I just followed the instruction from flatten the mound, put 2tbsp of filling in the middle, wrap the filling

Flatten the filled dough gently til the size of your palm, fold to semi circle, fold again to quadrant

Use a dough cutter to cut into 2 wedges - for this part, I didn't cut all the way, only 3/4

Turn each wedge up by 90deg, coconut filling facing up, and then I laid the shaped dough on the greased pan

(can anyone tell me what shape I made actually, from looking at the pic above hehe...)

Second proofing for approx 30-45mins or til doubled in size

Meantime, preheat oven to 190degC

Eggwash them just before putting in the oven (with a mixture of egg + fresh milk)

Bake for approximately 12minutes or til golden brown

Brush with butter while still hot

Note:

Bun tastes best when warm. As the filling is made with coconut, keep unconsumed buns chilled to prevent the coconut from going bad

I'm submitting these coconut buns to  Aspiring Bakers #8 June'11 Bread Seduction hosted by Jasmine from The Sweetylicious at this LINK

Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting

I have been having this craving for cinnamon and the first thing came into my mind was cinnamon rolls :)
Found this recipe in Hesti's site - again :)
Many cinnamon rolls recipe that I found but this one recipe attracted me to give a try - I guess cos of the cream cheese frosting and also the very positive review I read in the post
Hesti, you're right! These rolls are soooo yummy!!! Seriously!
Thanks alot - again, for sharing this wonderful recipe! Hope you will not get bored visiting my blog if in the future it looks like reading your own blog archive *grin*

Before topping up with cream cheese frosting - my hubby tried one and he said it's already good enough! :)

With cream cheese frosting - it's heaven! :)

Soft & fluffy texture - even on the next day

What you need:

250g bread flour

250g all purpose flour

100g sugar

2 tbsp full cream milk powder

9g instant yeast

1 tsp bread improver

70g butter

1 tsp salt

1 egg yolk, 1 egg

250ml warm water

Using breadmaker:

Pour water, all eggs followed by flour, sugar, milk powder, improver, salt and lastly - yeast

Set to dough and after 5 minutes kneading, add in butter

The process is 1hr 30mins incl proofing

Cinnamon filling:

(I modified a little)



100g soft butter

100g soft brown sugar

5 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

---> Rub in everything till well mixed

For cream cheese frosting:

3 tbsp cream cheese

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tbsp icing sugar

3 tbsp  fresh milk

---> Whisk everything til smooth

After dough is ready, punch and take out from the pan, knead for a while to release the air bubbles

Flatten with rolling pin and spread with cinnamon filling

Roll the dough away from you like rolling a swissroll

Cut the dough rolls and arrange with a little distance in the greased pan

Proof til doubled in size - approximately 30minutes

Bake in preheated oven of 200degC for 12-15minutes or til golden brown

Pour cream cheese frosting with spoon while the rolls are still hot and let it set

This is purely yummy - especially with a cup of hot earl grey tea! :)

I'm submitting this cinnamon rolls to  Aspiring Bakers #8 June'11 Bread Seduction hosted by Jasmine from The Sweetylicious at this LINK

Fried Ham & Cheese Bread Balls (Bitterballen Roti Tawar)

So happy to find another great recipe for leftover white bread - this is really another superb alternative if you just dun feel like eating bread pudding :)

Found the recipe at Hesti's site - another avid talented Indonesian food blogger with numerous wonderful recipe - I always drool a pail everytime visiting her blog :)
So glad to know she does participate in this month's AB event too :)

Crisp on the outside, soft in the inside

1 recipe yields 30 balls - gone in an hour - very very positive feedback from the whole family - thks, Hesti! :)

Originally this snack does not use bread, but instead potatoes
This Dutch influenced snack is very popular in Indonesia but in Dutch itself, the recipe only uses flour, no potato or bread used

Those with bread make more bouncy fluffy kind of balls rather than those with potatoes which make more dense type - but both are yummy :)

What you need: (modified to my preference)

50g margarine

1/2 onion - chopped

70g ham, cut small

50g plain flour

6 white bread - use only the white part

200ml warm fresh milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

50g grated cheddar cheese

oil to fry

For coating:

4 egg whites. lightly beaten

200g japanese breadcrumb

Blend milk and bread til smooth, set aside

Heat margarine on the pan, stir fry onion til fragrant and soft - off heat

Add in ham and plain flour, stir well til forming lumps

Add in the bread+milk mixture, stir til smooth

Add in salt, pepper, nutmeg, cheese - mix til well incorporated

Form 1 tbsp of the batter to balls, dip into the breadcrumbs, eggwhites then breadcrumbs again

Heat alot of oil til real hot, fry the balls til golden brown - keep on rolling the balls to get even color

Eat with bottled chilli sauce

Absolutely delicious! :)

Father's Day Bakings - Cake & Bread 4Hubby

Today is Father's Day - Happy Father's Day to all daddies out there, hope u all had a great time today :)

As for my kids' daddy, he requested for orange pound cake - he loves pound cake :)
That's great cos I have some oranges sitting in the fridge still untouched

Here it is....I made this cake before - recipe is from HERE
As yummy and delicious as before, especially with a cup of coffee or tea :)

And I also baked a heart shaped chocolate and strawberry bread

Recipe is from HERE
I divided the dough into 2 - one mixed with 1 tsp chocolate paste, and the other one mixed with 1 tsp strawberry paste (I kneaded each in the breadmaker for 5minutes til the color is even)
I rolled each dough to long thick strips - I arranged the chocolate dough outside and strawberry inside (I used heart shape pan)
Egg wash and bake in preheated oven of 180degC for approx 15minutes
Brush with margarine while still hot

Mmmm...the heart shape inside does not look like how a heart shape supposed to be huh? *grin*

Just like before, this recipe made a soft fluffy bread - now with a hint of chocolate and strawberry taste
But I personally still find the taste a lil too plain so I spread some raspberry jam or nutella - YUM! :)
See the bottom picture below, I cut it like a slice of cake hihihi....

I just wished my dad were here with me so he could taste them too

Too bad he's not in town for now :)

I'm submitting this hearty bread to Aspiring Bakers #8 June'11 Bread Seduction hosted by Jasmine from The Sweetylicious at this LINK

Thai Style Steamed Fish

This dish is not only healthy but oh so yummy that even my dear Ian never complained eating it with rice only, this lil boy who usually runs away whenever seeing steamed fish on his plate :)
I know my pic below didn't justify the yumminess of this dish - believe me, it's really delicious - so refreshing and tasty :)

What you need:

1 sea bass (approx 500g)

salt to rub the fish

stalks of spring onion

ginger slices

Dressing:

2 tsp chopped red chillies (I used large chillies)

1 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tbsp minced garlic

3 tsp sugar

3 tbsp juice of a lemon

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 cup hot chicken stock

Clean fish and pat dry.  Rub salt on fish, place on a steaming dish on top of stalks of spring onion lined up and ginger slices scattered

Bring water in the steamer to a boil. Steam fish over high heat for 12minutes or til cooked

Remove and pour away the steaming liquid

Combine garlic, chillies, coriander and the rest of the dressing seasonings. Drizzle over the fish and steam again for about a minute. Remove

Scatter over coriander sections to serve

Chicken Buns, Sausage Buns

Time for savoury buns :)
Initial plan was chicken buns, but with some extra dough, I managed to add some sausage buns too :)

With generous chicken filling :)

With sausage filling

Love the texture of the buns and how the chicken taste oh so good with them
The sausage was a little too plain for me, I guess I will add something else next time, perhaps mayonnaise or something - anyhow, all gone pretty fast without any complain :)

Recipe for the buns can be viewed HERE
And for the chicken filling, the recipe can be viewed HERE (the one used for omelette filling but I changed to chicken)
As for the sausage, I just used normal frozen chicken sausage - the whole piece :)

I'm submitting these buns to  Aspiring Bakers #8 June'11 Bread Seduction hosted by Jasmine from The Sweetylicious at this LINK

Cheesy S'mores Mini Swiss Rolls

Remember my cheesy s'mores whoopie pies? I still have the cream cheese filling and the chocolate ganache sat prettily in the fridge
Such a waste if I don't finish them up

As a new member of NCC Indonesia I'm so keen in participating in their event - right now it's all about swissroll
So here it is - my cheesy s'mores mini swissroll :)

Chocolate swissroll recipe is from Hesti's site - soft and yummy :)
Since I don't have the pan with the size suggested by her - 28x28x3cm, I used my cookie pans - 25x25x2cm - divided the batter into 2
That explained why I had those 2 long mini swissrolls :)
It was such an experience - knowing it's only my second attempt on swissroll - the cakes were so thin I was so scared they could torn into pieces during handling - I was lucky they didn't
I could actually just pour everything into 1 pan if I prefer not so mini roll :)
And I was even luckier to be able to roll them without any crack whatsoever :P

What you need:

8 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
100g caster sugar
30g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
10g milk powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
85g melted butter
1/2 tsp chocolate paste

For filling:
marshmallow fluff mixed with cream cheese - recipe here

Topping:
chocolate ganache (recipe can be viewed at the same link for the filling above)
graham crackers crumbs

Preheat oven to 190degC
Grease pan with butter and top with parchment paper (I used 25x25x3cm - 2 of them for making mini rolls, normal size roll will be best to use 1 pan with size of 28x28x3cm)
Sieve plain flour, cocoa powder, milk powder and baking powder together - set aside
Beat eggs, salt and sugar on high speed til ribbon stage and doubled in volume
Add in sieved flour mixture - fold in gradually slowly till well mixed
Mix melted butter and chocolate paste in small bowl
Add in the butter mixture in the batter - fold in gradually slowly till well mixed
Pour batter on the pan(s)
Bake for approximately 8minutes for mini rolls (a little longer for normal roll)
(the surface should not be dry - spring to the touch, if overbake it can crack during rolling)
Let cool on cooling rack

After cooled, transfer the cake on parchment paper, and spread the filling
After done with the filling, roll the cake using the paper away from you, tighten it and keep the roll in the paper for 10 minutes or so, after that open the paper
Spread chocolate ganache on top of the roll and sprinkle graham crackers crumbs on top

Braised Meesua With Chicken & Greens In Abalone Sauce

I saw this recipe in Mind Your Body insert last week, looks yummy, and indeed this is really yummy and best of all - simple to make, of course not to forget - it's healthy too :)

What you need:

( I modified quite a bit to suit my family liking - the original recipe would taste too bland for me - of course will be way healthier than my version hehehehe...)

200g meesua - blanch in hot water to soften

100g chicken breast

4 cloves of garlic - crushed

1 pack of chyesim - cut and blanch in hot water

canola oil spread, water, sesame oil, light soya sauce, cooking wine, abalone sauce

Heat canola oil spread in the frying pan, stir fry garlic til fragrant

Add in water, bring to boil

Transfer half of the soup to a small pot and add in a pinch of chicken stock powder

Add in softened meesua to the remainig soup - mix well

Set aside

Marinade the chicken with sesame oil, light soya sauce and cooking wine

After cooked, transfer the chicken + the stock to a frying pan - simmer and adjust the taste if necessary

Continue to simmer til the stock only left a lil bit

Let cool - shred the chicken

Arrange meesua in serving plate / bowl - mix well with a few drops of sesame oil and abalone sauce

Top up the meesua with shredded chicken and blanched chyesim

Pour a lil soup on top

Eat while still hot and for me, I eat with bottled chilli sauce too

Yummy!

The recipe above is for family of 4 - below is the cost (approx)...

meesua = $1

chicken = $1.50

chyesim = $1

abalone sauce = $3

others = my existing stock around $1

total = $7.50

I'm submitting this dish to  June $20 Budget Meal - Specific Ingredient is "Noodle" at this LINK

I am submitting this post to [June $20 Budget Meal - Noodle] host by Ellena of Cuisine Paradise at this Link HERE.

Rolls With Nutella & Apricot Jam

I love baking bread, but my hands is far from talented when it comes to bread shaping, that's why if you notice, my bread are all with boring shapes *grin*
My favorite is rolls, easy and look nice hehe...just flatten the dough, spread the filling and roll :)
So, here it is - again, but this time I made with nutella and apricot jam fillings  :)

Soft texture til the next day...

Recipe for the bread base is from HERE

For the nutella filling, I brushed the top with mixture of beaten egg and fresh milk
For the apricot jam filling, I used apricot jam that has been put in microwave for 30 seconds and strained to get a smooth thick liquid

Yummy combination - when you think you have enough with the chocolatey nutella, you move to the tangy version of apricot - perfect with a cuppa! :)
As for how it looks - as boring as can be - whats most important for me is the whole family enjoy eating them :)

I'm submitting these buns to Aspiring Bakers #8 June'11 Bread Seduction hosted by Jasmine from The Sweetylicious at this LINK

Cheesy S'mores Whoopie Pies

LBT #6 challenge for this month is something that has been highly raved by many food bloggers especially in the US lately - was about to give it a try when I saw the announcement of the challenge - great timing!

So, here it is.... I made S'mores whoopie pies, but I found the marshmallow filling was too overly sweet, so I added cream cheese and it worked well! I know it's not the same kind of S'mores people know, but as long as I like it and the family does too :P
Idea is from HERE

Texture is perfect! Pillowy soft and fluffy, taste supper yummy! Especially with the cheesy filling - as you know, chocolate and cheese will never go wrong! :)

What you need:

***For the cake:

(adapted from Ricke - one of the host for LBT)

I found this recipe does suit my liking much more than the original recipe where I got the idea from....

125g unsalted butter

200g brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

280g plain flour

40g cocoa powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

250ml buttermilk

Preheat oven to 180degC

Sieve together baking soda, cocoa powder and salt

Beat in high speed butter and brown sugar til doubled in volume

Add in egg, vanilla (low speed)

Still in low speed, add in flour mixture alternatively with buttermilk - mix well

Drop 1 tbsp for each pie (I used lightly greased muffin tray)

Bake for 10minutes approximately (do not overbake otherwise it'll become chewy cookies)

Transfer on cooling rack til cool completely

***For the filling:

(recipe is from Martha Stewart)

Marshmallow fluff:

*2 egg whites

*1/3 cup sugar

*1/8 tsp (half of 1/4 tsp) cream of tartar

*1/2 tsp vanilla extract

===> Place egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a pan, cook over low heat - whisk continuously til sugar dissolved and the mixture are warm to the touch - around 3 to 4minutes

Transfer to mixer bowl and beat starting from low speed, gradually increaing to high, til stiff and glossy - around 5 to 7minues

Add vanilla, and mix well until combined

To add the marshmallow fluff with 250g cream cheese - diced - beat in low speed til completely mixed and smooth

***For the topping:

2.5 ounces semi sweet chocolate - chopped

1/4 cup heavy cream

===> Heat cream in small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to just a boil, cos if it boils for too long, it'll boil out of pot - so pls watch carefully

When it has come to a boil, pour over the chocolate, and allow to sit for a few mins. Whisk til smooth

***graham crackers crumbs / chcolate wafer crumbs for garnish (the latter one doesn't represent the real s'mores but who cares, it's nice!)

To assemble:

Pipe filling on the flat sides of the half of the cakes

( I skipped this step: use kitchen torch to lightly toast the marshmallow filling)

Top each with one of the remaining cakes - flat side down

Place ganache on top of each whoopie pie and spread in circular pattern, sprinkle with graham crackers crumbs - let it set up

I keep them in the container in the fridge, best eaten when you let it back to the room temperature - or else can microwave for 30 seconds

I enjoy eating this pies...so many other kind of variations that you can think of will do just awesome

Think about lemon and lemon cheese filling.... pandan and cheese filling... green tea and red beans filling... etc...etc.... :P

Chewy Balls In Peanut Sauce (Cilok) - A Traditional Snack From Bandung - West Java, Indonesia

I never know about this snack til a few years ago when I visited Bandung - recommended by my sis whom lived there at that time, it's a savoury tasty chewy balls eaten with peanut sauce - mostly sold by street vendors

Why the name is Cilok?
CILOK stands for aCI dicoLOK
Aci means sago flour in Sundanese language (native in West Java) - sago flour is the main ingredient used
Dicolok means poked - cos how the people eat these balls is by poking it with skewer (like satay skewer)

I saw this made by some LBT members, made me having that instant craving :)

It's actually very similar to glutinuous rice balls with sweet fillings sold here in supermarket, but this is the savoury version without any filling, but instead dip into peanut sauce before you eat it...

Thanks to Ricke - the recipe is a comfort to those Indonesians living far away from hometown :)

What you need:

200g sago flour (or tapioca flour)
200g all purpose flour
2 cloves of garlic - crushed til smooth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chicken stock powder
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 stalks of spring onion (cut - use only the green part)
400ml water

enough water to boil the balls

Mix and sieve sago and all purpose flour - add in spring onion, set aside
Heat water on medium fire, add in salt, chicken stock powder and pepper - bring to boil, off heat
Add in the chicken stock (still hot) to the flour mixture - mix with wooden spoon
Keep kneading with spoon til elastic and can be shaped into balls (if still too dry can add a little more water OR while pouring the stock you feel it's elastic enough, no need to finish the stock)
Boil a pot of water
Shape the dough into balls and put in the boiling water
Leave them inside the pot til all floating - after all floating, leave it to simmer for 15minutes
Drain the water, arrange in steaming plate, steam for approximately 20minutes on high heat

How to make the peanut sauce:

What you need:
(this recipe is from my mum)

75g ground fried peanut
5 candlenuts - fry without oil til a little golden brown (not too brown cos it'll be bitter)
1 large red chilli
1 tbsp vinegar
200ml warm water, salt, sugar, sweet dark soya sauce (kecap manis)

Blend til smooth ground peanut, candlenuts and chilli - put in a pot
Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook over low heat til boiling
Add in a little sweet dark soya sauce and stir while simmering til thicken

Ricke's recipe for the peanut sauce is just as nice:

What you need:

250g ground fried peanut
2 large red chillies
3 cloves of garlic - cut
2 lime leaves - torn
1/2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp lime juice (from large lime)
500ml water

Blend chillies and garlic til smooth
Heat a little oil on frying pan, stir fry garlic, chillies, lime leaves til fragrant, add in water - mix well
Add in ground peanut, followed by salt and sugar, mix well
Bring to boil and stir continuously - it will be thickened
Add in lime juice, mix well - off heat

Note about this cilok:

***Original recipe - they don't use plain flour, instead they use all sago flour, I tried before, the balls turned out so chewy that after eating a few, my jaw hurts *grin*

***Besides peanut sauce, normal bottled chilli sauce is already nice! :)
***More modern version of this cilok comes with filling too - from cheese, chicken, fish or egg
Yet to try but sounds worth trying! :)

Potato Buns

I've been curious how this buns taste - never tried one before, buns made with potatoes as one of the ingredients

Saw Melly made this long time ago - recipe adapted from MamaFaMi's site, I tried and satisfied with the result - but the taste is a little too plain for me, except for the top part with the custard - I ate the buns with adding some pineapple jam over it - yum! :)

Texture wise - soft and fluffy but best eaten on the day it's made...

What you need:

For the buns:
150ml fresh milk
1/2 egg - keep the balance for glazing
2 tbsp sugar
90g mashed potatoes (clean, steam til tender, peel and mash til smooth)
350g bread flour
1 tbsp milk powder
1tsp dried yeast
1/2 tbsp butter

For the custard:
2 tbsp custard powder
3/4 cup fresh milk
3 tbsp sugar

To make the custard topping:
Put all ingredients in a pot, mix well
Put the pot on low fire, keep stirring til thickened - set aside

To make the buns:
Using breadmaker:
Pour milk, egg, sugar and potatoes in the bread pan - followed by breadflour, milk powder, yeast
Set the breadmaker into dough function - let knead for 5minutes and then add in butter
It will do the process of kneading and proofing for 1hr 30mins
Divide dough into 16pcs, shape into balls
Arrange on the greased baking pan(s)
Cover and let rise til doubled in volume
Before baking, brush with egg mixed with a little fresh milk (lightly beaten both)
Pipe the custard on top as desired
Bake in preheated oven of 180degC for 25mins

Note: I found the buns best eaten on the day it's made - a little hard the next day, but texture is perfect after microwave for 15-30 seconds

I'm submitting these buns to Aspiring Bakers #8 June'11 Bread Seduction hosted by Jasmine from The Sweetylicious at this LINK