Green Banana Roll Ice Dessert (Es Pisang Ijo)

This is a famous dessert originally from Makassar - South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Nice and refreshing - nowhere to be found in Singapore though
Only can use king banana (pisang raja), the kind of banana which not easy to find in Singapore - again luck is on my side, managed to find it and it's a good quality one :)

Saw the recipe at Ricke's site and decided to give this a try
Easy to make the dough, but I really need further practice in shaping them
The end result is not so smooth and cracked a little here and there and I think the green color could be lighter :)
However, the taste is wonderful - especially with the hot humid Singapore weather lately

If you view Ricke's lovely picture, you can see how smooth her green dough is - really need to practise to rolling and shaping them :)

Nice to eat with crushed ice and special syrup - we Indonesian call it "campolay syrup" - originally from Cirebon - West Java, Indonesia

Managed to google the picture - I have a bottle in the fridge but too lazy to take picture of it :P

What you need:

For the dough:

5 ripe king bananas - steamed and peeled

125g plain flour

300ml coconut milk (I used 200ml Kara + 100ml water)

1/2 tsp lime stone paste / slaked lime water (details HERE (in Indonesian = air kapur sirih -> can omit)
1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsps sugar

1 tsp pandan paste

2 drops green food coloring (optional - I added and I found its a little too dark green)

1 tbsp butter

clingwrap

For the coconut sauce:

400ml thick coconut milk

1 pandan leaves - torn

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vanillin powder

2 tbsps sugar

3 tbsps corn flour - mix with 4 tbsps water

Mix  coconut milk, lime stone paste, salt, sugar, pandan paste, green coloring - stir til well incorporated

Put sieved flour in a pot

Pour the coconut milk mixture slowly while stirring continuously til smooth

Cook on low fire - always stir

Add in butter, stir til butter melted and well mixed with the dough

Keep on stirring til the dough is smooth and is not sticky

Off heat

Brush clingwrap with a little oil

Add on 3 tbsps dough, flatten

Add 1 banana on it, roll tight with the clingwrap as you do on swissroll

Shape like a banana - wrap tight

Arrange on a steamer and steam fo 20 minutes on medium heat

After cooked, open up the clingwrap, let cool

For the sauce:

Mix all ingredients except cornflour mixture, bring to boil

Add in cornflour, stirring continuously til thicken

How to eat:

Arrange cut green banana with the sauce and crushed ice (as shown in the picture)

Mix and pour syrup over it

Eat immediately

Stir Fry Glass Noodles With Potatoes

Can't stop munching on this - it's supposed to be a dish but everytime laying eyes on it, it's like calling "come and eat me" :P
For the family, it's a dish to eat with rice... for me, it's a meal on its own

What you need:

5 shallots - cut thinly
2 large chillies - cut
3 potatoes - diced
1 packet of glass noodles
oil, water, salt, sugar, pepper, dark sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)

Heat oil in a pan, fry diced potatoes til golden brown - make sure they're submerged in the oil
Set aside
Bring to boil a pot of water, add in glass noodle and boil til soft - strain and set aside
On the same pan with a little oil, stir fry shallots til fragrant, followed by chillies til soft
Add in potatoes, a little water - stir well
Add in glass noodles, followed by salt, pepper, dark sweet soya sauce
Mix well - adjust the taste
Off heat

Steamed Cheesy Brownies With Chocolate Chips

Another recipe to keep - especially when u're a cheese lover :)
Soft, light, fluffy, cottony cheese brownies - it's a popular cake among Indonesians (it's a modification from the original chocolate version)
I added some chocolate chips since my family loves chocolate :)
For some reasons, the chips sank to the bottom but some survived in the middle - I wonder if mixing a little plain flour to the chocolate chips can help them to stay at their original place?
Anyhow, the taste is really yummilicious! And the best part, it's easy to make :)

You see the chocolate chips at the bottom:

And those managed to hang on at the middle part:

What you need:

A (beat til pale and thick+creamy)

3 eggs

1 tbsp ovalette

100g caster sugar

B (sieve together)

60g plain flour

20g cornflour

1 tsp salt

40g milk powder

C (beat til well incorporated and smooth)

250g cream cheese

50g butter

Process each group of ingredients

Fold in B into A til well mixed

Add in C - mix well with wooden spoon

Pour half the batter onto an 8 inch round pan which has been buttered and sprinkled with plain flour, sprinkle with chocolate chips on the batter

Pour the remaining batter, arrange some more chocolate chips at the top

Heat steamer, put a plate on the steamer, and put the pan on the plate (this is to avoid water below going up to the pan when it's bubbling) 

Let it steam without cover for the first 5 minutes - on medium heat

Continue steaming with cover for the next 30 minutes - on medium heat

Take out from steamer once it's cooked

Note: please wrap the cover with clean cloth to prevent the steam drops on the cake during steaming process

I'm submitting these soft cheesy brownies to Aspiring Bakers#6: Say Cheese! (April 2011) hosted by Jean from Noms I Must at this LINK

Mum's Signature Barbeque Chicken & Chicken Ball Soup

Just wanna share my mum's signature dish - barbeque chicken - her own creation
Using some secret ingredients, this dish is a hit among her friends, and by words of mouth, this dish has been giving her good business :)

She cooked this dish many times for us and we never get tired of it :)
This time, again, and still enjoyable
I added simple chicken ball soup to go with it

What you need:

1 chicken bone

3 cloves of garlic - crushed

1 pack chicken balls

1 pack bokchoy - cut

oil, water, salt, pepper

Boil a pot of water with chicken bone in it - discard all the floating residue

Stir fry garlic on heated frying pan with oil til fragrant

Add in the fried garlic on the chicken stock

Add in chicken balls - simmer til balls floating up

Season with salt and pepper

Add in bokchoy, bring to boil

Off heat

Chocolate Loaf - Another Recipe (Bread maker)

After baking the super soft chocolate loaf the other day - and fell in love with it, I wanted to try when I saw a different recipe for chocolate bread at ReeseKitchen
Was lazy to do the chocolate chips thingy though, so I just did the bread
The result...another wonderful chocolate loaf, more to the sweeter side - guess cos I added some chocolate chips in it, but texture wise, it's as soft as the first recipe I did! Yum!

Very soft bread!

What you need:

20g castor sugar

1/2 tsp salt
15g beaten egg
165g cold water
5g instant yeast
40g condensed milk
5g cocoa powder / chocolate powder (I used cocoa)
250g bread flour
50g cake flour
5g milk powder
30g butter

60g chocolate chips

Using breadmaker:

Put in egg, water, condensed milk followed by bread flour, cake flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, milk powder, and lastly, yeast

Set into basic programme for 500g bread with medium crust and press start

Once all incorporated, add in butter

Add in chocolate chips when the machine gives signal

Take the loaf out from the pan as soon as it's finished baking, and leave to cool for 30 - 45mins before cutting

Keep the balance in airtight container or sealed plastic bag

I'll definitely bake this loaf again - next time with the chocolate chips in it, visible ones :)



Cheese Envelopes (Topfengolatschen)

Saw this at Vivi's site, I reckoned this as something unique, which intrigued me to give a try - lemon, cheese, puff...great combo!
It's supposed to look like envelope but if you compare from the original recipe, mine was far from envelope shape :P
I did exactly as instructed but one thing - as usual, I was being greedy generous by giving too much filling so resulting in the big fat envelopes *grin*
The shapes are similar to the banana chocolate cheese puffs I made previously
Ok, aside from the shape, these puffs do taste yummilicious! :)
I changed the raisins to chocolate chips - not because I dislike raisins, it's just to make my kids interested to eat - they don't really eat raisins :)

After bite:

What you need:
(makes 12)

25g butter
50g icing sugar
10g agar agar powder (white)
125g cold cream cheese
50g chocolate chips
1/2 tsp grated lemon skin
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
a pinch of salt

1 egg yolks, beaten -> for glazing
icing sugar to sprinkle just before eating

Beat in medium speed butter and icing sugar til well mixed
Add in salt, vanilla, agar agar powder, ceam cheese til smooth
Off mixer
Add in chocolate chips, stir with wooden spoon
Prepare puff pastry, flatten with rolling pin and cut into square shape - 10cm x 10cm
Add in filling - approximately 2 tbsps, at the centre of each square
Fold in as if you're folding an envelope, cover the centre part with a little square pastry to seal
Brush with egg yolk (I brush the other side)
Arrange on a lightly greased cookie pan
Bake in preheated oven of 200degC for approx 15minutes
Sprinkle with icing sugar before eating

For step by step instruction, please view Vivi's site at the link above (her site is in Indonesian language, but u can always see the pics :P)

Some asked me which puff pastry I used, here's the picture after I googled, so far I see NTUC and Cold Storage sell this

I'm submitting these chubby cheesy envelopes to Aspiring Bakers#6: Say Cheese! (April 2011) hosted by Jean from Noms I Must at this LINK

5 Recipes To Celebrate Easter

Invited by Lena to join in an Easter Party by suggesting 5-10 recipes, upload the photos with respective links
It's a kind of late I guess to tag 10 other bloggers to do the same, so I will just join in the party :)

Cornflakes Fried Chicken Strips

Kwayteow Soup

Salmon In Teriyaki Sauce

Stir Fry Fusilli With Ham & Mushroom

Chocolate Pudding With Fruit Cocktail Sauce

Thank you Lena for the invitation and to everyone, Happy Easter! :)