Saturday, January 23, 2010

Blueberry Yogurt Cupcakes

I have made this afternoon a delightful blueberry yogurt cupcakes. It is really delicious topped with honey flavoured yogurt and blueberry pie filling although the original recipes calls for fresh or frozen blueberries. This recipe was taken from one my recipe books collection and it is very simple and easy to do. Here's the recipe. Have fun making and most importantly, enjoy eating them!







Blueberry Yogurt Cupcakes
Cupcakes
180gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
125gm unsalted butter, softened
100gm sugar
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
90ml plain yogurt
150gm fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)

Topping
125ml plain yogurt
1 tbsp honey
fresh blueberries

Method :
  1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C/Gas 4).
  2. Line a standard 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
  3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition.
  5. With low speed, add the mixed dry ingredients and yogurt. Stir the blueberries in by hand.
  6. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling each one three quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer the muffin tin to a wire rack. Let cool completely before removing the cupcakes.
Topping : Mix the yogurt and honey in a small bowl. Top each cupcake with a dollop of sweetened yogurt and a few fresh blueberries. Enjoy!!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Sambal Belimbing Chicken


Sambal Belimbing Chicken
Here's the ingredients and recipe :

Daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaves), taken from my own plant.
This leaf is a must in most of the nyonya cooking. It adds its own
aromatic fragrance in most nyonya dishes.



Belimbing fruit, cut lengthwise.



Ingredients for cooking Sambal Belimbing Chicken


Sambal Belimbing Chicken

Here's the recipe :
1 chicken (cut to pieces, skin and fats removed)
50-60gm dry chilli (soaked in hot boiling water for about 30 mins, drained)
400 gm small onions
3 pcs candlenuts
30 gm belacan (shrimp paste)
200 gm belimbing (whole, discard tips of both ends)
3-4 pcs daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaves)
3/4 cup cooking oil
salt

1. Blend soaked dry chilli, onions, candlenuts and belacan to a fine paste.
2. Heat oil. Fry pounded ingredients over medium heat till fragrant and oil surfaces (this may take about 15-20 mins). Add in daun limau purut.
3. Stir for a minute and add in chicken. Stir till chicken is well coated.
4. Add in belimbing and salt to taste. Stir well, cover and cook over medium flame, stirring every few minutes.
5. Simmer until chicken is cooked.
6. Serve with plain white rice. Yummy!

(You can reduce the amount of belimbing, and gradually increase a little at a time to suit your taste, if you do not like it too sour).

Monday, January 11, 2010

belimbing tree

Hi, I'm back. It has been a busy week, the school terms starts and have been busy making cookies for the coming Chinese New Year festival. I am selling cookies and have been busy making samples for distribution. Cookies, anyone? OK, time for "belimbing". The picture above was taken yesterday from my very own belimbing tree. I planted this tree from the seeds about 9 or 10 years ago. It looks like the version of grapes, don't you think so? My family, loves this fruit, we use it in cooking as it is very sour to be eaten by itself, although it can be taken raw dipped with a little salt. The scientifc name for this fruit is "averrhoe bilimbi". This tree can reach as high as 15m (mine is about 5m). The fruit can be eaten fresh (very sour!), dried, used in cooking, jam (just imagine the amount of sugar that has to be added!) and pickles. This tree is a tropical species and grow well in full sun. It usually fruits well and the juice from the fruit is useful for bleaching stains from the hands, among other uses, because of its oxalic acid content. It has medicinal uses too. The leaves are applied as a paste or poulticed on itches, swellings of mumps and rheumatism, and on skin eruptions. A leaf infusion is a remedy for coughs whereas a flower infusion is said to be effective against coughs and thrush. A syrup prepared from the fruit is taken as a cure for fever and inflammation. It is believed that the leaf and fruit can be beneficial for those suffering from hypertension.

As you can see from the picture, the flowers are red in colour. When plucking the fruit, be careful to handle it gently as the stems is very fragile and breaks easily. The fruit is crisp when unripe, turns from bright green to yellowish green and nearly white when ripe and falls to the ground. The outer skin is glossy, very thin, soft and tender, juicy and extremely acid. There are about 6 or 7 small seeds in the fruit.

Now here comes the delicious part : How to cook Sambal Belimbing Chicken. This is one of my family favourites. My late dear mother is a great cook, so we are lucky (my 5 sisters and myself) being brought up with her wonderful cooking. You can check out their blogs at www.nyonyapendekmelaka.blogspot.com (my youngest sis) and www.straitsbakes.blogspot.com (my 5th sis). By the way, I'm the 4th in the family.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Books by Alex Goh

Updated on 15/05/2013 : I have received dozens of emails enquiring on where to buy Alex Goh's baking books. As far as I know, these books are out of publication. You may however, try to enquire from these bookstores that provides shipping out of Malaysia. Good luck!
2. Kinokuniya Bookstore  http://www.kinokuniya.com/my/

*************************

These are the recipes that I've tested from these books. Click on the name of the recipe for the full post. The reviews are entirely my own.

Baking Code (BC)
Fruity Cakes (FC)
Irresistible Pastry (IP)
Magic Bread (MB)
The World of Bread (TWOB)


20. Celery Bread (MB)
19. Doughnuts (TWOB)
18. Ham Cheesy Patties (IP)
17. Choux Doughnut (IP)
16. Cheddar Cheesecake (BC)
15. Tomato Bread (MB)
14. Chicken Pie (IP)
13. Fan Pastry (IP)
12. Barbecue Chicken Pastry (IP)
10. Pumpkin Cake (FC)
9. Blueberry Cheese Tart (IP)
8. Japanese Pastry (BC)
7. Orange Baked Cheesecake (BC)
6. Golden Pillow Bread (Kampar Curry Chicken) (MB)
5. Pumpkin Bread (MB)
4. French Baguette (TWOB)
3. Two Tone Bread (MB)
2. Wheat Germ Raisin Bread (MB)
1. Red Bean Loaf (MB)



Wild About Cupcakes

by Rachel Lane


These are the recipes that I've tested from this book. Click on the name of the recipe for the full post. The reviews are entirely my own.


2. Minted Strawberry Cupcake
1. Blueberry Yoghurt Cupcakes


Tested Recipes From My Favourite Books

These are the recipes that I have tried from some of my favourite recipe books,  a  summary of my baking journal.



"Bake Something Great" by Jill Snider
(to view pictures, click here)
Chewy Chocolate Almond Bars
Cranberry Orange Apricot Bars
Seeds and Coconut Oatmeal Crisps


"Brownies  &   Bars" by Liz Franklin 
(to view pictures, click here)




"Cake Keeper Cakes" by Lauren Chattman
(to view pictures, click here)
Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
Chocolate Cream Pound Cake
Chocolate, Walnut and Prune Cake
Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake
Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake
Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Everyday Yoghurt Cake
Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips
Honey and Walnut Cake
Nectarine Cake with Cinnamon -Nut Topping
Nutella Swirl Pound Cake
Super Delicious Whole-Wheat Carrot Cake
World's Quickest Yeasted Coffee Cake


"Bon Appetit Desserts" by Barbara Fairchild



"Kiss My Bundt" by Chrysta Wilson
(to view pictures, click here)
Citrilicious Cake
Coconut Cake


"Cake Simple" by Christie Matheson
(to view pictures, click here)
Apple Butterscotch Bundt Cake
Cranberry Creme Fraiche Bundt Cake
Mint Chocolate Bundt Cake
Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake



"bake!" by Nick Malgieri
(to view pictures, click here)
Individual Coconut Cakes
Lemon Ginger Bars
Potato and Cheddar Focaccia




"Perfect Cakes" by Nick Malgieri
(to view pictures, click here)
Perfect Chocolate Cake


"The Cake Book" by Tish Boyle
(to view pictures, click here)
Cherry-Topped Cheesecake Cup
Chocolate Almond-Coconut Cake
Chocolate Banana Quick Cake
Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger-Pecan Crust
Hot Milk Sponge Cake
Lemon Soaked Ginger Pound Cake
Orange Chiffon Cake
Plainly Perfect Pound Cake
Toasted Almond Pound Cake
Vanilla-Flecked Chiffon Cake


"The Good Cookie" by Tish Boyle
(to view pictures, click here)
Vanilla Honey Tuiles


"Rose's Heavenly Cakes" by Rose Levy Beranbaum
(to view pictures, click here)
Apple Upside-Down Cake
Catalan Salt Pinch Cake
Chocolate Streusel Coffee Cake
Designer Choc Baby Grands
Gateau Breton
Lemon Poppy Seed-Sour Cream Cake
Whipping Cream Cake
White Velvet Cake


"750 Best Muffin Recipes" by Camilla V. Saulsbury
(to view pictures, click here)
Pumpkin Chips Muffin


"How To Be A Domestic Goddess" by Nigella Lawson
(to view pictures, click here)
Apple Kuchen
Cream Cheese Brownies
Lily's Scones
Mini Lime-Syrup Sponges

"Nigella Kitchen" by Nigella Lawson
(to view pictures, click here)
Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake


"Piece of Cake" by Camilla V. Saulsbury 
(to view pictures, click here)
Applesauce Cake
Walnut Cake with Coffee Icing

"The Weekend Baker" by Abigail Johnson Dodge
(to view pictures, click here)
Brioche
Buttery Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
Choc Chip Scones
Classic Fruit Tart
Emergency Blender Cupcakes
Glazed Cinnamon Rolls
Glazed Mango-Mulberry Galette
Ginger Crackles
Honey Oatmeal Bread
Mile-High Vanilla Sponge Cake
Nut-Crusted Chocolate Banana Swirl Cake
Pecan-Crusted Pumpkin Squares
Velvety Pumpkin Tart
Warm Cinnamon-Spiced Blueberry Cake

"Baking For All Occasions" by Flo Braker
(to view pictures, click here)
Peach-Almond-Berrry Buckle
Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake

"Pies & Tarts" by Martha Stewart
(to view pictures, click here)
Blueberry & Almond Tartlets
Crisp Coconut and Chocolate Pie
Mushroom and Shallot Quiche
Peach Hand Pies
Scallion Tartlets

"The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book"
(to view pictures, click here)
Banana Nut Bread
Brown Sugar-Raisin Bread
Classic Cinnamon Rolls
Dinner Rolls
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Italian Almond Tart
Linzer Torte

"Williams-Sonoma : Essentials of Baking"
(to view pictures, click here)
Seeded Crackers

"The Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook"
(to view pictures, click here)
Caramel Popcorn Balls
Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Muffins
Coconut Macaroon
Ham and Cheese Pastry Puffs
Peach Cobbler Muffins

"Cake" by Rachel Allen
(to view photos, click here)
Cheesecake Brownies
Marbled Chocolate Crumble Cake
Toscatarta (Swedish Almond Cake)

"The Seasonal Baker" by John Barricelli
Lemony Madeleines

"Apple Pie" by Ken Haedrich
(to view pictures, click here)
Apple Pizza Pie
Dense Apple Crumble Pie


"Wild About Cupcakes" by Rachel Lane
(to view pictures, click here)
Blueberry & Yoghurt Cupcakes
Mango and Coconut Cupcakes
Minted Strawberry Cupcakes

"The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz
Red Plum Ice Cream
Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt
Strawberry Yoghurt Ice Cream
Toasted Coconut Ice Cream
Vanilla Frozen Yoghurt
Watermelon Sorbetto


"Scoop" by Ellen Brown
(to view pictures, click here)
Lychee Ice Cream
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream


"The Ice Cream Maker Companion" by Avner Laskin
Caramel Apple Ice Cream
Italian Vanilla Ice Cream


"The Sweet Life, Desserts from Chanterelle" by Kate Zuckermann
(to view pictures, click here)
Pineapple-Rosemary Sorbet

"Pastry Cook" by Catherine Atkinson
(to view pictures, click here)
Almond Cream Puffs
Chocolate Eclairs
Tomato and Black Olive Tart
Red Onion Tart with Cornmeal Crust
Lemon Curd Tart
Cheese and Onion Quiche



"Bread Machine" by Jennie Shapter
(to view pictures, click here)



"Bread Machine Easy" by Sara Lewis
(to view pictures, click here)
Coconut and Cranberry Bread




"The Bread Book" by Sara Lewis
(to view pictures, click here)
Buttered Garlic and Basil Sticks
Chilli Corn Bread
Ciabatta
Fruited Muesli Bread
Stuffed Mushroom and Garlic Baguette


"Bread" by Nick Malgieri
(to view pictures, click here)
Golden Sandwich Bread
Hamburger Rolls
Pain de Mie (French Sandwich Bread)


"The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig
(to view pictures, click here)
Braided Challah
Braided Italian Scali Bread
Classic Butter Crust Bread
Ham, Green Onions and Cheddar Buns
Herbed Pumpkin Roll
Oatmeal Honey Bread
Orange-Caramel Sticky Buns
Sweet Orange Swirl Bread
The Millers Cinnamon and Raisin Bread


"New Complete Book of Breads" by Bernard Clayton
(to view pictures, click here)
Briarpatch Herb Bread
Honey Oatmeal Bread
Jalapeno Corn Bread
Onion Lover's Bread
Orange Oatmeal Bread
Rosemary-Garlic Bread
Sister Jennie's Potato Bread
Thirty-Minute White Bread

"The Bread Bible" by Beth Hensperger
(to view pictures, click here)
French Bread (Pain Ordinaire)
Old-Fashioned Potato Pancakes
Onion Tart
Squash Cloverleafs


"Bread Revolution" by Duncan Glendinning & Patrick Ryan
(to view pictures, click here)
Local Cheese Loaf
Potato and Rosemary Bread

"Baking By Hand" by Andy and Jackie King
( to view pictures, click here)
Fougasse

"Healthy Bread In Five Minutes A Day" 
"Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day"
by Jeff Hertzberg, MD and Zoe Francois
(to view picture, click here)
Betsy's Seeded Oat Bread (AB)
Oatmeal Pumpkin Seed Bread (HB)

"Natural Breads Made Easy" by Kin Chan
Coffee Bread

"Fruity Cakes" by Alex Goh
(to view pictures, click here)
Eggless Chocolate Walnut Cake
Pumpkin Cake


"Irresistible Pastry" by Alex Goh
(to view pictures, click here)
Barbecue Chicken Pastry
Blueberry Cheese Tarts
Chicken Pie
Choux Doughnut
Fan Pastry
Ham Cheesy Patties


"Baking Code" by Alex Goh
(to view pictures,click here)
Cheddar Cheesecake
Japanese Pastry
Orange Baked Cheesecake



"Magic Bread" by Alex Goh
(to view pictures, click here)
Celery Bread
Golden Pillow Bread (Kampar Curry Chicken)
Red Bean Loaf
Tomato Bread
Two Tone Bread
Wheat Germ Raisin Bread


"The World of Bread" by Alex Goh
(to view pictures, click here)
Doughnuts
French Baguette



Cooking & Others

Bento Meals
Breakfast~Brunch

Chicken

Fish

Nyonya Kueh, Cookies

Pasta

Pork

Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes

Prawns

Rice~Congee~Grains

Salad

Vegetables