recipe is : chewy raisin oatmeal cookies

Ingredients

170 gms (3/4 cup) butter, room temperature
200 gm (1 cup) brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp black treacle
75 gm (3/4 cup) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
240 gms (3 cups) oats
1 cup raisins

Method

preheat the oven to 175 C

cream the butter and sugar

add the egg and mix thoroughly

add the vanilla essence and treacle and mix thoroughly

in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon powder. add to the wet ingredients and mix to incorporate

add the raisins and oats and mix thoroughly

in a baking sheet/cookie tray drop dollops of about 2 heaped tablespoons about 2 inches apart.

bake for about 15 -18 minutes til the sides have start to crisp and the middle is still springy. remove from tray and set on a metal rack to cool

notes:

i use 2 cups instant oats and 1 cup rolled oats for a different, textured feel

recipe is : pumpkin soup

Ingredients

650 gms pumpkin, skinned, seeded and cut into chunks
1 carrrot, skinned and cut into thick strips
1 med onion, skinned, quartered and sliced
2 cloves garlic, skinned
1 stick celery, deveined and quartered lengthwise
2 bay leaves
4 cups water
salt and black pepper to taste

Method

in a saucepan put all the ingredients together and bring to a boil. once it's boiling, turn down the flame and let simmer for 30 minutes.

remove the bay leaves and using a hand blender, blitz the soup til smooth. if it's too thick, add a bit of water and blitz again to mix.

serve warm

note:

you can substitute the water with chicken stock.

the soup can be made thinner and a swirl of cream can be added for a creamier version

recipe is : lazybum's devil curry

Ingredients

1 chicken, chopped into pieces OR pieces of whichever part of the chicken you prefer
2 big potatoes, skinned and cut into wedges
3-4 fresh green chilli, cut into half lengthwise from the bottom to almost to the stalk end
3 tbsp chilly powder
1/2 head garlic, pounded/blended/thinly sliced
6 shallots, blended together with the garlic/thinly sliced
a big chunk old ginger, julienne/blended together with the garlic
a good squirt of good ol mustard
3 tbsp vinegar
a cup or so water
2 tbsp oil

Method

in a big pan/wok, heat up the oil, fry the ginger, blended ingredients and chilly powder for a few minutes over a low flame. add the green chillies and stir fry a couple more minutes

turn up the flame and add the chicken and stirfry to coat well with the spices

add the water (add more water if you prefer more watery gravy). let it simmer til chicken is almost cooked. add the potatoes, the mustard and the vinegar. simmer til chicken and potatoes are cooked

note:
add more chilly powder if an even spicier taste is preferred

recipe is : rendang tok

Ingredients

1 kg beef, cut into 1 inch cubes

To be blended together:
10 fresh red chillies
8 dried chillies, soaked
20 shallots
1 head garlic
5 stalks lemongrass, use only the bottom white part
1 knob ginger
1 big knob galangal
1 big knob tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin powder (jintan putih)
1 tsp fennel powder (jintan manis)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

Dry spices:
2 star anise
3 inch cinnamon bark
7 cardamoms
6 cloves

Leafy stuff:
coconut cream from 2 coconuts
1/2 grated coconut, toasted over a low flame til dry and browned
5 stalks lemongrass, top trimmed off and lightly bruised
3 pandan leaves, knotted
2 tumeric leaves, crushed to release the aroma
5 kaffir lime leaves
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 heaped tbsp tamarind paste, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water, and pulp removed
1 cup water
salt to taste


Method

marinate the beef with the blended ingredients for at least 2 hours in the fridge

in a pressure cooker, put in the beef and all the marinade, all the dry spices, and the 'leafy stuff'. If the amount of liquid looks insufficient, add more water. cook for 35-40 minutes

the end result should be quite dry and gravy quite thick. if it's still watery, cook uncovered on a medium flame til gravy thickens, stirring occasionally, taking care not to let it burn

add the dry toasted grated coconut and mix well


NOTES:

if cooking on normal pot/pan, it takes about 2 hours or so for the meat to be really tender. stir occasionally. add water when necessary

the amount of spices and ingredients is up to you to adjust to your own preference. the amount in this recipe is to my own taste

i normally marinate the beef in a ziplock bag in the freezer for a couple of days

the toasted grated coconut is normally pounded til fine after the toasting. but i prefer it this way

recipe is : braised beef with radish

Ingredients

1 kg beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 kilo white radish, skinned and cut into wedges
1/2 head garlic, skinned
1 big knob ginger
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tbsp light soya sauce
3 inch cinnamon stick
2 star anise
water
2 tbsp oil

Method

heat the oil up in a big pot. add the garlic and ginger and quickly stirfry for a minute or so. add the beef and brown the sides.. add just enough water to just cover the beef add the cinnamon, the star anise, dark soya sauce and light soya sauce. stir well. braise for about 90 minutes. top up water when necessary. add the radish and braise for another 30 minutes or until tender

Note:

i normally use the pressure cooker to prepare this dish. 30 minutes for the beef and 10 more minutes after adding in the radish.

recipe is : golden roast chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, innards removed, cleaned and patted dry thoroughly with kitchen napkins
1.5 tbsp salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed slightly
3 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp olive oil

Method

rub the chicken with salt, don't forget the cavity as well

gently separate the skin from the flesh at the breast area and slip in a clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary and thyme on each side of the chicken breast

stuff the remaining garlic cloves, rosemary and thyme into the chicken cavity

place in a ziplock bag and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight

take out the chicken to thaw to room temperature. preheat oven to 230 celcius

place chicken on a wire tray in a roasting pan, breast side up and rub chicken all over with the olive oil

place chicken into the oven and turn down the heat to 180 celcius after 20 minutes and turn the chicken to have the breast side down and roast for a further 30 minutes. this is for a more even browning and a crisper skin. turn the chicken breast side up again and roast for another 10 minutes. remove from oven, let rest for 10 minutes and carve

notes: i normally clean, pat dry and marinate the chicken right after purchase and leave it in the freezer. it does take longer to thaw the chicken to room temperature, but the marinade penetrates better and the flavour is much, much better

instead of a wire tray, i rest the chicken on top of a bed of sturdy veggies like carrots, whole onions or even some potato wedges or whole baby potatoes to roast

recipe is : almost pesto pasta

this recipe is 'almost' pesto cos i've omitted the pinenuts. and it would not be pesto if there's no pinenuts or nuts of any sort will it? so i just call it 'almost pesto' for now, til i can come up with a name for it.

the herb paste on its own makes an excellent dip or dressing as well, with or without adding the cream.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, sliced into long strips of about 3cm, season with a bit of salt and set aside to marinate for 30 mins


Herb paste -
2 handfuls basil
3/4 - 1 head garlic, skinned
1 handful coriander
50 mls (at least) olive oil

250 ml cream
1 cup sliced button mushroom
2 handfuls grated parmesan cheese
400 gms penne
sprigs of basil and coriander
salt to taste
coarse black pepper to taste (optional)


Method

in a food processor or a blender, blitz the basil, garlic, coriander and the olive oil. set aside

in a big pot, boil the penne in slightly salted water until done to preferred softness. turn off flame

in a large pan pour in a bit of oil and stir fry the chicken until just cooked. add the herb paste and stir fry for a few minutes. add the button mushroom, the cream, parmesan, basil and coriander sprigs, mix well. add a bit of the pasta water to thin out the sauce a bit. season with salt and black pepper

drain out the penne and pour into the sauce, mix well and serve hot

note: the cream can be substituted with full cream milk for a less thick sauce. it would not be too runny as the cheese will help thicken it a bit

recipe is : butttered rice

I love this buttered rice. It's so yummlicious that I can eat it on its own. It also goes well with most dishes, be it meat or veggie. Plus, it's super easy-peasy to prepare :)

Ingredients

freshly cooked rice
grated lemon zest
finely chopped spring onion
finely chopped tomatoes, discard the seed and watery inside pulp
salt to taste
butter

Method

mix everything together. serve immediately

note:

i didn't put the quantity of the ingredients. it's up to your own liking how much you prefer to add. my own quantities would be half a tbsp of tomatoes/spring onion, a pinch of zest, half a tsp of butter to each cup of rice.

hot, freshly cooked rice works best. the heat brings out the fragrance of the ingredients.

shallot oil can be substituted for the butter. just skin and thinly sliced 2-3 shallots, fry them in 5 tbsp of oil til golden brown, dish up quickly to prevent burning (it tastes bitter if burnt).

recipe is : aglio olio funkyfied

this is one of my all-time fav... ever. this simply easy to prepare pasta was inspired by Ee-lyn's Curtis Stone sundried tomato recipe.

i've played around with the original aglio olio recipe. i'm not big a fan of parsley so i've substituted it with basil. sundried tomatoes also came into play with my aglio olio, in fact, it's a must in my recipe as it makes all the difference in the world. for all you know, with the combination of ingredients that i used in this recipe, it might actually be known as a whole different pasta recipe name alltogether (if that's the case, then i truly say sorry for my ignorance).

a few tips for this recipe :

- don't try to cut back on the olive oil in this recipe for fear of it being too oily. the lemon juice used here cuts off the 'oily' feeling.

- i use the australian sundried tomatoes here. the italian ones that i get here are a bit damp and too sour for my liking.

- my personal choice for this is aged/mature cheddar. parmesan or normal cheddar can be used if preferred.

- the amount listed in the ingredients is a guide. feel free to add or lessen the amount according to your own preference.

.... thanks lots Ee-lyn :)
Ingredients

500 gm dried spaghetti

1/2 cup olive oil

2 big handfuls sweet basil, finely chopped

8 - 9 cloves garlic, skinned and finely chopped

6 pcs sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

salt to taste

1 large lemon

1 handful of grated matured/aged cheddar cheese

Method

in a big pot of water, put the spaghetti to boil like normal. once the spaghetti has reached the 'al dente' stage, turn off the flame

in a large pan, heat up the olive oil and once it is heated up, turn the flame down to low. add the garlic and sundried tomatoes and stir fry for a few minutes, don't let the garlic turn brown at any time. add the salt and basil. stir fry for 10 seconds and turn off the flame

scoop out the spaghetti from the pot and put into the pan. a little drippy bit of spaghetti water is fine. in fact, it is better with a little bit of water. mix thoroughly

add the cheese and mix throughly. squeeze in the lemon juice and mix to incorporate. serve immediately

this recipe serves 4

recipe is : roast leg of lamb

Ingredients

2.3 kg leg of lamb, bone out and butterflied and big chunks of fat trimmed off(it will be about 3.5 kg or so with the bone in)

1 whole head of garlic, crushed and each clove separated
3 tbsp dijon mustard
black pepper
salt
stalks of fresh rosemary
ball of twine
Minty sauce

a bunch of mint, very finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely grated
drippings from the roast lamb

Method

rub the mustard, black pepper and salt all over the leg of lamb. place the garlic and rosemary stalks intermittently on the meat side of the butterflied lamb. roll up tightly and tie with twine. place in a plastic bag and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight

preheat oven to 165 degrees Celsius

place a rack in a roasting tray. place the marinated leg of lamb in the center of the rack and roast for 1 hour 45 mins to 2 hours

remove the lamb from the oven, tent with aluminium foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving

for the minty sauce, add the dripping from the pan to the chopped mint and garlic, mix well

note:

i normally serve the lamb with cucumber raita and roasted potatoes. you can serve with whatever salad and potatoes of your choice

recipe is : cucumber raita

this is a easy peasy salad to make. absolutely delish on a hot, hot day

Ingredients

2 cucumbers, peeled, pulp seeded area discarded and cut into small cubes
1 small tub of plain yoghurt
a pinch of cumin powder
1 tsp finely chopped mint leaves
salt to taste

Method

Mix all the ingredients and pop into the fridge for at least 30 mins to cool