recipe is : coconut cupcakes with cream cheese topping

Ingredients
coconut cupcake

1 cup (230g/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
5 small/med eggs
2 1/2 cups grated fresh coconut, lightly toast 1 cup till light golden brown (set aside 2 tbsp toasted coconut for the topping)
2 1/2 cups superfine/cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup hot water

Topping

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 pound cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup castor sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
grated zest of 1 lemon
grated zest of 2 limes
2 tbsp of the lightly toasted coconut


Method
cake

- preheat the oven to 190 degrees C
- sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. set aside
- cream together butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy
- beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one
- add the grated coconut (toasted and untoasted), mix to incorporate
- mix ½ of the flour into the butter mixture, then add ½ the water, mix well
- add in the remaining flour and water and mix
- spoon the batter into paper cake cups 3/4 way to the top
- bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean
- set aside to cool for at least 30 mins


Topping

- beat butter until creamy. add cream cheese and beat till incorporated and creamy
- add in the sugar, beat till it's smooth and no longer grainy
- add lemon juice, lemon zest and lime zest into the cream cheese and mix to combine
- spread or pipe the icing on to the cupcake and sprinkle with the toasted coconut
- coloured sugar or cake sprinkles can be used to pretty up the cupcakes




~~ culinary adventures ~~

recipe is : carrot pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup (230g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing cake pan
1 1/3 cups sugar
5 small/med eggs
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
2 1/2 cups superfine/cake flour, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting cake pan
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup hot water
1 cup finely chopped pineapple, canned will do nicely. just squeeze out as much of the syrup as possible, before and after chopping

Frosting

1/2 cup whipping cream, cold
1 cup (about 250g) cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup caster sugar (reduce to 1/2 cup for a less sweet icing)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
grated zest of 1 lemon


Method

- preheat the oven to 190 degrees C
- sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. set aside
- grease and dust with flour 2 pieces of 8 inch cake pans, springform works best
- cream together butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy
- beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one
- add the grated carrot, mix to incorporate
- mix ½ of the flour into the butter mixture, then add ½ the water, mix well
- add in the remaining flour and water and mix
- add the pineapple
- pour the batter evenly into the 2 cake pans
- bake for 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean
- cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove from the pan and cool completely. slice the cakes into 2 layers each


Frosting

- whip cream until firm. beat cream cheese in another bowl until soft and creamy
- add in the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest into the cream cheese and mix to combine
- fold in the whipped cream until just combined
- spread the icing in between the cake layers and stack them up
- thinly ice the top and sides of the cake to finish
- refrigerate and serve chilled

recipe is : chocolate brownies

i got this recipe from chef michael smith of the 'chef at home' show. i tweaked a wee bit here and there to suit my own preference
Ingredients

700g/25oz cooking chocolate
200g/0.75 cup butter
200g/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
5 small/med eggs
250g/1.25 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Method

- preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water
- whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder
- when the chocolate and butter have melted whisk them smooth
- add the eggs, sugar and vanilla to the chocolate and mix thoroughly
- add the flour mixture
- pour into a lightly greased and floured 9x13-inch pan
- bake for 45 minutes

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.