Cooking Tips & Recipe

[annelise]

Hi lyn

Have you booked a date for your c-sect? So exciting! Better eat more wantan mee now if not confinement time cannot anyhow eat

 

[nice_to_shop]

Choc06
Read that you use Betty Croker's Cake Mix to make blackforest cake? You can also Try Prima's Chocolate Sponge Cake Mix to make blackforest cake. I tried a few times, it's failed-proof.

My ang just back from Hong Kong early this morning.

I have two colleagues who pregg at the same time,both love kopi before they got pregg. One stopped kopi completely,but drank lots of milk, the other still drink kopi, may be 2-3 cups everyday. The one who didn't dare to drink kopi gave birth to a very tanned son, whereas the one who drank kopi everyday, her son's complexion is as fair as milk(well, almost)

hong,
Haven't seen any muffin recipes that use emulsifier, thought mainly sponge cake need emulsifier.Can you post up the recipe?

Annelise,
I have the barang brarang for icing cake.The stand,spatula...it's fun but time consuming.Tried Blackforest cake, chocolate ganache cake before.

 

[little_cat]

Sophie, take a rest dun think too much first.
sometime the spotting could the implant spotting too.
Thanks for the file, a big *kiss* from my son! [dun think u will fancy a kiss from me hehe]

annelise, ooi ! your neighbour is here leh!
i like the jap cheese the lighter version right?

Lyn tell us when your shi-fu confirm the date hor

Choc06, u must be my long lost sister!
and we poor thing have the same type of hb tat dun like hum, dun like century egg, no chicken feet...:'(
Really must seriously consider moving from West to East ! got hum, plus cheese cake from neighbour hmmm.. !

anyone try chiffon cake before?

 

[happysunflower]

annelise,
I dunno the date I want yet... Dunno which day is "yang cheng ji ri".
Hee... dunno during confinement I will still crave for certain food or not...


Choc06,
I drank my soup... Quite nice leh

if you like something "qing dan"

I did add a little bit of salt though...
Oh ya, I added red dates to the soup too... So it's, red dates, black beans, soya beans and watercress... That's it..

 

[happysunflower]

Littlecat,
Sure

So far another shifu said 6 June between 5am to 7am! I dun really like that date. 666 leh... Dun wan my son to by made fun of next time cos it's a satan number...

 

[sophie]

Hi all,
Woke up already. And when I went to pee, got more blood this time, and a small clot came out, so I think my period coming full-force. Very happy! Now I feel like I can move on although I didn't get pregnant this cycle

Thanks for all the tips and advice on morning urine & testing on CD35!

Lyn,
I agree about the 666 thing. Kids are cruel although they don't mean to and because they don't understand, and if someone spots this, the kid will definitely be made fun of.

 

[annelise]

Hi LittleCat

Ya, it's the lighter version - I prefer this type cos' the ang moh version too dense for my liking. Must bake one for my fil this weekend - he likes to eat cheesecakes

Move to the East lah - I also want to learn how to make mee hoon kueh

Hi Van

Yay, when I get started on my cake deco I can consult you! Did you take any pics of your deco projects? If you don't mind, can share with us? If the file is too big to post here can post on Yahoo group

Hi lyn

That's true - anyway, 5 am to 7 am a bit early to wake up! My friend's EDD was 1 April - she didn't want her baby to be born on April Fool's so she had inducement and baby was born 31 March!

 

[sophie]

Hi all experts in Baking,
I know that a springform tin is mainly used for cheesecake. I would like to invest in a cake tin, but do not want to buy 2 i.e. one springform and another normal type. Can I ask if I can use springform tin for normal cakes? Will the batter leak out?

 

[little_cat]

lyn oic, true also. cos i thot 66 is 'liu-liu-da-shun' everything good!

1/apr yeah also abit cham if really on this date lor.
Annelise, u r such a good DIL

hehe then i 'untung' (ton-tiao) liao, mhk so easy to make and your cake need more skill leh!

 

[choc06]

Hey anne, your cheesecake finished liao ah ?
I tried to bake the normal cheesecake, the recipe calls for a large amt of cheese, and also must find kaki to share the end product, whether nice or not nice ..

I use the whip and pour cream by paul's, can be found in cold storage, blue pkt like that of milk pkt.. Just add vanilla essence and whip up to a consistency that will not fall out from the whisk can liao..
i use a normal spatula to cream it!Anyhow huntum..hehe

haha... I also liked to watch the baker cream the cake in yaohan, those were the days !! I like the tuna bun coated with bread crumbs, can't find it nowadays !

If I'm not wrong, the emulsifier is also called ovalette, it's yellowish in colour.. PH sells it

van, can the prima flour be found in PH ? I tried the PH choc sponge cake flour, tak boleh lah..

Saw the choc ganache recipe on PH website, but don't know how it taste like, good boh ?

Eh sister meow, why you stay so far away.. but you can go to the nearest... van's house.. hehe

Soph, I got one springform tin ,can use to bake normal cakes, tin is quite tight if you attach it properly to the base, so the batter won't leak

BTW, what's CD35

 

[choc06]

Hey lyn, so you didnt' add pork ribs to your soup? Must def try your recipe !Is it from a vegetabe, i mean vegetarian recipe book ?

anne, yah.. these few days quite siong, but it's a joy to talk to you all !!

So, what's cooking ?

 

[sophie]

Choc,
Thanks for confirmation on springform tin... maybe tonight go PH to buy one.

CD35 is Cycle Day 35... CD1 is 1st day of period...

 

[annelise]

Today no need to cook - my mum's offday so da-bao from her place, haha! So choc, one pack of the cream can ice the whole cake? Must go PH tomorrow to buy some basic cake icing stuff already!!! Still have about one quarter left for my ang to eat - he's not a big fan of cakes - like only giam giam stuff!

Btw, CD35 stands for cycle date 35. It means 35 days from the day of last period.

LittleCat, my cake doesn't need a lot of skill - just let your electric beater do the work! I'm just an amateur baker! I remember last time I had to bake rock buns for Home Econs exam and the rock buns all turn out flat! Lucky the teacher haven't come round yet and the rock bun still a bit soft, so I took each one in my palm and scrunched it up like a ball of paper. After that teacher saw the final presentation and said, wow, that's very good - I almost burst out laughing! Haha!

 

[choc06]

OIC, thanks for the info !!

hey soph, have you been going to PH's baking lessons ?

anne, for the whip and pour cream, use half pkt can liao.. cos, it can whip up alot cream.. I will normally use half , if not enough, then I whip some more..
My friend added some cooked sago inside the cream, quite nice leh..
Was thinking of adding fruits like strawberries between the cake, or a can of blackforest.. but the top part must decorate nicely..

 

[sophie]

Annelise,
That is so funny and clever what you did to your Home Econs teacher! I got a scolding by my teacher cos my sponge cake sunk in the middle... like a volcano crevice, plus my reputation for almost setting the kitchen on fire didn't help, so really kenna scolding by teacher!

Choc,
Nope, haven't been to any baking lessons before, other than Home Econs in school last time. I was thinking of buying the cake tin to try out Amelia's chocolate cake tomorrow

 

[annelise]

Hi Sophie
I just saw your pdf file on Yahoo it is very professionally done! Thanks

Oh dear, you almost set the kitchen on fire? But I guess these are the experiences that makes school life more interesting and memorable, isn't it?!

Hi choc
You could dip strawberries halfway into melted chocolate, leave it on parchment paper and refrigerate it to set. When the choc has solidified, pipe big rosettes around the cake and place one strawberry on each rosette. In the centre, you could put a pile of chocolate shavings - just buy a block of chocolate, refrigerate it so that it is rock hard and use a vegetable peeler to make the shavings.

 

[choc06]

Amelia's choc cake ? Haven't seen the recipe, must go look for it..

What a good idea, anne !Think I'll use your idea .. but i can't pipe rosettes !wah..you very pro in baking huh.. must bai ni wei shi ..
that means the strawberry stalk end lying on the paper, is it ? won't topple meh ? sorry.. can't imagine , brain jammed..

 

[sophie]

No problem about the PDF file... I was going to do it up for my own fridge, so I thought I'll share it here.

Bought my springform cake tin from Phoon Huat AMK!

And loads of stuff like cocoa powder, baking chocolate etc. Phoon Huat AMK's Baking Classes for May don't look too interesting, so I think I'll skip it. In fact, I think the recipes in this forum more interesting! Quite excited about making the cake tomorrow... hope it'll turn out OK like the kind of choc cake I love

 

[nice_to_shop]

Choc
The Prima Chocolate Sponge Cake Mix can be found in NTUC(but sometimes no stock) and Giant.

Don't buy the Pandan Chiffon Cake Mix, taste awful, too much essence.

 

[nice_to_shop]

I baked this chocolate cake before,it's quite nice,but a bit troublesome,cos got to separate egg white and egg yolk and beat seapartely,like chiffon cake.

Not that suitable for newbies.

It was done long ago,I didn't take any photo,but should look like this(minus the chocolate leaf and cream):

SACHERTORTE
170g Self-Raising Flour
65g Ground Almonds
165g Butter
135g Castor Sugar
7 Eggs (separate yolk from white)
180g Semisweet Melted Chocolate
Apricot Jam

Chocolate Frosting
180ml Heavy Cream
1 tsp Brandy (optional)
300g Semi-sweet Chocolate

Instructions
Place chocolate in a bowl set over hot water.

Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

Add in egg yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Blend in melted chocolate, sifted flour and ground almond.

Whisk egg white till stiff peak.

Gently fold in a third of the beaten egg white to the butter mixture then fold in the rest.

Pour batter into a greased lined round baking tin. (Diameter 22cm x Height 7cm) and bake at 170 for about 55 mins or till cooked.

Remove cake from oven and leave to cool completely.

Warm the apricot jam and spread it over the top and sides of cake.

Place heavy cream and brandy in a saucepan and bring just to a boil, add in chocolate pieces and stir till chocolate melt, smooth and thick.

Pour chocolate frosting evenly over the cake. Leave to set about 25 mins.

 

[nice_to_shop]

Sophie,
The Baking Soda PDF is so nicely done up and organised! Thanks!

 

[nice_to_shop]

<center><table border=1><tr><td>

Cooking Baking Conversion Table
Conversion Table.xls (22.5 k)</td></tr></table></center>

 

[prisneo]

Here's the hainanese chicken rice recipe
Ingredient
2 tbsp of minced garlic
2 tbsp of minced shallots
1 tsp of minced ginger
1 tbsp of mushroon sauce
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 tbsp of canola oil
2 cup of rice
3 cups of chicken stock
salt to taste
Optional 150g of chicken fat (dh does not like it, but it make it more fragrant)
Optional pandan leaves....think will be more fragrant..can get here

Method
1. Wash and drain the rice.
2. Add the canola oil and fry shallot until fragrant, then add the garlic to fry for a minute and add the ginger.
3. After that add the rice to stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Transfer all to the rice cooker, add the sesame oil and mix well, then the stock and salt.
5. Tie one pandan leave and add in to boil in the rice cooker.

I suppose all can do the chicken right?

 

[prisneo]

3. Using electric beater, beat cheese and milk. When the mixture is smooth, add egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, corn flour and juice. Beat until smooth.
4. Using a clean bowl, put in the egg whites and whisk on high speed. When the mixture starts to turn opaque, add the sugar and cream of tartar. Continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
5.Fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. Don't put all in at one go, split into 2 or 3 parts and fold gently.
6.Pour into cake pan and put the cake pan into a roasting tray (I used the disposable aluminium tray by Reynold which is available at most supermarkets). Pour BOILING hot water into the roasting pan - careful not to splash into the cake mixture - up to half way up the pan. If you are using a springform tin, must wrap tightly with aluminium foil or else water will seep into the cake mixture.
7. Bake for 40 minutes or so.
8. Remove cake from oven when ready but leave it in the hot water bath for it to cool down slowly - hopefully the cake won't sink back too much.

 

[prisneo]

oops...I am copying the cake recipe...paste wrong place...so sorry

 

[prisneo]

try this quite nice

Yokan - Japanese Sweet Agar Agar

Ingredients:
1/6 oz agar agar
4/5 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 1/4cup boiled azuki beans (Red beans)

Method:
1. Soak agar agar in water for a few hours.
2. Add sugar in the water and simmer on low heat, stirring well.
3. Add boiled azuki in the pan and simmer well.
4. Pour the mixture in a flat container. Cool it until harden.
5. Cut the yokan into bite-sized pieces to serve.

 

[prisneo]

Anko Japanese Sweet Beans

Ingredients:
1 cup azuki beans (Red beans)
10 cups water
1/3 cup sugar

Method:
1. Put 4 cups of water in a pan and add azuki beans.
2. Put the pan on high heat and bring to boil.
3. Stop the heat and drain the water.
4. Put 6 cups of water in a pan and add the boiled azuki beans.
5. Put the pan on low heat and simmer the beans for an hour until soften.
6. Take out excess water from the pan and add sugar.
7. Stir the azuki on low heat for a few minutes until thicken. Stop the heat.

 

[prisneo]

This is not too bad too. Happy Trying


Japanese Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:
1/4 lb. kabocha (Japanese Pumpkin) It is usually very small one.
4/5 cup flour
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsps vegetable oil
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Method:
1. Peel pumpkin and cut into small pieces.
2. Heat pumpkin in the microwave until soften.
3. Mash pumpkin in a bowl.
4. Add sugar, vegetable oil in the bowl. Mixed well.
5. Shift flour, baking powder, and cinnamon into the bowl.
6. Mix all the ingredients.
7. Rest the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
8. Flatten the dough and cut into your favorite shapes.
9. Place a cooking sheet in a pan and put cookies on the sheet.
10. Bake cookies in 340F oven for 15-20 minutes.

 

[prisneo]

Will post more of the japanese desert after I try the recipe the ladies taught me...

 

[sophie]

Hi Van,
You're most welcome. Thanks to you for the info first. Now I'm threatening my dh that he should use baking soda as an underarm deodorant instead of wasting money on his Polo one... haha... he told me I should use this forum strictly for cooking tips and recipes, and nothing else

Pris,
The chocolate cake looks nice. Method is completely different from the one I'm baking now. In fact, I am a bit worried as my batter has clumps of flour+cocoa... maybe I didn't mix it in properly. Well, it's in the oven now, so we shall wait and see if it turns out to be OK.

 

[ah_cat]

lyn,
Aiya pai sek, give u wrong info. I got the thickend cream from Cold Storage. NTUC can't get one.

annelise,
Your cheese cake looks so YUMMY!!! I am going to try this weekend!!

Prisneo,
U r champ of recipe!! Heehee, luv u~

 

[choc06]

Hey van, thanks for the pics! Appreciate your effort!

Will try the prima one too..

Yo prisc, you are awake ? How's ds ? Thanks for the chicken rice recipe,
I suppose frying the rice will make it more fragrant.. hehe.. I always skip this step

Hey Soph, my kopi is ready, napkin, saucer and fork.. one piece please ..

 

[sophie]

Choc,
Need some help... my cake should be done after 1 hr of baking. Top cracked; is it cos oven is too hot?

I am trying to pry open the cake from bottom of the pan, but it looks stuck to the base. Should I wait for cake to cool first?

Here's my first cake... the shape looks more like the chinese kueh my mum use for praying.

 

[choc06]

Possibly due to the heat of the oven.. hve experienced that before.. but not much of the crack leh.. from the pic..
Wait for the cake to cool then cut, if not, it'll crumble.

Not bad lah.. give me a small piece

 

[sophie]

I cannot wait, so already dug a hole at the side to taste it. It taste like biscuit crumbles! Not like the Lana choc cake that I expected. Maybe cos it's too hot, like what you said.

Will wait for it to cool then dig another hole to see if it's worth using my chocolate to make a ganache for it

 

[little_cat]

i thot got crack is too dry right? hehe i like the home econ last time too, but i hate the sewing part

i used to bake cake donkey years ago back in malaysian with thsoe portable oven.
And make all the CNY goodies.

hey, dumpling festival is coming anyone making any dumpling (zhong-zi) H
i like my hometown one got mei-dou (not red bean like here in singapore) and dried oyster too! yummy... hope my bro is making agin this year,so i can taste the home made dumpling again! home sick liao!

 

[hong]

Van,

I dun have the mag with me today. I post up the receipe tmr.

regarding the emuslifer gel, I managed to find it at one of the ingredient shop. Not ex cost me $2.40 for a bottle and the shop owner told me is to make the cake softer.

Choco,
Let me try out the muffin receipe this weekend if i am free then i put up the pic here.

Pris, thanks for the great receipe.

 

[happysunflower]

Hello gals!
Wah.. So much to catch up... kekeke...

Haiz.. I still thinking if I can try natural birth

It's like an inner voice telling me that there will be no problem for me in natural birth... Maybe I haven't got over it cos I have been telling my baby to come out naturally since 4 months pregnant...


Choc06,
I did not add pork ribs to my soup

. But you can also add. This combination is quite nice. I look through a lot of recipes from the web and books at bookshop. I just notice what goes well with what to cook, then I experiment

Else follow everything from recipe, very troublesome sometimes leh... I also look for the nutritional value of the ingredients, and easy to cook food

I think cooking is by feeling sometimes... kekeke... I am born in a family of kuih makers and chefs... When I was in P1, I already start to cut vege in my parents' restaurant already... hee... but I haven't been hardworking to learn the skills. I only know how to eat...

When my brother in Sec1, he can stir fry noodles and hor fun for himself and his friend already... lol... very fun and cute hor?


Sophie,
Your cake looks delicious... kekeke... Can give me one slice also?

hee... I am too lazy to bake. I used to bake banana cake for my friends when I was in the UK.. kekeke... And everytime they will finish everything. I dun have weighing machine, but I improvise on the measurement.. hahaha... use bowls... and balance the weight of the ingredients using my right and left hand... lol... can you imagine?

 

[spongme]

yesterday didn't try the coke &amp; lemon cold remedy for hb, he went to his uncle's wake &amp; didn't come home till after midnite. I already knocked out already. anyway his cold also seems to hv healed hehe.

pris,
thanks for the recipes! err, for the chicken rice, can teach how to cook the chicken as well?

sophie,
yay, congrats, u baked yr 1st cake! got crack meh, can't see from the pic. looks nice, I love choc cake also.

 

[happysunflower]

I read about cake baking last time...
If you want it to rise nicely and a lot, add lemon and baking soda at the very last stage during mixing. The lemon and baking soda will react with the sugar in the cake to create more air.

Temperature of oven is very important for cake baking.

 

[nice_to_shop]

Pris
are aware that you can still edit your post in this forum within 20mins after you posted it?

Have you tried making the Chicken yourself? My friend taught me before, but I didn't try,cos she said cannot use small chicken,must use fat,plump chicken then it will turn out right.1 fat chicken is too much for my small family, yet not enough for my aunt's family,so don't feel like trying out.

Wonder if it's alright to replace the pumpkin with normal pumpkin or sweet potato for the cookies?

 

[choc06]

Hey lyn, I just bought watercress.. going to cook your signature soup .. the watercress is so fresh that I feel like frying it !!
Wah.. you very clever, p1 can potong vege liao..

Hey van, how do you do the editing ?

Soph, how's ya cake ? apa ganache ?

Eh sister meow, I always buy the bak chang from the stall in cold storage, alot of liao and with mei dou kind.. they also sell the small nonya kind..Very nice, dunno whether they add msg boh ..

 

[nice_to_shop]

Choc
Can you see the small icon top righ of your post? The white "document"with a yellow pen? Click that one to edit your post.

Happy to get the cleaned and cut Smelt Fish from market just now.That settled my main course for sweet potato porridge tonight,while my dd has steam threadfin.

I love the Red Bean Bak Chang that my aunt made.It's just Bak Chang with red beans but have not seen it sold anywhere.If any of you see such red bean bak chang sold in any restaurant or stalls,please let me know.

Going to post pictures of dried Mee Hoon Kuey and Dao Ciam soon..

 

[choc06]

Saw it thanks !!
What u making ? sweet pots cookies ? Maybe can be substituted with pumpkin since the consistency about the same, what u reckon mate ?

How about half fat chicken for a small family and cut down the cooking time ? Or a big fat chicken , save half for macaroni or chicken sandwich the next time ? You know delifrance has very nice bread for sandwich.. ciabatta, milano , whole wheat kind ? yumm

 

[nice_to_shop]

Is it too small to see? Always have this file size problem.

Hokkiens said Dao Ciam is good for cold/flu.Cook this in soup with fried garlic, marinated pork slices and spring onion, add LOTS OF PEPPER (really a lot), will help to clear block nose. So my aunt always cook this for my uncle and her children when they have flu.

We find that this brand,with black dots on it, is the best.NTUC has just started selling this.Previously, only found in small provision shops.

 

[nice_to_shop]

My friend's version of Hainanese Chicken, learnt from "WHOLE SET CHICKEN RICE BUSINESS COURSE."

Use a chicken about 1.8 to 2kg,put into boiling water for 10 min,then off the fire and leave it in hot water for another 30mins.Lift it up and soak in ice water for 20min. Use a string to hold onto the neck and hang it up to drip dry.

 

[nice_to_shop]

<u>Which fruits ripen; which don't </u>

Never ripen after picking

soft berries, cherries, citrus, grapes, olives, watermelon

Ripen only after picking

avocados

Ripen in color, texture, and juiciness but not in sweetness after picking

apricots, blueberries, figs, melons (besides watermelon), nectarines, passionfruit, peaches, persimmons

Get sweeter after picking

apples, kiwi, mangos, pineapples, papayas, pears, soursops

Ripen in every way after harvest

bananas

 

[clovergreen]

Hi ladies,
Saw so many postings about beans, feel like giving it a try. Can somebody enlighten me about all sorts of bean combinations for soup? e.g. black beans, bai mei beans, soy beans, peanuts, etc.. and i think there are also some other beans for soup like chi4 (red) beans, and bian3 beans. Does anybody know how to cook these bean soups, its portions and for what funtionalities?

 

[choc06]

The mee hoon kuey looks like shanghai nian gao.. Can it be bought from NTUC also ?

Will try cooking the dao ciam, with your recipe and maybe add veg , dao gei also..

the red bean bak cheng, is it the kee chang with red beans ? Sweet one is it ? or with pork ? Sweet one should have right ?

Hey lyn, definitely have to caesar is it ? Can try natural birth ?

 

[choc06]

Oh.. you must ask the bean expert.. mdm lyn bean..

My MIL told me can cook black beans,soy beans and peanuts with pork ribs..

Mei duo can cook with peanuts, huai san and pork ribs also try fen ge(see above pic) instead of huai san

The rest I haven't tried before