Early Christmas Cheers - Green Tea Cookie Recipe, Easy Craft & Two Gift-aways

Here's my early 3-in-1 Christmas cheer to share in anticipation of the festive celebration which is just around the corner. A nice green tea/matcha cookie recipe, an easy-and-cheap-to-do Christmas gift tag and 2 Christmas prezzies as giveaways!

First up, is the cookie. If you often find yourself making the same types of Christmas cookies year after year, here's something different you might want to consider making.

Green Tea With Red Bean & Pecan Cookies

Ingredients:
A: 160g butter; 10g vanilla essence; 100g icing sugar; 5g green tea powder; 3g green tea paste
B: 1 egg
C: 210g plain flour; 40g cornflour; 3g baking soda
D: 180g toasted crushed pecan; 150g golden syrup; 10g vanilla essence; 100g cooked red beans (wash & boil in 4 cups water till the beans are soft, then strain and discard the water)
E: Icing sugar for dusting

- Cream A till light & fluffy
- Add B and continue creaming till combined
- Sift C and add to the above mixture. Mix thoroughly with a spatula till it becomes a dough.
- Mix, stir well all ingredients in D together.
- Take approximately 1.5 tablespoon of the cookie dough, shape into a ball with the palm of your hands and flatten it. Fill the center with 1 teaspoon of the red bean & pecan filling, then fold in the sides of the dough to close it up. Shape it round and flatten with your hands.
- Place onto greased oven tray. Bake at 150-160 deg C for 30 minutes or till slightly golden brown.

Dust cookies with icing sugar just before serving (not illustrated here but you get the idea!)

Easy Craft - Christmas Gift Tags

1. You'll need:
- A few pieces of printed felt
- A few A4-size plain red and green thick cards
- A scissors, a ruler, a pen & glue
- Christmas-theme cookie cutters

2. Use a pen to trace the outline of the cookie cutter on the non-printed/flip side of the felt.

3. Cut the green & red plain cards into 6cm x 10.5cm rectangular and fold each piece in half.
4. Cut out the outlined shape, spread some glue on the non-printed/flip side and paste on the card.

5. Here you go...easy to make gift tags!!

Christmas Prezzies For The Lucky Two!

In anticipation of the spirit of Christmas giving and sharing, and to thank you for your support to my blog, I have 6 mini cookbooks to giveaway to 2 lucky winners - whose names will be randomly picked. A small 'mystery gift' from me will be included too!! All you need to do is, leave a comment on this post and you're in for the random picking! And it doesn't matter where you currently live in on Planet Earth (as long as you have a valid postal address!).

The 1st randomly picked name will receive the top row books, while the 2nd picked name will receive those at the bottom row. Last day to post your comment entry for this is 25 November. Results will be shared before 29 Nov.

Hope you'll join in this Christmas cheer!:-)




Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank one of my earliest blog friends, Kristy of My Little Space, for passing me this lovely Friends button. Thank you very much Kristy, for being a wonderful blog friend. Look forward to more cooking goodies from you :) !




Cheers!

All Shook Up On A Cake For 'The King'

Heard of Elvis Presley's Pound Cake? I'm sure you have if you're a true blue, super die-hard Elvis fan. I was made aware of the King's cake by the charming, insightful and debonair Uncle Lee who truly got me "All Shook Up" on it! He had graciously given me the recipe to this cake in his winsome comment on one of my previous posts.

Oh, but before I get into Elvis' cake, let me tell you a teeny weeny bit about Uncle Lee and "A Thing Called Love"!

If "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" of which romance brings, sorrow no more my dear. Cross that "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and hop on over to Uncle Lee's blog. He'll dazzle you, romance you, dance with you, charm you, share a story with you, share a song with you, and he'll humor you as well. He'll look into your eyes, into your dreamy and bewitched black, brown, blue or green eyes, and he shall ask, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", and in which your natural womanly instinct (if you're a woman, that is!) shall likely respond, "A Little Less Conversation", because you'll probably "Can't Help Falling In Love" with the magic of sweet romance all over again!

Elvis & his parents

According to a brief story by Uncle Lee, Elvis' mom, Gladys, and his cook, used to bake this rich, soft and buttery pound cake for the King - which is his favorite cake - even when he was on tour. While I usually found that most pound cakes are rather heavy, dense and dry, this one is truly the opposite. It is THE best butter pound cake I've tried thus far. I took the liberty to add dried prunes, which gave the cake a really nice additional flavor.

Here's a piece for you, Uncle Lee, to thank you for the wonderful recipe!

ELVIS PRESLEY'S POUND CAKE

3 cups granulated sugar (I reduced it to 1 3/4 cups, and which turned out just nice for me)

1/2 pound butter, softened
7 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups cake flour, sifted twice, divided (I added 1.5 teaspoon baking powder to the flour too)
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- Butter and flour a 10-inch pan.
- Thoroughly cream together sugar and butter.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in half the flour, then the whipping cream , then the other half of the flour.
- Add vanilla extract. Pour batter into prepared pan. Set in a COLD oven and turn heat to 350 degrees F.
- Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly.

To quote Uncle Lee, "Hold that smile and keep a song in your heart!"

So, let's turn on your speaker and enjoy these YouTube videos of my two favorite Elvis' songs.






Have a great week all !

Cheers,

Mac & Cheese With Oriental-Style Chicken Tofu Meatballs - 5 Star Makeover Participation

I happened to catch an episode of The Rachel Ray Show on TV recently where it showed her making the most delicious looking American-style beef meatball mac & cheese EVER! From that episode on, the plain view I had of mac & cheese was redefined to a new paradigm shift and thought to myself that I should try to make some soon!

And then last week, while visiting Natasha of 5 Star Foodie's fantastic blog, I was elated to read that she had chosen mac & cheese as the subject of this month's 5 Star Makeover. I immediately knew I wanted to participate. To participate in Natasha's 5 Star Makeover, one needs to create the chosen food (this month's choice is mac & cheese) with a modern, healthy, fusion, molecular gastronomy, seasonal, or adapting to a particular cuisine style.

After some thinking, I decided to go with 'adapting to a particular cuisine style' by combining American mac & cheese with Oriental-style chicken tofu meatballs. Inspired by a recipe I once stumbled upon which uses tofu with prawn meat, I created my own version of tofu with chicken and added a variety of Oriental-style seasonings - basically, whatever I have in my kitchen. So, here it is - my Oriental chicken tofu meatball recipe and the complete mac & cheese meal which I hope you will enjoy. This recipe serves 3.

Oriental-Style Chicken Tofu Meatballs
- 250 g minced chicken meat
- 150 g white tofu, mashed
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 5-6 stalks of cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tsp Worchestershire sauce (optional)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp pepper powder
- 1/2 cup oil for frying

Mix everything together really, really thoroughly to ensure that all the seasonings & beaten egg are mixed in well with the minced chicken and mashed tofu. Shape each tablespoon of the mixture into round balls. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the meatballs till golden brown. Note: I prefer to flatten the meatballs a little so that lesser oil is required for frying.

Mac & Cheese
- 1.5 cups mini shell pasta/macaroni
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 pips garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (add more if you like)
- 8-10 mini/cherry tomatoes, halves
- 1.5 tbsp butter
- Some crushed black peppercorn & grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Boil the pasta till al dente. Strain and leave aside. Heat the butter in a pan, then saute the onion and garlic till slightly golden brown. Add the oregano, and then pour in the cooked pasta, milk, the grated cheese and tomatoes. Add in the fried meatballs and continue to stir for another minute or so till the cheese has melted. Serve with sprinkles of crushed black peppercorns, a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and a few sprigs of cilantro as garnish.

The aromatic and flavorful chicken tofu meatballs with hints of Oriental seasonings were wonderful addition to the rich and creamy mac & cheese, making it a complete & delicious meal.

Natasha will be doing a round-up of all submissions on Nov 2, so be sure to visit her 5 Star Foodie blog to see all the various mac & cheese creations by participating food bloggers.


Bon Appetit!

Cheers

Mom's Nyonya Kuah Lada (Fish & Aubergine In Turmeric & Peppercorn Gravy)

Kuah Lada ('Kuah': soup/gravy; 'Lada': pepper/chilli) is a specialty Melaka Nyonya dish consisting of fish and aubergine cooked in thick turmeric and peppercorn gravy, with a hint of tanginess from the use of tamarind paste juice. Mackerel (ikan tenggiri) or stingray (ikan pari) are the two preferred types of fish often used to cook Kuah Lada, although other suitable fishes may be used too, like hardtail mackerel (ikan cencaru) and pomfret (ikan bawal), which are normally found in tropical oceans.

Kuah Lada is one of the many mainstay Nyonya dishes for my family and this recipe was taught and passed down to my sisters and I by our wonderful & beautiful late Mom who was a terrific cook of Nyonya dishes and a skilled maker of Nyonya kueh/kuih (cakes) and sweet treats. This dish, and as usual with all other Nyonya dishes, is served mainly with rice. In my family, the leftover gravy is often kept overnight in the refrigerator where the next day it gets re-heated to go with a bowl of plain rice congee/porridge, along with other congee condiments. Depending on the palate of individual Nyonya household, the degree of tanginess can be adjusted by using more or lesser tamarind paste juice. I love mine with more tamarind paste juice as the sour & peppery turmeric taste never fails to whet my appetite. It is also one of the 'specialty & less commercial' dishes that one can hardly find in a Peranakan or Nyonya restaurant, so if you do love Nyonya dishes, this is worth trying at home.

You'll need...some mini aubergines or any types of aubergine will also do. These mini aubergines are so cute that I just can't resist buying some when I spotted them at Little India recently.



...also a tablespoonful of tamarind paste

Here's the complete recipe:
A couple slices of mackerel or small chunks of stingray fish
8-10 mini aubergines, cut into halves
1 tbsp tamarind paste (using your fingers, rub the paste thoroughly in 1 cup water and discard the seeds)
800 ml water
1/4 cup oil

Pound/blend together:
5 or 6 cloves garlic
5 or 6 shallots
1.5 inch long fresh turmeric (or 1 tbsp turmeric powder)
1 fresh red chilli (this is optional, I added it in because I had one lonely chilli left sitting cold in my fridge)
1 inch Asian shrimp paste (belacan)
1.5 - 2 tbsps white peppercorns
3 candlenuts (buah keras)

Method:
Heat oil in a wok or pan, saute all the blended paste for about 8-10 minutes until fragrant. Transfer the sauteed paste into a small pot, add around 800 ml water and 1 cup tamarind juice, and let it simmer on a low to medium fire. Once it is simmering, take a spoonful of the gravy to taste your preference for the degree of tanginess. Add a bit more water if you find it too tangy for your taste or add more tamarind paste juice if you find it not tangy enough. Once you're agreeable on the taste, add in the aubergines, let it simmer for 5 minutes, and then add in the fish slices and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes till they are cooked through. Serve with rice.

Cheers,

Happy Deepavali & More...

Around the world today Oct 17, many Hindu Indians celebrate the vibrant Festival of Lights known as Deepavali. Also called Diwali, this Festival of Lights signifies the victory of good versus evil, or light versus darkness. For more about Deepavali, do read it HERE. My sisters and I grew up celebrating Deepavali with our Indian friends and neighbors, and till today, we all enjoy joining in the festivities of this celebration as well as tasting all the delicious Indian food and cookies. So, to all my friends (especially Ranjita, Hema & Arshi) and my readers (recurring or accidental first timers) who celebrate Deepavali, I'd like to take this opportunity to say a little wish:

"Idlis and dosais, curries and chutneys, may you look resplendent in dhotis and saris, and enjoy a celebration full of bliss! Happy Deepavali to one and all!"

Moving on, the below recipe for baked eggs, corn & cheese was taken from one of my favorite recipe books - Australian Women's Weekly Cookbook For All Seasons - which I had received as a birthday gift from my wonderful former colleagues several years ago. I made this 2 weeks ago, but hadn't got the right mood to post it as I have been feeling under the weather in the past 1.5 weeks. It's a simple recipe but it does take about 1 hour to slow bake in the oven. But the result is worth it. I chose to bake it in individual ramekins, but you can also opt to bake it in a large casserole dish & cut into square slices for serving, as per the instructions on the recipe.

Recipe for Egg, Potato and Corn Slice:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small red capsicum, chopped
130g can corn kernels, drained
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano (I used dried instead of fresh)
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Heat oil, then saute onion, garlic & capsicum for a few minutes, then drain. Combine onion mixture with corn and oregano. Layer half the potatoes over base of casserole dish/pan, top with onion mixture then the remaining potatoes. Combine the eggs and cream. Pour over the potato/onion layers. Sprinkle with thyme. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle grated cheese on top about 10 minutes before it is ready.

Also something I made 2 weeks back out of a sudden craving for something to snack on was this delightful madeleines - based on a recipe by the wonderful Lee Mei of My Cooking Hut. Lee Mei's blog is fantastic, do visit it when you have some time. Since I did not have a madeleine mould, I used my heart shape and bear moulds instead. My apology to all die-hard madeleine fans out there if I've 'broken' any particular rules to making madeleines. This was my 1st try and I love the taste, texture and the use of yeast in it. To obtain the recipe, please click here: My Cooking Hut - Madeleines.

Cheers,

Japanese-inspired Shiso Chirimen Fried Rice

There was a Kyushu food fair going on recently at a supermarket in town. I happened to be there strolling along the aisles in my own carefree moment when a Japanese guy politely smiled and invited me to try out the products he was selling at his booth - a variety of different seaweeds. After tasting of a couple of different flavors, I decided to show him some support and bought a packet of shiso chirimen - which is seaweed with dried anchovies and toasted sesame seeds. According to him, people in Japan eat shiso chirimen with rice at breakfast, lunch or dinner. Further cooking is not necessary as it can be eaten straight from the packet. As my husband and I are both rice-loving people but with some hesitation of eating it with plain rice, I decided to make a simple Japanese-inspired fried rice instead - with lots of chopped garlic!

With the intention to blog about this ingredient, I 'googled' to double check on what shiso chirimen means [not that I didn't trust the Japanese guy!..just that I wanted to enhance my knowledge :)..]. What I found on the web was that shiso refers to a type of plant with paper-thin leaves with jagged edges which is also called perilla or beefsteak plant or chinese basil or purple mint, and chirimen refers to small anchovies. The description of shiso on the web doesn't say anything about it being seaweed at all. So, I'm confused. Is it seaweed or is it not? (If anyone knows, please enlighten me.) But it sure tasted like seaweed & I'm very sure the Japanese guy knows his stuff. Anyway, seaweed or not, it added a really nice leafy flavor to the fried rice and it made up for the need for any other ingredients other than garlic & eggs to whip up an easy, quick & delicious fried rice meal.

Shiso chirimen

Recipe:
- 1 big bowl of cooked long grain rice (best if the rice has been left in the fridge overnight, but not entirely necessary)
- 4-5 pips garlic, chopped
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 small bowl of shiso chirimen
- Some mini/cherry tomatoes, halve
- Dash of salt & pepper
- 3 tbsp cooking oil + 1 tsp sesame seed oil

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok/pan and break the 2 eggs inside. Stir and fry, breaking the eggs into pieces. When slightly browned, dish out and set aside. Heat the remaining oil and saute the chopped garlic and shallots until they are brown and fragrant. Mix in the shiso chirimen, tomatoes, rice, fried eggs, salt and pepper and stir fry for 4-5 minutes. If it gets too dry, add in 1 tbsp of water at a time if needed while stir frying the rice. Dish up & serve. A simple, quick and inexpensive meal!

Cheers,