I got my first taste of Amaretto in Bali 2 years ago. It was served in a shot glass together with tiramisu...and I never forgot that "first time". Thereafter, I spent many comings and goings in DFS looking for Amaretto - its not very common. I finally got my hands on one; its great just drizzled on desserts/ice-cream, yum! Then I found out you could make Amaretto at home! Something I could totally make as gifts during Christmas!
1.5 cup granulated sugar
1.5 cup pack brown sugar (whoa nellie! that's alotta sugar)
2 cups water
4 cups vodka
1/3 cup almond extract
5 tsp vanilla extract
1. Dissolve both sugars in water ovee medium heat. Cook until boiling and all sugar dissolved.
2. After mixture has cooled, add vodka, almond extract and vanilla.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Har Cheong Kai
I went on a har cheong kai frenzy a few months back...it was an entire week of trying to make the perfect har cheong kai. End of story - they did not turn out as nice as those you get in the restaurants, but its still worth a try, just for some variety in your chicken :) Its actually quite easy, chucking everything together to marinate. It only gets abit messy with the deep frying.
5tbs chopped ginger
3.5 Chinese Rose wine (or cooking wine)
2tbs shrimp sauce
1tbs corn starch
1tbs sugar or honey
Half tbs sesame oil
Pinch of white pepper
150gm Tapioca flour
1. Pound ginger to extract 2 tbs of juice. Stir well with wine, shrimp paste, cornstarch, sugar, pepper and sesame oil.
2. Marinate chicken, refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
3. Heat oil - medium high heat. Roll chicken pieces in tapioca flour, ensure they are evenly coated.
4. Fry chicken for 5-6 minutes - pale brown. Drain.
5. Reheat oil until very hot, and fry chicken again for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown.
5tbs chopped ginger
3.5 Chinese Rose wine (or cooking wine)
2tbs shrimp sauce
1tbs corn starch
1tbs sugar or honey
Half tbs sesame oil
Pinch of white pepper
150gm Tapioca flour
1. Pound ginger to extract 2 tbs of juice. Stir well with wine, shrimp paste, cornstarch, sugar, pepper and sesame oil.
2. Marinate chicken, refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
3. Heat oil - medium high heat. Roll chicken pieces in tapioca flour, ensure they are evenly coated.
4. Fry chicken for 5-6 minutes - pale brown. Drain.
5. Reheat oil until very hot, and fry chicken again for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Dabu Dabu from Manado
Learnt this on my first dive trip to Lembeh. It was quite sad actually; the resort we stayed at was as budget as you could get, and there was always not enough food at mealtimes. In comes dabu dabu, which is a tomato, chilli and onion salsa, and it totally saved our meals - just eating it with plain rice was yummy :). That said, it was the only dive trip where I lost 2 kgs!
Onions (quite abit, as its the main ingredient)
Tomatoes, with the slimy core removed (or just dice up cherry tomatoes)
Chilli padi (remove the seeds, if I were you)
Calamansi
Oil (about 2 tbs)
Salt
Sorry I can't give measurements, its one of those things I have to see then I know! You can also add in diced cucumber to bulk it up. The salsa is abit more watery in texture (compared to the salsa that they use in brushetta). Not too much calamansi as it will end up too sour, so its down to the oil that will give it its smooth texture.
Onions (quite abit, as its the main ingredient)
Tomatoes, with the slimy core removed (or just dice up cherry tomatoes)
Chilli padi (remove the seeds, if I were you)
Calamansi
Oil (about 2 tbs)
Salt
Sorry I can't give measurements, its one of those things I have to see then I know! You can also add in diced cucumber to bulk it up. The salsa is abit more watery in texture (compared to the salsa that they use in brushetta). Not too much calamansi as it will end up too sour, so its down to the oil that will give it its smooth texture.
Jeannette's Dad's Wonderful Sauces
So far, I have only eaten this; Uncle gave me the recipe verbally, with no measurements.
Cantonese-style light soya sauce for fish
Heat oil until smokin'.
Throw in light soya sauce mixture with ginger, spring onions and chilli. (Be careful not to mortally wound yourself in the process)
My guess is 2 parts soya sauce, 1 part oil.
Yummy sweetish sauce (goes well with sliced pork)
Just tomato ketchup and Worchestershire sauce (quite a bit of it I think).
Cantonese-style light soya sauce for fish
Heat oil until smokin'.
Throw in light soya sauce mixture with ginger, spring onions and chilli. (Be careful not to mortally wound yourself in the process)
My guess is 2 parts soya sauce, 1 part oil.
Yummy sweetish sauce (goes well with sliced pork)
Just tomato ketchup and Worchestershire sauce (quite a bit of it I think).
Basic Beef Stew
300gm beef cubes
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 stalks celery, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
Potatoes, peeled and cut into bit-sized pieces
2 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs Worchestershire sauce
1 cup beef stock
Half tbs thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste
1. Season beef with salt and pepper for an hour. Fry beef ove rhigh heat til brown.
2. Add onion, carrot and celery, fry to 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes and mix well. Stir in tomato paste and Worchestershire sauce.
3. Pour in beef stock and stir well, bring to boil, add thyme. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours, or transfer to a slow cooker.
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 stalks celery, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
Potatoes, peeled and cut into bit-sized pieces
2 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs Worchestershire sauce
1 cup beef stock
Half tbs thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste
1. Season beef with salt and pepper for an hour. Fry beef ove rhigh heat til brown.
2. Add onion, carrot and celery, fry to 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes and mix well. Stir in tomato paste and Worchestershire sauce.
3. Pour in beef stock and stir well, bring to boil, add thyme. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours, or transfer to a slow cooker.
Priscilla's Mother's Pandan Chiffon Cake
This cake is a killer. I haven't attempted it after learning from the shifu herself because I haven't gotten round to squeezing the pandan leaf for its juice. I tried, and I mortally wounded my thumb. No pandan essence maam!
9 eggs, yolk (don't break the yolks) and whites separated
1 small chinese bowl caster sugar
1 small chinese bowl plain flour (I wonder how it'll turn out if I use cake flour) + half tsp baking powder
1 small chinese bowl coconut milk (freshly squeezed from 1.5 coconuts)
3 tbs cooking/vegetable oil
1 tbs green colouring
3 tbs pandan juice
Half tsp cream of tartar
1. Beat 8 yolks for 5 minutes, then add half bowl sugar. Beat until creamy and light. Add in flour and baking powder and beat another 20 minutes. Set aside.
2. Beat the 9 whites intil risen, slowly mix in rest of the sugar (half bowl). Add in half tsp cream of tartar and beat until very dense, more than 10 minutes.
3. Mix oil, pandan juice and colour into coconut milk, and split this into 3 parts, mix with egg yolk mixture.
4. Mix yolk and white mixture, and pour into a chiffon cake tin (the one with the chimney in the middle). Bake at 180C til it turns light brown.
5. Once done, collapse the tin over a wine bottled, and let it cool completely before removing it from tin.
9 eggs, yolk (don't break the yolks) and whites separated
1 small chinese bowl caster sugar
1 small chinese bowl plain flour (I wonder how it'll turn out if I use cake flour) + half tsp baking powder
1 small chinese bowl coconut milk (freshly squeezed from 1.5 coconuts)
3 tbs cooking/vegetable oil
1 tbs green colouring
3 tbs pandan juice
Half tsp cream of tartar
1. Beat 8 yolks for 5 minutes, then add half bowl sugar. Beat until creamy and light. Add in flour and baking powder and beat another 20 minutes. Set aside.
2. Beat the 9 whites intil risen, slowly mix in rest of the sugar (half bowl). Add in half tsp cream of tartar and beat until very dense, more than 10 minutes.
3. Mix oil, pandan juice and colour into coconut milk, and split this into 3 parts, mix with egg yolk mixture.
4. Mix yolk and white mixture, and pour into a chiffon cake tin (the one with the chimney in the middle). Bake at 180C til it turns light brown.
5. Once done, collapse the tin over a wine bottled, and let it cool completely before removing it from tin.
Martha Stewart's Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
This turned out quite a yummy, polite little cake :) Good for teas.
Cake
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk (this is the secret ingredient!)
Zest of 2 lemons, finely grated
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from the 2 lemons you grated)
1.5 tsp salt
Half tsp baking powder
Half tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar (I use less)
5 large eggs
Lemon glaze
2 cups icing sugar
3-4 tbs fresh lemon juice
1. Pre-hear oven 350F, butter and flour 2 loaf tins.
2. Combine buttermilk, lemon zest and juice.
3. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and soda.
4. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three parts alternately with buttermilk mixture in two, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just smooth. Do not overbeat.
6. Divide batter evenly into two pans, bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean -50-60 minutes.
7. Cool completely before glazing. Let dry 30 minutes after glazing.
Cake
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk (this is the secret ingredient!)
Zest of 2 lemons, finely grated
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from the 2 lemons you grated)
1.5 tsp salt
Half tsp baking powder
Half tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar (I use less)
5 large eggs
Lemon glaze
2 cups icing sugar
3-4 tbs fresh lemon juice
1. Pre-hear oven 350F, butter and flour 2 loaf tins.
2. Combine buttermilk, lemon zest and juice.
3. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and soda.
4. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three parts alternately with buttermilk mixture in two, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just smooth. Do not overbeat.
6. Divide batter evenly into two pans, bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean -50-60 minutes.
7. Cool completely before glazing. Let dry 30 minutes after glazing.
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