Choc Chips Orange Cupcakes

Tasty and easy to bake orange flavoured cupcakes with choc chips. Citrus flavor of this buttery cupcake blends well with the sweet choc chips.

Love the way these cupcakes rose - beautifully.  These would be good for gatherings and small parties.

I reduced the sugar and the sweetness is just nice for me cos' the choc chips are bitter sweet too.

Recipe Source – No Frills [slightly modified]

Ingredients

[makes 24 cupcakes]

220 gm butter

150 gm castor sugar [can reduced to 130-140 gm]

Zest of 2 oranges

4 eggs

280 gm plain flour – sifted with baking powder

1 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

60 ml orange juice

100 gm choc chips

1. Cream butter and sugar until creamy, light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition.
3. Fold in the flour using lowest speed or with spatula, alternating with orange juice.
4. Fold in the choc chips.
5. Spoon batter into cupcake cases on patty tins until 90% full.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees C on middle rack for 20 minutes or until golden brown and done.
7. Remove to cool on wire rack.
   
   
   
   
   
   

This post is linked to "Little Thumbs Up" February 2015 Event [Cocoa] organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of my little favourite DIY and hosted by Grace of Life can be Simple.

All In One Belanda Sauce Eggs

A easy dish to cook up whenever you wish to add an extra dish on the dinner table.  Simple and easily available ingredients in any kitchen.

This is similar to the Nyonya Belanda Hu [Fish] which I cooked earlier.  My brother in-law says that eggs can be cooked this way  instead of fish.

Since I’m using a flat base non stick wok, I fried the eggs all at the same time then braised  them with the sauce.  Very easy way to cook and less oily.
The photos don't look good but the dish tasted good.  Reason is all because I cooked this in a jiffy....

Ingredients

[serves 3]

3 eggs

6 shallots – thinly sliced

3 garlic – thinly sliced

1 [3 cm] piece cinnamon stick

A pinch of tamarind past mixed with 150 ml water

Some shredded red chilli and spring onions

1 tbsp sugar

½ -1 tsp salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

1. Heat oil in a non-stick wok.  Saute shallots and garlic until crispy.  Dish up.
2. Use the oil to fry the eggs together until firm up.  Pour in the tamarind juice and add the seasoning and cinnamon stick.
3. Bring to boil and simmer until sauce is fragrant.  Taste to adjust seasoning.
4. Add in the chilli and spring onions.
5. Dish up to serve with rice.
   
   

Chinese Cabbage, Prawns and Egg Soup

One of my easy and quick cook soup with simple ingredients yet it is tasty enough for serving on busy days. Suitable for all ages in the family, too.

I cooked this soup during the time when I was suffering from sensitive teeth and needs to eat really soft vegetables.  Cooked this again yesterday and I'm sharing it here as my last posting before CNY.  Going back to my in-law's place  tomorrow and from then on is very busy time for me till after CNY.

The soup is tasty with the Chinese cabbage and prawns. The beaten egg brings the cabbages together.  Nice.

Ingredients

[serves 2-3]

200 gm Chinese cabbage [pak choy] – rinsed and cut thin shreds

1 small carrot – peeled and shredded

1 egg – lightly beaten with some pepper and light soy sauce to taste

100 – 150 gm prawns – shelled with tails intact

½ tsp salt and ½ tsp chicken stock granules to taste

Dash of pepper and sesame seed oil

Some fried crispy garlic oil

Some chopped spring onions

750 ml water

1. Bring water to boil in a soup pot or claypot. Add in Chinese cabbage and carrots. Let it boil and cooked until soft or crunchy according to own preference.
2. Add in the seasoning to taste, then add in the prawns to cook.
3. Once prawns are cooked, pour in the beaten egg in a circular pattern. Do Not Stir, just let it cook for 1-2 minutes or until cooked.
4. Off heat and serve hot.  Garnish with spring onions and fried crispy garlic.
   
    
   

HAPPY, PROSPEROUS, HEALTHY AND 

SAFE CHINESE NEW YEAR 

TO ALL

 CHINESE FRIENDS, VISITORS, FELLOW BLOGGERS

 AND

 ALL CELEBRATING 

CHINESE NEW YEAR.

  HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL 

WHO ARE ON HOLIDAY DURING THIS TIME.

Pan Fried Salmon With Tasty Onion Salad

Whenever fresh fish are not available in the wet markets, I will look for salmon blocks in the supermarkets. At times, they are reasonably cheap and is a good option.  Bought several pieces to cook this simple dish which costs less than RM 10.00.

Just pan fry the salmon blocks until brown and serve with an easy onion/carrot salsa. I didn't add any oil to the salsa. Hmmm.....isn't this dish yummy at the dinner table.

Ingredients

[serves 3]

3 pieces of salmon blocks – seasoned light with some salt

Onion/Carrot Salad

1 white onion – thinly sliced

1 small carrot – shredded

1 tbsp plum sauce

1 tbsp chilli sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

Some chopped coriander

Some toasted sesame seeds

1. Soaked shredded onion and carrot in ice cold water. Drain in colander.
2. Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl. Add in the onions, carrot and coriander.
3. Mix well and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds. Set aside.
4. Heat up a non-stick wok with minimal oil. Pan fry salmon pieces until brown and cooked.
5. Dish up on serving platter, serve with salad and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
   
   
   
   

Fried Bean Curd in Black Bean Sauce

Chinese New Year around the corner and it's expected that lots of dishes will be meaty.  A simple dish like this would be better for our tummy before CNY.
Surprisingly good and tasty dish with simple ingredients - soft tofu and fermented black beans.

This is a homey dish, good with rice and easy to cook. The original recipe uses fish balls [I don't buy fish balls especially the springy and pure white coloured ones] so I replaced it with tofu puffs which soaks up the sauce.  You can cook this dish just with tofu.

Recipe Source - Hawker Fair Simplified [modified]

Ingredients

2 pieces soft beancurd [tofu] - cut into thick slices

a few tofu puffs - rinsed and sliced [optional]

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp fermented black beans - rinsed, drained and chopped

1 red chilli - seeded and chopped

1 stalk spring onion - chopped

some oil for frying

Seasoning

1 tbsp each of oyster sauce and light soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

100 ml water

1 tbsp cornflour water for thickening

1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, pan fry tofu slices until golden on both sides. Dish and drain.
2. Use the same pan,saute chopped garlic, ginger and red chilli until fragrant. Add in black beans.  Stir to mix.  Add in tofu puffs.
3. Add in seasoning and water.  Bring to boil.  Return the fried tofu pieces to mix with sauce.
4. Thicken with cornstarch water.  Dish up to serve with rice.  Garnish with spring onions or chopped Chinese celery
   
   
   
   
   

Meatball and Taukee Soup

This is a very homey soup that is easy and simple to prepare yet good with rice for dinner.

It is a quick cook soup that takes only minutes.

My mother in-law gave me some taukee which she told me is good quality ones. These days, taukee could be quite rubbery after cooking but this one isn’t.

The soup turns out so good with just 2 main ingredients. This soup is so easy to cook and I only estimate ‘agak-agak’ the quantity of the ingredients just enough for 3 persons.

I added light soy sauce for colour and to add some sweetness to the soup.

Ingredients 

[serves 2]

100 gm pork minced with some chopped garlic and preserved vegetables ‘tung choi’

Several sticks of the taukee [beancurd sticks] – soaked and cut into 2 inch lengths

Some tung choi – rinsed

Light soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste

750 ml water

1. Marinate minced meat with some pepper, dash of sesame oil and cornflour. Mix well and shape into meat balls.
2. Bring water to boil in a soup pot. Add in the tung choi and boil for several minutes.
3. Add in the meat balls to cook followed by the taukee.
4. Let it boil for several minutes. Add light soy sauce, salt and  pepper to taste.
5. Scoop up onto soup bowl, serve hot.