Longan Drink 龙眼水

Miss the longan drink in Malaysia very very much!!! Used to order this drink when I was in my secondary school, along those street, eating Economical Rice. Hehehe :)

So, summer is here, hot, hot, hot!!! Super duper frustrated that we didn't buy an air-cond in the first year (hahaha, as though we were allowed to have one!) Just wanna have this refreshing chilled drink. By the way, another main reason, I have extra dried longan!!! :P And another thing was inspired by my friend, Wanni, who did this longan water in a party. It's super easy. What you need is just to have : some good amount of dried longan, water and sufficient sugar supply :D

Yes, I used the slow cooker. You can use the stove :)

Boil the water, add the longan. When the longan "opens" up like a beautiful flower, add sugar (by your own sweetness level) and it's ready to be served hot. Chilled version, is of course, cooling it down, then adding ice. For me, who don't have ice supply (Yeah, poor me!) chilled it in the fridge after the cooling. Hmmm, yumyumyum!

Easy, cooling, refreshing especially in this hot summer weather. But, do bear in mind, according to Chinese Medicine point of view, Longan is heaty in nature. Although it's a cold drink, it still have this "heaty" effect. :D

Dried Longan 龙眼干

Salami Pizza

Into the oven

PIZZA CRAVE!!! It's all the Reality Cooking Competition's (MasterChef) fault. Making me drooling over pizza, even canceled my plan of fried bihun for it.

It was a long time since I last did a home-made one, think was 2-3 years back. So Pizza is back into business now. Actually the dough is very easy to do, just time consuming, taking about an hour for the dough at least. But, you can prepare other stuffs while waiting :) So this recipe for the pizza base I am sharing here is based on Julia Jenkin's, one of the participant. Or perhaps her employer's??? :P The tomato paste and ingredient is all based upon your own cravings :)

I finished off my pizza with capsicum, tomato, dash of oregano, salami, coriander and pineapples. I like to have pineapples in my pizza, because I feel that it is more appetizing. Last but not least, the Mozzarella cheese, hmmm...*Drooling yet again*

Making the dough for the base

Pizza Base (I did 3.5 pizzas, not all congruent in size though)
15g dried yeast
20g caster sugar
20g salt
250ml lukewarm water
1 tbs olive oil
425g flour

Leaving the dough to rise

1. Add 250ml lukewarm water, sugar, salt, yeast. Leave aside till it's frothy.

2. Prepare 425g flour, making a well in the center, pour 1 tablespoon olive oil, add the frothy yeast mixture, and form the dough.
3. Leave aside for about 30 minutes till it rises.

Fork the dough

To complete it :
4. Preheat oven to 250°C for 15minutes.
5. Prepare your tomato paste and ingredients for your Pizza.
6. Take a portion of the dough and roll it to about 0.5cm thick (according to the pizza stone size)
7. Fork the base, then put the paste and ingredients on the rolled pizza base.
8. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or till the base at the side looks crunchy enough.

The tomato paste and the Mozzarella Cheese

For my Salami Pizza

1.5 Pizza (Yes, I know it is not the typical round shape :D )

So, here you go with the mouth-watering pizza. Of course, it is better if you have someone to share with, I definitely can't finish it off by myself. Not to mention that you will get "jelak" even if you are crazily craving for it for a long time.

Salami Pizza fresh from oven

~~~ ENJOY ~~~

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

Have been craving for it since before the 1st exam,but haven't found the extra tim to satisfy my craving. Even the cream cheese was bought weeks before. So here I am baking this cheesecake with a joyful heart (because have finished 50% of the exam and trying to clear stocks :P)

It has been quite a while since I last baked a cake. And this is yet another good attempt for me. Seeing the blueberry "oozing" is kinda exciting for me. With a good cup of coffee, this is definitely a perfect tea-break.

There is one thing about this cake, I used the cream cheese blocks in this cheesecake making. Maybe I didn't do much shopping in Malaysia, but I haven't really come across such block-cream-cheese. The very first time I saw was here in Ukraine. In Malaysia, I often see Philadelphia cream cheese, and besides that, still Philadelphia. Maybe I haven't been paying much attention in groceries since I wasn't into cooking/baking 6 years back :P

So the process of baking this cake is rather long. I used about 2.5hours Bain-Marie style of baking. So good luck in your attempt :)

Ingredients :
Base :
Graham Crackers 300g
Butter
Blueberry Jam :
Blueberry 120g
Sugar 150g

Cheese Batter :
Cream Cheese 5 blocks (500g)
Sugar 100g
Corn Flour 50g
Butter 65g
Egg whites 5
Egg yolks 5
Heavy cream 150g

Method :
1. Preheat oven at 180°C, prepare the tray with water too.
2. In a pot, melt the 150g sugar with 50ml water and the blueberry, then leave aside to cool.
3. Cut the cheese into small cubes.
4. Make the biscuits base by blending the crackers and mix with sufficient butter to form the base in the cake tray.
5. Beat the 100g sugar and egg whites in a bowl till fluffy.
6. In another bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter till smooth.
7. Add in the egg yolks one by one, then the corn flour and the heavy cream.
8. Add in (5) and beat till smooth.
9. Pour 1/2 of the batter onto the base.
10. Pour in the blueberry jam and make a swirl with a chopstick.
11. Pour in the remaining half of the batter on top of it.
12. Bake in 180°C, Bain-Marie style.
13. Cool for at least 2-hours before serving.

Enjoy this wonderful cheesecake :)

American Ginseng & Pear 泡参炖梨

Was browsing through my rack in the refrigerator (Yes, I'm staying in a 3-seater. And yes, we share the fridge :P), looking at what "leftovers" I may still have. I have roughly 2 months left, not deducting the 2-3 weeks traveling weeks yet. So, yeah, gotta clear stock!!!

So I saw 2 packets of American Ginseng, not sure whether it's 泡参 or 花旗参. But no big deal. I don't feel like doing the old way of making Ginseng tea with few pieces of Ginseng. Therefore, I'd figure how to clear a pack of them, and came out with this soup.

Judging from the ingredients I used, I would say it is definitely healthy and good, especially for the lungs (润肺)?! Hahaha. Ginseng for the energy (气) and 精神 (spirit?) and trust me, it is especially beneficial during the exam period (yeah, Tuesday, 1st June!!! And yet I am blogging?!) Red dates (红枣)for the circulation and I heard that pear when you cook with herbs is good for the lungs??? But, whatever, it is good for health, or at least, I convinced myself so :P

Ingredients :
American Ginseng 泡参 : 50g (But 25g should be enough)
Red Dates 红枣 : 10-15
Preserved Dates 蜜枣 : 3-6
Pear (Better to use 雪梨， but I used 鸭梨) : 2-3
Sugar (optional)

I think I used horribly lots of Ginseng here, so I ended up adding a lot of water later on, too bitter for me :P. I think half of my Ginseng will do. But preserved dates can be more, hehehe

Add everything and water into the slow-cooker and keep on high. Cook for about 4 hours. You may want to add the pear at the last hour (like me) or 2nd last :P
P/S : I know this isn't as healthy but I can't stand bitterness, so I added some sugar.

So, good luck, my friends (and myself :P)! Take good care of yourself especially health-wise when lots of midnight oil is to be burnt :D

Happy studying and all the best in the exams!!!

Lemon Cupcakes

I made this cupcakes on Oo's Birthday-Present-Giving Day. Yeah, successful attempt, nice cake turned out. I especially like to go with a cup of coffee :P

Hope people out there trying it enjoy it as much as I do :)
Ingredients:
2 2/3C Flour
1/2 tsp Soda
1/4tsp Salt
1C (2 Sticks) Butter
1 3/4C Sugar
2 Medium Lemon Zest
4 Eggs
1 1/4C Butter Milk
4 Tbs Lemon Juice

Method :
1. Sift flour and then mix the soda and salt in it.
2. Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium speed.
3. Add eggs, 1 by 1.
4. Alternately, add flour and buttermilk on low speed. Then increase to high speed.
5. Add in lemon juice.
6. Preheat oven at 350ºF.
7. Fill the paper cups till 2/3 full.
8. Bake in 350ºF until it springs ack when touched (about 16-20mins)
9. Remove and cool on rack.

Have A Marvelous Day!

P/S: This is one of the recipes that were copied out some time ago and tried out like centuries later. So, I apologize to the owner of this recipe, as I really couldn't recall which site I have copied it from. But if anyone happens to know, kindly inform me please. Thank you.

Chicken Congee with Rice Cooker

This is extremely easy (and healthy?), especially if you were a student.

All you need to have are :

1 cup of rice
200g Chicken Fillet
2 Leaves of Chinese Cabbage (cut thinly)
50g Ginger (sliced)
Some Shitake Mushroom (soaked and sliced)
100g Tofu (cut into thin strips)
Salt

Optional :
1 tablespoon Dong Cai (冬菜）
Sesame Oil
Oyster sauce
Soy Sauce
Pepper

Method :

1. Put rice into rice cooker, add lots of water (I used 1L then adding more as it dries up).
2. When the water boils, add in ginger and the chicken fillet (I love it especially when the rice is all crushed totally).
3. Cook the fillet in the rice cooker for about 20-30minutes.
4. Take out the fillet and "strip" it with a fork / hand (rinse with some cold water so that it will be easier to handle)
5. Add into the congee mushroom for about 15minutes, then add cabbage and tofu (fry them first if desired)
6. Lastly add in the chicken and Dong Cai.
7. Season with salt, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 0.5-1 tablespoon of sesame oil.
8. Bring to boil and it's ready to be served.
9. Sprinkle some fried shallot and spring onion/coriander on the congee.
10. Add soy sauce and pepper if desired.

You might also be interested in cooking congee with the slow cooker :)

Kuih Leper

Ok ok...look at it properly...it's not "leper" as in leprosy. It's a malay word known as Leper, meaning flat. Kuih leper doesn't exist, as far as I am concern. But today kuih leper will exist, because of me hahaha. I self-named my new-found kuih as Kuih Leper ... ta-ta-ta-daa

Today is Labours' Day (Yeah, 1st of May). I wanted to do Kuih Bom (a fried round kuih coated with sesame with the nuts/coconut filling), but sad to say...failed to. I don't know why but I just couldn't wrap it properly. The dough just melted off and became so sticky that I can't even rolled it. So I actually threw away 2 "balls". Then I just don't know what to do with the balance of the dough and filling. So I came up with "Just fry them, don't care!" So here it is ---> Kuih Leper!!! Happy frying.

Ingredients :

Oil to fry

A)
40g Corn Starch
40g Hot Water
B)
200g Glutinous Rice Flour
50g Flour
50g Castored Sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons salt
Water (sufficiently to form the dough)
C)
100g Grated Coconut
150g Gula Melaka (chopped a bit)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
50ml water

Method :
1. Prepare (A). You will get something sticky just like in the picture above.
2. Prepare (B). Form a dough.
3. Mixed the doughs in (1) & (2). So you will get one dough now.
4. Heat pan/pot with oil.
5. Pull a small portion of the dough, make a small ball, flatten it.
6. Put it in the hot ol, fry with low fire, till golden brown, like the picture below.

7. For (C) --- The filling : In a pot, fill in with the water, pour in Gula Melaka and melt it.
8. Then add sugar (more if you want it sweeter or less) and salt.
9. Add in the shredded coconut, mix together (Don't burnt it :D)
10. Serve with the Kuih Leper.

The result of the filling

Then what I did with the balanced oil??? See?

Hehehe, keropok! Hmm, I love this a lot a lot a lot!!!