Tag: recipe

Posted in Life & Happiness

Cakelet

Posted on by Jinavie

If you are feeling lazy but want a decent, filling, wholesome breakfast or brunch, try making a cakelet – a cross between a pancake and an omelet. By combining the two, the recipe becomes surprisingly easier, resulting in a savoury, fluffy, tasty meal.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon butter
Pinch of salt

  1. Whisk the eggs until they are completely combined with no whites floating around
  2. Add the flour, baking powder, cheese and salt to the egg and whisk it lightly altogether
  3. Melt the butter in a small skillet (about 8″ in diameter) at medium heat
  4. Pour in the batter
  5. Once you see tiny bubbles starting to form and the mix starts to firm, flip the cakelet like a pancake
  6. Cook the other side for 2 minutes, until both sides are golden and it springs back when you poke the top
  7. Serve it any way you want it: the cakelet goes well with either sweet toppings such as jam or relish, or savoury toppings such as hummus, roasted tomatoes or bacon

If you find that the cakelet is too heavy, feel free to cut back on the amount of butter and cheese used. It is a very forgiving recipe that can be whipped up with little ingredients and minimal preparation, unlike a pancake or an omelet.

Photo courtesy of Bon Appetit’s Basically

Original recipe from Bon Appetit’s Basically: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/cakelet

Posted in Life & Happiness

Avocado Pasta

Posted on by Jinavie

Pasta with homemade sauce is one of the best meals to cook at home, because it is often easy, makes a large portion and tastes delicious despite its simple recipe. It is also easily adaptable, such as this avocado pasta recipe which is an alternative to pesto, if avocados are in season and cheap.

When cooking pasta, remember to heavily salt the water (“as salty as the Adriatic Sea” as Italians might say) for extra flavourful pasta and to save 1-2 cups of pasta water for additional starchiness to the sauce.

Ingredients (serves 4):
2 avocados
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes
100-150g bacon/pancetta/chicken (optional)
350-400g pasta (any, but recommend fusilli or penne)

  1. Cook pasta to preference (suggest 12-13 minutes in salted boiling water)
  2. Chop avocados into medium-sized chunks to make it easy to process
  3. Add avocados, peeled garlic, basil and lemon juice to the food processor
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste
  5. Start blending all of the ingredients in the food processor and add olive oil in a slow stream (or intermittently and pulse)
  6. Blend until all ingredients have fully emulsified with no pools of oil
  7. Cut cherry tomatoes in half
  8. If using bacon or pancetta, pan fry until lightly crisp
  9. Tomatoes can be cooked in the bacon/pancetta oil if you prefer
  10. If using chicken, cut into strips or cubes, season with salt and pepper, then pan fry until fully cooked
  11. Combine pasta, avocado sauce, cherry tomatoes, meat and splash of pasta water (avoid making the mix too liquid)
  12. Garnish with basil leaves and serve
Posted in Life & Happiness

Sausage Stew

Posted on by Jinavie

This is a recipe for a simple, but hearty and delicious sausage stew. Because of its short ingredient list and the fact that you can store most of the ingredients for a long time (canned or frozen), it makes for an ideal back-up meal option. Furthermore, the amount of each ingredient can be varied quite a bit and substituted depending on your preference. It is also quick to make.

All in all, it is an ideal recipe if you are learning how to cook.

Ingredients (serves 3-4):
6 fresh sausages (ideally chorizo or pork & fennel, but any uncooked fresh ones will do)
400g canned chickpeas
400g canned crushed tomatoes
3-4 mushrooms (button or Swiss)
0.5-1 bag of spinach
Italian spices (suggest any mix of smoked paprika, oregano, rosemary, thyme)
Grated cheese (optional)

  1. Peel the sausages and dice or tear the meat into very small pieces
  2. Heat pan (preferably a deep one like a wok or broad pot) to medium-high and start cooking the sausages
  3. Break up the sausage meat as it cooks with a spatula or wooden spoon
  4. When the sausages are browning, add thickly sliced mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes
  5. Add smoked paprika and spinach, then toss for just under a minute to let the spinach wilt slightly
  6. Add canned chickpeas, tomatoes and rest of the spices
  7. Mix everything together and cook until liquids start to bubble
  8. Turn heat down to low and simmer the stew, add in rest of spices, season with salt and pepper
  9. Mix in handful of grated cheese and let it melt in as the stew simmers
  10. Serve

Other than the sausages, chickpeas and tomatoes, almost every other ingredient is optional. You can take the cheese, mushrooms and spinach out, and add other vegetables you would like, such as onions or capsicums. If the stew is too meaty, you can reduce the number of sausages to 3-4 instead.

You can even take the chickpeas out and instead crack two or three eggs into the stew when it is simmering, then bake for 7-10 minutes in the oven to make baked eggs.

Posted in Life & Happiness

Oreo Fudge

Posted on by Jinavie

The following is a recipe to making a simple yet delicious fudge. Because it is a “cold fudge”, it requires little baking skills and can be made even by a rookie in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

  • Icing sugar 4 cups
  • Cream cheese 225g
  • White chocolate 425g
  • Vanilla extract 1.5 teaspoons
  • Oreo cookies (chopped) 14-15 (1 packet)

Instructions:

  1. Beat cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl using a mixer until smooth
  2. Heat white chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water (double boiler) until melted and smooth
  3. Stir melted white chocolate and ¾ of Oreo cookies into bowl of cream cheese mixture
  4. Spread mixture evenly into a baking dish lined with baking paper
  5. Press the remaining chopped Oreo cookies onto the surface of the fudge to decorate
  6. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours
  7. Cut into small squares (2-2.5cm size), serve chilled (store in fridge)
image

(Recipe and image source: http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2013/12/13/oreo-fudge/)

Posted in Simple Pleasures of Life

Simple Pleasures of Life #13

Posted on by Jinavie

Cooking without a recipe.

I love cooking. My mum is a super-pro cook and one of my happiest memories of childhood was eating homemade meals (still is). Cooking in general is fun because you get the instant reward of eating it, but what’s even more fun is that you can do whatever the hell you want… within acceptable limits. Cooking by a recipe can be fun, but going by feel and changing around stuff is even better! And best of all, you can make your own recipes.

What I find the most fun regarding cooking is that you can get creative with various ingredients and see how it turns out. It could be you’re making something from scratch, or trying to recreate a meal you had somewhere else. I mean seriously, it’s like Lego that you can EAT. How much better can it get? Sometimes I look at the limited supply of food in my fridge and take it as a challenge.

For example, you can go from easy things like fried rice where you can pretty much dice up whatever and toss it in a pan:

…to more complex things like sweet & sour chicken, which I always have fun experimenting with (it’s really not that complicated tbh…):

But of course nothing beats the joy of making…

FRIED CHICKEN.

Posted in Life & Happiness

One Hundred Eggs

Posted on by Jinavie

How many eggs can you eat in one sitting? Three? Half a dozen? No matter how big or hungry you may be, eating a hundred eggs is just unthinkable. Whether you fry it, boil it, scramble it or straight out drink it, “one hundred’ is simply too much. Too difficult to imagine how much one hundred eggs would be? A hundred eggs weigh about 4~5kg. Considering a steak is usually 200~400g, this is an incredible amount. The nutritional values cannot be ignored either. A hundred eggs contain about 32350kJ of energy (7750 calories), 56g of carbohydrates, 530g of fat and 630g of protein. It is an astonishing amount of food. How could anyone eat such a massive amount in one sitting?

Surprisingly, even a petite, slim girl can eat a hundred eggs. The secret lies in how the eggs are cooked. The best thing about eggs is that they can be cooked in various ways, such as fried eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs and boiled eggs. The following is a fascinating way of cooking eggs to maximise the amount of eggs you can eat in one sitting. The secret method is noodles.

This is not the same as standard “egg noodles” that merely contain eggs. This is noodles only made of eggs. As strange as it sounds, once you learn the recipe and some simple scientific facts, it all becomes very clear.

Firstly, take a hundred eggs, crack them into a very large bowl and whisk thoroughly. This may be difficult due to the sheer amount of eggs as mentioned above. Next, take a cupful of the whisked eggs and strain it through a sieve straight into boiling water. The egg instantly solidifies into thin, long noodle-shapes. The reason you strain it is to make the texture smoother. Repeat this method until all of the eggs are used up and then cook the noodles in whatever way you fancy.

How does turning eggs into noodles let you eat more of it? The reason being, two-thirds of an egg is just water. Most lifeforms contain a large proportion of water. For example, about two-thirds of your weight is water too. By dripping the whisked egg in the boiling water, the water disperses out while the proteins and fat solidify to form noodles. Ergo, the nutritional components of the eggs are preserved but the filling portion is thrown away. Any other way of cooking eggs causes the water to be trapped in the final product.

Of course, this is an extremely wasteful way of eating eggs, but it can be of some benefit for a person seeking a high-protein diet to bulk their muscles.

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Posted in Life & Happiness

Fried Chicken

Posted on by Jinavie

Although it may be unhealthy, it cannot be denied that fried chicken is one of the most delicious foods in existence. The following is a simple recipe for fried chicken without using a deep frying machine.

Ingredients:

Chicken drumsticks x 4 (although any piece can be used)
Flour 50g
Egg x 1
Breadcrumbs 50g
Salt 1/2t
Cajun spice or paprika 1t
Canola oil

  1. Wash the chicken then season it with salt and cajun spice. It is good to rub oil on the chicken as well to keep it moist.
  2. Let the seasoning set in for about 10~15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C and line an oven tray with tin foil.
  3. Pour the flour into a plastic zip-lock back. Place the chicken in the bag, seal it, then shake it to coat the chicken with the flour.
  4. Beat the egg then dip the chicken in the egg to coat it.
  5. Coat the chicken with breadcrumbs. You can sprinkle some thyme, oregano or parsley on top as well.
  6. Rub or spray some oil on the tin foil to prevent the chicken from sticking.
  7. Use a knife to make 2~3 deep gashes in the chicken. This helps it cook through.
  8. Arrange the chicken on the tray then put it in the oven for about 15 minutes until the top is golden.
  9. Flip the chicken over to make sure both sides are thoroughly cooked. Cook for another 10 minutes.
  10. When the outside is crisp and golden, take out the chicken and check that the inside is cooked well.
  11. Serve with some potato fries and vegetables.

Posted in Life & Happiness

Blueberry Pancakes

Posted on by Jinavie

Let’s make some blueberry pancakes, a tasty and nutritious brunch item.

Ingredients:

Flour 115g
Baking powder 5g
Salt 1g
Milk 100ml
Egg 1
Sugar 30g
Butter 30g
Blueberries 20~30 

  1. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl
  2. Mix the egg, milk and sugar together, and whisk well
  3. Mix 1 and 2 together with the pre-melted butter to make the batter
  4. On a pre-heated frying pan, drizzle some cooking oil on it, then pour a scoop of batter on (or all of it to make one large pancake)
  5. Cook on a weak flame and when bubbles start to fill the surface, sprinkle some blueberries (as much as you want) and flip the pancake carefully, to keep the shape 
  6. Let the bottom surface cook for a bit longer, and then serve on a plate, then repeat until there’s no batter left
  7. Serve with blueberries, jam, honey, maple syrup, whipped cream, banana, icing sugar, bacon etc. according to your taste and enjoy 

Pancakes are easy to make, soft, warm, moist and delicious which makes it ideal for brunch. Also, blueberries contain potent antioxidants which have anti-aging and anti-cancer properties.

Posted in Life & Happiness

Lemonade

Posted on by Jinavie

Making lemonade is quite easy.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4~6 lemons
3~4 cup cold water (to dilute)

Firstly, dissolve the sugar in 1 cup of water to make syrup. If the sugar does not fully dissolve, warm the water a little.
While the sugar dissolves, juice the lemons until about 1 cup of lemon juice is collected.
Mix the lemon juice with the sugar syrup, then add an appropriate amount of water. The key point is to get the ratio just right to balance the sweetness and sourness.
Then, pour the mixture into a pitcher and put it in the refrigerator. Cool for 30~40 minutes. A cool summer drink can be made this easily.

In Western countries such as the USA, it is quite common to see children selling lemonade in a cup at a stand on the streets. It is quite popular as the children get to pretend running a large business while earning some pocket money.
How much profit will a business that sells a cup of lemonade at 10~50 cents (USD) make? (for convenience’s sake, NZD will be used with New Zealand prices in 2010)

If the above ingredients makes 2L of lemonade, and the cost of cups are included:
Ingredients: ($0.85 x 6) + ($1.49 x 0.5) + ($1.69 x 2) = $9.23 (lemon, sugar, cups)
One cup holds about 100ml, so 2L makes about 20 cups of lemonade. This means the cost of producing one cup of lemonade is: $9.23/20 = $0.46
Therefore, if a child wants to make any profit, he/she needs to sell the lemonade at least 50c a cup (about 38c USD). This makes a profit of 4 cents per cup, and the child earns less than $1 per pitcher of lemonade sold.