Blueberry Muffins

It is holiday season ! It's moment to spent time with our dear family and friends ! Also, It is time to make treats to accompany with..
Muffins must be one of the most rewarding things to cook. They're simple, tasty and can be ready in next to no time ! That's why they are my favorite treats..

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients :
3 cups (375gram) Plain Flour
1 Tbs Baking Powder
3/4 cup (165 gram) Firmly packed Soft Brown Sugar
125 gram Butter, melted
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (250ml) Milk
1 1/3 Cups (185gram) Fresh or Thawed Frozen Blueberries

Directions :
- Preheat the oven to 210 C (415 F)
- Lightly grease two 6-hole muffin tins.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the melted butter, eggs, and milk and stir to combine.
- Add all at once to the flour mixture and fold until just combined.
( Do not overmix, the batter should look quite lumpy )
- Fold in the blueberries.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Enjoy....

Thai Dessert - Sweet Cassava

Every time I visit Thai restaurant, I will get into myself with hot and spicy food. But I do not need to worry that I can burning my stomach or tongue, because I will balance the feeling with famous Thai Dessert - Sweet Cassava ! It is a smart way that people from Thai can climax the deliciousness of their spicy food with nice and sweet dessert like this.
Cassava is also called Yuca or Manioc. In my country, we have a lot of this. I found in State, we can easy find Cassava at your local grocery store. Sometimes you can find the frozen one that ready to cook, so you don't need to peel and clean the dirt skin.
I like this dessert if they are not very sweet. It is easy to make this dessert for whatever occasion and always suit with whatever meal that you prepare..

Ingredients

1 Kg Cassava - Peel the skin, clean and cut in to same size
500 ml Water
250 gram Sugar

500 ml Coconut milk
1 tsp salt
1 Tsp Rice Flour
1/2 Tsp Tapioca Flour

1 Tsp Sesame

Directions :

- Boil the water in the pot.
- Put Cassava inside the boiling water and cook with high medium heat.
- When Cassava is cook, bring the heat into medium, and put the sugar into the pot.
- Stir slowly and bring the water until thick. Turn off the heat.
* Set Sweet Cassava into a serving plate.

- Put into the sauce pan coconut milk, salt, rice and tapioca flour and cook with medium heat.
- Keep stirring until the coconut milk thicken and start to boil.
- When starting to boil, keep stirring just for second and turn off the heat.
* Set the Coconut milk on the top of Sweet Cassava.

- Put the sesame into frying pan.
- With low heat, stirring the sesame just until the color change into golden brown.
* Sprinkle the Sesame on the top of Sweet Cassava.

SIO MAY

Siomay, is an Indonesian steamed fish dumpling with vegetables served in peanut sauce. It was influence by Chinese - Indonesian cuisine. It is considered a light meal that is almost similar to the Chinese dimsum except the peanut sauce, but is cone shaped. It is traditionally made from tenggiri ( wahoo) fish meat and also can mix with other meat that we preffered. Other complements to siomay are steamed cabbage, potatoes, bitter gourd and tofu.

I dedicated this recipe to my friend Lingga in Singapore that want try to make this Siomay. She had enjoyed this food at my home before and like it so much. She is willing to make by herself. I hope she will success and can enjoy the siomay with her family over there.

INGREDIENTS :

300 gram Minced Pork
300 gram Shrimp - finely chopped or use food processor for become paste
300 gram Fish paste from Tengiri (wahoo) fish
Half of Bangkuang ( Pachyrhizus erosus, bulb root ) finely chopped
100 gram Tapioca Flour
1 Tsp All purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Sugar
pinch of Pepper
1 bag Wonton skin
1 pc Egg


Vegetable : steamed cabbage, potatoes, bitter gourd
- clean and cut into same size -

Tofu : you can also fried the tofu first until the skin golden brown

Egg 5 Pcs : Hard Boil


DIRECTIONS :

- Mix well all the ingredients above into mixing bowl.
- Prepare the steamer and boil the water.
- Prepare the vegetable and Tofu - make a small hole if needed, to make the mix ingredients stay firm when you put it on the vegetable and tofu.
- The rest mix ingredients wrap with wonton skin.
- Steam in the boiling water about 30 minutes.

PEANUT SAUCE :

200 gram Finely ground peanuts or ready peanut butter
1 pc Garlic - finely chopped
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp Sugar

* Mix well in the small mixing bowl

HOW TO SERVE :

When serve siomay is to cut into bite size pieces and topped with peanut sauce, sweet soy sauce, and a dash of lime juice.

Coffee or Chocolate Drink (Cafe Style)

If you wanna enjoy coffee or (Mocha / Chocolate) at home like you always enjoy them at your coffee shop or cafe - you just need a little preparation. Simply what you need only buy a ready whipped cream at your grocery, your favorite coffee or chocolate, ice cube and ice crusher. Invite your dearly friend or you can enjoy this drink by yourself with your favorite book and good music. I do this a lot !

How to make, follow the instructions to make the coffee or mocha on the tin or sachet, add the ice, put the whipped on top, and finally dust with the coffee/chocolate or melt chocolate on the top of whipped cream. It's depend with what you prefer (or how the weather out there) - you can make hot or cold.

Ta - Da ! You already have your favorite drink ! This drink is really will make your day.. ;-)

Fruits and Jelly with Honey Lemon Sauce

Fruits is a must in our everyday diet. I prepared this Fruits and Jelly with Honey Lemon Sauce for welcoming my husband that come back from out of town today. He definitely need a buzz of vitamins and healthy food after always eat outside from 1 week in his business trip.
The preparation is very simple, but what you get is a very fresh and yummy dessert. You just need make the jelly or jello. Read the instruction on the sachet or box. I substitute the water with lime soda when I make the jelly so the taste come out very refreshing. After that, wash and cut all the fruits in the same size. Put in the serving bowl. For the dressing you just need to mix 1 Tbs of lime / lemon Juice with 3 Tbs Honey. Mix with the fruits. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
The freshness of the fruits with the unique sweetness from honey mix with the acid taste come from lemon, combine together and come out with the fresh feeling in your mouth.

You can prepare this for your cocktail or whatever party that you throw with your family and friends. It is another way to enjoy your fruits...

Flan - Creme Caramel

Halloween is coming ! I remembered two years ago, we gathered together with my Spanish speaking friends in one of my friend's home. The house is beautiful, we can see the deer from the kitchen window. We rented video, enjoyed pizza, chips and also had a good wine.

We also braved our self to walk at the cemetery near the area. Yes, we walked to the gate, all the girls walked inside, but all the guys just saw us behind the gate. What a memory !

Now, I am back to my country. I want to remember all the good memories that I had with my Spanish speaking friends with make this dessert. I have tried this famous Spanish Dessert with them in our class when we had our International day. For all of my friends from Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Ecuador, I really had a good time with you girls ! Good Friendship is never last.

Ingredients :

1 cup Sugar

1 Tbs Water

3 fresh Eggs

1 can Sweetened condensed milk

1 can Evaporated milk

1 tbs Vanilla

1 tbs Good quality Rum or your favourite spirit / liqueur

1 Tbs Butter - melted

Directions :

- Preheat oven to moderate 350 F (175 C).

- Brush 8 half-cup capacity ovenproof ramekins with melted butter.

- Place sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully and quickly pour a little hot mixture into each prepared dish.

- Turning the dish to evenly coat to cover base. Set aside.

- In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat together in condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla and rum.

- Pour into ramekins.

- Place filled ramekins in a baking dish. Pour the baking dish in hot water to come halfway up sides. Cover with alumunium foil.

- Bake for 30 minutes until custard is set and knife comes out clean when inserted.

- Allow to cool.

- Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

- To unmould, run a knife around the edge of each custard and gently upturn onto serving plate.Shake gently to remove.

Biji Salak & Bubur SumSum (Sweet Potato Ball in Palm Sugar and Rice Flour Pudding)

These desserts are made from sweet potato, palm sugar (brown sugar) and coconut milk. These are very popular in Indonesia. Many people in Indonesia eat these desserts as their breakfast. For me and family, we like to enjoy this sweet things in afternoon time.

You can eat the rice flour pudding just with the palm/brown sugar syrup or you can add with the sweet potato ball.
For the Sweet potato ball you also can simply add coconut milk and it is also come delicious with the rice pudding flour. It is just up to you !

These desserts are very easy to make, but actually in my home town city - Jakarta, you can get this popular desserts from the street vendor, but it is always good the home made one !

Making this brings my childhood memories. In my primary school I used to make this dessert for our cooking competition, and our group was won ! I will share these recipe and hope you all will attempt to make this very easy desserts for yourself, friends and family.. Enjoy!!

Ingredients :

Biji Salak (Sweet Potato Ball)
500 gram sweet potatoes
1/2 cup tapioca flour

Palm/Brown Sugar Syrup :
500 gram Palm sugar or brown sugar
200 gram Sugar
800 ml water
1 teaspoon salt
3 pandan (screwpine) leaf *additional


Directions :
1. Clean and peel the skin of the sweet potatoes.
2. Steamed sweet potatoes until done. Remove from heat and mashed.
2. Take mashed sweet potatoes in mixing bowl, mix with tapioca flour, knead until smooth.
Form the dough into small balls, about 1 cm in diameter, set aside.
3. Bring water to a boil, and drop in the sweet potato balls, cook until they float. Drain and set aside.

Syrup
Directions :
- Put the water, brown sugar, sugar, salt and pandan leaf in a stockpot and bring to boil.
- Strain and put back into stock pot.
- Put all the sweet potato balls that already cooked into this syrup.

* You can enjoy this sweet potato ball just with coconut milk or with Bubur Sumsum (Rice Flour Pudding)


Bubur Sumsum (Rice Flour Pudding)
Ingredients :

100 gram rice flour
600 ml coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt

Directions :

- Mix rice flour with 300 ml coconut milk . Set aside.
- Put into saucepan the rest of coconut milk (300 ml) and salt. Stirring on low medium heat and bring to boil.
- Add the rice flour liquid slowly into it and keep stirring until the rice flour thicken.
- Set aside when done.


**To Serve :
1. Scoop 2 or 3 tablespoon of Bubur Sumsum (the rice flour pudding) into serving bowl.
2. Pour the Biji Salak (Sweet Potato Ball in Palm Sugar) into the bowl.
3. Serve warm or at room temperatur.

Bolu Kukus (Steam Cake)

I categorized this cake as an old fashion cake. I knew this cake since I was a little and I like it so much. Memory of good foods always last for a long long time as my sister said. Yes, for sure !! This one is in memory in my motherboard brain. ;-D

The texture is soft, and it comes with many flavors. The basic is only vanilla flavor, but you can combine with chocolate (everybody favorite), mocha, and sometimes people use red color, yellow, green to make this cake come beautiful.

The first time I made this cake the mixture is to thick, my husband like it. He said it is real "kue kampung" which means village cake. But my families said it's not perfect yet, they want more softer. Ok then, I tried the second time with my nieces --when in one afternoon time they said they were hungry--, but the results it was not good at all.. ha-ha-ha ! Maybe because we had too much fun in our kitchen..

Today-- for the third time, after promise to my husband to make this cake again, I success to made this cake. He likes this cake so much since for the very first time. He like the green tea flavour that I made, likes to smell of the green tea and this cake is "kue kampung" like he said.. Anyway, I won his heart for made this cake !

Ingredients :

4 Pcs Egg
500 gram Sugar
4 cups Water
3 Tbs Condensed Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
600 gram All Purpose Flour (Shifted)
1 Tbs *TBM
1/2 tsp * VX -- made from composition of : sodium bicarbonate, Acid Pyrosphosphate and corn starch.

* - available in baking section at your grocery store.

Directions :

* Mix water with condensed milk and vanilla, set aside.
* Beat Eggs with high speed in mix bowl.
* Add sugar into mixture and continue to beat until well dissolved.
* Add milk into the mixture slowly.
* Add TBM and VX.
* Turn the mixer to slow speed, and add the flours to mix bowl.
* When all well combined, turn off the mixer

* Prepare the steamer , boil the water.
* Line the steam cups with baking or "Pao" paper.

* you can mix the batter into another bowl with chocolate, mocha, etc. I tried green tea and it comes really good.
* Scoop batter into steam cups about 2/3's full.
* Steam the cakes with steamer in the boiling water for 15 minutes.
(Do not open the lid until ready)

Cap Cay ( Indonesian Chinese Style - Stir Fry Vegetable)

In Chinese cuisine , vegetables are mostly stir fried or blanched. In Indonesia, you almost can find "CAP CAY" - an Indonesian Chinese style stir fry vegetable, as a common cuisine in everywhere. This food is originally come from Chinese Indonesian people.
It is very easy to make. You can cook this food with whatever vegetable you like , and whatever meat you prefer, that's why CAP CAY is become favorite in Indonesia.
It is healthy and of course it's tasty. !

I will share how to make this simple cuisine, but remember you can modify this food with the veggie and meat you like. Mine only for the example.

Ingredients :

2/3 cloves Garlic ( minced about 2 tsp)
2 Tbs Cooking oil

1 medium Carrots ( peel and thinly slice )
1/2 cup Cauliflower ( cut into 3/4 inch small )
1/2 cup Cabbage ( clean, trim and cut into 1 inch square )
1/2 cup Peas / String Bean ( cut into 1 inch length )
1 cup Bak Choy ( cut into 1 1/2 inch length )

1 Parsley ( Cut into 1 inch length )
1 Cup - Hot water or chicken broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

Choices of Meat :
- Chicken breast (Cut into thin slice )
- Lean Pork (Cut into thin slice )
- Beef or Fish Meat Ball (buy in Asian grocery)
- Prawns (small or medium) - peel

Directions
- Heat cooking oil in a large skillet or wok over medium - high heat.
- Add chopped garlic. Stirring continuously, until aromatic and the color of garlic yellowish.
- Turn into high heat.
- Add meat, and or prawn , stirring until almost cook.
- Add vegetable, start with the hardest and the leaves is the last.
- Stirring continuously and add hot water or chicken broth.
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Lets simmer (just for a while) until the vegetables are cook but still crunchy.
- Add Parsley for the last.
- Transfer to a serving bowl or plate and serve immediately.

Home Made Pao

It's been a long time, my mum not make a Pao. Today she asked if I want to make Pao with her. Of course I did ! It is nice to have home made Pao for snacks.

A Pao or bao/baozi (chinese dialect) is a type of steamed, filled bun or bread -like (i.e. made with yeast) item in various Chinese cuisine, as there is much variation as to the fillings and the preparations. In its bun-like aspect it is very similar to the traditional Chinese mantou. People in some part of China, like to eat Pao then rice to company with their food.
Pao can be filled with meat or vegetarian fillings like peanut, lotus seed, mung bean, taro, etc. It can be eaten at any time in Chinese culture, and is often eaten for breakfast - when you go for dimsum in Chinese restaurant you always can find Pao.

I like the texture of Pao, it is soft and not sweet taste. For our Pao today, the fillings are peanuts, mungbean paste and sweet saute pork.




Ingredients for Pao Skin:
500 gram Low Protein Flour or Pao Flour (buy in Asian Grocery Store)
50 gram Shortening / White butter
100 gram Confectioners' Sugar
6 gram Instant Dry Yeast
1/4 tsp Salt
300 ml Warm water

Directions:
- In a large bowl, with dry clean hand, combine low protein flour with confectioners' sugar and salt.
- Add shortening and mix well.
- Add Instant dry yeast, continue to mix until well combined.
- Slowly pour in warm water and start to have fun with the dough. :-D
- Play with the dough, like you do exercise :-D
- Knead the dough, until come into a smooth and pliable, not sticky in your hands.
- Keep the dough in a warm place for a while.
( you can cover the bowl with clean cloth/ textile and place it under sunshine) or
you can put it into *warm oven - leave the dough aside to prove till double its size.
*remember no turn on the oven to hot.. - just nicely warm.

- If the dough is ready, divide the dough into a small dough (about 40-50 gram), form into ball, flatten, put the fillings inside and pinch to form Pao shape.
- Put aside to prove again before steaming

- Prepare the steamer, and boil the water.
- Wrap the lid of the steamer with cloth so the water not drop into the Pao.
- Steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
- Remove and nice to serve warm.

Fillings :

1. Peanuts
- ground peanuts and add fine sugar, mix until well combine. Shape into ball.

2. Mung Bean.
Soak mung bean into water a night before. Boil water and mung bean, add sugar, coconut milk, and a bit of rice powder. Stir until become paste.

3. Meat : Chicken or Pork
Slice meat into small cube size. Heat cooking oil, put chooped shallots and minced garlic, stir meat into it. (If you like, you can add finely chooped water chestnut).
Add sweet soy sauce (or brown sugar with warm water), oyster sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until meat is cook.