Cocoa & Butterscotch says thanks!

Frequent readers of my blog will know that Dorothy (a.k.a. Dot) and I have been doing up cupcake tiers and baking cupcakes that match them. The cool thing is the customisation part and all our customers have been really happy with their tiers, thanks to Dorothy's creative talent. It gives us great joy knowing that our tiers and cupcakes are making a difference and putting smiles on people's faces.

Us being a two-girlie team behind Cocoa & Butterscotch, we really strive to make this world a happy yummy place (yea that's our tagline!) via our simple rustic 'from-the-heart' type of service & goods.

To be honest, it's a real challenge juggling school & work (yea, Dot's a full-time graphic designer) with baking and making tiers from scratch. But I do try my best to meet as many requests as possible. And allow me to take this opportunity to thank everyone out there who has given us your support, either by buying our stuff or just dropping comments or emails or even reading this! :) I really do appreciate all the love... yes I do.

I guess this blog has opened more doors for me than I thought possible and I hope to one day be able to really go all out and finally do my own thing, be it a real bakery/cafe/eatery of sorts. I am no gourmand, that I can safely admit, but what I do know is that I am passionate about food, and it's lovely to see so many like-minded people around who believe in me and even bother to read this lil 'ol blog of mine. So thank you all once again!

So there, it's something I have been wanting to post for a long time now! Especially since I know how much faith alot of you have in us. Dot and I are planning something a bit bigger for next year but nothing's confirmed but I just wanted to give you a head's up so that you know that we are always thinking of you, our dearest reader!

And here's a shout out to Thea's mum whose birthday was last Friday! Happy Birthday Thea's Mum! (Sorry I don't know her name!). Thea's our recent customer and she was so sweet - she wanted a two-tiered cupcake tier with cupcakes to surprise her mum on her birthday. Dot and I suggested an English-themed tier and Thea liked the idea, and so we came up with something quite sweet and quaint:




Black lace, white ribbons, yellow floral patterns and a touch of grassy green to go with it...




Don't you think it looks pretty? It reminds me of a summery afternoon by the English countryside. Ahhh...




It was refreshing, doing a two-leveled cupcake tier instead of the usual 3-leveled ones. I guess it's more befitting, since Thea wanted a simple one to celebrate with her family of four. I heard from her that her mum really liked the tier and the lemon cupcakes! yay!



So there you have it, one more tier in our list of merry-making endeavours.

Cocoa & Butterscotch are once again really happy to know that there are people out there who appreciate the simpler and sweeter things in life :)

Rockin' Rice Pudding

There are certain foods that bore me and I'm not afraid to say that out loud.

But then again, these 'boring' foods are usually the most commonly used ones. That's probably why I find some of it to be so blah sometimes. Take rice for example...

I live in an Asian country where rice is a mainstay of the kitchen. My family has rice with everything - curry, soup, stews, meats and vegetables. It's no surprise. Rice fills you up fast and gives you energy.

Perhaps it's the way rice is being cooked here. Or the type of rice used. I've been eating white rice since god knows when but these days I prefer something more grainy and nutty - think brown rice, red cargo rice, and even buckwheat.

Yes, I do take rice for granted sometimes. Especially white rice. It's not a food that makes me go crazy.


BUT...


(yea there's always a but... duh!)

At times you realise that the most plain food can be the most exciting when coupled with other ingredients. Why so? Well isn't it simple? Think of it as a plain whiteboard. Would you use a black marker on a whiteboard or a black marker on a blackboard? Most probably the white one ya? That's to ensure high visibility.

Likewise, when it comes to food. It's better sometimes, to jazz up something plain with ingredients that have strong characteristics than try to make a mish mash of too many strong ingredients all fighting for attention. That's the way I see it and I really think it's amazing.

So when I found leftover rice in the fridge the other day.... I knew I had to do something about it. Something I've been thinking of doing but never got round to it. I decided to make rice pudding.

I really love puddings because they're so hearty and comforting. To me, puddings convey a very home-y feel and I find that really appealing. Perhaps it's the creaminess? Or the fact that it's full of milk-fat... which is oh so yummy.




I found a recipe that's been used by The Amateur Gourmet and it looked fool-proof. With a name like Rockin' Rice Pudding, how can I not be enticed?

It's a recipe that's so simple, any kid can do it. Seriously! Great for when you want to clear your leftover rice but can't bear to bin it. I hate to waste food... so maybe that's why.

I'm the sort of person who will keep leftover bread that no one wants and turn it into a delicious bread pudding. My friends can attest to that...



Did you think plain rice could taste this good as a dessert? I mean, all I added was some milk, cinnamon, raisins, butter and sugar. I heard that it tastes even better with ice cream. Mmmm..

Gosh, for the first time, I wish the fridge was filled with leftover rice. Maybe I shall start a club or something. So that those of you who are thinking of throwing away your lunch or dinner can actually donate some parts to me... hmm like RICE? hahaha. k that's too lame.




I have to agree with Tyler Florence; Rice is indeed nice.

Have it warm, or cold, this rice pudding tastes great either ways. Maybe I'll throw in some nuts next time... give it a bit of crunch.

All right... back to my papers. I have too many deadlines. Thus the inactivity. So pardon me if you had to keep looking at the natto photo everytime you drop by my blog.

Have a great weekend ya'll!

____________________________________________


Rockin’ Rice Pudding
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence
Show: Food 911
Episode: Rice is Nice

3 cups white rice, cooked
3 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided

Combine cooked rice, milk, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Add raisins and vanilla. Cook for 25 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Mix in lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Spoon pudding into a serving dish and dust with remaining cinnamon. May serve chilled or at room temperature.

Natto-licious?

There can only be two responses to the above photo: that of pure disgust or pure curiousity at what that weird-looking 'thing' is.

Perhaps you already know what it is - which means you've probably eaten it and lived to tell the tale.

That slimey, gooey, 'saliva' webbed object of mention is actually rather harmless. Made from soy beans, nattō is the result of adding bacillus natto to the beans and allowing it to ferment. The result is quite interesting, as you can see from above. But this food of Japanese origins is rather popular as a breakfast food in Japan. People mix it with soy sauce, karashi (mustard) and scallions and eat it with plain rice.

I can attempt to describe how it tastes like but I believe that you have to try some for yourself. It's one of those curious foods that everyone wonders how it'll really taste but not many have the guts to dive in. Of course it makes sense because it does look like beans with lots of saliva - that's what my sis keeps saying!

But do you know that nattō is rather healthy because of the enzymes, vitamins and amino acids that are produced during the fermentation process after bacillus natto is added. One common fact is that it contains nattokinase and pyrazine that helps to prevent or lessen blood clots - this in turn prevents heart attacks and strokes.

How's that for starters? Feel like having some now?

or ... not?

Perhaps you can just read on and digest what I have to say, and maybe, just maybe, you'd want to get some nattō the next time you go to the supermarket.

So why nattō? Why talk about it and eat it suddenly? I guess I got too curious. As an avid reader of food blogs/sites/articles, it isn't uncommon to come across plenty of intriguing stuff - and that usually sets my tastebuds in a whirl. Curiousity kills the cat they say but curiousity really just makes me want to try everything I see. Yes, including nattō which looks quite suspect, at first glance. But I knew I had to try it at least once, so I decided to buy the smallest portion available:



from Isetan @ Shaw Towers. I quite like the styrofoam packaging. I was initially surprised that it was so light, but I guess no one would want to down large amounts of nattō at one go.



I bought the nattō on a whim so I didn't really know what to expect or how to eat it. But it was nice to see a packet of soy sauce and karashi to mix it with.

So when I lifted the plastic covering off the nattō, distinct sticky webs started to materialise. This is where you can see and feel just how sticky nattō is. Trust me, it doesn't make washing any easier!



A popular way of eating nattō is really to mix it with soy sauce and karashi. Alot of Japanese like ot mix it with scallions. I doubt anyone really eats it raw. It is afterall, an acquired taste.



To be honest, I expected more out of nattō. I thought it would taste more like miso. Instead, I found that it tasted more like cheese, and when I meant cheese I am certainly not talking about cheddar or your typical sliced cheese. It's got that distinct blue cheese kind of feel - a bit pungent but not too overpowering. However, it really borders on tasteless though, if you eat it without the sauce. Depth of flavour is almost non-existent. So I guess in a way, it isn't fair to compare it with cheese? Hmmm...

I had mine with some rice and to tell you the truth, I really like the sliminess. I'm weird! It gives texture and heightens the fun factor. Trust me when I tell you it's fun... mostly because you'll be struggling to avoid getting those sticky threads from going onto your clothes or hair. Think glue and you know what I mean. Or hmmm mozarella cheese. You know how it is when you try to pull away two ends of melted mozarella cheese? Yea, multiple this by 10 and that's the type of gooey/sticky mess you get when you eat nattō.

Some people hate nattō on their first taste, but I think I could really get used to it, just like these two people who embarked on a Natto Project where they challenged themselves to eat nattō everyday till they started to like it and not find eating it a chore. After about 33 days, they achieved that. Both actually gave themselves a year but apparently, 30 days was all they needed!

Nattō really is a force to be reckoned with. It is quite an understated type of food that deserves more respect and love! Simple but extraordinary. Right, I sound like a nattō ambassador. I doubt this will be my last time eating it. I intend to try out different brands and maybe experiment with different combinations just like the pair who managed to like nattō after eating it for 30 over days.



For more nattō information and tips, check out Wikipedia's nattō definition and explanation or enter Nattoland, a simple website that explains nattō in simple terms.

Or you could always Google or Yahoo it! :)

A'ight, that's enough nattō talk for now. All this protein is making me crave for something sweet. Maybe I'll go have more of that rice pudding I just made last night. More about that really soon!

Brownie heaven = Alice Medrich + my mistake

Quick question: If I handed you that bowl of brownie batter seen in the photo above, would you be tempted to eat it? Okay maybe not all of it, but perhaps just an innocent lick of the whisk?

Would you?

I would, in an instant. I guess that's the fun part about baking - sneaking in a nibble or two of that cookie dough before popping it into the oven, or a taste of the melted chocolate before adding your eggs and flour. It's quite a habit I suppose, but it's one that's hard to kick. Haha I'm happy to indulge in a decadent mixture of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. It sounds disgusting but hey, you'll know it once you've tried it.

So what of that brownie batter? I'm sure you're curious.... Especially if you're a huge brownie-lover like me. Let's just say that I've had a sinful afternoon of brownie fun.

One the ended up looking divine:



It all started with a simple chocolate craving. Been dreaming of perfect fudgy brownies recently and I just couldn't resist a frolick with my favourite ingredient - chocolate.

So I was checking out my recipe files and found this Alice Medrich Classic Bittersweet Brownie recipe I had saved sometime back.

I chanced upon it once at Veronica's Test Kitchen when Veronica did a brownie bake-off and used two recipes to compare. Then I doing my regular food blog hopping when I realised that Diddy of Wok With Me also tried out her recipe and loved it. The photos looked too delectable and I couldn't bear to resist such a temptation....

so I baked those brownies.



I'm mighty pleased with the outcome. I might have just reached brownie heaven. These brownies are the bomb... They are crisp on the outside and soft and fugdy on the inside.

So what's the secret? Okay, there's two. One's a complete mistake that's really my fault but I realised that it might have done more good than bad.

First of all, I thought the recipe called for 7 ounces (approx. 198g) of unsalted butter. I really am uncertain if it was my eyes or perhaps the person who posted up the recipe typed it wrongly. Well I usually cut and paste recipes into MS Word and save it into my computer. But when I checked back with Veronica's blog, it was stated clearly - 7 tbsp. (approx 98g) unsalted butter. I realised this only when I was scrutinising the recipe, trying to find out how come the brownies tasted so good!

Then I realised that I doubled the amount of butter the recipe had asked for. Imagine the hysterics that ensued! I was like... What?! So it's not supposed to taste this way? I was dumb-founded. Then I thought, okay, it does make sense because the brownies did have a light mouthfeel. It sort of melted in my mouth. It was reeeeeally good though. But now I know it was because of the large amount of butter. hahaha... so you see, the most sinful things always tastes the best!

So it might not have been a bad thing after all :) I'll try the proper version soon and tell you if there's a difference.

The other reason for the amazing brownie is the 'Steve Ritual' that Alice Medrich swears by. It involves baking the brownies at a very high temperature for about 20 minutes and then placing it in an ice-bath or in the freezer right after taking it out of the hot oven. I was a bit sceptical at first. But you know what? It worked like a charm. I was blown away.

You can see what I mean if you take a closer look at the brownies:



Moist and soft and slightly fudgy on the inside and the crisp shell that encases it, ahhhh.. that's a miracle.

Check out Brownie Secrets to get a low-down on how to crack that brownie code.

Looks like it paid off after all.... it doesn't hurt to make a mistake I guess? Sometimes, it just turns out perfect.

Anyhow, here's the correct recipe. But if you want to try out how it tastes with my mistake (of doubling the butter) then feel free to try it - haha but don't come running after me once the guilt sets in!

_____________________________________________

Classic Bittersweet brownies
By Alice Medrich

6 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate (184g)
7 tbs. unsalted butter (98g)
1 cup sugar
2 cold eggs
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup flour
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)


8 inch square pan (lined with foil or parchment paper with 1” overhang)


Position rack on lower third of oven and preheat to 350°F

Combine chocolate, butter and sugar in a heatproof bowl and melt atop a skillet with barely simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon. When chocolate and butter is all melted, and the mixture is hot enough that when you dip your finger into it you would want to pull it out fairly quickly. Remove bowl from skillet, stir in the vanilla and salt. Add the egg one at a time making sure the first egg is fully incorporated. Stir in the flour and beat until smooth and glossy and batter is pulling away from the pan. Mix in the nuts if using then pours the mixture into the prepared 8-inch square pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes. The brownie is ready when it is starting to pull away from the sides, the top is dry and when you stick a toothpick in the center, it is still slightly gooey. Let cool on a rack before slicing into 16 or 25 pieces.

*Note: Remember to perform the 'Steve Ritual' after taking it out from the oven for best results!

food & writing

This food blog of mine has been around for more than 2 years and till today, I still get the 'why' question pretty often. I suppose alot of people are curious about my supposed obsession with food and what not.

Most of the time, I think, people assume that it's because of my immense love for the culinary love. Well that is true, I won't deny that. But not many know that I did it mainly because of my first love - the written word.

I've always loved writing. Enid Blyton & Roald Dahl were my bedside buddies. That's one of the main reasons for my myopia which struck me when I was 8. I was also a Bookworm Club subscriber and used to read magazines like Young Generation, Teenage, Go & many more. As long as it's in English, I'd read it. My library card was well used. My family and I made weekly trips to the library to get more literary reads and I would use everyone's library card because I had a very healthy appetite for alphabets; alphabets put together lyrically as well as creatively. I don't know how other writers discovered their love for writing but I kind of decided on my 'life path' when I was a child. I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to write books that reached to the masses, I wanted to become renowned and known for my ability to process words in an instant.

Till today, I still have that immense love for words. I like to read and I love to write. Over the years, I've kept true to my passion and got myself a Diploma in Mass Communication from Ngee Ann Poly (specialising in print journalism) and am now a Sociology major at NUS. During this period, I have been writing fervently, doing sideline jobs and all.... magazine articles, copywriting, etc. And of course, my food blog - which you would have noticed, has its fair share of words, besides recipes, reviews & pictures.

So now you know how avid a writer & book lover I am. I'm a rather bookish girl I will admit. In fact, I'm proud of that. haha. I know I know, it's no different to admitting what a nerd I am. But hey, I'd rather be a nerd & be happy pursing my dreams than to not have a clue as to what I'm going to do with my life.

I know you're wondering what this post has got to do with food ya? Well, lots. You see, the National Library Board (NLB) has caught on the foodie madness and is hosting some pretty cool programmes & seminars on all things culinary over the next two weeks and I'm going to be involved in one of them.

Don't you just love NLB? One plus point about our library is that they put in lots of effort to provide something more than just books. It's changing the library from being a place where you just borrow & return & browse books, to a space where like-minded people gather to discuss & rediscover new areas of interest. Cool eh?

So, here's a list of the foodie-type progammes that are taking place. I'll be there at the Flog Fight - erm, I do take kickboxing but you don't have to worry about that because I'm not there to fight it out with the other food bloggers (we're all friends!) or show off my moves. So if you have questions or just want to find out more about food blogs, do come! :)


Foods of My Ancestors - The Chitty Melaka Cuisine
Saturday, 20 October, 3.00 - 4.30 pm
Programme Zone, Ang Mo Kio Community Library

The Chitty Melaka or Peranakan Indian cuisine is a fusion of South Indian, Malay and Chinese cooking. It is estimated that there are only 100 Chitty Melaka families in Singapore. Don't miss this opportunity to experience and taste the authentic and unique flavours of the Chitty Melaka cuisine at this talk and cooking demonstration by Veni Rengayah-Knight, author of the
newly published cookbook Foods of My Ancestors.

Flog Fight!
Sunday, 21 October, 3.00 - 4.30 pm
Programme Zone, library@orchard

Singaporeans are always on the lookout for the next new thing in food. And the latest food guides seem to be coming from outer space…virtually, that is. That's right, food blogs are registering thousands of hits daily and are suddenly influential in the food choices people make. This October, we grill some of the most popular food bloggers at a flog fight to find out the
ingredients that make them so delectable to foodies. Hurry! Ringside seats available!

Asian Recipes & Home Remedies
Saturday, 27 October, 3.00 - 4.30 pm
Programme Zone, Bedok Community Library

Herbs, spices and plants were used in ancient Asian civilisations as health remedies and beauty aids. Today, these traditional ways continue to be applied, passed on and practised. Join celebrity chef and cookbook author, Devagi Sanmugam as she presents some of these remedies and recipes at this special programme for the health conscious foodie. This is also your chance
to meet the Spice Queen of Singapore with a string of accolades as eclectic and imaginative as her recipes. Brought to you by Marshall Cavendish.

Passion for Organic: How Singaporeans Do It
Saturday, 27 October, 3.00 - 4.00 pm
Radin Mas Hall, Bukit Merah Community Library

One of our national past times is to check out the latest food fads and new restaurants. As we become more and more spoilt for choice, how do we separate the chaff from the real thing? Organic is becoming the buzzword for health and wellness. Let Ms Tuyet Nguyen (L'Organic) give you the lowdown on the reality of organic living in Singapore, the benefits it offers and the
choices you have to make to incorporate organic into your life.

tiramisu + pesto

What's a tiramisu fan to do when faced with a serious tiramisu craving but can't find any nearby?

Fly to Italy pronto and make reservations at one of known restaurants that serve heavenly tiramisu...

...or try to google search 'best tiramisu' and then stare at the delectable image, hoping that virtual satiation is possible.

Well I could make one myself, with an ultimate best tiramisu recipe from someone's blog but it's just too bad I don't have a single drop of liquer at home. Don't ask me why, I'm really puzzled myself. Whenever I buy Bailey's from DFS, it empties itself in a matter of days by a family who are rapid consumers of anything edible.

My last resort is to hope and pray for blessed friends who just happen to know how to make a kickass tiramisu.

And thankfully for me, God has been kind.

I recently got a taste of that kickass tiramisu which by my standards, is pretty good. But according to my friend, his tiramisu this time round wasn't as kickass as he'd like it to be; mainly because he couldn't find his favourite Mascarpone cheese brand.

Anyway his friends has only good things to say about his tiramisu so I was definitely looking forward to try!

He used plenty of liquer including butterscotch liquer, Tia Maria, Kahlua & Bailey's Creme Caramel. The outcome was superb. I loved the mix. My sister loved it too...



I think it is a good think that I don't have liquer at home because I might just make myself a huge dose of tiramisu everyday. That sounds good but I don't think I can afford to eat that much everyday. If only there was a tiramisu pill a la Willy Wonka. Now that'll be something!

My friend used a better brand of sponge fingers for my share of tiramisu and I really liked it. I think it's better than Vicenze, it's a lot more spongy and moist. Okay, I'm really craving for more tiramisu as I type this so I shall move on....

and talk about pesto. Basil garlic pesto in particular. Yes, made by my friend again. This dude is talented; used to work as a chef before and picked up many useful tricks.

Am so thankful .. haha.. but this pesto was reeeeally good. I ate it with spaghetti the other day:



but I think it tastes better with penne because it holds the sauce better. I should have added some cream to the pesto so that it melds well. Whatever it is, it tasted so good that I literally licked the plate after I was done with the pasta. I kid you not. haha.

so yes, tiramisu + pesto = one happy me.

to my friend: thank you! (see... I told you i'd blog about it! - haha he was asking when I was going to write about it).

Something green, white & yellow

Cocoa & Butterscotch's recent project was very green, white, and yellow.

Our sweet customer wanted to surprise her parents with a lovely garden themed cupcake tier & lemon-y cupcakes for their anniversary this week.

We almost couldn't meet the request because of my busy school week and Dot's tight schedule at work but I'm really glad I said yes. I mean, how could I turn down such a sweet request?

So in the end, it all panned out nicely. The tier turned out amazing. Check out the 'grass' Dot used for the tiers and the summer flowers, together with matching ribbons and details.



I really love the tier. To be honest, I wish I could keep it for myself. haha....

Don't you think it's beautiful?



And cupcake tiers need to be filled with cupcakes no?

So I baked some... And my customer's parents like lemon-y stuff so she asked for lemon cupcakes. I gave her lemon cupcakes filled with lemon curd and frosted with lemon buttercream. She wanted some flower decor so I got some white icing flowers to go with the yellow buttercream.



I don't know about you, but I am not a huge fan of large amounts of icing. I know it looks beautiful, to see so much colour on top of these little cakes... but really, who eats so much icing? That's why I always use just enough.... and my frosting's not really sweet - just nice to get that flavour. I added lemon zest and lemon juice to this one. Came out yum :)



Okay, I know you're wondering if I made those flowers. I'd love to say I did but I'd be a big fat liar... So there you go, I bought them. :)

Aren't they lovely?



I don't think anyone can bear to eat it. I know I wouldn't. I'd just keep them forever... My sister thought it was clay though!



Ah... am pretty happy with this garden themed project.

That's the beauty of custom-made tiers, you decide what the theme is, the colours and how you want the entire feel to be. You choose, and Cocoa & Butterscotch makes it for you. It's as simple as that!

I hope my customer & her parents + family enjoyed the cupcakes & liked the tier as much as I did.

Enjoy the weekend ya'll!

Greenhouse Cafe

School has been incredibly busy for me especially last week despite it being a break week! Oh you know what they say - it's really a week for you to complete your assignments and meet your deadlines. :)

Well it is my final semester after all, so it's definitely full steam ahead for me! Am taking quite major modules including a tough statistic one (which i'm praying for a miracle... i suck at math! hey there's a reason why i write/bake/cook ya? haha).

But I know I'll survive; and it's times like these where I totally try to perk myself up with a good meal or two. And speaking of good meals, I finally dined at VivoCity's Greenhouse Cafe. I've always walked by it but never bothered to get closer to even check out the menu. Was there last week catching up with my dear friend Cheryl Anne and we decided to try out what they had to offer. They have lunch-time specials which includes a main course, a drink, a soup & dessert. Sounds good eh? Both of us had the Chicken Cutlet with Fragrant Butter Rice.

The damage? Just $10.90 nett. No service charge, no GST whatsoever. Cool, no? I really liked the butter rice. It does smell good and I liked that it wasn't oily at all - you can taste a hint of butter which isn't too overpowering. And they served it with salad too:



Red peppers, lettuce, cilantro ... yum. and their dressing was lovely as well. The chicken portion was generous though pretty normal tasting. But it came with a splash of brown sauce (not sure what they used but it didn't taste too bad).

Dessert was a slice of mango cake:



Also pretty normal. I found it a bit too sweet though. If only they gave a slice of tiramisu. haha but that'll be asking too much ya?!

Here's their mushroom soup. It's homemade (I think! sure doesn't taste like Campbell to me) and pretty tasty. Hmmm but it's a bit too thin though. Maybe I'm just so used to Campbell's thick and creamy version... They should add some roasted garlic me thinks. Would have made a world of a difference. But that's just me. I love garlic.



The cafe's rather cosy and I think the owners are also florists. Half of the shop is Greenhouse Cafe:



While the other half's "A pocket full of posies", I think! Can't remember but I know I saw lots of flowers.

It's a pretty decent place. I'm definitely going back again to try their other offerings. The table next to ours ate some pasta which looked good!

The desserts in the showcase looked yummy as well. This cafe feels very healthy though! You get a holistic feel once you enter. Might be the vibes or the food, but it just has that comfortable feeling. Took their name card and realised that they have outlets at some of the other hospitals. Mmmmm.... Am not surprised. Check out their tagline: "Celebrating Life & Freshness".



A lovely place with a friendly ambience - especially good for a slow meal over coffee or tea. I'll be back :)
_________________________________________

Greenhouse Cafe
#B2-42
VivoCity
1 HarbourFront Walk

Black Bean Sauce Noodles

For the past weeks, I have been nursing this craving of mine. Before I delve into details of the dish, maybe I'll let you in on the root of this 'obsession'. You see, I'm a big fan of Korean Dramas; at least only the good ones. I can still count with my ten fingers, the number of K-dramas I've watched. I pick and choose and go by recommendations. My utmost favourite is still the food-themed My Lovely Samsoon. However, I recently watched a new Korean drama which I like just as much as My Lovely Samsoon. It's very much a romance comedy and it's called Fantasy Couple. It helps that the lead actor Oh Ji Ho is easy on the eye. So most of the time, it was just me drooling over the eye candy.... and something else in the drama - jja jang-myun.

Jja jang-Myun is simply black bean sauce noodles. The female lead loves this noodles and has it almost everyday. So you can imagine what I'd be doing when she slurps so enthusiastically in every episode. I find myself craving for the noodles she's having. Black though it might be, it still looked very appetising to me. From then on, it became my mission to find out where it's sold here in Singapore. But it wasn't an easy task - this noodles is actually a Chinese dish but the Koreans loved it so much that they adopted it and started selling it at Korean restaurants. I couldn't wait to try it so I thought I'd just make it myself. At first, I made it by instinct - mixed miso paste with soya sauce, mirin and the works. It was delicious no doubt, but I can't help thinking if the authentic one tasted like this.

So then I began searching for Black Bean Paste. I couldn't find it in normal supermarkets - they only had spicy black bean sauce or black bean sauce with garlic, which was different. And so you can imagine how I yelped when I was at Square 2 at Novena this week and chanced upon a Korean Supermarket. Before you could say jja jang-myun, I was already in the shop, checking out the aisles, hoping to find my black bean paste and guess what? There it was, in all its brown tub glory, shining and calling out to me. hahaha... I grabbed it excitedly and couldn't stop smiling. I loved the shop; wanted to buy almost everything!

Known as Cha Jang Mian in Chinese cuisine, these noodles are a rarity here. Thank God I love to cook. I mean it's times like these that I'm grateful for my enthusiasium for food. I don't think I would have bothered trying to learn how to cook it if I was a lazy punk who eats out all the time. So anyway, I found a recipe off the net and decided to try it. I went with the Chinese version. I don't know how much it differs from the Korean one, but I heard that it's actually the same so there.



I tweaked the recipe a bit because I didn't have all the ingredients at home save for the paste, garlic, ginger etc. I used chicken instead of pork and bean sprouts instead of zucchini. Oh, and I used Capellini instead of Chinese noodles. I think it would taste better if it was la mian (hand pulled noodles) I was using.

How did my virgin attempt at these black noodles go? Pretty well I must say. I was pleased with it. It was delicious and full of flavour. Sis commented that it actually tastes a wee bit like buah keluak (indonesian black nut). Maybe it did, but it was certainly tasty. The paste itself looked like buah keluak flesh actually! It was really black. But it's okay, I like black foods - come on, yes, at first the colour might be off-putting but at the end of the day, why care so much when it tastes so good? That's why me thinks squid ink pasta rocks too!



Ta-dah... Okay this noodle dish is rather easy. I'm just happy that I have a tub of Korean black bean paste sitting in my fridge because I know that I can cook some jja jang-myun anytime I crave for it!

___________________________________________

Cha Jang Mein (Noodles with Black Bean Sauce)

Amount Measure Ingredient
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 pound pork
1/4 pound raw shrimp -- optional
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 medium onions -- chopped
2 medium zucchini -- chopped
3/4 cup oyster, shiitake, or straw mushrooms -- chopped
1 cup cha jang (black bean paste, not sauce!)*
oil or shortening
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon water
fresh chinese noodles -- cooked

*Look for this at a Chinese or a Korean Market. No substitutes!

Method
1. Cut the pork into small pieces. Mariate in soy sauce, rice wine, ginger,
and garlic. Set aside. If using shrimp, shell, devein and salt lightly. Set aside.
2. In a wok, over high heat, stir fry the onion and zucchini. Depending on
the size of the wok, you might have to do it in batches. Remove and set aside.
3. Heat the shortening or oil in the wok. The amount varies, depending upon
the amount of the black bean paste, but don't be too stingy with the oil.
Dump the paste in the wok, stirring quickly to avoid burning. Stir for
approximately 2 -3 minutes.
4. Add the pork and stir fry till it is cooked, approximately 1 - 2 minutes.

Add the vegetables and mix.
5. Add the chicken broth. Bringt to a boil.
6. Add the shrimp, if using, and mix.
7. Mix the corn starch and water. Add it to the wok and stir til thickened
and bubbly..
8. Serve immediately over cooked noodles.

Apple Crisp

No wonder I haven't had the need to visit the doctor's. Just look at the amount of apples I consume! I know I've been posting alot about apples and I can't help it. They are truly such versatile fruits and they make such great desserts, oh, plus they pack a punch despite being low in calories.

I'm forever scouting around cyberspace, checking out worthy recipes and I got excited when I chanced upon an Apple Crisp recipe. Maybe I'm currently in an apple phase, so it jumped straight out at me. I just had dinner and was actually craving for something sweet and light. This Apple Crisp clearly looked like it could make me rather happy. So I made it.

It's pretty easy. It's just sliced apples with a oatey topping:



Totally digged the fact that it called for cinnamon. Love that spice. Anyone can make this recipe with their eyes closed. It's not much different from my previous attempts at Apple Crumble and Apple Cobbler. They're all actually the same, save for the different toppings required.

So there you have it, a fast, easy & light dessert that's not going to make you guilty at all.




All this Apple Crisp talk just triggered a sudden craving for apple chips. Oh man.... I want some now! I wonder if I can get apple crisps just by baking sliced apples? Nah, there's too much water content - it'll just get soggy, won't it? I should get myself one of those dehydrator contraptions. Apparently you can make dry fruit and keep them as snacks... Anyone has one? I'm pretty curious...

________________________________________

Apple Crisp

Container: 9 x 11 baking dish
Servings: 10
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients

- 6 cups sliced Granny Smith apples (approx. 6 med.)
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter the bottom and sides of the baking dish.
Place the sliced apples in the bottom of the baking dish and spread out evenly.
Combine all the remaining ingredients together in another bowl and mix until well blended. The mixture should have a crumbly texture.
Sprinkle the crumbly mixture evenly over the apples. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until apples are tender when poked and the topping is golden brown and crispy.
Remove from the oven and serve while warm. Serve with a scoop of ice cream for an extra delicious treat

Snowskin Mooncakes

When I was much younger, the main reason why I looked forward to the annual Mid-Autumn Festival wasn't so much the mooncakes that I would get to eat. I don't know about you, but back then, before electrical battery operated toy lanterns were the norm, my siblings and I would have a helluva time carrying paper lanterns with lighted candles. Perhaps it was my childhood fascination with fire. I remember fondly how I used to love playing with fire at home - i would play with wax and make shapes out of them, adding glitter and what not. All this was done secretly of course, with hope that my parents wouldn't catch me! It seems weird now, to think that I got a kick out of burning things, including tissue paper, and well, paper.

But at least, when it came to the Mid-Autumn festival, burning things became a tad more 'legit', at least in my terms. We would gather at the large playground just downstairs my block and burn heaps of dried leaves, adding in paper to keep the fire strong. There would be plenty of children lining up candles and lighting up the entire place. The atomsphere was lively. I miss those days. I'm not sure if children still do this nowadays. I'm getting nostalgic now am I?

It was fun, and we would chow down mooncakes after we've had our fun with the mini-bonfires that was to leave black unsightly patches on the concrete ground by the next day.

Locals will be very familiar with what I'm talking about and most of you should already know the story behind mooncakes and the reason we have this festival. Technically, there are two stories - one's a legend involving Chang 'Er. It's simply a story about a heavenly archer named Hou Yi who's famous for shooting down the ten suns that scorched the earth. One day, somebody gave him this magical pill of immortality and half is enough to make one immortal. His wife, Chang Er, however, ate it she supposedly flew to the moon after that. There are many versions of this story. Wikipedia has a few versions if you're interested.

Then there's the other story in which mooncakes were actually a mode of communication during a great war. Messages were passed secretly to each other via mooncakes.

Whether is it because of Chang Er or that war, it doesn't matter because I'm just thankful that mooncakes exist - I think they're amazing treats. The traditional mooncakes have a lotus paste filling and some have salted egg yolks. These days, however, there are much more innovative versions of mooncakes. There's ginseng and wolf berry mooncake, ice cream mooncake, durian mooncakes, oreo mooncakes and even liquer mooncakes. You name it, they have it. I've tried a whole variety of mooncakes but I still hanker for the traditional ones every year. There's just something about the sweet and salty combination of the lotus paste and the salted egg yolk. But of course, mooncakes are high in sugar and fat content, so I try to eat them in moderation. It's best to drink lots of Chinese tea to avoid getting a sorethroat.

I've never made mooncakes in my life. There was no one to teach me anyway. But yesterday, my fifth aunt invited me to her place to learn how to make some. We made snowskin mooncakes (one of my favourites by the way!) Snowskin mooncakes are usually eaten chilled and I love the soft and chewy texture of the skin. It's also much easier to make than the baked ones.

We made two types - red bean and green tea ones. My aunt bought the paste from Phoon Huat. The green tea lotus paste was green and she added some pumpkin seed for added texture:



Don't they look really green? I would make my own natural paste if I knew how!

Here's the red bean filling, which looks rather dark by the way! Oh, if you're wondering why they are all in round balls, well you have to shape them that way before you wrap them with the snowskin dough.



Once you've made your snowskin dough, flatten it out and place the filling in the centre and wrap it nicely round it, till you've concealed the filling.

You might want to measure the quantity needed for each mooncake before you proceed. Depending on what mould you use, you are advised to weigh how much dough and filling you need for one mooncake. To do that, simply fill the mould with some dough and then weigh it. Remember, you want your filling to be about 2/3 of the entire weight, and 1/3 for your skin. So you do the math and proceed from there.

After you've done that, you can begin shaping your mooncakes:



As you can see, it's really easy. Once you've wrapped the dough round the filling and get a nicely shaped round ball, coat it with more glutinous rice flour (kou fen). Once it's nicely coated, fit it into the mould and use your palm to press it into shape. After it's shaped, remove it from the mould by hitting it at an angle (about 45 degrees) both left and right and then turn it over and hit it again, making sure your hand is below to catch it!

Here's the end product:



Looks lovely eh? I love the shape!

This is how the red bean one looks like after it's sliced:



You see the ratio of skin to filling? Your skin cannot be too thick or else it won't really taste nice.



And there you have it, a fool-proof guide to making snowskin mooncakes!

It's really simple and I too was surprised. Now, the most important thing is to have a really good snowskin dough. We did two types yesterday but the first one wasn't as nice as the second one so I won't be putting that recipe up. The second batch was made using this recipe from a The Straits Times article featuring mooncakes. The article was dated September 2006 and it featured a couple who made snowskin mooncakes annually using their own recipe. My aunt and I tried this recipe and loved it. It takes a little more work though. You have to steam some of the flour. This is necessary because we don't cook the dough so the flour has to be 'cooked' somehow first, before we add the shortening and water. Also, you can get the fried glutinous rice flour from Phoon Huat. It's labelled 'Kou Fen'.

The dough that this recipe gives is rather elastic and ends up with a soft chewy mouthfeel, which I prefer. This is how snowskin should be. This recipe is a clear keeper I say. I'm thinking of playing around with colours and different fillings. Hehe, this is exciting.

The Mid-Autumn festival is nearing (starts on Sept 23 I think) so if you want to give some or simply have some fun, go make some! It's really yummy :)

____________________________________________

Snowskin Mooncakes

Ingredients
115 Hong Kong Flour (steam for 15 mintues, leave to cool)
115 fried glutinous rice flour
210g icing sugar
1 tablespoon shortening
5 tablespoons cold water*
1 teaspoon banana essence
2 tablesspoons Hong Kong Flour (mix with 2 tablespoons hot water to form hot dough)

Fillings
1.5 kg lotus paste
100g melon seeds (baked)
salted egg yolks (steamed)

Method
Sieve fried glutinous flour and Hong Kong flour, add in icing sugar. Make a well in the centre, add shortening, banana essence, water and hot dought, and knead until smooth. Roll the dough and wrap lotus paste & egg yolk, press into moon cake mould.
Knock mooncake out from mould and serve.

*Note: Though the recipe states 5 tablespoons water, we needed to add alot more to get the right consistency so play by ear and make sure it's not too wet or dry. Also, feel free to use any filling you want. We went ahead with red bean and green tea lotus paste and it still tasted great. Be innovative!

Sinfully fried...

Thank God I don't own a deep fryer at home. There's no guessing if I'd end up having fish & chips or tempura for dinner everyday.

Truthfully, I find deep fryers useful; it is afterall, a huge time saver. Marinate your meats or chop up some onions, batter it, throw it into the large vat of hot hot oil and viola, you have something crisp and edible within minutes. I am not sure about you, but I've never been a huge grease lover. Sure, I enjoy fried foods, but if you ask me, I'd rather grill, than fry. Maybe it's just the health-nut in me speaking.

I do think that frying is fun actually, when you do it occasionally. The other time, I brought home the mini deep fryer we use at Amplify (when I cook food every Friday at Eden Lounge) because I wanted to fry some doughnuts using this donut mix I bought from Daiso. It's supposed to yield mini doughnuts. Well I don't know how mini they were supposed to be, but I made them small. The result was interesting - maybe I fried them too long, but it wasn't as light as I thought it would be. Maybe it's just the flour? I don't know...

Anyway, we got bored, so I suggested onion rings. I didn't have any onion ring recipe so I googled for one on the spot and came across a French Fried Onion Ring recipe that looked simple enough. After making the batter, we were all set to go. I'm pretty satisfied with the result, although I think it didn't look as pretty as the picture shown on the website.



Mine looked slightly deformed. But it tasted good anyway. I think I prefer the breaded kind like the ones sold at Carl's Jr and Burger King.

Didn't I tell you that deep frying is addictive? Soon after the onion rings were done, I felt like some home made potato chips so I sliced some and dropped them in the hot oil and viola:



I think they look perfect! Golden crisp potato chips. Yummy! Seriously, the way I handled the deep frying, it was as if I was a child given a new toy. But you know what, as much as I love these fried treats, I make sure I don't over do it. At the risk of sounding like an ambassador from the Health Promotion Board, I do advocate smart eating. haha... that said, I'll leave you with one more photo of the cute little donuts:



How often do you eat fried foods? And which fried food is your biggest weakness?

I find myself going at Old Chang Kee's fried sweet potato pieces whenever I see them. Maybe part of me thinks that it's healthy because it's sweet potato! I'm a huge fan of potato wedges too, the nicely seasoned ones (with paprika or herbs & spices) and calamari! While we're at it, might as well throw in tempura... Mmmm...

__________________________________________

French Fried Onion Rings

3 large sweet onions
flour for dredging onion rings
1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil


Peel whole onions and then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Separate the slices into individual rings. Dry rings thoroughly with paper towels.

Dredge rings in flour until well coated and then place on a large baking sheet. (Rings can be dredged in flour placed on a plate or the flour can be placed in a plastic bag. If using a plastic bag, several rings can be dredged at a time.) After all rings are coated, set them aside and mix batter.

Combine all dry ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Set aside.
Blend eggs, milk and oil and then add the dry ingredients. Beat until all ingredients are well blended.

Add 1 inch of oil to a deep pan and heat to 375° F. Dip flour coated rings into the batter and allow excess batter to drip off.

Place batter coated rings into the hot oil. Avoid overcrowding so that they can cook evenly. Fry until golden brown on the first side and then turn to cook second side. When both sides are golden brown, remove from the oil and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to allow oil to drain off.

Finished onion rings can be placed in an oven preheated to 300°F to keep warm until all onion rings are done and ready to serve.