Banana Cake

I love banana cake and I like Ina Garten recipe.

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Walnut halves, for decorating (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the bananas, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on low speed until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix until smooth. (I use butter and slice the bananas instead of mashing them)

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts, if using. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely.

Spread the frosting thickly on the top of the cake and decorate with walnut halves, if using.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don't whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Yield: frosting for one 9-inch cake.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/old-fashioned-banana-cake-recipe.html

Honeycomb cake (Kek Sarang Semut)

A soft spongy cake that is my favourite, got the recipe from House of Annie, I have tried a lot of recipes and this is the one that I like most!  In Malay, they call it Kek Sarang Semut or Kek Gula Hangus. 

Ingredients
210g sugar
240g water
80g butter
6 eggs
160g condensed milk
180g all-purpose flour
2½ tsp baking soda

Method
1. In a saucepan over low heat, caramelize the sugar until it turns a dark golden brown.  Lazy cook is lousy at making caramelize sugar and this needs a lot of patience, have to melt the sugar totally.
2. Slowly and carefully pour the water into the caramel. CAUTION! The caramel is very hot and the water will quickly boil and steam. Stir until the caramel is dissolved in the water and it becomes a thin syrup. Remove from heat.
3. Melt the butter into the syrup and set the pan aside to cool.
4. Preheat oven to180°C.
5. In a bowl, whisk the egg till fluffy then add the condensed milk.
6. Sift the flour and baking soda together into the egg mixture. Mix well.
7. Pour the caramel butter sauce into the batter and mix well.
8. Pour the batter into a greased, 9-inch round cake pan. Let it sit for 5 minutes for the bubbles to begin developing. Lazy cook let the cake sits for at least 30 minutes, some blogger lets it sits for up to 4 hours.
9. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
10. When the cake is cool,turn it out onto a plate. Enjoy!

Nyonya Acar Fish

Nyonya acar hu

I love this dish a lot, normally in Penang, the fish used is belanak, over here in France, I have used sardine and mackerel.  Today, I use mackerel, and the recipe is from my penang nyonya cookbook.

Ingredients :
1 kg fish fillet or small, whole fish
2 tsp salt
1 cup oil for frying

30 gm (5cm) fresh tumeric root, sliced thinly
4 tbsp cooking oil
100 gm young ginger, sliced thinly
100 gm garlic, sliced thinly
30 gm (3) red chillies, seeded and quartered
30 gm (3) green chillies, seeded and quartered
250 ml vinegar
8-10 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tbsp sesame seeds, roasted

Method:
1  Clean and gut fish and season with salt.  Deep fry the fish until golden.  Drain on paper towel and set aside.
2.  Fry the tumeric in 4 tbsp oil until the oil turns yellow.  Discard the tumeric.  Lazy cook does not have tumeric root, she omits this step.
3.  Using the tumeric oil, lazy cook adds 1/2 tsp tumeric powder into the oil, fry the ginger and garlic till golden brown.  Leave aside to cool before adding the red and green chillies, vinegar, sugar, salt to taste.
4.  Lastly, add the fried fish.  Serve garnished with ginger, garlic and sesame seeds.
Best served the next day as the flavours will develop overnight.  If not consumed immediately, keep it submerged in the vinegar solution in a clean glass jar,  it keeps well for about a week at room temperature and longer in the refrigerator.

Kek Lapis Kukus Cream Cheese (Steamed Cream Cheese Layer Cake)

Steamed Cream Cheese Layer Cake

A steamed cake, a change from the usual baking! Tastes good and hubby just adores it! Got this recipe from kongsi recipe website.

Ingredients :
Cream Cheese Layer
250 gm cream cheese
60 gm castor sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp water/evaporated milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp all purpose flour

Method :
1. Whisk the cream cheese with the sugar till combined.
2. Add the egg, water or evaporated milk, lemon juice and flour. Whisk till combined.
3. Leave to rest while making the chocolate layer.

Ingredients:
Chocolate Layer
2 eggs
1 cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup hot water/coffee
1/2 cup evaporated milk/fresh milk
1/2 cup corn oil/vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Method :
1.  Whisk the egg with the sugar in a separate bowl till pale and fluffy.
2.  Add vanilla essence and salt, continue to whisk.
3.  Add the hot water or coffee, milk and oil and continue to whisk.
4.  Sieve in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa powder, incorporate into the mixture.
5.  Separate in half and leave it to rest while preparing the steamer.
6.  Pour one half of the batter into a greased square 9" cake pan and steam for 15 minutes.
7.  After 15 minutes, pour the cream cheese layer into the cake pan and continue to steam for another 15 minutes.
8.  Lastly pour the other half of the chocolate layer and continue to steam for another 20 minutes.  The original recipe covers with aluminium foil before steaming the layers.  Lazy cook does not cover the cake pan while steaming, she only covers the cake pan with a cloth the last 10 minutes of steaming.
9.  Remove and let cool completely before cutting them. Enjoy! Yum yum!

Apom Polka Dot

Ingredients: (makes 12 muffin size apom)
3 cold eggs
200 gm sugar (original recipe uses 220 gm sugar)
275 gm all purpose flour
150 ml evaporated milk (can use normal milk)
2 tsp baking powder (original recipe uses 3 tsp)
1 tsp condensed milk (original recipe uses ovalette)
coloring (Lazy cook uses red and green)
filing (Lazy cook uses strawberry jam)

Method:
1. Whisk the egg and the sugar, lazy cook uses only 200 gm sugar because she finds the original recipe too sweet.  Add the flour and milk, alternately.  Finally add the baking powder and condensed milk.  Continue to whisk, lazy cook uses a mixer, till a smooth mixture.
2.  Take 2 tbsp of the mixture and place them in a bowl, this is for the polka dot.  Add the coloring, lazy cook adds red to the big batch of mixture and green to the small batch. Can use other coloring, if no coloring is used the mixture would come out white in color.
3.  Line the muffin tray with muffin cups, then fill a tablespoon of red mixture into the muffin cups.  Add a teaspoon of strawberry jam.

Half filled apom with strawberry jam

4.  Fill the rest of the apom with the balance of the mixture.  Then using a piping bag with a very small hole, dot the apoms.  Let the apom stand for 30 minutes.  I did not let the apom stand in the muffin tray but in the mixing bowl, so my apoms, after steaming does not have a smooth top.

Ready for the steamer

5.  Steam the apom for 10 - 15 minutes.  Remove, cool and enjoy!

Mom's Kalipok

Mom's kalipok

Coming from a big family, mom makes kalipok to supplement my dad's income.  A recipe that is handed down from my maternal grandmother who also makes kueh for a living. Growing up making kalipok, the ingredients are all agak agak, here it is!

Ingredients:
100 gm onion, cubed
500 gm potatoes, cubed
200 ml coconut milk
800 ml water
3 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste

Curry Paste
2 tbsp ground shallot
1 tsp ground garlic
10 gm shrimp paste (belacan)
1 serai, ground
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala

Pastry
 2 cups all purpose flour
 1/3 cup and 1 tbsp peanut oil
 1/3 cup water, add 1/2 tsp salt and mix

Method:
1.  Make the pastry by adding the oil into the flour, till it becomes like bread crumbs.  If you use other oil you may need to add a bit more oil. To check that there is enough oil, squeeze the pastry in your palm and if it does not crack, like in the picture, there is enough oil.

Pastry does not crack

2.  Add the salted water to combine.  Let the pastry rest while preparing the filling.
3.  In a wok, add 3 tbsp oil, then add the curry paste. Cook the curry paste for a few minutes, then add the cubed onion.  Cook till the onion is transparent then add the cubed potatoes.

Cubed potatoes and cubed onions

4.  Stir for a few minutes to combine, then add the coconut milk and water.  Add salt and pepper to taste then let it simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours till thickens. As it thickens, stir continuously so that the potatoes does not stick to the wok. Remove and let it cool.

5.  Once the filling has cooled, roll out the pastry.

Divide the pastry into 2

Rolled out pastry

Then fold into half, continue to roll out the pastry

After folding over 4 times to get a rectangular shape pastry

Pastry rolled up, set aside and roll out the second pastry

Once the 2nd pastry is rolled up, cut the first pastry evenly

Flatten the pastry and rolled it thinly

Pastry rolled out and ready to fill

All ready to be fried

6.  Fry till golden brown. The filling is enough for 2 batch of pastry.  Lazy cook makes a big batch and freezes the kalipok.  

Baked Chicken Wings

Baked Chicken Wings

One of the family favourite and easy to put together.

Ingredients :
1.5 kg chicken wings
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup soya sauce
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 cup honey
1 clove garlic minced
 salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1.  Marinade the chicken wings in olive oil, soya sauce, tomato ketchup, honey, garlic, salt and pepper for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2.  Line the baking dish with aluminium foil (easy to clean the baking dish after), place the wings in the baking dish, well spread out, then cover the baking dish with aluminium foil.
3.  Bake for 1 hour at 190°C.  Remove the aluminium foil the last 10 minutes of baking to brown the wings.
4.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.