Banana Cupcakes

Before I started my own cupcake shoppe, I used to bake for our own consumption. Long before I attempted the steamed banana cupcakes, I used to do the baked version very often. Since my PiggyBeng has been complaining that we are eating too much fat (butter) as we have to chomp down all the excess cuppies from some of my orders, I seldom bake for ourselves anymore unless there is a birthday.

I must admit that steaming is simpler and less work and of course healthier but at times baked stuff has more fragrance and they have longer shelf live. Therefore, once in a while when I have the ingredients sitting around in the house I will still make an effort...

Here is a banana cupcake recipe which I got from one of the popular site but forgotten which since I am such a sloppy person! I have modified it a little to our taste. Everyone at home love it so I thought I'll just share it here with everyone. :)

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Ingredients
Makes 2 dozens

• 300g Flour


• 2tsp Baking powder


• 2tsp Bicarbonate of soda


• ½ tsp Salt


• 200g Sugar


• 220g Butter


• 4 Eggs (medium size)


• 400g Bananas (I used pisang emas) - mashed


• 5tbsp Milk


• 1tsp Vanilla essence


• 1tsp Banana essence (optional)

Methods

1. Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a mixing bowl.


2. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy white. Add beaten eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition.


3. Add in vanilla essence or banana essence, milk and mashed bananas.


4. Fold in flour and mix well. Pour mixture into muffin cups (3/4 cup) and add a slice of banana on top before sending the tray into the oven and bake at 180?C for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cuppies comes out clean.

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Tips: Turn your cupcakes tray after 15 minutes into baking to ensure eveness

Pan Fried Tom Yum Chicken

After away from Penang for almost 2 weeks, I do crave for something sour and spicy. I have wanted to get my Asam Laksa fix from the hawker behind our house but with the weather so hot, I dreaded walking out of the house.

Then I was running out of idea what to cook. PiggyBeng was ever so happy if I steam him his Barramundi fillets but to be very honest, I am so bored eating the same old dish a few times a week! Luckily I bought some chicken drumsticks as spares which I normally used for lunch.

Initially i have wanted to cook pan fried curry chicken with curry leaves. I even went to pluck some curry leaves from my neighbour's garden! Then I discovered I did not have the appropriate curry powder at home! Dang! PiggyBeng only bought those for curry fish since he cook curry fish all the time.

Therefore I have to change my menu. Luckily I spotted the Tom Yum paste which I bought for my instant noodles. Sometimes back I bought some Japanese instant noodles and the flavor sucks so I bought the Tom Yum paste to replace.

And tadaaaa.... we have Pan Fried Tom Yum Chicken! :)

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Ingredients

• 2pcs Chicken drumsticks


• 1tbsp Tom Yum paste


• Lemon juice

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Methods

1. Cut the chicken drumsticks into thin pieces and marinate with Tom Yum paste and let it stand for 30 minutes.


2. Heat up wok with some oil in medium heat and slowly pan fried the chicken pieces until cooked.


3. When done, squeeze some lemon juice before serving.

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This Peace Brand Tom Yum paste is not so spicy so kids can take them. :)

Chinese Cabbage Soup with Fish Maw

It was the Lunar New Year a few weeks back and here in Penang, majority of the people will have steamboat for their reunion dinner which is the meal on the eve of the Lunar New Year. However, we did not have any steamboat this year as we went to celebrate the occasion with my parents in Ipoh.

Then we went to KL on the 9th Day of the Lunar New Year for almost 2 weeks. During our stay in KL, my mom managed to whip up a few meals for us to enjoy. During one of the meals she boiled this really yummy Chinese cabbage soup using a particular Chinese cabbage which is only available during this festive season... well, according to her lar! :P

So, upon returning to Penang, I have to do some marketing to stock up for the week and I found this particular cabbage selling in Tesco. Since the weather is extremely hot here, having cabbage soup is ideal since it has a cooling effect (according to the Chinese lar).

I bought some fish maw during our pre-CNY  groceries shopping and since we did not get to use them for reunion dinner I added them into the cabbage soup instead. These gave the soup more fragrance.

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This cabbage looks a little different as compared to the regular Chinese cabbage

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Ingredients

• 1 whole Chinese cabbage peel and cit into half


• 2 sticks Carrot (cut into small blocks)


• 250g Pork ribs


• 2L Water


• 10-12 Red dates (de-seed)


• 6-8 pcs Dried oysters


• Some Dried cuttlefish


• 50g Fish maw


• Salt for taste

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Methods

1. Heat up water in a pot and put in pork ribs when it boils. Let it boil for a while and remove all the scums.


2. Add in the red dates, dried cuttlefish, dried oysters and carrot and let them boil on slow heat for about 30 minutes. Add in the Chinese cabbage and continue to boil till it is soft... approximately for another hour.


3. In a separate saucepan, boil some water and blanch the pre-soaked fish maw for about 5 minutes. Don't have to cook too long as the gelatin will melt away.


4. When the soup is done (around 1.5 to 2 hours) add in some salt for taste and toss in the the soften fish maw for another 10 minutes on high heat. Serve.

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

Life has definitely been very hectic the past few months and hence I did not get to do much experiments from any of the cookery or recipe books on my book shelf.

Since it is the Lunar New Year now and we will be going to KL tomorrow, I decided to bake some goodies to bring for some of the friends I will be meeting. Initially i have wanted to just use the regular recipes I have been using but after looking through one of the recipe books I thought I'll try a new one.

Found this really nice and easy to do chocolate brownie cupcakes from the 500 Cupcakes & Muffins book by Fergal Connolly.

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Ingredients
(makes 12 cupcakes)

• 125g Plain chocolate chips (I used cooking chocolate bar)


• 125g Unsalted butter (I used salted butter)


• 2 Eggs


• 300g Castor sugar (I used 200g only)


• 1tsp Vanilla essence


• 115g Plain flour

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Methods

1. Melt chocolate and butter in a medium bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring until melt. Set aside to cool.


2. In another medium bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale and thick using a whisk.


3. Fold in the chocolate and the flour until well mixed. The batter should be gooey and sticky.


4. Spoon batter into cases and bake @ 160 degree Celsius for about 25 minutes.


5. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before removing from tray and cool on rack.

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You can make some cream topping if you want but it tastes good as it is!  :)