Butter Cake II 奶油蛋糕 II

This is a refined version of my first butter cake recipe. After seeing so many smooth top butter cakes, I am inspired to make a flawless butter cake. A normal smooth top butter cake calls for a higher ratio of butter to flour (butter more than flour). As I do not like my cake to be too oily, my go-to recipe uses only an equal amount of butter and flour. This makes it harder to maintain that smooth top. The method and technique used here were the same as the old recipe save for the following changes:

1. Bake in a larger surface 7" x 7" pan;
2. Use low heat and steambake.
3. I drastically reduced the sugar content.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Mixed Berries Coulis 意大利布丁和浆果浆泥

If one were to have watched any reality cooking shows, one would know what this panna cotta is. This is because it is a much exhibited dish. A panna cotta is basically a chilled cooked cream custard which has its origins from Italy. It is a versatile dessert as you could add different flavours to the basic cream custard or play around with different toppings.

Pineapple Prawn Curry (Udang Masak Lemak Nenas) 香辣黄梨虾

The Peranakans* have a rich culture in food and cooking. This dish is no stranger to the Peranakans. It has that distinct sweet-sourish spicy taste that is so synonymous with Peranakan dishes. I am not of a Peranakan descendant but I do appreciate their dishes well.

Chicken Korma/Ayam Kurma

Chicken Korma has its origins from India. It uses primarily yogurt and spices as base. In Malaysia, it is known as Ayam Kurma. The Malaysian version is paler in colour and uses mostly coconut milk and kurma powder (a premix of spices). It has a milder spiciness compared to its curry peers. It is rich in coconut milk taste with a slight tang from the tomatoes added in.

Simple Apple Salad with Crunchy Calamari Rings

This whole week has been really hectic for me with the preparation of an upcoming bazaar participation besides my usual work rush. I have been taking economy rice as lunch for most of this week. I have been wanting to eat something different, something healthy but I hardly have the time to cook. Then suddenly, I remembered I received a packet of Calamari Rings and some fish fillets (they have quite a few types) from PACIFIC WEST recently. Perfect! I then quickly chucked the calamari rings into my preheated oven. You can also have the option to deep-fry or air fry the Calamari Rings.

Almond Biscotti 杏仁 脆饼

Biscotti, which basically means twice baked, had put me off for the longest time. I don't want to put in twice the effort to make a same recipe. The process involves first baking it whole and then slicing it thinly to be toasted in the oven. Whatever is initially daunting, however, became advantageous. I can now precook the batter and leave it in the freezer. I can slice the amount that is needed and toast it crispy whenever I want. I, therefore, have a fresh supply of biscotti whenever there is guest coming over or when the occasion arises. It is perfect dunked in your favourite cuppa or as a leisure afternoon snack. This is one snack that I do not have to hold myself out because it has more nutritional values and practically oil-less. So you can munch all you want. You might also want to double the recipe. It gets pretty addictive once the nibbling starts.

Simple Pulut Panggang/Rempah Udang

This Malaysian delicacy is basically grilled stuffed glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaf. The glutinous rice is stuffed with shredded coconut and dried shrimp chilli paste whereas the rice is parboiled in coconut milk. The wrapped glutinous rice is then grilled in charcoal (traditionally) for that sweet and smoky flavour, and at the same time, adding a little crisp to the rice.

This recipe is named Simple Pulut Panggang. Truth be told, making this dish is never simple with various steps to observe. However, with the use of my prepared Sambal Udang Kering/Hae Bee Hiam, a rice cooker and a stapler, making this is a breeze. The rice is cooked in a rice cooker and no soaking is necessary. The ends are stapled together instead of using bamboo sticks. Lastly and most importantly, the filling is easily taken cared of with the use of the prepared sambal.