Pandan Swiss Roll (Cooked Dough Method) 班兰瑞士卷

If you have ever tried an original Pandan Swiss Roll, you will not be contented with just pandan essence. Nothing beats the natural taste and flavour of the pandan (also known as screwpine leaves). Primarily found in the South East Asia, the Pandan Swiss Roll is insanely popular with variations like Ondeh Ondeh Roll, and Pandan Kaya Roll. Today, I'm just introducing a simple Pandan Swiss Roll with fresh cream. Once you have the basic sponge mastered, you can easily adapt your filling.

Traditional Fruitcake 酒香杂果蛋糕

Talk about acquired taste. Just a couple of years ago, I have to give away fruitcakes received as presents because I simply don't like it. This year, however, I have such intense cravings to eat one that I have to purposely make an effort to get the ingredients to make one amidst my busy schedule. I blame it on the booze for my utter addiction cum obsession. Yes, I like my fruitcake all boozy-filled plumped-up with alcohol.

Easy Mini Fritata

Fritata!

The name does sound fancy but it is nothing more than a baked thick omelette, or, as Jamie Oliver aptly put it, an omelette cake. Making a fritata is very simple as it is like how you would cook an omelette with your choiced vegetables, some herbs and cheese. My not-too-authentic version is a much simpler version as I made it into smaller pieces, eliminating the whole process of having to cook the vegetables, and at the same time shortening the cooking time. Yes, I cooked it in mini muffins tin (well, more to a tart tin for mine). The result is a quick 5 minutes prep and 15 minutes of baking time that totally frees you to attend to other chores while cooking a fun and nutritious dish. I love the freedom in cooking this dish and I believe you do too!

Dorayaki 铜锣烧

Ah, Doraemon's favourite food, what not to love about this? Dorayaki originates from Japan. It consists of two round pancake-like patties with a filling in between, traditionally red beans. Nowadays, you can put almost anything that you could imagine from the more commonly used matcha green tea to black sesame seed paste.

Three Cup Chicken 三杯鸡

Today I tried the famous Taiwanese San Bei Ji which directly translates to Three Cup Chicken. What prompted me to try this Three Cup Chicken is the simplicity of the recipe. It was originally designed to use only three cups of ingredients comprising soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine. However, what the recipe doesn't tell you is that even in the three ingredients itself it has vast difference. For example, some soy sauce are darker and thicker whereas some are more salty. I would advise you to be careful with the soy sauce as we do not want the dish to be overly salty.

Honeycomb cake / Ants' Nest Cake / Kek Sarang Semut / Kuih Gula Hangus 蜂窝蛋糕

In line with the Ramadhan month, I am contributing this piece on Honeycomb Cake which is a traditional delicacy of the Malays. This cake is a perfect dessert to break fast. Wishing all my Muslim readers Ramadhan Kareem.

Pakatan Snowskin Mooncake

I am always reluctant to mix politics with food. However, this is an exception. Just yesterday, one of my friends told me that I am not doing enough for the country (I interpreted it as selfishness). I therefore, made this Pakatan snowskin mooncake as my whimsy reply to her. To me, supporting a party does not mean you have to be physically present hailing your loyalty. This is my way of contribution.

Vertical Layer Cake/ Drip Cake

Today, I tried to cramp three techniques into one cake. This cake marked my first foray into Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC), first vertical layer cake, and first drip cake. Although the taste was good (as I am using my previous tested recipes), the artwork is mediocre at best. I have much to learn on making a smooth frosting and applying the dripping glaze.  I think my greatest enemy is my lack of patience. Making such cakes is a long process to say the least. It involves layers and layers of work. By the time I was at the decorating stage, the novelty sort of fizzled out. I was then left with a messy frosting and an urge to just abandon the endeavour. I am happy to say that I followed through to come out with this wonderful piece of art.

Lapis Legit / Spek koek 印尼千层蛋糕 (less rich version)

This is one of my favourite cakes but I have been putting off making this cake for the longest time. It is not a cake for the faint-hearted, literally saying. An original lapis legit uses about 30 egg yolks to make, not to mention about half pounds of butter. If the richness of the cake doesn't give you a heart attack, the process of making it will. Also known as a thousand layer cake (of course there is no thousand layer), it is very much a labour intensive endavour. You have to be at the oven most of the time watching the cake gets browned, levelling and then adding another thin layer. The process repeats itself at least 20 times to be considered a good bake. You need a lot of care and attention to produce even layers of straight-lined cake. After making this, I actually appreciate this cake more. It is a labour of love, a patience-endurance cake. This rookie here took 2 hours to finish my 20 layers. If you are making this for your loved ones, make sure you receive a well deserved recognition. Otherwise, just buy the lapis legit (better yet, at his/hers expense).

Lapis legit, also known as spek koek has its origins from the Nederlands whereby spek koek basically means bacon cake or cookie. Even the preferred butter is a Dutch butter called Wjisman. Having said that, the cake has evolved, since its colonial days, into what is uniquely Indonesian. If you haven't tasted this cake, it is rich and dense with a hint of spice to bring out the flavour of the cake. It can also be made into various variations, the popular one being added with prunes. The Chinese in Indonesia has adopted this cake as a celebration cake as well, a must-have luxury during Chinese New Year celebration.

Simple Cheezy Fish Fillet Parcels 简单芝士鱼包

I am not even going to lie. I am not even writing a recipe from scratch today. Pacific West has made it so easy for me that I do not have to prepare my own fish fillets. Yes, I cheated. I used fish fillets from Pacific West to make these. To be honest, I was ecstatic when they came out with a cheezy version. Just the extra umph that I need for the perfect parcel of goodness in one bite. I have always believed in Pacific West's products, ever since I used their tempura fish fillets for my Fish and Chips menu many years ago. Nowadays, Pacific West seems to have a diverse range of products to include Calamari Rings, Prawns and with also various preparation too!