Is winter here yet: Triple Hot Chocolate

The weather is so cold that my body is screaming for triple hot chocolate. Yes, triple. Why triple? Because it has non-sweetened milo powder, cocoa powder and real bits of dark chocolate in it. It sounds really sinful but because I usually pass the milk and use Coffee Mate instead, it has lesser calories than the standard hot chocolate. Plus, I add cinnamon and nutmeg, which are good in reducing insulin spike.

Recipe: Triple Hot Chocolate

-Ingredients:

-2 teaspoons of milo powder (non-sweetened, no added milk)
-2 teaspoons of cocoa powder (You can use Homebrand)
-1 small piece of Lindt 85 percent dark chocolate
-1/2 teaspoon of sugar or honey ( I prefer using honey)
-1 teaspoon of Coffee Mate (Don't use this if using milk)
-A little cinnamon + nutmeg powder
-150ml of hot water/ 100 ml of hot milk + 50 ml of hot water

-Instructions:

Add dry ingredients into a cup. Followed by a little hot water (50ml). Mix well until solids dissolve. Then add 100 ml of hot water or milk.

Since it's so cold, it's an excuse to buy Christmas goodies such as a spiced loaf or a gingerbread man.

To be honest, I hate the cold as much as I hate the heat. I cannot stand the idea of me being in summery New York and flying back to wintry Melbourne. It'll be hell. No, I'm not excited about New York at all. I should have forgo Chinese New Year and done Chinese history for summer semester instead.

Spiced Coconut Spinach

A quick post for an easy but interesting side dish I just made. It's the type of thing I get excited about - simple, but not boring. All in one pan. I stumbled on this recipe for Coconut-laced Spiced Spinach as I was flipping through Anjum Anand's new book. Not much more than ten minutes later, we were sitting down to the table with it as part of our meal. You toast a few spices, add a pile of shredded spinach to the skillet, and finish things off with a burst of lemon juice and some shredded coconut. I went off-road with the recipe a bit and added chopped asparagus - because we have a lot of it right now. And because I love it. And because, why not?

The cumin is really nice here. Don't skimp. I might even add a pinch more next time around. And if you like more heat, add more red pepper flakes to taste. Also - I know some of you are sick of hearing me say this - resist the urge to overcook the spinach. You want to cook it just long enough for it to collapse, cook through, and brighten up. And keep in mind it continues to cook after you pull it from the heat.

I think I'm so excited about this in part because it is so versatile. While it makes a great side - I ended up having it on top of one of my "special" quesadillas. I can also imagine it on an open-faced veggie burger, in a taco, in a wrap, over brown rice or farro, etc. Or make a meal of it with some grilled tofu, paneer, or fried egg. Let me know if you end up making it, and what you do! with it . Hope you like it as much as I do. And thank you Anjum for the inspiration - I'm really enjoying the Ayurvedic angle of this book.

Continue reading Spiced Coconut Spinach...

Mont-Blanc aux marrons

Oh Hi! I know its been more than a week since my last post but I havent had the urge to blog anything lately, though there are new cakes and photos every weekend. Furthermore, my iPhoto suffered from injury and I wasnt able to open or load it at all. So I cant copy my pictures, or pull anything to PS to edit it. But its back now after some rebuilding. The weekend I made Mont Blanc, was also the weekend I made 6-7 more stuffs. I should really put all of them up before it goes to the back of my brain.

I had high hopes for this little thing called Mont Blanc. Its just one of those things where its been lingering in the to-do / to-bake list for the longest time ever and I just never, NEVER did it. Until recently when I know where I could get the chestnut puree. And right after I bought the Hero Chestnut Puree, I saw Ponthiers frozen whole chestnuts in the supermarket. Yes when I needed to find it, it doesnt appear but when I dont need it at all, it appears, 2 at the same time. Lol. Life is.

And when its something youve been wanting to make, something youve held hopes high for, youd expect it to be good, by all means lip-smackingly GOOD. Much to my dismay, I didnt really liked it; I dont hate eating it but its not my favourite either. I am now in a love-hate relationship with the Mont Blanc. And please also tell me what should I do with the remaining chestnut puree for all I know, I wont be making Mont Blanc anytime soon. No actually its not the cake, but its chestnut itself. Hrmmm

But what is Mont Blanc exactly? Ideally its a French dess! ert (whi ch I suspect then turned Japanese) that consists of a base (which could be meringue/ breton / cake) then filled with cream and topped with chestnut puree so it looks like a snow mountain. If you do a search of Mont Blanc (the cake, not the pen) in google, you get lots of varied versions of this dessert. And no, I didnt learn about this cake in Le Cordon Bleu at all. Its French right? But it wasnt included in the syllabus. But looking at the recipe its actually a composed dessert of a few basic techniques. For instance, for my version, I made Sable Breton which is somewhat like making a cookie dough. Then for the innards, it requires you to make creme patisserie, where any patissier would know the method of making it by the back of his or her hand. Then whipped cream. As for the chestnut strands, you can lighten up pureed chestnut with whipped cream (like how NoRecipes did it), or beat it with butter (like Caneelle et Vanilles version), or like BraveTarts version, mix it with creme patisserie.

If its not confusing you yet, Im happy for you. As I am getting a little confused already. Lol. But whatever it is, make what that makes you happy So theres a Sable Breton, Chocolate creme patisserie, whole chestnut, whipped cream and lastly chestnut cream on top.

Mont-Blanc aux Marrons

(makes 15 x 2 inches ! diameter )

(recipes adapted from here and here)

Creme Patisserie
450ml milk
1/2 vanilla bean
42g cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 yolk
140g sugar

Chocolate Creme Patisserie
1/2 portion of creme patisserie
120g dark chocolate, melted

Sable Breton
80 grams sugar
80 grams salted butter
2 egg yolks
zest of half an orange
1/4 vanilla bean
120 grams unbleached all purpose flour
7 grams baking powder

Chestnut Cream
250g Chestnut puree (I used Hero)
1/2 portion of creme patisserie
1 tbsp dark rum

Method :

1. Make cream patisserie. Scrap seeds of vanilla pod into 3/4 of milk. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and let it infuse for 30 minutes. You can do this overnight if you want to. Turn on heat and add in half the amount of the sugar into the milk and let it come to a simmer.

In another bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 of milk, eggs and yolk, remaining half of the sugar and corn starch. Whisk tilll everything is combined. Once the milk is simmering, pour a quarter of milk into the egg mixture whilst stirring constantly. Then gradually pour in the rest of milk and dont forget to stir.

Pour the entire thing back into the pot, cook over very low heat while stirring with a whisk. Continue till mixture is thickened and when you see blooping bubbles, youll just need a minute more. Make su! re you s tir all the time to prevent egg curdling or burning.

When its ready, pour over a sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with a cling film, making sure it touches the entire surface of the creme patisserie to prevent skinning. Refrigerate and let it cool.

2. Make Sable Breton. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg yolks, vanilla bean and the orange zest. Add the flour and baking powder combined until it comes together. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Roll out to about 1/2 thickness and cut 3 circles with a round cutter. Place the circles in molds and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. If sable spreads, use the 3 round cutter and cut again so you have neat edges.

3. Make chocolate cream patisserie. Remove chilled creme patisserie and beat with a mixer to loosen / smoothen it. Add in melted chocolate and mix well. Fill in a piping bag until ready to use.

4. Whip about 175ml cream till stiff peaks. Fill in a piping bag until ready to use.

5. Make Chestnut Cream. In a mixer, beat chestnut cream (or use a blender if texture is still lumpy). Then add in creme patisserie and rum. Mix till smooth and silky. Fill in a piping bag with a round tip no.3 or with multi openings.

6. Ready, set, go! To assemble, squeeze a 5 cent dollop of chocolate creme patisserie on the base of the Sable Breton, then place and stick it on the board. Pipe about a tbsp or 2 of chocolate creme patisserie. Place a whole (roasted and peeled) chestnut on top. Pipe almost the same amount of whipped cream on top. At this stage you want to make it look like a cone so when you pipe the chestnut cream, its neater. Then lastly, pipe the chestnut cream in a circular motion till you get a dome / capped shaped Mont Blanc. Not to! forget, place a chestnut ontop and sprinkle with snow powder (icing sugar doesnt work here, it melts the moment it touches creme patisserie).

For me, I thought the chestnut was a little pepperish and I didnt quite fancy the taste of it. But the breton was fantastic, smells great!

Cheers

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The Tea Republic @ Bangsar Shopping Centre

I still remember the childhood days when BSC was old and tired and how we would walk from my friend's house down the hill to BSC so we could buy Magic cards and "hang out". In the past year or two, it underwent a total revamp but even before I left, it was still rather quiet and shops were only slowly filling up.


Coming back in March though, the place finally felt vibrant and lively.

A recent addition to BSC is the Tea Republic; coincidentally a friend of a friend's first venture into the F&B world. While I always have the dream to own my F&B place like half the population in Australia who are currently suffering the Masterchef Fever, it takes more than just using words. It requires action and bravery (or plain foolishness if I was a grumpy old relative).

Back to the Tea Republic, it is everything a cafe / hangout place is but serves tea instead of the norm coffee.

Carrying different teas from all over the world, it is quite fascinating and educational at the same time.

How about trying the South African Vanilla Orange Tea? The vanilla is subtle and the orange evident but the most amazing thing with flavoured teas is the aroma. I be happy smelling the brew (probably for the first 10 minutes before realising I am meant to drink it).

From Japanese tea to Chai Latte (which was quite decent too), it is a paradise for those who appreciate tea.

Taste of Nonya Influence with Debbie Teoh @ Chatz Brasserie, Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur

Craving for some Nonya food? Here's your chance to scratch that itch for Straits Chinese cuisine at the "Taste of Nonya Influence" promotion by Debbie Teoh from Friday (May 13) to July 3 at Chatz Brasserie, Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur.

Avid foodies will know it is rare to get good Nonya food in restaurants since most Nonya recipes are jealously guarded family secrets only passed down from each generation. These dishes are often cooked using estimations or by taste that can sometimes make it difficult to recapture the same flavours. Moreover, a lot of work and of course, lovegoes into the food giving it the homecooked taste that surpasses a commercial kitchen's efforts.
Debbie is a true blue Nonya who is well known among the food circles for her cookbooks, recipes and home catering business.For the promotion, she'll be cooking up various Nonya specialties for the buffet lunch, dinner and high-tea. There will also be a la carte selections that you can order, if your appetite is not hefty enough to tackle the buffet spread. For the high-tea, Debbie will be putting up teatime specialties such as laksa, roti ayam (the halal version of roti babi), kuih paitiand etc.
We previewed a few of the showcase dishes from promotion. Kicking of the meal, we started with appetizers, the quintessential Nonya kuih paiti,more popularly known astophats from their shape.Remember how I said Nonya food needs a lot of work, well this is one of the many examples. First, the cases need to be made. Using a brass mould to form these "tophats", it takes lots of skill to get them perfect (too much batter, they'r! e too th ick and too little there'll be holes). Eventhe shaking of the cases from the moulds, the right oil temperature and the batter mix all count towards these perfect fragile cases. That's only step one as the filling is also important. In the olden days, Nonya brides had to please their demanding mother in laws by learning to cook. One of the prerequisites was of course, cutting the vegetables finely just like this yam bean filling. Following tradition, Debbie'spaiti filling includes crabmeat and small prawns for flavour that is usually omitted commercially to cut down costs.

Another dish that is literally a labour of love is the buah keluak kay (chicken). It is a dish rarely seen in Nonya restaurants since it takes days to prep. Those hard brown nuts need to be soaked overnight before you can even open them. Careful precision is needed to chip them open so the flesh can be dug out. The nut flesh is pounded with seasoning until smooth and sometimes even binded with a little beaten eggwhite. The pounded flesh is then stuffed back into the hard brown shell and cooked with the chicken. We relished digging the treasure of brown flesh within those hard nuts as its "chocolately" taste is simply addictive. This dish is available onalternate days, so call Chatz Brasserie to make sure you're not dissapointed.
Some dishesmay lookpretty simple and ordinary like the steamed ladyfingers or okra but Debbie's side dips of soy sauce with fried garlic and garlic oil,followed bythe tau cheo (soy bean paste) with chopped chillies give the humble vegetable a salty spicy taste that made each "finger"-licking good. The sambal goreng sounded simple but turned out to be creamy lemongrass flavoured sambal prawns dish. Iloved how the dish was paired with the lesser known belimbing buluh (blimbi) for a slight sourish flavour to cut through its richness. The coconut rich sauce has hints of belacan and tamarind, while chopped cashew nuts give it a crunchy texture. We al! so drank hu pioh t'ng, a fish maw soup usuallyreserved for Nonya celebrations like birthdays and Chinese New Year. The chicken broth is tummy comforting with homemade shrimppaste balls, crunchy fishmaw and vegetables like yambean and carrots.
Another treat was the nasi kunyit (turmeric flavoured rice) with chicken curry and the addictivesalted fish sambal (sambal kiam hu) that we all secretly coveted to take home its leftovers. This nasi kunyit set is available on a daily basis from the a la carte menu. We ended the meal with a refreshing O'Giou jelly made from Taiwanese ai-yu jelly powder. This old fashioned dessert used to be served by the hawkers in Penang during the olden days. I love its refreshing calamansi lime taste and thesoft wobbly texture. We also had yummy Seri Muka to sink our teeth into that looked so pretty with its bunga telang(butterfly pea flower) coloured rice.

Last but not least, was a special treat from Debbie's - her Nonya rice dumplings orpuah kiam ti chang. Sadly thisis notin the promotion. These bamboo leaf parcels are prepared yearly for the Chinese dumpling festival and availableby pre-order. Tinged a distinct blue from the bunga telang, the soft glutinous rice parcel hides a yummy center ofchicken and candied melon cubes flavoured with coriander powder, garlic andcekur ginger root. Even though we were full from dinner, each one of usmanaged afew bitesbutfatboybakes trumped all of us by going for the whole rice dumpling, relishing each bite of it and making us wish we had to stomach to follow him. His expression as he chomped down the dumpling was simply priceless. For more pictures, see my Flickr set.

For weekdays, the buffet lunch is priced at RM58++ per person and the buffet dinner is at RM78++ per person.During the weekend,theNonya selection is available forhigh tea at RM52++ p! er perso n. UOB, American Express and Standard Chartered credit card holdersget a 20% discount promotion.A special Father's Daybrunch is available at RM65++ per adult and RM32.50++per child with a interactived children's cooking workshop.Nonya dishes will alsobe available in the a la carte menu during the promotional period. For more details, call 03-2782 8301.

* Thanks to cumidanciki andfatboybakes for being my"models".

** Note that this was an invited review by Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur.

Night Blooming Cereus (Dried)

Ingredient Name: Night Blooming Cereus, Cereus

Traditional Chinese Name: (b wng hu)

What is this?

• The dried plant known to bloom at night
• There are many species that belong in this category, but specifically one that is used in Chinese medicine and soups
• It blooms with white flowers (roughly 7-8 inches in diameter) with many petals and blooms for a few hours before dying
• Extremely fragrant flower once bloomed
• The flower is grown both in homes and in batches for soup/medicinal consumption
• The dried plant is tasteless

Howdo Iprepare it?

• Soak in water for at least an hour, rinsing several times to remove all the bugs (mainly ants)

Where can I buy this?

Most Asian supermarkets and herbalists will carry this product dried in packages

What is the cost

• 1 pack will cost around $20 HKD (about 5-6 flowers)

Any benefits?

• Excellent for nourishing and detoxifying the lungs
• Helps moisturize and lubricate the lungs
• Helps eliminate pathological heat and fire in the body and cool it down

Any precautions?

• Soak in water for at least an hour - large cultivated batches of this plant will have many bugs, so be sure to wash thoroughly
• Mildly cooling ingredient (take with caution if in the first trimester of pregnancy or menstruating)
• Avoid this ingredient is you have hypertension

Additional Information

• You can store this ingredient in a tight sealed container in a dry place for up t! o 6 mont hs

International Good Food On The Table Restaurant at Solaris Dutamas

Nestled away in a corner in Publika, On The Table is a cozy restaurant serving fantastic fine dining dishes at affordable prices.

Chef Riz, one of the brain child behind this restaurant, is consistently ensuring that the chefs and kitchen crew hired are skilled to maintain quality of taste of the food prepared, as no compromisation of quality for quantity is allowed. Having a background of cooking around the world, he bring back all the best food he cooked and put everything under a roof for the public to share. Coming from a family who loves to cook, he carries lots of passion and creativity in his cooking. Even a simple Malaysian normal dish like NASI GORENG KERABU, it was on a different league. This can be presented to the world! and on a high class dining table.

The passion for food as well as providing good dining value & experience with taste, music, smell and sight to enhance each diners experience, the team at On The Table understands the use of ingredients to maximize its taste in each dish, hence finding some use of molecular skills involved in some of the dishes. The person who motivate and guide him at the back was none other than Datuk Chef Wan. YES! He is the son of Datuk Chef Wan.

Photo credit goes to http://www.malaysianfoodie.com

AZURE BLUE MOCKTAIL RM13/serving
Mixture of honey dew, pineapple, orange, mango and blue curacao, a refreshing drink.

BORA COLADA MOCKTAIL RM13/serving
Mixture of orange, mango, pineapple, granadine and syrup, another tasty picks me up.

KRYPTONITE MOCKTAIL RM13/serving

VELOUTE OF PUMPKIN SOUP RM26/serving
Slow roasted butternut squash and cooked into this creamy, tasty soup with a mild hint of spicy basil and served with succulent fresh scallops.

60C CHICKEN CESARE RM23/serving
Poached eggs, parmigiana crisps, bacon bits, grilled tomato and crunchy greens, absolutely tasty in every single bite.

MEE GORENG MAMAK RM18/serving
An absolute plate of tasttiness. Springy yellow noodles perfectly coated with sauce evenly in every single strand, served with fresh mussels, cockles, chicken slices, crushed peanuts, fish crackers and sambal belacan. Ask for additional belacan if you are a fan of spiciness.

PENNE BOSCAIOLA RM36/serving
Al dante penne, perfectly coated with boscaiola sauce, a mixture of various mushrooms, cream, italian parsley and white truffle oil with mushroom foam. For mushroom and cream sauce lovers, this is as good as it gets, absolutely fantastic.

A fresh grind of pepper on the penne brings out the aroma hints of spiciness and fragrant of the mushrooms

We just cant get enough of the great mushroom sauce hence we ordered just the sauce alone and it was cleared in a jiffy.

MUSHROOM MELT BURGER RM23/serving

This wickedly tasting burger had all of us on cloud nine. Juicy tender medium rare premium beef patti with hearts of romaine, cameron ox heart tomatoes, seered beef & turkey cracklings, caramalised onions, tasty smelling blue cheese and delicious redz heat ketchup & wicked mustard sauce.

Perfectly cooked beef patty done medium. Just the way we like it. By the way those yellow dots were mustards and you will ask for more once you start dipping it.

Fruity Pebbles Cheesecake Guest Post

It seems that my buddy Liz had a vision to make an amazing cheesecake. Thankfully the vision did not come to her through a burning bush. It looks so wonderful everyone needs to see it.

I think I was blessed by a higher power. Seriously, I was just sitting with my sister in her kitchen, drinking tea, when suddenly, out of nowhere, I decided that I needed to make a Froot Loops cheesecake (it became a Fruity Pebbles cheesecake later, when I observed that Fruity Pebbles were practically already crushed, thus lessening my workload). My only complaint about the whole thing is that the higher power in question didn't strike me with the motivation and determination to do something slightly more profitable, like build an ark or take over a country. But we take what we can get in this life, and I took this cheesecake to Awesome Town. And then Easter dinner.

Fruity Pebbles Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 cups Fruity Pebbles cereal, crushed
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1 block cream cheese, softened
8 ounces non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Extra Fruity Pebbles for decorating.

For the crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine crushed Fruity Pebbles and melted butter in 9 inch pie dish. Press down and up around sides of dish. Bake for ten minutes. Allow to cool completely before filling.

For the filling: Place cream cheese, yogurt, sugar and va! nilla ex tract in mixing bowl. Mix on high for a couple minutes, or until completely combined. Pour into cooled crust and refrigerate overnight. Decorate with extra Fruity Pebbles.