Delicious Homemade Pizza for 2

This is a very simple recipes yet delicious. Pizza is a comfort food. To me, it is just like an open toast sandwich. If you fold the pizza half & seal it, it became a Calzone. It just like a big curry puff. The only different is the fillings inside.

Pizza topping is very personal. Just be creative with the topping ingrediants, I even put tomato sauce on top with sambal ikan bilis sauces, red onion & some prawns. Sound very South East Asia right? 

My toppings: bacon, sausages, red/yellow bell pepper & onion. Use any store bought pizza sauces for convenient. Usually I will buy big tall bottle of tomato pizza sauces, use 2/3 for pasta & 1/3 for pizza. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days. Read the label.

Another tip- use high quality mozzarella cheese.

This is a perfect recipes for Pizza for 2 adults. It can be made into 1 big pizza or two medium thin pizza.

200g Hi Protein Bread flour

1tsp Dry yeast

2tsp Sugar

2/3 tsp Salt

140cc warm regular tap water

Method:
1) Mix yeast with water, add into the flour + sugar + salt (mix all dry ingredients 1st).
2) Knead the dough with bread machine or by hand.
- Machine  (need to work the dough for about 8 mins)
- By hand (need to work the dough for 15 mins)
3) Make the dough into a round shape. Let it rise in an air tight container or any bowl cover with a wet towel/ wrap. keep it in a warm place. It will rise to almost double the size in 30-40 mins.
4) Then, punch the dough down, you can divide into two single pizza & use a rolling pin to flatten the dough. Remember to flour the table top. Make sure the flatten dough do not stick on the table surface. Use a fork to make some hold on the flatten dough. It is best roll in on a marble table if possible. Oh yes, the reason I buy the classic marble table which is so 80s....
5) Spread the tomato sauces, then sprinkles any of the ingrediats of your choice, lastly top it with the mozeralla cheese. Let it rest for 10 mins.
6) Remember to pre-head the oven at 220'C & bake the pizza for 10-12 mins.



As usual, I never taken a baked pizza picture, this is because when the pizza is ready, we dig in too fast.






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Fried Spagetti with Spinach Japanese Style

Over the weekends especially Saturday or Sunday afternoon,  I seriously do not know what to cook. Or too lazy to cook. But we still need to eat & fill up the stomach. We just need something quick & comfort- PASTA!!

My kid says the pasta with tomato sauce ...again? =.=
Fine. Mummy cook stir fry pasta, simple ingrediants & extremely satisfying.

Simple ! Simple! Simple!

Serving for 2:
200 g dry pasta (cook as per package instructions- 1 min less than al dente)
3 slices of bacon (cut into pcs)
some minced garlic (load more if you love garlic)
2 stalk of spinash (wash & cut into 1 inch lenght)
some japanese muchroom or any fresh muchroom (optional)
1tbsp Japanese soy sauces
1tbsp sake
1tbsp mirin
olive oil
Probably half a cup of pasta water or less

Method:
1) Fry olive oil with garlic, add in the bacon & muchroom. Fry for 2 mins.
2) Add in spinach. Stir fry for 1 min,
3) Add in cooked pasta with soy sauces + sake+ mirin & some pasta water. Stir fry for 1 -2 mins. Let the sauces absord into the pasta.
4) Serve & dig in immediately.( I like this the most!)

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Red Velvet Cupcakes & Frosting

To me, sometimes writing a blog is like writing a diary. Mine is a food diary. I am sharing some mistake or fun that I have learn through my "culinary" journey. I have fallen in love with kitchen because I have always believe in nurture my kid with good nutritions make them a better person - healthy & mentally. Desserts are just part of it. Every mum feel proud when their kids tell them : "My mummy is the best cook in the world!!" .Besides, I seriously need to de-stree myself in the kitchen.

I love sharing my baking goods with the neighbours, nanny & friends. Let me tell you something funny happened in this 2013 Chinese New Year.

Amanda was  telling me that she has these new year cookies taste very good & asked us to try. Then, she asked her son where did they bought the cookies because she just couldn't recall where she bought it. The son answered it was from the neighbour's bakery. She was not awared that the cookies was from me.  I handed over to her son while she is not around. I will share the recipies with you later. It is the "fruitcake cookies", which taste really good. My ex-nanny love it too. Kinda miss her also.

Today, let me share with you the RED VELVET CUPCAKES recipies.
Red velvet is a chocolate based cake with cream cheese frosting. Kids & adult love red velvet.
For the cake recipies, pls refer to my previous post:

Rich Chocolate Cake
http://fabulouscake.blogspot.com/2013/04/rich-chocolate-cake.html

Red Velvet Frosting/ Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingrediants:
1/2 cup of salted butter
6 oz cream cheese
0.5 tsp vanilla extrat
3.5 cup of icing sugar
(Optional) 1 tsp of milk depends on your liking on the frosting consistency.
Some decorative silver balls or food colouring

Method:
1) Mix cream cheese with butter, beat until fluffy. About 4 mins on medium speed.
Do not over mix because the mixture will become grainny. Never overmix when there is cream cheese.
2) Add icing sugar (pls shift before use),beat until smooth & fluffy.
3) Add in vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla extract which taste so much superior.
4) You can separate the icing into a few bowl, add in food colour (one or two drops will do), spread the colour icing on the cupcake & decorate colour sugars.

These are gifts to friends & colleugues for special occasion, my mind tell me..."Christmas".
Haha....now is too early for Christmas.

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Rich Chocolate Cake

Oh boy, it has been some time we did not update this blog. I must celebrate the "re-launch" of the blog by posting one of our favourite chocolate cake recipes. Life is busy with kids running around who need the parent’s tender loving care.

In life, we celebrates good things happened around us. We are very thankful that we met some nice people that sincerely want to help us. It is a blessing to have a nice nanny & nice neighbors. We are blessed.

This is our "Thanksgiving" chocolate cake recipes (adapted from Donna H magazine). Hope you enjoy it.

Cake:
250g butter
220g brown sugar
3 eggs
250g flour
1.5tsp baking powder
60g cocoa powder
145g sour cream/ yogurt

Icing:
250g double cream
200g dark chocolate

Method:
1) Beat butter sugar until fluffy.

2) Add in beaten eggs one by one until the mixture light & creamy.

3) Premix all the flour , baking powder & cocoa powder.
4) Sift flour mixture into the butter mixture & mix with sour cream until just combine.
5) Do not overmix.
6) Bake in a pre-heat oven 160C about 45 min- 1 hour

Icing:
1) Melt dark chocolate with double cream.
2) Let it cool at room temperature.
3) Put it into the chiller for about 30-45 mins,
4) Lightly beat the mixture.
5) Spread nicely on the cake.

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Bibimbap - Mixed Rice with Vegetables

Whenever I travel, I always like to observe what is the eating culture of that particular country. I love to pick up a few cooking tricks or recipes from the locals.  In fact, I find that Korean are very pragmatic. Their regular food is so practical & easy to prepare. Though Korean food is not made with expensive raw material like the Chinese (especially Cantonese food- expensive fish,  abalone, crab, lobsters, expensive sea cucumber..etc). But I still think their food is quite healthy& good. Besides, we do appreciate the simplicity of their cuisine. When I prepare the Bibimbap,  I feel like I am making a very similar Chinese dishes - 擂茶，which is also made with different variety of vegetables.

I will provide the authentic bibimbap recipes here. You will find some of the ingredients I use is slightly different because we use whatever raw material that are available in the fridge. Just be flexible & create your own Bibimbap. You can sneak in some of your family favorite vegetable or etc..... As you can see, my kid favorite fish cake is in her bibimbap. Feel free to adjust the amount of vegetables. There is no hard & fast rules.

Ingredients:

Pre-prepare cooked rice

Handful of bean sprouts

Handful of spinach

1-2 stick of celery

6 pcs of shiitake mushrooms

250g of ground beef or pork

1 carrot

2 eggs with spring onion

Soy sauces

Hot pepper paste  (Korean Gochujang)

Garlic

Sesame seeds

Sesame oil

Vege oil 

** Options my sneak-in ingredients:

Some stir fry fish cakes

Some stir fry onion with pork strips

Some bell pepper

Some cucumber with gochujang

 1) We need to cook all the ingredients separately & arrange on the plate for easy assemble on the later stage.

2) Bean sprouts -cook it in a pot of hot water + pinch of salt for about 2-3 mins. Drain & mix with 1 clove of garlic & sesame oil.
3) Spinach -cook in a pot of hot water + pinch of salt for about 2-3 mins. Drain & mix with a tsp of soy sauce & sesame oil.
4) Celery -stir fry with vegetable oil + garlic in high heat for about 1-2 mins.
5) Mushrooms - Slice it & stir fry with vegetable oil + 2tsp of soy sauce + 1tsp of sugar. Add sesame oil.
6) Ground beef- stir fry ground beef with 2 cloves of garlic +2 tsp soy sauce + 1tsp sugar + black pepper + sesame oil.
This is what I have observed , in Korean kitchen, they add sesame oil to almost any dishes. Sesame oil is a very important ingredients in Korean food.
6) Carrot - stir fry carrot with 1 garlic + vegetable oil.
7) Eggs- pan fry eggs with spring onion & cut into strips.
8) Prepare a bowl of cooked rice. It is the fun time to assemble the bibimbap.

 9) Get everything ready. Prepare a chopstick to arrange the mix vegetables. I find it easier to use chopstick.

10) Assemble the assorted vegetables nicely on top of the rice. Display your proud moment & present it to you guest.

This plate belongs to my 7 years old, she make a big fuss because I spend too much time arranging the vegetables. It was almost 8pm & she is creaming for dinners. She make a big fuss & tell me next time mummy can cook this dishes but mummy need not arrange it so nicely. That's is because she is too hungry.

To enjoy Bibimbap, serve with a bowl of pipping hot seaweed soup. Yummy~

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Classic Butter Tea Cakes with Cherry

Last week, I craved for the Classic Butter Tea Cakes (with cherry). So I decided to make one for our Sunday afternoon tea break. It taste exceptionally good with coffee. This is a very simple & easy recipes, it can be made using electric hand mixer. It is very suitable for beginner in baking. Do give it a try. It is very nostalgic to to bake a butter cake in ring tin. In fact, it was quite popular in the 80s.

Classic Butter Cakes Recipes:
125g butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla essence
200g glace cherries ( or prune cut into small pcs)
2 cup of all purpose flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 cup of full cream milk

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 175'C.
2) Ready a round 18-20cm ring tin. Use butter to grease the pan. Lay a baking paper at the bottom. It helps to remove the cake easily when the cake is done baking. You can also bake this cake in a loaf pan.

3) Beat butter with sugar until fluffy. It will turn light & creamy.
4) Add eggs one by one until the mixture is well combined.
5) Add cherry in to the mixture. Use a spatula to mix it in.
6) Fold in shifted flour alternately with milk. Can flour divide into 3 portions for easy mixing.
7) Mix until just combined. DO NOT over mix. I notice most of the time, people easily over mix the batter & the cake become tough.
8) Bake for about 30-40 mins until the inserted skewer come out clean. If the skewer come out clean, it means the cake is fully baked to perfection.
9) Let it rest for about 20-30mis, then only remove it from the tin. It tastes best on the day itself.
10) You can keep the classic butter cake in the refrigerator for 1 week or 1 month in the freezer.

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Stir Fry Spaghetti with Olive Oil

This is my another quick & fast recipes to cook up something in the kitchen to fill up three hungry tummies. Yeah~! Stir Fry Spaghetti  with Olive Oil to the rescue. You can consider this a vegan recipes too because it doesn't contain any meat. This is a very delicious stir fry pasta.

Ingredients (2 serving):
200g Spaghetti
3 tbsp good quality Olive Oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp chili flakes
Season with Salt & Pepper
Some Basil leaves (slightly cut into thin strips)

Retain some pasta water - 1/4 cup

Some smashed bread crumbs
(optional :you can use croutons, pls refer  -http://fabulouscake.blogspot.com/2011/02/delicious-croutons-for-salad.html. Just smash the croutons in a plastic bag with roller pins)

Method:
1) Cook pasta according to package instructions. Cook less than 1-2 mins or slightly below al-dente because we need to stir fry it later. It will become al-dente after stir fry.
2) Heat olive oil with small fire together with the garlic & chili flakes. Let it soak in the oil to cook for 5 mins, we need to infuse the olive oil with garlic fragrance. Keep an eye on the pan so that it doesn't burn. You just need to brown the garlic.
3) Turn to middle fire, add the smashed bread crumbs, stir fry to 30 seconds, then add in the cooked pasta. Stir fry quickly.
4) If the pasta is too dry, you can add some water  to stir fry it for about 1 mins. In the mean time, season the pasta with salt & pepper, basil.
5) Must serve warm. Enjoy~

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