Black Sesame Paste With Almonds Using Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender

Black Sesame Paste is one of the common dessert found in dessert chain outlets such as Ah Chew Desserts, Dessert Hut, Er Gu Dessert (二姑糖水) and etc. And some believe that by consuming black sesame paste it also helps to nourish the blood, lubricate the intestines and clear "wind" in the stomach too.

On the down side, for those suffer from spleen troubles, diarrhoea or loose stools should avoid over-consumption of these small seeds.

BLACK SESAME PASTE WITH ALMONDS

After the previous recipes on Broccoli And Spinach Soup, Pumpkin And Meat Porridge; this post I would be sharing another quick Asian dessert which I am sure most of you would love it. The consistency of this Black Sesame Paste could be adjust with additional 100 - 150ml more of water during cooking if you prefer a more dilute and watery paste.

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
150g Black Sesame Seeds
50g Uncooked Rice
4 Cups (1000ml) Water
150g Caster Sugar/Rock Sugar
1 Stalk Pandan Leave, knotted
50g Roasted Almonds, roughly chopped

Method:-
1. Pre-soaked the rice for at least 30 minutes, drain well and set aside.

2. Rinse the black sesame seeds, drain well and pan-fry till completely dry and fragrant.

3. Place sesame seeds and rice into Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender glass jug together with water. Set the timer to 20 minutes, blend the mixture for 30 seconds using SPEED 1.

4. Next add in pandan leave and sugar, bring the mixture to boil on HIGH for 5 minutes before switching it to SIMMER and continue to cook until end of the cycle.

5. When everything is cooked, remove the "pandan leave" and PULSE the mixture twice or more to achieve your desire texture.

6. Ladle Black Sesame Paste between serving bowls, garnish with roasted almonds and serve immediately.

To serve you could top it with some roasted almond to enhance the taste or even with a scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream if you are open to some adventure new combination. Till then I would update more recipes such as "Watermelon Granita", "Porridge", "Bolognese Sauce" using Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender soon.

STAND A CHANCE TO WIN CUISINART SILICONE WARE

Just for your information, I saw from ToTT's Facebook page that they already round-up the 8 Finalists for Cuisinart Soup Making Competition (Singapore region) which will take place on 01 December 2012. After which the winning team will represent Singapore in the regional competition in Hong Kong for the championship! So why not "VOTE" and support your favourite soup shown above at ToTT Facbook Page (link here) and be one of the 4 Lucky Voters to win a set of Cuisinart Silicone Ware worth S$80.00!

I have "voted" the Healthy Prawn Broccoli Soup (2nd row, 2nd soup), what about you?

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Rainbow Pancake Vs Geen Pig Pancake

I guess most of us love eye appealing food despite whether you are an Adult or kid. As a mum of one, I hardly used food gel/colouring in our food but in order to achieve the eye catching colours for this Rainbow Pancake I have to use tiny bits of it for the effect. And to obtain the vibrant colours, you could mix your food colouring with some water before adding to your favourite pancake mix, in this way it could prevent over mixed of the pancake mixture and leaving you with nice and fluffy pancakes.

RAINBOW PANCAKE

With the Instagram photos shared by Daniel and Sherie during one of their food tasting, I am inspired to make this Rainbow Pancake at home. Despite of the food colouring used which I also tried to minimize it, the overall taste of the pancake is still good which is light and fluffy.

(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 10 - 15 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 150g (1 sachet) Morinaga Pancake Premix
• 1 Egg(55g)
• 100ml Fresh Milk
• Some Food Gel/Colouring
• Peanut Butter/Nutella Spread
• Banana/Berries (optional)

Method:-
1. Whisk egg and milk together in a mixing bowl or jug till combined. Add in 1 sachet of Morinaga pancake premix and stir till the mixture resemble cake batter.

2. Divide the pancake batter into 6 different bowls, using food gel/colouring, colour the batter according to your desire colour.

3. Heat up a non-stick pan, lightly grease it with cooking oil and add in 2 tablespoon of batter, swirl pan and cook the pancake over medium low heat.

4. Turn the pancake over when you see large air holes appearing on it (refer to the photo above) and cook for another 1 minutes or less depend on its thickness.

5. Repeat the process for the rest of the coloured batter, assemble the pancake tower by spreading alternate layers with some peanut butter/nutella and banana slices (if using).

6. Garnish with some fresh berries, icing sugar and served with maple syrup or honey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE:
~ I used bamboo charcoal for "black", panda paste for "green", plain batter for "yellow" and Wilton food gel for "blue, red and purple".

I am sure you would be delighted to have a set of this for breakfast or tea, aren't' you?

Cross Section of the Rainbow Pancake.

GREEN PIG PANCAKE

Actually before the "Rainbow Pancake", my first project was making this "Green Pig Pancake" which was inspired by one of DanielFoodDiary's instagram photo which he tagged me on my boy's favourite Angy Birds characters. You can read more on his review of Nook DIY House of Pancakes.

Although this might not be the best looking Green Pig Pancake as compared to store bought but it was indeed something that my boy appreciate of.

For this recipe, I divide the pancake batter into 3 portions before mixing it with pandan paste and bamboo charcoal to create the colours which resemble the Green Pig in Angry Birds game.

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Pumpkin And Meat Porridge Using Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender

Continue from my last experiment on using the new Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender for my Broccoli And Spinach Soup I would be sharing another quick one-jug recipe on Pumpkin and Meat Porridge which I did a few days back while my boy was not feeling well. Indeed this new blender comes in handy for cooking porridge to feed from 1 - 4 person without having the hassle to stand beside the stove and keep checking the porridge to make sure it is not overflow or overcook.

PUMPKIN AND MEAT PORRIDGE

This innovative blender helps to cook porridge especially those type that is suitable for baby between 6 - 15 months. It is so easy to prepare as what you need to do is to add all the ingredients into the blender, press STIR, to COOK/SIMMER till the porridge is ready to be served.

 Although my boy is neither a baby nor toddler but this type of comfort porridge is always great to whet the appetite of those who are not well or just recovered from sickness. Moreover you could also control the texture of the porridge by adjusting the amount of water/broth used.

(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 120g Chicken/Pork Fillet, cut into 1.5" cubes
• 80g Pumpkin, cut into 1.5" cubes
• 30g Carrot, cut into 0.5" cubes
• 1/2 Cup Uncooked Rice
• 600ml Water or Chicken Broth
• 1 Century Egg(optional), cubes
• Garnish with Fried Shallot, Ginger and Chopped Spring Onion

Method:-
1. Rinse the rice in a few wash, pre-soaked it in water for 30 minutes (preferably) before cooking. Drained well and set aside.

2. Using the Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender, add in chicken, pumpkin and carrot cubes into the glass jar together with 1 teaspoon of oil. Set timer to 30 minutes and press the STIR button (on the right side) to stir the mixture regularly to avoid burning.

3. Through the hole on the press-on lid, add drained rice and water/chicken broth into the glass jug and bring it to boil using HIGH heat. (it takes about 2 - 3 minutes)

4. When the mixture comes to boil, change to LOW and cook the mixture for 7 - 10 minutes before switching it to SIMMER and continue to cook until end of the cycle.

5. Once everything is cooked, PULSE it a once or twice if you prefer a smooth texture for the porridge.

6. Ladle the porridge between serving bowls, top with some century egg, fried shallot and spring onion. Serve hot.

So you see, after about 30 minutes of cooking time from scratch you are able to enjoy a bowl of delicious homecook porridge using whichever ingredients that you prefer. And moreover the best part is, when you get home from work, you just need to put everything in the blender and with a touch of button your meal will be ready by the time you finished your shower.

UPCOMING CUISINART RECIPE

Black sesame paste is one of the common dessert found in dessert chain outlets such as Ah Chew Desserts, Dessert Hut, Er Gu Dessert (二姑糖水) and etc. Consuming of black sesame paste is also believed to nourish the blood, lubricate the intestines and clear "wind" in the stomach. So stay tune for the upcoming recipe soon!

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Spicy Gyoza In Chilli Oil

When comes to vote your favourite CP Frozen Food product(s), I believe most of us would choose their "CP Shrimp Wonton" which is a delicious convenient food for most household. And just recently CP Food has launched a few new products such as Japanese Crispy Gyoza, Shrimp Wonton in Tom Yum Soup and Chicken Gyoza which mentioned in this post.

There are many ways that you could cook this Chicken Gyoza like steamed, pan-fry, deep-fried or even add it into your soup together with other ingredients.

SPICY GYOZA IN CHILLI OIL

For this recipe, I incorporate the Wontons In Spicy Sauce also known as "Hong You Chao Shou - 红油炒手" idea where I steamed the Chicken Gyoza and drizzled it with some chilli flavoured oil. Overall these Chicken Gyoza taste quiet decent for frozen food products and indeed they do come in handy when you just need to prepare some quite bite without storming up the kitchen.

(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 8 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 10 CP Chicken Gyoza
• 2 Tablespoons of Chilli Flavoured Oil
• 80ml Hot Water
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Vinegar, optional
• Some Chopped Spring Onion

Method:-
1. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in 80ml of hot water before adding it into the chili oil together with vinegar and stir till combined. Set aside.

2. Arrange CP Chicken Gyoza on a steaming plate and steamed on medium heat for about 5 minutes.

3. Open the lid, drizzle prepared chilli oil on gyoza and continue to steam for another minute or two.

4. Removed from heat, top with some extra chopped spring onion and served with noodles or steamed rice.

You could served this quick dish either with steamed rice or noodle which I bet it would taste even better during cold raining weather where you just want to fix something quick and yet warming for meals without stepping out of the house.

These CP Chicken Gyoza do come in handy when you are looking for some quick meal ideas during weekday dinner or supper. And moreover it would be ready within 3 - 8 minutes depending on your cooking method such as pan-fry, steaming, boiling and etc.

For your information CP Chicken Gyoza is now available in two different sizes such as CP Chicken Gyoza (200g) in 7-Eleven outlets at S$3.90 whereas the CP Chicken Gyoza (400g) for S$5.90 will be available in all major supermarkets.

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Huiji Minced Meat Noodle

Minced Meat Noodle also known as "Bak Chor Mee (肉脞面)" is a popular local noodle dish which could be easily found at most food eateries in Singapore. Here I am sharing a version of our quick homemade Minced Meat Noodles which I have added some herbal taste to it. And this dish could also be consumed by woman who is doing confinement or anyone who wish to have a twist of herbal taste from their usual noodle.

HUIJI MINCED MEAT NOODLES

Our minced meat noodle is made with Angel Hair Pasta instead of those handmade egg noodles which are commonly found at the noodle stalls. And for a fusion taste, I used angel hair pasta which cooks faster and yet with a similar springy texture when compared to the fresh egg noodles. To flavour the taste of the noodles I also add in some Huiji Waist Tonic to act as seasoning instead of using oyster sauce or chilli/tomato sauce.

(Serves: 2  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 250g Dried Angel Hair Pasta
• 150g Minced Meat
• Some Baby Bok Choy
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
• 4 Shiitake Mushroom, sliced
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Cup (40ml, using huiji measuring cup) Huiji Waist Tonic

Marinade:
1 Teaspoon Minced Ginger
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Cornflour
1 Teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce, optional

Method:-
1. Marinate the minced meat with marinade and set aside. Blanch bok choy with boiling water for 10 – 15 seconds. Remove, rinse with water and set aside to drain.

2. Follow the packaging instruction; blanch pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Remove and drain well.

3. Preheat frying pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, sauté garlic till fragrant, add in shiitake mushrooms and fry for 30 seconds.

4. Stir in minced meat, fry till fragrant and cook through by using spatula to loosen up the meat cluster, if any.

5. Lastly add in pasta, give it a quick toss, drizzle in 40ml Huiji Waist Tonic and stir till combined

6. Remove and divide into two serving plates, serve bok choy and sunny side-up egg by the sides.

To complete the dish, you could add-on some blanched vegetables, sunny side-up egg, fishballs or etc according to your own preference.  I love the addition of the Huiji Waist Tonic which gives the dish a mild herbal taste without over powering it with strong herbal aroma.  Indeed this might be a good way to incorporate some nourish herbal treat in our daily meal.

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{Healthy Choice} Zespri Kiwifruit Tarts

If you follow my posts you would noticed that I have some collections of kiwifruit recipes which I did recently for this year's "Zespri® 14 days Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge (#14daysofZespri)". And last week when I was approached by ZESPRI's PR to bake a Zespri Kiwifruit Tart to feature their recipe on a local health magazine,  I was happy to take up the task but on the other hand I am also worry that my tart making skill might not be good enough for their photoshoot.

So before the actually baking, I did a trial-bake to make four 10cm size individual tart because I am also curious about the texture and taste of this tart which used less butter for the pastry and no custard filling at all.

ZESPRI KIWIFRUIT TARTS

Although the size of these tarts might be slightly big for 1 serving portion but after the first bite you would be surprise that it actually taste quiet good and addicting due to the sweet and sour taste of the caramelized kiwifruit toppings. Indeed this is one of the healthy recipe for making fruit tarts without loading it with butter, custard or cream cheese fillings.

Recipe Adapted from Golden ZESPRI Tart at ZESPRI's website.

(Make: 4  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 25 minutes)

Ingredients:
1.5 Cups (225g) All Purpose Flour
1.5 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar (25g)
2 Tablespoons Cold Butter(30g), cubes
1 Egg(55g)
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup (50ml) Milk
5 ZESPRI GREEN/GOLD Kiwifruit, peel and sliced
3 Tablespoons Melted Butter
1/8 Cup (30g) Brown Sugar

Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 200°C (degree Celsius or 400° F).

2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and butter in a food processor and process till mixture resemble breadcrumbs.

3. With the motor still running on low speed, slowly pour in the egg mixture (beat egg, vanilla extract and milk together) through the top funnel and process until dough just starts to come together.

4. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and lightly roll out each dough between two pieces of greaseproof paper to form a circle which is big enough to fix the pie dish.

5. Line individual pie dish with pastry and trim off excess. Repeat with remaining pastry.

6. Next prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork to prevent it from raising during baking. Arrange ZESPRI® Kiwifruit in circles on the dough. Drizzle melted butter over the fruit and top with the brown sugar.

7. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes and serve hot with cream or a scoop of ice-cream.

ALTERNATIVELY you could bake it as an individual 23cm (9") tart for about 30 minutes or till crust is golden in colour.

As you could see from the photo above the Kiwifruit Tart has a golden brown crust which is crispy. And the melted butter and brown sugar also gives the kiwifruit topping a caramelized taste as well as create a "custard" like texture in the middle of the tart which is slightly moist and soft when eaten. If you would like to add-on some extra flavour, perhaps a good scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream will make it taste better.

For more recipe ideas using Kiwifruit, you could refer to the link HERE.

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Orange Pound Cake With Cranberry And Raisin

When I shared this pound cake photo over at facebook and instagram, some readers actually enquire what's the different between "pound and butter cake". To simplify it, Pound Cake is usually dense with only liquid from the eqqs and the flavor is mainly butter or extra citrus rinds or vanilla extract. Whereas for Butter Cake contains fat (butter, margarine, shortening) and leavener such as baking powder or self-raising flour for their fluffy texture and flavour.

ORANGE POUND CAKE WITH DRIED FRUITS

This pound cake recipe requires to beat the eggs and sugar till thick and creamy which is about triple in volume. And in order to achieve the ribbon-like pattern when the beaters are lifted, the double-boiler method is used where the mixing bowl is placed over a pan of simmering/hot water. In the way, the heat at the bottom helps to melt the sugar during the beating process and the eggs also passed through various stages during beating from foamy to light and aerated and finally thickens.

Recipe adapted from Bernice's Kitchen, Raisin Butter Cake.

(Make: 2 Loaf Tin | Preparation: 10 minutes |  Baking: 35 minutes)

Ingredients:
120g Cake Flour
40g Cornflour
180g Unsalted Butter, melted and cool
140g Caster Sugar
4 Eggs (55g each)
40g Dried Cranberry
40g Raisin
Rind of 2 Oranges

Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (degree Celsius). Sift cake flour and cornflour together and set aside.

2. Using an electric beater, beat eggs and sugar over a pot of hot water (about 80 degree) until thick and creamy.

3. With a balloon whisk, stir in sieved flours into the egg mixture until well combined.

4. Add in melted butter and orange rind, stir till combined before tossing in the cranberry and raisin.

5. Give the mixture a quick stir, divide it into baking tin and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or when a skewer insert in the center and comes out clean.

Everyone of us love this Orange Pound Cake which is soft, moist, fine in texture as well as having that "melt in your mouth" effect due to the added Cornflour. So this recipe is definitely a keeper for us, on the other hand you could be creative to come up with different flavour such as matcha pound cake, milk tea pound cake or etc.

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