SWEET CORN CAKE

It is a habit to check my pantry before any baking project.  From there,  will plan what I  want to bake next.  I found a can of whole kernel corn sitting in my cabinet.  So I have to make something out of this canned sweet corn.

Today I want share this  perfect Sweet Corn I have baked.  It turned  out great  with lovely texture and right amount of sweetness. Add about 1/4 cup more sugar if you like it sweeter.

Rinsed and drained well the corn before adding it to the batter. I squeezed out the water after putting it in a colander.

Turn this into muffin by baking them in a muffin pan but do not level the top.  Bake for  15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Actual baking time varies with each oven so watch closely.

MINI RAISIN BUN

I have not baked any bread for weeks  but  decided to bake  my son favorite Mini Raisin Bun this time.

If you're a bread baker, you will know that most of sweet bread using almost the same recipe with slight variations on ingredients or method.

Enjoy this tasty Mini Raisin Bun for breakfast or in between snack..  Love to serve them  in  bite size portion instead of regular one. Am using dark raisin but golden raisin can be added too.

You can also  turn the dough into a loaf by baking it in a loaf pan.

HOW TO MAKE ROTI CANAI

Roti  Canai  is one of most loved hawker food. This crispy and flaky prata  is available through out the day for breakfast, lunch or dinner. While some like it with just a sprinkle of granulated sugar but I like it served with a spicy curry.

There are several variations, either served plain or with eggs,  Our hawkers here have came up with their own variations which now include anything from cheese, banana, honey to chocolate and ice cream.

After forming into soft dough, it is coated with oil and kept covered for several hours. Another important  part is  flipping the dough in the air in a circular motion  to get that see through dough. Flipping the prata takes skill which come from years of practice. In my case, I got  that  paper thin dough  by pulling the edges slowly. The more you flip, the thinner  it gets so that when you fold it you get more layers. The perfect  Roti Canai  should be thin and crispy.


My Roti  Canai  is slightly bigger than what you get from those shop but if you want it smaller, divide the dough into 8  instead of 6 balls.

HOW TO MAKE ROTI  CANAI
Makes 6-8  roti

3 cup  wheat flour
5 tablespoon oil
1 tsp salt
2  tablespoon condensed milk
1 cup + 2 tablespoon water
extra oil for coating/frying
1 egg (optional)

* If adding  an egg, reduce the quantity of water

METHOD

1. In a bowl, combine salt, condensed milk and water.

2. Add flour and oil to the water mixture, forms into soft dough.

3. Knead the dough until smooth for 5 minutes, divide dough into  6-8 balls.

4. Coat each ball with oil and let stand for at least 5 hours or overnight.

5.  Oil your work top, flatten each ball with your oiled palms, Pulling the edges until you get a see through dough (professionals do it by flipping the dough in the air in a circular motion). Coil it up like a sea shell. 

6. Flatten the dough using your hand into round shape. Rest 10 minutes.

7. Fry on flat pan until both side turn golden brown, drizzle with oil as you fry.

8. Serve hot with curry or sugar.

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CINNAMON ROLLS

My family really  missed my yeast bread that I have regularly served during weekend. Although have baked all type of yeast bread but not this Cinnamon Rolls made from scratch.

This is no fail recipe, it can be made with or without egg.  If you prefer them with egg, reduce the milk to 3/4 cup and add an egg.  The rest, follow the same recipe below.

You can add more to the dough like nuts,  raisins or just leave them simple. Feel free to ice these Cinnamon Rolls but we love them without it.

CHOCOLATE ROLLED OAT COOKIES

Cookies are always a favorite to accompany a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. This sweet treat  has numerous different and amazing varieties that are love by children and adults.

Chocolate Rolled Oat  Cookies has a healthy combo of ingredients,  loaded with oat which produces a crunchy on the outside but chewy in the middle.  Despite its simplicity  with bursting flavor, it is one of the most delightful desserts you can make in no time

They are delicious without any add on but you can add half a cup of chocolate chips or chopped nut if desired.

Chocolate Rolled Oat Cookies are so delicate to handle, make sure you leave them for 5 minute on pan before transferring them onto rack to cool.

3 INGREDIENTS OATMEAL COOKIES

Am looking for something healthier for my breakfast/snack  and bumped into various recipes using oatmeal.   That's where this  3  Ingredients Oatmeal Cookies can be a wonderful treat not only for me but for the whole family.

This is darn easy and the last ingredient  is variable according to your preference. The suggested add in are:
raisin/dried fruit, coconut, peanut butter chips or chopped nuts.

I love my cookies to be super cute so have shaped them into 1/2 in  tiny balls but this entirely up to you.

Banana adds sufficient sweetness and moistness to this healthy cookies so we can avoid those fat and sugar from our diet.

3 INGREDIENTS OATMEAL COOKIES
Yield :    18 cookies

1 cup rolled oat
1/2 cup mashed banana (2 banana)
3-4 tablespoon chocolate  rice (sprinkles)

METHOD

1.   Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease your cookie sheet.

2.  Combine oat and mashed banana in a bowl.

3.   Add in chocolate rice (sprinkles), mix to combine.

4.   Pinch mixture into small balls, flatten slightly.

5.  Place cookies onto baking sheet.

6.  Bake until  firm  for 15 minutes.

7.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

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CARROT APPLE MUFFINS

Kick start the day with a hearty muffin and fill the kitchen with the enticing aroma of freshly baked muffins. The options are endless, use it to create your own by adding different fruits, nuts, vegetables, flavorings or various grains.

The key to making great muffin is mixing the batter just enough to combine all the wet and dry ingredients but without over mixing it.

These baked muffins are low in fat. super moist packed with fresh fruit, fiber and good for us fats. I added grated apple, mashed  banana and carrot also using coconut palm sugar but this is entirely up to you. You can use white or brown sugar, either one you  still get perfect result. For extra nutritional boost, replace half cup of the flour with whole wheat flour.

MICROWAVE BREAD PUDDING

If you're looking for quick and delicious treat, this Microwave Bread Pudding for one is what you need. You can use any type of bread you have in hand, torn in pieces or cubed.

Look easy right but wait, you'll end up spending more time for cleaning if you don't follow these golden rules:

1.  Sugar
     Use less sugar if you're using sweetened bread

2.  Bowl size
     Make sure it is microwave safe,  only half filled your bowl with the pudding otherwise overflowing will  occur and  you need extra  time for cleaning the mess

3.  Microwave wattage
     Mine was  800 W. Remember microwaves vary in power so your pudding might need  less or more time

Regular milk can be replaced with non dairy milk if you have a problem also you can add  other fruits of you choice.

PRATA PUFFS

Curry puffs or Asian pies are a favorite for many of us. It was made with flaky pastry,  stuffed with curried potato and deep fried until golden brown. But now they came with variety of fillings like sardine, minced meat and hard boiled egg.

Nowadays, most people resort to buying  from the malls instead of preparing them from scratch. It was tricky and time consuming affair.

I have seen a few of my friend making curry puffs using instant roti prata so this is a nice chance to try my hand making them.  First of all,  you need to prepare the filling and let it cool.  My filling are made using mashed potato and cooked green peas. You can even substitute the filling according to your preference .

Most importantly, do not leave the prata too long at room temperature, it becomes sticky and hard to handle.  You can start cutting and  shaping  immediately after you've removed them from a freezer.

If instant prata is not available. you can still  make these piping hot snack using puff pastries. Baking the puff is also a healthier option as it removes excess oil and fat.  Let see how these Prata Puffs were made.

POTATO PANCAKE

A fried flat cake of grated potato with onion and freshly ground black pepper. Treat yourselves to a delicious and  easy breakfast that was less spiced and much reduced fat.

After peeling the potato, soak then in water to avoid discoloration. Had  used my hand grater but food processor works fine.

This is an egg free version. The most important factor for perfect Potato Pancake was controlling the heat, high heat will make them browned so quickly but the center was uncooked. Mine done using medium heat.

These were surprisingly perfect.  Potato Pancake  are best served  hot and fresh immediately after you  have fried them.

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BREAD PARATHA

I tried to experiment and coming up with a recipe to use up my nearly expired  bread slices. Since we prefer to have a savory over sweet dish to start our day, this Bread Paratha is created.

The bread slices were slightly toasted before processing them into bread crumbs. The bread crumbs along with flour, onion, mashed potato, green chili, chopped cilantro, minced ginger, milk and salt are then combined to form a pliable dough. Make sure you add the milk/water  little by little until you get a right  consistency. Adding to much milk will result a sticky and hard to roll paratha.

For the recipe below, you will get 4 small paratha but it can easily doubled to suit your requirement. They are best served hot immediately after you've fried them.

PUMPKIN GALETTE

A galette is a free  form pie, baked on cookie sheet instead of pie pan.  It is so versatile, you could actually filled with any seasonal fruit  or make it savory,  the  possibilities are endless.

Pumpkin Galette is made by rolling out pastry dough into large round. The filling is placed in the center of the pastry. The dough is pulled up around the filling and folded over to create a rustic looking tart.

My crust was hand made but it could also be made using a food processor. Another thing, if you are pressed for time, you can always buy ready made crust from your supermarket.

A really good tasting galette  -  the pastry must be light and the filling must not be too overly sweet. Try this Pumpkin Galette and you will see that sometimes simple is indeed the best.

KUIH SAGO / SAGO CAKE GLUTEN FREE

Most South East Asian cakes or kuih as we call it are bite sized dessert or snack,   mostly made with rice flour, glutinous rice flour, sago, tapioca flour or mung bean flour. They are usually steamed than baked or fried.

Kuih Sago is a traditional Asian dessert that was chewy in texture, made of pearl sago. I chose a different method to prepare  instead of steaming it. My cooking style requires constant stirring until the sago turns translucent  after adding them  to the sugar syrup. After cooking it was leave to cool until set. When completely cool, they are sliced and rolled in grated coconut.

Most desserts made with coconut will turn rancid  really  fast so it must be consumed on the same day other wise stored them in a refrigerator.  A jar with resealable lid works perfect to keep shredded coconut fresh and handy  in a fridge.

BREAD UPMA

Upma is a simple yet comforting dish originated from South India.  Now I want to make use of my leftover bread slice. The perfect way to clear those is making  this  Bread Upma.

For this recipe, the cubed bread is  fried along with various seasonings and vegetables are often added during the cooking process, according to your preference.

Since Bread Upma is fully spiced, you don't any gravy at all.  The flavor has a depth character and distinction. This quick meal is best served during breakfast or brunch.

BREAD UPMA
Serves :  3-4

6-8 slices bread cut into small
1 big onion chopped
2 green/red chili sliced thinly
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 large tomato diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

METHOD

Heat the oil, when heated add in  mustard seed. When they pop, add the cumin seed, onion and green chili.

When onion turns  translucent add the tomato, carrot and salt. Cook until tomato turns soft.

Now add the chili powder, turmeric and cilantro, stir well.

Mix in bread pieces and stir until bread is fully coated with spices.

Remove and serve. Garnish with cilanto.

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HODDEOK (KOREAN PANCAKE)

Hoddeok is a Korean hawker's delight. Made with yeast dough and stuffed with sweet filling,  almost the same as other bread with yeast that requires rising.

After stuffing is done, it is flatten and lightly fried in oil on heated cast iron pan. When it turned brown, flip over and flatten the dough using your spatula. Care should be taken when pressing the dough, otherwise it will burst out.

Normally it was stuffed with brown sugar and nuts but this time I had used peanut butter and jelly as its stuffing.

The contrasting flavor from the plain dough and the sweet filling makes this Hoddeok  a great snack!

HODDEOK (KOREAN PANCAKE)
Yield :   8 pancake

2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoon oil

FILLING
8 tablespoon peanut butter
8 tablespoon jelly of your choice

DIRECTION

Place flour in a mixing bowl.

Combine warm water,  sugar and yeast.

Pour the yeast mixture onto the flour, sprinkle the salt. Combine until it forms into soft dough.

Place the dough into greased and covered bowl. Let rise for  1 hour or until double in size.

Divide dough into  8 balls, add flour if it is too sticky.  Place  the filling ingredients in a small bowl.

Flatten each ball, place a tablespoonful of filling, seal the edges and shape into a ball again.

Heat little oil in a cast iron pan, place 2 balls on the hot pan, seams side down and fry then flip after the bottom is slightly browned,  flatten the ball using the spatula.  Cook until  golden brown. Complete the rest of the dough.

Serve hot.

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ROTI JOHN (ASIAN FRENCH TOAST)

My son is craving for something simple yet fulfilling meal called Roti John.  This is an Asian style savory french toast. It is made with bread topped with a mixture of onion, red chili, garlic, minced meat or chicken and eggs are added as a binding agent. Season well with black pepper and salt. This goes straight to your kitchen for pan frying until golden brown. I used canned sardine this time.

Making Roti John is simple. I do not have to make the dough, just need to use bread as the base preferably baguette or hot dog bun. Now if you do not have baguette at home, you can use your normal bread, it will do just fine. Highly recommended to use wholemeal bread for a healthier choice.

Normally they are eaten with chili sauce but my son loves to eat them on its own. It is so fast and satisfying!

BANANA PANCAKE W/BROWN SUGAR SYRUP

This  pancake recipe is so easy, just add any fruit that you have at home in the freezer. Banana  is what I have right now so have made use some of them for making this pancake - tastes delicious with brown sugar syrup.

A simple  brown sugar syrup that  I can make while mixing the pancake batter is really easy and it's fast, so much better than bottled pancake syrup.

Everyone has a recipe for pancakes and some of them enjoy it as a special breakfast. Obviously there is a need out here for a good pancake recipe. You can use it for a savory filling too but by far my favorite filling is a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar.

You can also make your pancake using seasonal ingredients and enjoy the flavors of each month throughout the year.

BANANA PANCAKE W/BROWN SUGAR SYRUP
Yield     :      5 pancake

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup regular/ almond milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 banana mashed
1 tsp sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 tsp baking soda

SYRUP
1/4 cup  brown sugar
less than 1/4 cup  water

METHOD

Sift flour and baking soda into mixing bowl. Add in sugar, salt, banana and oil.

Gradually add milk, stir until well incorporated. Let rest for 20 minutes.

For the syrup, place brown sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil, let it boil for 1 minute. Turn of heat and allow to cool.

Heat a non stick pan/griddle over medium heat. Lightly coat with oil, when heated, spoon 1/4 cup batter onto the pan.

When bubbles appear on top, flip and cook the other side until golden brown.

Complete the rest of the batter.

At the time of serving, drizzle with brown sugar syrup.

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HOMEMADE APPLE ROLLS

We are having Homemade Apple Rolls for warm breakfast food in our home. I like to make them from scratch.

As with yeast, for this Homemade Apple Roll, you will need to plan ahead but it's so worth it. The apple filling can be well prepared a day before and keep refrigerated. It is cooked using microwave but could be done on stove top by combining all the filling ingredients, let cook for 10 minutes with  constant stirring. Leave to cool completely before use.

Unlike regular rolls, these rolls are baked as a log then equally slice after baking.

This dough works up beautifully, it is easy to do and they are so good.

TUNA PIZZA CUPS

These Tuna Pizza Cups are made with my favorite pizza dough. It is stuffed with spicy tuna. They'll spin your idea of just how easy these little snacks are to make at home. They turned out beautifully.

This recipe is a keeper, you can vary the filling according to your choice either sweet or savory and make these amazing cups for your family.  You can easily adopt each individual cup to your preference. Some with veggies, some without or some with cheese and some without. 

For vegetarian, replace the tuna with sauteed vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, tofu etc.

These clever little bites  are easy when you begin with  this pizza cups recipe baked in a 
muffin tin.

FRUITY JELLO

My son has been asking  jelly for quite some time now. I prefer to make my own instead of buying simply to avoid a ton of sugar, artificial flavors and coloring from those ready made ones.

Prepare this Fruity Jello before bed or while you are making dinner for a fast and filling breakfast the next day.  Using mixture of dried fruit. rolled oat and dragon fruit, this jelly is refreshingly fabulous.

You can use this recipe to make just about any kind of jelly. Which fruit to use is totally up to you, feel free to create your own combo of dried fruit and fresh fruit that suits your taste  also make use of unique mold that your kid would love.