Satay Peanut Sauce

I was trying to find a short-cut for the process by looking for instant satay sauce. As you can guess it, no luck in locating it anywhere near my place.

So, I've no choice but to make it from scratch espcially when I'm deteremined to have chicken satay for dinner tonight! Muahahaha...

Luckily, I managed to get ground peanuts from NTUC so that solved the major work area :)

The peanut sauce is really nice and it fills up 3/4 of my Ikea 365 Soup Bowl. The sauce is thick and filled with peanuts and the taste....can't use words to describe it....just what I like my peanut sauce to be :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Coarsely grounded Peanuts
1 cup Water

1 Tbsp Kecap Manis
1 1/2 Tbsps Sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Cooking Oil
1 Tbsp Tamarind Pulp
1/4 Cup Water

Spice Paste (you can either grind it or pound)
8 pieces Dried Red Chillies (take out the seeds & soaked in warm water)
3 cloves of Garlic
3 Shallots
2 Lemongrass (white parts only)
1 inch Galangal (Blue Ginger)
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder

Method

1. Soak Tamarind pulp in 1/4 cup of water for 15 mins, squeeze & strained for juice.
   
2. Chop the spice paste ingredients and blend it to a fine paste.
   
3. Heat a teaspoon of cooking oil in Happycall Pan on low heat & fry the spice paste until fragrant.
   
4. Add the ground peanuts, tamarind juice, water, sugar, Kecap Manis and stir thoroughly.
   
5. Close the pan for 2 mins to let it simmer.
   
6. Open the pan and continue to stir until the peanut sauce turns smooth.
   
7. Dish up and set aside as dipping sauce for your satay.

This is the ready-made ground peanut that I used for the satay sauce.

Chicken Satay

I love chicken satay especially those selling at the Satay Club. However, with a 3 years old active boy there is no way we can sit down nicely to enjoy our satay.

I've been wondering about making and grilling my own satay ever since I bought the Happycall pans. The wonders about these pans are the fact that they can cook, stew, bake & grill. So, to give that grilling bit a test and to satisfy my cravings for chicken satay, I decided to make them and see how well it turns out.

The results are just awesome! The satay was grilled so nicely and the best part....all grilled without using oil! Ok, ok, I've already added oil to the meat while marinating but STILL ... no oil during grilling! I only brush on some honey just to make it look more authentic! hahahahah The taste is really nice, not quite close to those from Satay Club but nice enough for me and it is not spicy so kids can get to enjoy as well.

The peanut sauce is really yummy! I think I shall make this peanut sauce again for my Satay Bee Hoon this weekend, that is, if time permits :D

Making the satay sauce is a breeze too espcially now since we can easily purchased ground peanuts from the shelves like NTUC etc... In the past, I had to help my mum to fry the peanuts, skinned it and then pound it to get it to the right texture.

The paste is also not difficult to make. I took the lazy way out of just grinding everything with my chopper /processor. My mum would certainly frown on that as she always insisted that pounding give out a better quality paste due to the release of oil from the various ingredients. I do agree with her but just not in the mood to tone my arms today hahahahaha. So go ahead, you can either pound or grind, up to your convenience :)

Chicken Satay

Makes 35 sticks

Ingredients

400g Chicken Thigh Meat
OR
400g Chicken Fillet Meat

Spice Paste
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/8 tsp Cumin Powder
1 stalk Lemongrass, only use the white parts
6 Shallots, peeled
2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled
1cm Knob of Galangal (Blue Ginger)
3 Tbsps Cooking Oil
1 tsp Chilli Powder
2 tsps Tumeric Powder
4 tsps Kecap Manis
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
2 tsps Sugar (Palm Sugar is better)
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Tamarind pulp, soaked in 1/4 cup (60ml) warm water, squeezed & strained for juice.
Bamboo Skewers (please soak in water overnight to avoid splitting)
1/2 cup Honey (for glazing during the grilling process)

Garnishes
1 Japanese Cucumber (I prefer Jap. Cucumber to the regular ones)
1 Small Onions, quartered

Methods

1. Cut the chicken meat into small cubes
   
2. Grind/pound the spice paste until nice and fine.
   
3. Add in a little tamarind juice if the paste is too dry.
   
4. Marinate the chicken pieces with the spice paste for at least 6 hours
   
5. Place the marinated meat in ziplog bags and store in the fridge.
   
6. Thread the marinated meat onto the bamboo skewers
   
7. Grill for 3-5 mins on each side, brush some honey as you grill.
   
8. Serve with Peanut sauce.
   

Tiramisu (Eggless & No Alcohol)

After posting my Tiramisu dessert on FB yesterday, a couple of friends asked if I've a recipe for a non-alcoholic Tiramisu.

I did make an alteration to the earlier recipe as I wanted to share it with my 3 year old son :)

Thus, here is a revised version minus the alcohol :D

Tiramisu (Eggless & No Alcohol)

Serves 8

Ingredients

500g Mascarpone Cheese, softened
75g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
355 ml Really Strong Decaffeinated Coffee, cooled
100g Semi-Sweet Dark Chocolate(I used Valrhona Manjari 64% cocoa)
100ml Heavy Cream / Dairy Whipping Cream
2 Tbsps Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
30 Savogliardi Ladyfingers (do not get those cake like spongy type)

Whipped Cream (Do this 1 hour ahead to firm up the whipped cream)
300 ml Heavy Cream / Dairy Whipping Cream (chilled)
2½ Tbsps Icing Sugar

1. Using the whisk attachment, beat the cream with low speed (no.2) until it gets thick and starts to form peaks. Gradually increase to high speed.
   
2. Slowly add in the icing sugar & whisk until stiff peak. Do not over mix.
   
3. Set aside in the fridge to firm up a little more for use later.
   

Making the Chocolate Ganache

1. Place the chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl
   
2. Microwave for 10 seconds. Take it out and stir to see if the chocolate has melted.
   
3. If it is still solid, put it back into the microwave for another 10 seconds.
   
4. Once it has melted and you can stir easily, take it out from the mirowave and stir untill all the chocolate are melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

Making the Mascapone Filling

1. Using a spatula, cream together the mascarpone, vanilla and sugar.
   
2. Once the mascarpone is well mixed, fold in half of the whipped cream into mascarpone mixture firstto lighten it.
   
3. Once that is done, fold in remaining whipped cream being careful not to over mix

To Assemble

1. Get ready the cocoa powder, chocolate gananche and ladyfingers.
   
2. Dip each ladyfinger into the coffee mixture and lay it in the bottom of your pan.
   
3. Once you’ve completely cover the whole bottom of the pan with the coffee soaked ladyfingers, spread 1/3 of the chocolate ganache over the ladyfingers.
   
4. Pour over half of the mascarpone and cream mixture and spread the cream evenly over ganache covered ladyfingers.
   
5. Dust the top with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
   
6. Arrange the remaining coffee soaked ladyfingers on top of the cream & cocoa powder layer and repeat step 3, 4 & 5.
   
7. Cover & chill for 6 - 8 hours before serving.
   
8. Garnish each serving with fresh raspberries & chocolate shavings.
   

Tiramisu (Eggless with Alcohol)

Recently there was a rave about Tiramisu making on facebook and that sparks my interest to give it a go as well.

I've been hesitant to venture into Tiramisu as I'm not comfortable adding eggs which are kind of cook over simmering water bath. Anything close to raw egg is a no go for me personally.

So, I was really happy to chance upon this Eggless Tiramisu recipe which taste as good as the originals that are made with eggs! We shared a piece of Tiramisu over lunch with our friends last Sunday and hubby said that this version tasted better! :)

Do give it a try!

Tiramisu (Eggless with Alcohol)
Serves 8

Ingredients
500g Mascarpone Cheese, softened
75g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
355 ml Really Strong Coffe or Espresso, cooled
3 Tbsps Dark Rum / Bailey Irish Cream
2 Tbsps Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
30 Savogliardi Ladyfingers (do not get those cake like spongy type)

Whipped Cream (Do this 1 hour ahead to firm up the whipped cream)

400 ml Heavy Cream / Dairy Whipping Cream (chilled)
2½ Tbsps Icing Sugar

1. Using the whisk attachment, beat the cream with low speed (no.2) until it gets thick and starts to form peaks. Gradually increase to high speed.
2. Gradually add in the icicng sugar & whisk until stiff peak. Do not over mix.
3. Set aside in the fridge to firm up a little more for use later.

Making the Mascapone Filling

1. Using a spatula, cream together the mascarpone, vanilla and sugar.
   
2. Once the mascarpone is well mixed, fold in half of the whipped cream into mascarpone mixture first to lighten it.
   
3. Once that is done, fold in remaining whipped cream being careful not to over mix.
   

To assemble

1. In a large bowl mix together the coffee and rum and set aside.
   
2. Get ready the cocoa powder and ladyfingers.Dip each ladyfinger into the coffee rum mixture and lay it in the bottom of your pan.
   
3. Once you’ve completely cover the whole bottom of the pan with the coffee and rum soaked ladyfingers, pour over half of the mascarpone and cream mixture.
   
4. Spread the cream evenly over ladyfingers and sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
   
5. Arrange the remaining coffee soaked ladyfingers on top of the cream & cocoa powder layers and spread over the remaining filling.
   
6. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
   
7. Cover & Chill for 6 - 8 hours before serving.
   
8. Garnish each serving with some fresh raspberries & chocolate shavings.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today is definitely cookies day!

I finished a batch of Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Coated Cookies early this morning and now I just finished a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies!

It has been a while since I'm going nuts about baking but ever since I started working from home, I've the privilege of time to manage work and my passion for baking & cooking.

These chocolate chip cookies are crunchy. I do not have any nice nuts to add into the cookie today so I just dumped as much chocolate chips as I can squeese into the batter :P

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields 48 Small Size Cookies (4-5cm in diameter)

Ingredients

125g Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
75g Caster Sugar
60g Brown Sugar
1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla Extract
150g All Purpose Flour
45g Corn Flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
pinch of Salt
60g Chopped Nuts (Pecans, Macadamia etc)
125g Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (use 170g Choco chips if not using nuts)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
   
2. Sift plain flour, cornflour, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Stir to ensure they are evenly distributed.
   
3. In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, cream butter with caster sugar and brown sugar until light, pale and fluffy.
   
4. Add egg and vanilla to butter mixture. Mix to get an even mixture.
   
5. Next, add in the dry ingredients. Mix and stop once the flour are combined.. A soft dough should be obtained. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with spatula
   
6. Stir in the chocolate chips & nuts to ensure a well distribution.
   
7. The dough is very soft and sticky and if you find it hard to handle, chill it for 30-45mins. I did not chill my dough.
   
8. Spoon heaped Teaspoon of dough onto lined cookies trays, leaving some space between each cookie dough.
   
9. The cookie size is about 4-5cm in diameter so do leave enough space in-between cookies.
   
10. Bake cookies for 13 minutes or until medium browned.

Cooling and storing:

Allow cookies to cool on their trays for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Cool cookies completely on wire rack before storing in air-tight containers.

Notes:

If the cookies do soften for some reasons, bake them for 10 minutes at 180°C and allow to cool. The crunch will return.

Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Coated Cookies

I've been wanting to bake some cookies for a while and today, I decided to try this recipe call Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Coated Cookies. The name itself is already interesting so I can't wait to taste it!.

The recipe calls for 1 tablespoonful of mixture to be baked but as you can see from the picture, it yields a pretty large cookie measuring 9 cm in diameter! After looking at my first batch of LARGE cookies, I decided to make slightly smaller ones using 1/2 tablespoonful and these cookies came out just a nice size of 7cm in diameter.

I really like the combination and the cookies are really crispy on the edges and chewy in the centre. I just can't stopped myself from having one after another :P

Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Coated Cookies

24 Medium Size Cookies (7cm in diameter)

Ingredients

(A)
150g All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cream of Tartar

(B)
113g Unsalted Butter, cool to room temperature
170g Caster Sugar

(C)
1 Egg

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Cinnamon Sugar
55g Caster Sugar
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
   In a small bowl, combine (A) and set aside.
   
2. In a large bowl, using the paddle attachment, cream together (B) until fluffy
   
3. Add the (C) & mix until creamy and combined.
   
4. Add (A) & just mix enough to incorporate all of the ingredients & stop the mixer. Do not over mix!
   
5. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining Caster Sugar & the Ground Cinnamon. Set side.
   
6. Drop by 1/2 tablespoonful or using a very small ice cream scooper into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
   
7. Roll them around to coat and place them on your prepared baking sheets.
   
8. Bake for about 15 minutes
   
9. Rotate the baking sheets half way through for even baking.
   
10. Cool in the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely
    

Beef with Asparagus in Oyster Sauce

Since I started planning weekly menu, I've made a note to incorporate at least one dish of red meat per week. Thus, today we are going to have Beef with Asaparagus in Oyster Sauce :)

Too bad hubby is going to miss it today as he loves anything with beef BUT I have already put aside some beef to cook this again for him maybe over the weekend.

I don't fancy eating meat much but somehow this dish just makes me want to take a bite the moment it was cooked! For those of you who knows me, you'll know how I tend to make faces whenever I'm told to eat meat and my mum used to crack her head just trying to find ways to get me to eat teeny weeny bit of meat every meal! So Yes, you heard me well, I want to eat this dish!

The beef is nicely marinated and the combination of spring onion and Asparagus just simply does wonders for me. I want my dinner now! hahaha

Beef with Asparagus in Oyster Sauce

Serves 2 (double the recipe if you need to feed 4)

(A)
225g Beef Flank Slices
1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Corn Flour
½ Tbsp Spring Onion, Minced

(B)
Aspargus

(C)
1 Tbsp Light Soya Sauce
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
½ Tbsp Shao Xing Wine
½ Tbsp Sugar
½ Tbsp Corn Flour
Dash Pepper
4 Tbsp Water
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
½ Tbsp Toasted White Sesame Seeds (optional)

Methods

1. Cut beef into 2 inch wide strips along grain. Slice across the grain & mix in (A).
   
2. Heat 2 Tsps of cooking oil & stir-fry beef until medium well by closing the pan for about 2 mins. Set aside.
   
3. Stir fry spring onions & asparagus until fragrant by closing the pan for about 3 mins
   
4. Add (C) and beef. Close pan and cook for 3 mins or until steam starts coming out from the vent. Open the pan and lightly stir-fry to mix well.
   
5. Remove dish from pan and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
   
6. Serve & Enjoy!