Vietnamese style glutinous rice with green bean filling

These days , I missed my hometown so much , keep thinking of all the food that my mum made for us during festive seasons . This dish for example . Normally we make this for Chinese new year , because of it's bright colour . It brighten the atmosphere when all the food were arranged on the table . The red colour comes from one kind of fruit , we call it " gấc " in Vietnames but I m not sure if it has English name . That fruit is a very good source of Vitamin E . Nowadays , when I live so far away from home , everytime " gấc " is in season , my dear mum will buy , prepare , frozen and send it to me . My mum always know best what we like , what we would want to have whenever we miss home . Love you , mum !

Vanilla Cheesecake

Recipe : ( from The ultimate indulgence cheesecake by chef Alan Kok )
Ingredients :
* A : - 150ml fresh milk
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 250g creamcheese
- 3 egg yolks
* B : - 3 egg whites
- 80g caster sugar
Method :
Preheat oven to 200 degree C . Line a 7" round cake tin with greaseproof paper . Mix creamcheese and egg yolks and vanilla essence until smooth . Slowly mix in fresh milk . In another clean mixing bowl , whisk egg whites and caster sugar at high speed until soft peak is formed . Mix into creamcheese mixture in 3 batches . Pour creamcheese mixture onto the lined cake tin and level the surface . Steam bake the cheesecake in preheated oven at 200 degree C for 15' or until the surface is slightly brown . Reduce the heat to 150 degree C and bake for another 50 mins or until cooked . Turn off oven . Let cake cool in oven with door ajar for 1 hour . Chill cheesecake in the fridge for 4 hours . Remove cake from tin . Cut into pieces and serve .

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #6: Say Cheese! (April 2011) hosted by Jean from Noms I Must

Cream puff

This small puffs are our all along favourite . Everytime I tell myself to make more so that we can have some leftover for the next day , but without fail , it would be be finished before i have a chance to keep it :) .
The puffs I use my friends recipe from BẾP RÙA  ,  and the cream is from the lovely book : Okashi - sweet treat made with love .

 Recipe :
Ingredients :
* The puff :
- 240ml water
- 100g butter
- dash of salt
- 125g plain flour
- 4 eggs
* Cream :
- 400g fresh milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 100g caster sugar
- 40g top flour , sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method :
 * The puffs : Bring water , butter and salt to a boil . When it boiled , put in the flour . Stir quickly , about 1 -2 mins until the mixture does't stick to the pan . Bring it away from heat , let cool for about 5 mins . Break in egg , one at a time , stir well after each addition to have a smooth , shiny mixture . Put it into piping bag , pipe the puffs onto greased tray . Bake in the preheated oven for 25- 30 mins at 220 degree C . Put on the racks to let cool .
* The cream : Add milk to a saucepan and bring to a boil . In a mixing bowl , beat egg yolks and sugar together until mixture is pale yellow in colour . Add in vanilla extract and flour , mix well . Add hot milk to the egg mixture and fold through . Return egg and milk mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat , stirring constantly . Continue mixing until mixture becomes smooth and glossy , then remove the saucepan from the heat . Transfer pastry cream to a tray , cover with cling film and place in the freezer to cool , but do not freeze it . Before use , gently beat cream with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy .

White chocolate chips cupcakes with buttercream frosting

Pasta salad

This is 1 of my son's favourite dish . It's really simple to make , so normally i make it for lunch when i don't have enough time to whip up a proper meal .

Recipe :
Ingredients :
- 250g pasta ( choice of macaroni , penne ...)
- 1 cup of frozen mixed vegetable
- 3 slices of honey bake ham , grilled in the oven , diced
- 2 slices of cheddar cheese , diced
- Mayonnaise
Method :
Cook pasta in boiling water and a pinch of salt until cooked . Drain well and drizzle some olive oil on it to prevent pasta from sticking together . Boil mix vegetable as well, drained . Mix everything in a mixing bowl and keep refrigerate for about 1 hour . Mix in mayonnaise before serving .

Green tea pudding

Get a closer look




Recipe :( adapted from Tropical Dessert - a Periplus mini cookbook by Devagi Sanmugam )
Ingredients :
- 1 1/2 tsp green tea powder
- 60ml warm water
- 500ml low fat milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 200g sugar ( i used only 120g as I prefer it not too sweet )
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 1/2 tbsp gelatine mixed with 4 tbsp hot water until dissolved
- 375ml heavy whipping cream
Method :
Mix the green tea powder with the warm water until the green liquid is lump free .
Slowly bring the milk to a boil over low heat in a pan . Immediately remove from heat and combine with the green tea liquid . Stir well and set aside .
Cream the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon . Add the cornflour and mix well . Add the green tea and whisk well . Add the gelatine mixture & whisk thoroughly to form a smooth mixture .
Return the mixture to the pan and heat gently over low heat , stirring constantly until the custard thickens . Strain the mixture through a fine strainer to remove any lumps , into a clean dry bowl . Set aside to cool . Then add the whipping cream and mix well .
Portion the mixture into individual serving bowl . Chill in the refrigerator until it sets .

American sour cream cheesecake

Wish everyone a very happy Women's day !



I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #5 : Fruity March , hosted by Jess from Bakericious .

Noted : I am all along not a fan of cheese , specially cheesecake. I have never finished a small piece of cheesecake in my life so far  , but this recipe changed the whole idea  . It's so yummy ! If you are fan of cheesecake , don't wait , grab whatever is needed and pamper yourself with this wonderful recipe .
 Recipe : ( from Crave- Cheese Desserts to die for by MAC WOO & JUNE LEE )
Ingredients :
* Base :
- 165g digestive biscuits , finely ground
- 1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp butter , melted and still warm
*Fillng :
- 540g creamcheese , soften
- 120g caster sugar
- 1 3/4 tbsp plain flour , sifted
- 2/3 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 1/4tsp  lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
- 50ml whipping cream
* Sour cream topping :
- 250g sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp caster sugar
- 2/3 tsp vanilla essence
* Strawberry or blueberry pie filling ( optional )
Method :
   Prepare base : Mix together digestives , light brown sugar & warm melted butter . Press firmly onto the bottom and 2,5cm up the sides of an 18cm round springform pan , Refrigerate for 1 hour .
   Preheat oven to 150 degree C .
   Prepare filling : With an electric mixer , beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until creamy .Beat in sifted flour , vanilla essence and lemon zest until smooth . Lower speed & add eggs , 1 at a time , mixing until just incorporated . Gradually add whipping cream until well mixed .
  Pour filling onto prepared base . Bake in a water bath for 1 hour 20 mins to 1 hour 40 mins , or until edge of filling is almost set & centre is slightly wobbly .
   For topping , stir together sour cream , sugar and vanilla essence until smooth . Remove cheesecake from oven , spread sour cream mixture  evenly on top and return to the oven .
   Lower temperature to 130 degree C and bake for another 20-25 mins . Turn oven off & leave the cheesecake inside for 30 mins with oven door closed . Open oven door and leave cheesecake for another 30 mins . Remove cheesecake from oven and cool on a wire rack .
  Refrigerat for at least 6 hours before unmoulding and serving . Top with strawberry or blueberry pie filling , if used .