Quick and Easy Pancakes

I do enjoy having pancakes for breakfast once in a while, though not really as a dessert unless they are thin crepe-like ones filled with cream cheese and served with strawberry sauce (sounds familiar? Pancakes on the Rocks??). On the weekends, while I'm still half asleep in bed in the morning, the kids would come close to me and scream into my ear "Mummy! Wake up! Can you make me some pancakes/french toast/scrambled eggs for breakfast?!!".

Easy Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict on Toasted Croissant

I got woken up early this morning by the kids wishing me "Happy Mother's Day" while I was still half asleep in bed. They were already up before 7am and couldn't wait to give me their presents and cards. Give it a couple more years and I'd have them well-trained to make me breakfast in bed. For now, Mr TFWL (aka Mr G) is only too happy to make one of our favourite breakfasts - Eggs Benedict. Not just any ordinary Eggs Benedict, but one served on top of a freshly baked croissant. Lucky for us, there is a bakery down the road which sells delicious breads and pastries, including these flaky buttery croissants.

 

It's always such a treat to have Eggs Benedict for breakfast, with the perfectly poached eggs and creamy hollandaise sauce. Traditionally (or usually), they are served on top of an English muffin, or sometimes wood-fired bread. We discovered the most awesome Eggs Benedict at Bondi Beach many years ago (before we had kids), at this place called Lamrock Café. The last time we were there, it wasn't on the menu anymore, and we never came across any cafes in Sydney serving them on croissant either.

Caramelized French Toast with Strawberries

 

Finally, a recipe for French Toast that the kids couldn't get enough of! I made this two mornings in a row, and both times, they"fought" over who could have the last piece. I was quietly pleased, of course. I used less sugar in the first batch, and served it with a generous glug of maple syrup. Yum! With the second, I was more heavy-handed with the sugar and butter. I had been meaning to make Kouign Amman, a crisp, chewy French pastry that is loaded with sugar and butter, and tastes like a rich croissant glazed with butterscotch. I figured if that's what it takes, then bring on the sugar and butter! And my, it was sinfully delicious and indulgent for French toast. In fact, it wouldn't be a bad idea to serve it for afternoon tea or dessert either. It's eleven pm right now. I'm thinking, French toast for supper, anyone?

Buttermilk Pancakes

I was pondering over what to write for this post and decided to look up "pancakes" in Wikipedia. It was fascinating to learn that different countries around the world have their own version of pancakes, be they sweet or savoury. Of course, the ones that most of us are better acquainted with are American-style pancakes, Australian pikelets (mini-sized ones) or crepes (which are thin pancakes). It was the long Labour Day weekend and the kids asked for pancakes this morning, and so I made pancakes!

Scrambled Eggs with Spicy Salsa

I often find breakfast served at cafes in Sydney to be overpriced, especially when it's just toast with bacon and eggs, or even just jam and butter. I could buy a whole loaf of bread with the amount they charge and have breakfast everyday for the whole week. Having said that, we do treat ourselves to breakfast at the local cafes once in a while. The kids would have their little babycinos while G and I would sip on our lattes and watch the world go by. Okay, not exactly. Most of the time, we would take turns trying to keep our little toddler "entertained" by letting him play games on the phone or bringing him out for a walk when he starts getting restless.

Easy Buttermilk Pancakes

I had some leftover buttermilk that I had used to make fried chicken last week. So I thought it would be a great idea to make some buttermilk pancakes. I am usually skeptical about making pancakes as they usually turn out dense or cakey. But these are light, fluffy and delicious, and so easy to make. I had some black/blueberries in the freezer, so I cooked the berries in some freshly squeezed orange juice, added a little sugar and cooked it down to a nice syrup. Served that alongside some blueberry swirl yoghurt with the pancakes and the kids and I enjoyed it for brunch!

Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup self-raising flour, sifted 

1/4 cup caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg

Method

Combine sugar, bicarbonate of soda and flour in a bowl. Whisk buttermilk and egg and stir into flour mixture. Brush a little butter on a heated pan and using a ladle, pour 2 tbsp of batter into the pan in one go (so you get a nice even colour on the bottom of the pancake). Fry about 2 minutes on medium heat until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip over and fry another 2 minutes or so until browned. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve with your favourite topping.

Saturday Cooking: French Toast, Beary Bread and Rendang Beef Ribs

Saturday morning started with some Brioche French Toast with Bacon and Maple Syrup....

...followed by an afternoon of baking with the kids, making these Beary Bready Buns....

...and ended the day in the kitchen making Rendang Beef Ribs (which I couldn't resist after watching it on Top Chef Masters). All this makes up for a day off from cooking on Sunday!

Mock Fried Carrot Cake ("Chai Tow Kuay")

That's not really fried carrot cake, or "Chai Tow Kuay" as it is called in Malaysia/Singapore. In the first place, there isn't even any radish (daikon) in this dish. And there are no cubes of steamed carrot cake in it either. It was a hasty decision to make something similar to satisfy my craving after coming across delectable-looking photos of this dish in my cousin's blog. I had no radish on hand, but at least I had the other ingredients available.

So I combined some rice flour and a little cornflour with water to make a watery batter, and seasoned it with pepper, sugar and soy sauce. I heated sufficient oil in a large frying pan, poured in the batter and let it sizzle for a while, and when almost set, I cracked 2 eggs over it and mixed it around. Then I cut it up with the spatula, continued frying both sides till crisp, moved it aside and fried some chopped garlic and preserved turnip. Then just combine everything and season with fish sauce, sugar, pepper and thick dark soy (I also added a little kecap manis). Sprinkle some chopped spring onions and my lazyman's carrot cake is ready!

Luscious Coconut Jam ("Kaya")

After watching chef Susan Feniger serving up Toast with Coconut Jam and Soy Glazed Eggs on Top Chef Masters, I felt like having some kaya (coconut jam) too. It's been so long that I can't remember the last time I made it. It's a pity she got eliminated for serving that to the judges, no matter how good it was, it just wasn't Top Chef material. But I'm glad she managed to introduce kaya to the Americans (and all watching Top Chef) just like how head judge Tom Colicchio introduced "Bak Kwa" to viewers on the Top Chef blog after last season's finale in Singapore.

I have never tried Susan Feniger's kaya recipe before. The recipe below is the "standard" (I guess) method that I usually adopt, and one that my mum uses too (more or less). It's easy to make at home, but just be prepared to stand over the stove, stirring the jam continuously for about an hour. Otherwise you might end up with scrambled coconut eggs instead of a silky smooth coconut custard.

PS: If you are looking for a kaya toast fix in L.A., go to SUSAN FENIGER'S STREET. She even has a webpage dedicated to Kaya Toast!

Kaya toast

Coconut Jam ("Kaya") Recipe

Ingredients:

10 eggs, beaten
400ml coconut cream (I used Ayam Brand)
500g caster sugar
2 pandan (screwpine) leaves, knotted

Method:

1. Reserve 2 tbsp of sugar and add the rest to the beaten eggs. Mix until all the sugar is dissolved. Add coconut cream and stir. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any impurities.
2. Place mixture in a double boiler (I used a large metal bowl and placed it over a pot of simmering water. Alternatively, you can place the mixture in a heavy-based pot directly on the stove and stir over low heat, but be careful not to let the eggs cook at the bottom of the pot) together with pandan leaves and stir continuously over medium heat. Once the mixture starts to heat up, watch the heat and lower it to low-medium. If the pot/bowl becomes too hot to touch, then it's too hot for the mixture! You will need to lower the heat so as to avoid getting scrambled eggs.
3. Optional step: In the meantime, while still stirring, place the 2 tbsp reserved sugar in a small, clean, dry heavy-based pot and turn on the heat to medium-low. When the mixture starts to boil, watch it closely as it turns yellow to amber. When it turns to a slightly amber brown (but not burnt!), remove from the heat and pour into the egg mixture while still stirring. The sugar will crystallize in the mixture but will eventually dissolve. This is to add a deeper richer colour to the jam.
4. After stirring and stirring for about an hour, the mixture should have thickened and darkened in colour. It is ready when the consistency is like that of thick pouring custard (but note that once it cools down, it will thicken further). Discard the leaves, pour the jam into jars and let cool before storing (I store it in the fridge). Serve with hot toast and thinly sliced salted butter!

The kaya is ready!

Creamy Homestyle Scrambled Eggs

My mum used to make me scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast when I was a kid. It was my favourite! Soft, creamy and buttery eggs on buttered toast. She would then cut up the toast into six little rectangles which I would then pop into my mouth and savour each perfect little bite. Did I mention butter?

This is exactly how I like my scrambled eggs. I have never known them to be cooked any other way except this. Anything else just isn't scrambled eggs, which is why I almost never ever order them when I eat out because I know they just aren't the same. I have encountered the kind served at breakfast buffets and they are usually hard, crumbly, dry and bland.

These homestyle ones that are so memorable to me are just perfect, and the trick is to stir it slowly over low heat in a small pot or pan. If you use a large frying pan or too high heat, the eggs will cook too quickly and end up a little like scrambled omelette instead of having that soft and creamy custard-like consistency.

Slow-cooked Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients

2 large eggs, beaten well

2 tablespoons milk
1/2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Combine milk with the beaten eggs and beat well. Season with a little salt and pepper.
2. Place butter in a small pot or pan (approx 15cm radius) and place it on low heat. When the butter starts to melt, pour in the egg mixture. It should fill the entire surface of the pan/pot and come up to at least 1 cm high. Stir slowly with a wooden spoon/spatula. After about 5 minutes, the liquid mixture should start to coat the bottom and side of the pot as well as the tip of the spoon/spatula. If the heat gets too hot, remove the pot from the flame and continue stirring to avoid the eggs overcooking. Once stabilised, put it back on the flame. Stir slowly and continuously, ensuring that the egg does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
3. After about 5-8 minutes, the egg mixture should start to come together to form a soft creamy consistency that will not fall off the spoon when scooped.
4. Take it off the heat immediately and serve it on 2 slices of buttered toast (preferably cold sliced butter). Enjoy!

Made scrambled eggs again the next day - a creamier version this time



Mini Rice Omelettes

This is a quick and easy way to use up leftover rice, and these mini fried-rice-cakes are great for tiny little hands. Terrific for school lunch boxes as well!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup cooked white rice
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 slice of bacon
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (optional)
1 tbsp chopped parsley or spring onion
3 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp heavy cream/milk (optional)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Method:

1. Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and stir fry the bacon, garlic, rice, and parsley/spring onion for 3-5 minutes.
2. Combine the rice mixture with the beaten egg and cream (and cheese, if used) and season with salt and pepper. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
3. Heat up some oil in the pan and ladle spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan. Fry both sides till golden brown. Drain on absorbent kitchen towel. Serve hot with chilli, ketchup or barbecue sauce.

Note: You can also substitute 1/2 cup of the rice with some grated potatoes.

The kids like to "paint" using squeeze-bottle ketchup and barbecue sauce

Soon Kueh - The Sequel

I wanted to try making Soon Kueh again with a different recipe for the dough, plus, I also had leftover turnip in the fridge. The last (or first) time I made it, I used rice flour, tapioca starch and oil. This time I found a recipe on Lifestyle Food which uses wheat starch flour (dung meen fun) instead of rice flour. I wanted the skin to be similar to that of Har Gow (prawn dumplings) found at Dim Sum restaurants, translucent with a springy texture, and wheat starch flour does the job. I was happy with the way the dumplings turned out. They were chewy and springy with just enough bite, and eaten with crispy prawn chilli and my trusty friend, ABC chilli sauce, it's yum!

Here's the recipe for the dumpling skin:

Soon Kueh Dough

Ingredients

165 gms wheat starch flour - Tung Meen Fun
85 gms tapioca flour
420 ml hot boiling water
5 tablespoons oil

Method

1. Mix wheat starch flour and tapioca flour in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add boiling water and mix thoroughly using a plastic rice cooker server or plastic dough scraper till you get a translucent like dough.
3. Cover with cling wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.
4. Add oil gradually and knead into a smooth dough.
5. Roll out dough into a long sausage roll and divide into about 15 pieces for wrapping the dumplings.

Father's Day Breakfast Fry-up

Happy Father's Day to all Aussie fathers!  For some reason which I cannot fathom, Father's Day in Oz is different from international Father's Day, which makes it difficult for some of us to buy Father's Day cards (or sometimes even remember the day itself) for dads who celebrate the latter. 

Anyway, I decided to prepare brekkie today (which usually consists of toast and the usual condiments) from the store of bacon, sausages, eggs and mushrooms we had in the fridge.  I then assembled the toast (smothered with some Praise mayonnaise), mixed salad leaves, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and eggs sunnyside-up, with an extra side of pork chipolata sausages.  Here's to you, Daddy!

Chwee kueh

I used to have chwee kueh (literally means "water cake", but it's actually kind of a savoury steamed rice pudding) for breakfast back in BP a long time ago.  Personally, I think the BP chwee kueh is the best!  Simply made from rice flour and water, then steamed, it is topped with preserved radish and served with 2 sauces - an orangey coloured chilli sauce, and the infamous purple sweet sauce.  Here, I've managed to come up with a reasonably good version of it, except that I still don't know the secret of the purple sauce.  Instead, I served it with some crispy prawn chilli and a drizzling of kecap manis.  Truly truly scrumptious!