Oat Cookie Recipe

I am Kii, and this is my take on crunchy delicious oat cookies. These are what you will need to make fourteen cutesy bite sized cookies.

• 45g Plain White Flour
• 1 Tbspn Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbspn Rolled Oats
• 1/4 Tspn Sea Salt (I used a pinch, not sure if that amounts to 1/4 tspn)
• 30g Butter
• 1 Tspn Cold Milk
• 1 Tspn Vanilla Essence

As a rule of thumb, I love to find the simplest way to do things, and so this recipe will show you how to bake these crunchy delights without taking too much time. I made this in 50 minutes.

What you want to do is to measure the flour, brown sugar, salt, rolled oats, butter and vanilla essence (Basically all the ingredients except milk) and then put them into a food processor. Pulse them three times for one second each. I use Thermomix, so there was no real need to scrape down the sides and pulse again, but if necessary please do so. Once this is done, empty the processor and you should get a mixture that looks like this.

So what you want to do now that you have this mixture is to mix in one teaspoon of cold milk, and that should be enough to hold these crumbs together. Bear in mind that if you want to make double the amount to be served, just use double the ingredients. Roll with cleaned hands and you should get a cookie dough as such:

Perfectly round and serene, like the moon. Now roll them to make them like a small rope (like what you normally would to when making Challah bread, but not to that length). Use a knife or a spoon to divide them into balls of dough to be rolled of size to your liking (I made fourteen!). Decorate the top of the mini balls with rolled oats and press down with a fork on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet as such:

Notice how uneven the cookies are - I can't be bothered to make them even so I just went with the flow. You want to press the rolled oats into the cookie dough and not just sprinkle them on top. Now Bake in a preheated oven of 160'C for about 12 minutes.

And there you have it, beautiful crunchy oat cookies.

Thank me later!

• Kii

Fusion: Kimchi Meatballs & Couscous

Components:

a) Kimchi
b) Meatballs
c) Couscous

Method:

a) Kimchi

If you don't have Kimchi or they don't sell it where you are, you can make this by hand. Not as good as the original but yeah. You might need:

Greens/Whites/Oranges (Cause I judge vegetables by color :P)

- Wong Bok cabbage (that's what we Chinese people call it, I think it's called Napa cabbage as well. Prepare by you know, how you normally prepare cabbage)

- Carrots (thinly sliced)

- White radish (cubes or sliced whatever floats your boat)

- Chives (normal preparation. Prepare tissues to cry on)

Seasonings (I use teaspoons but the size metric might differ so yeah)

- Pinch of salt (I use sea salt/ Kosher salt)

- Teaspoon of Ginger (shredded)

- 3 Teaspoons of Garlic (minced)

- 2 Teaspoons of Sugar (I use brown sugar)

- 5 Teaspoons Korean red pepper powder (Not sure where to find this in Malaysia though)

- 1 Teaspoon fish sauce (The smell is strong but :x )

Steps are as follow:

1) Throw all prepared vegetables into a huge mixing bowl. 

2) Add all seasonings and mix with hand

3) Keep in enclosed jar in a dark room for at least a week. Shake the jar daily.

b) Meatballs

The meatballs are easier to make. I use chicken mince but you can use whatever meat you want I guess:

Ingredients (Add as you like, I adjusted the proportions so that it isnt as sweet)

- Chicken Mince

- Sweet Soy Sauce (Add more for more delicious flavor - sweeter though)

- Light Sauce

- Sesame Oil

- Brown sugar

- Pepper (the powdered one)

- Plain white flour for rougher balls

- Glutinous rice flour for soft silky balls

 Steps:

1) Defrost mince and add the other ingredients in a proportion you like.

2) Wet your hands and roll them into balls, set aside.

3) Pour kimchi into a pot and add a cup of water. Also add two teaspoons of sugar, one teaspoon of light sauce and sweet soy sauce. Now gently put in the meatballs and cover until cooked. You can put in corn if you like.

c) Couscous

I swear to God this is the easiest thing to cook like seriously. I just pour in the boiling stew from cooking the meatballs earlier and they soak it up and get cooked. Aw yeahhh science b*tches!

> Inspiration came while re-watching videos on my Youtube channel and got hungry

> Saw the kimchi in the fridge and some chicken mince (already defrosted and was like hmmmm)

> COOKED. ATE. still one more portion in the pot :3 guess who's happy tonight?

Homemade Matzoh Ball Recipe

Easy to make. There are only three parts to it:

a) The Matzah

b) The Matzo Meal

c) The Matzo Balls

a) You only need to make the Matzah if you do not have Matzo Meal. The only two ingredients in Matzah is water and flour. The trick though, is you have to make it fast.

Prepare a cup of all purpose/ plain white flour (about 60g) and a cup of water. Pour the water little by little (you don't need to use up all the water) and mix with a fork until a dough is formed. Knead the dough on a clean floured surface until smooth. Quickly preheat the oven to about 230'C and start rolling the dough until thin. You might need to turn the rolled dough over a few times and dust the underneath. Once done, quickly poke holes into the flat dough to prevent rising (front and back). Bake for 7-10 minutes and let cool.

b) To make the Matzo meal, you only need to grind the Matzah. Use a food processor (I used thermomix and pulsed a few times).

c) For the balls, crack open an egg and check for any blood particles carefully. If clean, add some kosher salt to the egg and pour in about a tablespoon of virgin olive oil. Pour in 60g of water mixed with two teaspoons of baking powder and mix with a fork. Now, pour in the Matzo meal slowly and mix in until there a consistency is reached. Cover with a plastic foil/ a plate and let set in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

Now, bring a pot of water to simmer (add a pinch of salt to the water). Wet your palms with a sprinkle of virgin olive oil and begin rolling the balls. Add them to the pot right after you roll them. Let boil and then serve with any soup of your choice.

Inspired by Jamie Geller (A wonderful lady, respect!) - to get more Kosher recipes from her, go to JoyofKosher.com



Matzo balls are the Jewish penicillin (like the panadol) or something like that. Good for sicknesses probably :) had that really warm vibe when eating it. I hope it's supposed to taste that way or I will be reallly sad.

Anyways, I recently met an Australian who I mistakenly (I am a horrible horrible person) assumed to be Jewish because of his surname (Vaisman). He is a very interesting person, I was curious so I asked a lot. Turns out he isn't Jewish because Judaism is passed down by the mother. I asked too about Kosher dishes because I like how Kosher food looks and tastes (there is this amazing concept behind the different techniques like knotting to make Challah and the use of Matzo meal that is essentially grounded from unleavened bread or Matzah). He isn't actually really into the concept of Kosher - but he knows the basics. Also, when I showed him the Matzo balls I made he was actually quite surprised at how well it turned out and I got a few compliments. I'm not actually very used to compliments because as an Asian you don't really get that very often UNLESS U DOCTOR OR U ENGINEER AND U EARN THE MONEY (please read with strong Asian accent) so I think I might have a little crush on him now shit, am I gay!?  that inspires me to continue doing what I love most. 

Valentines Special ( Meringues on a bed of Poached Apples ) Recipe

Backstory

• Since I will be on the plane for the whole day tomorrow, I made this today for an early valentines. I like to think that each half of the meringue linked together by the double cream symbolizes human relationships, and since compote means "mix" in some language - I would like to represent mixed feelings in relationships. So deep I can't even see myself anymore.
  
  Happy Valentine's! (Belated)

What to Expect

• A trio of meringues with double cream on top of unsweetened refreshing apple compote. Since meringue is technically baked sugar and egg white, the sweetness is balanced by the double cream and the apple compote. Yeap, the simpler the better. Not too much technicalities involved.

  
Ingredients
Part A : The Meringue
a) Two Egg Whites
b) Pinch of Salt
c) 125g Castor Sugar

Part B : Plating
a) Double Cream ( Half a teaspoon to a teaspoon per two meringue sides )
b) Apples
c) Cinnamon (Powder)
d) Water and Vanilla Essence (1 drop) mixture

•  You can make either Poached Apples (Diced) or an Apple Compote. To make the apple compote, simply add more liquid to make the final product more syrupy. The poached apple (if you are making it) should be crunchy and unsweetened to complement the texture of the meringues. 

Procedure

a) Pour the egg whites into a mixing bowl and add in the pinch of salt. Start beating (it is easier to use a machine mixer since you will take years to beat it to stiff peaks. Make sure that there is no other impurities in the egg yolk or else it will not stiffen.

b) When the mixture is stiff and forms peaks, gradually add the sugar whil mixing at high speed until the mixture is glossy and stiff. 

c) Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and then begin piping on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

d) Preheat the oven to 120'C for about 20 minutes, and then bake for around an hour until the meringues are pale golden brown.

e) Now, dice the apples and put in a pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the diced apples and then pour in the water and vanilla essence mixture. Stir fry until you can smell a heavy aroma of apples and cinnamon (like that of apple pie)

f) Put them on a plate and separate into as many factions as you want. Spoon half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of double cream and put on the flat side of a meringue. Take another and clamp them together. Serve on the poached apples (diced) 

 

Croquembouche Recipe

Backstory

So after watching MasterChef Season 5 and seeing Courtney, Christian and Jaimee making the incredibly beautiful and stunning profiterole tower, I took a liking and kept a mental note about how ONE DAY, I WILL BE THE ONE MAKING THE SAME TOWER OF YUM. And I did.

What to Expect

Expect freaking profiterole tower covered with delicious toffee. In the profiterole, you will have beautiful tasty freaking cream yaw. And if you are expecting to make this, be prepared to risk two hours or more, since it took me about the same time. A complex yet fulfilling dish.

Ingredients
Part A: Profiterole

Part i : The Puff
a) One finger of butter (About the size of two fingers width - I would say around 70g)
b) Milk (200 ml - yeah, I freaking measured, Yay me.)
c) Plain White Flour (I used around 100g - YES I MEASURED)
d) 3 Eggs

Part ii : The Cream
a) Double Cream (The whole cup)
b) Milk (1/3 of the double cream cup)
c) Icing Sugar (I used two teaspoons)

Part B : The Tower of Sauron ( I mean the tower of profiteroles)
a) Profiteroles from Part A
b) One cup of Castor Sugar
c) Half a cup of water

---

Procedure
Part A : Making the Profiteroles (The torturing part)

Part i : The Puff
a) Pour the milk and put the butter in the pan and stir with a wooden spoon until it boils. Sift the flour into a bowl and pour it into the mixture after it boils and stir until it has the consistency of soft dough. BRING AWAY FROM FIRE to cool.
b) Bring back to the fire, and beat in eggs one by one while stirring constantly. You do not want the eggs to be fried. To make the process easier, pour cold milk into the pan while doing this. Stir and mix until the mixture has a soft consistency.

When you hold the mixture up with a wooden spoon, you can technically see the batter falling. Its like the consistency of wet mud.

c) Prepare a piping bag and fill the piping bag with the batter. Pipe the batter onto a prepared baking tray lined with baking paper.

How to pipe the profiteroles? Start at the bottom, pipe a little - when you see the batter forming a circle around two inches wide, adjust the height of your pipe higher and pipe again. Then, stop piping and remove the pipe. You do not need to create any pattern by rotating nor piping in a circular motion, the only motion you need to move is upwards from earth. Your piped batter should look like poo, if that is easier to note.

d) Preheat the oven at 190'C double fan forced for around 10-15 minutes and start baking the "to be" profiteroles. It should take around 25 - 35 minutes to be ready. Note the color of the top of the profiteroles should be brown.
e) Take out the profiteroles from the oven when ready, and with a skewer (I used a chopstick coz I asian yo) poke a hole at the bottom of each profiterole. It is easier to do it while it is hot, so get used to enduring the heat.

To know whether you are doing it right, remember that a profiterole is a cream puff. The puff should be just filled with air. It shouldnt have the consistency and texture of bread. So when you poke the bottom of the puff, you should realize that the middle is basically empty.

f) Set aside to cool

Part ii : The Cream
a) Pour everything into a mixing bowl and whip until it has the consistency of cool whip.

If you are lazy, you can just whip the double cream until it is soft instead of using milk and icing sugar. It won't taste as good, but on the bright side it is easier and healthier - NO DIABEETUS YO

b) Fill in a piping bag (I used an icing bottle and a funnel so imagine my pain) and pipe into each profiterole by using that hole you made in its bum. Gonna make more dirty jokes but too lazy to think.
c) Leave the profiteroles bottom side up for the cream to set.

Part B : THE TOWER OF SAU.. Profiteroles. (But hey, tower of god, babel, druaga, saviors etc would work too)
a) Pour the castor sugar in a pan with the water and spread everything evenly.

Don't stir the mixture please. During caramelization you should not lay one finger on the mixture. Just let it boil and caramelize.

b) Boil until the mixture bubbles and turns brown. (Yes this is the caramelization process)
c) Remove from heat.
d) Now, prepare your profiteroles. Dip the bottoms of each profiterole and build them on each other to form a tower.

Croquembouche - the tower of profiteroles should be hollow in the middle. If you are new or is lazy, then you can just make one in which the middle of the tower is also profiteroles. A little less traditional but hey, it is nice to be lazy.

e) After the tower is done, with the remaining caramel/toffee - use two forks. Dip one fork into the caramel, press one fork on the other for a few seconds and separate to form a string of toffee. Weave it around the tower to form a web.
f) Repeat the toffee weave several times.
g) Weave several more times around the freaking tower.
h) FREAKING WEAVE IT BABY
i) Serve

During this process, it is important to construct the tower fast - or else the toffee will cool down and harden. Of course you can leave it be under a small fire, but you risk burning your delicate fingers when the mixture is bubbling. I burnt mine several times doing this even after removing the mixture from the fire.

Chocolate Tiramisu Recipe

Backstory

Sometimes when I am down (mostly a week or so before freaking valentines day), I just need something to maybe "Pick me up" and make me experience a haven, a sanctuary of escapade from everything else that just "let me down".

Tiramisu is the perfect dessert for that, as it literally means "pick me up"! I kinda went the kinda vegan way (no eggs, only milk), as the recipe does not contain eggs nor do they contain mascarpone. Also, I dislike Alcohol and Caffeine, and so Rum and Coffee/Expresso was not something I would love to incorporate into something that I want to "pick up".

What to Expect

Well, you should not be expecting the flavors of rum and caffeine which I feel is some sort of delicacy, or something of an acquired taste that my tongue does not respect well. The cream will not have hints of eggs or mascarpone either, so that means that the tiramisu will be far softer than any that you have ever tasted before. It tasted like heaven for me, so everything is sort of going great for me.

Ingredients
Part A: The Bases
a) Lady Fingers (Or you know, sponge fingers where they say it differently)
b) Hot Chocolate
c) Water

You might want to make enough brew of the hot chocolate so that you can easily just dip the lady fingers in, the rest of them you can drink later on, so there is really no wasting going on.

Part B: The Cream
a) Thickened Cream (Half the bottle)
b) Milk (Full cream is better, but yeah you get the idea - 1/4 of the bottle)

In the video, I used one whole bottle of thickened cream and so I put in half the amount taking the bottle by size. I realized it was too much and so half the bottle is actually enough.

c) Mixture of Cacao Powder and Icing sugar. ( 1/4 of each which contributes to half a cup )

---

Procedure
Part A: The Bases
a) Brew the hot chocolate by boiling water in a pan and then stirring in the hot chocolate until mixed well.
b) When it starts to boil, take it off and let it rest.

Part B: The Cream
a) Pour the thickened cream into a mixing bowl and add milk.
b) Add in the mixture of cacao powder and icing sugar and stir to mix.
c) Now, beat/whip the batter in an electric mixer at medium speed until the batter has a consistent color.

If you dont have an electric mixer you will have a horrible time and a muscular arm by the time you finish!

d) Once the color is consistent for the batter, beat/whip at high speed until soft peaks form. Took me around 8 - 10 minutes to get it to that consistency.

Part C: The Tiramisu
a) Layer the bottom of the mold with a thin layer of the cream.
b) Line the second layer with lady fingers quickly dipped in the brew of hot chocolate

If your mold is too small, you might want to cut the lady fingers with a knife first before you dip it.

Also, make sure you only dip the lady fingers and not SOAK them. If you soak them, your tiramisu will be SOGGY and it will mean "put me down" and that means that the tiramisu has failed in its attempt at making you want to pick it up.

c) Layer again with cream and continue the process until you get at least two layers. The last layer must be cream!
d) By using a sifter, dust the top of the tiramisu with a mixture of cacao powder and icing sugar.
e) Refrigerate for around 4 - 6 hours.

If you refrigerate for less than that, you can see that the lady fingers have not yet completed their mission of absorbing the liquid, and so you can still see the lady fingers. I do have people I know who love that texture (like my dad), so it is up to you. I love to leave mine in the fridge overnight to chill before I have them.

Plating
a) Remove from mold with a (whatever its called) but I used a rice scoop (flat)
b) Sprinkle sliced hazelnut on top of the tiramisu

Some people I know laughed at me when I told them I put hazelnut on the tiramisu and said that it was unconventional. I told them the recipe in itself was already unconventional (no eggs, no mascarpone, no rum, no expresso) - and so I am kinda original. Kinda.

Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIXBdGDH5oc&app=desktop

Cheese Crackers

Backstory

Once upon a time, I was at home after eating crazy sweet desserts all day. I needed something to nibble on, but I didn't want it to be too salty etc. I was also craving the flavor of cheese spread and so I just ran into the kitchen and started to bake

What to Expect

If you are looking for junk food, this recipe is only half fitting. Its healthier than junk food ( self proclaimed ) and you can taste subtle cheese.

Ingredients
a) Stick of butter as long and wide as your index finger ( yeah it also worked for my friends )
b) Two tablespoons of cream cheese
c) One teaspoon of salt
d) One teaspoon baking powder
e) One cup of plain white flour
f) Whipping cream
g) One egg
Procedure
a) Melt butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl with the salt. Crack in one egg and whip until mixed.
b) Sift in flour and baking powder, fold and then knead until the consistency of dough.

Like bread or cookie dough, check if it tends to be springy when using a rolling pin. If it isn't, then its more of a pastry dough.

c) Cut shapes of your preference with a cookie cutter and a rolling pin. Smoothen surface with flour for ease.

I am not skillful, so I tend to use lots of flour just to do this. Flour on surface, rolling pin and both side of the dough.

d) Line on baking paper on baking tray and spread whipping cream on top so that it retains its shape when baking.
e) Preheat oven to 200'C, and bake for 5 minutes.

Consumption

Eat when binge eating or eat with dips. I know I made two sizes, the smaller one is for when I want to binge and the larger one is for dipping. Yeah, I binge eat when I am depressed 

Not overly crispy. Texture is unique. A must try.

A different rendition is also available: Spicy Cheese Crackers. A video tutorial is up on Youtube, but instead of giving you the link, I will try to put it up here.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz3W-eBIclI

Video

Savory Tiramisu ( One Layer )

Back story

I saw Cho Ahran making Savory Tiramisu on Master chef, and then I thought to myself that it would be nice to start making savory dessert instead of the normal desserts I usually make. Also, I didn't follow Ahran's recipe but rather tried to innovate and build as I go along.

What to Expect

If you don't like the taste of Pasta Sauce, then I will tell you straight up that you will freaking hate this. Expect something different and unique!

Ingredients
a) Lady Fingers ( Or as my Aussie friends say, sponge fingers )
b) Two cans of diced tomatoes
c) Brown Sugar ( I used three tablespoons )
d) Minced Meat of your choice
e) Ketchup ( Half a cup mixed with water )

You can use any sauce you like for the taste

f) Thickened cream
g) Sour Cream ( Sprinkle some salt)
h) Spices ( Oregano and Basil )
I) Big Onions ( Add garlic if you love them )
j) Olive Oil

Procedure
a) Slice Big Onions and fry in pan with olive oil till golden brown. When golden brown, throw in the minced meat and fry until cooked.

Season the minced meat with a little salt and pepper first. I usually add a dab of oyster sauce but yeah, I'm Asian. "What the heck is Fish Sauce, and why does it taste like death?" Quoted from Monti, Masterchef Season 3.

b) Pour in the diced tomatoes, Ketchup water mix and the sugar and stir. Taste along the way and improvise if you need to.
c) When done, separate the liquid and the other things in the pot. The liquid will be used to dip the lady fingers in.
d) Dip the lady fingers and build the base of the Tiramisu.

I know people who soak the lady fingers. Their Tiramisu becomes soggy and quite scary really. Just dip and take it out. Count to three quickly if it helps.

e) Spread the solids separated from the liquid mixture on top of the lady fingers evenly.
f) Whip the thickened cream and sour cream together and then pour on the base of the Tiramisu.

People tell me they hate this part cause its hard. I tell them just concentrate on covering all gaps, the unevenness will fix themselves later in the oven.

g) So preheat the oven to 160'C and wait.
h) Now, sprinkle the oregano and basil on the Tiramisu.

If you are a fan of cheese, you can sprinkle some mozzarella on top before baking.

I) Bake for around half an hour while constantly checking on the Tiramisu. This will allow the cream to even themselves out and let them give a better aroma while the lady fingers absorb the sauce.
j) Serve hot or warm.

My friend tried my recipe but used mascarpone instead. He said it tastes better. But I don't know.
Sure, my recipe goes against the conventional rules ( I mean baking a Tiramisu? Seriously ) but you know what, YoLo. 

Panna Cotta (Unsweetened)

Ingredients

Part A : The Panna Cotta (That white pudding thingy)
a) Full Cream Milk (One and a half Cups)
b) Whipping Cream (One Cup) - yeah, should be liquid form so dont whip it to any peaks!
c) Gelatine Powder
- One teaspoon of gelatine powder is enough to gelatify (is that even a word) two cups of water to soft jelly like texture
- Two teaspoons can gelatify two cups of water to a pudding like texture - as seen in the illustration
- Add as you see fit :3 I would add Two and a half teaspoons.

Part B : The Topping and the Sauce (Per Serving)
a) Castor Sugar (One Tablespoon)
b) Full Cream Milk (One Tablespoon)
c) Chopped Peaches

---

Procedure

Part A : The Panna Cotta yo
a) Pour the full cream milk and the whipping cream into a pan and heat it until it simmers - BUT DONT FREAKING LET IT BOIL YEAH THIS IS THAT IMPORTANT. NO BOIL. DONT FREAKING LET IT BOIL.
b) Okay, now bloom the gelatine powder in a cup of cold water.

I have people asking me like wtf is "bloom the gelatine powder", like plant them and make them bud flowers or something? I tell them well, when you pour gelatin powder onto cold water, they spread out like they are blooming. Stir them until you get an applesauce or jam kind of consistency and you sir, have bloomed the gelatine powder.

c) add the bloomed gelatine mixture into the milk and stir until they are mixed. I know it is hard to see whether they are mixed well, but trust me and just look at your ladle. If you can still see grains of gelatine when you scoop, its not mixed.

AGAIN, DONT LET THE MIXTURE BOIL. If you see steam, get the pan away from the fire before it boils. If it boils, the gelatine will not work and your Panna Cotta will not set. You will have to refire and rebloom the gelatine again if it doesnt set.

d) Pour into ramekins and refridgerate overnight. If like me, you are impatient then add more gelatine to bloom and it will set in one or two hours.

Part B : The sauce and garnish - For once your Panna Cotta is ready
a) Caramelize the castor sugar in a pan.

I do have people asking me (imagine heavy Chinese accent because my friends are mostly Chinese) : " What is Caramelize!?"

My answer to that is - Put sugar in a pan with water. Heat it until it boils, and it will go on the verge of burning. Add more water if necessary to stop the process of it being burnt black, usually happening if you are making small serves. And walla, you have caramel.
But for the sauce, instead of adding water before it is burnt to crisp, add two tablespoons of milk instead. Now, you have the sauce tasting like praline. Pour it into a small cup and leave it be so that it thickens.

b) Chop the peaches.

Procedures for Plating
a) Use a paring knife to unmold the Panna Cotta (Or leave it be in the ramekins if you are lazy).
b) Top the Panna Cotta with the chopped peaches
c) Add the sauce on the Panna Cotta

I do have friends who prefer to drown their Panna Cotta in the sauce, but I prefer minimal amounts

d) Ready your camera, and snap! - That must go to Instagram
e) Aw yeahhh time to freaking dig in.

People are asking me whether there is a proper substitute to gelatin for vegans. It is really hard for me to answer. Well, Panna Cotta is a gelatine based dessert and so it is very hard to acquire the texture you want without gelatine. You could use Agar, but well the texture is just different.

• I should be posting less, seems like I am spamming the post hahah
• Oh well, that must be it for today

Edit: I read that Vegan Gel can be used to replace Gelatin - but no idea where to get it, so yeah

Baked Lamb Loin sitting on a bed of Salad

Ingredients
Part A : Lamb Loin
a) Lamb Loin DUH
b) Seasoning
- Salt
- Pepper
- Rosemary
- Fried Onion/ Garlic :/
- Whatever seasoning you like and love and adore, even your boyfriend's hair EHEHEH

Part B : Uh um, Salad :/
Part i : The Actual Salad
a) Spinach
b) Grated Carrots
c) Chopped Blue Kraut (Or as my fellow Asians say, red cabbage )
d) Cabbage
e) Up to you really, I know people who suggest adding in Feta, Goat Cheese, Haloumi, Lettuce, Assortments of nuts (Pecan, Macademias, Pistachios), Lettuce and other things you can put in salads, and again, I dont despise people who put in their boyfriend's hair or anything, as long as its edible is the rule in salads

Part ii : The Dressing
a) Olive Oil
b) Rice Wine Vinegar
c) One or two drops of fish sauce (Yes, sounds crazy but it is true)
d) Apple Cider Vinegar
e) Soy Sauce

Experiment with the dressing until you find the best mix of flavors, mine is a teaspoon of everything except the fish sauce

---

Procedure (Damn its simple)
Part A : The Lamb Loin
a) Get ready a baking tray, lined with aluminium foil. Preheat your oven to a 180 degrees Celcius. Lay your Lamb loins down on a bed of roses, sink it in a river at dawn.. I mean lay the loins on the aluminium foil in the baking tray and season them to your preference. Rosemary should be sprinkled on top of the lamb loins.
b) Bake for half an hour or so, until you can smell the aroma. Took me more than half an hour to get the lamb to be done medium well at a 180'C, but if you are experienced then you can use whatever temperature you like to speed up the process. It is up to you to cook either rare, medium rare or well done. I like mine well done - to check if it is well done, press your index finger against your thumb for the texture you should feel when you poke the lamb loin.

Part B : Seriously? You need a procedure for Salad!?
a) Mix the ingredients in 'Part i' in a small bottle so you can shake it well.
b) Chop the ingredients in 'Part ii' to your liking and put them in a salad bowl
c) Toss ingredients well.
Procedure for Plating
a) Prepare a clean plate
b) Decorate the base of the plate with a bed of tossed salad
c) Lay the lamb chop on the bed of salad like a sleeping prince
d) Garnish with fried garlic and onions
e) Use a high quality camera to take a picture of it, and preferably edit it before posting to instagram
f) Consume

The salad can be prebought if you are too lazy to make it from scratch

Baking - My Approach to Serenity

So I am embracing my newfound love for cooking. It started early last year in 2014, when I have just moved to a new house. There was no internet, no fixed line (yeah, you could have seen how disappointed I was and how much I ranted, just on and on for the past few blog posts).

With nothing to do (I just do not want to imagine what my parents do in those days when the weather wasn't so hot, crimes weren't occuring as often in Malaysia etc) except jogging to spend my evening, my holiday mornings became boring. I started watching a few shows on TV like Masterchef and Hell's Kitchen. When I saw some leftover ingredients in the pantry at home, ideas gushed into my mind and for the very first time - I cooked my very first dessert; The Panna Cotta.

The Panna Cotta is a very simple dessert. You just needed to mix together Milk and Whipping Cream in a pan and heat it until it simmers. Bloomed gelatine is then stirred in until mixed well and then the mixture is poured into ramekins and put in a refridgerator to set. When set, the sauce is made by caramelizing sugar and then adding some milk to give a praline taste to it.

From then on, I started baking more and more. I made Sponge Cake, Swiss Rolls, Cookies, Tiramisu, Cheese Cake etc.

I even moved on to making savory food - for example; Macaroni, Curry, Steak.

Every time I cook, I gain the confidence to cook the next dish. In the kitchen, I actually felt tranquil. This is where I felt I could enjoy my life. 

Baking is my new hobby - borne from the emptiness of having nothing to do.

Soft Fluffy Almond Cookies

Ingredients
a) 1/3 Piece of a 200g Slab of Butter (Melt it first!)
b) Half a cup of castor sugar
c)  Flour (Self Raising Flour + Plain White Flour - Mind the ratio!)
- I used 1/3 Self Raising Flour to 2/3 Plain White Flour by measurements of a cup, this makes the cookies soft and fluffy on the inside, but crispy and crunchy on the outside!
d) Ground Almonds (Half a cup)
e) One Egg (Both white and yolk)
f) 2 - 3 drops of Vanilla Essence

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Procedure (Very simple!)
a) Beat the Egg, and mix it with the melted butter and castor sugar until mixed. Drip in the vanilla essence and whip the mixture again for a few seconds. Also preheat the oven to 200'C
b) Now, carefully sift in the flour mixture while folding in the batter. After all the flour is folded in, the texture should be similar to wet mud. Now, pour in the ground almonds and fold again.
c) Line a baking tray with baking paper and prepare a spoon. Put one tablespoon of batter, and separate them (about 3 to 4 inches every one tablespoon of batter)
- Half a tablespoon makes small cookies as compared to a normal cookie for one tablespoon of batter
d) Bake for around 6 to 8 minutes (watch the cookies , they should spread and become wider in diameter - hence the separation distance)
- When the edges of the cookies become golden brown, it is time to test whether the cookies are baked through
     > Prepare a toothpick and poke the cookies. If there are no batter sticking onto the toothpick, then it is baked beautifully
     >The texture should be similar to a muffin at the middle, so do not be surprised. The edges should be crunchy :smile:


A different rendition


>> Extras: Cocoa Powder and didnt grind almonds



>> Extras: Smarties Chocolate instead of almonds.


>> Extras: doTERRA peppermint supplements - 10 drops of it instead of Vanilla Essence. Baking Choco chips added