The Occasional Cook

Breakfast Tapas

October 10, 2010March 3, 2021 7shasha7

Here are some ideas for breakfast. I’m a savoury person so very rarely would I make sweet dessert like breakfast e.g. pancakes or muffins. One weekend morning, I had bits of this and that and decided to have a tapas like breakfast. I placed the food on the dining table and you just take what you like. Well, since I didn’t have like a smorgasbord of food, that was like practically everything on the table.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Breakfast Tapas Numero Uno: toasted sliced French bread (not in picture); sardines in olive oil; battered mushrooms, cheddar sliced chese; emanthal sliced cheese; low-fat sliced cheese; salad

Since I love starters so much, I might just want to host a party and serve only appetisers and finger food. Yumz!

Asian Dishes, Salads and Vegetables, Sides

Pacheri Nenas (Pineapple Relish)

October 10, 2010 7shasha7

I invited my colleagues for the first time to my house for Raya. I cooked, for the first time in my life, Pilav Rice, following loosely a recipe I found in my mother’s Indian Cookbook and the Internet.

Pacheri Nenas can be found at almost every Malay wedding. I love this to bits because it really cuts the richness of the other Malay dishes i.e. the rice, the sambal chicken, the sambal goreng.

Traditionally, one would use fresh pineapples. However, one can also use tinned pineapples. Of course, I used the latter.

In a pan, fry in a little bit of oil, cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, cloves. Add sliced onions. Add a bit of turmeric and chilli powder and then pineapples. Mix well and then add a little bit of sugar and cut red/green chillies. I used chilli padi instead.

Interestingly, the pacheri nenas was a hit with my colleague’s sons. 😀 They ate it with such aplomb that I feel like making again as a gift for the sons during the holidays.

Cakes and Cookies, Desserts

Muffin Madness

October 10, 2010 7shasha7

I’ve perfected making my muffins using Nigella Lawson’s recipe. Well, her chocolate chocolate chips muffins I follow to the T, but I’ve used her basic measurements to create my own variations. For example, my in-laws love raisins so I omitted her 2tbsp of cocoa in the recipe and added raisins instead of chocolate chips for a plain raisin recipe. What I like about Nigella’s measurements is that the muffins come out cake-like and light instead of the denser version of some muffin recipes. I’ve even memorised the recipe – that’s how often I make them now. Just to recap the recipe again:

Dry

1. 1 3/4 cups plain flour

2. 3/4 cups sugar

3. 2tsp baking powder

4. 1/2 tsp baking soda

5. 2 tbsp cocoa

Wet

1. 2/3 cup oil

2. 1 cup milk

3. 1 egg

4. 1 tsp vanilla essence

Seriously, Nigella Lawson should thank me for promoting her recipe all the time. ;p

I love these pretty paper cups. Apparently you can get even prettier ones at Chinatown. Holidays here I come! I’ll be on a cooking and buying frenzy then. 🙂

Cakes and Cookies, Desserts

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

October 8, 2010 7shasha7

Again, I made cheesecake and again, I used Chef Wan’s recipe. The only alteration I made with the recipe, if I remember correctly, was I added a wee bit of paprika in the filling. And for the base, I used crackers and whizzed it with butter.

The filling turned out divine, the crust not at all. They were crumbly and did not stick at all. I even made a topping for it or frosting. Tasted good but the sugar didn’t completely melt into the frosting. I should have used superfine castor sugar. Overall, it was quite a success and I had plenty of leftovers.

It looks so pretty right? The frosting’s a real bonus because when I baked the cake, the sides cracked. I wonder what’s the problem. I can never have a smooth even top and I can’t find a tray big or wide enough to place the cake in a water bath.

You can find the recipe for this from his book – Sweet Treats. 😀

Salads and Vegetables, Sides

Crispy Mushrooms

October 7, 2010 7shasha7

I saw at NTUC one day those cheap packets of shitake mushrooms from China. I know I should really cut down on China-made fresh produce but I love mushrooms and mushrooms are expensive. Anyway, the ones that I saw were small ones instead of the rather large ones in the bag.

Back in the kitchen, I poured equal amounts of plain and rice flour and then mixed with cold water. Then I dumped the mushrooms in and fried them till crisp. And crisp they were. After which, liberally sprinkle salt over. Mmmmm…

Ah, who can resist mushrooms, especially when fried crisp. By now, you should know that, due to a lack of patience and maybe skills, I only make easy peasy recipes so anyone can try them! Go ahead, I know you want to try making these lovely morsels of goodness… 😉