Chocolate Chilli Cookies

There tender chocolate cookies hide a little spicey surprise in the middle. It’s best to assemble the cookies just before serving, otherwise refrigerate the sandwiched cookies to maintain the soft crunch

Recipes → Chocolate Chilli Cookies

Chocolate Cookie :

200g cold butter, cut into cubes

100g icing sugar, sifted

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

25g cocoa powder, sifted

40g rice flour, sifted

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sifted

Chilli Cream :

60g icing sugar, sifted

100g butter, softened

3 teaspoons chilli flakes

To Prepare Cookies :

Preheat oven to 175C. grease baking trays. With an electric beater fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cold butter, icing sugar and salt until salt dissolves. Beat in vanilla essence and the sifted dry ingredients until mixture binds together. Place in a bowl. Cover and chill for 20 minutes. Divide dough into balls the size of a lime and flatten. Arrange on baking trays and bake for 25 minutes until firm. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container until needed.

To Prepare filling :

Using a whisk, combine icing sugar with butter. Add chilli flakes, mix well. Set aside.

To Assemble :

Pipe cream onto the centre of a cookie and sandwich with another cookies, pressing down lightly to allow the cream to spread. Chill before serving.

Almond Bread (Biscouti)

More than 10 years ago, my dearest friend from Perth, came back to Malaysia for a reunion. She bought back these healthy and delicious cookies for me ... One word to describe this cookies ….’Delicious’

Recipes → Almond Bread (Biscouti)

Ingredients :

3 eggs white

100g castor sugar

120g plain flour

120g whole unblanched almonds

To Prepare :

Whisk egg white until light and fluffy. Slowly add in sugar and continue to whisk until stiff (pic 2).

Fold flour and almonds lightly into the mixture (pic 3)

Prepare a 20cm x 10cm/8”x4” loaf tin, line it with baking paper and pour in the mixture (pic 4,5). Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 30-35 minutes till cooked and lightly brown. Remove and leave to cool (pic 6). Cover the loaf and chill it in the fridge for 1-2 days (pic 7).

Use a very sharp knife and cut it into thin slices (pic 8). Arrange onto a baking tray lined with greased proof paper (pic 9) and bake in an oven at 130C for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, till very dry and crisp.

Leave to cool before storing.

Nice & Easy Banana Cake

Cakes are essential fare for special occasions. Besides birthdays, we usually have cakes to celebrate joyous occasions such as anniversary, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Today I would like to introduce one of the cakes that I like mostly, even though is a very simple cake, but I like it very much, Banana Cake.

Recipes → Nice & Easy Banana Cake

Ingredients :

180g butter/margarine

180g castor sugar, 2 eggs

4 ripe bananas, coarsely mashed to get 1 cup

1/8 tablespoon banana essence, optional

3 tablespoons milk, mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice

A (Sifted)

240g plain flour, 1 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

Decoration :

2 ripe bananas, sliced, 1/2 lime

To Prepare :

Cream butter and castor sugar till light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Mix in mashed bananas (pic 2), banana essence, sour milk and A till well-combined (pic 3,4)

Pour into a greased and lined 25cm x 15cm/10” x 6” loaf tin (pic 5,6) or paper cup (pic 7)

Squeeze lime juice over banana slices (pic 8), arrange banana slices on top of the cake as decoration (pic 9)

Bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for about 20-25 minutes till cooked and golden brown

Remove cake from the oven and leave to cool before serving

Nyonya Food – Kuih Angku

Let me introduce about this Malaysian most likely nyonya food - Kuih Angku. Kuih Angku is a small orange red nyonya delicacy which is made from glutinous rice flour wrapped with green bean fillings. This nyonya kuih Angku is wisely used in Chinese prayers.

Recipes --- > Nyonya Food – Kuih Angku

Skin :

50g rice flour, mixed with 210ml water and 3½ tablespoons oil, stirred and boiled, cooled

300g glutinous rice flour

A little orange red colouring

Enough water to mix into dough

Filling :

150g green peas without skin, washed, soaked for 4 hours, steamed and mashed

2 tablespoons oil

3 shallots, flattened

100g sugar

¼ tablespoon salt

To Prepare :

Filling : Heat up oil, stir-fry sliced shallots till golden brown. Discard shallot. Add mashed green peas, sugar, salt and stir-fry until it can leave the side of pan. Remove and leave to cool. Form into the small balls as filling

Skin : Mix and knead all ingredients until it forms into a pliable dough. Divided into 16-20 parts.

Wrap up 1 part of filling with 1 part of skin, press into angku mould and knock out. Line with a piece of greased banana leaf and steam with high heat for 3 minutes.

Remove and brush with oil.

Raw Food Revolution Part 2

Hie all , welcome back to continue our discussion about Raw Food Revolution. Yesterday, I already talk about Raw food philosophy and Raw food redefined. Today I would like to talk about The raw kitchen and Baby steps.

The Raw Kitchen

If you are keen to start incorporating elements of the diet into your lifestyle, you’ll be glad to know that going raw has never been easier. According to Loo, most raw food can be found in the fresh produce aisles in supermartkets, and you can easily purchase fresh fruit from the food courts or order salads from cafes and restaurants.

Back home, all you really need to prepare raw food dishes is a set of knives. Phyo recommends going for ceramic knives as they oxidize vegetables slower than metal ones, and they don’t require sharpening. Both Loo and Phyo also suggest investing in a quality high-speed blender to make sauces, soups and smoothies. You can also consider purchasing a dehydrator, which stimulates drying in the sun. it is ideal for making crackers, bread and dried fruit, and for experimenting, creating and imparting new textures to your dishes.

As fresh and unprocessed food tend to go bad faster, be prepared to buy smaller quantities and to go grocery shopping more often. However, there are also less perishable items such as dried herbs and spices, nuts and oils that you can keep stocked in your pantry. Phyo shares that she keeps on hand at least five types of nuts, a variety of sea vegetables including nori, and condiments such as olive oil, apple cider vinegar and unpasteurised miso.

Baby Steps

According to nutritionist Pooja Vig, those who commit to a raw food diet end up eating a lot more healthy food such as fruit and vegetables, while cutting out unhealthy processed foods. However, she stresses that studies have been inconclusive about the diet’s long-term health benefits.

While heat inevitably reduces the vitamins in some food, other micronutrients, such as lycopene in tomatoes, are more widely found in cooked rather than raw food. It’s a limited idealogy to say that cooking is toxic. Some methods such as deep-frying may be harmful, but light cooking methods are not, and they kill harmful microbes, too. Some such as those with poor digestive power, may also find a raw food diet unsuitable.

The jury may be out on the virtues of a 100% raw food diet, but the good news is that you don’t have to eat only raw food to experience its benefits. Any major impact to the body usually does it more harm than good. Safely integrating raw foods into your diet will reduce the chances of unpleasant detox symptoms.

Instead of going cold turkey, begin by adding more smoothies, shakes, salads and soups into your diet. If you normally have eggs and bacons for breakfast, first blend and drink up a glass of your favourite fruit smoothie or protein shake, and then enjoy your eggs and bacon. What typically happens is that you’ll only be able to eat half the amount you usually do.

For most of us, the point is not to aim for a total transition to raw foodism but to gradually up our intake of fresh, unprocessed food. After all, cutting back on frivolous calories and nourishing out bodies with the right, nutritious good is the sure and indisputable route to better health.

Raw Food Revolution Part 1

If you, like many of us, were caught up in the festive swirl of food-filled parties and soirees, chances are you would be battling the post-festive hangover of sluggishness, bloatedness and possibly, weight gain. But while most would think to simply reduce calorific treats in a bid to shed the pounds, some have chosen to take it a step further by eating only fresh, uncooked food.

Popularized in the West, raw foodism (practitioners are known as raw foodists) is an increasingly common diet that has taken health-concious individuals the world over by storm. And it seems that weight loss is just one of the many perks that the raw food lifestyle brings.

Raw Food Philosophy

A raw food diet consists of eating unprocessed foods that are not heated above 47 degree Celsius, so as not to destroy the vitamin and enzymes present. Raw foodists believe that these enzymes assist in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, thereby allowing our bodies to maximize the energy derived from the food.

A raw food lifestyle is about getting the most nutrition out of every food we eat. America based celebrity raw food chef and cookbook author Ani Phyo elaborates; ‘Raw food is nutrient-dense so you are not eating empty calories. Each bite is packed with vitamin, minerals and all the things out bodies need to function as well-oiled machines’.

The diet is said to be the ultimate healing diet and its proponents even suggest that it can reverse and cure chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes. In Loo’s case, going on the raw food diet healed her eczema (a condition where skin is susceptible to turning dry and inflamed) and turned her hair black from the roots, despite the fact that she’s had white hair since primary school. Many raw foodists also report health benefits including weight loss, mental clarity, more radiant skin and higher energy and fitness levels.

Raw Food Redefined

There are several subcategories of raw foodists ranging from fruitarians (people who consume mostly fruit) to those who eat raw meat. However, the majority follow a raw vegan diet that emphasises uncooked and unprocessed fruit, vegetable, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains and beans.

While it hardly sounds exciting or appetising, don’t be misled into thinking that all they eat is rabbit food. You may just be surprised by the similarity in flavours and textures to cooked food that raw dishes boast. As Phyo rightly observes, many of us actually already enjoy dishes such as guacamole and gazpacho without realizing that they are raw.

Over the past 8 years, raw food chefs have also developed a plethora of recipes to turn fresh produce into imaginative, delicious creations that can rival cooked dishes – think zucchini pastas. Veggie burgers and chocolate cakes made using only nuts, dates and cocoa powder.

hyo, who created over 250 raw recipes including noodles, wraps and ice cream for her cookbook Ani’s Raw Food Essentials, shares: ‘Raw fruit and vegetables are beautiful and vibrant, and the addition of fresh herbs and spices really brings out their flavours.

To be continue in Part 2 ….

5 Brainly Breakfasts

It is common knowledge that breakfast is the meal that ‘breaks the fast’ after
8-12 hours of not eating through the night. And most have heard that breakfast
is the most important meal of the day. But then we may ask ourselves, why?
What’s the big deal about breakfast? Eating breakfast helps both adults and children to pay better attention and improves mental performance. People who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to get all the nutrients they need in a day to feel good and be healthy. Eating breakfast can also keep us from overeating later in the day. Start the day the right way, with these quick, easy and nutritious recipes …..

Recipes --- > Iced banana shake (1 Serving)

Break 1 ripe, peeled banana into 1 blender. Add 150ml milk, 1 tablespoons honey, 2 ice cubes and 1 tablespoons wheatgerm, if you have any. Whizz until smooth.

Recipes --- > 5 minutes blueberry porridge (1 Serving)

Mix 50g rolled oats, 200ml milk and 2-3 pinches cinnamon in a microwaveable bowl. Cover tightly with cling film, pierce once, then microwave on Med-High for 2 mins, swirling halfway through cooking. Add 50g blueberries and a drizzle honey, cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes more.

Recipes --- > Avocado bagel (1 Serving)

Split and toast 1 multigrain bagel, then thickly spread with ½ soft avocado scooped straight from the skin. Squeeze over a little lemon juice, if you like.

Recipes --- > Dippy egg with marmite soldier (1 Serving)

Brings a pan of water to a simmer. Add 2 eggs, simmer for 2 minutes if room temp, 3 minutes if fridge-cold, then turn off heat. Cover the pan and leave for 2 minutes more. Meanwhile, toast 4 slices wholemeal bread and spread thinly with butter, then marmite. To serve, cut into soldiers and dip into the egg, then a few mixed seeds.

Recipes --- > Night-before bircher muesli (1 Serving)

the night before, mix 200g rolled oats with 400ml milk, then chill. In the morning,
stir in 2 grated apples and 85g skin-on almonds, then eat with a dollop of yoghurt.