Simple Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is one of my most favourite spicy food. I remember when in secondary school life, I have nasi lemak for my breakfast and lunch for almost everyday. But in UK not easy to get nasi lemak everywhere, maybe we can get it on Malay restaurant but the price is expensive about £6.00 to £8.00 per set. Not like we get it in pasar pagi RM1.00 per pack. 

Then I decided to make it myself but if do it traditional way will use lot of time. I found the easy way to make it is by ready pack of curry paste and sambal paste. I just need 1 1/2 hrs to finish and have my lovely nasi lemak. We can get it here in Chinese shop for the ready make paste. Since cook it more my eldest monster love it as well. 

Recipes source : monsterandsharkkitchen

Curry chicken

One medium chicken

4 medium potatoes

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup water

2 stalks lemon grass (cut to about 3cm to 4cm)

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp fish sauce

Sambal

1 big onion(slice the onion)

1 bowl shrimp or squid (can use any seafood or can be plain)

1/2 cup asam juice from asam paste(tamarind juice)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp chili powder

Steamed Rice

1 1/2 cups rice

1/2 cup coconut milk(depend the cup of rice, more cups more coconut milk)

Salt to taste

1/2 cup water

2 to 3 pandan leaves(tie into knot)

Side 

Fried peanuts

Fried ikan bilis(dried anchovies)

Cucumber 

Hard boiled eggs

 

Method

Curry chicken

1. Heat some oil to fry the lemon grass until fragrant, add in the potatoes and fry until half transparent. Add the chicken. Simmer on low heat.
2. Add the curry paste, mix it even and cover with lid. Heat about 5 minute. Open the lid and add in the water and coconut milk, mix it and cover for 20 minutes. Open every 5 minutes and turn over the mixture to prevent of sticking.(prefer using non stick pan or wok)
3. When the chicken is almost cooked, add the curry,chili powder and salt. The last add the fish sauce and cover for 5 minutes. The curry chicken is Ready to serve.

Sambal

1. Blend the onion, use 1/2 tsp of oil to heat the onion until dry up.
2. Add in the sambal paste and asam juice. Keep heat it until dry up.
3. Add the salt,chili powder and dark soya sauce.
4. The last add the seafood. The sambal is ready.

Steamed coconut rice

1. Rinse your rice and drain.
2. Add in the coconut milk, water, salt and pandan leaves. Mix and cook it.

Lemon Cheesecake

My eldest monster like cheese so much...she like everything with cheese then I'm searching everywhere for the cheesecake many years. Try lot of different recipes of cheesecake like chocolate cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake, marble cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake and many many more. But this lemon cheesecake she like it the most. The recipes I get it from a magazine many years ago can't remember the name of the magazine.
I have modified some of the main recipes because the cream cheese we get it here is 200gm or 300gm. The original recipes that I'm remember is use 670gm.

This recipes is so easy to make and the taste is good and not too sweet. Is better to eat more healthy.

Recipes source : Food magazine (been modified by monsterandsharkkitchen)

For the crust on bottom
Digestive biscuits or Rich Tea biscuits about 10 to 15pcs(I'm using light digestive biscuits)
4 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp brown sugar

For the cheesecake
600gm cream cheese room temperature(I'm using medium cream cheese)
300ml of condensed milk
Lemon juice and lemon zest from whole lemon
3 eggs

For the crust

1. Prepared 8" loose round cake pan, wrap the bottom with kitchen foil.(outside of the pan)
2. Make the biscuits to fine crumbs.
3. Add in melted butter and sugar, stir the mixture evenly.
4. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and put it to refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the filling

1. Preheated the oven(fan) 150C, because this cheesecake need low temp.(Every oven is different)
2. Stir the cream cheese with spatula in a big bowl.
3. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. 
4. Add the condensed milk. 
5. At last add the eggs.Combined but don't over beat.
6. The batter should be smooth but not watery.
7. Take out the crust from refrigerate and pour the filling in.
8. Set the round pan to a slightly larger pan, shallower pan on bottom.
9. Set in the oven and then pour the hot water into the outer pan. This call water bath bake.
10. Bake for 1 hr to 1hr 15minutes or until the center is just firm. Don't overbake the cake will cause cracking and dry.
11. Turn off the oven. Leave the oven door open ajar for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Remove from the pan. Chill in a fridge for more then 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Note: 

Open the oven door ajar is let the cheesecake cool down gradually. But remember don't keep it too long in the oven because moist will develop at the bottom of the pan.

Remember don't over beat the mixture.

The water bath bake is to let the cheesecake from cracking and moist texture. Have try to bake without water bath but result is not good as water bath.

Remember , when slicing the cake need to dip the knife in warm water and clean it after every slice. 

Plain Mantou

My eldest monster is not feeling well, she don't want to take anything then I'm thinking make something plain and cutie for her. I get the dough recipes is to make char siew bao but I use it to make plain buns because this recipes is easy and no need to make the starter dough and wait for 1 days to proof. Finally all the different style of mantou is here. 

At first I'm just thinking to make some plain piggies bun but the little monster is beside of me and ask can I have something different like octopus, bird, chicken, dog , fish, hello kitty(boy and girl), bunny, panda, cat and she ask for monkey as well...oh how can I make it then I try my best to make her happy and let the eldest to take some food.

Then finally I can't make monkey and I have add a clown, pumpkin on top of her requested. Then she say the clown keep it for daddy...my funny dear.

And ask for tail for each bun.....then I say some doesn't have tail darling.

At last my eldest monster take three and the little take seven in one go...later she say to me they all have a fight in my tummy.

Adapted from: RasaMalaysia (Char Siew Bao dough)

Recipes source: Lydia Teh of My Kitchen

Dough (makes 16 to 18 buns)

(minor changes by monsterandsharkkitchen)

8 gm instant dry yeast 

160 ml lukewarm water

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice (optional)

280 gm low-protein flour

100 gm wheat starch

90 gm icing sugar

30 gm shortening or vegetable oil

5 gm baking powder

1 tsp chocolate powder or cocoa power(mix with some hot water)

Some food coloring for characters mantou

Method:

1. Sift together flours, icing sugar and baking powder. Place sifted flour mixture in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.

2. Fill well with lukewarm water, vinegar and yeast. Use a spatula, gently stir the water to dissolve the yeast then slowly bring together flour mixture.

3. Add in shortening or oil and knead for 10-15 minutes until soft dough is formed. It should be smooth on the surface.

4. Cover dough with damp cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes or until it is doubled in size.(depend the weather, I'm wait for 1 hour to rise).

5.Take some dough to mix with the chocolate paste or any food coloring you prefer.

6. Divide dough, make to a ball shape or whatever shape you like and create your own character buns. Place it on baking paper, seal side down. Cover the buns with damp cloth when you do the rest of the buns to make buns moist.

7. Arrange buns into steamer, leave about 1" gab in between buns. Spray water mist over buns and steam in a preheated steamer on high heat for 12 minutes. Remove buns from steamer and cool on rack to prevent soggy bottom.

Notes:

1. There is no need to rest the dough after shaping, but if time allowed rest for 10 minutes to get fluffier buns.

2. Adding a few drops of vinegar into steaming water will produce whiter buns.

3. Steamer must be preheated otherwise bun would not rise to the volume as it should be.

4. Spray the surface of bun with water mist helps to produce buns with smooth surface.

5. Do NOT open the lid during the steaming process.

Characters Mantou update 18 Jun 2013

Characters Mantou

Hakka Xi Ban

Been staying in London more then 10 years, very miss the food in Malaysia especially the kuih collection. This xiban (we are calling it pink kuih all the times) is my favourite, oh no is my sister and my niece as well. Then I'm start to searching for this recipes. 

Thanks for Table for 2 or more from Wendy for the recipes. Try the 1st attempt but the colour not nice maybe I'm not knead it properly because of time rushing. But is finished in a second. Requested from my sister I tried the second time....more nicer the taste and colour as well.

But from the recipes they use banana leaf for the parchment, I'm just use normal baking paper because is not easy to get it here but my sister just told me she seeing it today. I will make again next time with banana leaf.

Adapted from: Table for 2 or more

Recipe source : Aunty Yochana

(A) Sponge dough

1 tsp yeast

200gm plain flour

150gm water

(B)

100gm plain flour

150gm glutinous flour

125gm water

125gm sugar

Few drop of red colouring

Some corn oil for rubbing hands

Method

(1) Mix all the ingredients for sponge dough, cover and keep overnight. ( My dough proofing time about 14 hours because the weather here is not as warm in M'sia)

(2) Mix all the ingredients (A) and (B) together into a soft dough and proof for another 4 hours( I did this for 6 hrs).

(3) Divide soft dough into 50gm. each ,rub palm with corn oil (or maybe more if u like more bigger kuih) and place on top of a greased banana leaf. Leave to proof for another 15 minutes.

(4) Steam over moderate heat for 15 min.

(5) Remove from steamer and leave to cool.

Notes: Remember is medium heat, too hot will make the top of kuih crack.