Monday 31 October 2011

Lodeh-Javanese Curry

Lodeh Tahu Dengan Udang - Javanese Style Curry
(Curry Tofu With Prawns)

This Javanese curry style is mild but spicy and very quick to cook.  What you need is coconut milk, chilli, shallot and galangal for the sauce.  The rest of the ingredients are tofu, fresh prawns, spinach and potatoes.
Serve the curry at room temperature with steamed white rice.


Lodeh Tahu Dengan Udang
Curry Tofu With Prawns -Javanese Style Curry


Recipe

Lodeh Tahu Dengan Udang
(Curry Tofu With Prawns)
Ingredients:
12 small puffed fried tofu, sliced
6 large fresh prawns, clean and keep the heads on
(1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon light soy)
1 cup diced potatoes
2 cups chopped spinach or silver beets
1/2 green capsicum, chopped
3 cups light coconut milk
Spices-herbs
2 red chilis, chopped
1 small sliced galangal
2 shallots, sliced thinly
1 garlic crushed
1 teaspoon brown sugar or a little sliced coconut sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Method
Rub the prawns with lemon juice and soy, keep aside
In a pot place the coconut milk, the spices - herbs, cook over medium heat
Bring it to a gentle simmer then add in the tofu, potato, capsicum, salt and sugar
Cook for five to 8 minutes, let it simmer gently until the  potatoes are cooked
Then  add in  the spinach, do not stir, place the prawns on it, add in the juices
Cook for a few minutes, when the prawn started to turn colour, turn them over
Continue cooking for two minutes, don't overcook the prawns
Transfer on a serving plate or bowl.
Serve the Tofu with Prawns Lodeh with hot steamed white rice.



The Preparation and Cooking







Serve with a hot steamed white rice.



This curry is very refreshing, the spinach, and the subtle spices bought together with the freshness of the dish.  Serve the meal in any season, it is a light and delicious curry.

Give the recipe a go, and enjoy!

Happy Cooking
Susy
xx

Sunday 30 October 2011

Soups

Susy's Sunday Soup

Today is a perfect day for cooking soup.  Potato, celeriac, cauliflower, bacon and leek are the ingredients for my Sunday's soup.  It is creamy, but light served with toasted sourdough bread.  I cooked just enough for two, and I served it on the same day.
If you wish to cook for more people, what you do is double the quantities of the ingredients from the recipe.

Soups that I like to cook and freeze them are peas and bacon soup, lentil, bacon and vegetables soup.  Soup is comfort food,  it is a meal in itself, and we all love it.


Sunday Soup-Creamy Soup






Recipe

Sunday's Soup
2 serves
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup cauliflower
1/4 cup celeriac
1 lean bacon chopped
1 small shallot and a slice of leek
3 cups of water
2 tablespoons cream
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
Fresh herb - dills
Method
Place the water in a pot, cook over medium-hot, bring the water to simmer
Add in the celeriac, cook it until soft, then add the rest of the ingredients
Cook for one hour over low heat, off heat to cool
When it is cold, blend the soup until smooth
Heat the soup stir in the cream, the soup should be thick enough and creamy

Drizzle with olive oil to serve and some chopped dills.
Garnish the soup with toasted sourdough bread.



The Cooking Process

The soup after it's added with some cream and fresh dills.


Easy soup to cook, one of my soups for Sunday.  I will share soup recipes again soon.


Happy Sunday!




Until next Post
Susy

Saturday 29 October 2011

Jumbo Cupcakes

To  Bake  A  Jumbo  Cupcake


This post is for my second daughter Jane, it is a part of her birthday present.  I think it is an excellent gift for her as she loves baking.  It is about how to bake the jumbo cupcake; step by step how to do. 

To bake a large cake is better if it is slightly over cooked than raw in the middle.  Perfectly baked cake today is a jumbo cupcake. It is a butter cake which has two colours, pink and cream/plain.  You can make into a rainbow cake if you wish, it is up to you to play with colours.
Happy Baking, Jane.



Preparations

Heat oven to 160 degrees C

The Jumbo Cupcake Tin - Buttered and Lined


The Ingredients
Butter 350g, caster sugar350g, 350g self-rising flour+175g plain flour
6 eggs and 3 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mixing The Cake
Creaming the Butter and Sugar until fluffy
Add the vanilla

Adding the Eggs
One egg at the time-lightly beaten


The mixture might look a
little bit curdled, but don't worry!!!!
Mix in both flours until just combined.  Do it by hands,
preferably in the mixer, so they are just incorporated.
Put about two thirds into the cupcake 'bottom.'
and a third in the top
Bake the Jumbo Cupcakes in the preheated oven 160 degrees C for 1 hour and 10 minutes
(in my oven, after half an hour of baking I put baking paper over the cake to prevent to get burnt)
Stay in the tin for 10 minutes before turning them out, cool on a tray                                                      
From the cake mixture, I had leftover to make 4 small cakes
Pink and Vanilla Butter Cake, it is a moist and rich cake.  Decorate with buttercream - icing or as you like it.
One quantity of the buttercream icing

Ingredients

185g butter softened
2 1/4 cups icing sugar mixture
2 tablespoons milk

Method

Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a bowl until pale. Gradually add icing sugar mixture and milk, continually whisking until combined.
Enjoy and Have Fun
mum
xx
The Recipe  from The Blue Door Bakery
350g Caster Sugar


350g Unsalted Butter (soft!)
3 Tsp Vanilla Extract
6 Medium or Large Eggs
350g Self Raising Flour
175g Plain Flour
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla.
Beat the eggs in one by one. The mixture might look a little bit curdled, but don't worry!
Mix in both flours until just combined, we do this by hand rather than in the mixer so that they are just incorporated.
Put about two thirds into the cupcake 'bottom' and a third in the top.
Bake for about 1 and a half hours at 160 C. You may need to adjust this time depending on your own oven!


Friday 28 October 2011

Omelettes

Omelette  Rolls With  Fillings




Another way to serve eggs; an omelette with fillings, fresh herbs, meat or without.  Make a flat omelette out of lightly beaten eggs, mix with plain flour to make more pliable.   This omelette can hold the filling better when it is rolled.






Omelette Mixture
Makes 2 large omelettes

2 eggs lightly beaten
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon oil
Place all in a bowl, mix them together to make a thin batter.
Cook as you cook a normal omelette.

The filling:  anything that you wish to have.  Meat with vegetables or Vegetables only.

Samples of fillings:
shredded lettuce, carrots, asparagus, herbs

The Omelette Rolls


Another variation, line the omelette with a whole leaf of lettuce, then place the filling on.



Sliced tofu with scrambled eggs, mushrooms and vegetables,  make a substantial vegetarian filling.


Have fun, try this omelette rolls with fillings.

Thanks for visiting my blog, have a good weekend.
Until Next Post
Susy



Thursday 27 October 2011

Delicious

Leftovers

You can make delicious meals out of leftovers.


Using leftover from cooking, some dishes have no problem to keep refrigerated and can be eaten the following day, wasting food is not necessary.   As for fresh salads, they don't follow, it has to be thrown away, yes it is a shame.  Tabbouleh can keep well for the next day from my experience.


leftover tabbouleh salad




leftover noodles dish
Noodles, one thing about noodles taste better the next day, leftover pasta is alright too.  It keeps well refrigerated. The same with rice dishes, as long as they are wrapped up hygienically, it is safe enough to be eaten the next day.



leftover rice pilaf

leftover rice-paella







Leftover roast dinner can be convenient, particularly the meat, it's suitable for sandwich filling, or grind the chicken and mix with any cooked, roasted vegetables, make them into croquettes or pancakes filling.  They are delicious.

leftover roast pork, it is good to serve
with salads or for sandwich filling












Maybe not everyone has the experience to have leftover,  you be disciplined enough to cook just right for the family, it is excellent and commendable.  It is a good thing too if you don't like having a leftover, It's less work and less a space for the refrigerator.


Until Next Post
Susy