Seafood Yellow Rice

To make this dish is no brainier at all.This rice dish look similar with Paella but it's NOT!! Why? because I didn't add any saffron into it.All I need is a pack of Goya yellow rice and seafood of my choice.This priceless seafood dish can be ready in less than an hour!!Taadah!!

Ingredients:
1 pack of Goya yellow rice *seasoning included*
1 large white squid,sliced
3 pieces boneless tilapia,sliced about 2 inches
15 shrimp,de-shelled and clean
4 chicken tender or boneless chicken,cut cubes

1 large onion,peeled and diced
1 cup frozen green peas


1 1/2 cup tomato puree
1 1/2 water or more if needed
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
4 tbsp olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic,minced 
salted to taste
1 tbsp ground black pepper

Method:
1:Prepare any flat pan(I used Paella pan) with olive oil and minced garlic at medium heat.Fry garlic until fragrant or slight golden brown.Add in onion and yellow rice with water and tomato puree,mix well.
2:Cover with lid and let the rice cook for 15 minutes.Use spatula to stir the rice to prevent from sticking at the bottom.Add in chicken and more water if necessary.Let's the rice cook thoroughly before add in fish,shrimp and squid,mix well with the rest of ingredients.
3:Cover again with the lid for another 10 minutes.Add in salt and ground black pepper,mix well.Check the seasoning.Sprinkle the frozen green pea on the top,cover again to let it rest for 5 minutes before remove from heat.
4:Dish out the rice and serve warm.






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Wild Berry Galette

It's the season of berries now:Strawberry,blueberries,raspberry and all kind of wild berries. Last week when I was visiting my GYN office,I saw a wild berries tree fill of ripe berries at the parking lot.I purposely parked my van in front of the wild berries tree.The wild berries look so beautiful,sweet and ripe.Of course, I can't resist not picking it..Luckily I have  a spare plastic bag in my vehicle ..It's took me more than an hour to pick all of the ripe berries of the tree.I was surprised,I picked almost 3 pounds of this wild berries...Well,what should I do with this berries? How about wild berries pie? At last, I decided to adapted Galatte Wild Berries in one of Julie Child 's Baking book.Instead of Galette dough recipe I used her pastry recipe.

Ingredients: (I divided below recipe into 4 portions)
5 1/4 cups pastry flour or all purpose flour
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) cold unsalted butter,cut into small pieces
1 3/4 cups (11 oz) solid vegetable shortening ,chilled
1 cup ice water

Method:

To Make The Dough by Hand:

1:Mix the flour  and salt together  in a large bowl.Add in butter and using a pastry blender or your fingers if you prefer.Cut it into the flour until all the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.Be patient this takes a while.

2:Break up the shortening and add it in bits to the bowl.Still working with the pastry blender or your fingers,cut in the shortening until the mixture has small clumps and curds.

3:Switch to a wooden spoon and add the ice water,stirring to incorporate it.Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it over on itself a few times-Don't get carried away.The dough will be soft,but it will firm sufficiently in the refrigerator.

Chilling The Dough:

1:Divide the dough and wrap the dough in plastic pr foil and refrigerator for at least 2 hours or for long as 5 days.

2:When the dough is thoroughly chilled and firm,it is ready to roll out and use in any recipe calling for flaky pie crust. 

Wild Berries Filling :

1/4 of the flaky of crust recipe,chilled

1 1/2 or 2 cups wild berries (soaked in cold water and salt for 10 minutes before drain)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 stick butter,cut

1 yolk + 2 TBSP WATER

Method:
1:Preheat oven to 400F.Sprinkle some flour on baking sheet.Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it into an 11 inch circle that about 1/8 inch thick.
2:Since the dough is soft,you'll need to lift it now and then and toss some more flour under it and over the top.Roll up the dough around your rolling pin and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
3:Spread the berries coated with flour,leaving a 2 to 3 inch border.Sprinkle the sugar all over the berries.Cut the butter into silver and scatter on top of the berries. Fold the uncovered boarder of dough up over the filling,allowing the dough to pleat as you lift it up and work around the galette.
4:Dip pastry brush into egg washer,give the edge of crust a light coating .Bake the galette for 40-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the galette rest on the sheet for 10 minutes.
5:Serve warm or at room temperature,cutting the tart with a pizza wheel or a sharp knife.

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Strawberry Emulsified Sponge Cream Cake

As I mentioned before I bought couple of baking books from Malaysia.I always  interested to find out why and how most of  the Asian or Chinese bakery cake's is so spongy, fine,smooth and soft.Beside the perfect soft texture,I also wonder why the cake is spongy and not greasy..It's there a way or secret to make this type of cake at home? One of the Malaysia's baker that I really admired is Alex Goh.Yes,I bought couple of his baking cake and bread books from few major bookstore in Kayel(KL).Today I'm going to post one of the sponge cake I tried out last week.Indeed the sponge cake texture is really spongy,moist and soft. Strawberry is relative cheap now.A box of  3 pounds strawberry from BJ's cost $4.99 only.As you can see the strawberry I used was quite ripe.Mishu eat barely a pound of the 3 pounds strawberries and the rest was sitting in the fridge for days.So before it's goes bad, I better used it for the cake as the filling..right? I was surprised ,my 1st experiment with this recipe was really beyond my expectation!!! The cake texture is really spongy,soft and moist.This recipe is a keeper!! Good Luck!!

(pardon my cake decoration appearance .I should cut off the brown layer before cream it)

Ingredients:
For Sponge Cake:
(A)
160 gm sugar
15 gm cake emulsifier
(B)
5 eggs
125 gm cake flour or all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
(C)
10 ml water
(D)
75 g melted unsalted butter

For the Decoration:
1 quart/946 ml fresh whipping cream
1 cup sugar
1 pound fresh strawberry
some sugar powder for sprinkle

Method:

For The Sponge Cake:

1:Preheat oven to 180C/355 F.Spray butter or oil on a 9 inch round mould.Then sprinkle some flour on it before shake the excess of.

2:Pour (A) into the mixing bowl/mixer,mix well .Add in (B) and beat until thick.

3:Stir in (C) with the batter.Whip the batter till light and fluffy.

4:Mix (D) till well blended.Pour it into the prepared 9 inch round mould.

5:Bake for 30 minutes.Once it baked remove cake immediately from the mould to cool completely.

Decoration of  Cream Cake:

1:Prepare the sponge cake.Cut the sponge cake into 2 or 3 horizontal layers.Set aside.

2:Cut some strawberries into thin slices about 2 mm thick,set aside.Combine sugar and whipped cream in mixer,beat until soft peak are formed.

3:Place 1st layer of sponge on the bottom of turntable.Use spatula to cover the cake with whipped cream.Then place slice strawberries on top.Continue the same procedure for the 2nd  and 3rd layer.

4:Smooth the cream on the top before decorate with strawberries.Brush strawberries with jam glaze .*I used jam glaze mixed with gelatin*

5:Store in fridge for 30 minutes to1 hour.Sprinkle with some sugar powder.*optional*Cut and serve chilled.

whipped cream double bowl in ice water.

should remove the brown layer before cream but what the heck!!

cover with whipped cream

top with strawberries slices

Taaaa...dah!!!

Cake emulsified or Ovalette  are the same cake agents.

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Pandan Flavor Chiffon Cake By Alex Goh

I bought a couple of Alex Goh's baking books when I was in Malaysia. Nowadays I hardy bake any cake becos the whole family are on-diet.But I promised hubby to bake some cake for his friends..For me, the easiest and simple cake to bake is chiffon cake. This time ,I won't used my old chiffon cake recipe.In fact I adapted Pandan chiffon cake recipe from Alex Goh's baking book.I was amazed with the result!! The cake texture is really moist and soft fine!!

Note: I used a 10 inch tube pan and 2 mini tube pans instead of one 10 inch tube pan.The reason is I'm going to give away these cake to 2 different person.Happy Baking!!

Ingredients:
(A)
4 large egg yolks
120 ml coconut milk
70 ml vegetable or corn oil
1/8 tsp salt
100 gm sugar
150g cake flour,sifted
1 tsp baking powder,sifted
2 drops or 1 tbsp pandan essences

(B)
4 large egg whites
90 gm sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Method:
1:Preheat oven to 175 C or 350 F.Combine egg yolks,sugar and oil into a mixing bowl,mix well with beater or whisker.
2:Add the remaining ingredients in (A) into the mixing bowl,beat well until smooth.Set aside.
3:Whisk the egg white in electric mixer until soft peak appear.Add in sugar and cream of tartar.Continue to whip until stiff.
4:Fold in 1/3 ingredients (B) into (A) with spatula,mix well.Fold the remaining (B) into (A) until well combined.Pour batter into tube pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.
5:Remove from oven and immediately invert the tube pan upside down.Leave to cool before remove cake from mould.

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