Simple Homemade Pizza

Dinner is ready in 30 minutes!

A - Roll out the dough

B - Add your favorite toppings together with tomato sauce and cheese.

C - Bake at 175 degree for 20 minutes

**Pizza dough and tomatos sauce can be prepared days in advance. **

Pizza Dough (from All Recipes)

200 ml warm water

7 g instant yeast

275 g bread flour

30 ml olive oil

6 g salt

8 g sugar

1) Add instant yeast to warm water. Rest for 10 minutes / turns foggy.

2) Combine flour, salt & sugar. Make a well in the flour and add in oil and yeast mixture.

3) Mix well and knead into a dough (takes 5-10 minutes).

4) Rest the dough under the cling wrap till it becomes double in size (takes 45-60 mins).

5) Roll out to the desired size.

Pizza Sauce (from MyWokLife)

1 can tomato puree (411g)

1 tbsp chopped onion

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Italian mixed herbs

1 tbsp butter

Blackpepper to taste

1) Sautee onion in butter

2) Stir in tomato and season with sugar, salt, mixed herbs pepper.

3) Simmer for 20 minutes. Cool and store.

Carrot Walnut Cake

A good old recipe with a new look ...

Cinnamon Rolls

I have read that Vietnam is a producer of cinnamon and so when I know that somebody is going there, I can't help but ask that some authentic Vietnamese ground cinnamon be brought back.

Now, the best way to finish a bottle of strong and fragrant ground cinnamon before it expires is to make cinnamon rolls! So far, I made 3 batches and more are coming up.

The rolls chill pretty well and are as tasty as freshy-made ones with just a few minutes in the oven.

Dough:

140g of water

20g milk powder

35g egg (beaten)

20g caster sugar

125g bread flour

125g plain flour

4g instant yeast

38g butter

Filling:

Margarine

Caster sugar

Ground cinnamon

1) Place the dough ingredients in a breadmaker and set to Dough. My breadmaker takes 90 minutes to knead and rest dough.

2) Remove dough from breadmaker and press out the gas.

3) Roll dough into a rectangle and lightly spread on the margarine. Then sprinkle caster sugar and ground cinnamon (as much as you like it)

4) Roll up and cut into 8 pieces.

5) Arrange them into a greased baking tin and let them rest for 30 minutes.

6) Brush with leftover egg, sprinkle with some castor sugar and baking at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Lemon Cake

Quite a satisfactory lemon cake from All Recipes! Crispy outer skin; fine & moist crumbs when eaten warm. Definitely worth baking again.

Here's the recipe with some adjustments:

226g unsalted butter (i used 200g vegtable oil)

200g white sugar (i used 180g fine sugar)

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract (i used pure vanilla extract)

Zest of 1 lemon

260g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

60ml fresh lemon juice

1) Whisk oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest still smooth

2) Fold in dry mixture (sieve and mix flour, baking powder and salt)

3) Fold in lemon juice. The batter is quite runny.

4) Bake at 180 degrees for 40-45 minutes in grease tin or paper cups.

Carrot Walnut Cake

I can't remember how many times I have made this. It's a favorite at home and in the office.

Ingredients A

2 eggs

150 ml vegetable oil

150 g white sugar (can reduce to 100g)

5 ml of vanilla extract

Ingredients B

125 g all purpose flour

5 g baking powder

5 g baking soda

2 g salt

2 g ground cinnamon

Ingredients C

165 g grated carrot

60 g chopped walnut

1) Beat A

2) Add B to A and mix

3) Stir in C

4) Bake at 175 degrees for 40-50 minutes

Frosting (Optional)

55 g unsalted butter @ room temperature

220 g cream cheese at room temperature

240 g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

1) Mix butter and cream cheese till no lumps.

2) Beat in icing sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest

Pasta in tomato sauce

This is fast food.

I have bottles of chilled tomato sauce. Whenever I'm pressed for time, I heat up the sauce and stir in the boiled pasta. For protein, I pan-fry a snapper fillet lightly-seasoned with salt and pepper. Sometimes, I will substitue fish with fresh button mustrooms.



Tomato sauce can easily be made using the following recipe from Chef Yong (I think):

25g tomato paste
400g chopped can tomatoes
200ml water
100ml olive oil
50g chopped onion
50g chopped carrots
50g chopped celery
1 piece of bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh garlic

1) Heat oil and saute garlic till fragrant and add onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf
2) Stir in tomato paste until mixture turns bright red
3) Pour chopped tomatoes and water, and bring mixture to a boil
4) Simmer for 20 minutes and season with salt.
5) Cool and chill sauce

Japanese Cotton Soft Cheese Cake

My first attempt at making a Japanese cheese cake. Not to difficult... anybody who loves cheese cake should try this version. The recipe is taken from Diana's Desserts, reproduced below for easy reference.


Ingredients:
140g fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
50g butter
250g cream cheese
100 ml fresh milk
1 tbsp. lemon juice
60g cake flour /superfine flour
20g cornflour (cornstarch)
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Stir in the egg yolks and lemon juice, and fold in the flour, cornflour, salt and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

3. Fold the egg white mixture in three portions into the cheese mixture. Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper).

4. Bake cheese cake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F).

Makes 1 (8-inch) cheesecake, 12 servings.

Coffee & Walnut Cake

Coffee and walnut are two of my favourite food. Now, a cake that combines these two ingredients is irresistible. Here's a recipe I chanced upon in BBC Food. I have reduced the sugar and substituted butter for sunflower oil. Eat when its still warm - cripsy on the outside and moist on the inside. Yum!

125g butter (I used sunflower oil)

125g sugar (I used 100g)

2 eggs

125g self-raising flour (or 125g plain flour + 1 1/3 tsp baking powder + 1/5 tsp salt)

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp coffee dissolved in 100ml water (I used 50 ml)

100g walnuts (I used 50g chopped walnuts)

Beat butter and sugar, and then beat in eggs, flour and baking powder. Spoon in the coffee mixture till the batter drops easily from the spoon. Finally, stir in the walnuts. Bake at 170 degree celsius for about 40 minutes.

HortPark & Tree-top Walk

I recently visited the HortPark and took a walk from HortPark to Henderson Waves. It was refreshing, rejuvenating and I feel recharged at the end of it.

Fruity Loaf

A recipe from My Kitchen Snippets. I have used raisins, cranberries, prunes and walnuts for the fillings.

Before it goes into the oven ...

Just out of the oven...


All ready to eat!

Tropical Terrarium

My feeble attempt at making two jars of terrarium. And of course the backup plants, in case those in the jars do not survive after my rough handling!

Japanese Mochi

Boxes of Japanese Mochi that flew all the way from Tokyo. They make great gifts and remind me of a shop at The Central that sells very exquisitely-wrapped Japanese snacks.

Sesame Cookies

Wow, three months has passed since my last update in December 2009.

This recipe is the same for Peanut Butter Cookies except for some little adjustments hightlighted below:

Ingredients:
70g salted butter, softened
80g castor sugar
1 medium-size egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
40g tahini (grounded sesame seeds)
140g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
14g black & white toasted sesame seeds

They taste surprisingly yummy!

Pandan Kaya

An easy recipe from here. I omitted the pandan paste and hence, the dull colour. Perhaps stirring a piece or two of whole pandan leaves in the simmering kaya will help enhance the pandan fragrance...

Mum's Curry Chicken

A dish of curry chicken using my mum's curry paste. Like most mothers, mine also does not weigh her ingredients - its all based on experience.

What's in the paste: fresh tumeric, galangah, dried chilli, shallots, dried shrimps, garlic and lemon grass.

The curry:
[1] Brown potatoes and 6 chicken drumlets in vegetable oil and remove from pan.
[2] Remove excess oil and stir-fry 1 tablespoon of curry paste till fragrance.
[3] Stir in potatoes and chicken drumlets and fry for a few minutes.
[4] Add about 350 ml of coconut milk OR the same quantity of low fat evaporated milk.
[5] Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 25 minutes.
[6] Add light soy sauce to taste.

Banana Walnut Cake

Another loaf of Banana Walnut Cake - my favourite! and the kind of cake which I would love to perfect it.

The ingredients are as stated. I have misplaced the source and thus unable to cite it here.

Ingredients A
100g fine sugar ( I used 50g)
55g unsalted butter (I used vegetable oil)
1 egg
2 ripe bananas (mashed)
3ml vanilla essence

Ingredients B
125g plain flour
2g baking soda
2g salt
30g walnuts (chopped)

[1] Whisked ingredients A and set aside.
[2] Sieve ingredients B
[3] Stir dry mixture into wet mixture. Add the walnuts.

There you have it. I took 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to bake in a 190 degrees oven.

French Baguettes

Sometimes, all we need are a few simple ingredients... this is an example. Four soft and delicious buns from simply:

340g bread flour
10g sugar
6g salt
6g yeast
235ml water (or 215g)

Not a drop of oil is used!

The recipe comes from AllReceipes.

All-In Bread

I called this an All-In Bread because I have added dried peach, fresh corn and walnuts, all the frills that I have in my pantry, into this bread...

Here's the recipe:

345g bread flour
35g sugar
6g salt
6g dried yeast
12g milk powder
190g water
25g butter
100g mixture of chopped walnuts, dried peach & fresh corn kernels

I added all the wet ingredients followed by the dried ingredients to the breadmaker. Upon beeping, I added the 100g fruit/nut mixture.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

This is something I would not attempt baking at home because of the time and discipline required. I'm just an impatient home baker. This, I made in a baking class ...

Peanut Butter Cookies

Simple ingredients that make tasty peanut butter cookies. A recipe adapted from Joy of Baking.

Ingredients:
85g unsalted butter, softened
100g sugar
1 medium-size egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
80g smooth peanut butter
140g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
50g ground peanuts

[1] Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla extract and peanut butter.
[2] Combine flour, baking soda, salt and stir into [1] together with ground peanuts.
[3] Chill the dough for ease of shaping and cutting.
[4] Bake at 175 degrees until fragrance and brown on the edges.