Pizza….

Baking Time: 20 mins

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Serving for 2 to 4 persons

Ingredients

Scone dough:

250g Self Raising Flour

100g butter

8 tbsp milk

Method:

1. Sieve the flour in a bowl. Add butter and knead. Slowly add milk and knead into a dough.

2. Lay the dough on a pizza pan.

Toppings:

300g minced beef

2 pcs pineapple ring

1 green pepper

1 large onion

2 tbs tomato paste

50g cheddar cheese

50g mozarella cheese

1 dash of oregano leaves

Method

1. Cut the onion and green pepper in cubes.

2. Grate the cheddar cheese.

3.  Spread the tomato paste on the dough and add the toppings on top.

4. Bake at 200 degrees celsius for 20 mins.

Quiche Lorraine – Vegetarian friendly :p

Preparation Time: 40 mins

Baking Time: 40 mins

Serving for 6 – 8 persons

Ingredients

For Pastry:

4 oz butter

4 oz cream cheese

4 oz plain flour

For Filling:

6 oz cheddar cheese

8 Mid size Portobello Mushroom

3 mid size onion (sliced)

3 whole eggs

2 oz milk

2 oz fried shallot (optional)

Method

For Pastry:

Cream butter and cream cheese till smooth. Add flour to it, mix well and roll out to fit 9 inch pie tin

For Filling:

1. Grate the cheese.

2. Cut the mushroom into cubes and stry fry till soft.

3. Saute onion till golden brown.

4. Place the onions, mushroom and cheese (in order of bottom to top) in layers in the pie tin.

5. Beat the eggs and milk lightly.

6. Pour egg mixture and add shallot (optional) on top.

7. Bake at 200 degrees for 40 mins.

Light sandwich – Avocado yum yum

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Servings for 5 persons

Ingredients

1 Avocado

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Method

1. Spread butter over bread and toast it for 4 mins.

2. Spread avocado over the toasted bread.

3. Sprinkle salt and pepper according to taste.

Optional: You may like to add lettuce and tomato slices for healthier diet.

You may like to check out these sites for benefits of Avocado:

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-avocados.html

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=5

Bake your own ….BAKED rice

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Cooking Time: 40 mins

Serving for 2 – 4 persons

Ingredients

20 g shredded Cheddar cheese

20 g shredded Parmesan cheese

20 g shredded Mozzarella cheese

2 – 3 cups of cooked rice

2 Italian sausages (cut into slices)

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1 tsp of Italian Herbs

150 g sliced chicken thigh

Method

1. Marinate chicken thigh with 1 tsp of light soy sauce, pepper to taste, 1 tsp corn starch and garlic for 20 mins.

2. Spread the cooked rice on the baking casserole dish.

3. Add toppings, chicken mixture, sausages. Add the cheese on top of the toppings. Beat an egg and glaze on top of the cheese.

4. Heat the oven and bake for 30 – 40 mins. Cover the top with the aluminium foil if the cheese turns too dark during baking.

Refreshing Salad

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

½ Iceberg Lettuce

½ carrot

½ cucumber

10 g sunflower seeds

120 g cheddar cheese (shredded)

10 grapes (cut into half)

1 small tangerine (peel in slices)

4 Tbsp Italian Dressing

Method

1. Shred the carrot, cucumber and wash with ice cold water. Drain dry.

2. Wash the cabbage and remove the core. Keep the entire leaves and tear them into pieces of approximately 5 – 6 cm X 5 – 6 cm. Drain dry.

3. Wash the grapes, tangerines and drain dry.

4. Grate the cheese.

5. Mix the vegetables and fruits in a salad bowl. Toss with the Italian dressings. Remove and serve with sunflower seed and cheese on top of the salad.

Chicken with sour cream

Preparation Time: 40 mins

Serving for 4 – 6 persons

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

250 ml sour cream

300g boneless chicken thighs

1 tsp cooking wine

2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

2 tsp mixed herbs or Italian herbs

2 large onions

5 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp cooking oil

Method

1 Diced chicken and marinate with cooking wine, salt and pepper for 5 mins.

2. Chopped the onions and minced the garlic and saute with butter and oil for 15 mins till soft and slightly brown.

2. Add diced chicken and stir fry for 15 mins with the onion and garlic.

3. Add 2 Tbsp of water and cook for 2 mins.

4. Add sour cream and stir for 10 mins.

5. Add herbs and cook at low heat and simmer for another 15 mins.

Chestnuts Braised Duck

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Serving for 4 persons

Ingredients

Half a duck

1 stick of cinnamon

1 star anise

3 cloves

1 cardamon seed

2 slices of ginger

10 to 15 of pepper seeds crushed

3 Tbsp dark soya sauce

3 bowls of water

1 tsp sesame oil

400 – 500 g chestnuts

Method

1. Wash and scald duck with hot water. Rub it with 1 tsp of five spices powder to marinate for 30 mins.

2. Bowl the chestnuts for about 30 mins remove and soak in cold water. Remove the skin.

3. Bowl the water and add the dark soya sauce, sesame oil, ginger, pepper, cardamon, star anise, cinnamon stick and cloves. Add chestnuts and cook for 30 mins.

4. Add duck and bring it to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer for 30 mins.

5. Cook at low heat for another 1 hour before serving.

Tips:

If you like to know more about the spices….

Cardamon; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardamom or http://www.naturopathydigest.com/nutrition_herbs/herbs/cardamon_seed.php

Cinnamon; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon or http://www.naturopathydigest.com/nutrition_herbs/herbs/cinnamon.php

Awesome Yam Cake…

Preparation Time: 2 hours

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Serving for 10 to 15 persons

Ingredients

300 g Rice Flour

600 g Yam

1 Tbsp Dim Sum Flour

300 g Pork

300 g Dried Shrimp

300 g Chinese Sausage

8  Dried Shitake mushrooms

1 tsp five spices powder

6 bowls of hot water

1 Tbsp pork oil/lard (can use shallot and garlic oil for substitute)

3 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Cut the yam in cubes of 2 cm X 2 cm, use oil to stir fry for about 3 mins. Remove from wok and add 5 spices powder to marinate for about 30 mins.

2. Mix the yam with the lard and steam for 20 mins.

3. Heat wok and stir fried the dried shrimp, mushroom and pork for about 10 mins.

4. Add rice flour and tim sum flour in a bowl. Add salt, sugar and sesame oil and mix with 3 bowls of hot water.

5. Remove the yam from the steamer, add the dried shrimp, mushroom and pork with the 3 bowls of hot water and flour mixture.

6. Mix them well and pour over a tray and steam for about 1 hour.

7. Remove the cooked yam cake and add shallot and garlic oil on the top of the cake.

Let’s get CHEEZeeeeee… cake

Preparation Time: 40 mins

Ingredients for cream cheese mixture

500 g cream cheese

60 g caster sugar

2 cans (about 900 g) of crushed pineapple

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

300 g thickening cream (whipped)

2 Tbsp gelatine powder, mixed with 5Tbsp water and double-boiled until dissolved

Ingredients for base

150 g digestive biscuit (crushed)

100 g melted butter

50 g cashew nuts (crushed)

Method

For Base: Mix the crushed biscuit with cashew nuts and melted butter. Press into a 8″ round spring form baking tin. Chill base in fridge for 20 minutes or leave it outside until the base is firmed.

For whipped cream: Whipped the thickening cream till rich. Leave it in the fridge to chill before use.

For cream cheese mixture: Mix cream cheese and sugar to beat until smooth. Add pineapple crushed and stir well.

Add gelatine, cream cheese mix and thickening cream on to base.

Chill in fridge for at least 3 hours.

Pickles…. ACAR

Preparation Time: 2 Days

You may consume it for up to 1 month

Ingredients

Vegetables:

4 Kg cucumber

8 tbsp salt

2 Kg cauliflower

2 Kg cabbage (China)

8 tsp salt

2 Kg carrot

4–5 tbsp oil

½ – 1 Kg roasted coarsely pounded peanuts or 150 g pounded peanut candy (kong t’ng)

1 packet sesame seeds (Seng Siong – 1.40)

Vinegar mixture for scalding the vegetables:

6 bottles vinegar (21 oz)

Ground spices (combined): (Rempah)

1 Kg shallots

½ Kg cloves garlic

20 cm piece fresh turmeric root

150 g dried chillies (depending on how spicy you want it) or (1 packet)

2 Kg sugar

Method

A) Pour 3 – 4 bottles of vinegar to boil with 2 Kg sugar. Leave to cool.

B) Saute the dried shrimp and remove from the wok.

C) Heat some oil in a wok and sauté the ground shallot and tumeric. Add in garlic and finally add in chilli.

D) When the rempah is done, mix in the dried blended shrimp. Leave to cool.

E) Add the rempah into the vinegar only when both are cool.

F) Quarter the cucumber lengthwise without peeling them. Remove its core and cut into 3–4cm long strips. Rub with salt and mix well, then leave aside for 1–2 hours. Use a muslin cloth to wrap the marinated cucumber slices, squeeze out excess liquid and sun for one whole day. Cut cauliflower into florets and sun for a few hours. Cut cabbage into squares of 2–3cm and rub lightly with salt then sun for 1–2 hours. Shred carrots into fine long strips and sun for a whole day.

G) Bring vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil. Scald the long beans rapidly. Remove and drain. As for the sun-dried vegetables blanch them separately. For cucumber and cabbage, 1–2 mins; for carrots and cauliflower, 6–7 mins. Drain the vegetables well in a colander and sun again.