Lamb shanks in cranberry sauce

Never know that lamb shank will taste that great. After eating it once at the Pastano in the casino, really curious to know how it was cooked. The one they served is braised lamb shank with honeyed onion. So started to google online for recipe but came across this one that is cooked with cranberry juice & red wine. To use red wine , very interesting so had a go with it and really love it to the core. Actually from this website can really find many great dishes http://www.taste.com.au/ . Do try it out. Instead of using whole berry cranberry sauce, I use cranberry juice.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp               Olive oil
1 tbsp               Garlic chopped
6                      Lamb shanks
20g                  Butter

2 tbsps             Plain flour
1 1/2 cups        Chicken stock
1 cup                Red wine
275g jar           Whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup             Fresh rosemary sprigs
mashed potato, to serve
steamed green beans or any greens, to serve

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based, flameproof dish over high heat. Or you can just stew it over the stove under middle heat.
2. Cook shanks, in two batches, for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.
3. Melt butter in dish until sizzling.Add in the chopped garlic. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
4. Remove from heat and slowly add stock, wine and cranberry sauce. Season with salt and pepper, return to heat and bring to the boil. Add lamb and rosemary.
5. Cover dish, transfer to oven and bake for 1 hour. 
6. Remove lid and bake for a further 30 minutes or until shanks are tender. Serve with potato and beans or greens.

CNY COOKIES

CNY will be round the corner, so will be making some cookies to sell and for own consumption.Been back from Brisbane for 2 yrs, thou I am able to get the goodies from the shop but nothing will beats making it from scratch. Sujee cookies is something that I have been baking even before I left for my studies so now can say that I perfect it to my taste.

        

   

Cashew nuts cookies is something that I wanted to try to bake when I was oversea but no chance so now finally got the chance to bake it and thanks to Small small baker which allows me to achieve me. Of cos I did  modify the recipe a bit to suit my taste. Trial & error a few times to obtain the taste and texture. Pineapple tarts & balls are my favorite , a recipe from an aunt. The pastry texture and taste is just perfect after a bit of modify. The texture is like will just melt in the mouth and method not so complicated like some other recipes.

  

     

                                                    

As for kueh Bangkit which is baked by my mom, the recipe which is from my lated granny thou she is not around for us to consult we did not give up. We tried a few times, after a few attempts we managed to pull it off to close to her taste about 85%. Which I already think is not bad as in the olden days, they only use estimation and no proper measurement. Peanut butter cookies is my mom recipe which she tried a few times before to get the taste and texture today.             .

Banana Cake

Really love the banana cake I had from back home. Moist and soft. Finally found a great recipe from Mrs Leong cookbook. Had a try of it and really love it to the max. So here you go,

Ingredients:

8-10 Small Bananas
440gms Butter
4 Tbsp Condensed Milk
440gms Castor Sugar
½ Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Banana essence
1 Tsp Vanilla essence
9 Eggs
340gms Self-raising flour (Sifted)

Methods:

1.Mash banana with a fork.
2.Cream butter, condensed milk and 220gms sugar for 5mins.
3.Add salt, vanilla essence and banana essence.
4.In a clean mixing bowl, whisk eggs with 220gms sugar till thick and creamy. When all bubbles are gone.
5.Fold in 1 cup of the egg mixture to the creamed butter till well mixed.
6.Add the rest of the egg mixture, mashed bananas and lastly the sifted flour. Stir as lightly as possible.
7.Pour into a greased cake tin. Bake in oven at 150° for 1 – 1 ¼ hrs.

 

 

Muah Chee

A snack that can only get to eat it when there is pasar malam going around the neighbourhood but nowadays is like hard to find one not to say find a good one. After being back for some time, had a few disappointed ones so decided to make my own again. Did not realise that it is so easy to make such a nice snack. This one that I made, I think the texture is better.

Ingredients:

200g               Glutinous rice flour
2 tsp               Sugar
1/2tsp             Salt
1Cup              Water
1 tbsp            Vegetable oil
1 tsp              Shallot oil / Oil
100 -150g       Peanuts
40 - 50g         Sesame seeds
75g                Sugar

Methods:

1. Roast the sesame seeds and the peanut
2. Grind the peanut into coarse 
3. Mix the sesame seeds, peanuts and sugar put aside.
4. Mix the Glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt vegetable oil and water together.
5. Mix it well and pour it into a deep dish and steam for 20 to 25 minutes. Use a stick to check if it is well cooked in the centre.
6. Brush the dough with a little oil. Leave to cool down slightly.
7. Spread the peanut mix on a tray.
8. Cut out a stripe of the dough, then into pieces. 
9. Coat it with the peanut mixture, press it lightly for maximum coating.

Chipnut cookies

Had this cookies from Sue when we were still staying in Jane Street. She followed the recipe from the packaging of nestum she bought from hometown. Its really a nice cookie so I took the recipe from her, baked it a few times and it never failed to impress others. This is something that I used to do it with my little housemate. It really bring us closer together and we always enjoy the final product.

Ingredients:

Part A:
1 ½ Cup Self-raising flour
½  Tsp Baking Soda
½  Tsp Bi-Carbonate Soda
¼ Tsp Salt
1 Cup Nestle Nestum
1 Cup Chocolate chips
1 Cup Nuts

Part B:
150gms Butter
150gms Castor Sugar
1 Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

Method:

1. Mix Part A well and put aside.
2. Use a hand mixer, mix butter & sugar until light and puffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla essence.
4. Preheat the oven at 175°
5. Mix Part A & B well.
6. Bake it for 10-15mins or till golden.

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie when I first heard the name it really puzzled me. While the meat used has to be mutton or lamb to be call shepherd. It is simple and yet nice. Is like a layer of meat with a layer of mash potato. After eating it once, very excited to get my hands on it again and it did turned out great. Being an Asian, just meat and potatoes not a every month kind of dish.Finally whipping it up again after so many years.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Medium             Potatoes
• 1Tbsp                      Vegetable oil
• 1 medium                  Onion chopped
• 600g                       Minced mutton
• 1Tsp                        Dried Basil
• 1 Cup                       Mix Vegetable
• 1 Cup                       Diced tomatoes
• 1                              Egg beaten
• 1/2 Cup                    Water
• 1/2 Cup                    Shredded cheddar cheese (opt)

Methods:

1. Boil the potatoes and mash it when it is cook.
2. Preheat the oven to 175 degC.
3. Coat a 2 quart casserole dish with some oil.
4. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add in the onion.
5. Fry it frequently for about 5 mins.
6. Add in the mutton and basil then allow it to cook for another 5 mins
7. Mix in the mix vegetable and tomatoes then allow it to simmer for 5 mins.
8. Transfer it to the prepared dish.
9. In a mixing bowl, mix the mashed potatoes, egg and water.
10. Then spread it evenly over the meat.
11. Baked it in the preheated oven for around 15 - 20mins or until the top turn brown.
12. Sprinkle with cheese and continue to bake for another 5 mins.

Jiao zi (dumpling)

When I had my first jiao zi here while still staying with my housemates from Tianjin (China),I was shock.Why? When they say eat jiao zi is really just eat jiao zi and no other dishes. To me and I also believe most people in our region might need to have rice and some other dishes to go along. They told me people from the northern part of China do not eat rice but home made noodle, pancake, pau or jiao zi. Different parts of China, people all have different types of main food not necessary rice. Mostly southern people will eat rice but might not other part of China. So for the first time, I had like 10 - 15 jiao zi to fill up my stomach. It was really nice to eat when it is still hot from the pot. So one fine weekend, finally get my hands working on it and learn the skill of making the jiao zi from them. Luckily I did manage to master the skill before they moved out and got praised by others but my favorite is the pan fried kind.

Ingredients:

Dumpling skin-

• 150g     Plain Flour
• 100ml   Water
• or just get dumpling skin from the shop.

Filling-

• 6-8pcs            Wom Bak
• 3-5tsp             Sesame Oil ( Xiang you)
• 300g               Mince meat
• 1tbsp              Cooking wine (hua tao jiu) 
• 1/2 - 1tsp       Dark soy sauce (lao chou)
• 1 tbsp             Light Soy sauce (shen chou)
• 1tsp                Chicken stock powder
• Dash of white pepper

Methods:

1. Mix the flour with water to form a dough, leave it aside to rest.
2. Marinate the mince meat with the rest of the seasoning.  
3. Chopped the wom bak into small pieces or mince it up in a blender.
4. Add salt into it and leave it aside for 10mins.
5. Then squeeze out all the water and then add 1 tbsp of oil.
6. Then mix well the mince meat with the wom bak.
7. Roll the dough and divide them into smaller balls.
8. Flatten the ball into thin round sheet.
9. Fill the sheet with meat mixture and wrap it up.
10. Boil a pot of water and add in the dumplings.
11. When all the jiao zi float to the surface and in some cold water to shock the temperature.
12. Scope out the jiao zi and ready to serve with black vinegar.