TradeMe Chocolate Cupcake

I made these cupcakes on Mother's Day for the family gathering. The feedback was positive.

I like making cakes that are not fussy about how it is mixed and yet turns out with a nice texture. Best of all, cakes that can be mixed with a hand mixer from start to finish and this is one such cake. Easy peasy. And it is a beauty. The cupcakes were light, fluffy, rich looking and so yummy.

For now.....I can stop trying out chocolate cake recipes. I have found the ONE ! I have named this Trademe Chocolate Cake to differentiate it from the thousands of recipes out there for chocolate cake.

Makes 23 cupcakes

Ingredients
100gm butter, softened
200gm sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup (125ml) milk,
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup boiling strong coffee (1 tsp coffee powder)

190 gm flour
¼ tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
40 gm cocoa

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Homemade Fresh Chilli Paste

Grinding a big batch of chillies is much easier than trying to grind 2 or 3 in a food processor. It is a pain with small quantities as the chillies only get flung to the side of the bowl.

I have frozen my batch of chilli paste and just snap pieces off when required. It defrost very quickly too.

Ingredients
500 gm fresh red chillis

Method
1. Wash, cut off the ends and remove most of the seeds with a teaspoon.



2. Put into a food processor and blend until fine. There is no need to add water or oil..

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Peach Yoghurt Ice Cream

A refreshing and healthy low fat indulgence. When the peaches were in season, there was a glut from my tree so I ended up removing the skin and stones and freezing the fruit. At first I wasn't too sure how the ice cream would taste using frozen peaches but I have to say it turned out much nicer than when fresh peaches were used.


Makes 1 litre

Ingredients
400gm peaches (weight after skin and stone removed)
100gm sugar
100ml cream
500gm low fat yoghurt
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp vodka
2 Tbsp sultanas (optional)

Method
1. Add sugar to peaches and set aside for 1 hour.

2. At this stage there will be a fair bit of liquid in the peaches and sugar mix (especially if using frozen peaches). Boil the mixture until thick and syrupy. Leave to cool.

3. Add all the ingredients (except sultanas) into a blender. Blend at high speed.

4. Add the sultanas. Place in the fridge for a few hours or leave overnight to let the flavour develop.

5. Churn in ice cream maker.

6. Scoop to an airtight container and freeze for a few hours.

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Sweet Chilli Prawns

Absolutely mouthwatering prawns and... it is a quick and easy dish. Our hot favourite at the moment. The flavours are sweet and spicy with the sauce coating the prawns beautifully.

For this dish it is better to use shelled raw prawns. Add less chilli if you like it less spicy.

Ingredients
20-25 raw prawns
1-2 Tbsp oil
1" ginger, julienne
2 clove garlic, mashed
5 spring onion or chives, cut to 1¼" length

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Curry Beef Mince Pie

Pies are something to be enjoyed once in a blue moon. It can be quite fattening. My favourite has to be with a curry mince filling. Time and time again I have been disappointed by pies bought from the bakery. They are soggy and the filling has more goo in them than anything resembling meat. At least by making my own, I get to eat a pie with real meat in it.

I bake mine in the pie maker but it is just as easy to make mini size pies using muffin tins to mould the pastry. This pastry is very light and crispy and a bit healthier than ordinary short crust as it uses less fat.

Makes 4 or 5 , 5" size pies

Ingredients
260 gm flour
60 gm butter
40 gm shortening
¼ tsp salt
95-105 ml ice cold water
1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice (add to water)

curry mince filling

Method
1. Follow steps 1-4 on making the pastry dough here.

2. Roll pastry to required thickness of 2-4mm (I prefer a thickness of 4mm). Pasta machine can be used.

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Beef Curry Mince

I use this curry mince mainly as a pie filling. It can also be used as a curry puff filling or just served simply with rice or bread.


Ingredients
500gm beef mince
1-2 Tbsp oil
1 big onion, chop fine
3 clove garlic, chop fine
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chop fine
2 tsp chilli paste or powder

2 potato, cubed
1 cup frozen peas or diced carrot
1 cup water
1½ tsp salt
2 tsp cornflour or potato starch mix with 1 Tbsp water or soy sauce

Spices
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp curry powder

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Green Coriander Chicken

The aroma from cooking the paste was just heavenly. The green colour doesn't make the presentation look very appetising but the fragrance of the dish should whet one's appetite.

As with any dish, cook a few hours ahead for the meat to absorb the flavour.


Ingredients
1½ kg chicken pieces
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 Tbsp oil
250 ml water
1¼ tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice

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Strawberry Yoghurt Ice Cream

Another healthy way of using up my home grown strawberries. By freezing all the surplus, I get to enjoy the fruit all year round.

The texture of yoghurt ice cream is not creamy as it is not in a true sense an ice cream. It has a slight tang but is nevertheless a very tempting icy dessert.


Adding strawberry jam in between the layers of ice cream makes it extra delicious. We like raisins so have thrown in a handful.

Ingredients
400gm fresh or frozen strawberry, hulled and clean
100gm sugar
100ml cream
500gm low fat yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
3 Tbsp vodka

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Siew Yoke with Puffy Crackling ~ Chinese Roast Pork

In his book French Lessons, Justin North described the crackling as extremely light and puffy. I tried his method twice just to prove that his theory works and it was not first time luck. I was so pleased. Every inch of skin was crackling - no chewy bits.

This method of preparing the skin is less arduous and simpler than in my previous recipe where the skin is first bathed in vinegar water and then poked during the grilling process. There was a lot more handling.

We believe it is the total combination of scoring, salting the skin to draw out moisture, drying the skin in the fridge and frying that makes the skin crackling.

The meat was also very tender and juicy. What we do need is an incredibly razor sharp knife and heaps of practice with scoring the skin as in some parts it was cut too deep.



Ingredients
1kg pork shoulder
1 tsp salt

Marinate for meat:
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1½ pieces of red fermented beancurd nam yue, well mashed
1 tsp cooking wine
½ tsp sugar

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Pickled Zucchini

I am in the pickling mode ! At the end of summer, fruits and vegetables are cheap, in abundance and this is as good a time as any to start preserving and storing it away for winter when out of season fresh produce becomes scarce and expensive.

Bottling has taken on a new popularity as people become more aware of food and health consequences of unknown food additives in store bought items.

A very easy pickle to make. It was the first time I was able to use the slicing blade that came with my food processor. Within a minute, all the zuchinnis were finely sliced and ready for action.

Redneck said the pickled zucchini reminded him of eating a MacDonald cheese burger. It has that same taste. Have the zucchinis with your cold meat sandwiches, on rolls or add to your salad.

Makes 3 jars (Craig jam jars)

Ingredients
800gm zucchini thinly sliced
¼ cup salt

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Preserved Peaches in Light Sugar Syrup

There was an abundance of peaches from my peach tree this year. Thought it was about time I tried my hand at preserving as Redneck will eat preserved peaches but not fresh ones !


I chose to preserve it in a light syrup as the Red Haven peach is quite a sweet fruit. The peaches are lovely eaten as is or with ice cream.


Makes 8 jars

peaches

Syrup
400g sugar
8 cups water

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Chargrilled Red Capsicum Hummus

Chips and hummus dip is our Friday treat and roasted red capsicum hummus has to be our favourite at the moment. Since I bought the Amazing Bullet, making hummus is a breeze. I have a ready stock of pre-cooked chickpeas in my freezer which can be defrosted in the microwave in half a tick.

Capsicums are very cheap at the moment...$1 for 5 big ones. In fact I have 30 stashed away in the freezer so I can make hummus during the off-season.

There is no hard and fast rule to making hummus. We prefer a coarse instead of creamy smooth texture and we don't like it oily so I don't pour oil on it when serving.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp sesame seed (toasted)
½ tsp sesame oil
¼ tsp sea salt

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Homemade Kway Teow ~ Steamed Flat Rice Noodles

After many trials, errors and disappointments I am pleased to finally report success with making my own kway teow. I have gone through the whole rigamarole of testing various methods and different plates and trays. The kway teow came out perfectly using my black/grey coated baking tray.

Quite by accident I discovered that leaving the kway teow to cool, made it much easier to remove and the steamed rice noodle came out much smoother. Plus you don't get burnt fingers !

It is not really time consuming to make kway teow. You get lots of 5 minutes break in between steaming each tray, giving you heaps of time to clean the kitchen or take the opportunity to do your crosswords or crack your brain on the sudoku.

This kway teow had a nice and smooth texture with a 'bounce'. Just perfect for cutting up into strips for char kway teow (fried rice noodles).


Makes 8-9 pieces (½ kg)

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Stir Fry Gow Choy Fah ~ Garlic Chives Bud

A few weeks ago while visiting the Avondale Market for the very first time, I chanced upon these garlic chives. What a find ! I love gau choy fah which taste delish simply stir fried with some meat or prawns.

No doubt garlic chives are part of the chive family but they taste quite different to the English version which have a purple flower.


Ingredients
200g garlic chives bud (gow choy fah), cut to 2" length
10 raw prawns
1 clove garlic (mince)
½ cup water/stock

1 tsp cornflour + 1½ tsp soy sauce (mix together)

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Method
1. Heat wok on high heat with a Tbsp of oil. Add the garlic and prawns. Saute until prawns turn a slight pink.

2. Add the garlic chives, stir fry for a few seconds.

3. Add water and cover for 30 seconds (not too long as you want the veg to stay crunchy).

4. Remove cover and stir in cornflour mix to thicken the gravy. Dash of salt and season to taste.

5. Serve hot with rice.

Yee Sang ~ Chinese New Year Raw Fish Salad

This Chinese New Year I was determined not to miss out on this 'lucky' dish. After scrutinising several recipes to work out the main criteria for the dish I went on a scouting mission in the asian vegetable shops. Being overseas means having to substitute unavailable ingredients without changing the essence of the dish too much. If you are living in Malaysia or Singapore then you will have more choice of vegetables to use.

Yee Sang is a salad of raw fish surrounded by different types of colourful vegetables with a dressing of plum sauce. It is usually eaten on the 7th day of Chinese New Year with the salad tossed high with chopsticks as a symbol to mark the start of a prosperous new year.

Yue Sang is not that difficult a dish to prepare. It just needs a small amount of different vegetables shredded into long strips. I haven't included the quantity of vegetables as this is a very versatile dish. I have only bought one of each type of vegetable and in most cases only used half of it.

Ingredients

Vegetables (long shreds):
Daikon white radish (jicama or sar kok if available is best)
Green papaya (I bought this too early and it started getting ripe)
Carrot
Red capsicum
Green chilli
2 lime leaves
2 Tbsp pickled ginger
1 pickled onions/leeks
1 sprig coriander

3 Tbsp jelly fish (cut into strips and marinate with 1 Tbsp lemon juice)

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Fah Sang Paeng ~ Chinese Peanut Cookies

Another one of those cookies that are popularly served during Chinese New Year. I make these peanut cookies throughout the year as it is just too moreish to confine it to just a special ocassion.

Make them small enough to pop the whole cookie into the mouth as it is very crumbly.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my family and friends throughout the world KONG HEI FATT CHOY.

May the New Year bring everyone Prosperity, Good Health, Wealth and Good Eats.

Makes 77 cookies

Ingredients
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
110g sugar
200g coarse ground roasted peanut
130-170ml corn oil, veg oil or onion oil

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Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

A lot of people have this notion that ice cream making is tedious. That was my thinking too before I was convinced otherwise by my mate cwl.

Homemade ice cream is made up of four main very basic ingredients.....milk, eggs, sugar and cream. How healthy or fattening your ice cream is depends on type of milk and how much cream and sugar you add in.


This may not be the creamiest of ice cream but at least it is a healthier version and can be enjoyed with far less guilt. The fragrance from the vanilla beans was just divine.

I would like to thank my sil Cathryn who loaned me her ice cream maker, setting the wheels in motion to my journey into the icy world. The ice cream machine I have bought is cheap and basic but does a good enough job.

Makes about 1 Litre

Ingredients
375ml low fat milk (light blue top)
100g sugar
1-2 vanilla bean
2 eggs
250 ml cream
2 Tbsp vodka

25g rum n raisin chocolate, chopped

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Plum Vodka Jam

Plums are in season at the moment and now is as good a time as any to make some jam. Plum jam is very versatile and can be used not only on bread but as a delicious sauce for ice cream.

This year the plum tree gave me a reasonably good crop which the birds kindly left alone. I have fourteen jars of plum jam safely stowed away in the cupboard. This should last us until next year.


Makes 7 x 400ml jars

Ingredients
2.6kg plums (skinned)
¼ cup water
1.75kg sugar
2 Tbsp vodka (optional)

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Nan's Shortbread

Mr Redneck have given these shortbread the thumbs up and said they were very moreish.


I didn't want to make it into the traditional shaped shortbread but have instead used my Sawa Cookies press. The press started with small size cookies but half way through the size changed to big ones... I have no idea why! The press must have read the thoughts of Mr Redneck who like big biscuits whereas I like them small and cute.


I have given these out as Christmas gifts and the feedback I received was all positive except for the smart remarks on the 'cute' size. These would be ideal for Chinese New Year as well which is just round the corner.


Makes 24 small + 30 normal size cookies

Ingredients
200g butter, room temperature
90g caster sugar
60g cornflour
270g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

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Stir Fry Sambal Round Beans

When I bought a bunch of French round beans home, I got the "I don't like beans" look from Mr Redneck. I haven't had this dish for a while - infact I don't think I have ever cooked it here as fresh beans were expensive and not too readily available. Mr Redneck did enjoy this meal of beans.

Any beans....long, round or flat can be used. This dish is a simple yet delicious spicy stir fry using very few ingredients.

Ingredients
200-300gm french round beans, cut to 2"
1-2 Tbsp oil

Grind together
2 Tbsp dry shrimp (soak to soften)
3 clove garlic
1 small onion
½ Tbsp belacan
1-2 tsp chilli paste

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Mint Sauce

I bought a small mint plant to make ice cream. Unfortunately the plant started developing rust so had to strip it of its leaves. Now I know why I don't have mint in my garden even though it is suppose to grow like weeds.

With a pile of non 'rusty' leaves I decided to try my hand at making mint sauce. Mint sauce and lamb is not my cup of tea but Mr Redneck like his with it. Didn't realise it was that easy to make. The sauce will keep for a few months in the fridge.

Ingredients
1 cup (45gm) mint
2 Tbsp water
1 cup malt vinegar
3½ Tbsp sugar

Method
1. Rinse the mint leaves and discard stalk.
2. Chop the leaves. I whizzed mine with the Amazing Bullet.
3. In a pot simmer the vinegar, water and sugar.
4. Add the chopped mint and remove from the heat.
5. Pour into sterilised bottles and keep in the fridge.

Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

This choc banana cake is nice and soft with a lovely banana flavour. The recipe is from my niece Jessica who baked it in her cookery class in school. When it comes to icing I believe in the minimalist approach as cakes by itself is already full of calories without topping it with even more.

Makes 10 cupcakes

Ingredients
50 gm butter (melted)
90 gm sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
130 gm flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ cup milk
1 banana, mashed
¼ cup chocolate chip

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Russian Fudge

A fudge that is rich and creamy. If you have a sweet tooth, you will like this treat. I normally double the recipe. Great as a Christmas gift.


Makes about 36 pieces

INGREDIENTS
3½ cup white sugar
125g butter
3 Tbsp golden syrup
125ml milk
½ tsp salt
200g sweetened condensed milk (½ a standard can)
2 tsp vanilla essence

Method
1. Place all ingredients except the vanilla in a medium-heavy saucepan.

2. Warm over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 15-20 minutes until it reaches the soft-ball stage* (120C)

4. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla

5. Beat (I use a electric mixer) until the fudge is creamy and thick and has lost its gloss.

6. Pour into a greased 20cm cake tin (I use a tray).

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Ngau Yoke Yuen ~ Springy n' Bouncy Beef Balls

I have made these umpteen times and they have always turned out bouncy. However cooking is not always smooth sailing and I have to confess that I did 'muddle' up the steps once and the ngau yoke yuen did not have even a hint of a 'spring'.

It is not so much the ingredients that makes the beef balls springy but the process of making it. If you do try it please follow the instructions very carefully. I have videoed the whole process to make it easier to follow as well as to remind myself of the steps so that I won't muck up ever again.

As the meat is minced to mush, the cut of beef is not important. I have used chuck, bolar, blade and even rump steak.

Makes 35-45 beef balls

Ingredients
560 gm beef, cut to small pieces

½ cup (125ml) icy cold water
1 Tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp salt
½ Tbsp sugar
½ Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp cornflour
1¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kan sui (lye or alkaline water) {optional}

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Strawberry Vodka Jam

Strawberry jam is easy to make and cooks in less than 20 minutes. With the fruit becoming quite cheap and abundant, now would be a good time to build up a supply.

Homemade jams will always taste better than store ones with the added advantage of being able to adjust the sweetness and also how chunky or smooth you like your jam. The balsamic vinegar gives the jam depth. Omit if you do not have any available.

Makes 2 : 250gm jars

500gm strawberry, hulled
1 Tbsp lemon juice
250-400gm sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1½ Tbsp vodka

Method
1. Place 2 small saucer into the freezer.

2. Put the strawberries and lemon juice in a pot. If the fruit is too big, cut in half. (I did not crush the strawberries as the fruit will be boiled to the point of almost disintegrating)

3. Add sugar, balsamic vinegar and stir thoroughly.

4. Boil rapidly (rolling boil) for about 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Test whether the jam is ready by spooning a little onto a chilled plate. If the jam is ready, a skin will form on top when it cools and 'wrinkles' when pushed with a fingertip.

6. Add vodka and use a lighter to burn off the alcohol or just stir to mix

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Itek Sio ~ Braised Duck in Tamarind n' Coriander

Itek Sio is a Peranakan braised duck in tamarind and coriander gravy. Cooking duck can be time consuming but using a pressure cooker can reduce the cooking time to a third. To ensure a very fragrant sauce try to use freshly ground coriander. A very tasty fork tender duck with minimum preparation.

Ingredients
½ duck (1kg)
1 Tbsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp raw sugar
2 tsp dark soy sauce

1 Tbsp tamarind paste
1 cup water

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Rosemary Focassia

Rosemary focaccia is our favourite flat savoury bread. We always have a supply of it in our freezer for lunches. Slice it into thinner strips and it is great in the winter months for dipping into soups as well. It is a breeze to make and a hit for any gathering.

I have already posted the recipe earlier this year but have recently spliced together a short 1:45 minute video on the making of this Italian flat bread. Crank up the volume to enjoy the music of Duel by Bond.

There are numerous focaccia recipes but I find this recipe works well and require the least amount of skill in the shaping. Just let your fingers do the 'walking'.

Sweet and Spicy Sticky Chicken

Cooking this sweet spicy and sticky chicken is really simple as it does not involve a lot of preparation. The ingredients are common items most of us have in the pantry. We love the intense flavour of this dish.

I usually precook a meat dish at least an hour earlier and let it sit in the pot to let the meat absorb the flavour. That way you end up with a more flavoursome and better tasting meal.

Ingredients:
1½kg chicken pieces

1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 clove garlic, minced
3 spring onions or bunch of chives, thinly slices

Sauce Mix
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp water
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp chilli powder or chilli paste

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Chelsea Buns

I have tried several recipes for chelsea buns and find that this 'sponge and dough' method is the best by far. It produces nice and fluffy buns every time and the dough is a breeze to handle.


I prefer the buns without icing but it seems to be a Kiwi thing to have white or pink icing. Make sure the buns double in size before baking or else it will be dense. I usually leave the dough in the fridge overnight so that the next morning I can proceed to the next step and have fresh sweet sticky buns in time for morning tea.

Makes 18 buns

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Redneck Lemon Chicken

This is the Rednecks preferred Lemon Chicken dish which combines the marinade and coating of Sinner's previously posted recipe with lemon sauce found on the net at ‘CD Kitchen’.

We disagree as to which dish is best so one day we will cook both sauces and do a ‘taste test’. I hope the people who commented on Sinner's recipe will also try my version. As with all sauces the cook should taste and tweak to suit prior to serving. If it is not lemony enough add more zest or if it is too thick add more water.

Ingredients
6 pcs drumstick

Marinade
1 Tbsp chinese cooking wine
1½ Tbsp light soya sauce

Coating
100 gm cornflour
50 gm rice flour

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