DAL GOSHT

This is a wonderful recipe combining lentil and meat. Though it requires constant stirring to ensure that the gravy does not stick to the bottom of the pot, it is so satisfying and absolutely delicious.

Instead of toor dal, you can use kidney bean, bengal gram or a mixture of all the dal. Another option, add vegetables like cauliflower, potato, yam or turnip to this dish for a more healthier version.

DAL GOSHT
Serves 4-6
Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor

1/2 C  masoor dal (split red lentil)
750g mutton cut into bite size
1 big onion
2 green chili
2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1+1/2 tsp chili powder
1+1/2 in ginger chopped
6 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 TB cooking oil
2 TB lemon juice
3 TB chopped cilantro
salt and sugar to taste

DIRECTION

Place dal, onion, green chili, cumin powder, turmeric, half of the ginger and mutton in a deep pot.

Pour in 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Cover and cook until meat and dal are tender, stirring in between.

Heat the oil, add cumin  seed, when it begins to change color, add remaining ginger and garlic, saute until fragrant.

Add chili powder, stir then remove from heat.

Pour this mixture together with the oil into cooked dal and meat.

Add lemon juice, salt, sugar and garam masala. If more gravy is needed add more water. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

Serve hot, garnish with chopped cilantro.

SESAME AND ALMOND SLICE

Breakfast slice is a great way to serve your kids on busy mornings. It barely take a few minutes to prepare. Not only that, you can customize to suit the taste of your family members, the ingredients include many things you probably have on hand.

Next time, when you need an easy and healthy breakfast on the go, give this Sesame and Almond Slice a try. Definitely you will love them!

CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD

There are various recipes to bake Cinnamon Swirl Bread found on the net but settled with this one from Nestle and  made changes to the filling used.

It turned out fabulous and  my family love them so much. I  have to confess that bread baking is now part of my regular routine and enjoy every minute of the whole process.

If your evaporated milk is chilled, do add hot water but if it isn't, just add warm water. The temperature of the liquid should be warm to touch if too hot, let it cool down a bit.

CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD
Yield     :     One loaf

2 + 1/2 C  all purpose flour
1/2 C evaporated milk
1/2 C hot water
1/4 C  sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 TB butter
1 + 1/2 tsp instant yeast

FILLING

1/4 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all purpose flour
1 tsp cocoa powder (optional)
1 TB melted butter

DIRECTION

Combine milk, hot water, sugar, butter and salt in a mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour with instant yeast.

Make a well in center, pour the wet ingredients and forms into soft dough.

Place dough onto floured board, knead by hand for 10 minutes until smooth.

Transfer into greased and covered bowl, leave to rise until doubled for an hour.

Gently deflate the dough, roll our into rectangle. Brush with butter, spread the filling evenly leaving 1 in border.
 Tightly roll the dough jelly roll style.

Pinch the ends to seal. Pinch the long seam closed. Place into greased loaf pan, let sit for an hour. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 180C.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Brush with melted butter if desired after removing from the oven.

Cool on rack. Slice to serve.

Linking to Yeastspotting 10-07-11  

PASTA WITH SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

For a change, I love to cook this pasta cooked in spicy tomato sauce.  Pasta w/Spicy Tomato Sauce  has slightly tangy and sweet flavor. Besides prawn, that I'd added you can opt for chicken pieces. Throw in some vegetables of your choice, this has became a complete meal by itself..

For chili paste, you can buy a tub from supermarket or make your own using 10-15 dried chili, soak in hot water for a few minutes then drain and blend. If you love spicy food, it is economical to grind a lot more for future use.

In case you are vegetarian, do omit the  prawn/ chicken, replace them with tofu.

DATES YOGURT CAKE

Another easy recipe to whip up a delicious cake. All done by hand, simply mix and bake. The only extra work is removing the stone from the dates and chopped them.  Best to chop up the dates in larges chunk so it is visible on your cake.

Dates Yogurt Cake  is so moist and delicious. I'.m having hard time to preserve the bake before it disappears. Will definitely bake them often.

VERMONT OATMEAL BROWN SUGAR BREAD

One of my favorite ingredients in baking is oat. I had muffin, cake, rolls and bars made with oat. Did you notice that I'm obsessed with bread baking too. When checking a new recipe on the net, I just can't resist to visit KAF since  most of their recipes showed up and really to my liking. They are fail proof and exceptionally good.

This Vermont Oatmeal Brown Sugar Bread recipe also adapted from their site but with slight adjustments. Have baked half of them using muffin pan instead of a loaf.  Despite all the changes,  they turned out fantastic and full nutty flavor of  oat.

POTATO CUPS

Potato Cups make a tasty appetizer.  Prepare them ahead and reheat them  just before serving. You can also freeze them. Run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen them from the cups.

These are made of grated potato, onion, garlic, cilantro and cornflour. It is ready in no time since I have cooked them using microwave. For crusty cups you can bake Potato Cups in muffin pan.

FRUITY COOKIES

Adding dried fruit in biscuits  not only help to sweeten this snack but also add a chewy quality. You can add any dried fruit available like dried cranberries, apricot, fig or fruit mix to them.  Along with dried fruit, chopped toasted nuts can be incorporated in the dough but this is optional.

These Fruity Cookies were very easy to make and so good.  They disappear fast once you laid them on the table.

HONEY WHEAT BLACK BREAD

Sightly sweet and has a subtle flavor of coffee.  Combination of honey, coffee and cocoa make this bread a special treat with your cuppa.

The dough is quite sticky and you need to add extra  flour to work with.  It rose quite substantially  after it has been baked. Give it a try friends! I think you will be amazed at how tasty  and fluffy it turns out.

HONEY WHEAT BLACK BREAD
Adapted from  here
Yield      :     6 rolls

1 and 1/4 C  all purpose flour
3/4 C  whole wheat flour
1/2 C  warm water
1/4 C  honey
1/2 TB  cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee
3/4 tsp salt
1 and 1/4 tsp instant yeast
2 TB melted butter

METHOD

Place flour, cocoa, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir to mix.

Add in honey, butter and warm water. Mix and forms into soft dough. If too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons more flour.

Transfer onto floured board, knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Place dough in an oiled and covered bowl, let rise until doubled for about an hour.

Gently punch the dough, divide into 6 ball. Shape as desired and let rise for 60 minutes. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 180C,

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

Linking to  Yeastspotting 9-23-11

SHAHI MURG (CHICKEN IN YOGURT)

Naan is a favorite of my son and he prefers to eat them with chicken dish. Since I had a bowl of yogurt, so this is an appropriate gravy to cook with.

Perfect blend of spices, makes this dish scrumptious and creamy.  Had used ready made korma powder if not you can use a mixture of ground coriander and ground cumin. We need more gravy to dip so added a little bit of water at the time of cooking but this is not necessary if you prefer thicker one.

This goes well with capathi, naan, paratha or even rice.

SHAHI MURG (CHICKEN IN YOGURT)
Servings     :     4-6
Adapted from Hjh Suraya Bee

1 whole chicken, deskinned and cut into 8-10 pieces
1 TB garlic paste
1 TB ginger paste
1 TB course ground black pepper
1/2 C warm fresh milk
1/2 tsp saffron
500 ml yogurt
1/2 C coriander leaves, chopped
4 cardamoms
4 cloves
5 cm cinnamon
3 large onion chopped
1 TB korma curry spice
1 TB chili powder
2 pieces bay leaves
2 red chili coarsely sliced
2 green chili coarsely sliced
2 tomato quartered
1/4 C silvered almond, toasted
1/4 C raisin
salt to taste
4 TB ghee/ vegetable oil

METHOD

Marinade chicken with ginger garlic paste and black pepper for 20 minutes.

Infuse saffron in warm milk, put aside. Beat yogurt till smooth then combine chopped coriander leaves in it.

Heat the oil, saute cloves, cinnamon and cardamom till fragrant. Add in chopped onion, saute until light brown.

Add in korma spice, chili powder and bay leaves, saute until oil seeps.

Now add the chicken, stir to coat with spices evenly.

Add in yogurt mix, saffron infused milk, red/green chili and salt to taste.

Reduce flame, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, stir every now and then.

When the chicken is tender, add the tomato, silvered almond and raisin, stir well.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves at the time of serving.

Best served hot with any type of rice or bread.

CHOCOLATE CEREAL BISCUIT

Cereals are a  great ingredient to add in cookies and dessert bars. They add an interesting taste and also a bit of fiber in your diet.

If you have a large box of uneaten cereal, I recommend you to bake a small batch of cookies to test whether this is acceptable to your kid. Later on you can double or triple the recipe if your kid favored them.

Here is my basic recipe of Chocolate Cereal Biscuit  using nestum (breakfast cereal) but you can fiddle around with it to fit your own
taste.

GOLDEN PULL APART BUTTER BUN

                                                                    Before baking

                                                                   
There is nothing more satisfying  for me  than making a successful batch of bread. Once you start to get the feel of making bread, you are addicted.

If you are new to bread-making, this is really good recipe to start with. It produces beautiful and fluffy bread though it takes more than 3 hours to bake them.

If you want to use active dry yeast increase the amount  to 1 1/4 teaspoon and mix the yeast with 1/3 cup of warm water. Let it proof for 5-10 minutes before you add it to the flour.

RENDANG PADANG

Rendang is a dish using  chicken, beef, mutton or even seafood slow cooked with dried/fresh  chili, onion, ginger, galangal, fragrant leaves in coconut milk until the the liquid is dried up and the meat is tender. It is part of  essential meal for festive occasions in South East Asian countries.

There are many variations to cook this dish.  For spicy food lovers, this Rendang Padang uses  bird's eye chili (chili padi)  which can be varied according to your taste.  The slow cook process allows the meat to absorb all the spices and becomes soft. This also requires  frequent stirring so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan..

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

I have decided to spend my afternoon making this Checkerboard Cookies. At first glance, I thought it will be complicated to prepare, the more different recipes found on the net  driving me more confused especially all those measurements.

This requires a little bit of extra effort to make these fanciful cookies but it is worthwhile.  Really enjoyed and pretty simple to bake them. The rectangle dough of plain and chocolate is cut into 2 then stack on top of each so you have 4 layers.  Now slice each log about  1/2 in thick  then stack them  alternately to obtain checkerboard pattern.

Checkerboard Cookies  is mildly sweetened with half a cup sugar but you can add more if you want it sweeter. Another tip is to place the dough into clear storage bag, roll out into rectangle about 7 x 9.5 in  for both plain and chocolate dough. After chilling, using a scissor,  cut open from the center of the bag. This way we need not use any flour and avoid sticking to your board. Line your board with plastic when you did the stacking job.

ONION BIALYS

This is totally unknown to me until I saw them on the net. Originated from Poland, this bialys  uses less ingredients compared with other rolls and no added fat. It is similar to bagel but without the hole and not boiled.

They are soft and had chewy crust. Though my onion turned extra brown but they remained delicious and sweet, came  from the fried onion. At the time of baking, nice aroma filled the entire kitchen.. It is best eaten right after it has been baked.

ONION BIALYS
Adapted and modified from The Bread Bible
Yield     :      6 bialys

2  C  high gluten bread flour
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
3/4  C plus 2 TB warm water

ONION FILLING
2 and 1/4 tsp oil
6 TB  chopped onion
1/4  tsp salt
black pepper to taste

METHOD

Mix together flour, instant yeast and salt. Gradually add the water and forms into a dough.

Knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes and place it onto greased and covered bowl.

Let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours until doubled. Punch the dough down, let sit for another 45 minutes.

Prepare the filling by heating the oil, saute the onion until translucent. Remove,  add salt and black pepper. Cool.

Punch the dough down, divide into 6 balls. Shape each ball into 2 1/2 in-4 in  round and make a deep indentation in the center leaving 1 in rim.  Spoon the filling in the center..

Let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat oven @ 180 C.

Bake the bialys for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on rack.

Serve warm.

Linking to  Yeastspotting 9-9-11  

DAISY COOKIES / BISKUT DAHLIA

One of popular cookies served during  festive occasions. Made with regular ingredients available from your pantry.

It requires a bit of time, since you have to press the cookies one by one but it's worth your effort. Turned out tasty and handsome too.  One thing I love about this cookies is that you need not use any  frosting /icing since they're pretty once you had pressed them out of the mold. Pearl sugar, dragees and sprinkles can be placed on top of this cookies to dress it up a bit and give it more festive appearance.

DAISY COOKIES / BISKUT DAHLIA
Yield        :       50 cookies

180 g  corn flour
  50 g  all purpose flour
110 g  condensed milk
125 g  softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
glace cherries for decoration

METHOD

Combine all purpose flour and corn flour in a mixing bowl.

Using a whisk, beat butter, vanilla and condensed milk until just combined. Don't overbeat.

Now mix milk mixture with the flour and forms into soft dough. If it is still very soft, add 1-2 tablespoons of cornflour. You must be able to shape the dough into a ball.

Using  daisy mold,  press the dough onto baking sheet. Complete the rest of the dough. Preheat oven @ 160 C. Dot each cookies with cherries.

Bake for  15 -20 minutes. Transfer gently and let cool.

When completely cool, store in an airtight container.

Linking to These Chicks Cooked Link Party 

 Connect with me:

FACEBOOK /     YOU TUBE /     YOU TUBE   /      RSS    /     EMAIL  /  GOOGLE+ / TWITTER  

PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD ROLLS

There are so many version of Portuguese Sweet Bread found on the net. Some used a starter but now I had baked them using straight forward method from King Arthur Flour. Originally a bread machine recipe but made slight changes to suit my taste.

This  dough is easy to work with and not so wet. You can easily shape them into a loaf or as a roll. They turned so  fluffy and smell so good while baking. Even my son can't resist to taste them. Incredibly delicious!

OATMEAL ALMOND COOKIES

Oatmeal cookies is always a favorite with both kids and adults. This cookies is so easy to make and  a delicious treat for everyone.  In fact you can add chopped nuts, chocolate chip, sesame seed or cranberries to the basic recipe and it always turned out great.

For this recipe, chopped almond and raisin are added along with rolled oat. These have a  wonderfully chewy and flavorful cookies you enjoy biting into them.

OATMEAL ALMOND COOKIES
Yield    :    40 cookies

1/3  C  fine sugar
1/3  C  brown sugar
1/2  C  softened butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4  C  all purpose flour
1  C  rolled oat
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 C  raisin
1/4  C  toasted chopped almond/nuts
1-2 TB  milk if needed

METHOD

Beat butter,  fine sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until well blended using mixer or by hand..

Mix in flour and oat, beat well.

Hand stir in raisin and walnut,  Preheat oven @ 160 C.

Shape into 1 in ball, flatten slightly and place onto baking sheet. If still crumbly add 1-2 tablespoons of milk.

Bake for 20 minutes, let sit in the pan for 5 minutes.

Cool on rack, when completely cool, store in an airtight container.

SEMOLINA COOKIES / BISKUT SUJI

Since Eid is just around the corner, most of my neighbors have started baking for this special occasion. It is so intoxicating with pleasant aroma  of baked goodies came from their oven.

One of my favorite cookies or biscuit is Semolina Cookies. These cookies can be done with or without semolina, both are additive and delightful.  In fact I had shared this suji cookies  earlier which is done without semolina. Both have the same shape, soft  and buttery but this one is a bit sandy since semolina is added to the dough.

The dough is so easy to work with and mixing is done manually. These are  not so sweet yet delicious. Prefer to make my cookies in small batches but you can double or triple the recipe according to your need. Semolina Cookies is really easy to prepare so there is no excuse for not making them.

SEMOLINA COOKIES / BISKUT SUJI
Yield     :   50 cookies

200 g  butter melted
200 g  self raising flour
200 g  semolina
100 g  fine sugar
Glace cherries for decoration

METHOD

Combine butter and sugar, beat well.

Now add the flour and semolina to the butter mixture.

Forms into soft dough, shape into small balls and place an inch apart on baking sheet. Preheat oven @ 160 C.

Bake for 15-20 minutes and transfer onto rack to cool.

When completely cool, store in an airtight container.

YEAST BANANA BREAD

This banana bread is totally different from your regular quick bread since it contains yeast and takes a little bit longer time to prepare.  Yeast Banana Bread  is worth to wait, this yeasted bread produces a more flavorful and beautiful bake.

Yeast Banana Bread  is so moist  but importantly contains no egg, milk or nuts so is great for kids with allergies. Instead of adding chopped nuts to the dough, I have scattered silvered almonds on the base of the cake pan.

REAL COCOA DRINK

A refreshing but nourishing drink. Cocoa has nearly twice the anti-oxidants of red wine and up to 3 times those found in green tea. Cocoa has about 1/3 of a gram of fat per one cup serving compared with 8g of fat in 40g chocolate bar.

So it is time to enjoy this healthy drink from your own pantry and skip those pre-packed mixes  from your supermarket . They're laden with too much sugar and other additives your body does not need. You can also use low fat milk for this recipe.

REAL COCOA DRINK
Serves      :       4-6
Adapted from  Chocolate Chocolate
by Mary Norwak

4  TB  cocoa powder
3  TB   sugar
150 ml  boiling water
900  ml  milk
pinch of salt

METHOD

Mix cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Add water and mix to a paste. Simmer for 3 minutes.

Add milk and heat slowly to just below boiling point. Whisk well and pour into hot mugs/glasses.

Serve hot or cold.

Connect with me:

FACEBOOK /     YOU TUBE /     YOU TUBE   /      RSS    /     EMAIL  /  GOOGLE+ 

SYRIAN BREAD

This Syrian bread is almost similar to pita bread, the only difference is that this is without pocket.  Practically the preparation is the same as other yeast bread.

The dough is so easy to work with and these turned out amazingly fluffy and very tasty. In fact, I have pan fried half of the dough and it has puffed up beautifully but have been eaten before the photo shoot.  They gone in no time !

SYRIAN BREAD
Servings    :    8

3 C  all purpose flour
1 and 1/8 C warm water
2 TB  vegetable oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast
melted butter

METHOD

Place flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir with wooden spoon.

Add in oil  and gradually add the water until it forms into a dough.

Knead dough by hand for 10 minutes and transfer onto greased and covered bowl. Let sit for 1 hour.

Pinch dough down, divide into 8 balls. Roll out each ball into circle about  6 in diameter. Preheat oven @ 200 C.

Brush tops with melted butter and bake 2 at a time for 8 minutes then flip,  apply melted butter and cook for another 5 minutes.

Transfer onto rack to cool. Serve warm.

Source     :       Allrecipes

Linking to  Yeastspotting 8-19-11  

PEACH GALETTE

A traditional French galette is a flat,   round and free- form  pie or tart with a crisp crust  It has either sweet or savory filling..The best part of galette is that the dough is  folded around the edges exposing the filling in the center.

This rustic crust is so easy to put together and I had used canned peaches for this recipe. Make sure you drain the peaches well before adding other ingredients. It is best served warm right after it has been out of the oven, simply irresistible!

PEACH GALETTE
Servings      :     6

CRUST

1 and 1/2 C all purpose flour

2 TB sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C butter cut into small pieces

3-4 TB  ice water

Extra butter for glazing

FILLING

3-4  peaches cut into eights

1 TB lemon juice

1 TB corn flour

2 TB brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

METHOD FOR FILLING

Toss all the ingredients and let macerate for 10 minutes.

METHOD FOR CRUST

Combine sugar, salt and flour in a mixing bowl.

Add butter,  process until it resembles course meal either using food processor or by hand.

Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time until a soft dough is formed. Wrap the dough  in plastic wrap,  chill 30 mins -1 hour.

TO ASSEMBLE

Preheat oven @ 190 C. Take the dough out of the fridge, roll out dough into 12 in round about 1/8 in thick, transfer onto baking sheet..

Place the filling in center, leaving about 2 in border. Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal.

Brush the edges with butter, bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer onto rack to cool. Cut into wedges to serve.

Connect with me:

FACEBOOK /     YOU TUBE /     YOU TUBE   /      RSS    /     EMAIL   

YEAST COFFEE CAKE

Coffee cake is a sweet cake leavened  either using baking powder or leavened by yeast, normally topped with nut, raisin, fruit and glazed with sugar or frosting, traditionally served for breakfast and brunch with coffee.

Coffee cakes are so versatile and may be baked in any type/size of pan but most popular are bundt, tube, fluted or loaf pan. They can also be baked in braid, ring, twist or whatever shape you like.

Originally this a bread machine recipe but now I have prepared them manually. They are easily browned so watch out during the end of baking time.

YEAST COFFEE CAKE
Adapted from  here

2 and 1/4 C bread flour/all purpose flour
1/4 C  sugar
1 tsp  salt
2   tsp  rapid rise yeast
1  C  milk
1  TB   butter
1  egg yolk (optional)

TOPPING
2  TB  melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C  sugar
1/2  C  chopped almond/pecan/walnut

METHOD

Warm the milk and butter until just warm to touch.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast sugar and salt.

Add milk mixture to the flour, forms into a dough.

Transfer onto floured board, knead by hand for 5-8 minutes. Transfer onto oiled and covered bowl, let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

In a small bowl combine sugar, cinnamon  and almond, keep aside.

Pat dough into round greased pan or shape as desired and let sit for 1 hour. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven at  175 C.

Brush melted butter over top, sprinkle with the topping.

Bake for 20-25 minutes on until golden brown.

Transfer on rack to cool.

Linking to Yeastspotting 8-12-11  

HOT & SOUR SOUP

Hot and sour soup is a light and filling dish, you can use any meaty fish such as thread fin, sea bream or mackerel if you intend to add the fish in your soup.  It has tangy and spicy flavor which can be adjusted to your liking.

Since the fish doesn't need longer time to cook, quickly remove from heat once the fish is cooked. Hot & Sour Soup is a warming, satisfying and flavorful meal that goes well with rice.

SWEET POTATO JELLY

This is a  quick and easy dessert  that are good to look at and fun to eat too.

Actually you can add all sorts of things with jelly, it is the ultimate flexible dessert. For this jelly, it comprises of 2 layers, one is using agar powder while the another layer makes of mashed sweet potato and agar powder.

Make sure the bottom layer is almost set before pouring the top one. You can use either individual jelly mould or pour into a  large serving dish. This is so refreshing and yummy!

VEGGIE PIZZA

While most of us love chicken or seafood pizza either home baked or take away. I simply adore vegetables pizza.  They are endless choice of vegetables to choose from but this time used what are available in my fridge.

Instead of regular tomato based sauce, sour cream takes the turn to be the sauce. You can also turn them into mini pizza and used different topping on each according to your preference. This pizza is quick, easy and tasty!

VEGGIE PIZZA
Servings     :     2-3

2 C  all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 tsp  rapid rise yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 TB oil
3/4 C warm water (more if needed)
1/2 C  sour cream
ground pepper to taste

TOPPING
1  onion sliced
2 tomato sliced
fresh basil leaves
1 medium capsicum cut into thick strips

METHOD

Place the flour, salt, yeast, sugar in a mixing bowl.

Gradually add the water and oil to form into a dough.

Knead by hand for 5 minutes, transfer into covered and greased bowl, leave to rise for 1-2 hours.

Punch the dough down, roll out dough into 12 in. round, transfer onto baking pan. Preheat oven @ 190 C.

Spread with sour cream and sprinkle with black pepper.

Arrange the onion, capsicum,basil  and tomato slices on top of sour cream.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the border  has nice golden color.

Linking to Yeastspotting 8-5-11 

CHOCOLATE SEMOLINA PUDDING

This is the easiest dessert you can make,  though it involves a constant stirring on stove top, to satisfy your sweet craving. Made of semolina,  unsweetened cocoa powder, low fat  milk and condensed milk. Adding the condensed milk is optional but it does improve the flavor of this Chocolate Semolina Pudding.

Dry roast the semolina to remove its raw taste and any lump until it turns slightly darker color. This pudding is so much healthier since the sugar is kept to a minimum. This creates  a deliciously smooth , slightly sweet  and satisfying  dessert!

PEACH CAKE

It is hard to beat the delectable flavor of a juicy, ripe peach. But now I'd used the canned ones for making this simple cake.

It is best always rely on the gentle and natural sweetness of fresh fruit for the best peach cake recipe results. My cake turned out  really well despite its simplicity and without any topping. Draining the peaches from the syrup is important. Properly packed and wrapped, it is ideal for picnic or barbecue since it is sturdy enough to be transported  well. It will keep for a couple of days.

PEACH CAKE
Yield    :   One loaf

2 C  self raising flour
1/2  c  sugar
3/4 C  milk
5 TB  oil/melted butter
1/4 C  yogurt
1 C  chopped canned peach
1/2 tsp  vanilla extract

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease a loaf pan.

Combine flour and sugar in a mixing bowl.

In other bowl, mix together butter, milk, yogurt and vanilla extract.

Now add wet ingredients to the flour mixture, mix in chopped peaches, stir until just combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool on pan 10 minutes, transfer into rack to cool.

CHOCOLATE SWEET BUNS

If you love chocolate, try this sweet buns stuffed with chocolate chips.Light, delicious plus versatility - with just one recipe you can make dinner rolls ( in a variety of shapes) or sweet rolls  It's hard to resist eating more than  one.

The sweet buns can also be filled with a variety of frozen fruit. Try blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or  chopped sweet cherries.

CHOCOLATE SWEET BUNS
Yield      :     8 buns

2 C  all purpose flour
1 and 3/4 tsp rapid rise yeast
3/4 C  warm milk
2 TB  oil/melted butter
3/4 tsp salt
1 TB  sugar
8 TB   chocolate chip
Melted butter for glaze

METHOD

Place the flour, yeast and  sugar in a mixing bowl.

Combine milk, oil and salt in a small bowl. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients. Mix to form into a dough. You can also use your stand  mixer to mix.

Transfer the dough onto floured board, knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Let rise until doubled  in a greased and covered bowl for 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the  dough down, divide into 8 balls. Flatten each ball and stuff with  chocolate chip. Shape back into a ball, roll gently to seal. Place onto baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Let rise for 45 minutes.

Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 180 C, brush tops with melted butter.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on rack.

Linking to  Yeastspotting 7-29-11 

HOW TO COOK RICE IN A MICROWAVE

Sometimes you need to cook rice only for yourselves and the best way to do it is in the microwave. It is simple, time saving and comes out perfect every time.  This way the rice is microwaved to perfection, fluffy and no constant checking to see if the rice is done.

Best to use deep microwave safe dish  since the rice will expand  and  to avoid  any over flowing when cooking.

QUICK APPLE JAM

Forget store bought jam and make you own healthy and delightful jam tailored to your taste. This is made using microwave but you can also cook them on stove top with constant stirring.

The fruity jam is wonderful when served warm on top of pancake and waffles or spread on toast. It's a foolproof recipe, literally ready in minutes!

BAKED VEGETABLE FRITTERS

This is a fabulous snack from bread. If you've ever had fritters, you know that they have a  satisfying  texture that are both crunchy and soft. Feel free to omit chili powder if you prefer a milder version. You can add any veggie you like such as carrot. corn, french bean, cauliflower, cabbage and many more to the batter. The consistency should be slightly thicker than pancake batter.

Fried fritters are always a favorite but this recipe may just surprise you, how tasty and healthier they turned out. They make a great appetizer or on the go snack and so easy to whip up.

BAKED VEGETABLE FRITTERS
Serves  2-3

5 slices sandwich bread
1 medium onion chopped
2 green chili chopped
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp ginger minced
3 TB fresh coriander leaves
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp turmeric
3/4 C  chopped  vegetables
salt to taste
3/4 C  water
more water if needed

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 190 C and lightly grease a baking sheet.

Place the bread in a mixing bowl. Add water and crumble the bread.

Now add the onion, green chili, coriander leaves, chili powder, turmeric, ginger, chopped vegetables,  salt and cumin seed, stir well.

Drop mixture by a tablespoon onto baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes then flip to cook the other side for another 10 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot.

Linking to Yeastspotting 7-22-11