in my studio

Posts Tagged With 'easy'

Apr
06
2015

tiramisu

Tiramisu is an all time favourite in our house. I don’t drink coffee (yes I’m weird), but I can certainly wipe off a whole tray of tiramisu! This recipe was passed from an old friend 5 years ago when I told her I don’t consume anything with coffee! So she gave me a tray of tiramisu and since then, I have made this countless of times and it has always been a crowd pleaser. Her original recipe has eggs, so I had to modify it because when you’re pregnant, you can’t eat raw eggs. And it tastes amazing with or without eggs! Give it a go and let me know!

RECIPE FOR EGGLESS TIRAMISU
Adapted from an old friend, with modifications
Serves: 12
Prep time: 30 mins
Chill time: min 6 hours (preferably overnight)

Ingredients for Tiramisu

1 large packet of sponge fingers (500 grams)
3 tablespoon of boiled water
5 tablespoon of coffee
1 to 1.5 cup milk
1/4 cup caster sugar
250g tub mascarpone cheese
300ml whipped cream (I use thickened and just whip it)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder for dressing

Method for coffee mixture (to dip sponge fingers in)

In a medium sized bowl, mix 3 tbsp of boiled water with 5 tbsp of coffee until dissolved. This becomes really thick, and then reserve in 2-3 tbsp in a small cup (this is to add to the cream mixture later). With the remainder coffee mixture, add milk, stir and keep aside.

Method for cream mixture

In a mixing bowl, whisk together mascarpone and cream. Slowly add in the coffee mixture that you reserved earlier and incorporate it into the cream mixture. Whisk until becomes a nice smooth, thick cream.

Method for assembling cake

1. You will need a rectangle serving tray 9×13″ (23x33cm), at least 2″ deep (5cm).
2. Dip the sponge fingers in to the coffee mixture, quickly turning both sides and layer them onto the tray.
3. Add the cream mixture on top of the biscuits and then sift the cocoa powder evenly.
4. Repeat step 2 & 3.
5. Chill for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight. I like to chill mine 24 hours before I serve.

2 lovely comments
Category: cake, desserts, halal, in my kitchen

Oct
30
2014

Healthy chocolate coated coconut balls

RECIPE FOR HEALTHY CHOCOLATE COCONUT BALLS

Makes: 15 balls
Prep time: 20mins

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal

1 cup cocoa/cacao powder

3 tbsp stevia or you can use honey/maple syrup

1 tbsp water
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

1/2 cup desiccated coconut (put in small bowl and leave aside)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl except the last one- desiccated coconut. Combine all the ingredients well and shape into a small ball using the palm of your hands.

2. Roll each ball into desiccated coconut and you’re done! Too easy!

1 lovely comment
Category: chocolate, clean eating, desserts, halal, in my kitchen

Nov
03
2011

flame grilled eggplant

eggplant

This is my husbands favourite when he wakes up on a lazy Sunday. Flame grilled eggplant/aubergine sort of like a dip. But then an eggplant dip is called baba ghanoush which is made with tahini and other seasonings. This one here, is basically just an eggplant with oil and salt. Easy to make but very smelly when cooked on a flame. Not to mention the burnt skin goes everywhere. But it taste so good!

Just pop it on the stove like this. Turn it around after a few minutes. It needs to shrink in size and start peeling before you remove it.

eggplant

Then start peeling the skin off. Beware, its very hot!

eggplant

Use a fork to give it a good mash and season well with olive oil and salt. I added a couple of garnishes for some extra colour – for photos sake, but its not necessary. Serve with Lebanese bread and you have yourself a quick and easy healthy brunch!

RECIPE FOR FLAMED GRILLED EGGPLANT
Adapted from my Lebanese Mother-in-law

Ingredients

1 large eggplant (1/2 kilo)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt

Method

1. Wash the eggplant and put it directly on the stove. Leave for a few minutes then turn around until all sides are equally cooked. Eggplant should shrink in size and the skin should start peeling off.

2. Remove from flame onto a wooden chopping board and leave to cool for a bit before starting to peel the entire skin off.

3. Place the filling on a plate/bowl and use a fork to mash.

4. Season well with oil and salt.

8 lovely comments
Category: entree, halal, in my kitchen, vegetarian

Oct
22
2011

30 minute chicken curry

Making a traditional and authentic chicken curry would simply mean staying in the kitchen for hours, pounding fresh ingredients and so forth. These days, you’ll easily find a lot of the supermarkets selling curry powder and curry paste. But I wouldn’t recommend buying curry powder from your local western supermarket though. Try to get them from any Asian grocery or even at your Indian grocer. There are many types but I only prefer one. Baba’s Meat Curry Powder, made in Malaysia.

When I first got married to my Lebanese husband, my mother in law made a pot of chicken curry (bought locally). The taste? Well, it didn’t come close to a curry. But then again, I can’t blame her. She’s not familiar with Asian cuisine so she and the rest of the family enjoyed it thoroughly. I just ate in silence. One day, I introduced my version of chicken curry using Baba’s and she fell in love. The look on her face was priceless, it was as though she had not tasted good chicken curry in her life.

There are many types of chicken curry; dry, wet, yellow, red, brown etc. The different variety of curries made by Malay, Indian, Chinese, Indo also slightly differ from one another. This curry here, I would say its a mix between Malay and Indian. Its so yummy and literally done in 30 minutes (if you use small cuts of chicken). I usually make a big pot so I have leftovers. Serve it with some rice, prata (roti) or yellow glutinous rice and there you go, a meal for the next 3 nights.

RECIPE FOR EASY MALAYSIAN CHICKEN CURRY

Serves: 3
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients

1/2 kilo chicken, cut into small pieces (with bones)
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
2 cloves
1 medium tomato, quartered (optional)
1/3 cup coconut milk
2-3 tbsp Baba’s curry powder (I like mine really hot so I use 5 tbsp)
2 cups water
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
4 tbsp oil

Method

1. Heat oil and sautee onions in a medium size pot. Add all the spices and tomato and fry until fragrant for about 5 mins.

2. Add the curry powder, chicken and water and cook on a medium heat for 15 mins.

3. Pour in the coconut milk and stir until well combined.

4. Season well with sugar and salt then simmer for another 10 minutes or so.

5. Serve with rice or pratha(roti/bread).

Click ‘Read More’ below to print the recipe and leave a comment.

8 lovely comments
Category: chicken, halal, in my kitchen

Sep
17
2011

chicken and veg salsa dip

As part of my healthy and balanced diet, I bought some plain rice crackers. I have been munching on them with some sliced cheese and tuna or cream cheese and cucumbers. A few weeks later, I was getting a bit bored with that combination and wanted something a little sexy and spicy. As I was making the Mexican Inspired Rice, I got the idea of a homemade salsa dip. That would be a perfect combination for a healthy lunch snack, with proteins too. Yum.

RECIPE FOR CHICKEN & VEG SALSA DIP
Inspired by this post

Makes: 1 medium sized serving bowl
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients

1 small ripe tomato, diced
1 small green capsicum, diced
1 small red capsicum, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp corn (or a handful)
1 chicken thigh fillet, fat and skin removed then cut into small cubes
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 small onion, diced finely
1 tbsp corriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp sweet paprika
0.5 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Saute onions, garlic and chicken in some oil. Stir until chicken is just cooked.

2. Then add spices and stir until aromatic. Add in the tomato paste, vegetables and water.

3.Put on a low heat and cook until softened and gravy has thickened a bit.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.