CHILLICRAB AND THE MANGOES

The sign above the mangoes read “$1.99 for 3”, attracting about a dozen Aunties all with an eye for bargain.  They gathered around the crates, elbowing one another, frantically grabbing the fruit as if they were free of charge. Like a flock of hens, their feathers ruffled, squawking. As though some unknown catastrophe was fast approaching and they were scrambling to peck the last grains off the supermarket floor.

Kiasuism got the better of ChilliCrab. She dived right in, dodging vicious beaks (ouch!) and menacing claws, and snatched away what she believe to be 3 of the plumiest fruit – all in under two minutes.

Fruits of my labour

ChilliCrab's worst fear has been realised -  #iAMauntie

MALAY CROQUETTE !

Years ago, my mother learnt to make begedil from a Malay hawker who sold nasi padang.  When she made them today, I stood close by to jot down notes.  Mum cooks by a kind of instinct that all experienced housewives possesses so there's no use asking her for measurements. 

"Take 3 large potatoes," she began. 

"How much do they weigh?" I asked.  She glared so I kept my mouth shut.  Still, I couldn't resist weighing them on my digital scales when she wasn't looking. :p

POTATO PATTIES
Makes about 20

3 large potatoes (approx 500 grams when mashed)
Salt to taste
100 grams filling
1 egg, lightly beaten
Oil for frying

Filling

We used a mix of minced pork and hay bee (dried shrimps).  You can use any you like - mutton, bacon, or luncheon meat.

Prepare the filling.  Stir fry the minced pork and dried shrimp.  Set aside.

Slice the 3 large potatoes and deep fry them until slightly brown.  Drain then add salt and mash.  Mix in the filling. 

Using your hands, shape the potato mixture into round patties, about 5-cm in diameter. 

Coat each patty lightly with egg and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Drain on kitchen paper before serving.

葱饼 | CHINESE MUFFINS

How would you say  "葱饼" in English? I have to confess that I have absolutely no idea! So I'm just going to call them Chinese Muffins because, just like their English counterparts, they are yeast-based and baked in a skillet.  

葱饼
Adapted from 阿芳的3杯麵粉72變 by 蔡季芳

Makes 10

Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
1¼ cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Flour for dusting

Filling
Approx 200 grams spring onion
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place flour, sugar, yeast and 1 cup water into a large mixing bowl. Using a pair of chopsticks, stir ingredients together. After the water begins to be absorbed, add the remaining water little by little.  Use your hands to gently knead into a dough.

Add the oil and knead until the dough becomes very smooth.

Cover the dough and leave to proof for 30 minutes.

While the dough is proofing, wash and dry the spring onions. Cut finely. Marinate with salt, black pepper and olive oil.

Gently turn dough onto lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Roll out each into a tongue shape.

Fill each with spring onion filling. Let the 2 long sides meet and pinch edges together.

Roll each into a "snail". Dust your palm with a little flour and press each piece to flatten.

Cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Uncover the muffin rounds and gently transfer them to the skillet.  Cook both sides of the muffins for 4 - 5 minutes until the bottom of muffin turns golden brown.

Confession: These really ought to look like pancakes (instead of like English muffins) but even though I rolled them out they bounced right back up!  Maybe I didn't allow them enough time to proof properly.

HANOI

So here I am, back from a 5-day conference in freezing Hanoi.  It was a pleasant stay at the charming Metropole Hotel - French culture preserved alongside Vietnamese culture.  "Bonjour Madame" the staff chirps cheerfully to me as I pass.  Didn't enjoy the cold weather though.  Thankfully, it was nice and warm inside the hotel, which is a huge blessing if one has to be stuck indoors 98% of the time.

Metropole Hotel - a white oasis in the midst of hectic Hanoi



I did manage to sneak out of the hotel for a walk.  This is the romantic Hanoi West Lake.

Lanterns on trees and their reflection in the water create fairy lights

Peach blossom

On my last day in Hanoi, I stumbled upon a mysterious doorway.

I was first drawn by the old iron gate - and led further in by hanging lamps which, entwined with the vines above, seem to literally grow out of the trees

This shabby debris is stark contrast to The Metropole Hotel that's just 50 metres away

It's somebody's courtyard!

The streets of Hanoi are somewhat noisy and polluted.  It was difficult to cross a street without running into a motorcycle or two.  The honking never ceases.  That was why The Metropole seemed like such a santuary.  Nevertheless, the very early Saturday morning was quite peaceful.

The End ! :)

OH CRUMBS!

Nope, this isn't a UFO! It's a chocolate cake in a bundt pan!

Today I had the good fortune of having Jenny, Sally and Serena over for lunch.  Even though they didn't stay very long (since Serena had to return to work) and lunch was only a humble affair of plain porridge with four simple dishes, I think it is safe to say that everyone had a great time. It is, afterall, not everyday that we have so many GPs sit around the lunch table all at once.

For dessert, I made a cake.

CHOCOLATE-SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE WITH CHEESECAKE SWIRL

Adapted from Baking for All Occasions: A Treasury of Recipes for Everyday Celebrations by Flo Braker

Makes one 9-inch Bundt

Cheesecake Swirl

225 grams cream cheese at room temperature

50 grams caster sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
15 grams ground hazelnut
2 tablespoons dried sour cherries (I used orange-flavoured dried cranberries)

Chocolate-Sour Cream Pound Cake
65 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
180 ml warm water
260 grams cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
170 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
300 grams caster sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
170 grams sour cream

Place a rack in the centre of your oven and preheat the oven at 180 degrees C (or 165 degrees C if the pan has a dark finish). Lightly butter and flour a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan.

For the cake batter, whisk together cocoa powder and warm water in a medium bowl until well blended. Set aside to cool. Have all of the remaining ingredients at room temperature.

To make the Cheesecake Swirl:  In a medium bowl, the cheese with a rubber spatula just until the cheese is smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugar until blended. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined and creamy. Stir in the nuts and cranberries until evenly distributed. Set aside.

To make the Chocolate-Sour Cream Pound Cake: Sieve flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy and smooth then add sugar, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Continue to beat until the mixture is very light in colour and texture.

Add eggs very slowly, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until mixture is fluffy and pale ivory in colour. Add the vanilla and sour cream to the cooled cocoa mixture and stir to combine. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing after each addition only until incorporated.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it with the rubber spatula, working from the centre outward to create a slightly raised ridge around the rim. Carefully spoon the cream cheese filling over the batter, trying to contain it within the rim. The idea is to keep the filling from touching the pan so it will remain concealed when the cake is finished baking. Spoon the remaining batter over the filling and smooth the top.

Bake the cake until the top springs back when pressed lightly and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out free of batter, 60 – 70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 – 15 minutes before turning the cake out of the pan.

The cake would've been perfect if not for the crumbs.  As we ate, we left crumbs on the plate and crumbs all over the table - and on the floor!  God knows what went wrong.  Fortunately, the GPs, being people who focus on the big picture, didn't fuss over silly things like crumbs.  Instead, they made very nice comments about how wonderful the cake tasted and how great everything was.  Makes it impossible to ask for better friends.