Vegetable Stew with Cous Cous

Thursday's are play date days and that means yummy lunch for the parents. My friends and i get together with our kids once a week and enjoy each other's company and have fun watching the kids be silly. It's such a great moment. This recipe here was shared with me by a dear friend from my play date group. It's such a simple recipe but so satisfying and delicious. Even my 15 month old daughter will come get a few bites from my husband and i while we eat. I've made it a bunch of times and it's a keeper. And every time i have this, i think of all the fun we have and stories we share at our play dates. So thank you my friend for this wonderful recipe:)

For the Cous Cous, you can get it at any grocery store. Follow directions on the package to cook it.

Vegetable Stew with Cous Cous

~Ingredients~
1 medium Potato
1 zucchini
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 medium onion
1 carrot
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 32oz Vegetable stock/broth
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt to taste
crush red pepper to taste
hot sauce of your choice to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

~Method~

1) Chop all the vegetables into cubes. ( cube them to the size you would prefer)
2) In a large pot, heat some olive oil and add onions and minced garlic. Stir well and let it cook for 2 mins.
3) Add in the rest of the chopped vegetables. Stir well and cook covered for about 3 mins.
4) Add in the vegetable stock/broth along with salt, crushed red pepper and hot sauce of your choice. (You may use chili powder if you like) Stir well and bring it to a boil.
5) When the stock comes to a boil, add in tomato sauce. Bring to boil and let it simmer until the liquid has thicken up a bit and vegetables a cooked.
6) Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with Cous Cous.

Mee Siam

For those of you who have been to Singapore, the food you've had there is something you'll never forget. The authentic local food has it's own unique flavors and ingredients. Because the majority of the population consist of the Malays,Chinese and Indians, you can imagine all the different flavors you'd get. This dish here is actually a Malaysian dish and depending on where you have it, can be made with soup or without the soup. I however like it with the soup. It's a spicy and tangy soup with peanuts and because the noodle used in Mee Siam are rice noodle, it's light on your stomach. Traditionally, this dish is made with salted and fermented soy beans called Tao Cho and it also has belachan which is a shrimp paste base. I however make it without the soybeans and shrimp paste since i have friends who are vegetarian. So flavorful yet simple and it still taste just like it should. In Singapore, you can have Mee Siam even for breakfast or for an afternoon/evening snack. Since i have a 15 month old, and a few of my dear friends have kids around the same age, we have play date Thursdays. And it's just great because not only do the kids get to enjoy and play, the parents get to look forward to lunch and having a good time a well. Every week, whoever that's hosting the play date will make a delicious lunch for the 3 to 4 of us that are there. So it was my turn a couple of weeks ago and this is what i choose to make. Here's the recipe: ( This recipe makes for about 6 to 8 ppl )

~Ingredients~
7 Red Jalapenos
7 cloves Garlic
3 small onions
3/4 cup ground peanut

~Garnish For Noodle Soup~
cubed fried tofu
chopped green onions
Boiled egg

~Method~
1)Blend Jalapenos, garlic, onion and ground peanut in a food processor until it's a fine paste
2)In large pan, heat up 1/4 cup oil and saute the paste for about 10 mins. Stirring every few mins.
3)Remove 3/4 of the paste and put it in large pot to make the soup. With the remaining 1/4 paste, add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1tbsp ketchup and 1 tbsp chili sauce and some salt to taste. Mix everything together and let it saute over medium heat for 2 mins. Turn it off and let it cool.
4)Make a packet of Rice noodles and mix the cooled paste into the cooked rice noodles. Make sure rice noodle are not over cooked. Warm it up in the Microwave just before serving.

(You can get rice noodles at the Chinese market. I like to use the thin, fine rice noodle. Any brand is fine.)

~Soup Method~
1) Add 4 cups water to the paste in the pot and bring it to boil.
2) In the mean time, add 2 tbsp brown sugar, chili powder, salt, some lemon and 1/2 cup finely ground peanuts.
3) Bring the soup to boil. Soup should be spicy with a bit of sweetness and sourness. Let it boil for about 5 mins .
4) Put some rice noodles in a bowl, top it with some chopped green onion, tofu and sliced boiled eggs. Pour hot soup over and serve.

Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes

The first time i made cupcakes from scratch were for my daughter's 1st birthday. And they turned out great and everyone enjoyed them. One little girl however loved it so much that she told my mother in law to have me make them for her again. That sure made my day! How could you say no to a child is what i thought. I made Lemon curd cupcakes for the birthday party and thought, why not try something different this time. Kids like chocolate and bananas! So i searched around online and came across this recipe. They were more muffin like and tasted like banana bread. Only difference was the chocolate chips.I made them and sent some over for the little girl who wanted my cupcakes. Of course i had to save some or my family too! It's such a great recipe to make with kids and to enjoy them later with the rest of the family! The best part of it all is the smell of fresh baked goodies! Mmmm so good!

Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes Recipe

* 3 cups all purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 3 large eggs
* 1 1/4 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
* 3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
* 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
* 2 cups mashed bananas
* 1 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate chunks, semi sweet or milk chocolate

~Method~

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. This recipe makes 24 regular size cupcakes, so line muffin pans with paper or silicone liners and set aside.
* In a large bowl, combine flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.In another large mixing bowl with a hand-held or stand mixer, beat eggs and sugars together. Add oil, vanilla, bananas and blend well. Scrape bowl.
* With mixer on low speed, add 1/2 the flour mixture and mix. Scrape down bowl and add the remaining flour. Beat on low just until blended and the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients.
* Fold in chocolate chips and coconut if desired.
* Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes, turning once half way through baking, until pick comes out clean.
* Let sit on cooling racks for 5 minutes before removing cupcakes from pans.
* Cool completely before frosting.
* At this point, the cupcakes can be wrapped in Ziploc Bags and frozen for up to 2 months.
* Makes 24 regular size cupcakes.

Chicken Biryani

Biryani is one of my all time favorite dish. Growing up in Singapore, you get all types of cuisine to choose from. And i remember my dad taking orders from everyone for our weekend biryani luncheon. I personally love having Fish Biryani. However, i've grown to like Chicken Biryani as well. When i first moved to the United States, my knowledge about cooking was very limited. I'd make simple and easy food which almost requiered nothing. And part of it also had to do with the fact that i was home sick and missed my family and friends dearly! But as years went by, it gave me more and more confidence to try new recipes and learn from my mother in law and mom in Singapore. And it's still a learning process. Sometimes my mother in law and mom would ask me for recipes :). And it feels great to be learning and sharing my experiences with my loved ones. So here's my all time favorite Chicken Biryani recipe that i learnt from my dear Mother in law:) She's an amazing cook and a great inspiration to me.

~Chicken Biryani~
Serves about 4 to 6 ppl


*Chicken*

1 1/2lbs Chicken breast cubed
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp Chili powder
3 tbsp tandoori chicken powder
2 tbsp ginger, garlic and chili paste
salt to taste.

1) Marinade the cubed chicken in the above ingredients and let it sit in the fridge for about 4 hrs. i usually marinade extra chicken and freeze the extra in a ziplock bag. That way, the next time i want to make more biryani, i have my chicken marinated and ready to go.
2) In a large pressure cooker, heat up some oil/ghee and add the marinated chicken . Add another 1 tbsp of ginger. garlic and chili paste to the marinated chicken. Stir well and pressure cook chicken for about 15 to 30 mins on low. Chicken should be well cooked and tender when you open the pressure cooker.
3) Heat some oil in a separate pan and add some cloves and cinnamon sticks. Add 2 chopped up medium onions and saute till they are golden brown.
4) Add the sauted onions into the cooked chicken along with 1/2 cup of yogurt , 3 tbsp of chicken masala, 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Mix well and taste for seasoning.

*Rice*
- 2 cups of basmati rice, washed and soaked for 1/2 hr.
- 1/4 tsp saffaron

1)Cook rice in a rice cooker with some ghee, salt and saffaron.
2) When the rice is cooked, remove the rice cooker lid and let the rice cool a little.

*Biryani*

1)Slice up 2 large tomatoes and set aside
2) Take a baking dish and spread some rice . ( i like using my rectangular lasagna baking dish)
3) Place the cooked chicken on top of the rice followed by the sliced tomatoes. The tomatoes are to give some moisture and flavor to the rice. Put as many or as little as you'd like.
4) Repeat steps again in the order of rice/chicken/tomatoe
5)Cover the baking dish with some foil and bake it in the oven at 375 for 1/2 hr.
6) Serve hot with some yogurt on the side.

Tandoori Chicken

Here's is another great recipe for BBQ's or grill in the oven. Tandoori Chicken is usually very tender and juicy since it's usually marinated for many hrs and has yogurt in it. It's healthy and easy to make and also a dish that everyone loves. Here is the recipe.

~Tandoori Chicken~
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
1/2 cup yogurt, strained in a cheese clothe
3 to 4 tbsp tandoori masala
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
red food color
butter for basting
salt to taste

1) Mix all the ingredients in a bowl really well. Taste to make sure there is enough salt and spice. You may add more spice or less spice depending on your palate.
2) Add Chicken into the marinade and let it sit for 10 to 12 hrs. You may either BBQ it or grill it in the oven. Baste is with butter while cooking it. Serve hot with some mint chutney.

Lamb Kabobs with Mint Chutney

BBQ season is here and if you like spice and flavor, here is a great dish. Spicy Lamb Kabobs with a refreshing Mint Chutney. Both extremely easy to make and great for a quick meal. I usually make the chutney the day before, but if you like, you could even make it several days ahead and freeze it. As for the kabobs, i like to get all the spice into the ground lamb the day before I'm going to make them just so the meat gets enough time to get all the flavors in. These come out tender and juicy and are just great to eat while they are hot. Enjoy the recipe!

~Lamb Kabobs~
3 lbs ground lamb
1 tbsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp fresh ginger, garlic and chili paste
1 tbsp garam masala
salt to taste

1) Mix all the ingredients into the ground lamb really well the night before or morning of and let it sit until you're ready to cook them. ( i usually cook a little on a pan to taste and make sure there's enough spice and salt.)
2) You can either skewer them or roll them into kabobs using your hand and cook it on the BBQ or grill in the oven. Do not overcook or it'll get dry. Because there's enough fat in the meat, you don't need to baste it at all.

~Mint Chutney~
8 tomatillos
2 Serrano chili
1 medium onion
1 cup cilantro
1 1/2 cup mint
salt to taste
1/4 cup small chopped onions
2 tbsp vinegar

1) Chop up the tomatillos, onion and chili and cook in a large pan with lid on until all the ingredients are soft and tender. Be sure to stir the ingredients a few time while cooking.
2) Place the cooked ingredients in a blender with chopped cilantro, mint and salt and blend until pureed. Add some water if chutney is too thick.
3) Empty out Chutney in a bowl and add in Vinegar and small chopped onions. Mix and let it chill for 2 to 3 hrs. Serve when ready.

Sophia's 1st Birthday Cupcakes!!

I can't believe my daughter is already 1!!! And i am just so glad that i made the birthday cupcakes myself instead of ordering them. This was something i really wanted to do. So much more meaningful and everyone loved them. Soft and moist with a burst of lemon and you bite into them. They were Lemon cupcakes filled with Lemon curd. Makes me want to have one right now as I'm writing up this blog. I decided to go with the bright colors since it was a garden themed party. So we had Aqua, Yellow and Rose Pink frosting for the cupcakes. I also ordered some sugar toppers to decorate the cupcakes so that they went with the theme. Something so simple, yet elegant. Here's the recipe for the cupcakes and Lemon curd. For the butter cream frosting, i used 1/2 stick of softened butter to 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and little bit of milk as needed for the consistency. Enjoy!!

~Lemon cupcakes~

• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 8-ounce cartons dairy sour cream
• 2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line thirty 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and vanilla; beat until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. (The batter will be thick.) Stir in lemon peel.

3. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter into each prepared muffin cup.* Bake in the preheated oven about 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes 30 cupcakes.

~Lemon Curd~
1/3 cup strained, fresh lemon juice
2 tsp fresh lemon zest
5 tbsp sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, combine sugar and lemon juice. Add zest and stir until sugar is dissolved completely.
In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg. Whisking constantly (or with an electric mixer on low), very slowly stream the hot lemon-sugar syrup into the egg. Beat for 2 minutes (only 1 if you’re using a mixer), then transfer back into the saucepan by pouring the mixture through a sieve.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the curd just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Transfer to a small airtight container and store in the fridge.