Burnt basque cheesecake

My friend Cynthia's birthday was coming up and I decided to bake her a Burnt Basque Cheesecake. I was nervous cos this is my first attempt. Thanks to this recipe, my cheesecake was a success. It was cheesy with a lemonade tint. 🧀😋  

Ingredients (for a 8" cheesecake): 

• 750 cream cheese 
• 210 caster sugar 
• 3.75 gram salt 
• 5.25 eggs
• 0.75 teaspoon vanilla essence 
• 0.75 tablespoon lemon juice 
• 300ml heavy whipping cream 
• 7.5 gram flour 

Instructions (taken from junandtonic.com blog) : 

1. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt together in a stand mixer on medium for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and silky. Then, add the eggs one by one while the mixer is on low, and let it incorporate. Then, add the vanilla, lemon juice, and heavy cream. (Make sure not to measure the lemon juice and cream together, otherwise the cream would curdle.) Finally, dust the flour through a sieve, into the cake batter, and mix it until there are no lumps.
2. Heat your oven to 250°C. 
3. Then, line a 8 or 9-inch cake tin with baking paper, fitting it snugly on the bottom and ruffling it on the sides. Make sure to have at least 2-inches of baking paper sticking out on all sides, as the cake will rise as it bakes. 
4. Pour the cake batter into the lined cake tin. Give it a few gentle taps release any large air bubbles. 
5. Then, bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top of the cake is brown and charred at parts, but the center is still noticeably jiggly. 
6. When done baking, let the cake cool in its tin on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature. Then, put it in the refrigerator to cool for at least another 2 hours. After that, remove it from its tin and remove the baking paper, slice it into 8-12 slices, and indulge! 

Granola

Oats lowers our cholesterol and keeps us full (it's complex carbs). I'm not a big fan of oats until I discovered granola. 😀 I add it to my smoothies or acai bowl. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups rolled oats 
• 1/2 cup of nuts (almond, walnut, pecan, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed)
• 1/2 cup of crisp rice 
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar 
• 2 tablespoons of honey 
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil 
• Toppings: Dried fruits, goji berries, chocolate chips 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven at 160 degrees Celcius. 
2. Combine the mixture in a bowl. 
3. Line the pan with parchment paper. 
4. Bake it for 30 minutes until browned. 
5. Let it cool. Add toppings and mix it. 

Lamb Chops

I don't grill lamb very often. Skills not used are often rusty. Thank you Gordon Ramsey for this quick tutorial video. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

End of Circuit Breaker - the season of giving & sharing.

Today was my very first time baking peanut butter cookies. This recipe only requires 4 ingredients: sugar, peanut butter, baking soda and egg. No need flour. Fail-safe recipe.

Very happy with today's bake! Tastes good and it looks presentable. So I shared this peanut butter goodness with my neighbours and the condo guards. 😊

Peanut butter cookies

Ingredients (makes 20 cookies)

• 1 cup of brown sugar (note: I'd cut down the sugar)
• 1 cup of peanut butter 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (improvised with peanuts)

Preparation 

1. Whisk it all together. 
2. Scoop and place it on a baking sheet. 
3. Make criss cross lines using skewer.  
4. Bake it at 180 degrees Celcius for 10 minutes. 
5. Take it out from the oven. Leave it for 5 minutes to let it cool down and hardened. 

The foodgasm verdict: 6/10

Singapore Laksa

Celebrated my 10 years run in Singapore making Singapore Laksa. 

I'm so glad I made the move. I met many beautiful people. Hui Hui, Julie, Cynthia, Glendon, and many more. Genuine with no hidden agenda. Thank you Singapore for everything.

Coming back to Singapore laksa, I made the gravy from scratch with slight adjustments here and there. It is not difficult to make at all, just that there's plenty of washing to do. 😂

Use fresh coconut milk. Don't settle for anything less. 

Ingredients

Laksa mix

• Shallots, finely chopped 
• Bird's eye chilli 
• Dried red chilli 
• Garlic, finely sliced 
• Lemongrass, finely sliced 
• Galangal, finely chopped 
• Tumeric powder 
• Coriander powder 
• Belacan, roasted 

Others

• 1 hard boiled egg 
• Prawns  
• Coconut milk 
• Puffy tofu 
• Cuttlefish (Penang style)
• Fish cake (Penang style)
• Mint (Penang style)
• Laksa noodle

Preparation 

1. Boil the laksa noodle and leave it aside.  
2. Boil the egg, remove the egg shell and cut into half. 
3. Blend the laksa mix. I used pestle and mortar. 
4. Fry the laksa mix until fragrant. 
5. Prepare the soup stock with prawn head. I used Japanese anchovies instead. 
6. Add the laksa mix to the soup stock. 
7. Add fresh coconut milk. When cooking with coconut milk, do not use high heat. Medium heat will do. If not, the gravy will separate into 2 layers (gravy and milk) when it cools down. 
8. Add tofu, prawns, cuttlefish, and etc. 
9. Add laksa leaf herbs or dried mint herbs. 
10. Let it boil. 
11. Place the laksa noodle in a shallow bowl. 
12. Scoop the gravy onto the noodle. 
13. Lastly, add hard boiled egg and garnish with fresh mint. 

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Ban Chien Kueh

Day 55 Circuit Breaker: Ban Chien Kueh (Chinese pancake)

I don't remember how my BFF Melly and I got about talking about Ban Chien Kueh, but I soon learned that it's actually very easy to make. Challenge accepted? Consider it done!

It actually took me a few weeks to get down to business. Finally bought the flour and eggs yesterday and I managed to squeeze some time today to make 'em. 

I am so happy with the results! Tastes so good! Thank you Melly for the inspiration! And for the first time ever, mom asked me for the recipe. Hehe, yes. Our roles have reversed. 😆

My choice of filling: corn cream, peanut, banana.

Yum! Just like the ones they sell in Penang.

Ingredients 

Batter:

• 150g self raising flour
• 40g sugar
• 5g baking powder
• 1 egg
• 160ml water

Filling: (each)

• 3 tbsp crushed peanuts
• 3 tbsp cream corn
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• Other options: tuna, cheese, banana (be creative!) 

Preparation 

1. In a bowl, whisk and combine all ingredients for batter. Wrap bowl with cling wrap and leave to rest for 1 hour.
2. On non-stick pan over a medium heat (no oil needed), evenly coat the pan with 2-4 tbsp of batter and cook for about 1 min or until the batter set and form with small bubbles.
3. Sprinkle sugar evenly on top of pancake and keep cooking for another 4-6 mins or until pancake is light golden brown.
4. Top with crushed peanuts, butter and cream corn. Lift pancake from the pan, fold into half and serve immediately.

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10 

Penang Asam Laksa

Day 53 Circuit Breaker: I've eaten enough bowls of Penang Laksa, to be able to cook without a recipe! 😂

Penang Asam Laksa ("laksa"). This is my ultimate favourite food and I've been very blessed to have enjoyed this throughout my life. Mom knows I love laksa and she'd cook for me whenever possible. It is her expression of love for me 😍, from Penang, Johor, Singapore, and even London! Disclaimer: laksa in London wasn't my request, but Alex's. 😇

When in Singapore, I usually satisfy my laksa cravings at Jason's Penang Cuisine (stall #01-12 at ABC Food Center). Jason's is my absolute favourite and trust me, they are the BEST in Singapore! In fact, whenever my date asks me where I'd like to eat, I won't hesitate dragging him here. Yup, the dating litmus test. To see if we're two peas in a pod when it comes to food.😁

I have been craving for laksa of late. But due to circuit breaker, it didn't make sense for me cab all the way to ABC Food Center (that would have cost me $50 to and fro). So I woke up today and decided to cook laksa. I realized I've not cooked laksa before. 😬 I was a little nervous, but that didn't stop me from trying.

The results? I was blown away! My laksa was close to mom's. I'm so pleased with myself. I realized it ain't rocket science and I could easily cook this again. I'm also starting to believe I can bedazzle any red-blooded man with my culinary skills. Game on! 😉

Tastes so good. This photo does not do justice at all. 

Ingredients 

Laksa mix

• Galangal (a few slices)
• Asam jawa 
• Asam keping (a few slices)
• Laksa leaves 
• Chilli paste 
• Belacan (pounded) 
• 10 shallots (pounded) 
• 3 lemon grass (pounded)
• 4 fresh mackerel  
• Salt  

Others 

• Laksa noodle 
• Lettuce 
• Cucumber 
• Mint leaves 
• Pineapple 
• Onion 
• Prawn paste 
• Torch ginger  
• Bird's eye chilli

Preparation 

1. Clean the fish with salt and running water. 
2. Boil the fish and remove the bones. Keep as soup stock.
3. Boil fresh pot of soup. Add soup stock and remaining soup ingredients. 
4. Boil the laksa noodle. 
5. Place the laksa noodle in a bowl and stack it up with vegetables, pineapple and onion. 
6. Once the soup is boiling hot, scoop the soup into the bowl of noodle. 
7. Add prawn paste, torch ginger, and bird's eye chilli. 

The foodgasm verdict: 9/10

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

Day 44 Circuit Breaker: Thai Basil Chicken with vermicelli 

The Thai basil paste my mom gave me came in handy. Made this simple chicken dish for lunch within 10 minutes. It is best served with steam rice. I like mine with vermicelli though. 😄

A simple balance meal

Ingredients: 

• A packet of Thai basil paste
• Fresh Thai basil leaves 
• Chicken breast 
• Wood ear mushrooms
• Bittergourd
• Garlic

Preparation: 

1. Heat up the pan with oil.
2. Stir fry the garlic.
3. Add chicken breast and stir fry until it is no longer raw.
4. Add the Thai basil paste. 
5. Add mushroom and bittergourd.
6. Serve with steam rice of vermicelli. 

My foodgasm verdict: 7/10 

Penang Char Koay Kak

Day 41-43 Circuit Breaker: Making it from scratch! 

One by one of my friends talked about Char Koay Kak (fried steam rice cake). It started with Shu-Yin, then Eleen and Hooi Ling, the hits and misses, and apparently it is not easy to make the rice cakes at all. I took it as a synchronicity sign from the universe inspiring me to master this Penang hawkers dish. Challenge accepted!

I knew I wanted to make the rice cakes from scratch. That's the fun part of it. But oh my, I had no idea what I signed up for. The technique and effort required was enormous and it stretched my culinary skills.

• Day 1: Steam rice cake 
• Day 2: Fry the rice cake 

Thankfully, I had my mom to guide me over the phone. I admire my mom. She is a walking recipe book.

Steaming the rice cake

Making crispy pork lard

Frying in process

It was so yummy! I had 3 plates.

I am very satisfied with my Char Koay Kak. I have also learned to enjoy eating this. 😅😋 If not for my mom, I would not have made it successfully on my very first attempt. Thank you mom for the voice-only cooking masterclass. 😍😘

Ingredients:  

• 1 cup of rice flour 
• 3 cups of water 
• 1-2 tablespoon of tapioca flour or corn flour 
• 100% pork fat  
• Olive oil 
• Garlic
• Chai Poh, both sweet and salted (picked radish)
• Salty dark soy sauce 
• Fish sauce 
• Ku Chai (Chinese chives) 
• Beansprout 
• Egg 
• Banana leaf 

Preparation: 

Day 1: Steam plain rice cake

1. Coat a stainless steel bowl with a layer of oil. 
2. Combine rice flour, water and tapioca flour in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Stir it until the paste thickens. 
3. Transfer the paste to a greased stainless steel bowl.
4. Steam it for 1.5 hours - 2 hours. 
5. Use a satay stick to see if it's cooked. Top up water in the steamer if needed. 
6. Once cooked, let it cool down. 
7. Once cooled down, refrigerate it overnight. 
8. The next morning, take it out from the fridge and check the texture. It's supposed to bounce up when you gently press with your finger.
9. If texture looks good, cut the rice cake into small cubes. 

Day 2: Fry the rice cakes

1. Fry pork lard with oil and put aside. 
2. Add oil onto your pan.
3. Saute garlic, chai poh and pork lard.
4. Add rice cakes.
5. Add dark soy sauce and fish sauce. 
6. Add chilli paste (optional).
7. Add beansprout and kuchai. 
8. Finally, add egg. 
9. Serve on banana leaf. 

Tips:

• The pork lard will make or break the dish. This is a must have.  
• The pork lard shrink into tiny bits once fried. 
• Smash the rice cake into smaller pieces so that more surfaces are coated with sauce. 

The foodgasm verdict: 9/10 

MLXG Beef

Day 40 Circuit Breaker: Ma La Xiang Guo Beef 

After 1 month staying away from beef, I finally surrendered to my cravings for beef. Also added rainbow diet of vegetables for my chakra health. 🌈🌈🌈 Added bittergourd, brinjal, potatoes, bell peppers, carrot and garnished with coriander and additional garlic. Yes I love garlic. Apparently garlic (yellow) is good for solar plexus chakra. This chakra is closely related to personal power, self-worth and self-esteem; the ability to master thoughts and emotions. Dress sharp, stand tall and speak up. I am enough!

The Captain asked, "Why is it all your beef dishes look so good?" 😁

Rainbow MLXG for my healthy Chakras 😍

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Pad Thai

Day 39 Circuit Breaker: Making Pad Thai 

It's the weekend and I decided to make Pad Thai (yes, my very first time). 😇 The idea came about when my friend sent me a YouTube video of Bangkok street food. I watched the video and thought it was doable. I had no idea what sauces they used, but I decided to use fish sauce coupled with light soy sauce.

Carb loading for tomorrow's cycling 

I was happy with the end product. It was very flavourful and appetizing, just lacked the "wok hei" effect. 😬

Ingredients 

The sauce

• Fish sauce 
• Tamarind paste (I improvised with light soy sauce)
• Sugar (I didn't add)
• Water 

Main ingredients 

• Olive oil
• Garlic 
• Shallot 
• Prawns (improvised with pork)
• Tofu 
• Rice noodle 
• Beansprout 
• Chives or spring onions, and often both.
• Egg 

Garnishing 

• Roasted peanuts  
• Chilli flakes 
• Lime

Preparation 

1. Heat up oil on a pan on medium heat.
2. Fry the tofu and put it aside on a plate. 
3. Saute the garlic and shallot.
4. Add the prawns. 
5. Add rice noodle.
6. Add a dash of fish sauce and light soy sauce. 
7. Add beansprout. 
8. Add egg. 
9. Add chives or spring onion
10. Serve with roasted peanuts and chilli flakes.

The foodgasm verdict: 7/10