Mother's day

Over here mother's day is celebrated on first Sunday of May, meaning last Sunday. I decided on tiramisu for my partner's mom. Added stawberries syrup in between the layers for a little diff. flavour and colour. It is THE easiest and no-fail recipe..and of course everyone loved it :)

Stuffed chilli peppers

That's the recipe I tried for yesterday's lunch. The usual stuffings that I'm familiar with are mince pork+rice or fish paste. I think meat or fish stuffing + pepper helps to balance the spiciness of the pepper. While this vegetarian version that I tested was packed with spices, take a bite and it'll woken up all your senses! This dish is great with a plate of steamed rice... Ooh la la. This is certainly a keeper!

Stuffed chilli peppers
Recipe from Spice Hut

Ingredients:
8 chilli peppers
2 large potatoes
1 small onion
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp MDH Pav Bhaaji Masala (omitted, since not available)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt to taste, oil for saute

Method:
Peel the potatoes, wrap them in paper towels and cook in the microwave for 8-9 min. Remove, crumble them. Keep aside. Place coriander seeds in a ziploc bag& pound roughly with a rolling pin. Finely chop the onion.

Hold the chilli pepper in the palm of your hand and make a long slit along one side, using a small knife. Remove the seeds & white part inside the pepper with your fingers or spoon. Repeat with all the peppers. When done make sure to clean your hands with soap. Preferrably wear gloves.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the onion, saute till translucent. Add the Pav Bhaaji Masala, red chilli powder, cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds, salt to taste. Saute for 2 min. Add the crumbled potatoes & adjust salt. Mix well till potatoes are coated well with the masalas. Turn off stove. Cool this stuffing for a bit.

Pack the stuffing in the prepared chilli peppers. In the same non-stick pan, heat more oil. Once oil is hot, reduce heat to medium low &carefully (use tongs) place the stuffed peppers into the oil, slit side up. Let it cook like this for 5 min.

Turn off stove, remove stuffed chillies and place them in a baking dish. Bake for 15-20 min in a preheated 325 degrees oven. Serve hot.

Changing theme again / Being lazy

Can't made up my mind which one I prefer..hopefully this theme will stick around longer. At least a month!

Yeah, I still owe food-cookies a meme (apologies ^-^) Ah, too lazy to compose anything these days :p By next week , for sure!

Ciao

A peanut sauce review

If you're a SE asian in Hungary craving for peanut sauce, I highly recommend you grab a packet of Asian Home Gourmet's peanut sauce. As advertised, it is seriously authentic in taste!You see how creamy it turned out? that was made using regular milk instead of coconut's. Although I would love some Satays (Saté) to go with this sauce but it works fine with carrot sticks & cabbage. ..oh, it is available at tesco near you :)

Don't throw away old bread 2

while sorting out my recipes folder, I was reminded of this yummy sounding recipe - Toasted bread with honey, butter and sesame seeds, bookmarked from food site - Pinoy cook. The name itself guranttees the snack will be a hit! Also, this easy recipe helps to take care of the days-old bread which otherwise would be binned today. We had it for breakfast a while ago. I could still feel the buttery, sweet and crunch in my taste bud ..I highly recommend this :))

You'll need
day-old bread
butter
honey
sesame seeds

rest of recipe, check out
Pinoy Cook

Pumpkin in the air

Did I bake on valentine's day? you bet! I had wanted to make something fancy but decided on something simpler, something not at all romantic! Anyways, the motivation came from a can of pumpkin purée and I haven't baked pumpkin bread before.. further the recipe sub. butter with olive oil..hmmm another first for me. The exact experience needed for a novice like me!

At the time of typing this post, the pumpkin bread is still in the oven. The baking time needs 50-60 mins. In the meantime, fingers crossed . Because I have used extra virgin olive oil..wonder it would turn out too rich?

50 mins. 're up! The bread risen nicely (although sunken a little after cooling) ,the colour an appetising golden orange, moist and not too sweet, overall thumbs up from me.


Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (1/4 L) pumpkin purée
1/2 cup (1 dL) olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup (1 dL) chopped walnuts
(metric measurements in parentheses)

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts. Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a straw poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack

source :
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000842pumpkin_bread.php#comments

Review : Dr. Oetker Muffin mix

This box of muffin mix kept staring at me in the kitchen since Christmas (got it in a set of gifts). I counldn't resist anymore, I have to give it a go!

Due to my first bad experience (once only) with muffin mix (another brand), which turned out dry, hard, powdery and the taste ....artificial ; I didn't have too high of expection this time round.

Dr. Oetker chocolate chips muffin mix changed my perception of pre-mixes. The muffins were fluffy, wholesome, and didn't taste artificial at all. If you want to spice it up, try twirling in some peanut butter (which i did) or any other jams before baking. It was great for tea time...yum ..satisfying ;)

Note : Included in the box was 1 pkt. of choc. chips, flour mix, 12 muffin cups. Additional fresh ingredients - eggs, milks and oil