Swedish Butterkaka

Swedish Butterkaka with Vanilla Pudding filling is the equivalent to the german "Hefeschnecken" which has either Vanilla Pudding or Hazelnut-Marzipan filling!  It is advisable to use fresh yeast instead of instant yeast in order that the dough attains its soft springy texture.  This recipe was kindly given to me by a fellow Facebook friend, Ellen Yee Tham Peng, who is living in Sweden and I have made some adjustments to suit my taste.  I must say that this Butterkaka is awesome and tastes delicious.  It is worth a try and I think that it will be very popular with the kids!

Dough Ingredients:

75 g butter

250 ml fresh milk

30 g fresh yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (note:  original recipe has 25 g)

50 g sugar

1/4 tsp salt

400 g all purpose flour, to be sifted

Filling Ingredients:

1 packet instant vanilla custard or pudding (I use Dr. Oetker's Vanilla Pudding)

500 ml fresh milk

Glaze Ingredients:

1 egg yolk, to be slightly beaten with a little fresh milk

Pearl Sugar (Swedish product) or Hagelzucker (coarse sugar)

Method:

Melt butter in hot milk and leave to cool to a temperature of 38° C.  Place flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre.  Break up yeast into the well.  Then, pour the butter/milk over yeast and mix thoroughly.

Add the rest of the ingredients and knead with a kitchen machine for about 10 minutes or until the dough does not stick to the sides of the bowl.  Cover bowl with a cloth and let dough rise to double its volume.  This will take about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare vanilla custard or pudding according to packet instructions.  Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool off completely.  Butter a 26 cm diameter round springform or cake tin.

Once the dough is ready, knead it on a floured table top for another 5 minutes.  Divide dough into portions and form each portion into a long log of about 32 cm long.  Then, roll out each log to a rectangular shape of 32 x 25 cm.  Spread half of vanilla filling on top and roll dough like rolling a swiss roll.  Then, cut log into 8 portions.  Repeat procedure with the other log.

Arrange portions onto the base of the springform by leaving a slight gap in between.  Leave to rise for a further 10 to 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 200° C or 180° C (fan oven).  Glaze top of portions with eggyolk/milk mixture and sprinkle with Pearl Sugar or Hagelzucker.  Bake for 35 minutes - after 20 minutes, cover springform with an aluminium foil (to avoid cake getting too browned) and bake for a further 15 minutes.  Once done, remove from oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack before removing cake from tin.

Bon Appetit!

Kacang Pool

This dish originates from Middle East is normally served during breakfast.  It is simple to prepare and tastes delicious.  Following recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:
2 cans (à 400 g) kacang pool (Foul Medames or kidney beans), to be coarsely blended
200 g minced beef
a little water
salt to taste

1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp ground black pepper
a bit of grated nutmeg
a little oil

Blended Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic
2 big onions
2 cm ginger

Garnishing:
2 big onions, to be coarsely cubed
3 tomatoes, to be coarsely cubed
1 green or red chillie, to be finely sliced
2 small limes or calamansi
4 eggs, to be fried sunny side up
ghee, to be melted

Method:
Heat a little oil in a pot and stir-fry blended ingredients until fragrant.  Add in minced beef and mix well.  Then, add in cumin powder, nutmeg and ground black pepper.  Cook for a few minutes.

Then, add in beans and a little water.  Mix well and cook for another 10 minutes.  Season with salt to taste.

To serve, add 2 or 3 ladles of beans in a deep plate.  Pour 1 tbsp melted hot ghee over beans. Garnish with fried egg, onion cubes, tomato cubes, sliced chillies and lime slice as shown above.

Bon Appetit!

Ayam Penyet

I have been dreaming of this dish since our last summer holiday and could not tahan anymore.  By hook or by crook, I must cook this dish!  So, I spent the whole morning today preparing the ingredients and I must say that my efforts are worth it!  The taste of this dish speaks for itself .... yummy!!!  This dish is served with Asam Rebus, Sambal Terasi and plain white rice or chicken rice. One may add some cucumber slices and ripe pineapple slices on the side.  Following recipes serve 4.

Ayam Penyet 

Ingredients:
1 chicken, to be cut into 4
3 cm galangal, to be peeled and crushed
3 stalks lemon grass, to be crushed
3 bay leaves
1 tsp white pepper
1 litre water
200 ml coconut milk
salt and sugar to taste

Blended/Pounded Ingredients:
1 big onion
3 cloves garlic
2 cm ginger
1 tbsp coriander seeds, to be fried without oil until fragrant

Method:
Place all ingredients in a big pot and cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked.  Remove chicken to a colander and leave gravy to cool down completely.

Frying Batter Ingredients:
80 g rice flour
1 cup (250 ml) chicken gravy above
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl thoroughly and season to taste.  Heat enough oil in a pot over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, dip a chicken piece into batter and add to hot oil.  Deep fry until golden in colour.  Remove to a plate lined with absorbent paper.  Repeat until all chicken pieces are fried.

Kremes (Fried Batter) Ingredients:
1 cup chicken gravy
60 g rice flour
1 egg, to be lightly beaten
salt to taste
oil for deep frying as above

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.  Add tablespoons of batter to oil and deep fry until crispy.  Remove to a plate lined with absorbent paper.  These are used to sprinkle over chicken when serving.


Asam Rebus (Sweet Sour Vegetable Soup)

Ingredients:
400 g pumpkin (labu) - this time, I used turnip, to be cut into cubes
250 g french beans, to be cut into 3 cm lengths
50 g groundnuts, to be soaked
100 g baby corns (optional)
2 pcs dried tamarind
2 pcs bay leaves
3 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
40 g fresh tamarind to be mixed with 50 ml water (only the juice is used)
1 to 1.5 litre water

Blended/Pounded Ingredients:
2 big onions
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp shrimp paste (belacan)
2 red chillies
25 g dried anchovies, to be soaked first

Method:
Bring water in a pot to boil and add groundnuts.  Then, add in the blended ingredients and bring to boil again.  Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the french beans.  Once the pumpkins are cooked, add in the french beans and season with salt and sugar to taste.

Sambal Terasi or Sambal Belacan

Ingredients:
150 g red chillies, stalks removed
3 medium-size red tomatoes
6 shallots
1 clove garlic
30 g piece shrimp paste (belacan)
oil for shallow frying

2 tsp palm sugar
1 lime, to be juiced

Method:
Heat a little oil in a pot.  Fry the chillies, tomatoes, shallots, garlic and schrimp paste separately. Then, blend all of them together with the lime juice and palm sugar.  Season with salt and sugar to taste.

Serve Ayam Penyet with Asam Rebus, Sambal Terasi and plain rice or chicken rice.

Bon Appetit!

Beef-Spinach-Lasagna

For a change, we go italian today and I prepared Beef-Spinach-Lasagne.  This dish is easy to prepare and tastes delicious!  A pleasant change from the usual tomato-bolognese sauce!  One can use the instant Bechamel Sauce which are readily available in supermarkets or make your own! This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

500 g frozen spinach, to be thawed

1 clove garlic

300 g tomatoes

250 g Mozzarella (Italian cheese)

salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

500 g minced beef

1 packet (250 ml) Béchamelsauce (instant)

100 ml fresh cream

9 pre-cooked lasagne noodle pieces (note:  there is no need to pre-cook them cos they are easily available in the supermarkets.  Just make sure that you get the pre-cooked ones.)

Method: 

Preheat oven to 220º C (Fan:  200º C, Gas:  3 - 4).  Squeeze out the water from thawed spinach and chop into big cubes.  Peel and mince the garlic.  Cut the tomatoes into medium-sized cubes and season with salt and pepper.  Slice the mozzarella into thin slices and season with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a big casserole pan and stir-fry the minced meat until the water dries up.  Add minced garlic, Béchamelsauce and cream.  Stir well and then add the spinach.  Bring to boil and season to taste.  Once ready, set it aside.

Butter a rectangular pyrex dish or casserole (22 X 28 cm).  Spread some beef sauce on the base before placing 3 pieces of lasagne on top.  Add half of the meat sauce on the lasagne and spread them evenly.  Then, add the cubed tomatoes and spread them evenly.

Place a second layer of lasagne pieces on top and repeat the procedure, saving a little beef sauce for topping.  Lastly, add a third layer of lasagne pieces and spread some beef sauce before arranging the mozarella on top.

Bake the lasagne on the first rack from bottom for about 25 – 30 minutes.  Cool the lasagne for about 10 minutes before serving.

Note:  If you would like to make your own Bechamel Sauce, the recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, to be peeled and finely diced

25 g butter or margarine

20 g flour

250 ml milk

125 ml instant stock (cube)

Method:

Melt butter or margarine in a pot over medium heat and add diced onion.  Stir in flour and cook until flour is pale yellow in colour.  Add milk and whisk well until there are no lumps.  Bring to boil and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Bon Appetit!

French Beans in Coconut Gravy (Malay Style)

This simple dish is also known as Kacang Bonces Masak Lemak in the malay language.  It is one of my husband's asian favourites which is easy to prepare.  Normally, I would serve this dish together with fried chicken, fried omelette and rice, not forgetting the sambal belacan.  Following recipes serve 4.

Ingredients:
500 g french beans, to be washed, dried and cut into 5 cm lengths
1 can (425 ml) coconut milk
a little tang hoon, to be soaked in warm water
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Blended Ingredients:
2 tbsp dried prawns, to be soaked in warm water
1 big onion, to be sliced
2 cloves of garlic, to be sliced
1 red chilli, to be sliced

Method:
Heat oil in a pot and stir-fry blended ingredients until fragrant.  Add in coconut milk and bring to a boil slowly.  Reduce heat and let it simmer until some oil are seen on the surface.  This will take about 10 minutes.

Add french beans and cook until they are almost tender.  Season with salt to taste.  Then, add in tang hoon and let it simmer gently.

Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken legs, to be washed, dried and cut into two at the joints
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp corriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp aniseed powder

oil for deep frying

Note:  Preferably, I will use fresh turmeric, corriander seeds, cumin seeds & aniseed.  These have to be blended together and is optional.

Method:
Combine all spices and coat the chicken pieces.  Heat oil in a deep fryer and fry them until golden brown.  Remove to a plate which is lines with absorbent paper.

Fried Omelette

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 big onion, to be sliced finely
1 red chillie (optional), to be sliced finely
salt & pepper to taste
a little oil

Method:
Beat eggs lightly in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.  Heat a little oil in a pan and fry omelette.

Bon Appetit!