Plain Scones

Hello,

Scones are perfect snack during tea time or brunch and traditionally scone served with jam and clotted cream or butter. Plain scone are easy to make and it can be done in less than 30 minutes. Generally the scones are best eaten the same day they are baked. Scones also are quite healthy snacks, a bit lower in fat and calories, a great snacks indeed!

Sometimes, if I have no idea what to do or bake for a teatime, scone is one of the solution because they are quick and easy to prepare with just a few basic ingredients that we usually have at home. They are perfect snack, simple and delicious.

PLAIN SCONES

Ingredients;

250g flour,
4 teaspoons baking powder
50g salted butter
25g sugar
125ml milk.

METHOD;

- Preheat oven 220° and prepare baking pan.
- Sift flour and baking powder, add sugar and rub in butter until resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the milk and mix until the dough come together, do not over mix.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out about 1.25cm and cut out using a round cutter.
- Arrange on the prepared pan and brush the scones with milk.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve warm with jam, butter or cream.

Happy baking!

Shell Out At Home

Salut,

Shell out literally a bucket of seafood dumped on the table for everyone to enjoy and this kind of seafood meal popular in Malaysia since few years ago. Shell out is a new way to eat out in the restaurant, served the variety of seafood on the table with a plastic tablecloth and eating with hand without using any fork or spoon. Nowadays, there are many shell out restaurant open due to popular demand and in fact people like this new concepts of eating.

We had a shell out dinner with friends last few days and to be honest, we didn't expect that our friends could enjoy the dinner because the concept of eating with hand is something new for them. Surprisingly, it was an exceptional dinner and they really enjoying the meal, they loved the variety of seafood, the sauce and the butter rice.

One thing for sure, we would do more shell out at home in the future but this is also depend on the seafood season and what we can get in the market. This shell out recipe source from masam manis blogspot, one of my favourite cooking blog.

SHELL OUT

(Recipe for 4 persons)

Ingredients;

500g mussels
500g assorted clams
500g prawns/crabs
4 potatoes
1 brocolli

For the sauce
A:
2 shallot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2cm ginger, sliced
1 sprig curry leaves, optional

B:
2 onion
2 shallot
2 cloves garlic
2cm ginger
10-12 dry chilli, soak in hot water

Seasoning:
2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 chicken/vegetables cube
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

METHOD;

- Boil all the seafood until just cooked, set aside.
- Boil the potatoes and brocolli until tender, set aside.
- Blend all the B ingredient into a fine paste, set aside.
- Heat some oil and a little bit butter in a large saucepan or wok and fry A ingredients until fragrant.
- Add blended ingredients and cook for a few minutes over medium low heat or until the sauce are slightly dry.
- Add curry powder and cook for a few seconds.
- Add oyster sauce, fish sauce and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Add a little water and cook for another minutes.
- Add in boiled seafood and stir until all seafood evenly coated.
- Serve in a large oval plate or direct on the table with a plastic tablecloth.
- Put the boiled potatoes and brocolli all over the seafood.
- Serve with butter rice.

BUTTER RICE

Ingredients;

2 cups Thai rice
2 cups water
1 carrot, cut into small cube
4 tablespoons salted butter

METHOD;

- Wash the rice and put in the rice cooker or saucepan.
- Add water, carrot and butter, press the rice cooker and let it cook itself.
- If cooking without rice cooker, bring it to boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

Enjoy the shell out!

Mussels in Shaoxing Wine

Salut,

A couple of weeks ago, we had mussels for dinner while we were camping in Cancale and few days ago, we had mussels again for dinner. Most of the seafood price are quite cheaper at this time, and the mussels that we had tastes really good. Mussels are so easy to cook and with just a few simple ingredients, we had a great food for dinner.

Most people here cooking mussels with white wine, shallot and parsley, but mon mari used to cook with shaoxing wine, shallots, garlic, ginger, chilli and it sure the shaoxing rice wine taste even better than white wine.

MUSSELS IN SHAOXING WINE

Ingredients;

1 kg mussels, scrub and cleaned
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2cm fresh ginger, chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
200ml Shaoxing cooking wine
Pepper to taste

METHOD;

- Heat up some oil in a large saucepan and fry shallots, garlic, ginger and chillies until fragrant.
- Add Shaoxing wine and bring to boil.
- Add cleaned mussels, season with pepper and cover with a lid.
- Cook the mussels until the shells are opened.

Bon appétit!

Watermelon Juice

Hello,

When the weather is hot outside, sometimes we just need a cold beverages to cool down a bit. Fruit juice like watermelon is one of the healthy refreshing drinks, delicious and easy to make. Watermelon is a common fruit during the summer time. Since there are lots of fruits selling in the market now, we just needs make these seasonal fruits wisely.

Watermelon is not the fruit that we could have it every time like in Asia, so once the fruits are there, let's make a juice. For those who never try a watermelon juice, this is a time to make one.

WATERMELON JUICE

Ingredients;

Watermelon, quarter or half depends on the size
Sugar, optional
Half lemon
Ice cube
A little bit of water
Fresh milk

METHOD;

Watermelon lemon juice
- Using a blender or juice maker, blend watermelon, sugar, ice cube and a bit of water until smooth.
- Pour in lemon juice, stir and add in extra ice cube.

Watermelon milk juice
- Blend watermelon, sugar, ice cube and fresh milk until smooth.
- Serve with extra ice cube.

Enjoy the fresh juice!

Vegetable Samosa

Bonjour,

Samosa, a simple and delicious snack that always been my choice because they are easy to make and they can be frozen well and fried anytime we want. These snack also suitable to serve during apéro as French people loves to have apéro before the meal. Since I discovered these feuilles de brick or brick pastry few years back, I often make samosas because using brick pastry, the work is much easier, light and crispy, either they are baked or fried.

My family especially my mom like these crispy samosas and everytime before I go back to my hometown, she would remind me to buy feuilles de brick and make samosas at home. I'm not so sure if there are feuilles de brick sell in Asia, but most people used sping roll pastry which is come with a defferent size.

POTATO AND PEA SAMOSAS

Ingredients;

8-10 brick pastry (feuilles de brick)
2 potatoes, cut into small chunks
1 cup frozen peas
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoon curry powder, mix with little water to make paste
Salt and sugar to taste

METHOD;

Filling:
- Heat oil in a saucepan and fry garlic until fragrant.
- Add curry paste and cook for a minute.
- Add potatoes and a cup of water, bring to boil.
- Add in peas and onion, season with salt and a bit of sugar if necessary and continue to cook until the potatoes are soft and the sauce are dry. Let it cool.
Folding:
- Take the brick pastry and cut into 2 semi circles.
- Take one half and fold horizontally.
- Place a spoonful filling in a corner and fold it in a triangle shape.
- Continue folding until the end and seal the edge with flour water mixture as a glue and repeat the process .
- Heat plenty of oil in a sauce pan or wok and deep fry the samosas until golden brown on both side.
- Or preheat oven on 180° and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy the snack!