Thursday 5 May 2011

How to clean bean sprouts

Apart from sharing a range of recipes I made at home, I think it also guide you in certain way if I tell you guys my cooking tips I've learned so far.....


I will teach you how to clean bean sprouts....this is a really simple but yet an important technique that makes your food looks good and well presented to your family and guest.


Obviously you need a pack of bean sprouts.


And a bowl of water....


What had left when I wanted to take picture...



Like I said, its a simple technique. So take a hand full of bean sprouts or less and put into a bowl of water. 




As you can see here all bean sprouts are floating on the bowl. It will make it easy for you to pick it up when its floating. So takes a few of it and pull away the tail at the end of it. The tail is darker looking colour compare to the body.








Separate the clean bean sprouts into different bowl/plate. When you already become an expert, you can take a bunch of it with one hand while the other hands pull the tail....




And this is a final product of clean bean sprouts....tada....




You can most of the colour is white with only yellowish head at the end of it. This is what you want to serve for your family and visitor......usually bean sprout is served as a side dish or in other word I eat it like a salad. Will share a recipe that I use bean sprout as a salad.....oh..also you can add it in your spring roll's recipe too!!  


Practice makes perfect!! Happy practicing!!!





My own birthday cake

Hi at this moment I would like to share how to make a quick birthday cake for your own birthday party or for anyone especially your own kids. This is a rich-of-fruits type of cake I make this time. So stay tunes....


Like I said, its so simple. It does not require your strenuous effort at all to make it happen. You will need...


1) 2 pans of sponge cake....If you want bigger cake, make it 3 pieces. Available in Tesco and its very cheap...




2) 500 mls of Fresh cream and some powdered sugar (I dont like sweet so sugar content depends individually)




3) Half bottle of unsweetened strawberry jam. This is from Tesco....




4) A range of fresh fruits....strawberry, kiwi and peach.....


5) Almond flakes or Special K flakes.....







Now, beat the fresh cream till it become fluffy and rise in volume. Add sugar in between. Do not beat too long. The fluffyness will become separated just like I did in the picture below....It will make harder to spread on top of cake later




Then put one piece of sponge cake on top of flat plate. Here I used cutting board...what a brilliant idea!!!


Spread the strawberry jam on top of first layer of cake. Because it is reduced sugar jam, dont afraid to add more to make it compact and volume but leave a space for fruits and cream. Then decorate with fresh fruits on top of jam. After that finish it with a layer of cream.


Next, put another layer of cake on top of the 1st one. Layer with jam again. This time, cover all angle of cakes with fresh cream. Decorate on top with fruits and surround it with almond flakes. Here I substitute with Special K rice flakes. 


Refrigerated for 5-7 hours and its ready to serve!!!



Add 1-2 candles in the middle to make it more lively for birthday cake!!!

Hope you like it....I like.....

Curry Meat Spring Roll with Vegetables





All you need are:

1) 10-12 pieces of spring roll skin (get it at your nearest oriental/asian shop. Its available in different sizes - medium and large. I use large skin in this recipe). Alternatively you can make your own skin using wheat floor. If I have time I will share this recipe.

For the main core inside spring roll you need....

1) 200 grams mince meat (I use beef)

2) Mixed vegetable (of green beans, sweet-corn and carrots. You can use other combination of vegetable. This combo has tiny pieces of veg so its easy to fold the spring roll later)

3) 1 medium onion, cut into small square pieces

4) 3-4 gloves of garlic, sliced it.

5) 3-5 teaspoons of curry powder

6) 1-3 teaspoons of chilli powder (optional)

7) 3 table spoons Maggi's chilli sauce. If you dont have this, substitute with Thai's sweet chilli sauce

8) 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce

9) 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce

10) Salt and sugar (add accordingly)

11) 2-4 table spoons of Cooking oil

12) some water

Techniques:

1) Heat the cooking oil into frying pan

2) Add onion and garlic. Fry it until you smell the fragrance.

3) Mixed curry powder with some water and add in into frying pan. Add also chilli powder. Fry this well at medium heat to get away the powdery taste of curry and chilli powder. Make sure you don't let it burned!!!

4) Add some water and add in mince meat. Let it cook for 5 minutes

5) Pour the mixed vegetable, maggi's chilli sauce, oyster sauce, tomato sauce, some salt and sugar into the curry meat mixture. Try to adjust these sauces, salt and sugar accordingly until you find a prefer and nice taste. 

6) Cook it until it form a dried mixture. 

7) Let it cool for half an hour. Prepare the skin now. You need some wheat floor added with some water to let skin intact once it has fold with meat. Make the mixture like a glue texture. Do not make it too watery.

8) There is a technique on how to fold the skin to make a spring roll. Put only one piece of skin on top of smooth plate. The skin has a square shape so position it as one of the corner is facing towards you. You have to sit on the chair and the skin and plate is on top of the table.  

9) Take 1 table spoons of cooked mince meat and put it on top of the skin near the corner which is the closest towards you. You have to arrange the mixture as a straight line horizontally.

10) Then with your finger take the corner of skin (nearest to you) fold it in front (as it direct in front oppose to you). At this stage the mixture has been cover with the skin. You have to roll it again to make a few layers around it. Dont forget to fold each side of corner (right and left of skin) on top of the mixture as you roll it. 

11) Dont forget to put some wheat glue at the end of the skin corner to get the skin intact

12) Once it done, you can start frying it in deep fryer or saucepan. I like until it become crispy so normally my own spring roll is golden in colour (I can say it almost nearly burn...hahaha)

I hope you get it.....If you do not understand this instructions, I will upload some pictures of step-by-step techniques how to make spring roll.  

GOOD LUCK!!!!


Curry flavour mince meat with vegetable 






You can see it is dry. If its wet, it will spoil the skin




Famous spring roll skin/pastry




My golden spring roll



I finished it yesterday...hahaha




My Favaurite Drink of The Day

Hi Ya....Welcome to my new-freshy-looking blog I ever made......Kitchenoholic. Here I will try to update any recipe of foods that I cook for my family at home. Hopefully it can be establish everyday but I cant guarantee this as I am not a full time blogger =)......but I will make an effort to do so......


So for today's entry, drink is a subject. Since I married to my husband 5 months ago, plain tea is my favaurite beverage. I normally drink plain water only and rarely consume any tea or coffee even during teatime. On the other side, my husband likes hot drink most of the time. Now in my kitchen I have a collection of hot drinks such as tea, coffee, and milo (chocolate drink). I get used to serve these drinks to my husband therefore I have got addicted to a hot drink ---> tea. 


There are a range of tea I have----> Masjid Tea (made from Malaysia. Its very cheap. Cost only 20 cent per box. It can lasted for 1 year. Aromatic smells and fantastic taste!!!), Irish tea ( I will drink this if I go to coffee shop outside or at work). I like Sri Lanka's tea as well. Its superb smell and taste!!! But I dont have it here...my mum used to have it (she's not here with me)


I like the feeling when I drink tea...its makes me calm and ease.....thats what I want at early in the morning before I do my work......


Here is some pictures......its describe a thousand meanings more than words.....



Tea on Thursday morning with spring rolls 



Will share the spring rolls secret recipe next!!!!