[Recipe] Gula Melaka Banana Cake With Walnuts

Our family loves "banana" cake except me. But about two weeks ago, when I saw Maryann (@tubbykat) Gula Melaka Banana Bread's photo on Instagram (here) I know immediately I am sold for this combination because of my favourite "Gula Melaka" which is one of the key ingredients for this recipe. With that added it definitely enhance the taste and aroma of the cake which makes them similar smells rather like caramel popcorn.

[Recipes] Quick Lunch Bentos For Kids

It's past mid-week and I am sure everyone is looking forward to weekend. In this post, I will be sharing 5 different quick lunch bento (with two recipes) ideas which you can prepare for your kids or yourself in a way too. I am always delighted to create my bento with "colourful" items which brighten my day or for the one who eats it. Although I might not be a skillful bento maker like some of those experts who makes really good character (charaben) bento (example, Samantha Lee) but in a way I am happy with what I can do for my boy.

And I am sure you can make simple bento too with a mixture of bread/rice, meat and some sides with fried stuffs, fresh fruits and vegetables I am sure you can create something interesting out from the box.

SANDWICH SUSHI ROLL

Sandwich sushi roll can be a quick breakfast or tea snacks which you can prepare for your kids at anytime of the day. To make it more nutritious, wholemeal or mutli-grain  bread can be use to replace normal white bread together with addition of some lettuce and cucumber in it. And also you can choose fillings like egg, tuna or chicken mayonnaise depending on their preference.

(Serve: 1   | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 1 Slice of Wholemeal Bread
• 1 Slice of Sandwich Cheese
• 1 Hard-boiled Egg
• 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
• Cucumber and Salad Green
• Side Dishes For Bento

Bento Tools:

• Bento Box
• Side Dishes Food Casing
• Food Cutters For Decorations
• Cling Wrap
• Food Tweezer and Small Scissor
• Drinking Straw and Dried Spaghetti

Method:-
1. Place all side-dish in food casings and arrange them on one corner of the bento box.

2. Put bread on a sheet of cling wrap, using a rolling pin to flatten bread slightly then spread a tablespoon or more of egg mayonnaise on it leaving 2cm free along the other end of the edge.

3. Top with lettuce and cucumber strip then lift up the bread and place it on top of the "cheese stars" (cut out from sandwich cheese using heartshape food cutter).

4. Roll up to enclose filling then cut the sandwich into 4 rounds.

5. When done, arrange the rounds on the food case and you are ready to serve it with the sides.

PANDA ONIGIRI BENTO

Have you thought of making Onigiri (rice ball) using bread? With sandwich bread that can be easily get in all household, you can use it to  make cute animal onigiri like what shown above. Instead of Panda, you can shape and decorate it to look like dog, cat, pig and etc base on your creativity.

Below is a simple recipe and step-by-step photo guide on how to make the bread onigiri.

(Serve: 1   | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 1 Slice of White Bread
• 1 Slice of Sandwich Cheese
• 1 Tablespoon Tuna Mixture
• Seaweed Sheet
• 2 Raisin/Blueberry for Panda Ear
• Side Dishes For Bento

Bento Tools:

• Bento Box
• Side Dishes Food Casing
• Food Cutters For Decorations
• Cling Wrap
• Food Tweezer and Small Scissor
• Drinking Straw and Dried Spaghetti

Method:-
1. Place all side-dish in food casings and arrange them on one corner of the bento box.

2. Put bread on a sheet of cling wrap, using a rolling pin flatten the bread then cut a 2cm slit on each corner of the bread (refer to the step-by-step photo above).

3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of drained tuna and place it on the centre of the flatten bread (you can drizzle some mayonnaise on it).

4.Carefully hold the 4 corners of the bread together and with the help of the cling wrap, shape the bread into a panda face (oval).

5. When done, arrange the tuna bread on the food case and you can start to decorate the feature of the panda using cheese and seaweed sheet.

6. Lastly fix the panda ears using either raining or blueberry with the help of dried spaghetti stick.

ASSORTED DESIGNED RICE BENTO

[Rice Bento] Cute Tuna Mayo Onigir

[Rice Bento] Kani and Cucumber Roll

[Rice Bento] Cucumber Roll with Teriyaki Chicken

Making your own bento like the above is  actually not as difficult as you think of. You can be creative to incorporate different side dishes/fruits which you prefer. Pick a meat or veggies to go with your sushi roll and at the same time add on some simple decoration to make it look more presentation. I hope this post can give you some inspiration to make a simple bento for your kid(s) this weekend to encourage and rewards them for coming CA2 exam. Good luck and all the best for the kids who are taking the coming CA2 or PSLE Exam.

[Wordless Wednesday] Chocolate And Mint Chiffon Cake Recipe

[Recipe] Lime And Chilli Roasted Snapper

Although I do enjoy both baking and cooking as a hobby as well as a way to express my love for my family through food. But there are also days where I am on my down-side with no inspirations or mood to do anything. Moreover I just don't feel like spending more than an hour to prepare a meal with 2 dishes and a soup with lot of washing to be done, so the easier way is to settle for a quick one dish meal.

LIME AND CHILLI ROASTED SNAPPER

Last two weeks due to long weekend holidays (Hari Raya and Singapore National Day) plus I was busying with some bakes (durian hokkaido chiffon and durian butter cakes),  I decided to make good use of the oven since it had already being warm up after the bakes. So instead of using the usual steaming  method to prepare the fish, what I did was,  place the prepared fish into the oven and baked till it was cooked. Surprisingly the baked fish taste so juicy and yummy just like using steaming method too. 

(Serves: 2   | Preparation: 10 minutes  | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:

• *1 Whole Snapper (800g - 1kg), clean
• 5g Fresh Ginger, sliced thinly
• 2 Cloves Garlic, sliced thinly
• 4 - 6 fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves, shredded
• 2 Stalks Lemongrass, lightly pound and cut into sections
• 8 Cherry Tomato, halves
• *1 Long Red Chilli, sliced thinly
• 1/2 Cup loosely packed Coriander Leaves
• Some Peanut / Cooking Oil

Lime And Chilli Dressing
• 2 Tablespoons Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce
• 1.5 Tablespoons Thai Fish Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
• 1 Teaspoon Peanut Oil

Note:-
* Instead use 2 x 500g Plate Size Snapper
* For spicy version use 2 bird eye chillies instead

Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 220°C (Degrees Celsius) and layer baking tray with foil and baking paper.

2. Rinse the fish thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen paper towel. Stuff a mixture of ginger, garlic, lime leave, lemongrass and chilli in the fish cavity.

3. Rub fish all over with oil and place it in oiled and lined baking tray, scatter reminding ginger, chilli, lemongrass, garlic, lime leaves and cherry tomato over it.

4. Roast, uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes or until cooked through. Meanwhile, prepare lime and chilli dressing by mixing the ingredients together.

5. When the fish is done, drizzle dressing over it, sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.

Have a great Monday everyone!!!!

[Day 5] Bangkok International Airport (Suvarnabhumi)

After enjoying four days in Bangkok, it's time for us to go back to Singapore. Although this trip might be short as compared to our initial plan of 7 days but everyone of us are satisfy with the itinerary. And I really miss all the delicious Thai cuisines and street snacks that we have tried, and not to forget my favourite Mango Sticky Rice (photo above) which I have it every day during our trip.

Honestly revisiting Bangkok after 5 years does bought back many memories from our first trip. Like the Siam Ocean World, Chatuchak Weekend Market and Mahboonkrong (MBK), they are still looking good with some familial shops and eateries when we last visited them..

[Day 4] Lunch At Secret Garden, Thai Cuisine And Bakery

Day four was rather a shopping spree where we do last minute shopping before catching our flight back to Singapore on the next morning.  So after our morning breakfast at hotel, we decided to go Central and Platinum Mall via the BTS before setting our lunch at Secret Garden Thai Cuisine which is located at Sathorn Road.

[Wordless Wednesday] Pandan Sponge Cake with Gula Melaka Cream vs Longan Ginger Pound Cake

recipes of the above cakes can be found at Bake King recipe website:-
- http://www.bakeking.com.sg/recipe/pandan-sponge-cake-gula-melaka
- http://www.bakeking.com.sg/recipe/ginger-longan-pound-cake

AmaSoy Japanese Puddings With Collagen And Omega3 plus Giveaway

AmaSoy’s chilled soy pudding has been known for its incredibly smooth texture as well as quality ingredients made with 100% organic soy beans. Their newly revamp puddings comes with several refreshing changes like new flavours, new toppings, new packaging and now enhanced with Collagen and Omega3 (DHA). On top of that, AmaSoy is also being nominated as one of the top three favourite soy puddings by Singapore’s Favourite Foods 2013 (Favourite Food II) too.

Recently I have being hearing friends mentioning about AmaSoy's COLLAGEN puddings but I have never try it until two weeks ago when I loop them back from their ION branch. Out of the 5 flavours, my favourite are Matcha and Almond but if their Carmel taste is stronger I would also put it to my list too.

[AmaSoy Japanese Pudding] Assorted Flavour

Above are some Japanese Soy Pudding from AmaySoy which comes in different flavour (some with toppings) such as; clockwise from top:- Almond, Original (with strawberry toppings), Matcha (using green tea powder imported from Kyoto Japan), Caramel (monthly special) and Mango (with mango cubes).

The "monthly special" and seasonal flavours are proposed by an in-house Japanese chef as well as fans’ suggestions on AmaSoy’s FaceBook.  So fans of AmaSoy’s can look forward to new toppings, which include red bean, peanuts, gingko nuts, lotus seeds, aloe vera, taro and etc in near future.

[AmaSoy Japanese Puddings] Original Soy Pudding (with strawberry toppings) @ SG$2.50 each

[AmaSoy Japanese Puddings] Mango Soy Pudding (with mango toppings) @ SG$2.50 each

[AmaSoy Japanese Puddings] Almond Soy Pudding (without toppings) @ SG$2.00 each

For your information, AmaSoy believes that its soy puddings are the first and only in Singapore with Collagen (YES!!! Collagen) and Omega3 (DHA) added. And Collagen has been known for its beautifying properties whereas Omega3 (DHA) has several health benefits such as boosting brain function, enhancing heart health and lowering triglycerides.

Beside the above AmaSoy also pride its soy puddings as:
- All natural And nutritious
- Trans-fat free
- No cholesterol
- Low fat content
- Lactose free
- No preservatives And MSG used
- No colouring - No artificial flavouring
- 100% Organic Soy Beans Used
- No animal gelatin used

[AmaSoy Hokkaido Milk Drinks] Auzki (back) vs Matcha (front)

And apart from their soy pudding, recently AmaSoy also launched their new series of Hokkaido Milk Drinks by adding a new twist to the familiar favourites of soy milk drinks. The new drinks use premium milk from Hokkaido which adds extra flavour and silky creamy taste. Personally after trying three flavours, my favourite choice is still Matcha as it has a light and fragrance taste that blends well with the milk.

Other than the all-time favourite like Original Soya, Matcha and Azuki, AmaSoy also have other crowd-pleasing flavours such as Mango, Mocha, Coffee, Black Currant and Kaucha.

Pricing Of their Hokkaido Milk Drinks:
~ Hokkaido Milk Series Original Soya @ S$2.00/cup
~ Black Currant or Kaucha @ S$2.50/cup
~ Mango, Mocha, Coffee, Matcha or Azuki @ S$2.90/cup

* With toppings/jelly (Hokkaido milk, matcha, red bean jelly) @ S$0.50 extra

AmaSoy Puddings are available at the outlets shown below:-

- Block 442, #01-93, Clementi Ave 3
- Great World City #B1-16/17 (inside Food Junction)
- Ion Orchard #B4-64 Orchard Turn
- Serangoon NEX, 23 Serangoon Central #02-04/06
- Jurong Point 2 #03-42/47 (Soy Puddings only)
- Tampines One, 10 Tampines Central 1, #04-15 (Soy Puddings only)

You can also join AmaSoy Facebook for more latest update and promotions too!

AmaSoy PUDDING GIVEAWAY

Thanks to AmaSoy, we are giving away some samplers set (5 flavour) to 5 Lucky readers/followers of Cuisine Paradise.

To participate:-
1. LIKE and SHARE this photo on Facebook;

2. Leave a comment sharing which flavour of the AmaSoy pudding(s) you would like to try?

Terms And Conditions 
* This giveaway ends on Wednesday, 07 August 2013 (12 Noon, Singapore time).
* Only for readers living in SINGAPORE.
* Participants must follow the instructions mentioned above to be eligible for the giveaway.

Durian Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcake - 榴莲北海道蛋糕

It's such a coincident that last year in the month of August, I also bake Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcake. And for this year I used my favourite topical fruit, "Durian" as one of the main ingredients for the  cake and fillings. We just love to serve it chilled as the creamy durian fillings taste so yummy with the combination of the durian chiffon.

[Day 3] Chao Phraya Princess II Dinner Cruise, Bangkok

On Day 3 evening of our Bangkok trip, we booked a Dinner Cruise for Chao Phraya Princess II via our hotel concierge and they even arrange a van picked up from our hotel to River City Pier. Upon arrival, the driver bought us to the check-in counter to collect our boarding tickets and stickers for the cruise.  After which we waited for quite sometime (it's slightly behind schedule) before the cruise arrived at the pier and the queue was rather chaotic with everyone pushing just to get aboard first.

[Day 3] Afternoon Tea At Agalico, Bangkok

Agalico has been around for over a decade and it is owned by Thailand's most prominent landscapist and interior designer, ML Poomchai Chumbala, whose famous works include the exquisite gardens of Mrigadayavan Palace in Hua Hin. Other than in-door dining, Agalico also has a well-designed topical garden with gazebos, siting area, birds, flowers, fountain and etc for guest to enjoy an idle afternoon with exquisite tea and desserts.

After our visit to Siam Ocean World we decided to take a train ride to Thong Lo where Agalico is just 5 - 7 minutes walk away from the station. I have being looking forward to visit this cafe ever since my brother shared his photos with me during his last visit.

5 Assorted Chiffon Cakes Recipes plus A Demo Clip And Giveaway

These two weeks I was on Chiffon baking mood together with Maameemoomoo where we troubleshoot problems like our oven temperature, baking time, cake texture and etc which was indeed a fun and fulfilling experience for both of us.

And as some of you might know, I am an adventure baker/cook who always like to experiment with new ingredients, kitchen gadgets and etc. So for this post, I would be sharing 5 different chiffon cakes recipes from traditional Pandan Chiffon to something fusion like Rose Tea Chiffon which I hope there is at least one that captures your heart.

[Day 3] Exploring Siam Ocean World, Bangkok

Siam Ocean World is one of the largest two-storeys in-door aquarium in Southeast Asia which is located at the basement of Siam Paragon Shopping Mall in Bangkok. The exhibit is divided into 7 zones with individually designed theme and apart from its recreational options, it also proves a very good learning center for kids too.

With our Day 3 schedule packed with fun at Siam Ocean World, afternoon tea at Agalico and cruise dinner on board Chao Phraya Princess, I am sure you will be excited to follow us through the posts and read about our experience in those places.

Kimbap - 김밥

Kimbap (김밥) is a popular Korean dish/finger food made from steamed white rice (bap) together with various other ingredients and rolled in seaweed sheet (gim/kim), sliced and served in bite-size. Often kimbap is prepared as one of the picnic food or eaten as light lunch with together with kimchi.

While doing some read up on Kimbap, I also learn that although it might look similar to Japanese sushi roll but their rice are actually seasoned with sesame oil rather than rice vinegar which is commonly found in Japanese sushi rice.

BULGOGI KIMBAP

Above was my first Kimbap inspired by my IG (Instagram) friend, @honeybeesweets88 who always whip up mouth-watering dishes and bakes for her family. And since I am looking for some Korean flavour, I wrapped my version with Bulgogi, spinach, carrot, egg and kimchi, whereas for my kid's non-spicy version, I use kani (crab stick), egg, cucumber and carrot.

(Serves: 3-4  | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups Uncooked Short Grain Rice, rinse and soaked
• 1 - 2 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil, optional
• 5 Sheets of Nori (seaweed)

Fillings:
• Beef Bulgogi
• Some Japanese Cucumber and Carrot Strips
• Egg Omelette, Julienne
• Blanched Spinach
• Kimchi

Method:-
1. For Rice: Cooked the rice in the rice cooker till done and leave it to stand in the cooker for at least 10 minutes before stirring in sesame oil and mixed well.

2. For Spinach: Blanch it in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove and drain well with kitchen paper towel. Season it with some mixture of light soy sauce, sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.

3. For Bulgogi: Stir-fry the marinated meat with some oil over medium heat till cooked through.

4. Next place a sheet of seaweed with shiny side down on a bamboo sushi mate. Divide cooked rice into 5 portions and evenly spread one portion of the warm rice on the seaweed sheet leaving about 2" space allowance on top (facing the far end).

5. Layer the fillings lengthwise on the rice (refer to the photo above) and gently roll up from the bottom end (close to you) using the bamboo mat as support (apply some pressure to secure the roll with both hands) and tuck in the fillings using your fingers.

6. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients and rice. Lastly, rub some sesame oil on your knife before cutting the roll will prevent the rice from sticking on to the knife.

Note:
~ I used the standard rice cooker cup to measure 3 cups of uncooked rice.

~ Rinse and soaked uncooked rice in the rice cooker with water measuring to "mark 3" for at least an hour before cooking.

~ You can either get marinated bulgogi meat from local supermarkets or stay tune for my upcoming recipe on bulgogi.

Beside Bulgogi Kimbap, I also made another version using Fried Rice for one of our weekday lunch. It's pretty easy using some left over rice which I stir-fry it with beaten egg and garlic then wrapped it up with kani (crab stick) and asparagus.

If you are interested you could also check out my previous recipes on Korean Dishes or common Korean Ingredients too.

[Day 2] Health Land and Mahboonkrong (MBK)

After spending the whole morning at Chatuchak Weekend Market till almost 1.00pm, we decided to visit Health Land which is located near Asok Station (about 10 minutes walk) where we could pampered ourselves with Foot Reflexology And Body Massage to re-fill our energy level and continue the shopping spree. Furthermore, foot reflexology is one of the common spa services that tourists love and it could be easily found at most shopping malls, shops along the streets and even in their night/weekend bazaar too. And the face is it really cost much cheaper (around half the price or less) then what we usually paid in Singapore.