Chocolate Brownie Cookies - My First Mother's Day 朱古力曲奇 - 我的第一個母親節

Did I make these cookies to celebrate my first mother's day?

Not really. I made them because I had nothing more to post on this blog. I am such a bad blogger. Do you appreciate my honesty? Not really? Oppps. Heheheh.

大家唔好以為我自己整曲奇比自己做母親節禮物, 其實冇晒野Blog..

But it was my first mother's day. How exciting!

但係傲B出世後, 今次係我第一次真真正正作為一個媽媽咁過母親節!太令人興奮了

I grew up being taught to pamper our mom to the max on mother's day. Did I get pampered that day? Not really. Our helper's off, SC and I have to work hand in hand to take care of baby Marcus together. But I did buy a bunch of flowers to be shared with SC's mom.

個日工人姐姐休息, 傲B又好攪攪震, 攪到我地勁忙, 最後我地都買左一紮花, 比自己同SC媽媽(一紮兩份用XD)

It means that I get to take pictures of the flowers and she gets to keep the flowers. We are quite a thrifty family ^_^

Both mamas took pictures with baby Marcus...

大家都同傲B影相, 傲B變左譽用model XD

And ate the delicious cookies. They're soft (I am not a big fan of crispy cookies), very chocolatey and surprisingly easy to make!

D曲奇好軟, 好濃朱古力味, 正!

Recipe (食譜)

(source Smitten Kitchen's Brownie Roll-Out Cookies)
- 1 and 1/2 all purpose flour

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp baking powder

- 1 stick of unsalted butter

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 egg

- 1/3 cup & 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa (I used Hershey's)

- 1 tsp instant coffee

Preheat oven to 180C. Whisk flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and cocoa (I used hand mixer, OMG! It gets rather hard to mix in the end). Add flour mixture gradually, mix well. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour (I misread this and only chilled for half hour, no wonder my cookies are in weird shapes...).

Roll out cookie dough on a lightly floured surface, cut with cookie cutter, bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8-11 minutes or until the edges are firm and the center are slightly soft and puffed.

預熱焗爐到180度, 係個碗攪拌麵粉，鹽和發酵粉, 擺埋一邊, 撈埋D牛油，糖，雞蛋，香草同可可(唔知點解, 用機反而仲難攪..)慢慢加D入麵粉混合, 攪均. 包住佢等佢凍(大概一個鐘)

整平D麵粉混合, 用D曲奇切割器切D曲奇出黎, 放係曲奇紙上烤大概8-11分鐘, 直到D曲奇角硬左就OK

Although my cookies look horrible, they are yummy! I will be making this often, and maybe add some fun frosting on top :)

雖然唔好睇, 但係好食!

Cheers to all mothers in the world! We rock!

最後祝大家母親節快樂!

Ham & Cheese Chicken Roulade FAIL 失敗的芝士火腿雞肉卷

Look it in the eye.
The face of (another) failure.
一睇就知係失敗之作..

One day, I saw Athena's ham and cheese chicken roulade, I love the idea and decided that I was going to make it.
有日我見到Athena整芝士火腿雞肉卷, 見佢整得咁靚, 我就試吓啦


I am very bad at following recipes, I pretty much just looked at the pictures briefly and I was convinced that I could do it. I was wrong.
其實我唔係好識睇食譜, 多數都係睇住張相就黎整..

I used a slice of ham and a slice of cheese for half a chicken thigh, so I didn't have enough chicken to cover the filling, I couldn't seal the chicken properly and the cheese leaked all over the place...
整整吓先發現件雞唔夠大件...包唔埋..

Yikes! Taste-wise, it was delicious, since I seasoned the chicken really generously, and the skin turned nicely golden. Anyway, I will try again, I will succeed, and I will post the recipe.
可惜, D埳溜晒出黎, 雖然唔好睇, 但係食起上黎又好好食喎!

What a determination. Atta girl.

Have a delicious weekend la!
大家如果想試整就去Athena個blog睇吓啦

Sambal Terong - Spicy Eggplant Chilli Paste 印尼四椒矮瓜

Remember the spicy eggplant sambal from the lunch gathering at my place? Here are the stuff that went into it.
哩個係上次午餐飯眾既其中一味餸


While preparing the sambal ingredients, cut a large eggplant into chunks, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, grill in 200C oven until softened with some charred bits.
切細D矮瓜 (切到一舊舊), 加少少油, 調味料, 鹽, 胡椒, 用200C黎烤, 到軟同少少焦為止

The chilli paste
- 0.5 cm ginger, peeled
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 5 cloves of shallot, peeled
- 4 large green chilli, core and seeds removed (I didn't want to kill my guests heheheh)
- 4 large red chilli, core and seeds removed you can leave them alone if you want it really spicy)
- 4 small chilli (this is where the heat's from)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground corriander
- salt, sugar, pepper, vegetable oil
- to add later: lime leafs, crispy shallot, fish sauce

Throw everything into food processor and pulse into a paste.
放晒D材料去食物加工器, 撳制


Heat 2 tbsp oil, saute everything until fragrant, add the grilled eggplants, adjust seasoning if necessary, add lime leafs, garnish with crispy shallot. Consume with lots of rice :D
落2湯匙油, 煎到香就加矮瓜, 調味, 攪掂~ :D

Mie Ayam Jamur with the Best Homemade Egg Noodles 自家制印尼雞麵

I have a constant craving for mie ayam (Indonesian chicken noodle), and so far, I haven't been happy with all the ready made noodles that I've tried. There's one Indonesian restaurant in Hong Kong that serves mie ayam with homemade egg noodles just like what we have in Indonesia, but I prefer a different type of chicken topping, which I can make at home, but they won't sell me their handmade noodles. This is really frustrating! I want the perfect combo! Perfect noodles and perfect topping! Is that too much to ask? (It probably is. Heheheh)
我對印尼雞麵有種情有獨中, 有份情, 食過現成個D好多都唔係咁掂. 係香港有間都係自制既雞麵, 都係用蛋做嘅, 但係我唔係咁鐘意佢個餸. 可惜佢地冇得浄買面..

Luckily, a good friend of mine, Ieie, was willing to share her uncle's homemade egg noodles recipe. He uncle was a mie ayam vendor in Indonesia. Wow! How perfect! So, one fine day, we braved ourselves and tried to make the noodles (actually Ieie made the noodles, we just "helped" i.e. annoyed her). We also prepared some backup store-bought noodles, in case we failed miserably.
好彩有個朋友開鋪, 係印尼轉整哩個麵, 就叫埋我老友去我屋企一齊整啦


That's baby Marcus, wanting to grab a strand of the homemade noodles.
傲B都話相整埋一份..XD

Here's the recipe...neatly written on Ieie's notebook :)
下面就係秘傳嘅食譜, 要問准好多人先放得上黎架, 大家整嘅時候真係要心存感激呀!!

(we made half of the recipe, serves 4)
我地將個食譜除左半, 四人食

- 1 kg of all purpose flour (for best result, we used Indonesian flour, Cakra Kembar)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 egg white, 6 egg yolk, beat together
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp alkaline (air ki)
- water (room temperature)
- corn starch for rolling and to keep noodles from sticking
- a big pot of boiling water with a touch of oil to cook the noodles

- 1kg 麵粉 (最好可以用印尼麵粉)
- 2 湯匙 植物油
- 4 隻蛋白, 6個蛋黃, 一齊攪均
- 1 茶匙 鹽
- 1 湯匙 食用碱水
- 水 (室温)
- 生粉 (用黎整到冇咁癡)
- 一鍋熱水, 用黎"拾"麵
 
Mix eggs, oil, salt, alkaline and a bit of water in a bowl.
將蛋, 油, 鹽, 碱水同少少水係個碗度攪均


Add 1/3 of the flour, mix...
將1/3嘅麵粉加入, 攪拌


...gradually add more flour while keep mixing it into a sticky dough.
再一路攪一路落麵粉



Knead the dough while keep adding more flour, keep kneading until the dough is no longer sticky (it took quite a while, more than 20 minutes for us, beware of sore arms)
係咁打個麵糰同加麵粉, 直到唔"癡"為止, 大概20分鐘



If you have a pasta maker, this is a good time to use it. Since we don't have one, we rolled the noodles manually.
如果有麵條機以下就好用啦..唔係真係好麻煩...好似我地咁..手動..


Baby Marcus refused to sit alone, he wanted to be a part of it.
傲B又黎攪攪震..

SC helped rolling the dough really thin...
SC就幫手整左幾野, 大力真係有用架係哩度..


...it was rolled into my favorite shape...a long and large amoeba. Heheheh. Keep adding a bit of corn flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
繼續加生粉

Fold the dough...
打, 壓, 摺



...and cut into noodles.
最後, 亦都係最難嘅部分, 切麵



Perfect noodles! Add a bit of corn flour from time to time to keep the noodles from sticking.
落D生粉等佢地唔好黏埋



Bring a large pot of water to boil, add a couple tbsp of oil, dump the noodles in.
煲水, 放入去


Once it's come to a boil, drain the noodles immediately. Overcooking them would be disastrous!
一熟就倒晒D水佢

Place in a bowl, add a bit of vegetable oil, get ready to serve.
加D油食得啦


It was a huge success! No alkaline smell, just the right amount of chewiness. It stays springy even when it's cold. I need to make this again soon.
估唔到攪得掂, 有碱水味, 仲好彈口!

I served the noodles with this chicken mushroom topping.
餸就係蘑菇雞

\
- 2 chicken thigh fillet, diced
- 1 cup of straw mushrooms, cut into chunks
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 shallot, thinly sliced
- fish sauce, light soy sauce, pepper, a touch of Indonesian sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), vegetable oil
- crispy shallot and scallion for garnish
Saute garlic and shallot in hot oil, add mushroom chunks, add chicken chunks, season, and ready to serve. Prepare the topping ahead of the noodles.


To assemble, add 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp vegetable oil, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce into individual bowls, add noodles, mix well, add chicken and mushroom topping, serve with chicken broth on the side (I used store bought chicken stock), garnish with crispy shallot and scallion. Add boiled choy sum, dumplings or meat balls. I served mine with fried chicken and shrimp balls.

It's hard work, but it's totally worth it! I ate two bowls of this perfection! I want it again now.

一個字, 好食, 大家都試吓啦..

Bakso Goreng Kuah - Fried Chicken & Shrimp Balls in Broth 炸蝦雞波

I made these fried chicken and shrimp balls as an "accessory" to the handmade noodle feast we had last weekend. They're not yet as good as the ones we buy off the streets in Indonesia (I just don't know how they make those crispy-on-the-outside-yet-fluffy-and-airy-on-the-inside "meat" balls), but they were definitely good enough to satisfy my fried balls cravings. Pork would've been better, but since our helper eats with us and she doesn't eat pork, I made chicken ones instead.
個炸雞波其實係個印尼雞麵嘅配菜, 但係妹仔大過主人婆, 所以佢今日出先 XD 老老實實, 冇出面個D整得咁好食, 唔知佢地個D點整可以整到咁有口感嘅, 又彈牙㗎呢? 本來用豬肉肯定會好食D, 但係工人姐姐唔食得, 所以用左雞肉啦.


The recipe is adapted from Lidia's.

- 200 gr ground pork/chicken

- 200 gr small shrimp meat, roughly chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, 1 shallot, minced (and I didn't use green onion)

- 1 tbsp oyster sauce

- 4 tbsp fish sauce

- 2 tbsp white pepper

- 1 tsp sugar

- 2 tbsp corn flour

- 1 egg

- oil for frying

Lidia的食譜:
- 200gf 雞/豬肉
- 200gr 切碎的蝦肉
- 3 舊蒜頭, 1個紅蔥頭, 切碎
- 1 湯匙蠔油
- 4 湯匙魚露
- 2 湯匙胡椒
- 1 湯匙糖
- 2 湯匙生粉
- 一隻蛋
- 大量嘅油, 要嚟炸野

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, heat up oil in a frying pot, shape mixture using two tablespoon and fry until golden brown. I use store bought chicken stock for the broth, garnished with chopped scallion and crispy shallot.
攪均晒D野, 整熱D油, 唔好咁大火, 如果唔係出面燒焦裏面仲生.., 你可以用兩隻匙一交一替咁整D波波, 咁就唔使整到成手都係. 最後就煮雞湯, 攪掂!