Sausages with Sticky Onion Gravy

Living in the land of sausages, one of my favourite sausages is the Nürnberger sausage. It originated from the city of Nürnberg. Made from coarsely ground lean pork and usually seasoned with marjoram, salt, pepper, ginger, cardamom, and lemon powder, these sausages are thin and small. The Germans usually serve them with sauerkraut and potatoes. To improvise, I served them with a slight British flair – Sticky onion gravy, Yorkshire puddings and beans.

I rely heavily on BBC Good Food for my British recipes. Hence, it is no surprise that the recipe for Sausages with Sticky Onion Gravy comes from them too.

The gravy was not only flavoursome but also aromatic. The mixture of thyme, sugar and splash of Worchetershire sauce gave the gravy its rich taste which complimented the sausages.

The Yorkshire pudding recipe which I’ve featured on my blog before was also from BBC Good Food. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to get myself Yorkshire Pudding tins or even a muffin tin. I’m still stuck with my mini-cupcakes tin which explains the oddly shaped Yorkshire Puddings. I promise you the taste isn’t compromised though!

Daniel appeared to enjoy homecooked British food. I must admit I don’t cook English food as often as I perhaps should. He must have had 8-9 mini Yorkshire Puddings and 7 sausages!

British Pancakes to Beat Monday Blues

With eyes wide open at 6.30am, the first thing that came to mind was "pancakes". It always puzzles Daniel how I can wake up with a growling stomach even when I’m not pregnant. As far as I’m concerned, breakfast is THE most important meal of the day. It not only provides me energy to deal with the ups (and downs) of daily life, it also makes me a happier person. Whoever has tried getting me out of the house while I’m on an empty stomach knows not to mess with me. A hungry Yoyo is an angry one.

You’d probably know by now that I swear by most of the BBC Good Food Recipes. They are foolproof and hardly fail me. To satisfy my craving for pancakes, of course a recipe name such as “Perfect Pancakes” sounds hopeful.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

• 100g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 300ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil or vegetable, plus extra for frying
• pinch salt

Instructions

1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs into the middle with 50ml of milk and 1 tbsp oil. Whisk till you have a smooth, thick paste. Add more milk if the mixture is too stiff.  Continue adding milk till the consistency is like slightly thick single cream. 
2. Heat the pan over a moderate heat, then wipe it with oiled kitchen paper. Pour some batter into pan and cook undisturbed for about 30 secs before turning.
3. Continue to cook the other side for 30 secs too and then serve. 

Unlike American pancakes, I don’t have to strive for them to rise and be fluffy and this makes things a lot easier on a sleepy Monday morning. I learned from Daniel that British pancakes are usually served with a dash of lemon juice and sugar. Since I depleted all lemons in the kitchen yesterday, I served the thin and golden brown pancakes with sugar and a little butter.

I’m definitely energised for the day! What about you?

Easy Scones Recipe

An intensive, vigorous 60-minute Body Fit workout left me crawling home on Friday afternoon with zero appetite. Wasn't exercise supposed to make you feel hungry later? Or does that apply only to swimming? I spent 4 precious hours pondering what to have for lunch as I read my crime novel. It wasn't until 4.30pm that I decided to make some scones. We might as well call that tea time.

Ingredients for 6 scones
225g self-raising flour
25g cold/chilled butter
Pinch of salt
15g caster sugar
50g sultanas
150ml cold milk
1 egg beaten with a little milk (for brushing later)

Method
1. Heat oven to 230 degrees Celsius.
2. Sift flour and salt into a dry mixing bowl.
3. Add the butter and use your fingers to quickly rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Add the sugar and sultanas. Mix well.
5. Make a well in the centre and stir in the milk to make the dough. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle some flour.
6. Transfer the dough onto a floured board and knead it lightly until smooth and then roll it out to about an inch thick.
7. Using a large cookie cutter, cut the dough. Place them on a well floured baking sheet.
8. Brush with the beaten egg and milk mixture. (Lightly will do or it might turn out quite brown like mine)
9. Bake in the oven (middle shelve) for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Cool on a rack before eating.

I didn't have clotted cream at home so I used only strawberry jam. As they're packed with sultanas, these scones are surprisingly good on their own too! Crispy on the outside, light on the inside. Just the way I like my scones.

Yorkshire Pudding

Living abroad in a foreign land can be frustrating when you have no access to your favourite home-cooked delicacies. It’s not too bad in Frankfurt as we’re spoilt with a good variety of restaurants and supermarkets. But occasionally I’ll find myself scratching the walls, dying to have something Singaporean or British.

I’ve learnt to cook a few Chinese dishes and I’m really proud of myself. It really does cure homesickness especially when I’m a foodie person. Thankfully Daniel isn’t a fussy eater and he loves Chinese food too. However a couple of days ago I realised I don’t really know how to cook anything British (and I don’t mean just frying sausages or bacon). Hence I attempted to make a Sunday Roast.

When it comes to cooking something I’m not familiar with I believe in taking baby steps. So I tried to make our own Yorkshire Puddings. Much to my surprise, the recipe calls for only 3 ingredients! And I assure you it’s really simple to make too. The recipe was originally from BBC Good Food but I made a quarter of it.

Ingredients (Makes 3-4 average sized Yorkshire Puddings)
35g plain flour
1 egg
50ml milk
Sunflower oil for cooking

Instructions
1. Heat the fan oven to 230 degrees cels. Drizzle sunflower oil evenly into a Yorkshire Pudding tin or muffin tin. As I haven’t got either of them, I used a mini-cupcake tin which works fine too. This is why I had 8 mini Yorkshire Puddings even though the recipe claims to serve 3-4. Heat the tin in the oven for a good 15 minutes at least.
The trick to having really fluffy, puffed up Yorkshire Puddings is to ensure that the tin is sizzling hot!
2. Mix the flour and egg in a bowl till smooth. Gradually add in the milk and beat till it’s lump-free. Season with salt and pepper.
3. To make it easier for you to pour the batter into the tin, first pour the mixture into a jug. Remove the heated tin from the oven and pour the batter evenly into the holes.
4. Bake them for 25 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Remove from oven and serve while they’re warm.

Do not open the oven door when cooking Yorkshire Puddings if you want them to rise!

I wondered why my Yorkshire Puddings weren’t sunken in the middle. I reckoned the tin was too small and it didn’t allow the batter to spread horizontally. However it didn’t affect the taste at all. This October we’ll be back in England for a holiday so I’m definitely getting my hands on Yorkshire Pudding tins!

The taste was simply marvellous. I love how fluffy it turned out to be although I must admit I was shocked and worried why they didn’t look like the frozen ones.

And so may I now proudly say that I can make one of Britain’s favourite and most popular dishes!