Chicken, Leek & Potato Soup

I’ve been trying to fight off a bothersome cold since last Thursday without any medication. Although my midwife said I could take one paracetamol pill to ease off the symptoms, I’ve been rather reluctant to do so. Instead, I’ve been drinking lots of water and honey. I don’t even remember the last time I was ill. Probably a few years back? Daniel was beginning to think that I could never ever fall sick because even when he did, I was never affected. I suppose it’s true that the pregnant body automatically shields the baby from all “harm” and poor mummy takes all the crap! I’d rather it be this way, honestly.

 
Thankfully I haven’t lost any appetite, however I’m never quite close to saying I’m hungry either now that I’m sick. Therefore I need to remind myself to eat or else I could very well just be drinking honey water all day. Despite the warm sunshine outside, I made us a typical wintry soup – chicken, leek and potato. The original recipe called for bacon but I thought pan-fried chicken was the healthier option. I also added an extra potato to create a thicker texture to the soup.

I really like leeks so the flavour was great for me without having to add too much vegetable stock. Also, as the texture was rather rich, it served well as a meal by itself with a bread roll or two. It is definitely one of our favourite homemade soups! I’ll have to cook up a batch of it and freeze it before Theodore arrives!

Thai Green Curry

The great thing about curries is they are so versatile. Unless you’re particular about what makes an authentic Thai curry, I reckon you’ll be happy to use whatever’s in your fridge to cook up a storm.

A mid week curry is a brilliant way to add a little fire to our tongues. The last time I made green curry was in my first trimester and I just couldn’t stand its pungent smell. Although I’m one of the few lucky ones to not suffer any morning sickness, I had a heightened sense of smell which meant plain rice/ Chinese porridge was all I could stomach. Therefore I’m really glad to be able to enjoy a curry now.

Here are the ingredients I used.

400g chicken breasts
400ml Coconut milk
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 broccoli
1 garlic clove
Half an onion, sliced
Half a red pepper
Half a green pepper
Some coriander (to garnish at the end)
2 tbsp Fish sauce (optional)
2 tbsp sugar


Method

1. Heat a little oil in a wok and put in the garlic and onions. Cook till fragrant. Remember to toss the ingredients quickly to ensure they don’t burn.

2. Add the curry paste and fry it for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the chicken and make sure that it is well coated by the paste and fry till light brown.

4. Add coconut milk and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.

5. Throw in the broccoli, and half the peppers (both red and green). The remaining peppers will be added at the end to garnish the dish. Cook for 5-8 minutes till the vegetables soften.

6. Now, add the sugar and fish sauce. You can either add more or less sugar depending on how sweet you want your curry to be.

7. Take the pot off the stove.

8. Dish up and garnish with coriander and peppers.

I usually cook Thai curries with aubergines and carrots but I didn’t have any of those in the fridge. That didn’t stop me from making a mouth-watering, satisfying curry. Cooking isn’t set in stone so, just use your best judgment and have fun in the kitchen.

For those who prefer an alternative curry, do check out my Red Thai Curry recipe!

Vanilla Fairy Cupcakes with a Surprise

Our kitchen is tiny and has limited storage space. With a baby on his way, I had to clear a couple of shelves to store some of his essentials. Therefore, I decided to bake Vanilla Fairy Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting.

I adapted the recipe by adding half a teaspoon of Nutella in each of the cupcakes. That’s the surprise by the way. Daniel doesn’t eat Nutella but when he bit into it he thought it was regular chocolate! The cupcakes were so easy to make as BBC Good Food intended to target kids with this recipe. They turned out light and fluffy, just the way a good fairy cupcake should be. No fuss whatsoever.

With some leftover chocolates in the cupboard, I made chocolate frosting using the recipe from Dad’s Chocolate Drop Cakes. The frosting complimented the Vanilla Fairy Cupcakes superbly! It’s bound to be a winner with chocolate lovers out there. Oh, a little frosting goes a long way so don’t go crazy with it!

Since they are fairy cupcakes, I made them pretty by adding colourful sprinkles. Awww… I love how each of them looked – so dainty and graceful!

The usual protocol when it comes to baking is that I’ll keep a couple of slices for ourselves and the rest will be shared with Daniel’s colleagues. I do hope the men in his team won’t find these little fairies too girlish for their liking!

Chinese Braised Pork Belly

After seeing an alluring picture of Kong Bak Pau (braised pork in steamed buns) on Instagram, I craved badly for some braised pork belly. I’ve tried making this one pot dish a few times with little success. The recipes were either too salty or simply, didn’t taste right. Hence, I was over the moon when the recipe from Noob Cook turned out the way I remember braised pork belly to be.

I tweaked the recipe slightly as I’m not a fan of star anise or cloves. Also, I added “ang moh” (western) mushrooms because Daniel isn’t quite fond of Chinese mushrooms.

When it comes to braised pork belly, I love them succulent and tender. I cooked the dish on low heat for 3 hours to achieve the ideal texture. The long hours on the stove also resulted in meat that was full of flavour!

It’s surprising how far half a teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice, 1 cinnamon stick, some garlic and 1.5 tablespoon of soy sauce can go.

We had this with fragrant white rice and it was heavenly. It reminded Daniel of being in Singapore (without the heat he loves …).

Truth be told, I would probably not attempt this dish if I lived in Singapore. Why would I even need to step into the kitchen when I’m surrounded by talented cooks in the family and affordable food everywhere? Living abroad, especially in Germany, has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and explore different aspects of life. Dishes that seemed so complicated to me in the past don’t frighten me anymore.

Now, craving’s satisfied. I’m a happy person looking into other dishes to experiment with next.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie

Mr Sunshine is out and that makes me as happy as a lark. I’m beginning to think I’m a green plant whose well-being is dependent on natural sunlight. Charged with full gear motivation, like a car refuelled, I kept myself busy in the kitchen from 8am to make some Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie. Unsurprisingly, this tested and tried recipe is found on my favourite BBC Good Food website.

It’s rare to see a brownie baked in a round tin but as I rarely make them, I haven’t got a square or rectangular tin in my inventory. Does the shape really matter? Not, in my opinion.

 
The moist and dense brownie struck a balance between the bitterness of the dark chocolate and the sweetness peanut butter. Although the recipe asked for 280g of brown sugar, I only used 200g. The sight of a mountainous amount of sugar in my pan was shocking so I reduced it. When it comes to this brownie, one should savour the peanut butter and dark chocolate; not sugar.

 
I like my brownie to have a slightly fudgy texture and this was how the Peanut Butter and Chocolate brownie turned out.

Decadently rich and satisfying, this brownie is pure heavenly indulgence for peanut butter and chocolate fanatics out there.

How can I possibly not share this tin of joy with my friends? I’ve set aside the humble slice you see in the picture above to share with Daniel and the rest will be generously shared with others. Bet they’ll hate me when their waistlines expand!

Sloppy Joe

What do you cook when you’re feeling lazy but don’t fancy a takeaway?

Imagine the skies are overcast with dark grey clouds spitting down on you the entire day. You look outside from the comfort of your own home desperate to find a ray of sunshine but to no avail.

A good burger might cheer you up but you can’t even be bothered to shape it. A takeaway might be the easier option but you’re trying to eat more healthily. Yes, it’s the sort of night to make a Sloppy Joe.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 onion diced
1 garlic clove diced
1 green pepper diced
250g minced beef
Half tbsp mustard
Half tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vinegar
Ketchup (be generous!)
Half tsp chilli spice (optional)
4 burger buns
Pre-washed salad (optional)


Method
  1. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan. Throw in the minced beef, onion, garlic and green pepper. Cook till the beef is browned.

2. Add the mustard, vinegar, ketchup, chilli spice and brown sugar. Use as much or as little ketchup as you want. I like my mince well coated in ketchup so I’m really generous with it.

3. Mix well and cook on medium heat for 15-20mins.

4. Prepare the burger buns and place the pre-washed salad on the bottom half of the buns.

5. Serve the mince on the buns!

We make Sloppy Joe when we want a quick fix. Not only is it filling, but also tasty. The recipe isn’t get in stone and that’s really why I like it. Instead of peppers, I could substitute with diced carrots and throw in additional mushrooms.

Sloppy Joe for a sloppy me on a rather uneventful day – perfect!

Chocolate Marble Cake

I was craving for a small slice of chocolate cake but if I went to a cafe I know jolly well it would be more than just a slice of cake. Instead I walked to the supermarket to get the ingredients I needed to bake a cake and decided to share it with Daniel’s colleagues. Everyone’s happy this way!

By now you’ll know that I’m a big fan of BBC Good Food recipes. That’s where I got the Chocolate Marble Cake recipe from. With 222 reviews and so close to obtaining a perfect 5-stars rating, I’ll only have myself to blame if it didn’t work out.


The cake was moist and fluffy. It also had just the right amount of sweetness so it didn’t hurt the teeth. As suggested by the recipe, I alternated the plain and chocolate batter before giving it a swirl at the end.

Before I cut into the first slice, I was filled with excitement! I wondered if my marble cake would look good. I’m always envious of bakers who are confident of the cakes they bake for others. They’ll never have to steal a slice before serving it.

I always make sure I taste the cakes I baked before sharing with people. I don’t think I can deal with the embarrassment of treating others to an undercooked, terrible tasting cake.

As you can see, I had more chocolate batter than plain one hence the cake looked more chocolatey than having a proper marble effect. However, it was still mouth-watering! It was so delightful to have a slice to indulge in after dinner. Very heavenly!!!

Prima Taste Beef Rendang

Rendang is a fragrant meat dish originally served in Indonesia. However its rich spicy flavour made it so popular that it is also commonly served in Singapore.

Beef rendang is one of Daniel’s favourite Singapore cuisine and a must-have when we visit. However he has high expectations of this dish. While he’s happy to eat rendang anywhere, my aunt’s homemade from scratch rendang is his favourite. No restaurant or hawker has come close to replacing Daniel’s favourite. How much of it is sucking up? To be honest I have no idea since a simple request of rendang often results in a wide spread of all his favourite dishes for dinner the next day – all cooked by my aunt.

Rendang is something I’ve never (and maybe never) cooked from scratch. The list of ingredients scares me to death and the actual cooking time required tests my patience. Most importantly, I have no confidence in recreating anything as close as my aunt’s rendang – not even 50% as close. Therefore, it is one of those dishes that I’m happy to use premix paste for.

I found Prima Taste’s Rendang at an Asian supermarket in town and decided to give it a try. I had my fears. It takes less effort than cooking from scratch but I hate ruining dinners. What if it tastes terrible?!

Thankfully, my two hours effort of cooking this dish didn’t go to waste. It was flavoursome, creamy enough (add just enough water to immerse the meat but not make the rendang watery) and the meat turned out tender.

I’ll admit that it is not like my aunt’s rendang but it’s excellent quality given that it’s from premix paste! I love rendang when it’s “dry” because it means that the meat has soaked up lots of the spices. The ones that have too much gravy left over tend to be diluted and less satisfying. I also love adding potatoes to my rendang and then serving the dish with a bowl of steaming hot white rice. As a kid I’ve always loved to mash my potatoes, mix them with rice and rendang (or any curry!). That to me is a good dinner.

Note: Recipe can be found here.

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?

Chilli Chicken Sandwich with Avocado

I was craving for a sandwich for dinner. In fact, I crave for sandwiches a lot in a country that doesn’t know what a sandwich is. However, Germany does itself proud in many other ways so I shall compromise and make myself a homemade sandwich instead. I didn’t want anything too heavy after waking up at 2am last night with indigestion. That was a horrible pain and I don’t wish to go through that for two consecutive nights.

I wanted a zesty (and slightly spicy) sandwich so I marinated 400g of chicken breasts with lime juice (from 2 limes) and two tablespoons of chilli powder mixed with garlic for 2 hours.

As I’m currently addicted to avocados after reading its amazing health benefits, I added them to my sandwiches in addition to some green salad. They are surprisingly filling which is great if I’m only making a sandwich for Daniel at dinner time.

We don’t have a grill at home (unfortunately) so I pan fried the chicken breasts with olive oil and melted Chester cheese on them before serving with toasted muffin bread. Definitely sounds more complicated than slapping cold meat and cheese between slices of bread, but it was well worth the effort.

The lime juice gave the sandwich a citrusy taste which definitely did stimulate our taste buds. The chilli and garlic spice mixture wasn’t too spicy; it was just enough to give the chicken breasts some flavour. I reckon I’ll have to look for more chicken sandwich recipes!!!