26 Jun 2012

cookies & milk

It was during my baking hiatus that I found out my sister preferred soft and chewy cookies rather than the crunchy ones I've been baking all along. It's better to make it to her liking since she's the one eating most of them.

Me? I like cake. 

I've been reading Simply Bill by Bill Granger lately and decided to try the chocolate chip and pecan cookies. They didn't look like the ones in the book, but they turned out how my sister fancied her cookies.

The very same recipe has been published in The Telegraph, so why not bake a batch or two.  

NB: I've substituted pecans for roasted & chopped hazelnuts and block chocolate for dark chocolate chips - just because I had some in the pantry. Chopped chocolate would be better though. And just a pinch of sea salt instead of the amount specified.

5 Jun 2012

burger time


There was one time last year, that I made beef burgers for dinner once a week. I think it went on for about a month or so before I stopped since Dad was rather sick of eating burgers again. I haven't made a beef burger since then. At home, we usually eat chicken patties with rice for dinner around once a fortnight, it's tasty, but I think we've been eating the same thing for far too long.

After seeing Mama-san's take on the teriyaki burger, I immediately thought of the first ever beef ramly burger I had earlier in the year. I still can't believe I've never tried it before until I read about it in Sherie's post. We're not allowed to consume beef at my grandma's, so I was pretty ecstatic to eat beef (even though I couldn't tell if it was beef or mystery meat). 

I liked how the awesome teppanyaki ramly burger guy toasted the buns and used that method instead of toasting them in the oven. And as usual I have to have a fried egg (with a runny yolk!) in the burger. Plus and minus some ingredients in the family patty recipe and it was good to go. Inspirations come a long way.


Teriyaki chicken burgers inspired by mama-san and ramly burger guy
adapted from my parent's legendary chicken patties; serves 6 - 8

Sauce
50ml mirin, sake & light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 Tb yellow-box honey / sugar

Bring to the boil and simmer until thickened and reduced by one-third, stirring occasionally. Set aside and leave to cool.

Burger patties
500 - 600g chicken mince
half a bunch of spring onions, sliced thinly
1 onion, finely diced
1 egg
sea salt and white pepper, to season

Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. Take the meat out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Shape meat into thick patties*. To cook, heat a frying pan and drizzle with a few tablespoons of oil, add the meat patty and cook until golden brown. Flip the patty, reduce to a low heat and cover, whilst you toast buns and fry eggs in another pan. 

When the bottom side is golden brown and the patty is firm, spoon a couple of teaspoons of sauce onto the patty and cook until shiny and well coated**. Flip and repeat for the other side.

Sprinkle patty with shichimi togarashi and drizzle mayonnaise over. Top with a fried egg and serve with shredded lettuce and tomato slices.

* If you want, but I just scoop meat into the pan and shape it while it's cooking
** You will want them to be slightly bigger than your burger bun because they will shrink when cooking
*** If you don't want to add the teriyaki sauce, then it's ok. Say hello to cheese and your favourite burger sauce!






















Well, maybe the runny egg yolk wasn't such a good idea after all....

1 Jun 2012

sweet things


The beginning of winter. Tippy-toeing into the kitchen to whisk some eggy batter for french toast (recipe), pouring a glassful of cold milk. Opening a jar of Bonne Maman and slicing a banana left on the bench top. 

Meanwhile, starting up the old record player. This week's playlist has been The Carpenters and ABBA.

No wonder waking up early seems to be much easier than getting up on a school day. 

Tomorrow's breakfast will consist of leftover brunch; pancakes and Kamran's amazing homemade chocolate sauce liquid gold

Finishing the end of a novel.

If only breakfasts could be like this every day.

***

Some amateur photography work over here.