Cornish Chicken Pie......

Today I made some Cornish chicken pie which is one of the favorite food in my home eaten with no complains but  with smiles on their faces. Its high time I share some recipes here as my health is getting better and my mood is just right for writing.

Really don't know why it is named Cornish pie as in Secret Recipe. Its might have originated from Cornwall with its  meaty and potatoes fillings wrap in huge pastry into half moon just like our curry puffs. 

Ingredients: Fillings- makes 4 -5 pies

2 chicken thighs -steamed and shredded

3 medium size potatoes-cubed

1 carrot- cubed

1 big onion- chopped

1 tin button mushroom- chopped

1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup

1 tbsp oil

2 hardboiled eggs- quartered

Seasoning:

salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of mixed dried herbs

Pastry:

300g flour

125g cold butter

ice cold water to mix

Method:

Heat a tablespoon oil in  pan or wok. Put in chopped onions to saute til soft and fragrant. Add in  mushroom, potatoes, carrots  and fried for a minute or two. Then add in cream of mushroom soup and some stock from the steamed chicken. Season with a bayleaf, mixed herbs and some pepper. Leave to boil for 5 mins and then add in the shredded chicken. Cook til moist but not too dry and watery. Leave aside to cool.

To make the pastry, sieve flour and rub in cubed cold butter with fingers til it resembles fine bread crumbs. Then add in ice cold water to form a firm dough. Wrap up dough with clean plastic sheets and leave in fridge to chill for about 30 mins before using. 

Roll out pastry into 3mm thickness then cut out with knife into oval shape. Put enough fillings in middle and fold up and  press the edges together. Crimp the edges neatly to close up fillings. Lightly brush it with a beaten egg and bake it in a preheatd oven of 200 degrees Celcius for 20-25 minutes til golden brown.

Golden  brown pie in oven........

Happy Chinese New Year 2011......

Hello 2011.........Goodbye 2010.......

Today is the first day of the year 2011. It is the time of the year where new resolutions are made (but not all are followed), going back to work with a heavy heart after the holiday break and to some it will be looking forward to another better year if 2010 is not up to their expectations. As for me I am looking forward to the New Year with a better life with less pain, which means I can enjoy more quality time with my family, friends, and doing the things I love to do.

Here is wishing everyone...........

A Happy New Year with more good things that are yet to come........

And a fond farewell to 2010 that will be held in our hearts fond memories of all good and bad times .............

Tang Yuen 2010.......

Yummilicious Tang Yuen with black sesame fillings..........

Tang Yuen ready to be serve in sugar syrup......

The Tang Yuen floats up when cooked............

I finally made my tang yuen or glutinous rice balls this year after my niece Lena bought a packet of the glutinous rice flour for me. Today, my son H help me knead the dough and fill the balls with peanut and black sesame fillings. It is such a tedious job filling the tiny balls with fillings and its good if there are more helpers but I have only one son who can cook. It is worth all the hard work if you can bite into the soft balls and taste the delicious fillings melting in your mouth. Like to share the recipe here.

Son H wrapping up the dough with black sesame seeds fillings.....

Peanuts fillings: Blend peanuts and rock sugar til fine

200gs peanuts- roasted n skinned

150g rock sugar

Black sesame fillings:

100g black sesame- washed, drained and toasted in pan then blend til fine

50g soft brown sugar

50g butter

Syrup: Bring all ingredients to boil til sugar dissolved

2 litres water

200g rock sugar

4 pandan leaves knotted

Dough:

400g glutinous rice flour

2 tbsp wheatstarch flour(Teen Mien Fen)

200 ml hotwater

200 ml cold water

Put glutinous rice flour in a bowl. Add hot water and stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Then slowly add cold water to knead into a smooth dough. Divide dough into 3 portions to add the desired color. Then pinch off a small portion of dough and roll between palms into rounded balls. Flatten into thin disk and wrap around 1 tsp of filling and roll into a rounded ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

To cook the rice balls, boil water in a pot or wok. Drop in glutinous rice balls and cook until rice balls float up. Dish up with a perforated ladle and drop into a bowl of ice cold water for 5 minutes.

Serve it with prepared syrup water. It can be serve hot or cold.

A New Template....A New Face....

Today I did some browsing through my picasa pics and made a new header and also try out the new template on Blogger to replace my very old green one. So don't think you have come to the wrong blog. I like the light sky blue background that seems to breath some fresh air into my little cyberspace.

Life has been pretty quiet here these days as bloggers like me have take a turn for some other activities like facebooking, twittering, or playing with their new iphone n, ipad, with so many new applications which made blogging seems like some old fashion game.

Today ipad was officially launch in M'sia, though many had own it few months ago and I have dream of owning one too if i can get some sponsors. Just wonder which is better, iphone or ipad....

Homemade Carrot Noodles.....

Recently I bought a versatile juicer that can also process noodle. So after juicing my carrots, I add the juice into flour mixture to knead into a dough. I add some eggs to make a more springy noodle. Homemade noodles is fresh and you can add other juices like wheat grass or spinach for a healthier meal.

Divide dough into small pieces .......

Noodles are process by my juicer machine.......

Ingredients:

500 g medium protein flour

3 eggs

3 tbsp carrot juice

3 tbsp water

10g oil

1 tsp salt

Method:

I used my thermomix machine to knead into a smooth dough. Those without it can used a bread maker or manually knead with hand which takes about 10 minutes to become a smooth and elastic dough. Leave the dough to prove for an hour cover with a damp cloth. For my noodle maker I just divide the dough into 10 small oblong shaped and press into the juicer to cut out. Wonderful isn't it to have such a good invention saving all my time and hardwork instead of roll out into thin sheets with a rolling pin which my weak arthritis hand could not do. So there is no kneading, rolling or cutting for me to do by hands. Easy peasy for me and I can made any noodles I want in less than 10 minutes. Flat pan mein noodles, round noodles, thin wan tan noodles is all I can made with just a change of the desired nozzle.