Italian genuine lasagna

Italian loves simple food, with fresh ingredients. They do not like adding too many seasoning so that they can taste the original flavor of the food.

My friend who stayed in Italy learnt the traditional way to make lasagna, I am surprised how simple it can be (I have seen many complicated recipes....)! It is genuine family dish for everyday life.

This is vegetarian version - 

I replaced beef by mushroom and spinach

Ingredients
Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic (just remove skin, cut each clove half)
500g minced beef
1L tomato juice
2 tomatoes, diced
2tbsp cottage cheese (remove water)
50g mozzarella (for pizza - the package has NO water)

400g cottage cheese (remove water)
400g mozzarella, diced (for pizza - the package has NO water)
salt & pepper

12-14 Lasagna sheets

Instructions
1. In a pot, put olive oil and garlic, fry it until you smell the flavor

2. Add in minced beef, fry it until it becomes golden color

3. Add in tomato juice, tomatoes, cottage cheese, mozzarella, salt & pepper, mix well and let it cook until boil
Turn off the heat after the mixture boils for another 10 mins

4. To assemble the lasagne, on a rectangular pan:
Pour olive oil to grease the pan

Preheat the oven at 180°c

5. Lay lasagne sheets to cover the bottom, add the tomato beef mixture to cover the sheets, with a table spoon - add some cottage cheese without mixing it, you'll find white spots on the sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella over the pan

6. Repeat step 5 for 2 times

7. Put the pan into the oven and bake for 30mins or until the surface become golden color

Enjoy!

Chocolate chips/ walnut & cranberry scone

I love making these buttery scones, they taste so so so delicious, I could finish them up fast!
This time I made chocolate chips & cranberry scones, just love it.

Ingredients

170g butter
4g salt
85g sugar
405g flour
1tsp baking powder

1 egg
55g 30% fat cream

70g cranberry
70g chocolate chips OR walnuts

Instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter, salt, sugar, mix well
Add in flour & baking powder, mix well

2. Add in egg and cream, mix well
Add in cranberry and chocolate chips OR walnuts, mix it briefly

3. Place the dough on the working surface, knead the dough with your hands
Roll the dough into ball, and squeeze it flat
Wrap the dough by plastic wrap, put the dough into fridge for 30mins

4. After 30mins, preheat the oven at 190°c

5. Divide the dough into 2, which is easier to work with half
Roll one portion out to about 1.5cm
Use cookie cutter to to cut the dough

6. Line the baking tray with baking sheet
Place the dough on the baking tray, put the tray into the oven and bake for 25mins

Serve hot
Enjoy!

Niangao for celebrating Chinese New Year

Niangao is traditional cake, it is actually from glutinous flour. We only need few ingredients to make this delicious cake, with correct techniques, it can be chewy and soft.

We like serving hot with coated egg

Ingredients (8" found pan)
450g cane sugar
3 1/4cup water

600g glutinous flour
38g rice flour

Serve:
2-3 eggs

Instructions
1. In a pot, cook sugar and water, until sugar completely dissolved into water
Turn off the heat, let it cool down
Set aside

2. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, add in syrup several times,  little by little, until it can form a ball
Knead the dough until the surface becomes shiny

3. Add in the rest of the syrup, mix carefully
It will become liquid

4. In a wok or a deep pot for steaming, pour water and boil it

Note 1: Pour enough water to steam the cake for 2 hours
Note 2: Use lid with curved shape, not flat shape, so that water won't drop onto the cake surface while steaming

5. Grease the pan, pour the mixture into the pan
Wrap the surface by plastic wrap

6. When water boils, put the pan to steam for 2 hours at medium high heat or until the cake is completely cook
To test the cake, insert a chopstick, if it comes out clean = ready

Note 2: Do not open the lid all the time, the cake won't cook well

7. Let the cake cool down
When it is cool, store it in the fridge overnight to let the cake fix, the next morning you can serve it!

To serve:
1. In a small bowl, beat eggs

2. Slice the cake into 0.5cm (less than 1cm) pieces, coat the cake with eggs

3. On a frying pan, fry the slices of cake until golden brown color, flip it over and fry another side until golden brown color also

Serve hot!

Enjoy!

Matcha milk sauce (green tea)

I found it on facebook, that matcha milk sauce is popular now, let me try it also :)
If you are fan of matcha, you will love it, the flavor is very strong.

All you need is time, yes, it does takes time to cook it.

Ingredients
50ml warm evaporated milk*
10g matcha/greentea powder

150ml evaporated milk*
100ml cream
15g sugar

*Original recipe is whole milk, but it has higher water content, so I replace it by evaporated milk

Instructions
1. In a small bowl, mix warm milk and matcha together, mix well until the matcha powder dissolved completely into the warm milk

Note: Use a tea spoon to press/squeeze the matcha powder at the edge of the small bowl, it helps to blend the powder into the milk

2. In a pot, heat the milk, cream and sugar at medium heat, let it cook until about 2/3 of the mixture is evaporated, here you need patient to observe the mixture

Attention: Use a spetula to stir it regularly so that the milk won't burn

3. Add in the matcha milk into the pot, mix well

Let it cook, stir it regularly, let the water evaporate

How do you know it is ready?
i/ When you stir the mixture with spetula, it leaves stirring mark. 
ii/ You can also see the bottom being scarped clean while you stir the mixture

4. Scrap the mixture and pour it into a tight container, store it in fridge

Enjoy!

Lemon cake - recipe

It is one of my favorite breakfast, I checked the blog and I haven't posted it yet! Oh that is impossible! I have made it so many times haha!

I love poppy seeds and I was too happy to add a lot here :p

Different piping tips got different decorating effects

Ingredients:
100g sugar
100g butter (room temperature)
3 eggs
250g flour
2/3 package of baking powder
3 lemons

Optional:
about 1/2tsp baking soda
poppy seeds or almond flakes

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°c. Mix sugar and butter together. Add eggs - 1 by 1

2. Incorporate flour & baking powder little by little
Note: If you add baking soda, then add with baking powder

3. Add in lemon juice of 2 lemons
Note: you can add zest of lemon to give more lemon flavor

4. Add poppy seeds or the almond flakes on the top if you like. Pour the mixture into a cake mold and bake for 35-40mins or until the top becomes golden yellow

5. Once you take the cake out of the oven, pour the juice of the last lemon

Enjoy!

Caramel popcorn

I love popcorn, it is my favorite snacks when I feel like to eat between meals other than fruits :)

Got an invitation from someone so nice with her kids, but some of them have allergy against gluten and diary products. I wanted to bring a dessert but definitely not a cake!!

So... I think popcorn is kid's favorite, isn't it? I think kids won't like plain popcorn... may be caramel! something sweet and yummy :)

Ingredients

1/2 cup corn kernels, popped, will make about 8 cups
1 cup nuts (almond, hazel nuts, walnuts...)

Caramel sauce:
1/2 cup or 113g butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup water
Optional: 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 1/2 tsp cinnamon


1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

1. Pop the corn, click here to see how to make popcornRemove the unpopped kernels and place them in a big mixing bowl

2. Line a baking sheet with baking sheetPreheat the oven to 120°c
Note: If you want to serve it immediately, omit this step, go to step 3

3. In a medium sauce pot, mix butter, sugar, salt, water, and any flavorings, stir until combine

Bring to boil over medium heat and boil 5 minutes until thickened. Stir frequently to prevent boiling over => be careful of bubbles

4. After 5 mins, remove from heat, stir in vanilla and soda, mix well
Note: Baking soda is used to soften the syrup mixture, won't become too hard that you can chew the sugar after baking

5. Quickly pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and nutsUse a wooden spoon or spetula to stir until popcorn evenly coated

You can serve it hot immediately if you won't store it for later

If you want to store it for later:

1. Spread out onto the baking sheet to one layer

Bake for 30 minutes, stir it about every 10 minutes

2. After 30mins, take it out from the oven, let it cool down 

3. When completely cool down, store in airtight containers

Enjoy!

Taco soup

I love Mexican food, my friend gave me this taco soup recipe, every time I make it, people just love it! It's great for many people. This Christmas I made it for my husband's family and the soup is gone very fast!

Ingredients
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
500g minced beef

1 can/ 398ml pinto beans (drained water)
1 can/ 398ml kidney beans (drained water)
1 can/ 398ml corn (drained water)
1 can/ 398ml tomato including juice
red or green chili
3 tbsp taco seasoning mix*

1 can/ 398ml tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 cup salsa (I used medium hot salsa)

Sour cream
Grated cheese
Tortilla chips

*You can make it yourself, click here to get the recipe

Instructions
1. In a large pot, pour oil, fry with garlic and onion with beef

2. Add in beans, corn, tomato, chili and taco seasoning

3. Add in tomato sauce and water
Let it boil for 15mins or until the beans become soft

4. Serve hot with sour cream, grated cheese and tortilla chips

Enjoy!