Halo! Halloween!

*slurp*

Halloween is coming and i'm preparing for it! i still don't understand why is pumpkin such a big deal during halloween.. maybe i should wiki to find out why but do u know that they are selling pumpkins the size of your fist at *cha-ching* $5.40 at cold storage?! MADNESS!. Anyways, while saving my $5.40 i've spent $5 or less on 1kg+ of pumpkins(un-cute kind) for this halloween.. and here I present Mengni's PUMPKIN Feast! Actually maybe not a feast because there's only 3 diff edibles.

First in line is my famous (or i suppose it's famous cos everyone likes it) pumpkin soup. this recipe can be used interchangeably with the carrot soup. And i say it's my famed soup because many many many people had asked me for my recipe... HEE:) no one except Mr pumpkin head will have any problems with this zuppe.. (well there's one but i chooose not to remember his name. Hee:) Anyways, like always, it's an easy recipe = cook everything blend everything.. only this time instead of the traditional juice blender that sits solidly on the working counter, i had a hand held blender from Braun. NEW TOY! it's much less hassle for the reason that i dun need to transfer this to that and back from that to this.. i just immerse the blender>push button and VAa LAa~ warm hearty pumpkin soup for Halloween:)

I couldn't resist adding the speech bubble. I was clearing my bowl and suddenly i heard a squeak...

Btw, i dun celebrate Halloween. In fact there's no one friend that i remember celebrates Halloween. I guess it's just not in our culture:) But here at my apartment, the Caucasians and Indians are really onz man.. the kids would wrap themselves with rolls of Kleenexes (surprisingly they didn't suffocate:0 wow!)

In any event, i thought of baking a pumpkin pie but of cos i didn't in the end.. instead.. *drum rolls* brown sugar pumpkin mochi! heehee:) mochis are always fun to make, it doesn't take the whole day, it's pleasing to our taste buds and easy on out teeth! definitely the food to have for people with dentures.. hee:) *chomp chomp*

Btw, the mochis refuse to stay round... damn..

And the last would be the anti-ageing pumpkin soya bean milk/juice <- identity crisis.. Pumpkin has huge amounts of beta-carotene, Vitamin C and Vitamin E that can combat free radicals and other anti-oxidants. Soybeans are considered by many, to be a source of complete protein. Btw, a complete protein is defined as one that contains significant amounts of all the essential amino acids that must be provided to the human body because of the body's inability to synthesize them.(all thanks to wiki). So drink more, and you'll hold back your young cells. and chase away those wrinkles keke~ Happy Halloween!~

Sausage Flowerpod

Flowerpod- got the idea while chating with chris. Since i'm so free aka unemployed STILL, and have just finished watching golden bride (yes i have access to its vcds), i guess it's back to my blog:) *Points to the bread beside moi* i think it's a pretty creation.. and easy too.. maybe i can sub the sausages for fruits or chocs!

Anyway, just use any bread dough recipe for the bread(duh!) Mine isn't fixed, as in i add water slowly until it's of the consistency that i like. Some days i need more and some maybe just half a cup, i'm quite sure it's because of the weather and the 'age' of the flour that i'm using. Flour that has been opened and placed on the shelf for a long time will absorb moisture and consequently, less water is needed:)

I'm not really the expert when it comes to proofing/fermenting the dough. Firstly, i'm not a great fan of the yeasty taste, so it's pretty hard for me to add the "right" amount of dried yeast. I know that the longer you proof, the more it'll taste yeasty. So taking Singapore's hot and humid weather into consideration, i don't proof for more than 20mins.:) Therewithal, we can use yeast inhibitors like salt and sugar. As a scientist, -EXPLAINS- yeast inhibition is due to the high osmotic gradient caused by high sugar and salt concentration surrounding the yeast cells. That's why low sugar breads like the french can expand frenzily.

More recently, i've found out that vanilla essense can mask the yeasty taste! Try it! it works! Btw, after many attempts to remind myself to add the essence including tying a ribbon on my index finger, i did drip that BIG ingredient in. BUT i forgot to eggwash my bread.. DAMN! I KNOW! I'm kicking myself now..

Anyways, though my bread is not shiny or eye-blinding, it's delicious! no yeast taste! YEAH!

花好月圆

Happy Moon Gazing Festival!

I met Chris a few days ago and we were gossiping and stuff. I forgot how we got to the mooncake topic.. but here is how it goes..

Chris: Why don't you bake your own mooncake?

Me: Huh! soooo ma fan.. can buy mah.. furthermore i dun have the "tok tok" mold, how to bake?

Chirs: Go and buy lah!

Me: i dunno where to buy lor..

Chris: i think ^%$&%$ sells those "tok tok" molds

Me: eehh.. see first lah..

As expected, i didn't buy any mooncake molds.. First reason: it's bulky and i don't have any space for it. Second being plain laziness.. my lazy worms are multiplying like crazy.. but as you have already expected (if not why would i be blogging right?), me being me, i tried baking mooncakes, not the traditional ones, certainly not the snowskin and with no one crumb or trace of lotus seed paste. drumrolls please....

Meng ni's half yolk-yam paste-moonpuff.

Let me describe how i came up with the name.... drum rolls again please....

Half yolk: salted egg yolks are high in cholesterol and thus doesn't make it a very healthy makanan... and if i were to put a whole yolk in my moonpuff, it will no longer be the cute bite size festive food.. it'll be a cholesterol overloaded, humongous diet wrecker.

Yam paste: cold storage has ran out of lotus seed paste. but i guess it's a blessing in disguise, my home made yam paste is fat-free (well, not really but definitely healthier) and i can control the sweetness!

Moonpuff: i dun have the "tok tok" mold, so puff would be my answer.

Yeah! and so the half yolk-yam paste-moonpuff was born:) I think it's passable as a first attempt. Not so sweet, halal and diet friendly:) i should put a price tag to it man...


p/s. it's halal because instead of lard, i used vege shortening

p/p/s. i suggest buying salted eggs from the wet market, they seem to have a better (bright orange) colour than the ones u find in supermarkets. Mine was from the supermarkets, so some of them actually turned out yellow.. eeee.. no QC

Say "Apple Cheese"!

Another bake before i leave for Bali. This is quite a peculiar recipe to me at first- Apple Cheese Pie. As much as i wanted to try to bake that cheesy pie, I was worried that instead of a yummy old cottage style, it would turn out to be a RUINED apple pie. So when in doubt, search Wiki! Yes, i totally dig that website, it brings forth everything you need to know! who needs an encyclopedia? But a friend of mine, i forgot who, told me that the website has some false information regarding I-can't-remember. Hee:)

Anyways, a click on Wikipedia, shows that cheesy pie is actually a very very old recipe! And Apple Cheese Pie a has a proper name-Yorkshire Apple Pie (just Like apple pie with ice-cream is called apple pie ala mode.) Cool! So even if i didn't like the weird cheese with apple combination, i know, somewhere in the world, the English, would like those pies! Heehee! so excited (btw, i'm blogging while my pie is burning in the oven. good use of waiting time i would say)

Digressing. I tried baking chiffon cake yesterday. But it didn't turn out the way i expected.. it's short and stout. and it's so densed that i thought i'm eating sponge cake rather than chiffon.. Any tips?! Maybe i should try again when i'm back. NEVER SAY DIE!

And finally, (drumrolls please..)

The pie turns out quite flavourful. It certainly doesn't taste like the traditional apple pie.. it's good! This recipe is worth a try. It's tedious and simple at the same time.. it requires a couple of bakes(blind-baking, bake with filling, final crust bake) that's the tedious part. Other than that, the ingredients are easy to find and prepare! just make the dough and lay the flan a day before and everything will be done in an hour the next day. :) Bali! Saya akan datang!