Butterfly Cupcakes

Butterfly Cupcakes

100g butter, softened

90g fine castor sugar

¼ tsp vanilla essence

½ tsp orange essence

2 eggs

150g self-raising flour

¾ tsp baking powder

Butter cream

100g unsalted butter

170g icing sugar, sifted

½ tsp hot water

¼ tsp vanilla essence

Line 15 muffin cups with paper cases and preheat oven to 190°C.

Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside. Cream butter, sugar and essences with an electric hand mixer until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well combined.

Stir in sifted flour mixture to mix until batter is smooth. Spoon batter into paper cases up to three-quarters full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and the top springs back when pressed lightly. Stand cakes in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut a deep circle on top of each cake and cut each circle in half to make the wings.

To make the butter cream: Put butter in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in the water and essence. Use a spatula to put some butter cream on to the cake cavity. Position the wings on top then lightly dust with a little icing sugar.

Steamed Cake

Steamed Cake

5 eggs

1 tbsp ovalette

180g castor sugar

200g plain flour

¾ tsp double action baking powder

80ml freshly squeezed orange juice

Grated rind of 1 orange

Line a 20cm bamboo steaming basket with greaseproof paper.

Whisk eggs, ovalette and castor sugar together until light and creamy. Sift in flour and double action baking powder and mix lightly with a metal spoon until well combined.

Add the orange juice gradually and stir in orange rind. Mix into a batter. Pour the batter into prepared bamboo basket. Lightly level the surface of the batter with a spatula. Steam over rapidly boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until the cake is done. Leave the cake to cool completely before cutting into slices.

Yong Tau Foo

Yong Tau Foo

Stuffing Paste

400g lean pork, minced

100g prawn paste

250g fish paste

Seasoning

1 1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp light soy sauce

1½ tsp sugar or to taste

2½ tbsp cornflour

1 egg, lightly beaten

Cut bitter gourd into rings and remove seeds. Cut brinjal into thick slanted pieces and make a slit or cut along the ladies’ fingers then dust the surface of the vegetables with a sprinkling of cornflour.

Combine fish paste, pork mince and prawn paste with the seasoning ingredients. Stuff the paste mixture into the vegetables and lightly coat with the beaten egg.

Heat up your prepared soup stock and blanch each stuffed vegetable in the hot soup stock. Cook until the vegetables are cooked through.

Coca-Cola Chicken

½ a chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces

5 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and halved

5 slices ginger

2 stalks spring onion

1 tbsp rock sugar

125ml light soy sauce

1 can (325ml) Coca-Cola

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sesame oil

Combine chicken, mushrooms, ginger, spring onion, rock sugar and light soy sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Add Coca-Cola, salt and sesame oil and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until gravy is reduced. Serve immediately.

Spicy Lasagna

200g chicken fillet, minced

60g red capsicum, coarsely chopped

3 tomatoes, skin peeled and pureed

40ml tomato paste

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp chopped garlic

50g onion, chopped

10g grated Parmesan cheese

10g grated Cheddar cheese

12 sheets instant lasagna pasta

Heat olive oil in a pan and fry onion, garlic, paprika and cumin. Fry for 4-5 minutes until onion is soft.

Add minced chicken and continue to cook until fragrant. Add capsicum, tomatoes and tomato paste.

Simmer for 20-25 minutes over a gentle low heat. Stir occasionally, to prevent the ingredients sticking to the base of the saucepan, until the sauce is thick.

Place 4 lasagna sheets over the base of an oiled ovenproof pan. Spread with a layer of the minced mixture. Repeat with another layer of lasagna sheets then the minced mixture and a final layer of 4 lasagna sheets. Combine the two cheeses and sprinkle on top.

Bake lasagna, covered with a piece of foil, in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes or until lasagna sheets are tender.

Braised Herbal Fish Head and Yam

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

½ portion fish head (garoupa or red snapper), about 800-900g, chopped into sizeable pieces

Oil for deep-frying

½ cup cornflour

2 chicken wings, chopped into bite-sized pieces

5 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and halved

300g yam, cubed

10g tong kwai

5-6 slices ginger

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp Shao Hsing wine (optional)

3 stalks spring onion, cut into 3cm lengths

Marinade (combined)

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp ginger juice

½ tsp pepper

Sauce – (combined)

1 tbsp abalone sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp light spy sauce

¾-1 tsp sugar or to taste

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

1 litre chicken stock

Season fish head pieces with combined marinade and leave aside. Just before deep-frying in hot oil coat fish pieces with cornflour. Deep-fry for 4-5 minutes or until lightly golden. Dish out and drain from oil.

Leave 2 tablespoons oil in a wok and fry ginger, garlic and tong kwai slices until fragrant. Put in chicken and mushrooms and sprinkle in wine (optional).

Pour in combined sauce ingredients and bring to the boil. Add yam.

Reduce the heat then cover the saucepan and braise for 15-20 minutes. Put in fish head and continue to braise for 7-8 minutes. Thicken the gravy with cornflour mixture and add spring onion.

Braised Chicken and Beancurd in Fragrant Sauce

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

½ a chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces

4 pre-fried chicken feet, claws cut off and chopped in two

6 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked

2 pieces soft beancurd, cubed

1 whole pod garlic with skin on

5 slices ginger

5 dried chillies, soaked

1 star anise

4 cm cinnamon stick

5 cloves

1 tbsp white peppercorns

1 tsp oil

1 tsp sesame oil

Sauce ingredients

700ml fresh chicken stock

2 tbsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp fragrant braising sauce

1 tbsp rock sugar

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Lightly sprinkle some cornflour over the beancurd cubes and deep-fry until golden brown. Dish out and put aside.

Heat oil and sesame oil in a wok and fry ginger until fragrant. Add chicken, chicken feet and mushrooms. Stir-fry for a minute. Add combined sauce ingredients and bring to the boil.

Put in garlic, dried chillies, star anise, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and cloves. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

Add beancurd and let it simmer for a further 8-10 minutes. Dish out and serve hot.

Hainanese Lamb Stew

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

600g lamb (use lamb belly), chopped

120g radish

100g carrot

10g cloud ear fungus (wan yee), soaked and shredded

8 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and halved

100g ginger, sliced

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp Shao Hsing wine (optional)

1 litre fresh chicken stock

Seasoning (A)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1½ cubes preserved beancurd (lam yee), mashed with a spoon

1 tsp pepper

1 tbsp sesame oil

Ingredients (B)

1 star anise

5cm cinnamon stick

1 nutmeg seed, crushed

3 stalks spring onion (use only white portion)

1½ tbsp preserved soya bean paste (tau cheong), minced

Thickening

1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

Slice off surplus fat from the lamb. Wash and rinse well. Blanch in boiling hot water for 6-7 minutes then drain well and set aside. Marinate lamb with seasoning (A) for several hours or preferably overnight.

Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a pot and sauté chopped garlic, ginger and spring onion until fragrant. Add ingredients (B) and continue to stir-fry until aromatic.

Put in marinated lamb and mushrooms. Fry well to combine. (Add wine at this stage if using.) Pour in fresh chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer over medium low heat for about 40-45 minutes.

Add radish, carrot and black fungus. Cover and simmer for another 25-30 minutes or until meat is tender and gravy is reduced. Thicken with cornflour mixture.