Spiced Nuts

The other day when I was out shopping and picked up a pack of Almond with the thought to roast my own healthier version, using this recipe which i bookmarked long ago.

Spiced Nuts
(Fills 3-4 jars)

1-2 tbs vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
4-5 star anises
3 cup of raw almonds (or any other nuts like cashew)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp each of powdered chilli, cumin and cinnamon spices

Method
1. Heat the oven to 160 deg C.
2. Heat oil in a wok together with cinnamon stick and star anises. When you smell the fragrance, turn off the fire and add salt and sugar. Add the raw nuts, stirring well to ensure even coverage.
3. Place nuts on an oven tray, spreading them out. Roast for 15 minutes or so. Keep a close eye on them as they burn easily.
4. Scatter powdered spices over the nuts & stir for even coverage. Switch off the oven but leave nuts inside for another 5min.
5. Remove and allow nuts to cool before storing them in clean jars. The nuts will harden upon cooling.
6. Wrap a Christmassy ribbon round the neck of the jars and you have a healthy gift to give away this season.


PS: I find it not spicy enough - will need more chilli powder and cinnamon to make a statement.

When Will wed Kate...

If you are in London during in the past few days, you will know how crowded this England capital suddenly became! I felt like half the world is congregating in this already jam packed city. Despite many friends who tell me I am lucky to be in the right place at the right time, I think I rather be enjoy the city in peace...

1 think I do appreciate, of the wedding, is a Bank Holiday out of the deal!

I was out at Harrods yesterday, I can't help but feel just a little jealous observing all the indulgent Royal Wedding festivities. Look at how this shopping instution devoted all its window dressing to the royal couple:

Honestly, I think this is mroe suitable for a Bollywood wedding! LOL.

This uni-jack cake is my favourite!

Look at this... even the bus is not spared!

So, where were you on April 29?

Keiko's Japanese Milky Madeleines

This is one of the few things I managed to bake in London... I only uncovered them while sorting thru my camera.

This is a very yummy cake - very fragrant and milky. The only deterring factor is that it requires several short shelf life ingredients like double cream & milk powder which can be quite wasteful to throw out the rest after 1 bake.


JAPANESE MILKY MADELEINES

What you need:
120g pastry flour (i use sponge flour)
20g corn flour
15g milk powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
15g honey
1 tbsp hot water
100g unsalted butter
50g double (heavy) cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
140g eggs (approx. 3 big eggs)
Pinch of salt
150g Japanese sugar or castor sugar (I used 100g)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degree celsius. Sift together the flours, milk powder and baking powder. Combine honey and hot water in a small bowl.


2. Place butter, cream and vanilla in a bowl and heat over a double boiler until butter is melted. Set aside.


3. In another bowl, beat eggs and salt with a whisk. Add sugar, place the bowl over a double boiler and mix well.


4. When egg mixture is warm, use an electric mixer to beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and continue beating for about 1 minute. Add honey and mix well.


5. Gently fold in flour, milk powder and baking powder mixture with a spatula. Add cream and butter mixture and fold until just incorporated.


6. Pipe/spoon batter into prepared baking cups. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until madeleines are light golden in colour. Cool on a wire rack.

Store in airtight container at room temp for up to 5 days or up to 1 month in the freezer. I made these when I had visitors over my place, so they were gone on the same day!

Pretty meimei said she loved these madelines!

Heart Cake

My mind starts to jog when i see this beautiful heart cake at Crummb, my fav baker.

Go to I am Baker, for tutorial how to make this.

I am starting the clock; shall see when I get down to some serious baking!

TWG Macaron

It must have been the longest break for me! I have been shuttling between Singapore and London since Jan... and perhaps a short (and hoepfully, sweet) post will bring back my momentum.

********************************

I finally get to TWG @ION Orchard last night - enjoyed a pot of their famous Samovar Night tea and an easily forgetable dessert. Then went home with the highly-raved TWG macarons... see, how pretty the box! At S$2 each, these are far cheaper than what I'd paid for Pierre Herme in London's Selfridges. These macarons are soft & chewy. In fact too soft, I think, to give any contrast in the crispy shell & soft fillings. However, the unique tea infusion wins me over. I enjoy the delicate tea aroma & flavour that is so beautiful, though I have to admit that macaron is not for me -too sweet for my standard.

Before i go, gotta share this quote from Manoj Murjani, TWG Owner: "At TWG you're not just buying tea, you're buying into the experience of the brand that promotes the lifestyle that is evocative of luxury."

Why not, if you can afford the luxury!

TWG Tea Salon & Boutique
ION Shopping Mall
2 Orchard Turn
#02-21 Singapore 238801
Tel: 6735 1837 Fax: 6736 1837
Opening hour: Mon to Sun - 10am to 10pm

5 things to bring from London (to Singapore)

We had our Chinese New Year all planned away back in Dec. Coming from a traditional chinese family, it was to be the first CNY without our family as we were quite clear we ain't keen in the 14hours flight!

So we hooked up with other expats family to have the big celebration "our way". And had all the necessary stuff prep for the big bang. Yep, big bang, if only I didn't receive a late request from my boss on a business trip to SG.

Well, let's just say there's quite a bit of self interest that i gladly accepted the assignment.

It was less than a week before the trip, so we basically pick up anything in Sainsbury which we can think can interest our Singaporean folks

After we arrived, and gauging from the respond of the recipents, here's what we gathered will be great stuff to bring from London:

1) Scottish Shortbread.

This is basically just butter cookies, but my niece who is a big fan says those from UK beats those from the local supermarket.

2) PG tips tea bags.

We saw some leftover xmas pack on the shelf, and they are the same price as the standard ones.

PG tips was first launch in UK, and believed to aid digestion. I do not know how much truth in the health benefits but i love the revolutionary freeflow pyramid teabag. The bags were developed using unique 'webbed' fibres that allow the water to reach the leaves faster, resulting in a quicker brew. So now you don’t have to wait as long for your cup of PG tips! These are all the technical stuff I read from the box.

This tea is great for home made teh-tarik, I must confess!

BTW, this is not commonly found in Singaporean's supermarket, and if by any chance you do, I was told the price is probably a few times more than it does in UK (it was less than £5 when I got this in late Jan 2011).

3) Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd to English is like Kaya to Singaporean. It's a great cultural exchange. Personally I am hooked to the tangy yet creamy taste!

4) All things Chocolate.

Most people (inluding me) thinks London is expensive, But believe it or not, the chocolates cost a fraction than it would in Singapore.

I checked out the prices of these After Eight in Singapore: we paid £2 (~S$4) while it goes for S$11 in Cold Storage!!!

5) The Nespresso

If you are a coffee lover, you will know this expresso machine.

If you are not, you still got to have this in-thing sitting pretty in your kitchen or living room. As long as your guest can see!

I found out about this good buy when my cousin annouced in Facebook of his latest acquistion. He got this exact model in SG for S$728, while I paid £199 (~S$400)! I am not qualified for the VAT rebate; if you do, you get back another 2o% at airport.

When in SG, I dropped by Ion Orchard and found out that even the coffee capsule cost less in London - I paid about £3 (~S$6) per pack while it retails for S$10 here.

As for this cute Hello Kitty, I am sure it can find it in Singapore, but it I simply can't resist when I saw it in the aisle!

Is there anything else that you would lug from London?

Best Laksa in London

We have been quite fortunate to meet quite a few other expats family during this period. They are very helpful in giving us the practical advices to help us settle in.

This restaurant, Hare and Tortoise was recommended at one of the many wine & dine sessions. After being away from home for so long, it didn't take long for us to head their for some comfort food.

The restaurant is fairly simple and basic, which means hurried (and sometimes appalling) service is expected. Nonetheless this is fine by us as our sole objective is the food... which fortunately didn't disappoint in our few visits. It serves a combination of Malaysia/Singaporean food + Japanese dishes.

Each time, I will go straight for the Laksa (~£7 or S$14)

The laksa is served in a big deep bowl containing hearty rice noodles with a well spiced coconut curry broth. It has generous slices of chicken breast (Londoners fav, btw), squid & whole prawns. The only thing i dislike is the dried garlic slice sprinkled on top. It seems to have been sat in the store for quite long to develop that nasty taste.

J will usually go for the Char Kway Teow (fried flat noodle) - no picture and I blame it on the yummy noodle that J attacked as soon as it is served! It has such good wok-hei!

The little one is not left out - he was enjoying his tamago (egg) sushi. Decent but I must say that it is over priced (at least to me!) at £2.50 (S$5) for 2 pcs.

All in all, we pay about £10 per person (with green tea); a price rather reasonable in London.

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Hare and Tortoise
Open 7 days a week
Sunday to Thursday : 12noon to 11.00pm
Friday & Saturday : 12noon to 11.30pm

373 High Street Kensington, London W14 8QZ
Tel: 020 7603 8887
Email: kensington@hareandtortoise.co.uk