Cik Lean's Granola

Ingredients

500g rolled oats

1 cup nuts (eg. almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans)

1/2 cup seeds (eg. pumpkin, sunflower seeds)

1/4 cup flaxseed

1/2 cup oil (eg. melted butter, olive oil, coconut oil)

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 cup dried fruits (eg. cranberries, blueberries, raisins, goji berries, dates)

other ingredients: 

1/2 cup coconut flakes

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup chocolate chips

brown sugar, vanilla pod/essence etc.

Directions

• preheat oven to 175°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper
• mix all the dry ingredients except for dried fruits
• pour in honey and olive oil/melted butter and mix well
• spread the mixture on the baking tray
• bake for 30min, stirring every 8-10mins until golden brown and crispy
• leave in oven for 10min with heat off and door slightly open
• remove from oven add in the dried fruits and stir well
• let cool and store in airtight container

Foodnote: Felt the need to up my fiber intake and eat oats more regularly but don't really like overnight oats. So I decided to make my own granola since the store bought ones are always too sweet with preservatives. Making my own, I can adjust to any ingredients to my liking. I use coconut oil and added coconut flakes. Delicious and smells good while baking. I can topped it to greek yoghurt or milk. Yummilicious!!

15 Feb 2024: Bake 2nd batch. This time it includes pecans + coconut flakes, sunflower + pumpkin + flax seeds and cranberries. I use olive oil with balance butter and also used up my honey. I baked longer and reduce the temperature since it is still not crispy. Then I leave it in the oven to cool and dry up the ingredients before adding in the dried cranberries. This time it is crispier and nice. Will make this regularly.

Banana Cake

Ingredients
3 medium ripe bananas (mashed) (approx 200g)
3 eggs
100g brown/white sugar (I use brown)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt
150g top flour (or cake flour)
100g sunflower or vegetable oil

Directions

• pre-heat oven to 180°C
• prepare cake pan lined with parchment paper
• in a mixer, whisk eggs and brown sugar on high speed till pale ribbon stage
• add in mashed bananas, salt and vanilla and whisk in slow speed till well combined followed by the oil
• finally add in sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda mixture and whisk again
• pour batter into cake pan and tap to clear large air bubbles
• bake for about 40-45min at 180°C or till skewer or satay stick comes clean
• alternatively can bake at 160°C for 35min and 180°C for 10min till skewer comes out clean

Foodnote: This is my second attempt at making banana cake. The first time was not very successful as the cake was dry. This recipe is better and moist... comparable to Hiap Joo banana cake hehe. I think it would also be nice to add baked walnuts or pecans.

Very easy to make so definitely will be making this regularly whenever I have leftover over riped bananas.

16 Feb 2024: Bake this again since I have 4 over riped bananas. I also have leftovers pecans that I baked and chopped to add. This time I use my rectangle baking pan. Bake it a little bit longer by 10min at lower temperature. Tasted good with nuts and this recipe is super easy and never disappoint me.

Healthy and Quick Flatbread

Ingredients

300g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cumin (optional)

1 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp plain yoghurt

~100ml water

Directions

• in a large bowl add flour, salt, ground cumin, baking powder and mix it up
• add yoghurt and mix 
• add water gradually and knead till smooth soft dough is formed
• let it rest for minimum 5min
• take a portion of dough and round it up... dip in flour and roll into flat dough
• topping can be added... wet the surface and sprinkle with desired topping eg. fresh herbs or chopped chillies or roasted cumin seeds etc.
• cook on a hot pan for few minute and turn to the other side
• remove from pan and brush with butter

Foodnote: Inspired after successfully making chapati a few times, I tried this flatbread. I tried to recreate the flatbread bought by my 2nd brother in Shanghai hehe. The flatbread is soft and I covered the cooked flatbread with towel just like chapati because I wanted a soft bread. It is really nice and soft. What I did is I brush it with melted butter and generously sprinkle with paprika and also garlic. It tasted a bit like the bread my brother brought back from Shanghai. Not the same but ok. I really think it is paprika instead of sezhuan chilli pepper. Kept the rest in the fridge to eat with chilli tuna or rendang or turn into healthy vegetables wrap. 

Kambing Masak Berempah

Ingredients

1kg mutton

1 green chilli 

1 red onion 

6 garlic 

1 cm ginger 

2 tomatoes 

coriander leaves 

curry leaves 

pandan leaves 

1/2 cup coconut milk 

6 dried chillies

1 tbsp coriander seeds 

1 tbsp cumin seeds 

1 tbsp fennel seeds 

1 tbsp black pepper 

~ sauteed till fragrant 

~ pound till fine 

1 tbsp mustard seed 

dry spices (4 sekawan) 

- 1 cinnamon stick 

- 3 star anise 

- 4 cloves 

- 3 cardamom 

2 tsp tumeric powder

Directions 

• heat oil then add 4 dry spices 
• add mustard seeds 
• add sliced red onion till soft 
• add pandan leaves + curry leaves 
• add pound garlic + ginger fry 1min and add in mutton and tumeric 
• add cubed tomatoes on low fire cook for 10min with lid covered 
• add spices that have been pounded fine 
• add 2 cups of water add salt to taste
• add coconut milk 
• finally add coriander leaves

Foodnote: Since I love chapati, I wanted to try to make this. Recipe from Sugu Pavithra on youtube. I followed as closed as possible. Turns out very nice and fragrant. Only thing is that my meat some are tender and some pieces are tough. But good recipe and love it.

Sourdough Breads + Healthy Seeds

Wholemeal Sourdough Bread with Pumpkin Seeds + Flaxseeds + Multi-grains toppings

• Tanoshi Premium Japanese bread flour
• 35g pumpkin seeds + 35g flaxseeds
• mix wholegrains for topping (wet the shaped dough and rub grains over it before transferring to banetton... and CF in fridge)
• 74% hydration (224g instead of 210g water for each bread)
• 3hr bulk fermentation

Foodnote: Attempt to make a healthier wholemeal sourdough bread with seeds. I have pumpkin and flax seeds. Not sure how it will turn out but it rise well and check out the oven spring. Will definitely be baking this again soon!

Made this again on 28 Jan 2023. This time it is the following...

• Tanoshi Japanese bread flour
• 10g flaxseed + 30g sunflower seed + 30g pumpkin seed
• 74% hydration (225g water)

Foodnote: Made this again because I love it although it tasted like delicious cardboard lol. Really love it because it have all healthy seeds. I reduced the flaxseed and added sunflower seeds.

Cempedak Butter Cake

Ingredients

2 eggs

150g cempedak flesh

120g cake flour

140g softtened butter (salted)

100g castor sugar

1/2 tsp vanlla

Directions

• in a bowl, whisk butter and sugar till pale and sugar are dissolved
• add eggs and vanilla till well combined
• fold in the flour
• finally add in the cempedak... can leave some bits on the surface of cake
• bake in a pre-heated oven at 170°C for 60 to 70min till skewer comes clean
• cool for min 10mins and remove from mould

Foodnote: Been wanting to eat cempedak butter cake. Saw cempedak at NTUC so I quickly grab it. Also I have cake flour that I need to clear... so just nice lah. Really happy to finally satisfy my craving. So soft and fluffy... a bit sweet maybe because of the cempedak or should reduce the sugar next time. Also my mould is too big lol... should have used the round one which is smaller. I just chopped the cempedak instead of puree because I want to really taste fresh bits when I eat.

The cake is even nicer the next day... so moist. I also kept the seeds and boil it for 30mins with a pinch of salt the next day. Been a long time since I ate cempedak seeds and it tasted so wholesome. Just need to peel off the outer skin and clean the brown inner skin as much as possible... but it is ok to just eat it too. 

I googled for benefits of eating cempedak seeds...

• prevent depression
• improve cells
• improven body metabolism
• increase body immunity
• increase energy
• maintain healthy weight
• maintain stronger heart
• prevent joint pains
• improves digestion

Chapathi

Ingredients

200g atta flour

pinch of salt

2 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup water 

Directions

• add olive oil, salt and flour in a bowl and mix with hand
• add water bit by bit till soft dough is formed (might not need to add all)
• form into a ball, cover with olive oil and leave to rest for at least 30min
• divide equally into 8 pieces and round each ball
• pre-heat non-stick pan
• on a generously floured surface, roll each dough as thinly as possible
• cook each chapati on both sides till fully cooked
• keep wrapped in towel or in covered bowl to keep it soft

Foodnote: I love chapati so I finally bought atta flour from Sheng Siong. This time I tried the Anarkali Gold Atta flour. Making chapati is easy compared to roti prata and very satisfying to eat. Cousin gave me minced meat which I cook into curry. I ate 3 pieces chapati with the curry because I am greedy lol. Will keep the rest either to eat with balance curry or make wraps with it.

Next time I will try this. Will brush the cooked chapati with ghee and also will use one of my old tiffin box to store the chapati.

Plain Waffles

Ingredients

Dry

225g AP flour

60g corn starch

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Wet

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup yoghurt/buttermilk

1 cup milk

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp honey (optional)

Directions

• in a bowl sift and mix all dry ingredients together using a whisk
• in another bowl, whisk wet ingredients together in the above order
• pour wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix till no lumps available
• pre-heat waffle iron and bake till golden and crispy

Foodnote: Recipe from here. I love waffle and am looking for simple recipe. Tried this recipe, added honey since it is not sweet and tried my new manual waffle maker. It yields nicer waffle than my Kenwood, only that I have to manually flip the waffle maker. End up with 6 pieces. Ate 2 and the rest will be kept frozen for other days. When I want to eat, I can just pop it in the air fryer for few minutes... make scramble eggs + salad to have good delicious meal!