QUICK BREAKFAST NOODLES

Hi everyone! Here's a quick post of some breakfast noodles. It is simple and uses dried prawns as the main flavour base with added bean sprouts and chives for added flavour and texture.


And crushed bird's eye chillie fo a nice kick. Yum!

I made this on the same day that I made the hot sauce.


I used skinny noodles from a packet (horrors) but it did have a few NO'S on the packet.....like NO preservatives, NO MSG, No Colouring. I suppose that's as close to homemade as I can get. 

I'm out of steam, out of energy and out of time these past few days. I need to get working on those cookies. And I think I'm in  need of a plan just so I can carry out my plans.

 The recipe ~


This noodle dish is so simple yet so full of flavour and makes a nice filling breakfast, lunch, snack or even dinner.


2 squares of skinny noodles

6-7 pieces dried prawns, soaked in water for about 10 minutes
2 pips garlic
2 bird's eye chillies or a large chillie pepper
a handful of bean sprouts
a handful of chives
dark soy sauce
salt 
cooking oil


Blanch noodles in boiling water until it softens and is cooked through.It won't take long depending on the noodles that you are using.

Pound dried prawns, garlic and chillies in a pestle and mortar until fairly fine.

Heat a wok and pour in about 2 tablespoons of oil and then saute the pounded ingredients until fragrant and the paste looks a little golden at the edges. 

Throw in the noodles, bean sprouts and the chives and some soy sauce and the salt. Give it a stir to mix them all up well and evenly. You may add some water if it too dry. Serve with garlic ginger chillie hot sauce and a wedge of lime. Enjoy!

I am submitting this to Muhibbah Malaysian Monday hosted by Shaz of Test with Skewer and 3 hungry tummies.

GARLIC GINGER CHILLIE HOT SAUCE

Nothing fancy here. It's just a garlic ginger chillie hot sauce. A chicken rice hot sauce. All you need is a blender and a swoosh and it's done.

Ju made this exact sauce a couple of days ago as well. I'm not surprised if we had made and photographed it on the very same day. We share the same vibes. I believe that this is the third time we've made similar food and posted it within a whisker's post of each other's. It's one of those strange but true occurrences. 

This hot sauce is great with steam boats, chicken rice, stir fried noodles, rice, soups, as a dipping for fritters. Anything and everything I suppose. Whatever makes you happy and whenever your palate needs a bit of a kick.

Its kind of sour and spicy with a very subtle tinge of sweetness to it. Very very very appetizing.

The recipe ~


10 chillies plus some/many bird's eye chillies if you like
6-7 pips garlic, peeled
1 inch ginger, peeled
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 T sugar
salt to taste


Wash and ch0p chillies into chunks. De-seed them if you wish. Put chillies and everything else in a  blender and blitz until it becomes a thick sauce. Add salt to taste. Store in a jar and better still in the refrigerator.

I am submitting this to Muhibbah Malaysian Monday hosted by Shaz of Test with skewer and 3hungry tummies

HApPy dAyS CHCOLATE CAKE AND A PRINT GIVEAWAY

This giveaway is closed today 27th August 2010.Thank you so much to those who participated.

The winner of my Print Giveaway by Brochures Printing Online (by random.org) is........number 18 (I still can't figure out a way to copy and paste the winning number).

Chisum's Crew you're the winner :-)!!!

If you're running a business I'm sure you would have thought of  brochure printing to promote your products or services.

Brochures Printing Online is a company that prints brochures designed to your exact specifications. They help you to create custom brochures and their team of design experts will help check and ensure the quality of your prints before sending them off to their printers. 

"We print your brochures using digital or offset process to make sure that you have the best quality at the best price available." 

Click on the image below to learn more.

And this is the giveaway Brochures Printing Online is offering to one of my lucky readers ~

100 8.5x11 Trifold Brochures   
100lb Paper Gloss   
Trifold/Letterfold, Z-fold   
4 Color Both Sides Printing  
It's limited to US residents 18 years and above.      

Just leave a comment and the winner will be picked using random.org. 

 If you would like to try for an extra entry please visit Brochure Printing Online and leave a comment telling me which item would be most suitable to your needs. 

If you would like to top it with 2 more entries post about this on your blog and/or facebook it and leave me the link/links. 

This giveaway will be opened until the 25th of August 2010. I will announce the winner on the 26th of August 2010.

Good luck and Happy Days!

But far, far away from the land of digital and offset processes I did my own printing ~In cake. It was for N and R's birthdays. They were born on the same day 4 years apart.

I used silicone word moulds sold online at SiliconeMoulds.com. Moulds that were designed by a dear blogger friend Sarah Jane. You must visit her lovely blog, siliconemoulds.blogspot.

Silicone moulds is an online store that sells silicone bakeware moulds for cakes, jellies, chocolate, soap and many other uses and is the only store, online or otherwise, that sells silicone word moulds.

The only decoration I did was a dusting of icing sugar over a piece of plastic grid to get the grid effect.

When you're happy and you know it clap your hands. Happy birthdays to our dearest N and R.

  
                             HApPy dAyS CaKe

The cake I made is one from my favourite cake 'chemist', Rose Levy Beranbaum. Her recipes have never failed me and this chocolate cake is as good as it gets. Fudgy, chocolaty and never too sweet.   

The recipe ~Rose Levy Beraabaum's

85 gm cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water3 large eggs (150 gm without shells)
vanilla extract
300 gm plain flour
434 gm light brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt227 gm unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 170 C.

Grease and flour 2 9" round cake pans.


Whisk cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Cool to room temperature. 

In another bowl combine egg and 1/4 of the cocoa mixture.


In another bowl combine dry ingredients and mix on low for 30 seconds. Add butter and remaining cocoa mixture. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Add egg/cocoa mixture in 3 batches and beat for 30 seconds each time. 


Pour into pans and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

For these moulds I had only to make one recipe of this cake and pour the batter slightly more than half way up the sides of the moulds. When baked leave to cool completely in the moulds before turning out. 


Tips ~ Before turning the cakes out pull the sides of the mould away from the sides of the cakes, gently, to loosen them up. The cakes will then literally fall out of the moulds when you turn it out. 


Turn the cakes the right side up and slice off the mounds to level the cake and then turn them over again so that the bottoms are facing upwards and are displayed as the top of the cakes. Decorate as you desire.

If you're using silicone moulds do go to my CAKE post for further tips on using silicone moulds.

CASHEW NUT CURRY

If only maids were made in heaven I would have been a rested and happy woman in a newly cleaned and sparkling home. But no. I had to have two of the most incompetent and obnoxious maids delivered to my door yesterday. I was bluffed into believing that they were well trained and experienced. Silly me.

At the end of each explicitly explained task they stood and wavered looking extremely disgusted. I don't blame them. That is why I hire maids. Duh.

They grumbled and probably swore their way through the housework for almost three hours while I attempted to curb and guide them into some form of what I thought were logical and common sensed tasks. I think my eyes glowed.


After three hours when the job was 'done' and the house somewhat less than sparkling one of them just flopped like a sack of rice and spread herself on the floor at the front door while waiting to be picked up by the Big Bluffer. Upset as I was I almost burst out laughing. Out of pity I made conversation with her. I think we found common ground. We both hate housework. A job I had landed myself into by choice and she by circumstance.


But I think she might have liked some cashew nut curry. If she had been a whole lot nicer and I had had a pleasant day it might have occurred to me to let her bring some home. Silly girl.

It was a sad and cloudy morning and I, groggy from sleep and exhausted from the previous day's encounter with Two Maids from my Nightmare, had taken photos of the cashew nut curry I had made on that day. 

Obviously, drunk from sleep, I wasn't focused and neither were these photos.  But a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. No?


The recipe ~


This is a lovely dish. Sweet cashews in some curry sauce makes a most appetizing dish. I might also mention that I was inspired to make this after watching Anthony Bourdain's visit to Sri Lanka.


200 gm raw cashews
1 medium onion, sliced
2-3 pips garlic
1/2 inch ginger, sliced
1 T coriander powder
1/2 T cumin powder
1/4 T fennel powder
a pinch or two of tumeric powder
7-8 curry leaves


some black pepper, crushed
salt

1/4 cup thick coconut milk
2-3 T cooking oil


Pound the onions, garlic and ginger in a pestle and mortar till quite fine. 


Heat oil in a pan and saute the pounded ingredients until fragrant. Add the powdered spices and a little water, about 2 tablespoons, and saute until the  mixture turns a little darker and the oil seperates from the paste.


Throw in the cashews and stir to mix it into the spices. Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer and let it simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes. Add salt in between. While doing so add some water or stock if the mixture seems to dry. There should be some sauce but not gravy. It a dry sort of curry. 


Sprinkle some crushed black pepper if you so desire. Serve with white rice. 


Note ~ You may add some sliced green chillies just at the end of the cooking and sprinkle some fried onions over the top just before serving.