Citra's Home Diary

Pandan and Coconut Steamed Cake

Pandan or Pandanus amaryllifolius one kind of tropical plant. The plant is rare in the wild but is widely cultivated. It is an upright green plant with fan-shaped sprays of long, narrow, blade like leaves and woody aerial roots. The plant is sterile, flowers only very rarely, and is propagated by cuttings.

used widely in Southeast Asian cooking as a flavoring-wikipedia

Beside can give such a nice flavoring in foods, some kind of pandan can give beautiful natural green color, I just love it.

This pandan we can plant it either on garden yard or inside pot. Too bad I don't have it in my home here. I have no idea even if I can bring this plant here, whether it can survive in 4 season country like Turkey. I remember my mom plants this pandan in pot at our house in Indonesia.

Last time my friend brought me pandan paste from Indonesia and give me 1 small bottle. I was so happy cause I miss it's fragance and I miss some Indonesian food (mostly dessert and cake) using this pandan falvor...

So here it is my 1st Pandan cake in Turkey @(^,^)@

You can try to find this pandan paste in Asian grocery store in your country/ city, maybe you'll get lucky to have one...

Ingredients A:
• ¾ cup grated coconut (fresh or dried)
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

Ingredients B:
• 3 medium eggs
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of fine salt
• 1 ½ tsp pandan paste
• 100 gr unsalted butter, melted and mixed with ½ cup olive oil

Friendly Tag... I'm in

I've been tag by My dear foodie friend Ping. Hai Ping..! thanks for tagged me and be part of this friendly event. Here I just copy paste the rule to enliven this event from her page.

This tag is all about your own stuff. I think it's a great idea to highlight some long forgotten posts or some lonely, neglected, uncommented recipe ... especially during one's early days of blogging. I'm happy to be tagged by Ping, from Ping's picking to take part in this 7 - Link Challenge. That's 7 of your own posts in relation to the categories and then to nominate 5 victims bloggers to join in. No extra cooking or baking required.

2 simple rules:

A) publish links for the categories below (1 link per category)

I'm not sure exactly when the post should be published, so I just choose my posts only publishes in 2011

Here are my links:
1. The most beautiful post:
Steamed Chocolate brownies with Sun Flower decoration

I consider this one to be most beautiful post in this 2011 until I felt pity to cut this cake ^,^

2. The most popular post:
Popular post based on google search this year, goes to:
Pırasa Böreğı

3. The most controversial post:
Frankly speakıng I don't really understand what ıs most controversial post is. 1st in my thought, controversial means, I post something, then suddenly somebody else claim it as his/ her post ..hehehehehe...anyway, then I decide my LAHMACUN to be controversial post. Why? I read on my tweeter some people claim this food came from their country, not Turkey. I know, some countries in same area (middle easter and mediteranean) have similarity in food and culture. Just like in south east asia, we have some similarity in food and culture, between, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore. Every country has differential and it's own characteristics :)

4. The most helpful post:
I think it will go to: Ayran-Cold yogurt drink

5. The post that was surprisingly successful:
Goes to: Cheddar cheesecake with fruits topping

6. The post that did not get the attention it deserved:

I know, most of you probably unfamiliar with this food, but once you try it.. you will like it. it's healthy vegetable snack during your empty hour :))

Meet: Ote-Ote/ koheci/ Weci/ fried vegetable snack

7. The post that I'm most proud of:
Tiramisu Cheesecake is the most I proud of. It's new for me also and I'm surprisingly amazed how great when Cheesecake mix with tiramisu flavor ^,^

B) nominate up to 5 bloggers to take part

And my next 5 nominees are.....

1. Erin - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

2. Kelly - Eat your self skinny

3. Madeja - Cranberry Jam

4. Akheela - Torview

5. Sizuka - The Cat, The Rabbit & The Hedgehog

Chicken Cardamom with Bulgur Pilaf

Selam everybody.....Merhaba from Turkey.

Who doesn't like cardamom? If you don't like it, you better try it.

If you are looking for dinner or lunch menu idea, I recommend this one. Quick and easy to make but the result isn't as simple as how it's prepared. I guarantee it will be repeatable menu for your family.

I made this bulgur pilaf deliberately simple so it can go with your other favorite meal.

Served 4 .

Cardamom Chicken Ingredients:
 4 pieces of chicken thighs, stab at some places with a fork
 1 medium onion, grated
 3 cloves garlic, grated
 2 tsp cardamom powder
 1 teaspoon ground cumin
 ½ tsp pepper powder
 ½ tsp powdered ginger
 ½ tsp chili powder
 4 tablespoons canola oil or other vegetable oil
 1 tablespoon molasses (can be replaced with honey)
 1 ½ tsp salt or to taste

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe

Selam Everybody....Merhaba from Turkey

This chocolate chip cookies is really really become favorite treat during our tea time at home since 1st time I made them. I made them many few batches already start from last week and all of them could not survive more than 1 day ! this is the latest batch I made and survive for the picture and post in my blog d(^,^)b.

Mom, let's try it also at home.. and let's the family

Yield: about 60 cookies.

Ote-Ote / Koheci/ Weci/ Bakwan sayur / Indonesian Vegetable fritter

It's one of traditional Indonesian snack-favorite one. In some places people also eat them as side dish accompanying their main dish. Some areas have different name for it, some call it "Ote-ote" while other area call it "koheci" or "weci" or mostly people call it Bakwan sayur.
Content of mostly vegetables with flour to make thickened, some area put shrimp in it. But generally it's fried vegetables. Serve it warm is always better way to enjoy it, with sambal petis (dark shrimp paste sauce) and birdeye chilly

Ingredients:
• 1 cup fresh shrimp, discard tail and head
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 cup julienn cut cabbage
• 1 cup roughly shaved carrot / cut into matchsticks
• 1 cup celery leaves chopped
• 1 ½ cup flour
• 1 small egg, beaten
• Enough water
• Enough Cooking oil for frying

Puree/ ground these spices:
• ½ medium onion (or 4 small red onions)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 ½ tsp peppercorn
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or to taste)
• Salt and sugar to taste

How to make:
1) mashed/ puree: onion, garlic, pepper, salt and sugar. Puree also shrimp heads and tails into it.
2) In a large bowl, combine all vegetables, flour, baking powder, ground spices, shrimps and eggs. Give enough water slowly~just enough for wet the flour and all ingredients (not too watery). Stir it all until blended, sample a taste, give the broth flavoring if desired.
3) Heat oil over medium heat, fry the dough a spoonful after spoonful. Fry until pink and cooked through.

Note: if you want to have round shape like mine, heat serving soup spoon into hot oil, make sure the ladle is really hot (if not, the dough will be sticky on it). Then put the dough onto hot ladle, place shrimp on top and dip into the hot oil until the dough is separated by it self from the ladle.

Serve warm with chili sauce or birdeye chillies.

Plum #Cobbler, Friend's recipe

I got this recipe from one of my foodie friend, Ping from Ping's pickings. Ping has nice page with many great recipes and pictures, in fact I bookmarked some of them ^,^

and this is one of her recipe I've been tried in my kitchen, Plum Cobbler, check on her nice page so you can find some great recipes also, who knows you might try some

Well, here what you need for making plum cobbler:

Yield 4 individual ramekins

Cheesy Rosemary Bread

I was looking for something quick to eat and great for fulfilling our 'sahur' menu this Ramadhan. In our family, bread is a must at breakfast time. But you know, sometimes I'm bored with plain white bread...

hmm..what to do? Cheesy bread.. Why not?

So, if you need something cheesy for breakfast or brunch? Try this one.. With rosemary herb flavor in this soft bread, I'm sure you will get same experience with me... Have a try! @(^,^)@

Ingredients I:
• 4 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cup warm milk
• 1 cup flour
Mix and stir all ingredients I until blended, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until fluffy & bubbly approximately 30 minutes
Ingredients II:
• 4 ½ cups flour
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 150 g cold butter, cut into small squares
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Other Ingredients:
• About 300 grams of cheddar cheese for filling, cut into small cubes
• Fresh rosemary for toppings, roughly chopped
• Butter to spread toppings, soften at room temperature

Method:
 Once the ingredients I fluffy, mix in all ingredients II and knead until smooth and elastic. The process can use a machine or manually by hand (like I did).

 After the dough is smooth and elastic (no problem if it's a bit sticky in your fingers,and you can lightly dust your finger with flour if you want), cover with kitchen towel or plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for ± 60 minutes until fluffy and double in volume.

 Punch to remove air from the dough. Divide the dough into some small-same size-balls. You can weigh them up to perform same large circle.
Either you can use my way: Shape the dough lengthwise like a long pipe, then cut into 10 ~ 15 pieces and shape into a ball.

Flatten each ball and fill with cheese to taste, cover and form a ball again. Do the same thing until dough finished.

 Grease your round pan with vegetable oil, place balls on it and make space among them-like the picture. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest again for about 30 minutes.

 If it is near to baking time (about 20 minutes after you put the balls into the pan), pre heat oven at 160 ⁰C. Brush the bread with olive oil or canola oil (or other vegetable oil) and sprinkle with chopped fresh rosemary-like in the picture. Bake until cooked and browned on surface. Once out of the oven,while it's hot, basting them with soften margarine/ butter.

Happy Baking and Happy fasting (^,^)

Rosmarinus officinalis (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chocolate Almond Steamed Brownies

First, I'd like to say: Happy Ramazan and have a fasting for all Muslims around the world.

I love steamed method to cook my cake. I feel "safe and secure" with it :)) Risk free..

In Indonesia, steamed brownie is very popular (compare to bake brownies) and it's everybody's favorite. Many kind of steamed Brownies we usually vary, start from Pandan flavor to Cheese brownies (-- I know, it's really rare you find those Brownies)

This time I made Chocolate Almond Steamed brownies, the ingredients and method are very much simple so I believe you can make it at your home and present different taste of brownies.

Ingredients:
 3 medium eggs
 ¾ cup caster sugar (if you want more sweet, add 2 tablespoons sugar)
 1 cup flour, sifted
 2 tablespoons almond flour
 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder, sifted
 Pinch of fine salt
 50 gr dark cooking chocolate (DCC)
 ¾ cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)
 Butter for grease the loaf pan (or cooking spray)
 Almonds for garnish (optional)

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