Caramel Karaage

Caramel is sweet. Fried Chicken is salty and savory. Combining them together never crossed my mind. I tried to do it today, after watching a video from runnyrunny999 (a Japanese blogger)last night. And you know what? It taste amazing! 

Picture from Google

Picture from Google

When I was about to make it, I realize I didn't have any caramel candy! :( *look at recipe* So I made my own substitute instead.

Caramel Sauce (NOT candy, but works well) :

-8 tbsp brown sugar (or palm sugar)
-2 tbsp condensed milk
-2 tbsp butter
-3 tbsp whipping cream

Method :

1.Cook sugar and condensed milk on low heat until it bubbles
2.Remove from heat. Stir in butter and whipping cream until butter melts.
3.Continue stirring until mixture thicken. 

You really have to try this dish at home. It's easy to make one, so give it a try! :)

Ingredients :

-300g chicken

-1 beaten egg　

-1 tbsp soy sauce　

-2 tbsp flour

-30g grated ginger　

Sauce:

-5 tbsp bouillon stock　

-50g minced onion 　

-1 tbsp white wine　

-1 tbsp butter　

-2 tbsp ketchup

-1 tbsp minced garlic　

-1/2 tbsp soy sauce　
-3 pieces caramel candy (I use caramel sauce instead)


Method : Click HERE

TA-DA! This is my caramel karaage! 

I sprinkle them with seaweed and sesame seeds

Japanese Hamburger Steak (Hambagu)

I cooked for lunch today. I guess I'm interested in cooking too, beside baking :D

So, I've been watching videos from cookingwithdog on youtube recently. And what I cooked today is one of her dish. It's Japanese hamburger steak (hambagu). A different way of eating a hamburger, this dish is eaten with hot rice instead of bread, but taste just great! 

I really felt playing the game"cooking mama" directly in the kitchen when I was cooking this :P

My tool really looks like Mama's :D

Hamburger Steak   
Serves 2

Ingredients : *CLICK HERE FOR METHOD 


- Fried Onion -
1 Onion (200g/7.05 oz) - 2/3 for hamburg meat mixture, 1/3 for onion sauce
1 tbsp Olive Oil

150g Broccoli (5.29 oz)
1 Steamed Potato (160g/5.64 oz)
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Tomato

250g Mixture of Ground Beef and Pork (8.82 oz) - beef : pork=7 : 3 (I use 250g ground beef)
1/3 tsp Salt
A pinch of Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
2/3 Fried Onion

15g Panko - Breadcrumbs (0.53 oz)
2 tbsp Milk
1 Egg

- Onion Gravy -
1/3 Fried Onion
50ml Water (1.69 fl. oz)
1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Mirin (substitute : lemon juice + sugar)
1 clove of Grated Garlic
10g Butter (0.353 oz)

These are how I served them :)
I served them with a Japanese-looking-dish :P Add a bowl of miso soup if you like. *Good luck in the kitchen*

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

FIFTH red velvet cupcakes recipe I tried and the BEST one! :D

I'm so happy with this recipe. Unlike other red velvet cupcakes, I found this more chocolatey. Not just slightly chocolate.

The frosting is light but you can still taste the cream cheese. The previous red velvet cupcakes used regular cream cheese frosting (not whipped). All of them are runny and too sweet! (Back here in Indonesia, my cooking teacher told me that we can't make the regular ones because of the weather is too hot) But this one is pipe-able and really holds it's shaped. Not to mention, they taste even better!

Give it a try! 

Hershey's Red Velvet Cake

makes 12 cupcakes

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 cup buttermilk (buttermilk substitute : just under 1/2 milk + 1/2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice)

1 cup All-Purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp red food color (I used oil-based food coloring)

2 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350F.

2) Sift together the dry ingredients (cocoa powder, flour and salt).  Set aside.

3) Beat the sugar and butter. Add in the egg and vanilla.

4) Stir together the wet ingredients (food coloring and buttermilk) in a measuring cup. Set aside.

5) Alternatively add the wet and dry ingredients into the sugar/butter/egg batter.

6) Mix in the baking soda first and then the vinegar.

7) Bake for 18-20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick.  If crumbs are sticking to the toothpick, then they are done. They will finishing baking in the cupcake pan from the residual heat for a minute or two.  

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting 

generously frosts 12 cupcakes and then some :)

1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used Rich's non-dairy whip topping)

1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin or jelly powder

1 tbsp hot water

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar (I used powdered sugar)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp sour cream (I used yogurt instead)

Directions

1) Dissolve the gelatin in hot water and set aside.

2) Whip the heavy whipping cream in a chilled bowl with a chilled whisk. Once soft peaks are achieved, add the gelatin mixture. Continue beating until the peaks become stiff. Remove from mixing bowl and set aside.

3) With the uncleaned mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix until combined.  

4) Fold in the whipping cream until incorporated.

*burp*

 Click here for video.

Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

What's you're favorite ice cream flavor? Mine is are : vanilla, green tea, mint chocolate chip, chocolate, strawberry, and other flavors at the same level :D

Well, what I meant by vanilla is real vanilla flavor. Not artificial ones, even though I find some artificial flavorings almost taste the same like the real ones. But, you know, artificial ones are not good for you.

A few days ago, I bought some vanilla beans to make vanilla ice cream. I've made green tea and chocolate ice cream before. Making ice cream is not so hard. What REALLY hard is waiting for it to set if you don't have and ice cream maker. But it's worth the wait.


Made yourself this sweet cold treat! :)

*take a look at this for your guide 

Step 1: You will need

• 1 medium vanilla pod
• 750 ml single cream
• 5 medium egg yolks
• 150 g caster sugar

Step 2: De-seed the vanilla pods

Take two vanilla pods and cut down them with a sharp knife. Scrape out all the seeds with the back of the knife and put to one side.

Step 3: Make a basic custard

Separate 5 eggs, keeping the yolks in a small bowl and discarding the whites. Whisk the yolks together until they are well beaten. Now mix the egg yolks in a saucepan with 750ml of single cream and 150 grams of caster sugar. Heat on a medium heat, stirring frequently until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is almost at the boil.

Remove from the heat and pour into a cold bowl or jug, and leave to cool fully.

Step 4: Transfer mixture to ice cream maker

Once the mixture is cool, remove the vanilla pod skins and transfer everything into your ice cream maker. Check your manufacturers instructions but for this quantity you will need to put the machine on for roughly 30 minutes.

Alternatively, if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can simply pour the mixture into a tub and bung it in the freezer, but you will need to stir it regularly as it sets, which will take up to 5 hours.

Once the time is up and the ice cream has set, simply scoop and serve, and you should have one happy customer!

Domo Bento & Un-sliced Rainbow Cake

My first time using my label sticker! My cousin made it for my birthday :D

I'm so tired right now.. I have just finished my rainbow cake order :D Can't wait for it to be sliced, it's only pretty when it's cut ;;)

Candy Melts

I used strawberry candy melts for the letters. I melted it with a double-boiler, spread it thin, and cut it with a cookie cutter when it's set. *If you're making one, don't freeze it otherwise it will crack when you cut it*

Anyways, I cooked for my sister again today! It supposed to be Domo-kun but you know.. As you can see, it's not so pretty or cute.

Domo losts two of his teeth

That's all for now. Bye bye ~

Bento!

Today (this morning) I made my sister a bento for her lunch at school! I've been craving to made one of these. It's just a good feeling to make something cute yet edible. I am not a pro in making bentos, but I really like what I made today :)

Chicken Teriyaki

My sister likes it too! But she complained to me that her rice was not enough and the chicken teriyaki is too salty - I cooked based on a recipe but didn't measure it (won't do it again).

The two bunnies are the rice I shaped with a cookie cuter. Eyes and mouth are seaweed and last it the cheeks. I applied tomato sauce with a skewer for the cheeks. 

Here's the recipe if you're feeling to make one :)-The recipe calls for salmon fillets but I used chopped chicken. I think other source of meat will work too.


Ingredients :


-4 pieces salmon fillets


Sauce :


-4 tbsp brown sugar 
-4 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
-6 tbsp vegetable oil
-3 tbsp diced garlic
-3 tbsp diced ginger
-4 tsp lemon juice
-1 tsp sesame oil
-1 tsp salt 
-2 tbsp mirin


Method :


-For the sauce : Combine all the ingredients (except the fish) in a bowl, mix well and set aside.
-Coat fish fillets with 1/2 of the teriyaki sauce and let the sauce soak for about 30 minutes. Set aside the sauce you have left for coating while you grill the fish.
-Heat a skillet (medium heat) and place the fish. Coat it again with the sauce and cook both sides until done.
-Place the fish on a serving plate.
-Using a sauce pan, cook the remaining sauce until it's boiled.
-Drizzle sauce on your cooked fish, enjoy! 

M&M's Cookies

Laura Vitale's M&M cookies recipe to die for! I directly made them after watching this video. The cookies' texture is chewy (not crispy) and works great with the M&M's :D

I 'sacrificed' my whole M&M's stock to made these :P 
This recipe is so worth to try. Go ahead and make one! 

Recipe: (Makes 4 Dozen)

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup of Unsalted Room Temperature Butter
¾ cup of Granulated Sugar
¾ of a Cup of Brown Sugar
2 cups of Milk Chocolate M&Ms

Process:

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2) Combine together the first 3 ingredients and set aside.

3) In a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix together until all creamy and combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed well.

4) Add the dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Add the m&ms and mix just to distribute them through the batter.

5) Using a small ice cream scoop, drop the cookie dough 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges.

6) Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then remove onto wire rack and cool completely.

<3

Baking Class

Good morning bloggers! Last week, I joined a baking class. My mom's friend held it. I learned 3 recipes (Carrot Cake, Banana Cake-my favorite, and Apple Wholemeal Cake). Beside from baking, we had meal together. The teacher brought some cake from The Baker's (Ranch Pastry) and my classmate brought a pack of her Pempek (it's some kind of fish ball eaten with sauce - traditional food from Palembang, Indonesia).

Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, (I forgot what's the third) and Pistachio Cake

Pempek

 The teacher made the class seemed easy. In fact, the cake taste good and it's healthy :D I will share the recipe when I make it again.

Banana Cake <3

Carrot Cake baked in muffin tins

My Carrot Cupcakes! -a bit messy :p

My Teacher's

She put parchment paper to create pattern and dusted the cake with icing sugar

I think I'm joining her next baking class :D

Matcha (Green Tea) and Chocolate Swirl Cupcakes

Hey there my-blogger-reader-who-i-do-not-know! Does any of you love matcha? I sure do like love it. I've tried matcha served as latte, milk, ice cream, cookies, cake, pudding, macaron, mochi, and many more. And they always taste GREAT. Thank you matcha discoverer man/woman! 

Anyways, a couple days ago, my buddy Michael ordered some chocolate cupcakes from me. Then I asked him whether he wanted it mixed with green tea or not. And he said okay. So, I made them for him :D
RECIPE below : 

This is actually Bakerella's bundt cake recipe. But I baked them in cupcakes (one batch makes 36 cupcakes or one 12-cup bundt cake) and they still taste great :)

You will need :

Chocolate Mixture
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Matcha mixture
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-3 Tbsp matcha powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
1 3/4 cup milk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

Method :

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease and flour (or cocoa) a 10 or 12 cup Bundt pan. (If using a 10-cup pan, you can reserve any extra batter for cupcakes.)-or line cupcake pans with cupcake liners
• With a wire whisk, mix the dry ingredients for the chocolate mixture in a small bowl and set aside.
  
• In another small bowl, do the same for the matcha mixture.

• Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Divide the creamed mixture evenly in two separate bowls.
• Slowly add the chocolate mixture to one half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Then, add the matcha mixture to the other half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Drop alternating spoonfuls of each mixture into the bundt pan until it’s about 3/4 full.
• For a marbled effect, gently run a knife through the two batters in a swirling motion. (Once or twice will do the trick.)
• Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.-for cupcakes : 20-25 minutes

Fresh from the oven!

I frosted them with whipped white chocolate green tea ganache

 Happy experimenting with matcha! :*:* Good luck in the kitchen!

Nadya's Birthday / Canon Camera Cake

Somebody's celebrating her birthday on May 3rd! ;;) My best friend, Christie Nadya turned 15 that day. I had been planning to bake her a camera sculpted cake since she's pretty much into photography. I didn't turn out as I wanted though :S 

Well, this is.. you know.. what I wished mine would looked like :

And this is how it turned out :

WOW. Such a big contrast. *blush*
I'm quite happy with it because it's my first? or second? time sculpting a cake. In fact, practice makes perfect right? I'll just have to learn and practice more about cake sculpting :D

After everything's ready, me and and 'the birthday squad' headed to her house to surprise her. 

Birthday Girl

Then we had barbeque in her lawn. What a fun night! The food was so good and every time was very enjoyable. 

 

Michael

Yuliana Horis

Jonathan Toar