Garlic and Mixed Herbs Focaccia Bread

Sorry for the late post this week. A good friend has just given birth to a beautiful baby boy on Monday and another friend was warded for dengue fever so I actually been to 2 different hospitals this week! Glad both friends are now discharged and resting at home.

I was also busy this week with a big order of cupcakes for a corporate event. Appreciate their support. Here's a picture of the cupcakes I did for them.

Last Sunday evening, I had a sudden craving for homemade Focaccia bread and actually started making the dough at 1120pm. It's crazy! I decided to mix the dough and leave it overnight to proof so that I can have fresh bread the next day. Although I have tried making this recipe several times, this is the first time that I am actually letting it proof overnight. It was a good experiment so I thought I would share it with you this week.

Garlic and Mixed Herbs Foccacia Bread (makes 38cm*25cm*2.5cm bread)
1 2/3 cup warm water (not too warm or it will destroy the yeast)
7g instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
5 cups of plain flour and extra for kneading
1/4 cup olive oil and extra for oiling the baking sheet and top of the dough
3 1/2tsp seasalt
2 tbsp mixed herbs (use fresh herbs if available, other dried ones are fine)
1 tsp minced garlic (more if you like)
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1) Heat up the olive oil and fry the minced garlic till fragrant. Let it cool.
2) Mix the warm water, yeast and sugar together in a big mixing bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes. The mixture will turn formy.
3) Add flour, minced garlic and olive oil, seasalt to the mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon till the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
4) Put some flour on a cutting board. Put the dough on top of the flour and knead for a few mintues.
5) Oil the baking sheet and press the dough evenly on the pzn
6) Cover with oiled cling wrap and let it rise overnight.
7) Pre-heat the oven to 220 deg C
8) Stir the mixed herbs and 3 tbsp of olive oil in a small bowl
9) Make shallow indents all over the dough with your finger
10) Brush the dough with the olive oil and mixed herb mixture
11) Sprinkle the seasalt and parmesan cheese evenly over the dough
12) Bake for 20-25 minutes till golden brown.

You can serve the bread warm with a stew or soup. My friend's 4 year daughter loved the bread and finished several slices for dinner together with a chicken and potatoes stew the same evening.

Taiyaki - Japanese Fish Shape Pancake

In my last post, I mentioned that I bought a number of baking/cooking stuff from Tokyo. I couldn't wait to try them out and was surfing around for recipes to try. As last weekend was a long weekend in Singapore with the Hari Raya Haji festival, I got a chance to try out the Taiyaki pan when my friend, B dropped by on Sunday. I got the recipe from here and decided to make both red bean and cream cheese versions.

B is new at baking and cooking. Last Sunday I decided to let her try making a few recipes on her own, I only gave her some guidance by the side. We made Taiyaki, Sushi and Carrot Cake. B felt very accomplished by end of Sunday afternoon as the 3 items come out successful. Here are the pictures from our fruitful Sunday:

Taiyaki (8-10 pieces)

150g Cake flour
2/3 tbsp baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
180ml milk
40g sugar
1 can Japanese red bean (available from NTUC Finest) or Cowhead cream cheese
1 tbsp cooking oil (to grease the Taiyaki pan)

1) Sieve the cake flour and baking powder together
2) Add in the sugar and mix well
3) Add in beaten egg and milk and mix well
4) Transfer the batter into a measuring cup or jug
5) Heat the Taiyaki pan over the stove on low fire

5) Brush cooking oil over both sides of the pan
6) Fill half the mould with batter
7) Add in 1 tsp of red bean or 1/2 cream cheese wedge

8) Cover the filling and the mould with batter
9) Close the pan and cook on low heat. Flip the pan over after 2-3 minutes until both sides are golden brown.
10) Remove from Taiyaki pan with a wooden skewer

B and I like the Taiyaki very much and ate 2 each!  I brought them to my parents' place and they were well received by my father and bro-in-law. Another friend's daughter finished 3 of the Taiyaki in a day!

How do you like my pretty plates from Tokyo? When I posted photos of the Taiyaki on FB, a friend messaged me to ask how many of the plates I lugged back from Japan? I got them from a shop in Tsukiji Fish Market. Wanted to buy more but I managed to control myself :P

Roast Chicken with Tom Yum herbs

Hello! It's good to be back after 2 weeks away! I was in Tokyo for a holiday in mid September and was so busy with baking before and after my trip that I didn't get a chance to write a post.

This was my first trip to the Land of the Rising Sun and like friends predicted, I love the place! The shopping, food and culture was amazing. I had the freshest sushi for breakfast at Tsukiji Fish market, spent around 2 hours in Kappabashi looking for baking tins that are not available in Singapore, saw the beauty of Mt Fuji......... I could go on and on.... Here are some of the pictures from my trip. I would love to return to Japan in the near future.

 Today I thought I would share with you on my favourite dish to make when I am entertaining guests.  Usually when I am entertaining guests at home, I love to make roast chicken as I can make it in advance and there's not much to clean up and I can be all dressed up in time to meet my guests when they arrive. I just have to prepare a salad, bread and a dessert for the sides and I am all ready!

Roast Chicken with Tom Yum herbs

1 chicken (half kg)
2-3 stalks lemongrass
a handful of kaffer lime leaves
1 inch thick galangal
salt and pepper
3 tbsp soften butter
2-3 russet potatoes
2 carrots
1 white onions

1) Wash and cut the lemongrass and galangal into smaller pieces. Put them and lime leaves and the soften butter into a food processor or mini chopper. Mix and chop them up into a paste.

2) Rub some salt and pepper all over the chicken. Rub the paste all over the chicken, under the skin and stuff some paste into the cavity of the chicken and put the remainder on top of the chicken. Leave the chicken in the fridge for at least half hour to marinate. You can make this the night before if you like.

3) Cut the potatoes, carrots and white onions into chunks. Lay them on a baking tray. Take the chicken out of the fridge and put it on top of the vegetables. Cover with foil and pre-heat the oven at 200 deg C.

4) Roast the chicken for about 40 minutes, turn the chicken over after 20 mins. Remove the foil and baked at 220 deg C for another 20 - 30 mins so that the chicken can brown nicely. Use a skewer/chopstick to prick the chicken, if there are no pink juices , the chicken is cooked.

5) Serve with a salad and some bread for a full meal.