White chocolate and orange mini cakes

These small delectable mini cakes are  highly addictive!  My colleague brought a box of these babies at work and it was devoured by the team in no time. Beautiful things ought to be shared after all and that's exactly what she did. Sharing recipes became a nice habit at work and I intend to pass it forward.

Ingredients:

300 g white baking chocolate, chopped
100 g butter
100 g white sugar
120 g al purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp- salt
5 eggs
Orange aroma or rind of one orange

Baking Instructions:

 1. Melt butter and white chocolate together. I pop a bowl of chopped white chocolate in the microwave for less than a minute at 400 watts. Stir in butter and heat it up again for another half a minute until smooth.  You can heat it using a water bath instead.

 2. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale.

 3. Beat in orange aroma or  rind, if using.

 4. Pour butter and chocolate mixer into the bowl. Stir until well incorporated.

 5. Mix together flour , salt and baking powder. Sieve and add into the bowl. Carefully fold everything until smooth and lumps dissolve.

 6.  Grease or butter baking pan. I used silicon moulder . A muffin pan is an alternative. Leave ample space between the mini pan as cake rises and grows as it cooks. Bake in a preheated oven ( 160°C) for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Perfect with morning coffee or during afternoon tea..

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Shrimp and corn jostle for the upper hand in this flavourful   and satisfying soup. Filling , yet not too rich, this will make a delicious start of a dinner celebration, or a simply enjoy it with crusty warm  bread as a light lunch. Day or night, it  will never fail to please  your palate.

Ingredients:

500 g king prawns, peeled and deveined

4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

2 carrots, peeled and chopped roughly

1 celery stick, chopped

1 small stalk of leek, chopped

1 big onion, diced

3 tbsp. butter

1 big can of corn kernel, liquid discarded

1L shrimp/crustacean stock

300 ml water

a handful of chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Cooking Instruction :

1. Heat butter in a large pan. Add diced onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes or until aromatic and softened. 

2. Add carrots, celery, leek and potatoes. Add water and half o the stock, bring to a boil and lower the   heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3. Using a hand held mixer or blender, process until your desired consistency is achieved, I like my chowder a bit ''chunky'' so few pulses will do. You could process it until smooth.

4. Put the thickened chowder back into the pan. Add the rest of the stock, adding more liquid if necessary . Stir in corn kernel and shrimp. Cook for about 7 minutes.

5. Stir in cream, bring to a boil , season with salt and pepper.

6. Saddle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with chopped parsley .

Pininyahang Adobo

Adobo is said to be the Filipino's national dish. It comes in many different variations and using different ingredients  . Once can practically abobo, well,  anything! Once could almost assume that each region in the Philippines proudly mastered their version. There's no sense  digging which one is authentic and which is the best.

 So where do Adobo came from? Two passionate chefs, one from Spain and the other in China, beat each other to a pulp over the discussion about Adobo's origin few years ago. Silly thing to do , when food is concern. Food should be enjoyed , savoured and should not be disputed about, if you asked me.

 Who cares who invented and which country this dish came from.  The important thing is,  this recipe ours to taking and tweaking. This is my third adobo post on this blog, the first was Spareribs abobo, and the second was the  crispy deep fried version and I know , it won't be the last.

Ingredients:

1 kg meat, preferably pork or chicken, cut into serving pieces

Marinade: 1/2 cup light soy sauce,1/4 cup dark soy sauce

1 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup palm  sugar ,1 cup of water

1 whole head of garlic, peeled and smashed4-5 bay leaves

3 star anise o about a tbsp. of powdered start anise

1 big can of pineapple slices
lots of black peppeers

salt

 1. Marinate and refrigerate meat for about 30 minutes. Take out and put meat in the wok along with the  marinade. Stir in pineapple juice from the can. Add pepper.

2. Arrange pineapple slices/chunks on top. Crack up the heat and bring everything to a boil. Do not stir! Once boiling, turn heat to medium low and simmer the meat until tender. If cooking chicken,  takes about 20 minutes, pork a bit longer. Season with salt as needed. Do not overcook to prevent meat from drying.

Pininyahang Adobo

Serve with lots and lot of rice!

Bewitching Bali Day 9

Our days in Bali is drawing to a close. Two more nights and  we will be travelling back to Germany. Also,  with a heavy heart, we bid adieu to Komaneka and the wonderful people we met here as we move to our next accommodation. A heavy breakfast was needed to  fill our heavy hearts. Our luggages were hustled off to Komaneka's shuttle van soon after that ,  were sent to our next hotel in Ubud and  free of charge! Yup, Komaneka takes an extra mile to please her family. With parting gifts, tightly held within our hands, we rode another van to avail   a complimentary entrance to Neka Museum, courtesy of Komaneka.

 Paintings, carvings and many other impressive arts are on display.

The ground itself is immaculately well maintained and is also artfully decorated.


Just  across the Museum is famous Naughty Nuri Warung and Grill. Another dining  recommendation of Yasa  and praised  by celebrity TV  host cum chef, Anthony Bourdain.

The place has an unpretentious  and casual atmosphere ,  is devoid of any posh decorations  and doesn't have any impressive landscape . The whole interior is full of character with  a hint of wear and tear all over. The benches have a faded, weather beaten look in it. A proof that many have sat and warmed their bottoms on these wooden chairs. A good sign. 

Instead of an impressive facade, an open air grilling station   greets guest and entice the by-passers. The wonderful smell coming from in couldn't  be more inviting.

We came here for this. The ribs.

The foods is a reflection of the entire warung. It was laid almost bare expect for a small slice of lime . No  beautiful plating, no creative garnishing, just a big slab of meat but a beauty on its own. This barbecued ribs made Naughty Nuri famous. One lick is all it took and I totally understand why. I forgot that I just ate breakfast! Even FF, who shy away from anything excessive gnawed the bone like a starving hund.

Naughty Nuri Warung and Grill

Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud, Bali 80571, Indonesia

+62 361 977547

If we were not enamoured with Komaneka, I would have easily fell in love with  Ibah Warwick Resort Hotel . Months before coming to Bali, it was a serious discussion about which between the two hotels  would suit us best. To make sure we won't miss anything, we decided to stay on both.

Our luggages were waiting at the lobby as we stepped into the resort. A glass of cold water and wet towel was handed to us. We were ushered to the restaurant to enjoy another welcome drink as they drew some boring paper works.

We were led into our Treetop suite room soon After that.  I realised, Ibah is as beautiful as I saw on the pictures.

There's a communal , open office  between two rooms. It comes with a desk , a round table and chairs . It is useful especially if guest is a smoker so he/she won't be smoking inside a room.

Room is comparably smaller than Komaneka but is never the less beautifully  appointed.  The bedroom cozy with high, comfortable four poster  bed.

Modern marbled bathroom with tub.

FF's favourite spot. The terrace with a big and comfortable bench for napping. The trees behind  block the harsh rays of the sun. It took him minutes to succumbed to slumber.

Ibah Warwick UBud  has a rather swanky looking pool.

It has an old Bali look to it.

The abundant greenery and the sound of unseen creatures behind it fill the air .

The lobby is open air with ponds and interesting sculptures that are not overwhelming in size or number.   The interior is artistic and pleasant to the eyes. 

Ubud centre is bursting with activities. Tourist glistering with sunscreens and hoisting heavy cameras are seen around and about as they check one interesting site to another. I took a deep breath and plunge into the chaos.

 Ubud centre

We tried to get to Ibu Oka and have some Babi Guli. That's Balinee roasted pig , by the way.  It seems that the rest of Ubud has the same idea. They run out of Babi Guli when we arrived.  So settled for some Indian foods, instead.

 Second lunch. Buttered chicken, garlic Naan bread, Papadoms and condiments. Did not expect it, but i was pretty good!

There's enough things to see and in Ubud to kill the time.

An old bridge in Ubud

Don Antonio Blanco Museum

It boasts well manicured lawn, a small aviary with exotic birds , collection of paintings and a restaurant that offers some entertainments during dinner.

 We came back later that night for dinner and a show. Ibah Warwick has shuttle van that brings their hotel guest anywhere in Ubud centre! Pretty neat!

With only 3 tables occupied, the  restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived. Not a good sign considering the vast number of tourist on the street.  And it remained half empty until we left. I almost feel sorry for the performers, they give their best.

Foods was ok but did not really blow me away.

The performers obviously made an effort to  please the small crowd. My appreciative clapping was the loudest that night.

Chicken Geschnetzeltes

The gentle bubble from the pan leaves a trail of aromatic vapor , imparting my small kitchen some enticing whiffs. Among the bulbs of sliced mushrooms, the succulent strips of meat have been simmering in  cream, broth and white wine as I slowly sway it off to a gentle waltz.

After more than 3 weeks of indulging myself in all things delicious and good in Asia, my mouth still waters at the promise this familiar deliciousness , I've eaten so many times.
From steaks to foie gras, dim sums to grilled tuna, I've consumed too much restaurant foods that I'm glad I home, here in Germany and cooking  something generic as Geschnetzeltes . A simple  dish, devoid of any flair and  extravagance but good nevertheless  . Common and forever present in many German  households. Nothing could be as welcoming as this . Holiday feels like an exciting dream, but being home a sweet reality.

Ingredients:

500 g chicken breast, skinned and cut into strips 

( veal, pork or turkey can be used as well)

1 medium sized onion, finely diced

250 g Champignon mushroom, sliced

2 + 1  tbsp. butter

300 ml  chicken broth

250 ml ,  white wine

200 ml cream

salt and pepper to taste

handful of  chopped parsley

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat 2 tbsp. of butter in a pan. Brown chicken strips on both sides and take out.

 2. Add another tablespoon of butter into the pan, sauté mushroom for about 2 minutes. Add in the white wine. Crack up the heat to high to reduce the sauce for about 1 minutes.

 3. Stir in the cream..

4. And the broth . Reduce heat and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes.

5. Put chicken strips, juice and all , back into the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley and serve with  Spätzle or tagliatelle.
 Einen guten Appetit!