Homemade Pandan Waffle

In Singapore it is quiet easy to find freshly made waffles that are available in different fillings from most of the neighbourhood bakery shops. I remember a few years back a piece of "plain" waffle cost around 70 cents compared to now which is about S$1.00 - S$1.20 depending on the shop. And my favourite place to grab a piece of crisp and hot waffle is always at PrimaDéli where they used to make delicious waffles many years back during my school days.

Recently I have seen quiet a number of people in my facebook timeline sharing photos of either the  Taiyaki(Japanese fish pancake) or Waffles that they have made for breakfast or tea snack. So without hesitate, I also Google to read more on the related recipe and I have found one which I think is pretty easy to follow using electric Waffle Maker.

HOMEMADE WAFFLES

(Pandan Flavour)

This recipe requires separate whisking of egg yolk and white before folding the mixture together to form a waffle batter. Base on the positive comments and feedback shown on Annie's site,  I decide to give this recipe a try since it is quiet similar to the recipe I have which included together with my Waffle Maker.

Recipe adapted and modify from House of Annie, Pandan Waffles.

(Makes: 4 pieces | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
125g All-purpose Plain Flour
50g Caster Sugar
1.5 Teaspoon Cornflour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Egg, yolk and white separate
100ml Coconut Milk
80ml Drinking Water
1/2 - 3/4 Teaspoon Pandan Paste
30ml Salad/Vegetable Oil

Method:-

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk in coconut milk, pandan water(pandan paste mix with 80ml drinking water), oil and egg yolk till well-combined.

2. Using another bowl, sieve in all dry ingredients such as flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cornflour.

3. Next using a whisk, stir in wet ingredients into the flour mixtures till the batter is slightly lumpy and thick.(do not over mix at this stage)

4. Whisk Egg White with pinch of cream of tartar on medium speed using electric whisk till stiff peaks.(done is about 3 - 5 minutes. To test overturn the bowl and the white should remains without falling)

5. Gently fold white into the flour better till incorporate.

6. Preheat waffle iron and ladle 1 to 1.5 scoop(depending on the size of the scoop) of batter onto hot waffle iron. Cook according to the machine instruction manual until golden brown.

7. Serve hot with honey, jam, kaya, chocolate and etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTE:-

~ You can replace Pandan Paste and 80ml drinking water with 50ml Fresh Pandan Juice and 30ml drinking water.

~ Coconut milk can be replace by fresh milk if you prefer a healthier version.

I love to have my waffle with lots of unsalted butter and honey whereas my boy prefer to have extra spread of his favourite Nutella. No matter which is your choice of spread I am sure nothing beats a pieces of freshly homemade waffle to perk up your day together with a cup of coffee or tea.

Rosemary Honey Chicken Drumlets

There are many ways you can enjoy honey either on it's own, mix it with water or juice, drizzle on fruits and pancakes or use it for baking cake or savoury food. No matter which method you prefer, a daily dose of honey in whichever way is good to boost the body's supply of antioxidants which is therefore essential for protecting against free radicals.

In my last related honey post, I have shared a "Honey Lemonade" recipe which is good for flushing out your body system and gives it a boost to increase your daily energy. And in this post, I will be sharing another finger licking recipe using honey to enhance it taste and colours.

ROSEMARY HONEY CHICKEN DRUMLETS

If drumlets is not your preference you can always replace it with mid-joints or even chicken maryland for a hearty serving portion together with some mashed potato or garden salad to complete the meal.

(Serves: 2-3 |      Preparation: 5 minutes |         Cooking: 30 - 40 minutes)

Ingredients:
10 - 12 Chicken Drumlets
1 Tablespoon Honey Sheep Lemon West Coast Honey
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine
1/2 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Sprigs Rosemary, remove leaves and roughly chopped

Method:-

1. Trim the bone end of each chicken drumlets, remove skin around the bone and push the down the flesh to the head of the drumlet to form a cluster.

2. Marinate the drumlets with honey, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, pepper and rosemary leaves. Set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

3. Line baking tray with baking paper or aluminum foil, arrange marinated chicken drumlets(remove from the fridge 10 - 15 minuets before cooking)on it and bake in oven toaster for about 30 minutes(flipping the drumlets two to three time during cooking to even the brown colours)

ALTERNATIVELY:-

~ Bake in a preheated 200° Celsius(400 degrees Fahrenheit) oven for about 30 - 40 minutes or till cooked through.

4. Next brush chicken drumlets with some extra honey lemon during the last 5 minutes of cooking time to enhance the colour and flavour of the drumlets.

5. When done, remove from oven and serve immediately.

Personally I love this hassle free recipe which consists of light fruity flavors of lemon with fresh herbs and honey which makes it an refreshing starter for parties or even main dish. And in conjunction with the Food Revolution Day mentioned below, I would like to encourage more readers or food lovers to choose and eat your food wisely. Nothing beats homecook food which use fresh ingredients, I am sure with some simple recipe(s) such as this Rosemary Honey Chicken Drumblets above, you are able to feed your loved ones with fresh and healthier meals anytime of the day.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE

Recently there is a wave about this "Food Revolution Day" which is going to take place on 19th May 2012 in different parts of the world. Initially this project is bought up by Jaime Olive to bring awareness across food consumers on proper diet habits using fresh ingredients rather than processed food which are high in sugar, unnatural preservatives and unknown chemicals. And here in Singapore we also have a group of food lovers who gets together to support this event, and this would be held on 19th May 2012 at The Lawn.

So all food lovers in Singapore, come and join with us on Food Revolution Day where all food lovers gather for a dinner party, share and learn about their knowledge about food! To find out more, you can hope over to Facebook or Twitter now to get the latest updates! Cya there!

Honey Lemonade From Happy Sheep Honey

Most of us understand that Honey contains antioxidants(essential for protecting against free radicals) which can be helpful to boosting immunity and as well it has been used since ancient times to treat certain allergies. For your information, honey contains traces of Vitamins B and C as well as minerals such as Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium and etc. It is also a source of natural unrefined sugars and carbohydrates, which are easily absorbed by the body and therefore provide an instant energy boost with long-lasting effects.

Recently I received these two products from Happy Sheep Honey to try out and my family and I really love it's taste and flavour compared to the usual one that we always purchased. According to their website, Happy Sheep Honey is from the remote native forests of the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand. And their unpasteurised honey this minimally processed to preserve the inherent natural flavours and live enzymes makes it popular to be consume within health food circles.

Happy Sheep Honey includes a selection of four unpasteurised honeys such as:- West Coast Honey, Active Manuka 12+ Honey, Lemon And West Coast Honey and Strawberry West Coast Honey. You can easily purchase these honey at local supermarkets such as NTUC Fairprice or Cold Storage; prices range between S$10.35 - S$39.90 depending on the product.

HONEY LEMONADE

As recommended, a daily dose of honey whether to be served as sweetener in hot/cold beverages, or spread on toast or cake will help to boost the body's supply of antioxidants. So let's start the day by having a cup of this Honey Lemonade before breakfast to flush out our system and give it a boost with this cleansing brew. And instead of quenching thirst with a soda on a hot day, perhaps you can turn this into an Icy Lemonade for a healthier beverage and support "Food Revolution Day in Singapore" which begins in 19 May 2012.(read more HERE)

(Serves: 2            |        Preparation: 5 minutes )

Ingredients:
500ml Lukewarm Drinking Water
2 - 3 Tablespoons Lemon West Coast Honey
A Few Slices of Lemon, optional

Method:-

1. Stir in Lemon West Coat Honey into water and mix well.

2. Pour honey mixture into prepared cup/mug together with a slice of two of fresh lemon to enhance the taste and flavour.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TIPS:

~ For icy cool lemonade, you use ice water instead of normal drinking water or add some ice cubes into the final mixture before serving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PREVIEW!!!

ROSEMARY HONEY CHICKEN DRUMLET

(using Lemon And West Coast Honey from Happy Sheep Honey)

Other than using honey in making beverage, I would be sharing another recipe using honey to make the above Rosemary Honey Chicken Drummlet(baked version) in the upcoming post. So do stay tune if you like the combination of honey and rosemary herbs!

Beehive Buns for the Feast of St. Ambrose

On December 7th we celebrate the feast of St. Ambrose of Milan.

"St. Ambrose is also known as the "Honey-Tongued Doctor," a pun on the saint's name (the word for honey in Latin is ambrosia); his preaching was said to be mellifluous, as sweet as flowing honey. Also according to legend, when Ambrose was a baby, a swarm of bees settled on his mouth, an omen that he would be a great orator. St. Ambrose is the patron of bee keepers, bees, candlemakers, domestic animals, learning, Milan Italy, and students. He is often depicted with a beehive or bees in his iconography, symbols which also indicate wisdom." ~ Catholic Culture

Here is a great recipe for Beehive Buns, which I made this past June for our last Good Shepherd's Garden Party.  The recipe is originally from an Easy to Bake, Easy to Make recipe card.

Beehive Buns

1 envelope (.25 oz) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105F - 115F)
2/3 cup warm milk (105F - 115F)
1/2 cup honey, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) plus 2 Tbsp butter, softened, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 -3 3/4 cups flour (I ended up using just over 3 cups)

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in milk, 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup butter. Stir in salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl turning to grease the top also. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Lightly grease or spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Punch dough down; divide in half. Roll each half of dough into a 12 X 6 inch rectangle.

Cut one inch strips from the long edge of each rectangle. Curl into a behive shape with a wider base and narrower top on the baking sheet.

Cover; let rise until doubled in size again, about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake buns until golden, 15-20 minutes.

Combine remaining honey and butter in a small saucepan.  Heat until butter melts.   Brush warm glaze over buns.

Yield: 1 dozen.

Additional recipes for the feast of St. Ambrose can be found in the archives. 

Honey-Curry Chicken

Tomorrow, December 7th, is the Feast of St. Ambrose. Since St. Ambrose is also known as the "Honey-Tongued Doctor," I am planning on serving one of our favorite chicken dishes for dinner, which is made with honey. Here is the recipe:

HONEY-CURRY CHICKEN

In a 9x13 pan, mix the following:

4 TBSP butter (optional)
1/2 Cup honey
1/2 tsp curry
1/4 cup mustard
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
Soy sauce to taste (about 1-2 TBSP)


Now throw some chicken breasts (I use six), or chicken tenders (boneless is best), into the pan and mix it all around and bake it at 350 degrees for about an hour. I cover it for the first 45 minutes and then usually uncover it for the last 15 minutes. Best served over rice, as the sauce is VERY tasty and is great over rice with some veggies!! Yum!

Grasshoppers and Honey

From the Gospel for 2nd Sunday of Advent

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.”
John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins....
John was clothed in camel’s hair,
with a leather belt around his waist.
He fed on locusts and wild honey.

This Advent our family is focusing on the four primary figures of the Advent Liturgy, Isaiah, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. I shared our Advent Wreath and Poster idea on O Night Divine.

This week starts our focus on St. John the Baptist, who ate locusts and honey. Today would traditionally be St. Ambrose feast day, and his symbol of honey ("Honey-Tongued Doctor,") is also a perfect match for the honey that St. John the Baptist. All the wonderful food posts for St. Ambrose can do double duty.

I also plan on making a Grasshopper Pie this week to celebrate St. John. The simplest recipe would be using mint chocolate ice cream in a chocolate cookie pie shell -- easy and delicious. Although Cooks.com has several versions, this recipe seemed to have the most detail. I'm actually going to make this for my son who has food allergies to milk, eggs, and wheat. I have some allergy free chocolate cookies, Cool Whip (contains a small amount of casein which he can tolerate), and soy milk to replace some of the ingredients and we're good to go. We'll see if it works out.

Now, if you want to be a little more authentic, you can actually order food grade crickets in savory or sweeter flavors.

Prepare the Way of the Lord, Make Straight His Paths!