Thai Style Pumpkin Soup

There is no other time I would eat pumpkin so often except in winter!  I bake it with vegetable in roast, putting it as topping for pizza or as a filling for tart...and my favourite is pumpkin soup!  There are many recipes for different pumpkin soup putting in bacon, curry or turmeric powder, adding sweet potato etc.  And this Thai Style is my new favourite.  I had this recipe last year from a magazine and finally got the chance to make it.  The coconut milk makes such a difference and I love the spice from the curry paste.  The original recipe require blending pesto with coriander roots, lemon zest and juice but I have omitted this process by adding coriander powder instead.  That's the way to do it when you don't want to get out to the garden on a cold night to pick up the coriander root!

Thai Style Pumpkin Soup
(serve 2-4)

1 cereal bowl of cut pumpkin
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp Thai red curry paste (put less if you don't want it too spicy)
1 cup water
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
coriander to garnish

Method:

1. Heat a little oil in the saucepan, saute onion and stir for a minute.  Add ginger, coriander powder and curry paste, stir through.  
2. Add in pumpkin and water, reduce heat and let it simmer till pumpkin is cooked.  Cool slightly.
3. Blend the pumpkin mixture till smooth in a blender.  Return to pan and add coconut milk and lemon juice then warm through.  Seasoned with salt and garnish with coriander leaves.  

Food for the Gods

My son has been learning Ancient Egypt at school.  They have an archaeological dig at the school ground digging up some old cup and saucers, broken metal and materials that are buried by the teachers.  Then they visit the museum looking at the mummy and some Egyptian artefact followed by writing reports on what they find and what the life's liked during the ancient period.  That is a fun way to learn about history rather than reading and try to remember the fact like what I used to.  As they had been learning Ancient Greek and Roman before and I didn't know much about ancient history except the Chinese's.  So I borrow some books from the library on ancient history about the Egyptian, the Greeks, the Romans and the Vikings.  I am just amazed how the ancient time influences what we are today particularly in heath and medicine, and in art and architecture.  As the world is becoming globalized and you just wonder where things actually originally come from.  There is never too old to learn new things. (even history is old thing)

I went to the biggest morning tea, a fundraising for the caner council yesterday and I baked this cake to share with the ladies.  A lady came to me and ask for the recipe straight away.  I couldn't find out the meaning for the name of this cake and I assume that there are many Gods an Goddess in the ancient time and sugar is very precious.  The Egyptian uses grape and date to make wine and I just assume that they also use date and honey to make cake to pray for their Gods.  Or I think the cake just taste liked heaven to me!

I got the recipe from ping's picking and I have slightly changed some of the ingredient.  Please check out Ping's blog as she has many amazing recipes to offer.


Food for the Gods (Date & Walnuts Slice)


Ingredients
1 1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
225g butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup walnut, chopped
1 cup pitted dates, chopped

Method

1. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add in eggs one at a time and mix well.
2. Add sifted flour, baking powder, soda, salt, golden syrup, honey, vanilla, nuts and dates to the mixture and mix well.
3. Pour mixture into a paper lined lamington pan and bake for 20 min at 170c.
4. Cool cake in pan and cut into slices.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Winter finally arrived! My kids love tin soup as it is very convenience to heat up some soup for a quick meal.  It is actually not that hard to make homemade soup such as pumpkin soup and pea and ham soup as you can make a big pot and freeze the leftover for later for those who have a busy life.  Broccoli is my kids favourite vegetable and it has lots of nutrient from the little trees.  This soup is great for all ages from toddlers to growing kids and elder people.  And if you brought too much broccoli and the florets starts to turn yellow, this is best ideas to use up the vegetable into soup!  I also learned from a Low GI cookbook that baby potatoes are low GI and I have been using baby washed baby potatoes for my cooking ever since.

Cream of Broccoli Soup
(serve 2-4)

1 small broccoli
3-4 small washed baby potatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon of grated cheese
1 tablespoon evaporated milk
1/2 cup or more milk
salt and pepper

Method:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces.  Cover with 1 cup water with a little salt and boil until potatoes are cooked.
2. Cut the florets from the broccoli, put the broccoli and onion with the potatoes when the potatoes started to soften and cook till both vegetable are well cooked.  Reserve 1/2 of the water and blend the vegetable into the blender till thick and smooth.
3. Return the vegetable mixture into the pan, add the onion, 1/2 cup milk and the remaining reserved water to thinning the soup.  Add a bit more of milk and water if needed.
4. Let the soup simmer for a few minutes, add the cheese and evaporated milk to enhance the flavour and seasoned with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives if you wish.

Carrot and Orange Cupcakes

This is another good recipe I get from the cookbook, "Easy baking" by the Australian Women's Weekly.  I have never thought of orange and carrot could combine so well.  I added some sultanas to add some nature sweetness for the cake.  I have been making these cupcakes for the school tuckshop and fundraising and received very good feedback from them.  Everyone loves the little sugared carrot on top.  When you cook for other people, there is always a concern of allergies and these cupcakes are good for those people allergy to nuts as it's nut free.

Carrot and Orange Cupcakes
(make 12)

2/3 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup brown sugar (I put in a little less by adding some sultanas)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon orange rind
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
1/4 cup sultanas
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon mixed spice

Orange icing:
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
15g butter, melted
orange juice

For the sugared carrot:
Ready made and ready roll white icing
yellow and pink colouring for the carrot
green colouring for the leaves

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 180c.  Line 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases.
2. Beat oil, sugar, eggs and rind in a bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy, stir in carrot and sultanas.  Then sift in dry ingredients.
3. Divide mixture into paper cases and bake for about 30 minutes.  Cool cake onto wire rack before icing.
4. Sift icing sugar in a bowl, stir in melted butter and add enough orange juice to form a spreadable paste.  Spread cake with icing.
5. For the sugared carrot: add the yellow and pink icing onto a small ball of the ready roll white icing, rub and knead until you get the desired orange colour.  Then roll into carrot shape and using a knife to make some pattern onto the carrot.  Add green colouring to a small ball of icing, then make the leaves shape and use the knife to make pattern for the leaves. Only adding a few drops of colouring at a time to get the right colour.

Source: adopted and modified from the cookbook, "Easy baking" by the Australian Women's Weekly.

Bus Driver's Mother-in-law's Almond Honey Slice

This recipe is given by the bus driver to the mother-in-law of the Australian food critic, Matt Preston during a country bus trip.  It's a recipe belonged to the bus driver's mother-in-law's.  Isn't it funny that recipe can be found from anyone at anywhere!  Matt has been hosting the Australian Master Chef and the 2012 Master Chef will be on TV tonight! Yay!

As most of the mother-in-law's recipes are good and so would be this one, too!  The slice was crumbly with a rich buttery, nutty taste.  It would be nice to share this with your mother or mother-in-law this Mother's Day for a special treat.

Have a Happy Mother's Day!

Almond Honey Slice

For the Base:
90g melted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup ground almonds

For the Topping:
125g butter, chopped
1/2 cup honey
200g slivered almonds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170c.
2. Combine base ingredients and mix well.  Press into a 18cm x 32cm paper-lined lamington pan.
3. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly brown.  Meanwhile, prepare the topping.
4. Combine butter and honey in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until butter is melted.  Simmer uncovered for about 3 minutes or until mixture is a light caramel colour.  Stir in nuts.
5. Spread base with hot topping and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool in tray before cut into shapes.   

 Source: adopted from the cookbook, "Baking,"edited by Kylie Walker.

Kimchi Soup

I got all the ingredients to make Kimchi after visiting the Chinatown over the Easter holiday.  When I went to uni, I used to live with some Japanese and Korean students.  There was no blogging on those days so the best way to know the other culture was to live with the foreign people.  Once a month, we would gather together to make Kimchi and then we would share the food to take home.  One day we would be having Japanese, then Korean and Chinese on the other day.  Although the food we were having was very simple and inexpensive dishes, we enjoy them a lot.

The weather is getting cool and I feel like having some spicy soup so I end up using the Kimchi to make soup.  It has brought back a few of the old memories....

Kimchi Soup
(serve 2-4)

3 cups water
Kimchi (store brought or homemade)
tofu, diced
1 sachet of stock paste

Method:
Add water to the pan and let it boils, cut up the Kimchi a little and put into the water.  Turn down the heat and add in the tofu and stock paste.  Let it simmer for a few minute and to develop the taste.  Season with salt and serve hot.

Two kinds of Chocolate Muffins

Triple Choc Muffins

Choc-chip Jaffa Muffin

I would rate muffin "top in my baking" as it is quick to make and it generally use less oil or butter.  It also has less sugar if you omit the icing.  When I don't want to make anything too fancy, I would make muffins to feed my hungry kids.  These two kinds of chocolate muffins are so easy and simple to make.   I have been falling in love using buttermilk in my baking lately as it gives the cake such a soft and moist texture.  Am I biting into the cloud? Oh, it must be the chocolate cloud, LOL!
    
1. Triple Choc Muffins
(make 12)

1 3/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dark Choc Bits
1/2 cup white Choc Bits
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk OR 1 cup milk mixed with 1 tablespoon vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200c.  Line 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.
2. Sift flour and cocoa into the mixing bowl, stir in the sugar and Choc Bits.  Then stir in beaten eggs, buttermilk and oil.  Do not over mix, mixture should be lumpy.
3. Divide the misture into paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes or when the skewer comes out clean when insert into the cake.
4. Stand cake in pan 5 mintes before turning, cool the cake onto the wire rack.

2. Choc-Chip Jaffa Muffin

(make 12 large or 16 small muffins)

2 1/2 cup self-raising flour

100g cold butter, chopped finely

155g caster sugar (1 little more than 2/3 cup)

1 1/4 cup buttermilk OR 1 1/4 cup milk mixed with 1 1/4 tablespoon vinegar

3/4 cup dark Choc Bits

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200c. 
2. Rub butter with flour in a mixing bowl until resemble crumbs.  Stir in sugar, buttermilk and egg.  Don't overmix as mixture should be lumpy.  Stir in Choc Bits and rind.
3. Divide the mixture into muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean when insert into the cake.
4. Cool cake at the wire rack.

Source: Adopted and modified from the cookbook "Easy baking", published by The Australian Women's Weekly.