Chocolate Ganache Biscuit Pudding !!

This is one of my childhood and all time favorites.  I’m a chocolate freak.  Anything with chocolate, I won’t think twice to grab.

Chocolate biscuit pudding, it’s nothing to bake; just chill before serve. I still remember I made this for the first time with the help of my mom.  I was only about 10 0r 11 years. It was for one of the church feasts.

I have seen many biscuit pudding recipes. But, this recipe is coming  from generation to generation, first from my grandmother to my mum then to me. 

Ingredients:

• 04 packs of Marie biscuits (400g)

 For cream in between each layer:

• 250g sugar
• 250g butter
• 04 eggs (Only Yorks)
• 1 ½ cup milk
• Vanilla
• Cocoa powder

For Chocolate Ganache:

• 500g semi melted cooking chocolate
• 500ml of heavy cream

100g cashews or almonds (Chopped and pan fry)

How to make:

• 1st make the cream and keep it aside to cool down.
• In a large bowl, beat sugar & butter. Once it creamy adds, egg yolks and beat them evenly.
• Finally add milk, cocoa powder, vanilla. (Make sure to boil the milk before adding)
• Beat the mixture even faster, until it gets a nice and creamy batter.

• Secondly, will layer the biscuits with cream.
• Additionally, keep 2 cups of milk to dip all the biscuits. (Do not dip all biscuits at once. Dip few at a time.)
• In a large bowl, apply some butter to seal the pudding to the bowl.
• In another bowl, add milk and 2 tbs of sugar and stir it properly. If necessary can be added a bit of rum.
•  Dip biscuits in milk mixture and layer it properly on the other bowl. (Just 1 or 2 layers)
• Then add a cream layer, then another biscuit layer. Keep repeating it.
• Once the layering is done, add the Chocolate ganache and finish the dish.
• Leave it aside to cool down. Then transfer into the refrigerator, and serve it cool.

• When it serves, garnish the pudding with some roasted crush nuts.

Making of Chocolate Ganache:

• Break the cooking chocolate into pieces, then double boil it.
• Add heavy cream into the same chocolate mixture and mix it properly.

• Finally, pour the chocolate ganache on top of the pudding, just to give the finish.

If you don’t have heavy cream and cooking chocolate for the ganache, here is a small tip for making ganache.

Recipe is below, 

Rich Roasted Chicken Thighs Platter..

It’s Friday. The weekend just started. We all waiting for the weekends, to spend more time with family & friends. The recipe I’m going to show you today, is a family meal. It could be for a feast, Christmas eve, New years eve or may be for any other special occasion. It has rich flavors any occasion would end as a feast. 

My mother used to make this roasted chicken for our family table in special occasions. And this is not a traditional roasted chicken. I would rather say, Rich Roasted Chicken Thighs Platter.

Ingredients:

• Fresh chicken legs (drumstick & thigh)
• Minced onion, garlic & ginger (02 tbs each)
• 02 tbs Vinegar or Cider
• 02 tbs Soya sauce
• 02 tbs vegetable oil
• Salt, pepper, chili powder (chili flakes if necessary)
• Little bit of sugar
• Small potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Some lime wedges

Preheat the oven  275’ for 10 minutes.

How to make:

• In a large bowl, mix all the spices, soya sauce, vinegar, vegetable oil and all other minced pastes.
• In fresh chicken legs make some cut marks into sideways. (For well seasoning)
• Place them in the seasoning sauce and leave it for half an hour. 
• Boil the potatoes and make some cut marks on tomatoes and leave a side. (If necessary can add more vegetables like carrots, beans, mushrooms, asparagus & etc..)
• Take a large baking tray and apply some butter or margarine.
• Place marinated chicken legs and boiled potatoes and slightly cut tomatoes. (Make sure to place each lime wedge under chicken leg, to absorb the sour taste into the meat) 
• Brush the remaining marinated sauce on the chicken legs. (Can be done time to time, while it's baking)
• Place the tray in the oven until it well bake. (Vegetables do not want to keep until the chicken legs cook, can be taken out before)
• When it’s done, serve the chicken leg with vegetables.

Enjoy the meal !!!

Singapore Chicken Rice with Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry ..

Sunday’s are always special when it comes to food. Rice is always an attention on the family table. Since I’m from a country (Sri Lanka) which we eat rice everyday for our lunch. But, I was not so fond of having rice all the time. My mother had a big problem making food day to day especially for me. But, Sunday’s she always comes up with different types of rice menu which  I love to eat any time. Mixed rice, fried rice, devilled rice, yellow rice and many more…. 

But, this rice is a bit different from Sri Lanka rice. Which I inspired while I was studying in Singapore, me and my friends used to go to food courts for lunch and dinner. One thing we didn’t have time to cook for ourselves and another thing, It’s Singapore. We are foodie freaks.  You find many food joints & verities. 

When you say Singapore, you won’t forget “Chicken Rice”. It’s an identical dish for Singaporeans. It’s different from our Sri Lankan rice.  Here I’ll show my own version of Singaporean chicken rice served with chicken and vegetable stir fry. So this I could recommend as a family meal on a Sunday lunch table. 

Ingredients for Chicken Rice:

• 01 cups of long grain rice
• 1 ½  cup of chicken stock (I’m using basmati rice, this chicken stock differs from the rice you are using. (Chicken stock = Amount of water to cook rice)
• Nicely chopped garlic cloves (4-5 cloves)
• Chopped garlic (About 1tsp)
• Chopped onions (1/2 an onion)
• Chopped cilantro
• Sesame oil
• 1 tsp of margarine
• Salt

How to make Chicken Rice:

• Heat some oil and 1 tsp of sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Fry the onions, ginger, and garlic in the oil until fragrant.
• Add rice, and cook, stirring until toasted.
• Pour in chicken stock and season with salt.
• Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice is tender and 'steam holes' appear on the surface of the rice, about 20 – 25 minutes.
• Once it's done, add margarine and mix it well.
• Then add cilantro and do not mix it.
• Cover the rice and let it absorb all the flavors.  Keep it for 15 minutes with the same heat.

Ingredients for Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry:

• 2 tbs soya sauce
• 2 tbs rice vinegar
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch strips or small chunks
• 3 tbs minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 01 big size carrot (Cut into rounds and half boiled)
• 10 beans (cut slightly and half boiled)
• Hand full of spinach
• Few mushrooms (Cut into quarters)

How to make Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry:

• Whisk together soya sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, cornstarch & sesame oil.
• In a large wok, heat vegetable oil over high.
• Add chicken and cook until browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add ginger, garlic, then vegetables, except for spinach and cook, stirring frequently about  3 minutes.
• Add 1/4 cup water, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Stir in soy sauce mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened, 1 minute.
• Before serving, add spinach and leave it for a few minutes. 

Finally, serve warm with a cup of rice.

A small tip for a Singaporian Chili Sauce with Dried Shimps.
Recipe on below, 

Home made Chicken Burgers.

I thought of sharing this recipe just because of my fellow follower (and one of my good friends), who kept asking me about some healthy breakfast meals. Doesn't matter it's for breakfast or dinner. It suits for both. :)

Well, we all love burgers. It could be hamburger, cheeseburger or a meat burger. Having junk food is not that healthy as having your own meal at home. So therefore these are some a few tips that you can make our own burgers at home. Whatever you eat outside you really do not know  what exactly includes on your meal. It’s fine to have junk from outside once in a while. But not all the time. So these are my cooking tips,

Grab these ingredients,

• Few burger buns
• Some fresh chicken thighs
• Red cabbage (Few leaves)
• Few cheese slicers
• Some barbeque sauce (If not can use, tomato sauce)
• Red Tomatoes
• Green capsicums (Cut into rings)
• Some onion rings
• Some salad leaves
• Salt & pepper
• Soya sauce
• Chili powder

Let’s start making,

• Remove the bones from the chicken thighs. (Make sure, let the thighs be in one piece.)
• Marinate the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, chili powder and soya sauce. Leave aside for a few minutes.
• Heat a pan with some oil on it. Fry the chicken thigh pieces  until it’s properly cooked.  

• Meantime, cut the cabbage slightly.  Season them with salt and pepper.
• How heat a pan with some oil or margarine, then add the cabbage mixture.
• Cook them for a while, add some sugar. Just to give some sweetness. (I would mind adding some cider, but it’s not a must. Just a small tip)
• Once it's done leave them aside.

• Now heat another frying pan without butter.
• Cut the burgers into halves.
• Apply some garlic paste on burgers (If not, just margarine, I would prefer garlic paste it gives a lovely taste)

{- The recipe for the homemade garlic spread is under, Creamy salmon Chowder recipe}

Just pan fry the both sides of the burger buns. Once it's done leave them aside.

Now all done, Let’s make the burgers.

1. Take the burger buns, apply some butter, but not a lot since it has garlic paste or a little bit of butter while  frying them on the pan.
2. Apply some BBQ sauce you made or tomato sauce on one half
3. Lay some salad leaves
4. Finely cooked sweet cabbage
5. Place the cooked chicken thigh
6. Add the capsicum rings & onion rings
7. Some cheese slicers
8. Again, some BBQ sauce or tomato sauce
9. Again, another few salad leaves
10. Cover with other half of the burger bun.

Yes, burgers are done.  Now it’s ready to serve.

Have fun with burgers !!!

A small tip for Home made BBQ Sauce,

Healthy Chicken Soup Noodles.

Soup noodles, it’s very famous among Singaporeans, Malaysians & Philippines. I remember I loved to have this soup noodles from the street shops in Singapore  when I was living there. I was so fond of most of the Singaporean, Malaysian and Chinese food.

Today I’m going to make, healthy soup noodles, which I inspired from Philippines batchoy soup. Originally batchoy soup consists pork fat, but my dish will contain only vegetable & chicken ham fat. 

After a tiring a day, this could be an ideal meal to gain your energy back. 

Let’s make it,

Ingredients:

• One pack of noodles (Boil them separately)
• Chicken ham or chicken pieces (If you are using pieces, tare the pieces if not can may use beef or pork as you prefer)
• Half an onion nicely chopped
• 01 carrots (Finely grated, in medium size)
• 10 beans (Cut into small pieces)
• 04 mushrooms (Cut into 4 pieces)
• 04-05 cauliflower & broccoli brunches (Half boiled them)
• Hand full of spinach 
• Salt & pepper

• Eggs (Pouched them)

How to make it:

• Heat a pan with some butter or margarine.  (I usually do not use oil for soups. I believe it doesn’t give the right consist.)
• Fry onions until it turns into transparent. Then add chicken ham or tiered chicken pieces.
• Then add all the vegetables except for spinach.
• Add 04 cups of water, salt and pepper accordingly and boil for a while. 
• Just before serving, add the spinach and leave to for a few minutes to absorb the flavors. 

And now it’s ready to serve… 

Serving:

• Place some boiled soup noodles in the center of the bowl.
• Then pour the broth in the same bowl. 
• Serve with a poured egg.

Enjoy the lovely meal !!!!

Creamy Salmon Chowder !!

This is an easy peasy healthy soup recipe.  It’s a great family meal, which gives you lots of calcium. I will pick salmon fish to make this soup. I could not replace any other fish with salmon, just because it gives the real feel of having a rich nurtures bowl of soup.  Even you were on a busy day, this could be a proper meal. Apart with the soup I’ll be severing it with some home made garlic bread.

A few things to grab,
Ingredients:

• 400g of salmon fish (Cut into cubes marinated with salt and pepper, then boiled for a few minutes. Will be needing the stock to make the soup)
• A full cup of fresh cream
• Half a cup of water
• One half boiled big size potato
• One half boiled big size carrot 
• Few half boiled mushrooms 
• Nicely chopped one onion & tomato
• Half boiled green peas (For garnishing)

How to make:

• Heat the pain with some butter. And, fry all the onions, until it gets transparent. 
• Then add half boiled potatoes, carrots & mushrooms, fry them with the onions.
• Add fish stock & fresh cream into to the same vegetable mixture. 
• Let the broth get boil and bit thicker. 
• Check salt and pepper. 
• When the broth starts get little lumps, then its time to serve. Just before serving, add the boiled salmon cubes. Just to get well combine with the broth.

        

Now serve the Smoked Salmon chowder with garlic bread. Garnish with some green peas.

It’s a whole meal with full of energy.

You may enjoy the meal !!!


A small tip for making homemade Garlic Spread,

Cornish Pastries (Spicy Sri Lankan Pastries) !!

As soon you heard of pastries, it’s more difficult than eating a pastry for anyone who think of making it. First of all I really didn’t have a simple clue how I’m going to make it.  Have seen pastry dough’s has to roll, fold and again roll to get the  certain thickness and crispiness. 

As I’m going to demonstrate how I made the traditional Cornish pastry dough is simply fast and easy to make.  The traditional Cornish pastries were started making from Cornwall district in Britain. And the genuine Cornish Pastry has a distinctive “D” shape and crisp on one side. Someone may call it, beef patties or pastry. Since traditionally it’s made with beef  (minced or steak) and potatoes. Since I’m going to make my own way of Cornish Pastry, I would rather call it, Spicy Sri Lankan Pastries. 

Preheat the oven to 350` for 12-15 minutes

Ingredients:

For Dough:

• 500g of flour
• 250g of butter or margarine
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup of water

• 01 beaten egg to grease pastries to get the nice crisp & shine on of the pastries. 

For Filling:

• 400g of corn beef (Can be use minced meat too)
• 02 big size potatoes (Cut into small cubes and half boil)
• 02 big size carrots (Cut into small cubes and half boil)
• Half a tin of green peas
• Some spinach & mushrooms
• 1/2 a cup of chopped or diced onions
• Finely chopped garlic
• 01 chopped tomatoes 
• Finely chopped green chilies 
• Salt, pepper & chili powder
• Few tsp of soya sauce

Instructions for making of Dough:

• Pour the flour in a large bowl and season it with a pinch of salt. 
• Add the butter or margarine to flour and make small crumb pieces. Until you make them nice and fine crumbs.
• Now, finally add water little by little make the crumbs into a nice dough. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Leave it for one hour.

Instructions for making of Filling:

• Season the corn beef with spices and soya sauce. Add the diced onions, garlic, tomatoes and green chilies into the same beef mixture.
• Heat the pan with some oil and add the beef mixture and cook them nicely.
• Then add half boiled potatoes, carrots, green peas & rest of the vegetables. 
• Leave the mixture aside to cool.

Making of Pastry:

• Roll each dough ball to the thickness of 2mm.
• Take some filling and place in the middle of the rolled dough. Apply some beaten egg around the  dough, except for the filling area. 
• Fold the pastry, makes the design of your own.
• I’m going to fold it and twist the ends and join the both ends. 
• Finally, drizzle some olive oil on the pastries. Apply some beaten egg too. 
• Keep the pastries on oven until it gets a nice golden color.

Enjoy the meal !!!