Tiny Butter Ice Cakes

from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

Preheat your oven at 180 degrees celcius.

Beat together:

1. 250g softened butter
2. 250g caster sugar
3. 3 eggs, one at a time
4. 1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
5. 290g plain flour
6. 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

and add 185ml or 3/4 cup of milk in slowly, to the mixture as you beat together the flour and baking powder.

Prepare around 120 tiny cupcake cases on a large baking tray and spoon the mixture into each case, allowing it to settle as it bakes in the oven. Leave some space for the cakes to rise up to just slightly above the surface of the casing.

As it bakes, prepare the icing, and get the sprinkles ready. The icing will set pretty quickly, so sprinkle the candy/coloured bits over the icing-covered top of the cupcake with haste.

Mix together:

1. 125g icing sugar
2. few drops of colouring
3. 2 & 1/2 tbsp cold water

Add your Sprinkles!

Fried Udon from C Nai

C Nai Cafe's Seafood Fried Udon

ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Fantastic. Initially I was a little apprehensive at paying for such a small portion, but the noodles were so good, I wouldn't mind paying for another portion some other time.

Prawn Noodles from C Nai

C Nai Cafe's HK Prawn Noodles

The Prawn noodles are good! Inconsistent however. I had it twice on separate occasions and the second time was a tad too salty. A bowl of prawn noodles, I'd travel to have.

Kailan in Oyster Sauce

Back in the days when I still stayed at Serangoon Gardens, and Boon Tong Kee had an outlet there, this is how I ate my Kailan.

Cut off the end of the stems of the Kailan, wash them and drain the water out.

1. Boil a pot of water enough to cover the Kailan with 2 tbsp of salt
   
2. Immerse all the Kailan into the water when it starts to boil
3. After 2 & 1/2 mins, remove and drain water out of Kailan
4. Serve with Oyster sauce, fried shallots and a little of the oil used to fry the shallots
   

Beef Stew with Carrots

adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros
serves 5

In a heated pan:

1. Add some oil
2. Brown chopped up chunks of topside beef
3. Sprinkle 2 pinches of salt
   
4. Brown 2 cloves minced garlic & 1/2 red onion, minced
5. Add 30g butter
6. Sprinkle 2 pinches dried mixed herbs
7. Add 2 generous dashes of Port wine
   
8. Add 1 can or 1/2 cup of pureed tinned tomatoes
9. Throw in 2 carrots, diced
10. Pour in 2 & 1/2 cups of hot water

Bring to a boil and then lower the fire to let it simmer, uncovered for 2 & 1/2 hours.

Brandon's Chicken

Using butter, pan-fry pre-salt-marinated chicken thighs, dusted with plain flour on all sides, with a few drops of lemon juice and sprinklings of dried mixed herbs. Ensure all parts of the meat is properly cooked before serving.