Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie

When assignments are piling up, my chocolate cravings never fail to kick in. I tried a piece of chocolate but it didn't work. I tried a cup of hot chocolate. Nope, didn't work either. The only way I could fix this problem was to put my baking gloves on. After a short flip through some recipe books, I settled for chocolate brownies.

I've always preferred brownies over cakes. Not dry brownies though. I like mine to be gooey in the centre and flaky on the sides and top. Who doesn't, right?
Soon, the ingredients were mixed, the baking tin went into the oven and at 11.56pm, they were ready!

Baked at night and eaten for breakfast the next morning!

Oh, and I used a shallow cake pan because my brownie tin was no where to be found.

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie
(adapted from allrecipe and Sweet Vegan)

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 cup raw sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup black coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I used crunchy)

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
2. Sift the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar into the dry mixture.
3. Add the vegetable oil, coffee and vanilla extract into the dry mixture. Mix the ingredients until well-blended.
4. Spray the baking tin with canola oil spray and pour the batter into a 9x13 inch baking tin. Spread the batter evenly. Pour spoonfuls of peanut butter over the top of the batter and swirl the mixture with a knife.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes (mine was in the oven for 30 minutes and came out really 'gooey') in the oven. Leave to cool before cutting into squares.

This with a cup of tea? Best breakfast yet.

Izakaya Den, CBD

Izakaya Den has been on my ‘go-to’ list for ages but I’ve been putting it off until now! My dearest brother got his SPM results a few days ago and casually mentioned that he missed Japanese food. So, I decided kill two birds with one stone - treating my brother for his brilliant results while finally trying this well-loved izakaya!

We headed off for an early dinner and happily got a place without a wait. We sat at the bar table and had full view of the small kitchen. The whole area itself was small but had a really wonderful cozy atmosphere.

The menu reminds me of ancient scrolls!

The dim lightly was perfect for the ambiance but terrible for my pictures.

Chargrilled scallop with garlic & soy

I love that all the juices and sauce was sitting in the shell with the scallop. That way, I could slurp everything in a mouthful without wasting a single drop! The charred bits added a nice smokey flavour and I was worried before that the garlic would over-power the scallop but it certainly did not.

Sweet Corn Kaki-age with Green Tea Salt

These balls of deep-fried sweet corn came piping hot- straight from the deep-fryer!! And the green tea salt that came with the dish went brilliantly well with the sweetness of corn. The batter was light, crisp and just enough to hold the kernels together.

Tuna tataki with spicy mayo and wasabi mayo

Three beautiful slices of tuna was paired with a spicy mayo while the other three paired up with a tangy wasabi mayo. The tuna was ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ fresh but I did wish that the mayo has a stronger kick to it.

Deep-Fried Chicken Den

If my brother had to live on one food for the rest of his life, deep-fried chicken would probably be in his priority list. So, there was no surprise when we ordered this dish! Like the sweet corn, the chicken arrived freshly deep-fried (yes, we were sitting opposite the deep-fryer). The chicken was tender, succulent and coated with a well-seasoned batter. This dish came with a creamy mayo dipping which tasted like Kewpie’s mayo. My brother would gladly have this everyday.

The chicken came with a generous amount of mayo!

Zucchini and Pickled Ginger Tempura

When I ordered this, I imagined the zucchini and the pickled ginger to be separately deep-fried. But this was a pleasant surprise. Bits of pickled ginger was stuck in a slice of zucchini, coated with a tempura batter and deep-fried. (I see a deep-frying theme!). It was a great ‘in-between’ dish to cleanse my palate from the rich flavours in other dishes.

Izakaya Den’s Trifle

For dessert, contemplated between a sesame creme brulee or a trifle. But when the waiter informed us that the trifle has mousse, ice cream and mochi, we had no trouble picking the trifle! If I’m not mistaken, there was green tea mousse, sesame ice cream, red bean mochi and a sprinkle of tiny crunchy balls. It was texturally exciting - there was bits of creaminess and smoothness from the mousse and ice cream, chewiness from the mochi and crunchiness from the tiny balls. I’m certainly glad that we chose this over the creme brulee! 

There is no doubt in my mind that I would certainly return for another meal and probably give that sesame creme brulee a try!

114 Russell St
Melbourne, VIC 3000

izakayaden.com.au

Pumpkin Butter

Windy, chilly & rainy. Autumn's definitely here! I'm not sure if it's the season but I've been having pumpkin cravings every single day. Pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkins, mashed pumpkin...
I'm surprised that my skin's not orange yet!

Nonetheless, I'm not ready to stop my pumpkin obsession yet. So, when I took a short break from my essay writing, I decided to get something cooking! My jam jar was recently scraped clean and empty jars were waiting for me to fill. To complement the season (and my cravings), I settled on pumpkin butter.

Now, I have 4 jars of pumpkin butter sitting in my fridge!

And the best part? It's easy!

Pumpkin Butter

29oz (1 large can) Libby's pure pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar (or adjust according to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice
1 cup water

1. Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Constantly stir while it's simmering.
3. Reduce until the mixture is thick (about 30-40 minutes) and jar the pumpkin butter in sterilised jars while it is still hot.
4. When cooled, refrigerate the jars.

Have them as dips for crackers, celery sticks, carrots or mix a spoonful into your morning bowl of oats or yogurt.

Green Pancakes Anyone?

Green used to be my favourite colour before it was replaced by pink. The colour green reminds me of trees, honeydews, spring onions, green tea lattes...  So, when I remembered that St. Patrick's day was around the corner, I started planning my green meal.

Spinach? Not indulgent. Mint? Not a fan. I opened my pantry and found my answer. Pandan! Instead of my normal breakfast pancakes with maple syrup & peanut butter, I spiced things up by adding a few drops of pandan essence and Voila! I'm ready for St. Patty's day!

Pandan Pancakes with Coconut Syrup
(serves 2)

Pandan Pancakes
1 cup plain all-purpose flour (I used wholemeal flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 teaspoon pandan essence
butter, for cooking

Coconut Syrup
165ml coconut milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the egg and milk.
2. Slowly add the egg, pandan essence and milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until smooth. If the batter's too thick, add more milk accordingly. Rest the pancake batter for about 1/2 hour.
3. Meanwhile, heat the coconut milk and sugar in a pot. Stir constantly until reduced and has a slightly thick consistency. Set aside and cool.
4. Finally, grease a frying pan with butter. Scoop the batter using an ice-cream scoop (about 1/4 cup of batter) and cook until bubbles appear and the sides start to dry. Flip the pancake and cook until lightly brown.
5. Stack the pancakes and drizzle with coconut syrup.

Reminds me of how much I miss Nyonya kuehs!

And to enjoy, eat them like it's your birthday cake! And yup, I had it all to myself!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! and have a good weekend!

Zha Jiang Mian

After I’m done with a tiring day (especially Mondays!), I’ll always crave something from home. Usually, it involves either curry or a sweet & sour sauce. And when the cooking’s done, I’ll take my place in front of the tv with my bowl of food and a cup of green tea. If there is nothing on, no harm re-watching old episodes of Friends right?

But the night before, I wasn’t craving the usual stuff. I was craving noodles and specifically, something hearty yet light and refreshing. I flipped through my recipe books and came across Zha Jiang Mian. I haven’t had them in ages and so, I knew that I had to have them for dinner the next night.

I tweaked the recipe here and there but nothing major. And if you’re not into meat, just substitute the minced pork for textured vegetable protein or cubed firm tofu!


Zha Jiang Mian
(adapted from China Modern by Ching-He Huang)
serves 2

for the sauce
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon hoi sin sauce
2 tablespoon shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon bean sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
handful of chopped spring onions (white part)
1 red chilli, finely chopped
250g minced pork
2 servings of Shanghai noodles/any wheat noodles

to garnish
1 spring onion, finely chopped (green part)
1 Lebanese cucumber, finely sliced into long strips

1. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
2. Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil. Stir fry the garlic, spring onion and chilli for less than a minute. Add the minced pork to the wok and stir fry for about 1 minutes until browned.
3. Pour in the sauce, bring to the boil and allow the sauce to reduce (to a few spoonfuls).
4. While the sauce is simmering, cook the noodles according the instructions on the packet, drain then divide between two bowls.
5. When the sauce is done, spoon over the meat sauce and place the spring onions and cucumber strips on the noodles. Serve immediately.

Comfort food at its best! If you need a quick lunch the next day, double up the meat sauce recipe and keep some in the fridge. Just heat it up and prepare a simple Asian-style sloppy joes!

Any quick dinner recipes to share?

Flashback Friday: 1st European Country

For this week's Flashback Friday, I thought that we should travel a little further back in time. Back to 1996. This year was significant but it has nothing to do with food. This was the year that kick-started my love for Europe.

My heart will always be in Asia but there's something about Europe that draws me. Twenty European countries and still counting... and it all began in the United Kingdom.

London!

I never enjoyed long flights and I still don't. But the thought of arriving in a new country with exciting adventures makes it all worth while.

I'm sorry that I haven't included any food into this week's Flashback Friday! My readings are already piling up so, here's a short post for you all! Have a great weekend :)

Oh, and do tell me about your favourite holiday!

Banana Yogurt Bread

I love baking and cooking because I love transforming a few simple ingredients into something delicious and spectacular. Something without unpronounceable ingredients. Something with natural and wholesome ingredients.

I am extremely glad to announce that Chobani is FINALLY here in Melbourne! And boy, they're good! If you had a container of yogurt and a bunch of bananas, you could make a yogurt parfait. Sprinkle some granolas & nuts and you're good to go. But that's not happening because I was craving banana bread.

How did all these turn into...

... this? Check out my recipe!

Banana Yogurt Bread


Ingredients

• 4 bananas, mashed
• 1 container of Chobani yogurt (I used blueberry)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (adjust the sugar to your liking)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180'C.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon powder into a large bowl.
3. Mash the ripe bananas in a separate bowl. Add the yogurt and eggs into the banana mash. Mix lightly.
4. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. 
5. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin, lined with baking paper.
6. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Check the readiness using a skewer or a chopstick. The skewer/chopstick should come out clean.
7. Remove the bread from the tin and leave to cool before slicing. 

Slice them as thin or as thick as you like.

But of course, I wasn't just craving any plain ol' banana bread. I wanted something sugary and slightly indulgent compared to my usual breakfast.

I had some blackberries sitting the fridge so, I decided to make a quick blackberry sauce to go with my sweet bread. Just pop some blackberries or any berries of your liking, sugar and water into a small pot on the stove. And while that simmered away, I prepared my banana bread.

Generously smear two slices with butter (on both sides) and sprinkle with sugar. Then, place on a heated frying pan and let the magic begin- butter melting through the bread, sugar caramelising...
Once both sides are nicely browned, they're done!

Voila! My breakfast!

No greens this week but loads of fruits!

Favourite indulgent breakfast?

 

Savoury or Sweet breakfast?

Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (Opening Weekend)

It's that time of the year again- Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is here!! It kicked off with the Riverside Opening Weekend (3-4th March 2012) and I had to make sure that my Sunday was cleared for a day of ... what else, food!

The Greenhouse by Joost

I made a mistake by eating breakfast before heading off to the festival! I'm definitely coming back for this!

Beatbox Kitchen has been on my 'go-to' list every since The Burger Adventure crowned the Raph burger as the best in Melbourne (2010). I just couldn't miss this opportunity when I spotted the truck along the river!

And next to it, the Taco Truck- another creation by Raph Rashid! Yup, that's the burger guy as well. The longest queue award went to both of these trucks but the wait was certainly worth while.

Chicken Taco with corn, spinach & chipotle mayo
(hot salsa separately added)

 If choosing between the chicken, fish or potato taco is a problem for you, get the taco set- two tacos with tortilla chips for the price of $12. But for me, my eyes were set on the chicken taco. The tortilla was generously piled with fillings and everything worked so well together. The creaminess from the mayo, smokiness from the chicken, crunch from the corn and the spicy kick from the salsa. 

Definitely worth the wait!

15 Keele St
Collingwood, VIC 3066

Beatbox’s Raph Burger

Simplicity at its best- honest & fresh ingredients. My brother couldn't stop raving about it and went on about how good it was as he took each bite! Seriously, check Beatbox Kitchen out.

Location Varies
Carlton North, VIC 3054

After the taco and burger, we headed off to another event- Fancy Fish (along the South Wharf Promenade). A collection of brilliant chefs showcased their talents by preparing dishes using sustainable seafood. We don't want the fishies, prawns and squids to be gone forever right?

Icy cold drinks while we waited for the samples!

Schweppes' Orange & Mango and Lemon Lime Bitters

Sweet, cool, bubbly & refreshing!

Sample from Bohemian

-A little taste of Spain-

I'm extremely curious about the purple drizzle (and still am!) but all I know, it was delicious.

Fish & Chips sample from Melbourne Public Bar Restaurant

Another beautiful piece of fish! 

Crispy batter without the oiliness and those fries were couldn't get any better.

Food certainly taste better when it's served in a cute container!

Flashback Friday: Swiss Alps

If I had to stay in a country in Europe for the rest of my life, Switzerland would definitely be in my Top 3 list. I love the gorgeous and breath-taking view of the Swiss Alps. I love the balance you’d find between the past, present and future. I love the fact that the people take their chocolate and cheese very seriously.

7 years ago, I stepped foot on Switzerland for the first time. The land of yodeling, watches, banks, cheese fondues and Roger Federer. It was love in first sight and I knew that needed to come back one day. So, I did. In 2010, I visited familiar places and walked along paths which I fondly remembered. And one of them was Mount Titlis.

 Me and my brother at the foot of the majestic Alps! Spot the difference?

More than 3,000m above ground, we couldn’t pass a chance to have our lunch with an over-looking view of the Alps. The restaurant’s concept was really similar to Ikea’s dining cafe. We got our tray, moved along the queue, got our hot food, grab our desserts & paid the cashier. The whole process was rushed as we darted to a table by the huge glass window in record time!

 Pasta Bolognese

 Fish & Chips

 Macaroni and Cheese

 Apple Cake

 Linzer Torte

The food was simple but extremely comforting and most certainly needed at the temperature of -11’C. And of course, I get to tick “dining at the top of the Alps” off my list!

How would I be transported back if I froze? ;)

What's your winter comfort food?

Tropical countries or countries with 4 seasons?