Showing posts with label Eggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eggs. Show all posts

What's on Your Plate? Day #4 - Egg Hakka Noodles

My boys love eggs & noodles and this makes it easy to sneak some veggies in as well. This makes for a quick meal any day. The eggs can be left out to make an all vegetarian version. We enjoy Indo-Chinese dishes at home, and I do like the texture and taste of Ching's Hakka noodles (available at Indian/Asian stores) 



Ingredients:

2 packs Ching’s Hakka noodles (Veg. or Egg)
4 tbsp Oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup cabbage, shredded
3 Garlic pods, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Black pepper powder
1/4 tsp Red chili flakes (optional)
Salt to taste
1 1/2 tbsp light Soya sauce
1/4 tsp White Vinegar
1/2 tsp Sesame oil
2-3 eggs
Chopped scallions (green onions)

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Break the eggs into a bowl and lightly whisk with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Once the oil is hot, add the eggs and stir to scramble. Cook on low heat, once done, remove into a clean bowl.

Cook noodles as per package instructions. Drain and drizzle little oil on the noodles. Toss and set aside.

Heat remaining oil in a Wok (or a wide pan). Add the chopped garlic and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant. Now add the carrots & bell peppers. Sauté on high heat for 2 mins. Now add the onions and lastly the cabbage. Cook until done. My boys don’t like it crunchy so I cook them through but you can cook until partially done. Now add the salt & pepper, vinegar and soya sauce. Combine and then add the cooked noodles & sesame oil. Toss well to combine. Lastly add the scrambled egg & toss. Turn off heat. Top with chopped scallions.

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U for UGNSPANNKAKA Swedish Pancakes - Day 21


Pancakes are a breakfast time favorite with my boys. I make them quite often and they sometimes eat it even for dinner! Pancakes are usually made on a griddle or pan. Ugnspannkaka is a Swedish style pancake that's baked in the oven. Baking it gives it a crisp exterior and soft interior. It's served with Lingonberry jam which is a staple in Sweden. 

U for UGNSPANNKAKA - SWEDEN

Ugnspannkaka is traditionally baked in a flat wide pan.You are probably expecting a flat pancake here but this is what I have! :D



I was planning on making 3 separate layers so I could stack them like the pancake stack we are accustomed to seeing. Well this is where the 'plan' ended. I used 3 small Wilton 4" pans. I figured the batter would rise and at the most overflow, which was fine. I also had a larger sheet pan to catch the overflow just in case. 

What happened in the oven sent me into panic mode.. almost! :D The batter rose and rose.. and formed a pancake 'bowl' .. haha! I thought it was going to collapse immediately since there was no pan to hold it up on the sides. Thankfully it kept its shape so we have pancake 'bowls' instead of a flat pancake. So no stack, I present to you Ugnspannkaka bowl!! :) This is probably the first Swedish pancake bowl ever! 



You will need: 
Makes: 3 four-inch bowls

1/2 cup All- purpose Flour
1/4 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Whole milk 
1 egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract 
2 tbsp Butter,melted 


Preheat oven to 400F. 

Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the egg, milk and vanilla extract in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mix and whisk until smooth and lump free.  Melt the butter. Add half of it to the batter and combine. Pour the remaining butter into a pan (or pans like I did) Pour the prepared batter and bake for 14-16 minutes. I went a few minutes over and it browned up but was still delicious. 

Now filling these bowls is like topping a pancake.. get creative and let your tastebuds guide you. 



I filled up these bowls with chopped strawberries and blueberries tossed in a tablespoon of powdered sugar. Topped it with some whipped cream and drizzled honey all over the bowl and fruit. A light shower of powdered sugar on the top made it completely festive and special. It was not too sweet and just perfect. I'm glad the pancakes decided to rise and create something I didn't plan to. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 75

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R for Rigó Jancsi - Day 18


I had a long list of bakes lined up against this letter and I had quite the hard time picking just one. I finalized on a bake that has an interesting, scandalous story attached to it :D

R for RIGÓ JANCSI – HUNGARY


Rigó Jancsi is layers of rich chocolate sponge cake sandwiched with a layer of rich chocolate whipped filling and then topped with a chocolate glaze. Its chocolate upon chocolate upon chocolate..every chocolate lover’s dream. It is typically served as a 2”x2” square. Of course there is no restriction on how many of these squares you can eat ;)


History:

The story goes that there was a famous Hungarian Gypsy violinist, Rigó Jancsi who seduced and married Clara Ward, the wife of a Belgian Prince. Clara and Jancsi met in 1896 while Rigó played violin at a restaurant in Paris where Clara and her Prince husband, dined. The cake is named after Rigó Jancsi and in honor of their love story. Their marriage was written about extensively in newspapers back then.  

Sources do not agree about the origin of the pastry. Some claim that Rigó created the pastry together with an unknown pastry chef to surprise Clara. Others claim that Rigó Jancsi brought this pastry to Clara and the confectioner named it Rigó Jancsi afterwards.


Whatever the story, the cake is a must try. It is often made with Rum in the filling, but I left that out so my boys could enjoy it as well..which they did..plenty of these squares! 

You will need:
Makes: 20-24 2” squares
Recipe adapted from here

For the Chocolate Sponge cake:

¼ cup All-purpose flour
1.5 tbsp Cocoa powder
4 tbsp Unsalted butter
3 oz Semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar, divided
1/8 tsp salt

For the chocolate glaze:

4 oz Bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Corn syrup
½ tsp Vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 tbsp Cocoa powder
¼ cup Powdered sugar
4 oz Semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine
1 cup Heavy cream
½ tsp Vanilla extract

2 tbsp Apricot Jam


Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12x16 or 9x13 inch sheet pan with parchment paper. Brush with melted butter and set aside. 

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips and heat in 10-second bursts until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

Separate the egg whites and yolks. Beat the yolks with the whisk attachment on medium high speed until pale yellow and light. Gradually add in the half of the sugar while beating on low. Increase speed to medium high and continue whipping until the yolks fall in ribbons form the whisk when lifted. Transfer to another bowl.

Rinse and dry the mixing bowl and add the egg whites. Beat on medium high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar and the salt. Beat until the meringue forms stiff peaks and is very glossy.

Combine the cooled chocolate-butter mix to the beaten yolks. Fold in gently, don’t over mix. Now add 1/3rd of the meringue and fold. Add the remaining meringue in two additions and fold gently until no streaks of white remain. Sift the flour and cocoa and fold into the beaten mixture.

Pour into prepared sheet pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. I baked mine for 14 minutes.

The sponge cake is very fragile. Once baked, remove pan from oven. Line a rack with parchment paper and place over cake. Flip the pan carefully and lift it off the cake. Peel the parchment paper off taking care not to rip the delicate sponge. Place a clean kitchen towel on the sponge and flip again onto another rack. Peel off the other parchment and allow the sponge to cool completely. Once cooled, cut the sponge into half.

Make the Glaze:

Prepare the glaze by combining all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl, except for the vanilla extract. Heat the bowl on full power at 20-second intervals, stirring in between until fully melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla and pour over one half of the cake and spread evenly with a spatula. Rest for an hour until glaze is set. Cut into 2” squares, cleaning the knife between each cut. This ensures sharp clean cuts. You can chill the pieces while you assemble the rest of the cake.

Make the Filling:

Stir together the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Melt the chocolate until smooth and let cool. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then add the cocoa and powdered sugar. Whip until stiff and the cream holds shape when lifted. Don’t over beat It will turn into butter. Fold in the melted chocolate.



Apply a thin layer of apricot jam on the other cake layer. Spread a thick layer of filling evenly, using a spatula over the cake.

Line up chilled chocolate cake squares over the filling and chill for 30 minutes. Slice into squares following the cut squares as a guide.

Keep chilled until ready to serve. This one is for all the chocoholics out there!Grab a fork and dig in :D

 BAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: 

A for ANZAC BISCUITS - AUSTRALIA


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Q for Quick Breads - Strawberry Pecan Quick Bread - Day 17


We are past midway through the 3rd week of the Mega Blogging Marathon. Here comes letter Q and Quiche was my very first pick but as my list took shape, I realized I already had two recipes from France so I had to find something else for this letter.So I decided on making a Quick Bread.

Q for QUICK BREAD – USA




Quick Breads are breads that are leavened with agents other than yeast. These are exactly as their name suggests.. Quick. You mix the wet to the dry ingredients and bake, that’s it. There are over 50 variations to a Quick Bread and I picked just one among them. I chose to do a Strawberry Pecan Bread, a combination I haven’t tried before. And would you believe it, this is the first time I tasted a Pecan! Almost like a Walnut, but different of course. Having lived in Georgia for almost a decade now, a State known for Pecans, I feel like a dunce for not having tasted these before. I’m a Walnut girl I guess! :) I just happened to pick up Pecans on my last visit to the store (the smallest pack available) and used all of it in this recipe.




This bread had the right amount of sweetness. The strawberries and pecans go well together. I've Banana Walnut Bread before, which is a Quick Bread too. 

You will need:
Makes: 2 mini loaves
Recipe adapted from here

½ cup Fresh strawberries, finely chopped
¾ cup All- purpose flour
½ cup Sugar, plus 1 tbsp
½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ cup Vegetable Oil
1 egg, beaten
½ cup Chopped Pecans

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two mini loaf pans. I used Wilton’s ceramic ones.

Toast the pecans in a small pan for a few minutes. Remove to a plate and cool. Chop into tiny bits.

In a small bowl, combine the chopped strawberry and the tablespoon of sugar.




In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Combine egg and vegetable oil, add it to the flour mix. Now add the strawberries and give it a good mix until pink in color. Stir in the pecans. The batter will be very thick which is how it should be.  

Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.


The touch of cinnamon, strawberries and pecans all melded into this moist beautiful loaf. It is a perfect snack and tastes even better the day after its baked, like Banana Bread. Store leftovers in an air-tight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.




BAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: 

A for ANZAC BISCUITS - AUSTRALIA


Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 75

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