Sambal Cili Limau Kasturi (Key Lime Chilli Based Sauce)

Gosh!!! I've been neglecting my blog again. I am so sorry. It's not that I do not want to update as much as I used to but I have been so busy. So many things happened over the past few weeks... Right now, I am back in Singapore. Yay!!!! I am so happy because I get to see my family and friends in Singapore. There was a little misunderstanding on my travel but I managed to get it cleared up. A shout out to my girlfriends, Thank you for your help! :))

The weather was so hot and humid when I came back. I can stand heat but the humidity is the one I can't stand. Its terrible!  One of the reason why I am back in Singapore is because of my brother's wedding. I was happy to be here for his wedding but at the same time, I wish hubby was here with me. The wedding went well and I am so happy for the newly weds. This is the part I do not like.... so since I didn't get much rest and still had the jet-lag in me, I fell sick!! Yikes!!

Then I got a part time job. I will be in Singapore for a a while so it would be good for me to work When I started the job, the company was relocating so I had to help with the move. Its been 10 days now, after the move. Things are going well. I wish they do not moved to the new location because the previous location was super close to my mum's house...

So I end this post with a simple recipe that I learnt from my mum. This sambal cili limau kasturi (Key Lime Chilli Based Sauce) is a condiment for the dish that she cooked on that day. It was super easy. At first, I thought it was really too spicy but it was not... :))

Sambal Cili Limau Kasturi  (Key Lime Chilli Based Sauce) 

Ingredients:

fresh red chillies

garlic

key Lime Juice + zest

salt

Blend chillies and garlic in a blender until it becomes a paste. Then pour the paste in a bowl. Squeeze out the juice from the key limes. Add lime zest and salt to taste and. Mix well.

Spinach Spaghetti with Shrimps

Here is a recipe that I would like to share.. I did not have some of the ingredients, I changed to my version. They turned out to be very good! Yum-yum!!

Hope y'all have a good Halloween weekend and be safe.. :))

You can get the original recipe here.

Below is my version....

Ingredients:

1/2 pound dry spaghetti

6 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach

3/4 pound shrimps (medium to large)

4 cloves garlic, sliced, divided

1 small can sliced mushroom, drained

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

1 cup chicken broth

salt and black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until 8 to 10 minutes, drain and reserve.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat and add spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute spinach until wilted and no longer watery, about 8-10 minutes. Remove spinach from skillet and toss with pasta; transfer and keep warm.

In the same skillet, heat 2 more tablespoon of olive oil and add 2 cloves of sliced garlic and shrimps. Season with salt and black pepper, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes or longer for larger shrimps, or until they appear opaque. Remove and keep warm.  

Using the same skillet again, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the remaining sliced garlic and saute until golden. Add mushroom, soup and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir occasionally until sauce is a smooth consistency. While the sauce is simmering, place the mixed spaghetti and spinach on to plated or bowls. Top with sauce and shrimps. Serve hot with home-made garlic bread.

DB's October Challenge - Pizza and Toppings

This month's challenge, hosted by sweet Rosa of Yummy Yums. She chose an easy pizza recipe from Peter Reinhart's “The Bread Baker's Apprentice”. I was so excited when I found out about this month's challenge... It's perfect!!!! Currently, the place I worked for is a pizza place. Hence, I asked the supervisor if I could use their kitchen for my challenge. She approved and I was so excited.. Of course, I used the recipe provided, bought some ingredients for the toppings and did all on my own.

For this challenge, I wanted to make one dessert pizza (blueberry) and one white pizza (caesar dressing). I used their toppings for the rest of the dough. There is one interesting rule for this challenge. The challenge was to use the tossing method. I thought that I will never be able to make it or my dough will never turn out well. At first, I thought of just skip the tossing method but decided to go for it. It was a little hard at first but from the second toss onwards, I got the hang of it and I was like never wanted to stop and my dear sister who helped to snap the picture, had a hard time to snap when I tossed the dough.. LOL... Oh man, my pizza dough turned out great!

Here, Im trying to toss my dough..

Here are the photo of the pizzas:

Blueberry pizza. Unfortunately, my friend bought the wrong type. He got the blueberry with light syrup instead of the blueberry pie fillings.. But this is as good as the blueberry pie fillings.

I added some feta cheese on top of the blueberry. This one is caesar dressing with turkey ham, sweet pineapple, italian sausages, turkey bacon and cheese with sweet chilli sauce.... this is really good!!!

For the remaining dough, here are some photos................

This is vegetarian pizza: tomatoes, pineapples, black olives, green peppers, feta, mozzarella with pesto sauce as the based. My sun-dried tomatoes got burnt, should have put them before the cheese. :(

This pizza is a mixed of black olives, mushrooms, chicken chunks,pineapples, green peppers, bbq sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheese with yogurt based.

EQUIPMENT: Stand mixer with paddle and dough hook attachments (optional, see recipe), cooking thermometer, baking sheet, parchment paper, cooking oil, plastic wrap, pizza peel/scraper, pizza stone or pan.

RECIPE SOURCE: “The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread” by Peter Reinhart. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Copyright 2001. ISBN-10: 1-58008-268-8, ISBN-13: 978-158008-268-6.


~ BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~
Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.
Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches).

Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups (607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup (60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups (420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting ( I omit this out)

Method:
DAY ONE
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO
8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan. (I used vegetable oil so that the dough doesnt stick to the pan)

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

NOTE ON SAUCE: Your sauce (any) should not be too thick as it will thicken in the hot oven. Less is more but make the less truly more by using quality ingredients.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Thank you to the supervisor, Yaz for letting me use kitchen and some of their ingredients for the pizza....

Thanks to this wonderful challenge, I think they were the best pizzas I ever made.. ;)

I hope everyone had a wonderful time making October's challenge as much as I did! :)

Homemade Pesto Sauce

When comes to sauces (basicly food in general), I always prefer to make homemade instead of getting from the grocery store. All-homemade is fresher than the ones in the stores. Although sometimes, it is cheaper to just get it from the store. (I always think if they sell it in the grocery store, i can cook/make it)..

In my previous blog, I used the basil leaves for my tomato sauce. Well this morning, I decided to use all of the leaves (now my plant is almost leafless). I have learned that fresh basil is very delicate. It will turn brown if it gets very hot or if it's exposed to air for long periods of time. So before the leaves are wasted, I should do something with it. Pesto sauce!

Pesto sauce originates in the city of Genoa in the Liguria region of northern Italy, where people have been making it for so many years with the green basil that grows wild on the hillsides. It is commonly used in pasta. You can also mix it with mayonnaise as a dip, on pizza in place of the tomato sauce or mix with cream cheese for your bagel. When you mix pesto with pasta, potatoes or even risotto, it is to be stirred in at the last minute just before serving. It is very important never to cook pesto because when basil is heated, it gets bitter.

Store pesto in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week, in the freezer for about six months. To keep it looking fresh and green, cover the top with a thin layer of olive oil or with a sheet of plastic wrap directly on its surface; this will keep it from oxidizing and turning brown. If your pesto darkens in color, it will still taste good. Discard it if it has been stored improperly. One way to freeze pesto, is in ice cube tray then transfer the cubes to a heavy duty plastic freezer bag (the ice cube tray may discolor and flavored, so reserve the ice cube tray just for this purpose). Thaw frozen pesto in the refrigerator or in the microwave on medium power just until room temperature.

Recipe: Pesto sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Combine basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese(i tend to add a little more parmesan cheese in mine) in a food processer.

2. Pulse on/off 6 times to coarsely chop the ingredients. Trickle in olive oil with the blender running until the basil mixture is a puree

3. Remove pesto from blender container. Stir in pepper and salt to taste.

(recipe from Try-Foods International)