Home-made Meatpies

Ingredients for the pie crust:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup margarine (NOT butter)
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Teaspoon salt
¼ cup cold water

Ingredients for the filling:
½ lb ground beef
1 carrot (chopped)
1 potato (chopped)
1 small onion (chopped)
Maggi, curry, salt n pepper to taste
½ cup water
1 tablespoon plain flour
Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon water well beaten)

Directions:
Boil the carrot and potatoes till it's soft (not soggy), strain and set aside.

To make the filling: Season the meat with maggi, salt n pepper and cook till it's done. Mix in the cooked carrots and potatoes.

Mix the flour and water in a cup and add to the meat mixture (this step is to ensure the filling doesn't dry out while baking). Stir and cook for a minute or two and then set aside to cool while you make the dough.

Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a big bowl and mix well. Cut the margarine into small pieces and add to the flour. Use your hands to mix the butter into the flour till you get the consistency of wet sand.

Add the cold water one tablespoon at a time and knead till the dough comes together into a ball. Let the dough rest for about 10mins.

Using a rolling pin, roll out a chunk of dough to your desired thickness. Place on a meatpie cutter, add a spoon of filling and close the cutter. The cutter will cut the excess dough off and seal the pie ;)

If you don't have a cutter, you can improvise using anything with round edges. Add the filling to one side, fold the other half over the filling and seal the edges with a fork.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange the pie and brush with the egg wash. Bake till the crust is brown.

ENJOY!!!

Death By Chocolate Cake

Ingredients for the cake:
1 3/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup warm water or coffee
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for the frosting:
1 pack cream cheese
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 tub mascarpone cheese (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Sift all the dry ingredients for the cake (flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, sugar and salt) in a mixing bowl and set aside. Mix the wet ingredients (buttermilk, water/coffee, eggs, oil, vanilla) in a separate bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.

Mix well and divide the batter evenly between two 9inch round baking pans (spray the pans with oil and line with parchment paper). Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cool completely then carefully take the cakes out of the pan and peel off the parchment paper.

For the frosting:
Using a hand mixer, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, butter and vanilla till it's well combined.

Sift in the sugar and cocoa powder (to avoid lumps - see pic)

Whip the heavy cream in a different bowl till stiff peaks form. Note: You can add the heavy cream to the cream cheese/sugar mixture and beat everything on high speed till the cream whips...but because I was using a brand of heavy cream I hadn't tried before, I beat it in a different bowl just to make sure it whips. Then I folded the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

After folding in the whipped cream, cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate for about 10 - 15 minutes. I use that time to clean up my work space before I begin assembling the cake.

Assemble the cakes on a board. I like to line the board with strips of parchment paper and then pull them off at the end so that the cake board stays clean (see pic)

Cover the entire cake with the frosting and refrigerate while you make the chocolate ganache (recipe here).

Let the ganache cool completely then drizzle on top of the cake and refrigerate.

Make some chocolate covered strawberries (recipe coming soon) and top off the cake.

Pardon my lil cerebellar ataxia (medical joke) on some of those strawberries. Haha.

This is such a sinful cake so don't take too huge a slice ;) I wish I could cut into the cake but it was a gift to someone.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
½ lb beef strips
½ cup broccoli (blanched)
1 onion bulb and garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup beef broth/stock
2 tablespoons corn flour
2 tablespoons veg. oil
Crushed pepper to taste
Cooked white rice

Directions:
Add the beef, 1 tablespoon corn starch and a ½ tablespoon soy sauce to a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Add oil to a large wok, skillet, or pan with high sides. Add the onions and garlic, then add the beef. Make sure the meat is in a single layer and that the heat is in the highest setting.

Cook the the meat for about a minute on each side till it's brown all over.

Add the blanched broccoli to the meat. (To blanch broccoli, simply add it to boiling water for about a minute. Be careful not to over cook)

In a separate bowl, mix the beef stock, oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, crushed pepper and 1 tablespoon corn starch (see yellow bowl in ingredients picture). Add this mixture to the beef and broccoli and let it simmer for about a minute.

Serve over white rice.

N/B: If you don't eat beef, you can use chicken strips instead. :)

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken thigh
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup plain yoghurt
1 cup heavy cream
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 small onion (chopped)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper to season
2 scotch bonnet peppers
Chopped cilantro

I forgot to picture the tomato puree :)

Directions:
Mix the chicken, yogurt, garam masala, ginger, turmeric, salt and pepper together and set aside.

Add the oil and butter to a pan with high sides and heat till the butter melts. Then add the cumin, coriander and onions and fry till the onions become translucent.

Now add the chicken to the pan and cook. Flip and cook the other side too.

In a different skillet, add a tablespoon of oil and add the tomato sauce. Cook until it is reduced (about 5-7minutes). To add some spice, chop 2 hot pepper coarsely and add.

Now add the milk and the tomato (which should be pasty) to the chicken

Mix well and finish off with some chopped cilantro.

Serve over white rice or with naan bread

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts (seasoned, cooked and shredded)
2 celery stalks (finely chopped)
1 small onion bulb (finely chopped)
2 large, firm tomatoes (cut in rounds)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Directions:
Add the chicken, celery, onions, mayo and mustard to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside in the refrigerator for about 30mins to 1hr.

I like to have my sandwiches on toasted bread so I popped mine in the oven for about 2mins.

Load the well-chilled chicken mix on your bread and top off with some tomatoes.

Bon appetite my friends…

N/B: Perfect way to use up left over chicken which is what I did actually that's why my ingredient pic looks small. But if you don't have left over chicken then follow the recipe.

Spring Rolls

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground chicken
1 small pack cole slaw mix
1/2 pack of bean sprouts
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Green onions (chopped)
1 small bulb onions (chopped)
1 pack spring roll wrappers (25 count)
1 egg (beaten - to seal the roll)
Maggi, Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for deep frying

Directions:
Add some oil to a pan and then add the onions. Add the chicken and cook till well done. Be sure to break the chicken apart while it's cooking. Season with maggi, salt and pepper.

Turn the chicken out into a plate and then add the vegetables and sauté for about 2 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Return the chicken to the pan. Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Spread the filling out on a tray and let it cool down well.

After the chicken/veggie mixture has cooled down, start filling and rolling. Here's a quick tutorial on how to roll.

Picture from: www.alaskasprouts.com

Brush the side labeled 4 in the diagram above with egg to seal

Fill and roll all 25 wrappers.

Fry the spring rolls in batches. Do not over crowd the pan.

Dry out on a paper towel after frying. It's still very hot so resist every temptation to start eating them.

Enjoy with your friends and loved ones :)

Some people like spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce, I like mine without…whatever floats your boat.

Note: If you can't find a pack of cole slaw mix in stores, simply shred some carrots and cabbage.