~ Lime Konnyaku Jelly

Modified from:

Hollyfarm's Konnyaku Packaging

Description:
Healthy detoxifying jelly spiked with tangy limes, that's good to the gut as well to the palate :)

Ingredients:
1 package (150g) konnyaku jelly powder
500 ml water
5 limes

Directions:
1. Juice the limes and grate the peel of one lime. Add the grated peel to the moulds.
2. Boil 500ml of water and turn down the heat.
3. Stir in the konnyaku powder and stir for 5 min.
4. Stir in the lime juice.
5. Pour into prepared moulds and cool in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

Remarks:
Sweet lime jelly. They were wobbly as konnyaku jellies are, and I simply adore the grated lime peel inside which adds a great bite to the otherwise plain smooth jellies. Try not to let too much of the water evaporate, if not you'll end up with unfilled jelly moulds like I did (made 23 instead of 24). I would prefer more lime taste, perhaps can add 6-7 limes.

Side-notes: Banned from baking, so I guess I'll just be posting some simple dishes till the ban is lifted! =x

~ Persimmon Cookie & Biscotti

Modified from:

Allrecipe

Description:
Chewy persimmon cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C persimmon pulp
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C oil
1 egg
2 1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C almonds
3/4 C raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 190 deg. Lightly grease or line one baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients.
3. Cream egg and sugar. Stir in oil and persimmon pulp. Add flour mixture and mixed till combined. Stir in nuts and raisins.
4. Drop by teaspoons, 2" apart, onto the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake at 190 deg for 12-15 min.

Remarks:
Added batter by tablespoons onto baking sheet, and baked for 18 min, producing quick-bread-like cookies that are undercooked inside. Baked a further 10 min but the results remained. As the batter was too much and I'm a lazy person, I decided to bake the rest of the batter using a bread tin, hoping that the bread will be better. Unfortunately, it turned out the same as the cookies, cooked on the outside but very undercooked inside despite baking for 2 hours at 150 deg. The loaf was sliced up and baked at 175 deg for 20 min for each side of the slice, resulting in hard persimmon biscottis (the way biscottis are supposed to be, but a tad bit too hard to bite). Could have reduced the time to 15 min for the 2nd side of the slices as some of biscottis were charred and they were quite tough to chew. The biscotti turned hard and chewy the next days and are not really edible.

~ Black Bottom Cupcakes

Modified from:

Allrecipe

Description:
Rich and gooey chocolate cream cheese cupcakes.

Ingredients:
1 package (250g) cream cheese
1 egg
1/4 C white sugar
1 C mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 C flour
3/4 C white sugar
1/4 C cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 C warm water
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 tbps distilled vinegar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 160 deg. Line muffin tins with paper cups.
2. Beat cream cheese, egg, 1/4C sugar and 1/8tsp vanilla until light and fluffy. Do not overmix, stop when there are no more lumps. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.
3. Mix wet ingredients (water, 3/4C sugar, distilled vinegar, vanilla and oil) together.
4. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, cocoa and baking soda) in a separate bowl. Make a well in the centre and stir in the pre-mixed wet ingredients till well-blended.
5. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture in 2.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 30min till lightly browned, and cool on wire rack.

Remarks:
Batter produces good soft chocolate cupcake that rises well. Chocolate chips account partly for the gooey-ness, can be omitted. Cream cheese mixture is slightly too sweet, and its amount is too much. Perhaps to reduce sugar to 1 tbsp and reduce cream cheese and egg by half. The cupcake turned soggy after a day or two due to the cream cheese mixture, should try to reduce cream cheese portion.

~ Persimmon Bread

Modified from:
Allrecipes

Description:
Moist spice bread made with ripe persimmons.

Ingredients:
5/6 C persimmon pulp

1 tsp baking soda
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 tsp cinnmon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour
Chopped almonds

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 175 deg. Grease and flour 9X12" baking pan.
2. Stir pulp and baking soda together and let it stand for 5 min to thicken it.
3. Cream eggs with sugar and oil. Add in spices and salt. Mix in pulp and flour alternately till well blended. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle generously with chopped almonds over the batter.
4. Bake for 1 hour in oven, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 min before removing to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Remarks
Soft on the exterior while moist in the center, should reduce temperature and bake for longer time. Sugar can be reduced to 3/4C as persimmons are sweet already. Can't really taste the persimmons though.

~ Kueh Lapis

Modified from:
Florence's

Description:
Colourful chewy nyonya nine-layered kueh. The favourite of kids!

Ingredients:
125 g tapioca flour
45 g rice flour
200 ml coconut milk
100 g sugar
140 ml warm water
1 tsp pandan essence
Red colouring

Directions:
1. Mix tapioca flour and rice flour together.
2. Dissolve sugar in warm water, and add in coconut milk.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir in essence, and divide batter into 3 portions.
4. Add varying quantities of red colouring to suitable colours (red and pink) for two portions of batter.
5. Pour first layer of red batter into greased 4"X5" tray and steam for 10min. Do the same for the rest, alternating each colour till all is used up.
6. Cool completely before slicing with plastic knife.

Remarks:
Soft and chewy with appropriate sweetness. Pandan taste was overwhelming, could just add 1/4 tsp to one of the coloured portions instead of adding to all the portions.