Recipe: Pandan Swiss Roll

Pandan Swiss Roll

It all started with a sudden craving for pandan chiffon cake which I usually eat back home. After 2 rather failed attempts to bake my own pandan chiffon cake, I decided to try making pandan swiss roll instead and I've been in love with the pandan swiss roll ever since.

Here’s the recipe:

Pandan Swiss Roll (serves 7-8)

Ingredients:

(A)

3                 egg yolks
2 tbsp       caster sugar
2 tbsp       vegetable oil
40ml         pandan juice
1/2 cup    cake flour

(B)

3                  egg whites
3 tbsp        caster sugar
1/2 tsp      cream of tartar

Fresh Cream filling:

3/4 cup     double cream or whipping cream
3 tbsp        caster sugar
1/2 tsp      vanilla essence
2 tbsp        pandan juice

Directions:

1. Prepare pandan juice:

• Cut 7-8 medium sized pandan leaves into pieces of about 2cm and place them in a blender. Add about 60ml of water and blend. Further add 1-2 tablespoon of water if needed.

2. Pre heat the oven to 160C. Grease a swiss roll tray and line with baking paper.

3. Separate the yolks and white of 5 eggs into 2 different mixing bowl.

4. Prepare (A):

• Add 3 tbsp of caster sugar to the egg yolks and beat well. Add the vegetable oil and pandan juice into the mixture. Beat well.


• Add the cake flour slowly and beat until a smooth mixture is formed.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until well mixed.

Whisk the pandan juice and vegetable oil into the yolks and sugar mixture.

Add cake flour into the mixture and whisk until well incorporated.

5. Prepare (B):

• Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until slightly foamy. While whisking, add the caster sugar gradually. Beat until stiff peaks are formed.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks are formed

6. Combine (B) into (A):

• Add 1/3 of (B) into (A) and fold gently until smooth and light batter is formed. Fold the remaining of B into A gently without deflating the egg whites.

Fold 1/3 of the whites.

7. Pour the mixture into the swiss roll tray. Spread the batter evenly and bang the tray a few times to remove air bubbles from the mixture.

Pour the mixture into the swiss roll tray. I use a 12"x 9" tray.

8. Bake for 20-22 minutes in the pre heated oven. Check if the cake is ready by poking a toothpick or skewers into the cake. If the toothpick or skewer comes out clean, the swiss roll is ready.
TIP: For a darker brown top layer, bake the cake further for another 1-2 minute before removing from the oven.

Fresh from the oven

9. In the meantime, prepare the cream filling. Add all the ingredients for the whipped cream and whisk until a thick cream is formed.
TIP: Set aside in the fridge if not used immediately.

10. Once removing the swiss roll from the oven, leave it on a rack to cool completely.
TIP: Make sure the swiss roll cools completely. From my experiences, the top brown layer will peel off very easily when the cake is still warm and the heat will cause the fresh cream to become slightly watery.

11. After the swiss roll has completely cooled, line a piece of baking paper on the kitchen top/working area. Invert the swiss roll and remove the baking paper.

12. Spread the fresh cream onto the cake; leaving 2cm from the sides without cream.

Spread the fresh cream out evenly

13. Using a knife, make 2 slits without cutting through at one of the shorter end of the cake. Hold the cake with both hands and roll up tightly.
TIP: Make sure the end of the swiss roll is bottom facing.

All rolled up with the sides still intact. Cutting of the sides will make the swiss roll more presentable.

14. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and cut off about 2 cm from each side. Cut the rest into slices to serve.

I love the pandan swiss roll for its fluffy and light texture and it goes really well with a cup of tea or coffee. As I don't really have a sweet tooth, the amount of sugar in this recipe can be increased accordingly.

ENJOY! :D

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Recipe: Homemade Mushroom Soup

When eating out, cream of mushroom or mushroom soup has always been my favourite. It is quite shameful that some restaurants serve canned mushroom soup. To me, a good bowl of mushroom soup should consist of a smooth puree of mushrooms and gives off a fragrant scent of mushrooms. Even so, I’ve came across mushroom soup with chunks of mushrooms and it tasted really good.

To satisfy my mushroom soup cravings, I decided to make my very own.

Mushroom soup with cream and sauteed sliced mushrooms

Here’s the recipe:

Homemade Mushroom Soup (serves 5-6)

Ingredients:
700g        Mushrooms - a mixture of fresh button and chestnut mushrooms (sliced)
20g          Dried porcini mushroom (optional)
3 tbsp      Butter
1000ml    Chicken stock
120ml      Creme Fraiche or Double Cream
2 tbsp      Olive oil
2 cloves   Garlic (finely chopped)
1              Onion (finely chopped)
Parsley (finely chopped)
Salt
Black pepper

Directions:

1. Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in boiling water for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the mushrooms, onion, garlic and parsley.

2. Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan or a pot and stir in the onion and garlic. Fry the garlic and onion until translucent.

3. Add in the butter to the pot and stir until the butter foams. Then, add in the sliced mushrooms and season with salt and black pepper.
TIP: Avoid adding too much salt if using prepared chicken stock or chicken stock cubes.

4. When the mushrooms are soft, add the chicken stock and cook over medium heat. Add in the chopped parsley.
TIP: Any type of chicken stock goes well. If using concentrated chicken stock, dilute as instructed by the chicken stock package. I used 2 Knorr chicken stock cubes diluted in 1000ml of water.

5. Turn off the heat and blend the soup in batches.

6. Pour the blended soup back into the pot and cook over low heat. Add in cream and stir well to combine the cream with the soup.
TIP: I used creme fraiche in my soup. To minimise wastage of material, use double cream for the soup as it is needed when serving the soup.

7. Serve the soups topped with a little double cream and some sauteed sliced mushrooms.

The mushroom soup had a strong mushroom fragrance and goes well with garlic bread.

ENJOY! :D

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Curry Mee @ Air Itam Market

A bowl of curry mee with generous toppings

A bowl of curry mee commonly contains a mixture of rice vermicelli and egg noodles with bean sprouts soaked in a spiced coconut curry broth and topped with dried bean curd, cockles, cuttlefish, prawns and hardened pig’s blood. A good broth is well spiced with chilli, shallots and a mixture of secret spices and gives off a fragrant coconut milk scent.

Over time, there are mushrooming Curry Mee stalls in Penang but here’s one of the oldest Curry Mee stall in Penang. Located under the shade of trees in the Air Itam market, these pair of sisters had been selling Curry Mee for a couple of decades. What’s really unique is they broth is heated using charcoal fire.

One of the sisters filling up a bowl of noodles with curry broth

Although the noodles are not blanched immediately before serving, the charcoal heated broth warms the noodles up. The toppings were also generous. The use of charcoal fire makes the broth fragrant with a unique scent that only charcoal fire can give off. The curry broth is mildly spicy and had a strong coconut milk fragrant. For a spicier taste, add some of the additional chilli paste. Be ready to sit on small benches under the tree to enjoy this.

The famous Curry Mee in the Air Itam market had drawn much attention especially after a video of them was circulating in Facebook. Both in their 70s, the sisters cook the curry broth and prepare all ingredients on their own and getting assistance only on weekends or public holidays. Despite old age catching up on them, the stall is open daily except for Chinese New Year from early mornings to about 12pm when the market closes. I am most amazed by their spirit to keep going on with life and their friendliness to customers of all ages.

When business is slow, there is nothing much to do but wait for customers

Located in a small alley from the main road  of the market, it is a little difficult to find on the first visit. Ask vendors around the market and everyone is usually willing to help. Like any other morning markets in Penang, parking is scarce. Parking could be found in the many alleys along the market or further up nearer to the base towards Kek Lok Si temple.

Though not the best Curry Mee in Penang, it tastes really good and it is one of the unique curry mee stall worth trying while it is still around.

Food rating: 8/10
Service rating: 9/10

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