Let’s have Pancake’s Day!

Today is the annual Pancake’s Day of 2021!

I’ll show you two different type of vegan pancakes today, both are not complicate to make. So let’s start!

Matcha pancake with red bean paste:

1 Banana
250ml Dairy-free milk
200g Plain flour or gluten-free flour
1tsp organic matcha powder
1 tsp flaxseeds

Method: Add and mix all ingredients to a blender, work until smooth. Pour the pancake dough into a nonstick skillet. Fry pancakes on both sides until golden brown. Serve warm with homemade red bean paste and maple syrup and enjoy!

Classic Vegan Pancake:

1 cup Dairy-free milk
1 tsp ACV
1 cup Plain flour or gluten-free flour
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tbsp sugar (optional for refined sugar-free)
Sea Salt
1 tbsp oil (optional)

Method: Mix the milk with ACV, stir and set aside for two minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients to the milk mixture and mix until all in well incorporated. Pour the batter into the nonstick skillet with spray oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Serve with your favourite fillings, such as sliced banana, fruit coulis, berries, ice-cream, but the best is the classic version: a cube of vegan butter with fresh lemon juice with maple syrup.

Happy Valentine’s Day: Chocolate Brownie In A Mug

I love cooking my chocolate brownie in a mug if I fancy a cake with a quick fix. This is the one for you! I like this cake simple, all you need to do is whisking all the ingredients and dump in the microwave, it takes only 60 to 90 seconds (depends on your container), then you’ll have a delicious dessert in front of you. Will, it satisfies your craving?

Make it now, enjoy your Happy Valentine’s Day with your love one!

I suggest adding more chocolate chips for richer flavour or sprinkle a few berries like raspberries or cherries (frozen will be fine), or even add a teaspoon of nut butter on top. It is super fudgy, moist and perfect for any time you need a cake desperately. Would you give it a try? Tell me how’s yours turn out!

Ingredient: (for one ramekin)

• 2 tbsp Plain flour/all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp Coconut sugar or normal brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder or cacao powder
• 2-3 tbsp Dairy-free milk
• 1 tbsp Sunflower oil, canola oil or melted vegan butter
• Pinch of Pink sea salt
• 1-2 tbsp Vegan chocolate chips for topping (optional)
• Few berries for topping (optional)
• 1/8 tsp Baking powder (optional)

Serving options: Coconut whip cream, Dairy free vanilla ice cream, sprinkle 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder

Method:

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, coconut sugar, salt and unsweetened cocoa powder until evenly combined without lumps.
2. Whisk in the wet ingredients until the batter formed, it should be a consistent brownie batter, smooth and thick.
3. Stir in the vegan chocolate chips if you use and transfer the brownie batter into a mug or microwave-proof ramekin. If you like, add few berries on top before putting in the microwave.
4. Place the mug or ramekin in the centre of your microwave, and put on high (800W) for 90 seconds. Otherwise, bake in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 8-12 minutes or until the brownie is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. Wait for a minute before eating in case burning yourself.
6. Serve with a scoop of vegan ice cream on top would be my strong suggestion! Enjoy! xxx

One Bowl Vegan Apple Streusel Cake

You may know cinnamon and apple are a perfect companion made in baking, plus one bowl method makes it super easy to handle. This rich vegan apple cake is full of more apples than cake and with the streusel topping for a more interesting option for you!

For this recipe, you may use Bramley cooking apples for the first priority, but I adapted the 🍏 Granny-Smith apples for my only choice instead of Bramley, cause I made up this cake just in a whim.

Pan-Fried Vegan Custard Buns

If you don’t have an oven at home, don’t worry, it still has many options to make cakes, bread and lots of things at home. Here is one of the easy version to use your frying pan to make this delicious vegan custard buns (don’t tell me you haven’t got a frying pan in your kitchen, if you say yes, probably you may not interest it).  😅

Just like all the bread-making, simply mix all the dough ingredients together, knead to a smooth and elastic dough, let it proof in a warm place until double the size. Punch down the air out, cut into equal portions (depends how big you like), and roll into a ball shape, then rest for 15 minutes. Wrap the prepared custard cream filling, let it make the second proofing. Then put on a large frying pan and dry fry on the lowest heat for 5-7 minutes each side. Just as simple as that!

Pan-Fried Vegan Custard Buns

Ingredient for the dough: (6 buns)

• 1 cup Bread flour/strong flour
• 1 tbsp Custard powder
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• Pinch of Pink salt
• 1 tsp Instant yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil

Vegan Custard Cream:

• 1 cup Dairy-free milk
• 1 tbsp Custard powder
• 1 tbsp Corn flour
• 2 tbsp Sugar

Method:

1. For the custard cream: Mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan until well combined and without any lumps. Put on low heat and keep stirring constantly, cook until thickened. Off heat and cover a piece of cling film by touching the surface of the cream. Chill in the fridge.
2. For the buns: Combine the dry ingredients and mix together with a whisk. Add dry yeast, water and mix. Put it on the table and knead (10mins). Add oil and knead more (5mins).
3. Punch down and release air in the dough and divide it into 6 pieces and make them round, cover with a damp towel and leave for 15 minutes. Roll into an oval shape, fill half of the dough with a good amount of custard cream. Fold the other half dough over and seal tightly. Repeat the rest of the dough.
4. Proof the buns in a warm place for a half-hour until doubled.
5. Put one or two layers of baking paper in a frying pan then place the buns on it. Bake the buns with a lid with the lowest heat for 5-7 minutes per each side.
6. Serve WARM is the best! DON’T serve straight away after cook, the custard filling will be burning hot!

Baked Vegan Tahini Cauliflower without Batter

If you love cauliflower, probably you have lots of creative recipes already. But I think you’re going to be in love with this easy version heavenly combination of flavours recipe. Let’s see!

Tahini made from toasted ground hulled sesame. It is a good source of calcium, manganese, potassium, and phosphorus. High level in protein and make it good nutrition add to vegetarian and vegan diets.

In my kitchen, you’re so rare to see me doing the deep fry cooking, even the high-fat cooking. Not only because the health that I mainly concern, aside from this, I really don’t like to waste food although the oil can be reuse but can’t keep it too long after use.

However, let’s start it now and also let me know after you try this dish afterwards, please!

Ingredient:

• 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Tahini Sauce:

• 1-2 tbsp Fresh Lemon juice
• 2 tbsp tahini Paste
• 1 tbsp harissa paste (This is what I use)
• 1 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
• 2 tbsp water 
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C, or 180°C for a fan oven, line a large baking tray with grease paper. Lay the cauliflower florets onto the tray, then toss with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Toss then roast for 20-25 minutes until slightly charred and crispy.
2. While cauliflower is roasting, prepare the tahini sauce. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth doesn’t matter if it gets the small lumps.
3. Place the cauliflower on a serving plate, then drizzle the harissa tahini sauce. Serve hot immediately and enjoy! 

Homemade Vegan Shacha Sauce 素食沙茶酱

‘Shacha Sauce’ is modified from Malaysian and Indonesian satay sauce. It has been slightly different between ‘Shacha sauce’ and ‘satay sauce. ‘Shacha sauce’ is lighter in sweetness, salty, but satay sauce is slightly sweeter, spicy, and more peanuts. In some cases, thick peanuts are added according to Malaysian recipes. That information is adapted from the web.

But I still get confused, some source said barbecue sauce, some said satay sauce?

This is the brand that I usually bought! According to the critical moment during this year, some of my cooking ingredients ran out already. That’s the reason I need to make my own sauce today. Surprise me it is not too complicated to achieve.

Vegan Graham Crackers

Can I do some survey? What would you like with your cup of tea or coffee? A slice of cake or just biscuit? What are your beloved biscuits?

I love graham cracker dip in my cup of tea mostly! This special biscuit gives me a sweet, toasty, cinnamon aroma and golden crunchy cookies just perfect for my afternoon tea!

No-Baked Vegan Oreo Cheese Cake

If you fancy a dessert but without any fancy ingredients. This is just the right one for you. Only 4 ingredients for the cake if you get the store-bought cream cheese. And no-bake, a few simple steps to achieve, will it attract you?

Let’s start straight away! Here I use oreo biscuits, or you may use any of your favourite cookies or graham crackers that’s one of my favourite tea time biscuits. You may sprinkle some cocoa powder on top of the cake if no-using the oreo.

Remember I have tried so many times to make cream cheese before, but the result still a bit thin for a firm cheesecake. Ging through a lot of experiment after but I think definitely worth it. Here is the way how I get this smooth, thick and creamy vegan cream cheese today, ideally and perfectly use on all the vegan cheesecake.

Ingredient for the cream cheese:

1 cup Raw Cashews (soaked in hot water for 1 hour)
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/3 cup Coconut Cream from a can
1 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp Salt

Add the soaked cashews (drained) to the blender along with the lemon juice, coconut cream, white vinegar, salt and blend. Scrape down the sides and give it a stir and then continue until it gets very smooth.
Transfer the blended mixture to a bowl and stir or whisk it in. Your cream cheese is now ready to use.
Keep it stored in the fridge. It will firm up overnight in the fridge so will have a firmer texture.

Ingredient for the cake:

• 15 Oreo biscuits
• 150ml Can of Coconut milk, chilled in the fridge advance
• 250ml Homemade Vegan cream cheese
• 15g Raw sugar

Method:

1. Sperate the biscuits and the filling, reserve the filling, set aside. Use a rolling pin to mash up 5 of the biscuits for later use. 
2. Mix the biscuits filling with the cream cheese, add the sugar if you use and chilled coconut milk and beat it with the electric whisk until smooth. 
3. Lined a layer of grease-proof paper on an air-tight container with extra length over-hang the edge. This is the tips to remove the cake to serve.
4. Put one layer of the cream mixture on the bottom of the container, then follow one layer of biscuits, repeat until all the cream mixture used. Sprinkle the top layer with the biscuit crumbs.  
5. Cover the lid and freeze well for about two to three hours until set. Pinch the edge of the over-hang paper and remove the cake out. Slice and serve with a cup of cappuccino, so nice.
6. Enjoy your delightful time!

Vegan Hot Chai Chocolate

I couldn’t remember when I tried my first cup of Chai latte in my memory. It was a strange experiment though. I never had this kind of drink with lots of spice mixture before. The taste was a bit strong for me in my first tempt.

Vegan Pumpkin Oat Pancakes, Gluten-free

Happy Halloween everyone!

Halloween 2020 will be one to remember. Government has suggested trick or treating can take place in tier one and tier two areas, but not tier three. With new restrictions in place to combat the spread of coronavirus, the government has urged people to use their common sense.

I do hope people can be more sensible to protect themselves and others. Remember: Make it safe, keep it fun!