Steamed Caramel Cakes and Sundays often remind me of afternoon teas and high teas. In Singapore, the delightful practice of afternoon teas has been retained by many hotels and restaurants. A popular pastime for many Singaporeans - one can be treated with a delectable spread of savories and sweets, complemented by an extensive selection of teas and coffee. Very often, warm local delights are created, infusing the bold and unique flavors of Southeast Asia into the tranquillity of a traditional English afternoon tea.
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One such sweet delight that is truly quite simple but yet so flavorful is the Malay style Steamed Caramel Cakes. Steam cooking the cakes yields an extremely soft and spongy texture. So good, my family has had them not just for afternoon tea but for breakfast and after dinner deserts as well.

Steamed Caramel Cakes
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from "Quick & Easy Asian Desserts"

Ingredients
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Hot Water
1/4 cup Butter (melted)
1/4 cup Evaporated Milk
1 egg (beaten)
​1 1/4 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
Pinch of Salt
1/4 cup + 2 tsp Sugar

Cooking Method
1. Caramelize sugar by melting 3/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until it turns golden brown. Remove from heat.
2. Carefully pour in hot water into the caramel as it will splutter. Return the saucepan to heat and bring it back to a boil for a few minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour out 2/3 cups of the caramel syrup. (If you have less, add water to make up for the amount)
3. Add the melted butter, milk and beaten egg into the caramel syrup. Mix well.
4. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Gently pour in caramel mixture and mix well until a smooth batter is formed.
5. Fill small, lightly greased 2.5" tartlet trays to about 3/4 full and steam cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 15 pieces

Oven Baked Ayam Penyet - "Ayam Penyet", literally means chicken for the word "ayam" and smashed or flattened for the word "penyet" in Javanese. Traditionally, this fried chicken dish is smashed with the pestle against the mortar to tenderize the meat. Served with rice and sambal chilli, it is a common dish found in Singapore and is also considered one of the many dishes that Singaporeans cannot live without. It is one of my many favorite Malay dishes and I could eat this everyday. *grin*
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I discovered a simpler and healthier version from eatbook.sg and made a few adjustments to it. Instead of frying the chicken, they were oven baked. I paired it with onion rice and the kids loved it! It is a great week night meal - so easy to make, very little mess in the kitchen and you can decide how spicy you want it to be.

Oven Baked Ayam Penyet
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from eatbook.sg

Recipe
Chicken Ingredients
8 to 10 pieces Chicken Thighs
1 large Yellow Onion
1 whole Garlic Bulb
1 stalk Lemongrass (white portion only)
2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

Sambal Ingredients
8 Red Chillies (depending on the size of the chillies, approx. 6 oz)
1 tomato
2 oz Shallots
1 whole Garlic Bulb
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Cooking Method
1. De-bone and cut off excess fat on chicken thighs. (It is much easier for children's consumption if the chicken has been de-boned)
3. Blend the onion, garlic, lemongrass, turmeric powder and salt in a food processor until a smooth paste is formed. No water is necessary as there is some water content in onions, especially once you blend it.
4. Place all the chicken pieces and marinade in a ziplock bag, ensure that all chicken pieces have been coated well. Set aside to marinate for 15 min.
5. Prepare the sambal chilli by blending the red chillies, tomato, shallot and garlic in a food processor until a smooth paste is form. (You have a choice of keeping or removing the seeds in the chillies before blending. Keeping them will yield a spicier paste.)
6. Heat olive oil in wok and stir fry the chilli paste until it is slightly dry. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. Bake chicken pieces in 350 degrees F for 30 min on the middle rack. Then place it on the top rack and broil on medium for 5 min or until it is slightly charred.
8. Serve the chicken with rice and sambal chilli.

Makes 4 portions

Chicken Fried Rice - going back to the basics here with one of our family's favorite one dish meal. The ever so versatile fried rice that is simple to make and can be served as a complete meal. You can make this dish with any meat ingredient (chicken, beef, pork, shrimps etc), vegetables, eggs and seasoning. I usually make chicken fried rice and my kids love it. A wonderful make in advance meal or week night dinner option.
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Leftover rice is generally used because the moisture in freshly cooked rice will often cause it to steam instead of fry. And that will cause the entire dish to be mushy and sticky. What I'd do is to cook the rice and leave it out to cool for a couple of hours or over night before frying it. That way, the rice will be dry and grainy - resulting in a perfectly light and fluffy fried rice.

Chicken Fried Rice
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Ingredients
2 cups Cooked Rice (Cooled for a couple of hours or over night)
3 eggs
2 tbsp Chopped Garlic
1 cup Mixed Vegetables
1 whole Chicken Breast Meat (diced)
3 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Soy Sauce (divided)
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
White Pepper Powder
3 tbsp Cooking Oil (divided)

Cooking Method
1. Beat eggs and season with 1/2 tsp soy sauce and a dash of white pepper powder.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a wok and add beaten eggs. Using a spatula, swirl the egg mixture until it is scrambled and cooked. Dish out and set aside.
3. Season diced chicken with 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sesame oil and a dash of white pepper powder.
4. Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in the wok and gently stir fry chopped garlic until fragrant.
5. Add in seasoned diced chicken and stir fry until cooked.
6. Add in cooked rice and stir fry gently, ensure that rice is grainy and not lumped together.
7. Season with oyster sauce and a dash of white pepper powder. Add in cooked eggs and mixed vegetables. Continue frying for a few more minutes.
8. Garnish with spring onions  or cilantro before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Black Pepper Crab on Deviled Eggs, taking your basic deviled eggs recipe to a whole new level with this spicy and savory Singaporean twist! In Singapore, one can enjoy a wide variety of seafood. From sambal stingray, crispy fried baby squids to one of my all time favorites, chili and black pepper crab. With a great selection of seafood restaurants, it is often a popular choice for family and get-together meals.

I love black pepper crab and it is one of those dishes that I have always wanted to try making on my own. Hard shell crabs fried with freshly ground peppercorns are often used in this dish. Unlike chili crab, it is not cooked in a sauce and hence, has a dry consistency. 
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I decided to have a go at making this dish but with a little twist. Lately, I have been having deviled eggs at restaurants and I started to realize a trend with this classic appetizer - a robust flavored topping. Twice at different restaurants, I had the creamy and tangy finger food topped with a delectable smoked salmon. And that got me thinking! I could totally top a deviled egg with the legendary Singapore black pepper crab. So, I am pleased to share a recipe that I developed on my own. *grin*

Black Pepper Crab on Deviled Eggs - Singapore Style!
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Deviled Eggs Ingredients
8 eggs
1/2 cup Japanese Mayonnaise
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar

Black Pepper Crab Ingredients
1 cup Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
1/2 tbsp Black Peppercorns
1/2 tsp White Peppercorns
1/2 tbsp Chopped Garlic
1/2 tbsp Chopped Shallots
1/2 tsp Chilli Padi (finely sliced)
2 tsp Fermented Black Bean Paste (I used Lee Kum Kee Black Bean and Garlic Paste)
1/2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Butter
Spring Onions / Scallions (finely sliced)

Cooking Method
1. Place eggs in a pot and fill it with water until it covers the eggs. Bring it to a boil, remove from heat and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 15 min. Remove the eggs from the hot water, cool under cold running water and peel.
2. Cut each egg in half lengthwise and place the egg yolks in a food processor. Add mayonnaise, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Process until smooth. 
3. Spoon or pipe (in a piping bag) yolk mixture into egg whites. Set aside.
4. Crush black and white peppercorns. Toast the crushed peppercorns in a wok until it is fragrant. Dish out and set aside.
5. Melt butter in wok. Add chopped garlic, shallots, black bean paste, toasted peppercorns and chilli padi. Stir fry for a few minutes.
6. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Stir well.
7. Add crab meat and stir fry for another 5 min.
8. Spoon crab meat onto prepared deviled eggs. Garnish with spring onions.

Ginger Turmeric Chicken Wings are so tasty and easy to make, they will be a staple for game night and parties! These chicken wings are often served with Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice) in Singapore - another recipe that I will share soon. A simple dry rub chicken wing recipe that is oven-baked, without the mess and constant tending of frying and extremely easy to make.

Ginger Turmeric Chicken Wings
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
24 pieces Chicken Wings (mid-joints and drummettes)
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Ginger Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Cooking Method
1. Marinate the chicken wings with all the ingredients.
2. Place on a baking rack and tray. Bake for 30 min at 375 degrees F on the middle rack of the oven.
3. After 30 min, move the tray up to the top rack and brown the chicken wings for 8 to 10 min at low broil.

Lemongrass Pork Lettuce Cup is a deconstructed version of the Vietnamese Pork and Rice Noodle Salad combined with Asian Lettuce Wraps where he features pork patties instead of minced meat. It was extremely easy to make and the kids loved them. I switched a couple of ingredients out with what I had available - namely scallions with cilantro and the vermicelli noodles with Japanese shirataki noodles instead.
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With the upcoming Super Bowl that will be held in Houston this year, This quick and easy party bite would be perfect for your Super Bowl party!
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Lemongrass Pork Lettuce Cup
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from ""Simply Ming In Your Kitchen" by Chef Ming Tsai

Recipe
Ingredients
1 8oz packet Japanese Shirataki Noodles
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
Cilantro (roughly chopped) or Scallions / Spring Onions (thinly sliced)
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tbsp Minced Ginger
2 tbsp Minced Lemongrass (white portion only)
​1 Jalapeno Pepper (minced) (may omit for non-spicy version)
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 lb Ground Pork
1 head Iceberg Lettuce or Butter Lettuce

Cooking Method
1. Remove Japanese shirataki noodles from packet, drain and rinse with cool water. Place it in a pot and add water. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 2 to 3 min. Drain and allow to cool. Place noodles in a bowl, add lime juice, fish sauce, some chopped cilantro and toss. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan or wok. Stir fry ginger, lemongrass, cilantro or scallions and jalapeño for about 2 min until the vegetable are soft. Transfer to a bowl to cool and wipe down the pan or wok.
3. Add minced pork into the bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. With wet hands, divide and form 8 oval patties that is about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in the pan or wok and shallow fry patties until browned, about 3 to 4 min on each side.
5. Prepare 8 lettuce cups, top each with noodle salad and patty. Garnish with cilantro or scallions before serving.

Makes 8 servings