CasualCook

  CHAI SPICED CUPCAKES WITH        BROWN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING These Chai Spiced Cupcakes get perfect pairing with the brown butter cream frosting. They are tender, moist and jam packed with warm spices of chai. To be honest, they are good on it's own but no cup cake is complete without a frosting. I topped the cupcakes with some brown butter frosting which works wonderfully with an added nutty and toasty butter flavour. It takes ordinary frosting and turns it into extraordinary.  You can also get fancy by adding a cinnamon stick for decoration. So, roll up your sleeves and let's get baking! INGREDIENTS CHAI SPICE MIX ( mix all spice together, spice mix will be used in both the cupcakes batter and frosting) - 2 -1/2 tsp ground cinnamon - 1 -1/4 tsp ground ginger - 1 -1/4 tsp ground cardamom - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg  TEA INFUSED MILK -1/2 cup whole milk  - 2 tea bags CUPCAKES BATTER - 200g cake flour  - 115g salted butter (room temperature) - 3 ...

         HARIYALI CHICKEN KABAB Hariyali Chicken Kabab is a classic Northern Indian starter or snack. Marinated with green paste made with green chilli, corriander and mint leaves along with yogart, thread onto skewers and then grilled to perfection. Tips to make Hariyali Chicken Kabab - For healthier version, i like using chicken breast for this recipe. Feel free to replace with chicken thighs if you prefer and using low fat or fat free yogart. If you are using chicken breast, make sure you marinate it at least 4 hours or better yet, overnight to develop enough flavour. - You could also add in extra vegetables, like peppers, mushrooms or onions onto the skewer. - If using bamboo skewers, soak in the water for at least 30 minutes before grilling or else the sticks can burn. - The Hariyali Chicken Kabab are so versatile, they can be baked/grill in the oven, pan grill on the stove or cooked on the BBQ. So, roll up you sleeves and let's get grilling! INGREDIENTS - ...

       DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA                                  CAKE An exotic combination of banana and chocolate in this double chocolate banana cake recipe. The sweet mellow banana flavour and rich cocoa powder are match made heaven. Add a little crunch from the hazelnuts and topped with melted chocolate chips an absolute must try indulgence.  Tips to make Double Chocolate Banana Cake.  -  Chocolate is one of the main ingredients here, so make sure you use quality cocoa powder and chocolate as this is basically how the cake will taste.  - This recipe requires ripe bananas. Ripe bananas will bring the real taste in the cake. Banana must be brown, very ripe and easy to mush. - Most of the recipes call for oil as opposed to butter but I find the flavour was lacked in interest and dept so for this recipe I added butter, it's adds richness and helps the cake feel mo...

        CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP There is something restorativeand satisfying about a homemade mushroom soup. I created this soup to not be too much of a splurge, adding 1 tbsp butter and 1/4 cup cream yet still it's incredibly creamy and not overly rich. This is an outstanding recipe that could be built on in many ways. Don't forget to side of my homemade  garlic herb dinner roll  to mop up all that pure essence of mushroom soup. This cream of mushroom soup is sure to become a family favorite.  Just a handful of ingrediants needed to make cream of mushroom soup: - Mushroom : swiss brown and white button or any combination of your favorite mushroom variety. The use of multiple mushroom types, adds a mix of texture and flavor. - Cream : cream adds richness. You can substitute it with regular full fat milk. Just be careful not to over boil as it may curdle. - Onion and garlic : creates the perfect balance of  flavour for this recipe.  - Broth : c...

     KAM H EONG PRAWN   " Kam Heong " literally means golden fragrance , a very popular dish in Malaysia. The ingredients that make up the kam heong sauce can be altered to suite your taste. If you are not a fan of prawns, you can substitute the protein with other seafood like clams and crabs. Reduce or add chilies to adjust the level of spiciness to your preference. A quick recipe loaded with BIG flavours which combines Indian, Chinnese and Malay influence. It really does light up the smelling senses and will have you smacking your lips in utter satisfaction. Give this recipe a try, it will soon be a famous in your home. Let's get cooking! INGREDIENTS - 500g fresh prawns (clean and de-veined) - 2 tbsp dried prawns (soaked for 10 minutes and drained) - 1 big red onion (chopped) - 4 cloves garlic (chopped) - 1 inch ginger (chopped) - 1 fresh green chili (chopped, you may add in few cili padi ( bird's eye chillies)) - 1 fresh red chilli (chopped) - 4 dried red chillie...

            SESAME PRAWN TOAST Prawn toast is big in flavour and it's fairly simple to put together. The topping is a mixture of prawn, light soy sauce, sugar and white pepper. Then you roll the top with seseme seeds and deep fried to crisp perfection. You can also cook them in the oven, just brush some vegetable oil on the bottom and cook at 200c until golden brown. Let's get cooking! INGREDIENTS - 200g prawns (de-shelled and de-vein) - 1 tsp light soy sauce  - 8 slice white bread (or as needed) - 2 pinch of white pepper - 1/4 tsp sugar   - 4 tbsp white sesame seeds (or as needed) - salt to taste  - cooking oil for deep frying - sweet chilli sauce for dipping METHOD - De- shelled and de-veined the prawns. Put them in a food processor and blitz them to a bitty paste. Scrape into a bowl and season with salt, sugar and pepper. - Trimmed the crust of the bread then cut each slice into three pieces or desired serving size pieces. - Spread the pra...

                    SCONES    I love a buttery, light, moist scones with crumbly corners. They are so quick and easy to make. Spread jam, clotted cream, butter or simply eat them plain. Delicious! Some notes on making SCONES - My golden rule of baking, use quality ingredients. Use real butter not substitute. - Use cold ingredients  - keeping scone dough as cold as possible by using cold ingredients like milk, egg and butter. - I like using frozen grated butter, the finer the pieces of cold butter the less the scones spread and the quicker the butter mixers into the dry ingredients. Unlike a pie crust, don't have big pieces of butter in the flour rather, it has a sandy soft texture.The cold butter creates  that beautiful flaky texture. Try not to over mix the dough or allow it to get warm. It will result a flatter and overly dense scones. ( If you notice the butter become greasy and melty, pop into freezer for 15 minut...