Lion House Dinner Rolls
I’ve always liked bread rolls. They are simply yummy, fluffy and buttery, but baking bread has always been something that scares me till now, even with some years of home baking. Even though it’s scary, I just love the smell of bread baking…there’s just something in it that makes it oh-so-very fulfilling. Then of course, to scarf it down in minutes with the occasional tongue burning and slather it with luscious butter.
Pinterest has been my bible ever since it began. Life, has never been the same again. Thanks to it, I found out about this precious dinner roll. I don’t make it as often as I wish for because it’s quite a big batch and I do not own a larger freezer YET, to freeze the rolls for another day. The freezer that comes with the built-in fridge is like a shoe box and it’s always filled. But when I make these rolls, I separate the dough into two. One gets baked into dinner rolls and the other half, into chocolate cinnamon rolls. Yay, yeast party!
For this recipe, I like to start off using my stand mixer and once all the ingredients have been mixed, it goes onto the counter top to be kneaded. Reason being, my mixer is not able to hold that much dough.
Recipe adapted from the Lion House Cookbook.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Warm Water (45°C / 110°F)
- 2/3 cups Dry Milk Powder
- 2 tablespoons Dry Yeast
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 Egg
- ⅓ cup , plus extra for brushing Butter, softened
- 5 - 5½ cups All Purpose Flour
Directions:
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, mix in sugar, yeast, water and milk powder. Let it sit for 5 minutes till slightly frothy.
- Add in 2 cups of flour, butter, salt and egg. Mix on low with stand mixer (when available – if not mix and hand knead).
- Gradually add the rest of the flour (you may not need all the flour) until well mixed.
- Continue kneading for 5 minutes on medium speed or by hand. I use hand because my mixer can’t hold that much dough.
- The dough should be soft, not too sticky and not stiff.
- Lightly oil a large bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour or till doubled in size in a warm place.
- Prepare a baking tray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Once dough has risen, lightly flour countertop and divide dough into equal balls or desired shape.
- Place on a lined baking tray, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise again for 30 – 45 minutes or till doubled in size in a warm place.
- Pre-heat oven to 190°C (375°F).
- Bake rolls for 20 minutes or till golden brown.
- Brush with some melted butter as soon as it comes out from the oven.
Tips:
Enjoy!
Homemade Peanut Butter
Why homemade peanut butter? No preservatives (✓), No added sugar (✓), No added oils such as vegetable oil (✓). Is homemade peanut butter cheaper? It all depends on the peanuts you buy. I buy store brand roasted peanuts which costs CHF3 ($3) per kilo – you can of course buy unroasted and roast it yourself. One jar of peanut butter here costs the same. So for me, it is cheaper. I did not make my own peanut butter because it was cheaper, but because I needed unsweetened peanut butter which I have not found here yet. Plus, it’s so easy and you can control the smoothness of the peanut butter. Now that I have made my own peanut butter, I really prefer the taste of it compared to store bought ones.
All you need is a food processor, peanuts and coconut oil which is optional. Add salt, sugar or preferred sweetener if you wish. This recipe yields 17 servings ( 1 Tablespoon/c.a 15 grams ) = c.a 255 grams per jar.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Roasted Peanuts
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil (optional)
Directions:
- Process peanuts in food processor till smooth.
- Add coconut oil to fasten up the process and for a creamier feel.
- Store in a glass jar.
Tips:
- Conversion Table
- Peanut butter lasts up to 2 months. I kept mine in the pantry.
- If you are using MyFitnessPal app to count calories, first copy the recipe URL then go to MyFitnessPal app to Recipes, select Create a New Recipe, then Add from the Web. Paste the URL, match ingredients and that’s it!
- Always match ingredients to the ones you use. Ingredient nutritional facts differ depending on brand.
- Nutrition Facts (based on my ingredients) : Per serving (1 Tablespoon/c.a 15 grams ) 98 kcal, Total Fat – 8 g, Total/Net Carbs – 2 g, Protein – 4 g.
Enjoy!
Chicken Congee / Chicken Rice Porridge
Congee or rice porridge is a common ‘sick people’ or baby food. It’s tasty and easy to digest. When I was young, my go-to sick food was chicken porridge or KFC mashed potatoes. When you have a cough, the doctor will advice to not have oily foods, but I will still add sesame oil to my porridge (while my mother looks away). That’s like the best part about porridge!! Tons of heavenly sesame oil.
Other than it being a ‘sick people’ or baby food, porridge is also eaten for breakfast or actually anytime you wish to. Nowadays, I cook it on my lazy days and on cold winter days. The ginger in it gives out a nice warm feeling in the tummy. However, if using as baby food, you normally do not add any seasoning to it. So just plain porridge with a choice of protein and veggies all blended together.
Most Chinese restaurants in Malaysia cook it on request, some even specialise in it. You can even buy instant porridge in cups or packets where you just need to add boiling water to it.
So what is rice porridge? It’s just plain white rice that has been boiled with lots of water until the rice breaks down and becomes thick and gooey. You can also use your own choice of meat, such as chicken, pork or fish. It’s also a great way to use up leftover rice if you do not feel like having fried rice. The basic condiments are spring onions, julienned ginger, fried onions. Other condiments (when available) include pork or chicken floss (rousong), pickled mustard plant (zha cai), and fried chinese crullers (char kway). For added seasoning, add sesame oil, light soy sauce, and white pepper.
There are two ways I use to cook rice porridge. The first is by cooking it manually over the stove top in a large pot. The second is by using the rice cooker, so all I need to do is mix in the ingredients and press a button and stir every now and then.
In Switzerland, I have yet to see a Chinese restaurant have porridge on their menu. That’s basically not a problem, but when I am sick…porridge is all I crave for. But I do not want to be standing and stirring at the stove while I am sick. I use to also not really want to cook porridge because I am the only one who used to eat it. My husband always had the notion that my rice porridge was sweet, like grits or oats. It took me 3 years to convince him to even have a spoon of it. Now, he loves it! He even eats more servings than I do and requests it all the time.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups White Rice (jasmine), washed
- 8 cups (+/-) Water
- 2 pieces Chicken Breast, sliced
- 2-inch Ginger, sliced
- To taste Salt & White Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
Condiments
- Spring Onions
- Fried Onions
- Ginger, julienned
- Salt & White Pepper
- Sesame Oil
- Light Soy Sauce
Directions for rice cooker:
- Wash rice till water runs clear in rice pot.
- Add water, ginger, chicken, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.
- Press cook. This will take about an hour.
- Stir occasionally to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom.
- Once rice has broken down, you can adjust the thickness of the porridge. If it’s still too watery, cook it longer and if it’s too thick, add more water.
- Add choice of condiments. Serve.
Directions for stove top:
- Follow directions above, just use a large pot.
Tips:
- Do not fill rice cooker with water exceeding ¾ of the pot. You can always start with less water than the required and add the rest later.
- You may not need all the required water. Reduce or add water depending on the consistency you prefer.
- If using already cooked rice, use a ladle to break up any rice clumps first.
- If using fish, add it after the porridge has been cooked. Gently stir it in and cook porridge again till fish is cooked, about 4-5 minutes.
- 1 cup rice = 185 grams
- Cups to Grams conversions
Enjoy!
Brownies
Brownies have been another long time favourite. Many people have their own preferences to how they like their brownies ; be it cakey, fudgy, chocolaty, nutty, aromatic or just plain old brownies. To me there is no right or wrong in making brownies.
So here’s a brownie recipe that’s quite fudgy, very chocolaty, and nutty…plus an additional fake flower prop. Didn’t what I was thinking about when I took the photo and only edited it after I ate all the brownies.
Recipe adapted from My Sweet Journals.
Ingredients
- 9 ounces (250g) Dark Cooking Chocolate
- 1 cup Butter
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 3 nos Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt (if using unsalted butter)
- ½ cup Walnuts, toasted
Directions:
- Prepare a 9 x 9-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment paper and grease it.
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)
- Toast walnuts.
- Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler, microwave or if you are lazy like me, just over the stove on low heat (be sure not to burn it). Mix well.
- Sieve flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
- Once butter and chocolate have melted, take it off heat.
- Mix in brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt (if using unsalted butter) and eggs (one at a time).
- Using a spatula, fold in flour mixture and toasted nuts.
- Pour into prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until your cake tester comes out clean.
Tips:
Tzatziki Sauce
A quick cold yogurt sauce great for Kebabs, Pita Bread with Falafel, or sandwiches.
Back in my Uni days, my friend Ling and I used to frequent a Kebab house that baked the best chicken wings ever! It was super crispy, juicy and tasty. Ling use to pair her wings with yogurt sauce and she introduced it to me. I loved it instantly! Ling also had a way to eat wings…with a fork and knife. On top of that, she actually spent time de-boning it before eating it. Her way was genius as you could then fill the wings up with the yogurt sauce! Like a stuffed chicken wing.
She was my eating, shopping, b*tching and sometimes snuggling/sleeping companion. We used to also spend lots of time watching trailers together. So Ling Ling, this is for you!
Ingredients
- ½ (about 6-inches) Cucumber
- 1 cup Yogurt or Greek Yogurt
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon Dill, dried or fresh
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Mint, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- To taste Salt
Directions:
- Cut cucumber lengthways, use a teaspoon to deseed.
- Use food processor to grate cucumbers.
- Mix cucumbers, yogurt, garlic, dill, chopped mint, salt and sugar.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Tips:
Enjoy!
Oopsie Rolls / Bread
Watching your carbs but can’t resist bread? On a LCHF or Keto diet and miss that bun on your burger? Sick of just eating meat without a starch to accompany it? Here’s the solution. Oopsie Rolls / Bread. Of course it’s not the same as bread, but I find it a reasonable and quick substitute. These rolls/bread was created (not by me) by accident, hence the name of it. Use it as a replacement for foods that you would normally have with bread such as, hotdogs, burgers, sandwiches or wraps. You can even use it as a dessert like swiss rolls, pancakes or crepes. However, there are better keto friendly dessert recipes other than this.
The texture of these rolls/bread is like an overly fluffed up scramble egg. Very soft, spongy, delicate and tear very easily. It’s best to eat the rolls/bread the day you make it.
This is a very simple recipe and you probably already have the ingredients on hand. Psyllium husk is optional but it is a good edition as it is a source of soluble dietary fiber and it gives you a full feeling. It also does not affect the taste of the rolls/bread. Be sure to drink lots of fluids when using psyllium husk. Also, if you do not know about psyllium husk, research it well before using it. It can be bought in any health stores, reformhaus, or amazon.
Recipe from DietDoctor.
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs, medium (separated)
- 100 grams / 3½ oz Cream Cheese
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ Tablespoon Psyllium Husk Powder (optional)
- To Taste Salt
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 150°C (300°F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Have 2 bowls ready. Separate eggs. White in one bowl and yolk in the other.
- Take the bowl with yolk. Add cream cheese and whisk till frothy and fully combined (no more clumps).
- Mix in baking powder and psyllium husk powder if using. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer/stand mixer, whip up egg whites till it reaches stiff peaks. It should be able to not fall/drop when you turn the bowl upside down and shake.
- Gently fold in egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Be very gentle with it as you do not want to deflate the egg whites.
- Once fully mixed, scoop out mixture onto baking tray. 6 big ones or 8 small ones.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
Tips:
- Conversion Table
- For more nutritional information, please visit my Yummly page and scroll to the bottom of the recipe.
- If you are using MyFitnessPal app to count calories, first copy the recipe URL then go to MyFitnessPal app to Recipes, select Create a New Recipe, then Add from the Web. Paste the URL, match ingredients and that’s it!
- Always match ingredients to the ones you use. Ingredient nutritional facts differ depending on brand.
Enjoy!