Pennylane Brownies

Dear brownies lovers,

As I promised you before, I would like  to share the famous brownie recipe taken from mbak Riana's blog. This brownie is easy to make, healthy and cheap! Yea, because it used vegetable oil and peanuts. Let's take a look at below recipe, of course with a little modification hehehe...

 

Ingredients:

4 eggs x 2
2 cups castor sugar x 2
½ tsp salt x 2
1 1/2 cups flour x 2
¾ cup cocoa powder x 2
1 tsp vanilla powder x 2
1 cup vegetable oil x 2
1 cup roasted peanuts -> 100gram x 2
½ cup chocolate chips -> 105 gram x 2
All the ingredients were multiplied by 2, because I made 2 tins.

Directions:

- Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celcius. Prepare 2 brownie tins 10x30x4cm in size, line them with baking paper, grease with margarine.

- Beat with mixer the eggs and sugar until the sugar dissolves and the batter looks pale. Add salt, beat well.

- Turn off mixer, sift the flour, cocoa powder and vanilla into the batter, fold. Add oil, stir well. Add peanuts and chocolate chips, stir well.

- Pour the batter into the tins, bake for +/- 45 minutes (in my oven). Test until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

- Cooled first before serving.

It is always yummy, never fails, and no guilty at all *maap lebay hehehe*. By the way, my brownie is over baked alias gosong *oops*, so I cut the top, but it is still yummy *iya kan iya kan hehehe*.

Xoxo,
Atika

Arem-arem Mie

Dear friends,

When my friend asked me to bring some snacks for exercising gerak jalan at the office, I tried to make Arem-arem Mie and Pennylane Brownies *the famous brownies from Mbak Riana - NCC*. First of all, I would post the Arem-arem Mie recipe taught by my mom. Here is the recipe. Hope you like it!

Ingredients:

4 garlics

5 shallots

6 candlenuts *horreeyy I know kemiri in English*

1/2 sdt salt

Cooking oil to saute

150 gram mincemeat

2 glass coconut milk, boiled

4 eggs, beaten

1 tbs pepper
2 sachet Royco

4 packs noodles, boiled then drained, cut into small pieces * I used mi telur cap 3 ayam*

100 gram scallions, sliced

3 small celery, sliced

50 gram cayennes

Banana leaves to wrap the rolls

Directions:

- Grind garlics, shallots, candlenuts and ½ tsp salt to make the spice paste.

- Then saute the spice paste until fragrant, add mincemeat, stir until done, pour coconut milk, beaten eggs, pepper and Royco.

- Mix well the spice paste with noodles and sliced scallions and celery.

- Take a piece of banana leaf and put small amount of noodles and one cayenne in it, then roll the banana leaf into a roll *look at the above picture, sorry I can’t describe it very well*, close the roll with a stick or clean toothpick or stapler.

- Repeat this method for the rest of the ingredients.

- Steam for about 30 minutes.

- Served while hot with chilli sauce.
- Makes approximately 20 big rolls.

I always feel happy whenever I can translate the recipes into English. It is so difficult, but I try my best to do it.  I think, it’s a kind of challenging task hehehe.

Let’s cook!

Atika

Almond Chocochips Cookies

Dear chocochip cookies lovers,

Lebaran is not complete without yummy and delicious cookies. Must-eat cookies in Lebaran day are kastengels, sagu keju, cheese stick, nastar, lidah kucing and putri salju. Those are my favorite cookies when Lebaran comes. But for about 2 years until now, I made and sold PennyLane’s Chocolate Cookies. The incredible cookies from Ms. Riana when I tried it for the first time at Halal bi Halal NCC in 2008. 

It's just accidentally happened, one day I tried the recipe and then some of my friends at the office like it *lagi kelaperan kayaknya waktu itu hihihi tapi sumpah enak banget loh* *jujur*. So they ordered to me that cookies. For two years, especially on weekend at the fasting month, I always made these cookies until I didn’t have time to make must-eat cookies. But, that’s OK, I took it as an experience as a tukang kue. I called these cookies with Almond Chocochips Cookies.

Making these cookies, it’s not as easy as making kastengels or other cookies. Because the amount of chocolate is more than the amount of flour. The cookies turned out larger or melted in the oven. So we need to be patient while baking. Lots of dough makes you wanna through it to the river hahaha. Don’t make the cookies turn out burnt and crumble easily. The best part is your kitchen will smell chocolaty when you are baking, sniff it in a fasting month, isn’t it fun?:p

The most important thing is I have to learn it from the masterchef itself. Ms. Riana. I wish I have time to learn all the cookies recipes again *sigh*.

By the way, this is the recipe from Ms. Riana’s blog with some of modification *udah dimodif mbak Riana eh dimodif lagi hihihi*

PennyLane’s Chocolate Cookies
Original source: Joy of Baking
Modified by: Riana

60 grams cake flour (low protein flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder
450 grams bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped *I used 400 grams colatta dcc and 50 grams colatta white chocolate*
60 grams unsalted butter or margarine *I used orchid butter salt*
200 grams granulated white sugar *I used 250 grams sugar*
4 eggs, room temperature *and 1 teaspoon emulsifier*
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 gram instant coffee powder (2 sachet @ 2 grams), diluted with a few drops of hot water *I used nescafe classic*
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
175 grams semisweet dark chocolate chips
175 grams white chocolate chips *I used all Tulip dark chocolate chips because I didn't find white chocolate chips, anyone can help me?*
200 grams your favorite nuts, coarsely chopped and toasted (I used 100 grams almond slices and 100 grams kenari nuts – what is kenari nut in English? Canary nut? Not walnut, mind you, they’re different. Some people refer it as Java Almond, if that could be of any help. Otherwise, just use whatever nuts you fancy).

How-to: 

1. Mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter/margarine in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the sugar, eggs and salt, emulsifier until pale yellow and thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture, coffee and vanilla extract. Sift the flour mixture above the batter and fold it in. Mix only until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter until firm, about 30-60 minutes *I used this time for washing the dishes and greasing the pan with margarine*
4. Preheat oven to 170-180 degrees Celcius and place rack in center of oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. *I don't have it, someday I will buy it*
5. Using ice cream scoop, small or medium – whatever you prefer, scoop and drop batter onto prepared cookie sheets, spacing evenly. With moist fingers, press batter a little bit. Bake cookies about 10 - 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies become dry and cracked, but are still shiny. Do not overbake these cookies.
6. Remove from oven and place baking pan on a wire rack to cool. When cookies are firm, remove from baking pan and let completely cool on rack.

Note: 

• The time you need to let the batter harden in the fridge could be varied, depending on the chocolate you use. One chocolate could make the batter thicker or runnier than the other one. Check every 30 minutes, just until the batter is easy to scoop and drop without spreading.
• When you found your batter is too hard to scoop, or the cookies are too flat, it means the batter is too cold to begin with. Let it stand at room temperature until it reaches right consistency, then continue baking. The cookies should not be too flat.

That’s my story. You must try it, it is very very yummy and hot! *if you are waiting the cookies near the oven hihihi* Or you can order to me if you are too busy or too lazy to make it:p. Thank you so much Ms. Riana and my loyal customers.

Good luck,
Atika 

Ketupat

Happy Idul Fitri 1432 H,

Idul Fitri or Lebaran marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan. In Indonesia tradition, muslims visit to their elders' home, especially grandparents and forgive each others. Beside that, we also serve many many greasy and yummy food. One of them is ketupat. Ketupat is substitute of rice. It can be eaten with rendang or opor ayam or semur or sayur pepaya (special food during Idul Fitri). They are all using coconut milk. Of course full of cholesterol hihihi. That's OK if you eat it once a year. Here it is the ketupat recipe, taught by my lovely mom.

Ingredients:

40 medium ketupat shells, soak for a while 

2,5 liter rice, wash and set aside to dry

20 liter water to boil ketupat

1 pandan leaf, tie knot

1/2tsp slaked lime *kapur sirih*

Directions:

- Fill rice into 1/3 ketupat shell. Do it one by one.

- Dump filled ketupat shells in boiling water in a large pot, put pandan leaf.

- Fill the pot with water until all the ketupat are completely submerged, and boil for 3,5 hours.

- Ensure that ketupat covered with water at all times, refill water when the water level goes down.

- After 3,5 hours, remove the ketupat from the pot, soak for a while in water that filled with slaked lime. Then hang them to dry.

- To serve, halve ketupat lengthwise and then cut into 4 sections to make rice cubes.

- Ketupat ready to serve with rendang or opor ayam or semur or sayur pepaya.

Minal aidin wal faidzin,

Atika

Setup Pisang Tape

Dear sweet iftar,

I have no idea to translate this food. Setup pisang tape is like a compote, almost have the same ingredients with compote banana, but setup uses sugar not Javanese palm sugar. That’s the main difference.  Another difference is the use of cinnamon. I love the smell of it a lot. It is a must serve menu in the holy month of Ramadhan. Please take a look on the recipe below for your next alternative iftar menu…

Ingredients:

3 pisang tanduk (banana), make small cuts

250gr kolang-kaling (palm seed fruits)

250gr tape (fermented cassava), make small cuts

150gr sugar

1 pandan leaf, tie knot

2 fingers cinnamon *my fingers as always:D*

1 liter water

½ liter thick coconut milk

½ tsp salt

Directions:

- Boil palm seed fruits, cinnamon, pandan leaf with 1 liter water.

- Add banana and fermented cassava.

- After banana become tender, add sugar and salt then thick coconut milk.

- Continue cooking for few minutes.

- It is best served while warm or cold.

Happy Ramadhan 1432 H,

Atika

Corn Soup

Dear mushroom lovers *again*,

Another recipe from my mom. It is different from corn soup that I usually find, that's why I always miss my mom's corn soup. And I am very happy that I can make it by myself. Thank you mom for teaching me how to cook!

Ingredients:
4 local corn, blended, use the cornstarch
1 sweet corn, boiled, cut the corn kernels
250gr or 2 carrots, blended with little water
200gr or 1 can mushroom, drained, cut in half
6 sausages, cut coarse
100gr minced beef
100ml water, boiled

Seasonings:
6 shallots, grinded
2 garlics, grinded
A little ginger, bruised, grinded
1tsp nutmeg
1tsp pepper
1tsp salt
1tbs margarine
1 sachet Royco, chicken flavor
8 sticks celery, finely chopped

 

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute grinded shallots, garlics and ginger with a spoon of margarine until golden, add minced beef until cooked. Add the saute to the boiling water in the pot, add some salt, pepper, nutmeg, boiled again. Add blended carrot and cornstarch to the pot together with corn kernels, mushrooms and sausages. Put Royco to taste. Stirred until the soup become thick. Topped soup with a pinch finely chopped celery.

It is best served hot in a rainy day! Trust me;)

Warm regards,

Atika

Tinutuan Porridge

Dear porridge lovers,

I looove porridge so much.. be it chicken, fish, minced beef or vegetable porridge. One of the famous vegetable porridge in Indonesia is Tinutuan porridge which is originally came from Manado (North Sulawesi). It is usually called Manado porridge or bubur Manado. Here comes the recipe from my lovely mom's kitchen and becomes my family's favorite recipe.

Ingredients:

For porridge:
1cup white rice, rinsed, drained
6cups water
1 lemongrass, bruised
salt to taste
1bunch spinach, cut coarse
1bunch water spinach, cut coarse
1bunch basil, cut coarse
1bunch long bean, cut coarse
1small pack mix carrots, sweet corn kernels and peas

For condiment:
11 red chilies
15 cayennes
1 tomato
shrimp paste to taste
salt to taste
sugar to taste
lime juice to taste
salted fish (ikan asin kacang-kacang), fried, dried

Directions:

For porridge: Boil water and rice. Put lemongrass and salt to taste. Cook until rice is soft. Add corns, carrots, peas, long beans and all of the vegetable leafs. Simmer until thick. Serve hot with condiment.

For condiment: Fried red chilies, cayennes and tomato. Then grind all of them together with shrimp paste, salt, sugar and lime juice.

It sooo easy! Please give it a try! Just add something healthy for your body!

Hot regards,
Atika