Love Wholesome contributor Jo-ann Huang brews her own fermented tea and lives to tell the tale! See the second part - flavouring your homemade kombucha here. Kombucha, or fermented tea, is no longer just a trendy drink loved by rich and health-obsessed hipsters. Australian brands Remedy and Mojo now feature widely in chain supermarkets, and homegrown breweries Yocha and Craft & Culture have built up loyal followings. The 2,000-year-old elixir, which is said to have originated in China, has a long list of purported health benefits, including a calmer gut and smoother bowel movements. The benefits come from the live probiotics in kombucha. Billions of good bacteria and yeast help to improve gut health and, in turn, other bodily functions. Kombucha devotees swear by the beverage, claiming that it also promotes appetite control, resistance to skin breakouts and even deeper sleep. Some drinkers feel more relaxed due to the trace amounts of alcohol in kombucha. It also has a delicious, tart flavour that’s sometimes complemented with fruits, fragrant herbs and edible flowers. Drunk chilled, its carbonation and sweet-sour taste make it a refreshing beverage on a sweltering day. There’s only one catch, but it’s a big one: price. As much as kombucha has gone mainstream, at S$6 to S$8 a bottle it’s too expensive for most people to consume every day. I put myself in this group: I tended to buy it if I visited a supermarket, but couldn’t afford to drink it as much as I would have liked. But after scouring the internet, I soon discovered that kombucha is pretty simple to make. After all, it’s the fermentation process that does all the work. I now brew kombucha for myself and my family, and we drink it daily. The most difficult part is bottling the kombucha into glass
It is safe to say that no cookie maker has matched what Wally Amos, the American founder of Famous Amos, has created. From the company’s beginnings in 1975, the brand’s signature cookies and its omnipotent aromas have turned it into a global operation. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through the air is unmistakable, and many customers have stopped by the cookie stand just to get a bag before going on their way. But the recipe for Famous Amos cookies is a closely-guarded secret. Many have tried to replicate the cookie, with reasonable success. One lady from Malaysia named Baizura Muhammed seems to have cracked the cookie code with her recipe – posted on Facebook six months ago, it went nuts (pun intended) throughout Malaysia and Singapore for being the closest to the real thing yet. Love Wholesome has some theories as to why Madam Baizura could end up giving Famous Amos a run for its money if she plans to make a business out of it.
1. The cookie dough is made by hand
You may be better off making cookie dough by hand if you are new to baking cookies. While using a stand mixer will produce faster results, it is easy to over-mix if you are not careful. Over-mixed batter or dough, whether it is cake, biscuits, cookies or even bread, will break down the gluten structures in the flour. So your baked goodies will not rise or will even spread sideways, and your cookie will end up hard, dense, with not much crunch. The cookie dough comes together rather quickly, so you don’t need to go through the trouble of setting up a stand mixer for a process that takes about 10 minutes.
2. Butter at room temperature (or slightly colder)
Melted butter will produce a runny dough that is hard to work with. Do not melt the butter into a liquid with the microwave. Instead, take the butter out of the refrigerator and leave it to stand for about 20 minutes before using it. The butter must be softened with th
These Vietnamese chicken skewers are minced chicken seasoned with Vietnamese herbs and then shaped around stalks of lemongrass. They are then lightly grilled and baked in oven till cooked, which retain the moisture and aroma that flavours the meat beautifully. Makes six large lemongrass satay skewers | By Chef Syafiq Sharom
You might have seen these at local bakeries or at roadside/hawker stalls next to other colourful kuihs - a little brown muffin capped with a sweet banana slice. Think of it as a more delicate, softer version of the classic banana cake! We love harum manis (directly translated to fragrant-sweet) because of its pillowy soft texture, caramel notes and lovely banana fragrance. It's deceptively easy to make too, but be sure to have the right ingredients on hand. For starters, we recommend using pisang raja, a popular type of local banana instead of other kinds of bananas (i.e. pisang Tanduk, pisang Kepok etc) as it vastly improves the outcome of your kuih. You may have to visit your local wet market to get your hands on these. Pisang raja is widely considered the king of bananas for eating and cooking. It is about 10 to 15cm long, with thick skin and faceted shape. The flesh of pisang raja is truly unlike other bananas - it's deep yellow and almost orange, and the level of sweetness is much higher. Tip: Goreng pisang made with pisang raja also tastes much sweeter (a mellow kind of sweetness) than those made with other banana varieties. Back to harum manis! For the baking moulds, you can use smaller cupcake moulds or smaller muffin tin moulds. Traditionally, harum manis should be eaten in one bite and regular Western-sized moulds might be too large. The
Well, Tiktok is at it again - giving us simple, delicious baking recipes that you can make in under an hour. This time, it's a jiggly, wobbly, sweet, and almost custard-like baked milk! With only four main ingredients, this recipe is an absolute breeze to make. Don't forget to factor in refrigeration time as this sweet milky mixture will need to harden before baking. : Recipe credits with some alterationsIs Tiktok your new recipe guide? We've been taking some inspiration too.See our recipes forfrozen prata egg tarts, cloud
Unlike an oven, this recipe by Push Button Kitchen calls on the rice cooker’s steaming function. Steaming allows your brownies to cook through, and creates that gooey texture we love and crave. Not to mention, it’s moist and delicious, and very, very much worth trying. You will need aluminium foil and cooking spray, as well as a brownie mix - any kind will do.
Love cinnamon sugar donuts, or cinnamon sugar anything? Then this recipe is perfect for you. This bite-sized cake can be eaten straight from the baking tray, with the warm taste of cinnamon and just the slightest zing of orange in every bite. We love pairing this with a good cup of tea or coffee. The recipe calls for unsweetened apple sauce - which you can substitute with apple puree (even the kinds that come as baby food), and unflavoured olive oil in place of butter. Cinnamon and nutmeg give it a slightly spiced flavour, while the sprinkling of brown sugar on top is just perfection. Let's get to it.
Are you a puff lover? Whether it's creamy durian puffs or the classic chocolate eclairs, puff pastries are absolutely delicious and versatile indulgences. These Japanese Custard Puffs (also known as Shu or Choux) are baked choux pastries with sweet, crackly, crunchy cookies topping and filled with custard and whipped cream in the centre. If you're not a fan of cooking with cream, fret not! The whole process to make these Japanese cream puffs is extremely short. Choux pastry comes together in about 10-15 minutes. Most of the ingredients are cooked together on the stove; this initial cooking causes the starch in the flour to gelatinize, which will help the pastry hold onto steam and puff up. The pastry shell and the crackly top is actually created separated then laid on top of each other. This recipe makes 24 pieces of light, sweet, crackly puffs, and enough coconut custard cream to fill the shells. Looking for more Japanese treats to make? Try this simple Ichigo (strawberry) mochi recipe. If you're feeling experimental, try out different sweet fillings such as Strawberry Jam, Nutella or Peanut Buttercream. Or if you simply prefer savoury puffs, then check out this simple Cheese Herb Puffs Recipe which you can make to complement any main savoury protein!
Tortilla, pita, potato chips, or even papadoms - it’s fair to say that these delicious carb-filled slices are usually made tastier when paired with their flavour-filled dip counterparts. A frequent centrepiece at parties and weekend movie nights, the right dip is quite important! Cheesy, crunchy, spicy or tangy, it’s really up to you. The only thing you need is the right chip, a strong food processor, and an appetite for yummy treats. Here are 5 fuss-free party chip dips that you can whip up in no time!
Avocado Dip
“Hold up,” you say, “isn’t this just Guacamole?” Well, close enough! This dip is a smoother, tangier version of the classic dip, and its refreshing flavour cuts through the saltiness of your chip. With only four main ingredients, a quick blitz in your food processor, this dip is easy breezy lime squeezy. Ingredients: 2 large avocados, halved and pitted ½ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro (some stems are okay) ⅓ cup lime juice (from about 2 ½ limes) 1 small jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons water, more as needed to thin ½ teaspoon fine sea salt Method:
Using a spoon, scoop the flesh of the avocados into a food processor or blender. Add the cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, water, and salt.
Process, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary, until the sauce is smooth and creamy. (If the mixture refuses to blend, add additional water in 1-tablespoon increments, as necessary.)
If you would like a thinner, more drizzly sauce, add water in 1-tablespoon increments until it reaches your desired consistency. Taste, and add more salt if it’s not quite flavorful enough.
Transfer the avocado sauce to a small serving bowl. This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days.
Dessert Dip
Who said dips had to be savoury? Your house, your rules! How does a s'mores dip sound? Absolutely heavenly? We think so too. Choc
Almond milk is also a flavourful substitute for dairy milk in baked goods, and so is perfect for vegans or those who want to avoid dairy products. Its creamy consistency and rich taste make for delicious ice-cream, cakes, cookies and pastries. (Read more:How to make your own almond milk!) Homemade almond milk is the best substitute because its texture is the most similar to cow’s milk. This means you should get the same results and don’t have to tweak the recipe. It’s also the most suitable alternative for lattes and other milk coffees, as almost milk can with withstand high temperatures from steaming without producing a burnt taste. Below is a simple brownie recipe that uses almond milk. If you use cake mix kits, you can simply replace the amount of water specified with almond milk for tastier results.
Read more »Love Wholesome contributor Jo-ann Huang brews her own fermented tea and lives to tell the tale! See the second part - flavouring your homemade kombucha here. Kombucha, or fermented tea, is no longer just a trendy drink loved by rich and health-obsessed hipsters. Australian brands Remedy and Mojo now feature widely in chain supermarkets, and homegrown breweries Yocha and Craft & Culture have built up loyal followings. The 2,000-year-old elixir, which is said to have originated in China, has a long list of purported health benefits, including a calmer gut and smoother bowel movements. The benefits come from the live probiotics in kombucha. Billions of good bacteria and yeast help to improve gut health and, in turn, other bodily functions. Kombucha devotees swear by the beverage, claiming that it also promotes appetite control, resistance to skin breakouts and even deeper sleep. Some drinkers feel more relaxed due to the trace amounts of alcohol in kombucha. It also has a delicious, tart flavour that’s sometimes complemented with fruits, fragrant herbs and edible flowers. Drunk chilled, its carbonation and sweet-sour taste make it a refreshing beverage on a sweltering day. There’s only one catch, but it’s a big one: price. As much as kombucha has gone mainstream, at S$6 to S$8 a bottle it’s too expensive for most people to consume every day. I put myself in this group: I tended to buy it if I visited a supermarket, but couldn’t afford to drink it as much as I would have liked. But after scouring the internet, I soon discovered that kombucha is pretty simple to make. After all, it’s the fermentation process that does all the work. I now brew kombucha for myself and my family, and we drink it daily. The most difficult part is bottling the kombucha into glass
Read more »It is safe to say that no cookie maker has matched what Wally Amos, the American founder of Famous Amos, has created. From the company’s beginnings in 1975, the brand’s signature cookies and its omnipotent aromas have turned it into a global operation. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through the air is unmistakable, and many customers have stopped by the cookie stand just to get a bag before going on their way. But the recipe for Famous Amos cookies is a closely-guarded secret. Many have tried to replicate the cookie, with reasonable success. One lady from Malaysia named Baizura Muhammed seems to have cracked the cookie code with her recipe – posted on Facebook six months ago, it went nuts (pun intended) throughout Malaysia and Singapore for being the closest to the real thing yet. Love Wholesome has some theories as to why Madam Baizura could end up giving Famous Amos a run for its money if she plans to make a business out of it.
Read more »These Vietnamese chicken skewers are minced chicken seasoned with Vietnamese herbs and then shaped around stalks of lemongrass. They are then lightly grilled and baked in oven till cooked, which retain the moisture and aroma that flavours the meat beautifully. Makes six large lemongrass satay skewers | By Chef Syafiq Sharom
Read more »You might have seen these at local bakeries or at roadside/hawker stalls next to other colourful kuihs - a little brown muffin capped with a sweet banana slice. Think of it as a more delicate, softer version of the classic banana cake! We love harum manis (directly translated to fragrant-sweet) because of its pillowy soft texture, caramel notes and lovely banana fragrance. It's deceptively easy to make too, but be sure to have the right ingredients on hand.
For starters, we recommend using pisang raja, a popular type of local banana instead of other kinds of bananas (i.e. pisang Tanduk, pisang Kepok etc) as it vastly improves the outcome of your kuih. You may have to visit your local wet market to get your hands on these. Pisang raja is widely considered the king of bananas for eating and cooking. It is about 10 to 15cm long, with thick skin and faceted shape. The flesh of pisang raja is truly unlike other bananas - it's deep yellow and almost orange, and the level of sweetness is much higher. Tip: Goreng pisang made with pisang raja also tastes much sweeter (a mellow kind of sweetness) than those made with other banana varieties. Back to harum manis! For the baking moulds, you can use smaller cupcake moulds or smaller muffin tin moulds. Traditionally, harum manis should be eaten in one bite and regular Western-sized moulds might be too large. The
Read more »Well, Tiktok is at it again - giving us simple, delicious baking recipes that you can make in under an hour. This time, it's a jiggly, wobbly, sweet, and almost custard-like baked milk! With only four main ingredients, this recipe is an absolute breeze to make. Don't forget to factor in refrigeration time as this sweet milky mixture will need to harden before baking. : Recipe credits with some alterations Is Tiktok your new recipe guide? We've been taking some inspiration too. See our recipes for frozen prata egg tarts, cloud
Read more »Unlike an oven, this recipe by Push Button Kitchen calls on the rice cooker’s steaming function. Steaming allows your brownies to cook through, and creates that gooey texture we love and crave. Not to mention, it’s moist and delicious, and very, very much worth trying. You will need aluminium foil and cooking spray, as well as a brownie mix - any kind will do.
Read more »Love cinnamon sugar donuts, or cinnamon sugar anything? Then this recipe is perfect for you. This bite-sized cake can be eaten straight from the baking tray, with the warm taste of cinnamon and just the slightest zing of orange in every bite. We love pairing this with a good cup of tea or coffee. The recipe calls for unsweetened apple sauce - which you can substitute with apple puree (even the kinds that come as baby food), and unflavoured olive oil in place of butter. Cinnamon and nutmeg give it a slightly spiced flavour, while the sprinkling of brown sugar on top is just perfection. Let's get to it.
Read more »Are you a puff lover? Whether it's creamy durian puffs or the classic chocolate eclairs, puff pastries are absolutely delicious and versatile indulgences. These Japanese Custard Puffs (also known as Shu or Choux) are baked choux pastries with sweet, crackly, crunchy cookies topping and filled with custard and whipped cream in the centre. If you're not a fan of cooking with cream, fret not! The whole process to make these Japanese cream puffs is extremely short. Choux pastry comes together in about 10-15 minutes. Most of the ingredients are cooked together on the stove; this initial cooking causes the starch in the flour to gelatinize, which will help the pastry hold onto steam and puff up. The pastry shell and the crackly top is actually created separated then laid on top of each other. This recipe makes 24 pieces of light, sweet, crackly puffs, and enough coconut custard cream to fill the shells. Looking for more Japanese treats to make? Try this simple Ichigo (strawberry) mochi recipe. If you're feeling experimental, try out different sweet fillings such as Strawberry Jam, Nutella or Peanut Buttercream. Or if you simply prefer savoury puffs, then check out this simple Cheese Herb Puffs Recipe which you can make to complement any main savoury protein!
Read more »Tortilla, pita, potato chips, or even papadoms - it’s fair to say that these delicious carb-filled slices are usually made tastier when paired with their flavour-filled dip counterparts. A frequent centrepiece at parties and weekend movie nights, the right dip is quite important! Cheesy, crunchy, spicy or tangy, it’s really up to you. The only thing you need is the right chip, a strong food processor, and an appetite for yummy treats. Here are 5 fuss-free party chip dips that you can whip up in no time!
Read more »Almond milk is also a flavourful substitute for dairy milk in baked goods, and so is perfect for vegans or those who want to avoid dairy products. Its creamy consistency and rich taste make for delicious ice-cream, cakes, cookies and pastries. (Read more: How to make your own almond milk!) Homemade almond milk is the best substitute because its texture is the most similar to cow’s milk. This means you should get the same results and don’t have to tweak the recipe. It’s also the most suitable alternative for lattes and other milk coffees, as almost milk can with withstand high temperatures from steaming without producing a burnt taste. Below is a simple brownie recipe that uses almond milk. If you use cake mix kits, you can simply replace the amount of water specified with almond milk for tastier results.