Soft pumpkin bread with brown sugar streusel crust

I remembered the soft and airy pumpkin loaf with pepita crust I had from Patisfrance. Then I thought it'd be so nice to eat pumpkin bread again. But I am not THAT ambitious to go and search hi and lo for the exact same bread recipe. So this soft pumpkin bread/cake would do. I love the streusel crust, and picked up every single crumb off the plate.

Soft pumpkin bread with brown sugar streusel crust

Streusel crust:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
about 1/4 all purpose flour, plus additional if needed

Bread:
3/4 pumpkin puree
3/4 light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plain yoghurt, preferably at room temperature
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
Pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 190 C. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (or a 12-cup muffin tin). Set aside.
2.  Streusel crust - In a medium bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, 1/4 cup of flour and toss with fork until mixture combines and clumps form. If the streusel seems very moist and paste-like, add more flour as needed until it dry out. Set aside.

Add more flour to the streusel to dry it out. 

 
3. Bread - In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar, oil, yoghurt, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Whisk to combine.
4. Stir in the flour and baking powder until just combined. Don't overmix.
5. Turn batter out into prepared pan. Evenly sprinkle the streusel crust over the top.

6. Bake for about 40 to 44 minutes (in a pan) or 15 to 20 minutes (in muffin tin), until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Allow bread to cool in pan, on top of a wire rack, for at least 30 minutes before turning out on to the rack to finish cooling completely. Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Original recipe by Averie

Remarks: It tastes so good and very moist.

Larb Gai

This dish has become one of my favorites.

Larb Gai

400g ground chicken
2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced lengthwise
1 tbsp glutinous rice
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp ground dried red pepper
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

1. Set a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the rice and stir occasionally to make sure the rice are evenly toasted. Wait until they turn medium brown, around 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool. Turn the toasted rice into powder using pestle and mortar or grinder.

2. In another skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken until cooked through. Once the chicken is cooked, take the skillet off the heat and add shallots in. Toss to wilt the shallots.

3. Add in the fish sauce and lime juice. Toss to combine.
4. Add the toasted rice powder. Toss.
5. Add the chilli powder and cilantro in. Serve.

Original recipe shared by she simmers.

Banana Carrot Cake

I referred to Mama Doroschs' Carrot Cake recipe, but it is too sweet for my liking so I reduced the sugar amount.

Banana Carrot Cake

Cake
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups grated carrots, packed
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup raisins

Icing
8oz cream cheese, well softened
4 tbsp butter, well softened
1-1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Cake: Preheat the oven at 180 C with a rack in the middle position. Grease and flour a cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and oil. Add in the mashed bananas.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
5. Fold in the carrots, walnuts and raisins.
6. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes until a clean toothpick inserted to the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

7. Icing: In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar until well blended.

Original recipe shared by Kak Rima.

Pad Ka-Prao

Pad Ka-Prao

400 g ground chicken
7 large cloves garlic, peeled
7 bird's eye chillies
1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 cup basil leaves

1. Pound the garlic, chillies and shallot into a coarse paste.
2. In a skillet, heat up the oil over medium-high heat. Add the paste in and fry until fragrant.
3. Add the ground chicken and break it into small pieces.
4. Add the fish sauce, light soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce and oyster sauce.
5. Once the meat is cooked, add in the basil leaves before taking the skillet off the heat. Give it a couple of stirs to wilt the leaves.
6. Serve with rice and a crispy fried egg.

Original recipe shared by she simmers.

Hati masak ungkep

I love chicken liver the most, among all the chicken parts and I'm trying to cook something different than the usual liver in soy sauce or sambal. This is a Javanese style dish.

Hati masak ungkep

 400g chicken liver
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 green chilli
15 bird's eye chillies
1-1/2 inch ginger
1 inch turmeric
1 piece asam keping
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp sweet cumin powder
1 lemongrass, bruised
1 inch galangal, bruised
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
3 cloves
1 tbsp palm sugar
Pinch of salt
Cooking oil
1 cup water

1. Parboil the chicken liver and set aside.

2. In a blender, make the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, green chilli and bird's eye chillies into paste.
3. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and add cooking oil.
4. Saute the cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves. Add in the paste, lemongrass, galangal, coriander powder, sweet cumin powder and asam keping. Fry until the oil separates.
5. Add the liver and water. Put in more water if you want more gravy. Add the palm sugar and salt.
6. Let the liver cook through and the gravy thickens. Remove from heat.

Original recipe shared by K.Nor

Som tam

I made Som tam using the regular pestle and mortar we have at home, and I wish I could use the large version that would be perfect for making this dish.

Som tam (Green Papaya Salad)

6 ounces of green papaya, peeled and shredded
1 tomato, cut into small wedges
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1/3 cup green beans
2 tbsp dried shrimp
2 Thai bird's eye chillies
Fresh lime juice
Thai fish sauce
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Palm sugar

1. Using pestle and mortar, pound the garlic and chillies until they form a smooth paste.
2. Add the dried shrimp and pound until the pieces are broken up.
3. Add 2-3 teaspoons of palm sugar. Pound to a paste.
4. Add peanuts and lightly pound until they are broken to tiny pieces.
5. Add the green beans and pound until they split and lightly bruised.
6. Add papaya and tomato and pound on them. Pound until the papaya strands soften up a bit and the tomato crushed and release the juices.
7. Add a couple of teaspoons of fish sauce and a couple of teaspoons of lime juice. Use a large spoon to help flip things over and scrape down the sides of the mortar. Keep pounding and flipping for a few seconds.
8. Taste and add more lime juice, fish sauce or palm sugar as needed.

Original recipe shared by Leela.

Roasted Tomato Marinara Pasta Sauce

This is the kind of pasta sauce made from scratch that I would love any day. Simple ingredients and you don't really need to slave over the stove for hours.

Roasted Tomato Marinara Pasta Sauce

7 medium-size tomatoes
2 onions, peeled
1 red bell pepper
1-2 medium carrots
1 whole garlic bulb
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh basil

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.
2. Roughly chop the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and carrots. Put them in a baking tray.

3. Wrap the garlic bulb in aluminum foil and place in the baking tray.
4. Sprinkle salt, and oregano over the vegetables, then drizzle them with oil.
5. Bake for 1 hour.
6. Remove from the oven and let them cook down for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the garlic from the foil and squeeze the gooey garlic from the skin into a blender. Put the vegetables and juices in the blender, including the basil. Blend until smooth.

Original recipe by thevedge