Month: May 2018

Silken Tofu with Garlic and Crispy Onion

This Jiggly soyabean product of Silken tofu is one of the vast array of tofus that are commonly used in the Asian cuisine. Silken tofu is soft, delicate and just require a little bit of skill for careful handling before they fall apart. These cakes of soft silken tofu can be eaten raw pretty straightforward right out from the package, drain excess water or steamed for a couple of minutes and topped up with ingredients of choice.

One of the reasons I do not eat tofu so often is because its bland and so boring. However, a quick sauce with fried onions, garlic and green onions gave the tofu a very good flavor and the discovery of this quick go-to recipe in no time.

Preparation time: 5

Cooking time: 12 minutes

Serves – 2

 

Ingredients

Silken tofu – 1 pack

UNICURD Silken Tofu | Vegetarian recipe | Delicious Sweet Aroma

Sunflower / Vegetable oil for deep-fry

Onion – 1 small, thinly  sliced

Soya sauce – 3 tbsp

Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

Oyster sauce – 1/2 tbsp

Garlic cloves – 1 large, finely chopped

Spring onions for garnish

 

Directions

Steaming the tofu:

1. Prepare a steamer or broad container with 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Place a steamer stand.

2. Since the tofu is very delicate, place a flat plate over the opening and carefully invert or flip it over, tap gently until the tofu comes out.

Place the tofu plate on the steamer stand making sure it doesn’t slide. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.

Steaming Tofu | Easy Vegan Recipe

 

Preparing the topping and sauce:

3. Meanwhile, heat a container with 1/2 cup oil. When it’s hot add the sliced onions and fry tossing frequently until they have all turn golden brown. This might take at least 5 minutes.

Strain on kitchen paper towels. Set aside.

4. Heat a small pan with the sauces such as soya, sesame and oyster. Add chopped garlic and fry for a minute or 2. Turn off heat and set aside.

Preparing the sauces for tofu

5. Remove the tofu plate carefully with a pair of tongs having a good grip. Drain any liquid that has accumulated as much as possible.

Slide it on a shallow bowl. Spoon the sauce mixture over the top, then sprinkle crispy fried onions and spring onions.

Topping for Silken Tofu | Easy Recipe

Silken Tofu with Garlic & Crispy Onion | Vegan 15-Minute Recipe | Delicious Sweet Aroma

Smooth Silken Tofu | Chinese Vegan Recipe | Delicious Sweet Aroma

 

 

Stay Healthy!

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Orange Cake

Orange cake, a simple aromatic yellow cake has such an amazing fragrance that you will without a doubt prepare it again. One of my favorite evening snack.

One weekend we visited our old batchmates from college and before visiting we had couple of hours. So, I thought of taking something homemade. I decided to prepare this cake since my fruit basket was calling out for oranges to be eaten the end result turned out great as expected with simple last-minute ingredients. Two days ago I baked it again at my husband’s request to have the cake after meals and all I had to do was mix all the ingredients in one bowl and bake.

 

Preparation time: 20 minutes – 30 minutes

Cooking time: 55 – 60 minutes

Serves: 5 +

 

Ingredients

Orange – 1 large (unpeeled & washed), approx 195 g

Butter 125 g (room temperature)

All-Purpose flour / Top flour – 2 cups / 1 pint / 345 g

Caster sugar 185 g / 8 oz

Baking soda – 1 tsp

Pinch of salt

Vanilla essence – 2 tsp

Eggs 2 medium whole

Dates 100 g (pitted and chopped, weighed before pitting)

Water – 2 tbsp

Almonds – 100 g (optional)

Directions

1. Take the orange, cut roughly into quarters and remove any seeds. Add it into a blender or food processor (along with its peel) and 2 tbsp of water. Blend to combine together and form a paste. Set aside.

Orange paste

Preheat convection oven at 160 deg and line a baking tray base with butter and parchment paper, grease butter over the paper.

2. In a large bowl add flour, sugar, butter, baking soda, vanilla, salt. Mix with a wooden spoon initially for a minute or two so the flour gets combined together without making a mess. Add eggs, mix with a hand held mixer for approximate 2 – 3 minutes until smooth on medium – high speed.

Batter

Remove the stir paddle with any leftover cake batter.

3. Add the chopped dates and if you use almonds add them now or place them on the top. Mix with the wooden spoon till well combined.

Final Batter mix

4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray, pop it into the preheated oven on convection mode (fan). Bake for 45 minutes at 160 deg Celsius, reduce temperature to 150 degrees and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.

Let it sit in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, release the spring and serve it warm.

Phone_1

It’s best to leave it to cool partially or completely at room tremperature otherwise it might break apart. We loved the crispy top with soft texture on the inside, a flavor and aroma that is always best suited for big families or serve guests. You can use chocolate sauce as a good accompaniment.

 

 

Note:

*In case you’re wondering what kind of orange to use, here I have used Valencia Orange. Before using an orange I dipped it for 5 – 20 minutes in a bowl with 1 1/2 cup of water and 1 tbsp vinegar just to wash away any unwanted dirt or chemicals.

*If you wouldn’t have time to get the butter to room temperature, cut the desired quantity of butter into small cubes before preparing rest of the ingredients it gets softer faster by the time you are ready to combine the rest. On an additional note – if the eggs are lying in the fridge, place them out on the counter top.

Thank you everyone for your compliments and questions. It makes me try more recipes and also share them here. Please stay updated on Instagram #delicioussweetaroma for pictures and Facebook Delicious Sweet Aroma for food.

 

Stay Healthy!

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Tomato Rice – Aromatic Flavor

Sometimes I run out of ingredients or have no time to do last-minute grocery shopping with less time to make lunch or dinner, that’s when tomato rice comes in my menu😋. You see, one of the main reasons why this recipe hasn’t been posted up until now.  I have been preparing this for a year more than twice a month and on every occasion couldn’t find time to take pictures.

It’s been a while since my last post and I believe my loyal visitors must be wondering why. I have been out of the away to spend some quality time with family. While being away I have learnt few quick recipes that always come handy during busy days which I will be posting here in the coming weeks. Tomato Rice, has been the most loved recipe in my family and I think this recipe is underrated. It’s not only easy to prepare but a quick lunch or dinner ready in 30 minutes and easiest when prepared in a pressure cooker.

Tomato rice is best suited for quick last-minute what-to-cook lunch or dinner beacause tomatoes are always available in the fridge, aren’t they? A great idea for lunch box or picnic party.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Basmati /Ponni rice / Langkorn Parboiled rice (German) or Parboiled rice / Turkish Rice – 1 cup / 275 g (*see notes)

Olive oil / Ghee – 1 tbsp

Bay leaf – 2 small, (optional)

Cinnamon stick – 2 inch

Cardamom – 2

Cloves – 4

Peppercorns – 5 (optional)

Onions – 1 medium, finely chopped

Tomatoes – 3 or 4 large, chopped (depending on serving portion)

Green chilli – 1 long, halved (if not, substitute red chilli powder)

Garam masala powder – 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tsp (optional)

Garlic paste – 1 tsp

Ginger paste – 1 tsp

Mint leaves – approx 20 leaves, washed (optional, but recommended for intense flavor)

Coriander – 3 stems or fist full, roots removed, washed & finely chopped

Water 2 cups

Salt as required

 

Directions

1. Rinse and soak basmati rice (I usually keep it for 5-10 minutes)  while preparing the first few ingredients (except coriander and mint). Not necessary to soak if you do not find time.

2. Heat olive oil or Ghee on medium heat, add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and peppercorns. Stir fry for a minute or two then add onions, fry till slightly translucent.

Add tomatoes with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook and stir fry until it turns mushy and soft. Meantime prepare the mint leaves and coriander.

Initial stir-fry of spices

3. Add generous amount of spice powders such as garam masala, coriander, turmeric and chilli powders when the tomatoes are almost turning soft. Add ginger and garlic paste. Mix to combine.

Spice powders

4. Toss in coriander and mint leaves.

fresh herbs

5. Mix well and add rice with 2 cups of water (twice the amount of rice). Add salt and check if it needs more salt. Close with the lid along with the pressure whistle.

For basmati rice it requires just one whistle pressure, whereas for fatter rice (parboiled) that needs more time to cook it usually take 3-5 whistles.

Masala mix with rice

Turn off heat immediately. Let the pressure release on its own.

Tomato rice_quick recipe0397

We enjoyed our tomato rice with pan-fried fish 🐟 as a side 😍

Tomato rice_onepot_0406

 

 

Notes:

*For this particular recipe I used India Gate basmati rice. The German Ja brand of Langkorn parboiled reis goes very well with this recipe even without mint and bay leaf which required quick 4-5 whistles only. Tat brand Turkish origin rice takes approx 3 whistles until nice and fluffy.

*If using non-pressure cooker method: Continue cooking until the first part of step 5 by adding water to the rice. Once it has come to boil and the level of water has reduced, turn down heat and keep a constant eye so it doesn’t burn at the bottom. Cover with a lid and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes. If the water has compelelty dried up and the rice is almost done but still hard when tasting add 1/3 cup hot water and turn off the heat with the lid covered. The rice will cook in its own steam.

 

 

 

Hoping to know some of my frequent visitors 😊. Thank you for dropping by Delicious Sweet Aroma. Also, do not forget to check for updates on my facebook page here 👉 ‘Delicious Sweet Aroma‘.

 

Stay Healthy! Sherryl ✍

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