Basic Oat Muffins

For several years now, the Swallow has been preparing breakfast muffins for her mate. Working in the healthcare, he required a substantial and healthy breakfast that could last him till the lunch hour which would usually be about six hours later.

Initially, the Swallow made sandwiches but this couldn't fill him long enough and he wasn't really a 'bread' person. Having an oatmeal in the morning was something he could consider and this went on for a while. He didn't complain (yes, the Swallow is grateful he is 'low-maintenance') but she felt there was something more that he could eat for breakfast. Also, he was frequently on the move each day and he felt the weakening effects of a small breakfast many times.

Many experiments later, the Swallow has found that breakfast muffins made with oats filled him best. Adding in dried cranberries and he easily ate two muffins every morning when he was on the go. Making these in a batch of twelve also lessen the Swallow's anxieties for the week as she wasn't much of a 'morning' person.

BASIC OAT MUFFINS (makes 12 muffins)

Dry Ingredients

Muffins baking in the oven

120 g rolled oats
120 g plain flour
50 g brown sugar
50 g fine sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
1/2 tsp fine salt

Wet ingredients
250 g plain yoghurt, at room temperature
2 large eggs, about 60g each, at room temperature
125 ml sunflower oil
1/2 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

Additional ingredients - see variations below

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. 
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Remove the lumps of brown sugar by pressing them to the side of the bowl with a spoon.
3. Mix the wet ingredients together in a smaller bowl.
4. Add the additional ingredients accordingly (see variations below). If its a dry ingredient, to the dry and if it's a wet ingredient, to the wet. Mix well.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Using a spoon, combine them together quickly but don't over-mix.
6. Spoon the combined mixture into twelve muffin cups.
7. Bake the muffins for at least 20 minutes. They are done when a  toothpick inserted into the centre of the each muffin comes out clean.

Notes

• This is a basic recipe. Variations can be made but adjust the bake time as needed. Some variations may produce moist muffins while others are drier. Some sweeter, some less. Experiment and let your family tell you what they like. 



Cranberry Oat Muffins

• If you are not a fan of oats, replace the oats with plain flour. However, the texture of the muffins will change.

Variations

1. Cranberry Oat Muffins - 200 g dried cranberries



Banana Oat Muffins

2. Banana Oat Muffins - 200 g bananas (mashed)
3. Seeds Oat Muffins - about 160 g mixture of various types of seeds such as pumpkin, melon, sunflower, sesame, etc

   

   Seeds Oat Muffins
   

4. 100g dried cranberries, 25g pumpkin seeds, 25g melon seeds & 25g sunflower seeds
5. 100g dried cranberries & 80g chocolate chips / couverture droplets
6. 100g bananas (mashed) & 80g walnut pieces

Home-Made Pasta



One of the Swallow's young ones love to create.  When she has the time, she will usually be found doing something related to art eg painting, doodling or origami.

To nurture her young one's creativity, the Swallow will try to find ways and means to provide her with opportunities to dabble in art or craft.  One recent opportunity was making pasta at home.

The recipe is simple, with ingredients easily found in a home where home-cooked food is favoured.  The young one had fun cutting out the shapes using cooking cutters, and the joy that came when the young one realised she had helped in the cooking preparation?  Priceless...

HOME-MADE PASTA (serves 1)

Star-shaped Pasta

Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cooking oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tsp water

Method

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands to make a dough.  Squeeze and knead it for 2 - 3 minutes until it is smooth.
2. Sprinkle some flour on to a work top and roll out the dough very thinly.
3. Cut into desired shapes using plastic cookie cutters, or just invent your own shapes.

   

   Pasta craft in progress

4. Cook for about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness and size of the pasta shapes, in a large saucepan of boiling water.  The pasta should be soft but still firm and chewy.
5. Drain through a sieve over the sink.  Serve hot with desired sauce.

Notes

• Steps 1 to 3 can be done by young ones with minimal adult supervision.
• Steps 4 and 5 should not be attempted by young ones unless they are dependable and subject to parent's permission.

Pizza Base #2

The Swallow uses this recipe when she wants to serve pizza as a meal but she has no yeast or fresh milk in her nest.  This recipe is suitable for use in an electronic oven.

PIZZA BASE #2 (serves 3 - 4)

Ingredients

• 125g self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 70ml warm water

Method

1. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl.  Add olive oil, stirring all the time.
2. Slowly add warm water into the mixture, stirring all the time.
3. When water has been fully added, use hands to form the mixture into a ball of dough.
4. Sprinkle some flour onto a work-table or chopping board.  Turn the ball of dough onto it and knead the ball of dough until it is smooth.
5. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circle about 30cm wide.  Place the pizza base onto a baking tray.

To find out how to put a pizza together, please click here.

Pizza Base #1

The Swallow uses this simple pizza base recipe whenever one of her young ones wants pizza for lunch.  You just need milk, no need for yeast. It is also suitable for baking in a toaster oven.  When available, her young one would help to knead the dough.

PIZZA BASE #1 (serves 1 - 2)

Ingredients

• 1 cup self-raising flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup fresh milk

Method

1. Mix flour and salt together in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add milk gradually, mixing the ingredients until a lump of dough forms.
3. Continue kneading the dough until it is smooth.  If necessary, add more flour, 1 tbsp each time.
4. Stretch and press the dough to the size of the toaster oven tray.

To find out how to put a pizza together, please click here.

Home-Made Pizza

The Swallow's young ones love pizza!  Their craving for pizza is easily satisfied with just any type of pizza, whether store-bought or home-made.  Since the cost of making a pizza is actually not as high as what one is charged at the shops, the Swallow prefers to make her own pizza when it is just the family that's eating it.

Putting a pizza together is easy.  First, a base is required.  There are many types of pizza base - with milk; with yeast; without milk or yeast.  Bread can also be used as a base.

Then a sauce has to be spread on the pizza base.  Any kind of red, white or brown sauce may be used.  Just ensure that the sauce is not too runny.  Mayonaise or leftover sauces (thicken with a little cornflour solution, if needed) can also be used.  Sprinkle with some herbs or spices to get a unique flavour.

Next, add favourite toppings.  Be adventurous.  Anything goes.  Serious.

Some suggestions:

• cheese, cheese & more cheese!
• corned beef & large onions
• Hawaiian Pizza (with ham & pineapples)

  

  Hawaiian Pizza

• Japanese seaweed, crabsticks & bonito flakes
• mushrooms, mushrooms & more mushrooms!!
• Sausage Pizza (with pepperoni salami or other types of sausages)

  

  Sausage Pizza

Cheese is next.  Mozzarella cheese is a good choice to hold the pizza together, but any other cheese is fine. Alternatively, beat 1 - 2 eggs and pour over the toppings.  This works just as well.

Finally, bake the pizza in a toaster oven or an electronic oven (220 degrees Celcius), for about 15 minutes.  If the cheese starts to burn, cover with a piece of aluminium foil.

Making pizza at home is all about one's creativity and imagination...enjoy the process...with practice, the results may be better than what is served at the shops and for a lower price.  What's more, the young ones have fun too if they join in the process!

Stir-Fried Vegetables with Garlic

The Swallow loves to eat vegetables. In salads; steamed and tossed with some simple seasoning; boiled with meat as a soup, or like today, stir-fried with some minced garlic.

STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES WITH GARLIC (Serves 4)

Stir-Fried Ceylon Spinach
with Garlic

Ingredients

500 g green leafy vegetables, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced (more if you love them!)
1 tbsp oil
a little water (if necessary)
1 tsp sea salt or to taste

Method

1. Heat the wok with the oil over a high fire, until the wok is smoking (this gives the 'wok hei' flavour to the dish).
2. Add the garlic. Turn down the fire to medium high and stir-fry the garlic until aromatic.
3. Add the cut vegetables and stir-fry continuously until they are limp.
4. Sprinkle with a little water if necessary.



Stir-Fried Chinese Spinach
with Garlic

5. Season with sea salt or to taste.

Notes

Hardier vegetables like broccoli may also be used, but parboil these in hot water for a couple of minutes before stir-frying them.

Sambal Tumis

Sambal Tumis or cooked chilli paste is a mixture of chillies blended with several other ingredients.  Time and patience are required as the sambal will taste undercooked if the cooking process is rushed.

Sambal Tumis is a basic recipe and is a good accompaniment for Nasi Lemak.

Sambal Tumis

SAMBAL TUMIS (makes about 750g)

Ingredients

• 50g tamarind paste
• 400 ml water
• 50g dried chillies
• 300g shallots, peeled
• 4 fresh red chillies
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 50g belachan piece
• 150 ml oil
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt

Method

1. Dissolve the tamarind paste in water.  Strain and set aside the tamarind water.  Discard seeds.
2. Soak the dried chillies in water for 30 minutes.  Drain the water.
3. Toast belachan piece in a dry heated pan over low fire, turning it occasionally until it becomes crumbly.
4. Blend dried chillies, shallots, fresh chillies, garlic and belachan together until a paste is formed. Add a little water into the blender, if it is necessary to get it moving. 
5. Heat oil in a wok over a medium heat until very hot.  Stir the blended mixture vigorously into the hot oil.
6. Reduce the heat slightly and slowly fry the mixture until its colour becomes a deep red-brown, and it has thickened into a jammy consistency.  At this point, the oil would have separated from the mixture.  This process will take about 10 - 12 minutes.
7. Stir in sugar, salt and the tamarind water.  This will thin the mixture.  Fry for another 2 - 3 minutes until it is glossy again.
8. Season to taste.

Notes

• Do not put more belachan than what is required as it is saltish. A little goes a long way. Reduce if necessary.
• Do not rush the cooking process as the sambal will taste undercooked.

Variations
This is a basic recipe.  For variety, it can be used with the following ingredients

• anchovies - Sambal Ikan Bilis
• chicken & pineapples
• prawns