Matcha Chia Pudding

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I last blogged. I've been really busy packing, unpacking and moving. I finally have some spare time on hand today and was looking back on my photos when I realised I haven't yet shared this recipe which I adore. And no surprises here, of course, it has to be matcha-related again! :P

Here I've got in my beautiful Maxwell & Williams Mansion glassware a mix of textures and colours paired with fresh summer flavours.

It's a base of matcha chia pudding, topped with matcha granola (gifted by the very lovely Lianne), pan-roasted organic coconut chips, fresh strawberries and mango.

Here's the recipe for my matcha chia pudding:

Matcha Chia Pudding
Recipe by The Bakeanista

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 cup milk 
• 1 tbsp matcha powder (I used Zen Wonder's Shizen)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• fresh fruits for garnishing

Method

1. Combine and mix well all ingredients in a bowl, or like I did in my Maxwell & William stemless glasses. 
2. Let it soak overnight in the refrigerator. I cling wrap the glasses for hygiene purposes.
3. Give it a good stir the following morning, and garnish with any topping you like. Enjoy! :)

Garnishing with flowers instantly make everything look that extra bit pretty, don't ya think? Here's an aerial view where you can get a good glimpse of all the toppings.

I invited a good friend over for brekkie and served this. She was going all ohh-and-ahh, saying my matcha chia pudding can be passed off as "cafe quality" both in taste and presentation. Hehe that made me so so happy!

As much as I love eating out and exploring new cafes, brekkie or brunch at home can be just as fun, yummy and pretty too! I had so much fun "plating" this up. This recipe in particular is also really easy to prepare and so delicious too!

As I used a really high quality matcha powder (Zen Wonder's Shizen), the matcha flavour really stood out. The matcha granola with dried blueberries also went really well with this chia pudding as I love the contrasting textures. So I highly recommend you make some the granola ahead of time to go with your chia pudding. :)

I hope you'll enjoy this healthy brekkie as much as I did!

Matcha Pancakes

There are days when I love going out for brunch, but there are also days when I love having brekkie or brunch at the comfort of my own home and on days like that, I often opt to make something simple.

I love it when I have on hand some delicious Brasserie Bread (my fav being the Single Origin Sourdough) so I could put together a quick luxurious brekkie.

Very simply just a sunny side up and stir fried shrooms with thyme on toast or bacon and scrambled eggs with a small dollop of chilli jam on toast. Both easy to whip up and so delicious!

But on other days when I have got no bread sitting around in my pantry, I like having pancakes because they're equally as easy to whip up. And seeing as I am on a roll with matcha, of course I had to make green tea pancakes!

I used Zen Wonder's new culinary grade matcha known as the Nakashi. Although the Nakashi isn't as fragrant as my ultimate fav Shizen in matcha latte's, the Nakashi is good enough for me to use in baking/cooking. It is also more affordable than the Shizen.

Soft & Fluffy Matcha Pancakes
Recipe by The Bakeanista; yields 12 thick pancakes

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs, separated 
• 230g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp matcha powder 
• 200ml milk 
• Pinch of sugar (about 1 tbsp)

Method:

1. First separate the eggs, putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and matcha powder into to the yolks, add milk then mix to a smooth thick batter.
3. Whisk the whites with the sugar until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the egg yolk batter – it is now ready to use.
4. Heat a good non-stick pan on medium heat. Pour some of your batter into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until it starts to look golden and firm. When you start to notice bubbles, loosen pancake with a spatula and flip it over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.
5. Stack the pancakes up, then top or layer with whatever tickles your fancy before digging in. 

I highly recommend serving them pancakes with a good drizzle of pure maple syrup and pan-fried crispy bacon! Sweet and savoury combo are the best! ;)

Soft & Fluffy Pandan Pancakes

I've been hooked onto fresh pandan extract ever since returning to Malaysia. Well, let me tell you how it all started...

I was checking out the back of my garden one afternoon only to find such a humongous pandan plant.

I was so excited, I called out to my helper who then helped me snip away at those leaves.

As I am working with a mini blender, I cut them as small and thinly as I can. I like to make one huge batch (about 15-20 leaves) at a time and I just estimate 1 cup of snipped pandan leaves with 50ml of water.

Blend until finely blitzed then strain over fine sieve and store in jar.

This is how it looks on the first day. Leave it in the fridge for a couple of days to allow the chlorophyll to sink to the bottom.

Mine usually takes 2-3 days. See that thick green layer at the bottom of the jar? That's the concentrated pandan extract that you'd want to keep for this recipe!

You may also reserve the remaining bits of the extract for other recipes such as mantou's.

You can use the pandan extract for lots of different recipes; cakes, bread, buns or even fluffy pancakes. ;)

I've received a number of requests for the pandan pancake recipe since posting this shot of my pancake stack on Instagram, so here you go!

Pandan Pancakes
Recipe by The Bakeanista; yields 12 thick pancakes

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs, separated 
• 230g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 200ml milk (you may try using coconut milk too)
• 6 tbsp of concentrated natural pandan extract 
• Pinch of sugar

Method:

1. First separate the eggs, putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another.
2. Add the flour, baking powder, milk and pandan extract to the yolks and mix to a smooth thick batter.
3. Whisk the whites with the sugar until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the egg yolk batter – it is now ready to use.
4. Heat a good non-stick pan on medium heat. Pour some of your batter into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until it starts to look golden and firm. When you start to notice bubbles, loosen pancake with a spatula and flip it over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.
5. Stack the pancakes up, then top or layer with whatever tickles your fancy before digging in. ;)

I reckon caramelised banana and roasted desiccated coconut or coconut chips even would go really well with pandan. Finally, drizzle with a generous dash of maple syrup or gula Melaka syrup.

If you do not have access to pandan leaves to make your own extract, you may replace with the store-bought ones. Maybe start with 1 tsp of the Koepoe Koepoe pandan extract first, then add more for a more intense colour/flavour.

You could also use the concentrated extract to bake this fragrant pandan butter cake. Oh, the kitchen smelt so absolutely good as I took the cake, fresh and warm out of the oven. If you'd like to give it a go, I used this recipe from Nasi Lemak Lover. :)

As you can tell, I really love pandan a lot, and have blogged about it in the past as well. You can check out these other recipes if you're interested but note I used store bought pandan extract back then:

• Pandan Chiffon Cake
• Pandan Layer Cake
• Pandan Sponge Cupcakes
• Pandan Swiss Roll
• Steamed Pandan Bolu

I just made another batch of pandan extract and I'm planning to make pandan bread next! I'll update you with how I go. Happy baking! :)

Rustica Sourdough

I've had Rustica Sourdough on my never ending to-eat-list ever since I read about it on Broadsheet. After seeing photos of the French toast time and again on my Instagram feed, I was going to drag The Boyfriend there with me before I flew off.

So you can imagine, when the invitation to brunch at Rustica came through the very next day, I was so happy, I did a happy chicken dance! The law of attraction must be working in my favour woohoo!

As we made our way into the cafe, we were welcomed with a fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread. There was a wide selection of bread, rolls and pastries on display; and they all looked so so good!

We were kindly seated by the open pastry kitchen, and I watched in awe as the pastry chefs worked their magic through some almond and chocolate croissants. I could not stop staring; sorry chefs, it must have been awkward to have people just looking on as you work. :|

I started with a cuppa soy hot chocolate. I would usually order a mocha, but upon seeing that they serve Monsieur Truffe's hot chocolate, I simply had to have a cuppa. OH SO GOOD!

The Boyfriend had a cup of English Breakfast tea and at this stage, The Boyfriend said he felt a little unwell and I thought maybe he was just a little too hungry as it was past noon, we haven't had any brekkie and it did take a while before our order was taken.

I was really really keen on trying the French toast that I've seen multiple times on Instagram, however as I was having some bad tummy cramps, I thought okay, I should refrain myself from having sweets and ice cream so instead I settled for the croque monsieur.

The three-stack croque monsieur consisting of ham hock, swiss gruyere, and seeded mustard bechamel on pumpkin brioche was amazing! It was a guilty indulgence no doubt, but one very worthy of its calories, I can assure you.

The Boyfriend on the other hand, opted for the beef brisket burger with chipotle mayo, herb slaw and pickles on brioche bun, served with french fries. The rich crumbly brioche bun was a great match to the tender brisket. I stole a bite of the burger and absolutely loved it.

I was looking forward to dessert but unfortunately though, as The Boyfriend was struck with a migraine midway through, we had to make a quick dash without finishing our food.

The music was pumping loud which would otherwise have been great for the atmosphere if not for The Boyfriend's headache.

The few bites that we had were fantastic though. Well, at least I was really enjoying my meal, but my poor boyfriend had his head pounding away and could barely stomach any food. He did say to me the following day, "The burger was yummy, wished I didn't have migraine."

We excused ourselves, and were so surprised and pleased when we were presented with a goodie bag to take home. I am glad The Boyfriend managed to at least enjoy the bread after he woke up from his 3 hours nap, hungry and still a little groggy.

Fresh, light and airy; everything I'd ask for in a loaf of sourdough bread. It was also my first time having pumpkin bread and I loved it. A soft and slightly sweet loaf; I was enjoying it plain with olive oil and it was so satisfyingly good.

Thank you ID Collective and Rustica Sourdough for the invitation and great food. We will have to return again soon so we can take our time and enjoy a proper meal next time. I need to get my hands on the beautiful pastries and the French toast.

It's only been slightly less than 2 weeks since I left Melbourne and I am already missing the brunch scene. Oh, I just can't wait to be back. So please do enjoy an extra plate of the French toast on my behalf! ;)

Addict Food and Coffee

This is my first weekend back in Malaysia and whilst I am really enjoying the local food, a huge part of me is missing the other home that is Melbourne. I miss The Boyfriend and I miss the food scene in Melbourne, especially a good brekkie.

I have yet to try any western breakfast/brunch options here in KL but I've been told by many that they're not as good as the ones in Melbourne. Thankfully before I left, I filled up my brunch quota as much as I could.

One of the many Melbourne brunch places that I managed to cross off my to-eat-list before returning to KL is Addict Food and Coffee. It was a Thursday morning, both Daisy and I headed down to Fitzroy to catch up with Singaporean foodie, Michelle Li who happened to be in town.

All three of us had a drink each; whilst the other girls opted for coffee, I went for the Mork hot chocolate with almond milk. I love the beautiful mug that the hot chocolate was served in.

We decided to order 3 dishes to share amongst the three of us. Daisy opted for the eggs benedict with ham hock and tarragon hollandaise. The eggs were poached to perfection, and I really enjoyed the ham hock; so tender and flavourful!

The other Michelle being a lover of sweets, selected the wholemeal buttermilk pancakes. I love how pretty this dish looked, and may I add, the fluffy pancakes paired with raspberry, poached pear and mascarpone tasted just as scrumptious too!

And finally, this was my pick. Just how yolkpornlicious does this look? ;) Mushroom duxelles, topped with a crisp potato hash, a juicy roasted field mushroom, caramelised onion and a poached egg.

I loved the contrasting texture of the fleshy mushroom and the crisp yet soft in the inside potato hash. The flavours were very well executed, with the sweetness of the caramelised onion cutting through the savoury duxelles.

I was really pleased with our meal, and I'm sure both the girls were satisfied too. All three dishes were really well executed and delicious, but if I had to choose a favourite, I'd go for the eggs benedict.

Service was also great; despite the slight wait for the food to arrive, the waitstaff were all very friendly and attentive.

The cafe was packed and buzzing with lots of locals enjoying their food and coffee; and I can see why. I could not fault Addict Food at all and definitely wouldn't mind returning again.

I guess that explains the queue for a table. My advice would be to get in early with a smaller group as most tables are set for two. :)

Brunch in the East #4: Butter Dish Eatery in Camberwell

I recently received an invite to dine at Butter Dish Eatery and decided that since I had a day off last Friday, I'd take a slow drive down for brunch with my friend, R.

Butter Dish Eatery is conveniently located right next door to the Camberwell Market on the Riversdale Road front. There are heaps of 2P free parking at the market, or if you're catching the train, Butter Dish is only a short 10 minutes walk from the Camberwell station.

I was instantly attracted to the array of the pastries and sweet treats on display upon entering the cafe.

Good lord, don't you agree with me that it all looks very alluring? The greedy pig in me wanted one each of everything! :P

When I was provided the menu to peruse, the one item that really stood out on the menu was this:

Peanut butter hot chocolate with crushed maltesers!!! I know I know, it is so very naughty but damn, it was deliciously indulgent!

I've never had a hot chocolate this luscious before, seriously. Every mouthful was an absolute delight! Whoever invented this bomb is a genius! Peanut butter + chocolate + maltesers = LOVE!!

Seriously, I have not stopped raving about it. I tell everyone I see about how it's the best hot choc I've ever had, and I highly recommend you give it a try too. Your waistline might not be too pleased, but upon the first sip, you will thank me for it. Yep, you're welcome! ;)

Moving onto food, we started first with savoury - the sautéed mushrooms and chives, sitting atop a hidden poached egg on Noisette brioche toast, and finished with grated Parmesan cheese.

Oh my, it arrived smelling out of the world delicious!! I can assure you, this dish tastes just as delicious as it looks.

My photo does not do this dish any justice, but it was SO SO GOOD! I reckon it would have been even more perfect if there was an extra egg for more yolkporn hehehe. ;)

Next up, a sweet brekkie option. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this delectable dish - croissant French toast served with rose panna cotta, baked rhubarb, meringue and white chocolate chunks. So so delish, every biteful was heavenly!

And of course with a display so beautiful, I had to at least wrap up my meal with one of the sweet treats. I opted for the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, to go with my green tea. Man, the frosting was so delectable, I wished there was more. :P

To be honest, I went in for the tasting with no expectations, but I was really blown away by how good everything tasted; from food to drinks and even the sweet treats.

Even though it was an invite, I would be more than happy to return on my own dollar, especially for that hot chocolate!!

A little tip to note is that the cafe is quite small so try to get in early. I hope you will enjoy Butter Dish Eatery as much as I did.

Journeyman Cafe, Prahran

I've read raving reviews about Journeyman, which was previously known as Dukes Coffee Roasters and was really happy when Daisy agreed to catch up for lunch there.

Located on the Windsor end of Chapel Street, Journeyman was buzzing when I arrived. I've heard about the long queues during the weekend, but thankfully as it was a Thursday arvo, there were a few tables still available.

"Such a beautiful space," I thought to myself as I walked through the cafe to an empty table. I absolutely loved the fit out of the cafe, particularly the exposed red bricks.

As I arrived a tad early, I thought maybe I'll have a mocha to start. I don't usually drink coffee on weekdays, but I was having a particularly long week at work, and didn't mind a caffeine fix. I am glad I did though, it was a good cuppa - smooth and lovely!

Moving onto food, I was tossing between sweet (the much talked about waffles!) and savoury, but I decided I couldn't go past the pulled pork benedict.

The pulled pork was served with beautifully poached eggs, cider vinegar hollandaise, apple and spinach. Such an enjoyable dish! Every biteful was so delectable, I'm not sure if I was annoying Daisy with my, "Mmmm, it's so yum!" statements.

As both Daisy and I decided that we would go halfies, I also managed to try the almond and cornflakes crispy chicken with red cabbage slaw on brioche bun, served with corn and tomato salsa on the side.

Trust me, it tasted just as good as it looks. The chicken really hit the spot - it was fried to a crisp perfection yet still tender, juicy and succulent on the inside.

Coffee was good, food was even better, and the vibe is amazing. Both Daisy and I were really pleased with our meal.

Journeyman is definitely high up on my list of "good brunch places" and I really recommend it! This may be my first visit to Journeyman, but I can foresee many more to come. I am looking forward to bringing The Boyfriend here for a brunch date some time soon.

Brunch in the East #3: Baba Sus

Who wakes up at 8am on a Saturday morning with a craving for matcha (green tea)? Me.

And that's how I stumbled upon Baba Sus whilst I was adventurously looking for any cafes that served matcha (green tea) latte.

I turned to The Boyfriend, who was still fast asleep and excitedly gave him a little nudge. "Babe, wake up! Let's go for brekkie! I found a new place just next to Burwood Station."

It took me at least 30 minutes to drag the poor boy out of bed whilst chanting "Let's go, let's go!" the whole time. I must have been pretty annoying; sorry, my love!

Baba Sus was already pretty busy when we got there, and there was only one table left outside. We decided we'd brave the cold, all for the sake of my matcha latte.

I was really excited when my matcha latte arrived, but after having my first sip, I was a little let down. :(

It was alright, but it didn't hit the right spot. It tasted just like the ones I make at home but I was expecting something a little more, perhaps a little more unique or cafe quality, like tana cafe's.

Thankfully though the food made up for it. I had the corn and zucchini croquettes served with house-cured salmon, herb aioli, asparagus, frisee, and a gooey poached egg.

The dish was not only beautifully presented but also very delicious!! Here's a winning shot of the gooey golden egg yolk, streaming down the croquettes. Mmmm!

The Boyfriend on the other hand, really enjoyed the soba noodles served with tempura (king prawn, enoki, pumpkin), gooey tea egg, nori, daikon, and soy dipping sauce.

The tempura was fried to a crisp perfection, and went hand in hand with the soba noodles. We both love Japanese inspired breakfasts as they're rather light yet so satisfyingly delicious!

Service was friendly but a tad slow. Although having said that, I guess they were understandably busy. So whilst the food did take quite a while to arrive, it was worth the wait.

As Baba Sus is only a short 5 minutes drive from The Boyfriend's place, I see ourselves frequenting this Asian inspired local cafe in the near future. We're planning to cycle there next time and I look forward to trying their Hong Kong egg waffles and mocha then.

Baba Sus's address can be a little confusing; it is said to be located at Camberwell on Urbanspoon or Glen Iris on Google Maps, but if you're catching the train, take the Alamein line to Burwood station, and it is literally behind the train stop.

If you're planning a visit, my advice is definitely to get in early as there was a long queue by the time we were done at around 11-ish. Hope you'll enjoy the food as much as we did! :)

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Updated 25th April: It was raining this morning and we wanted to go somewhere close by as my tummy was grumbling in hunger.

We decided to revisit Baba Sus again as it is only a short 5 minutes drive away and thankfully the wait wasn't too long. :)

I was really keen to try the mocha so I ordered myself a cuppa. I very shamelessly asked if I could get a cute coffee art as seen on Baba Sus's Instagram and was rewarded with this little piglet. Heh, so so cute!

The Boyfriend on the other hand was after something a little more refreshing so he ordered a Lemmy Lemonade. I love how cute the packaging of the bottle is, and it is actually one of the nicest bottled lemonade I've ever had. Lemmy Lemonade originates from New Zealand - we're definitely going to look out for this brand next time.

Although The Boyfriend really wanted to re-order the soba noodles, I convinced him to try something different. He opted for The Piglette - Asian inspired pulled pork omelette with mushrooms, chilli jam and bean shoot salad on the side.

This dish was very delicious; the omelette was cooked to perfection and the pulled pork was tender, full of flavour and had a good spice. Although the bean shoots were a little too raw for our liking, I will still give this dish a thumbs up for the great flavour combination!

We came back mainly for these Hong Kong Egg Waffles that I was eyeing since the last visit. Thankfully it did not let me down. The egg waffles were soft and deliciously paired with vanilla custard, green tea ice cream, berry compote, and pistachio praline.

It would have been perfect if it was a tad crispier on the outside but I still enjoyed it regardless. I hope they bring a savoury version of these 雞蛋仔 with bacon and maple syrup next!

Now that I've tried all the dishes that I was eyeing before, I guess we'll be returning only when they introduce the winter menu. ;)