BLTA Rice Bowl

My love affair with rice has been my longest by far. There's something about a bowl of the stuff that just makes me happy, and satisfied. If you grew up in Singapore, you might remember the TV ads for jasmine rice where a little girl smells rice steaming away and then basically forces her parents to just give her a bowl of plain white rice. That's, like, my life story, man.

The things I remember about my first trip to Hong Kong, when I was 5, are these: car ferry between harbours and eating FOUR bowls of white rice at lunch. And nothing else. Seriously. Okay, so not great on the nutrition front, but on the picky-child-only-eats-plain-food front, winner ding ding ding!

If anyone reading this is thinking 'what about the carrrbbbbssss??', all I can say is look away now. It's taken me a while to get to this point in my relationship with food, but I'm happy to eat anything (in moderation?) now. Especially carbs. Especially. Carbs. C.A.R.B.Sssssss

Before you think you've stumbled on one of the weirder parts of Tumblr devoted to carbohydrate fan fiction, let me explain the rest of the recipe. Well, it's hard to call it a recipe really - it's more of an idea. In fact, the easiest way to do this would just be to tell you. Sometimes, lists just don't work. I know, hard to believe.

These amounts make about 2 bowls, but just increase/decrease/transfigure as needed. One cup of uncooked Japonica rice makes enough rice for two. I'm no use with rice cooking instructions, because like any self-respecting rice fiend, I have a rice cooker. 

So, cook your one cup of rice. Cook some bacon: I usually just bake it in a hot oven (around 200C) for about 10 minutes, cooking until it's crispy and brown on both sides. Slice some cherry tomatoes in half, dice an avocado, and tear a bunch of lettuce into manageable pieces. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, mix 80 mls of rice vinegar with 1 tablespoon caster sugar and half a teaspoon of salt. Stir until everything is mixed together. Now transfer your rice into a generous bowl, and get your rice paddle ready. Start drizzling two-thirds of the vinegar mixture and fold into the rice. Taste, and only add the rest of the seasoning if there isn't enough flavour. Divide the rice into two bowls.

Lay your ingredients in whatever pattern you like atop the rice. Finish with a squeeze of Japanese mayonnaise, chilli powder and Bonito fish flakes. DIG IN!

Oh, and if you do have ideas for some carb fan fiction, call me.

New Year, New Start

HELLOOOO!!! Yes, I'm back. And for real this time. One of my resolutions (not just for the New Year) is to become a serious and better blogger. So I'm doing it. You may have noticed the new layout - hope you like it! I'm pretty proud of that banner, if I do say so myself. And before you say I'm late with the New Year greeting, Chinese New Year has just passed, so I'm going to stick to the lunar calendar for now.

Just one year ago, I was celebrating Chinese New Year in London with a small group of equally homesick Singaporeans - now I'm writing to you from home in Singapore. I moved back and even started working here, so I'm not running off anywhere anytime soon. 

I'm excited about this new chapter of my life, even with the annoying stresses of being an adult. I think it's worth celebrating, don't you? And in my book, it's not a celebration till there's cake. 

Can I just say how awesome my new bundt pan is? All those sharp edges translate to crispy bits, which can only be a good thing. The sheer heft of this pan also means that heat is transferred slowly through it, cooking the cake evenly. I got it at ToTT on Dunearn Road - If you haven't been there, please do! It's seriously dangerous for a hoarder like me, but I can live with the risk.

This cake is based on cake goddess Rose Levy Berenbaum's recipe, which makes the most to-die-for, golden, buttery, tender yellow cake. Plain and simple. But in the spirit of Chinese New Year, I've jazzed it up with Singaporean flavour. 

Adding rempah kueh (the kind used in kueh lapis) gives the butter cake a perfumed, almost savoury taste. The Gula Melaka 'secret' is a streusel-ish filling, which melts and runs through the cake, lacing it with an extra special gooey deliciousness. I know it doesn't look like much, but I swear this is one of the best cakes I've ever made.

Spiced Butter Bundt Cake with Gula Melaka Secret

5 egg yolks, at room temperature

190ml milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

250g cake flour/top flour

250g caster sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder 

2 teaspoons Rempah Kueh (ready-made cake spice mixture, buy at any supermarket)

142g unsalted butter, at room temperature, roughly cut into cubes

For the Gula Melaka secret:

70g Gula Melaka, grated coarsely

50g cornflour

1 teaspoon Rempah Kueh

Generously butter the inside of a 10-cup Bundt Cake Pan. Preheat your oven to 170C. 

Mix the ingredients for the Gula Melaka secret, stirring together with a fork until slightly damp and well combined.

In a medium bowl or measuring jug, whisk the egg yolks together with the milk and vanilla extract.

Using a stand mixer with the flat beater attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low speed for 30 seconds - this helps combine and aerate the dry ingredients.

Add the butter and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until the mixture has the texture of damp sand. 

Keeping the mixer on, gradually add the egg and milk mixture. Scrape down the bottom of the bowl. Turn the mixer up to medium and beat the mixture for 40 seconds, to strengthen the mixture and combine everything.

Scrape two-thirds of the batter into the prepared cake pan, sprinkle the Gula Melaka secret mixture evenly on top, and top off with the remaining batter. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes. It is best to start testing the doneness with a cake tester or satay stick at around 45 mins - if the sticks comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly, it's done!

Cool in the cake pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Cut and serve! 

This cake stays perfect at room temperature till the next day, but after that refrigerate it up to 3 days.