Kalamay/Kalame Nasi/Reiskuchen

Kalamay or Kalame nasi in my dialect or as we call it in our house, Reiskuchen, is a favourite dish. The way I cook it is not very sweet, so it does not taste rich that you feel you had enough after just having a bite. It's even nicer the next day. When I was still in the Phillipines, we only cook this when there's fiesta or during Christmas or New Year. But now, I cook it whenever I have craving for it or when I have heaps of pinoy friends over. Although it's doubly popular with Aussie friends as well. But then again, all our aussie friends go GAGA about anything pinoy dish. I think, what makes this dish is the topping. It almost tastes like leche flan.

Remember, this is only a guideline. Cook it the way you want it. If you want it sweet, add more sugar. If you think it's very sweet, lessen the sugar.

Ingredients:

1 kilo glutinous rice
1 cup brown sugar
1 400 ml can coconut cream
1 can water

Directions:

1. Wash the rice thoroughly.
2. Put in a pot. Pour coconut cream plus water
3. Mix well. Cook in a low heat, stir while cooking
4. When the rice is almost cooked, stir in the sugar. Mix well.
5. Transfer into a baking dish. I used a big pyrex dish. I usually spray the baking dish first before transferring the rice. The rice is not totally cooked yet, it should still be slightly liquidy.
6. Level the rice then pour the topping.

Topping:

¾ can to 1 can of coconut cream/milk
½ - 1 cup brown sugar (depending how sweet you like it)
½ cup condensed milk
2 – 3 eggs

Mix all the ingredients.

Bake in a moderate oven, 180 C for 45 minutes or until the topping is brown or burnt (however you like it -- I like mine slightly burnt on the edges. Yummy!)

Chocolate Cake

Anything with chocolate is yummy. The peaches make this cake refreshing as well. You can also serve it with more cream if you like.

Ingredients:

75 g unsalted butter, softened or margarine (I used margarine)
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup reduced-fat milk
Peaches to serve (from a can)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 C or 160 C fan-forced. Grease a 22 cm fluted ring pan

1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and milk on low speed for 1 minute or until just combined. Increase speed to high. Beat for 2 minutes or until thick and creamy.
2. Spoon mixture into pan. Smooth top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
3. Remove from oven. Stand cake in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
4. Place cake on a plate. Ice.
   

Icing:

1 ½ cups icing sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 -3 tablespoon of milk, warmed

Sift icing sugar and cocoa. Add milk. Mix until smooth. Pour icing over cooked cake. Decorate with peaches or berries.

Pandesal using the bread maker

Pandesal is a breakfast favourite, eaten by itself or with a bit of cheese or butter, it's simply divine. I remember when I was still a very young girl living with my grandparents in the province of Apalit, Pampanga, my grandpa and I used to wake up at 4 in the morning so that we were one of the first if not the first to get pandesal from the store where it's being delivered. And yes, they will still be very hot then and the store smells of freshly baked bread. We get 2 pesos worth, and that will be 20 pieces of pandesal then, and the sizes of the pandesal is about 5 or 6 inches long. Yup, they were only 10 centavos a piece during that time. And no, that wasn't in the 60's ... it was in the 70's. I'm not that old. Last time we went back to the Philippines (1997), I used to send my hubby to the nearest bakery and asked him to buy pandesal. That time, not only they're 1 peso a piece, they're only 2 inches long and mostly air inside. Oh bring back the 70's ... LOL. Now with the help of a bread maker, I can make my very own pandesal. I have tried so many recipes, and this is the one I prefer the most.

Ingredients:

2 cups lukewarm water
½ cup shortening or cooking oil
1 ½ fine salt
½ cup white sugar
6 cups plain flour
3 tsp dry yeast
2 eggs (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 220 C. Reduce to 190 C (180 C fan forced oven) when you put in Pandesal.

1. Place ingredients in baking pan in order listed or according to your manufacturer’s machine. Insert baking pan and close lid.
2. Program your machine to dough cycle. Press START
3. When the cycle stops, I usually leave the dough in the bread maker for another hour or so until the dough doubles in size. Sometimes, if I forget, it’s almost coming out of the bread maker. Alternatively, remove the dough from your bread maker and put it in a much bigger bowl (lightly greased) cover it with cling wrap and leave in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size.
4. Remove the dough from the bread maker, punch out the air then roll out on a floured board, into a 1 ½ diameter strips.
5. Cover with bread crumbs. Let rise for another 15 minutes
6. Cut into 1 ½ inch pieces, roll them into some more bread crumbs.
7. Arrange on a slightly greased baking sheet, cut side up.
8. Sprinkle with more bread crumbs. Let rise for another 30 minutes or until it doubles again in bulk.
9. Bake in a pre-heated oven.
10. Bake until slightly brown, about 15 – 20 minutes.