Blackberries Cinnamon Cake

If others have blackberries in their bag, I have blackberries in my garden... ^_^. They can't be used to make a phone call or to send email etc but they can certainly be eaten.

Our blackberries are growing very healthy and wildly through the year. Actually the plant was almost thrown away by my hubby when he was planting other plants. With a hard resistance by me *wink.. I was able to move it somewhere else hidden between the hedge. Surprisingly this blackberry plant still grows healthy and produces quite amount of fruit.
I don't really like the fruit, so over the years I just let the fruit eaten by the wild birds. This summer my hubby is busy changing our garden and makes the birds scared to eat the blackberries, here I am with small boxes of blackberries trying to figure out how to turn this fruit into something yummy.

After browsing here and there, I finally found a recipe that fits me, easy, practical and also economical... Blackberry Cinnamon Cake.. (source: Bramen Kaneeltaart).

Here I'm sharing with you the recipe:

140 gr butter
140 gr sugar
140 gr almond powder
140 gr selfraising flour
1 egg
1 theespoon cinnamon powder
1 theespoon vanilla-essence (I use vanilla sugar)
 150 - 225 gr fresh blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 180 º F. Line a round baking tin with baking paper of about 23 cm.
2. Beat the butter, sugar, almonds, flour, egg, the cinnamon and vanilla essence in a bowl.
3. Spoon half the mixture into the mold and spread it with a fork a little flat. Scatter the blackberries on top and divide the rest of the batter over.
4. Place the shape on the baking tray and bake the cake 1 hour, until golden brown and springy.
5. Place the cake on a rack and sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar on top.

My way:
1. I used cupcake baking molds.
2. I added the almond powder after I beat the butter, sugar, almond, flour, egg, the cinamon & vanilla essence.
3. I sprinkled over the dough the cinnamon powder and vanilla sugar.
4. Then I baked them for about 25-30 minutes and I made 14 cupcakes.

Blackberry

Opor Ayam // Chicken cooked in coconut sauce

Some people call this dish as Indonesian chicken curry which is "not". According me Indonesian chicken curry is called Gulai (gule) Ayam. They both are almost similar, except the gulai (gule) ayam has more spices such as cardammon, cloves and nutmeg... in fact, it contains almost all spices in the ingredients. I've posted gulai ayam previously, so now you have a chance to try cooking and comparing both of them. Trust me, they're both delicious... >_<

But Indonesian cuisine is very rich and created by people throughout Indonesian islands. It's hard to find similar recipes across the country. The food would have the same name, but the ingredients quite vary and sometimes depends on its location and natural resources, not to mention influenced by India, the Middle East, China, and Europe. So is with this opor ayam dish, if you're googling, you'll find hundreds varieties of recipes and will cause you headache. It happened to me too when I started learning cooking. Don't worry, at the end you'll find the best recipe that suits you the most. Bon appétit...

Opor Ayam

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken, cut in pieces
2 salam leaves
1 stick lemon grass
1 cm fresh galangga (laos)
4 cm cinnamon stick
750 cc coconut milk

Fine grinded:
10 small shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 tbs coriander
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cm fresh ginger
2 cm fresh curcuma (1 tsp curcuma powder)
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
- Fried the chicken in little oil until both side colored, set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan, add grinded ingredients, salam leaves, lemon grass, laos and cinnamon. Stir fry until fragrant.
- Add the coconut milk and chicken. Season with salt & pepper.
- Cook until the chicken done.

Martabak Tahu // Soybean Curd In Folded Pastry

According to Wikipedia Martabak, or Murtabak, is an Indian Muslim (Mamak) dish commonly found in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Yemen where it is called Motabbag (Arabic: المطبّق) which means "The Folded" so the name could be of Arabic origin. It is made from a thin dough filled with minced meat, usually mutton, and fried on a griddle until it turns golden brown. The fillings also include garlic, egg and onion. Martabak is served with slices of cucumber and onion, and a bowl of curry sauce. In Indonesia, Martabak also tends to be served with some kind of dark brown sauce made of vinegar and palm sugar.

Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
250 gr minced or ground beef
1 medium-sized onion, halved and sliced
2 Tbls. chopped Chinese celery leaves
1 Tbls. curry powder
2-3 eggs
1/2 kg tofu (firm soybean curd), flatten
1 stalk green onion, finely sliced
Salt, white pepper, broth powder to taste
20-30 spring roll sheets

There are two ways to make the filling. Either you cook the ingredients first before folded or you can also saute the filling then folded into the spring roll sheet.

To make the filling:
1st way:
1. In a large bowl put all ingredients together. Season with pepper, salt and broth powder.
2. Fold in the eggs and mix all thoroughly.
3. Take 1 tablespoon filling, put it at the center of spring roll sheet, then folded like an envelope, or rolls to taste.
4. Deep fry over medium heat. Remove & drain.

2nd way:
1. Heat oil, saute onion and garlic until fragrant fine.
2. Enter the ground meat, stir until meat changes color.
3. Add the curry powder and pepper, pour 1 / 2 cup water / broth.
4. Cook until the spices to infuse.
5. Add the tofu, green onion and green pepper slices and stir well.
6. After all ingredients cooked, turn off heat, set aside.
7. Put the eggs in to the filling, mix thoroughly.
8. Take 1 tablespoon of egg mixture at the center of spring roll sheet, then folded like an envelope, or rolls to taste.
9. Fry over medium heat until the sheet golden brown. Remove and drain.

Serve with tomato sauce or chili sauce or soy sauce & pickles.