Laksa lockdown 2

Marvellous Muffins

As the pandemic turns us all into culinary creatives or kitchen tragics, here are two marvellous muffin recipes from my cheffing pals.

Felix Heng from Singapore is a versatile chef who makes fabulous Peranakan (Straits Chinese) dishes, as well as delicious desserts, cakes and cookies.

I met Felix at a sad occasion, my beloved brother-in-law Alan's memorial.

Felix was Alan's classmate from primary school all through high school and he credits Alan with inspiring him to learn drawing.

In Alan's final days, Felix was a source of great comfort, visiting him with loads of delicious morsels to cheer him up.

I'm sure these muffins met with Alan's approval, so here is the recipe.

Felix's Famous Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 205 deg C.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.

Make a well in the centre.

In a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk and oil.

Pour all at once into the well in the flour mixture. Mix quickly and lightly with a fork until moistened, but do not beat.

The batter will be lumpy. Dont worry if there are still small lumps of flour in the batter.

Pour the batter into a muffin tray (lined with cupcake paper cups, if wished) up to three-quarters full.

Bake for 20-25mins.

Note:

If adding blueberries or almonds, its best to put the berries or nuts on top, after you've spooned the batter into the cups.

If adding bananas, mash them first. Use 2-3 bananas for this recipe and add them to the batter with the other ingredients.

My other cheffing pal is my niece Jong-Ee Kao, who is a bundle of energy and ideas. She's the indefatigable mother of two young active boys and wife of Ming.

She rises to every challenge that life throws at her and her creative and artistic skills are truly inspiring, from designing greeting cards and jewellery to her ongoing passion, whipping up a storm, in between home schooling her boys.

Part of their education at home is helping mum cook and then eating the results, naturally.

Jong-Ee adapted a recipe she found online and the result is an interesting savoury muffin to complement a roast.

Or vegetarians could eat it as a main meal.

Savoury Cabbage Carrot and Corn Muffins

aka Triple C Muffins - Cooking in Confinement and Contentment

Preparation: 20 min

Baking: 20 min

Ingredients:

300g all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 pinch Italian mixed herbs

2 large eggs

100ml olive oil

100ml yogurt

80ml water

½ cup shredded cabbage

¼ cup shredded carrot

¼ cup corn kernels

1 tbsp finely chopped spring onions

1 tbsp minced garlic

100g grated cheddar or any leftover cheese

Heat oven to 180 deg C.

Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.

Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and pour the mixture into the dry ingredients.

Fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Avoid over-stirring or muffins will be dense.

Mix in the vegetables and ¾ of the cheese.

Fill 12 muffin cups or lined muffin tray with the mixture. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden and firm to the touch.

Cool on wire rack.

Do not leave in turned off oven to avoid drying the muffins out.

Serve warm with butter as a side dish to a roast, for breakfast or a snack anytime.