Recipe: Choco-Strawberry Meringue Cupcakes

An adaptation to a recipe I chanced upon, these lovely-looking chocolate cupcakes topped with strawberry meringue are not only pleasing to the eyes, but are as equally delicious too. Great for children's parties.

 

Difficulty: Easy

Makes 12 regular-sized cupcakes

Ingredients

125g self-raising flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
125g unsalted Butter
125g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg whites, pasteurized
2 tbsp lemon juice
100g fine sugar
12 fresh strawberries, halved

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line muffin tray with cupcake liner.

2. Sift flour and cocoa powder together twice. Set aside.

3. Cream butter in an electric mixer for a few minutes. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined.

4. Add eggs and beat until mixture is well blended. The texture should be light and fluffy.

5. Add vanilla extract and mix well.

6. Add flour mixture prepared in step 2 and continue to beat until well-mixed. Do not over-mix.

7. Spoon batter into cupcake liners until ¾ full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

8. Remove cupcakes from the oven and let cupcakes sit in the muffin tray for 5 minutes.

9. Remove cupcakes from tray and place on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

10. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and lemon juice at high speed.

11. Add the sugar tablespoon by tablespoon. Allow each tablespoon to dissolve before adding the next. Beat until stiff peaks form.

12. Pipe or scoop spoonfuls of meringue mixture onto the cupcakes. Top with a half-strawberry each.

Tips

1. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before using. Therefore, remove the eggs from the refridgerator 20-30 minutes beforehand.

2. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before adding any frosting.

Notes

Uncooked meringue made with raw eggs may contain salmonella bacteria, which might cause diarrhea, cramps and fever. Although the bacteria is mostly found in the egg yolk, egg whites are not considered safe to consume raw. Hence, please use eggs that are pasteurized. Another alternative is to buy ready-made meringue at local baking stores or supermakets.

Manna Story @ Jcube, Singapore

Located at the top floor of Jcube (previously - Jurong Entertainment Centre), a newly built mall which housed the second IMAX theatres locally and highly acclaimed olympic-sized ice skating rink that opened their doors earlier this year, Manna Story has made another of its nest there in the midst of cool air. Like most Korean restaurants, it boasts authentic Korean cuisine served in a homely environment. Bromance ZR, Tim and yours truly decided to have our virgin experiences (okay, that sounds pretty gay) right there.

 

On a typical Saturday night at approximately 7pm, we expected to see restaurants filled with diners, but it was barely half-filled when we got there. Upon ordering, one of the service staff served us an impressive platter of assorted appetizers, which usually in other restaurants - the most you can get is probably a maximum of 4. For the benefits of all kiasu Singaporeans, this is refillable but please do not waste.

 

My favourite was the peanuts (2nd row, most right) if you want to know. It is slightly different than the ones you would have in Chinese restaurants, this is harder and a tad more chewer. It was like popping sweets and trust me, it is addictive.

 

 

For me, I had their sizzling plate of BBQ Beef (S$13.80) with  bowl of white rice, salad and soup. Quantity-wise, it exceeded my expectations, however quality-wise, it was a little dry and hard. There is a small 20% chance you could find a piece that is juicy and tender. Other than that? Keep digging.

 

 

We ordered their promo item - Kimchi Pizza Bab (S$8.80) for sharing. Although not exactly pizza, the name simply means Kimchi rice topped with melted cheddar cheese, tomatoes and capsicum. This is good, I love how well the cheese complemented the kimchi rice. I just wished that there was more kimchi in the rice.

 

 

Curry Pork Cutlet (S$14.00) tasted like their Japanese counterpart. Thick, juicy, curry-drenched pork katsu topped with carrot and potato cubes. Do you know what I wanted to say? OM NOM NOM NOM.

 

 

Mul Naengmyeon (S$11.80) was a disappointment according to ZR. This bowl of Korean cold noodles in plain broth (or water as some might call it) is better appreciated in smaller portions, and when not consumed in chilly weathers. For me, I definitely prefer the Bibim Naengmyeon (which they don't serve here) - cold noodles with broth made from beef.

 

 

The whole dinner costed us S$59.70, including service charge and prevailing government taxes. Is it worth visiting again? Well, maybe I might.. if I ran out of food to try.




Manna Story

Opening hours
10am - 9pm

2 Jurong East Central 1

#04-19

JCube

Pique Nique @ Ngee Ann City, Singapore

God is good. Thousands of centuries ago, he gave homo-sapiens the wisdom, as well as the ability to make the most satisfying desserts for royal events, ceremonies or festive seasons. Nowadays, due to increasing demands and the gastronomic needs for humans, desserts have become the staple for most of us after meals.

 

It's no different for another human like me. Once upon a time, after lunch at newly-opened Japanese Restaurant at Liang Court - Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru, we decided to head down to Ngee Ann City (also known as Takashimaya) for some desserts. With consideration of atas bakery and patisserie "Paul" in mind as well, we decided to go for Pique Nique (pronouced "picnic") as it provides adequate space for the two children to move about.

 

Opened by the former renowned pastry chef of Les Amis Group's Canele, Chef Pang Kok Keong currently helms two restaurants - Antoinette and Pique Nique, under his newly-formed Sugar Daddy Group. With the latter specializing in American cuisine, such as hotdogs, burgers and bacons, this Western bistro also serves freshly-made desserts and an impressive array of pastries, and which we are obviously here for.

 

Eliza had the Hot Iron Waffle (S$11.80) served with whipped cream and a scoop of home-made vanilla ice cream, and finally drizzled with either maple syrup or salty caramel. We had the former, and it was absolutely delicious. The waffle was crispy on the edges and it had a fine balance between eggy and floury texture. It was amazing, and the best thing is the serving size of the waffle. I didn't expected it to be this huge, but yes, here it is.

 

Sticky Dates Pudding (S$12.00) with butterscotch and vanilla ice cream was good also. However, the pudding was warm, but not warm enough to give that "shiok" (ecstatic) feeling when eaten in one mouthful with the cold counterpart. It was a tad too sweet as well, but other than, I finished this whole plate in less than a few minutes.

Chococheese Cupcake (S$5.15) was a nice combination of rich chocolate and creamy cheese filling. It is topped with frosted cheese cream and dark chocolate shavings, and it had just the right sweetness.

Mark has a small appetite with a picky mouth for good food. I could easily tell that this Blueberry Cheesecake (S$8.35) is good when he wolfed down this slice. But again, I do expect no less for that pricing though.

The only disappointment was the Chamomile Tea (S$6.80 for 1 regular-sized pot). It was the least warm and tasteless. Period.

Like stated in the introduction, Pique Nique serves decent American meals at affordable pricing as well. I will definitely visit again when nature calls for a light snack in between meals, not to even mention I have not tried their Whoopie Pies!

Pique Nique

Tel: 62386705

Opening Hours
Daily: 10:00 - 22:00

391A Orchard Road

#B1-01/02

Ngee Ann City

Rasa Sayang Western Food @ Ang Mo Kio, Singapore

Ask any Ang Mo Kio residents on where to find a place which serves good western food, and the answer is simply "Rasa Sayang" (no, it's not a folk song) at the central's S-11. Nestled within a short 5 minutes walk away from AMK station, Rasa Sayang is a choice for many students and diners who are looking for a quality, yet affordable western meal. Look at what the people are eating at this particular S-11 branch, I dare say that at any time when Rasa Sayang is open for business, at least 60% are having their food.

Recommended by Girlfriend Peiyi, we were there on a certain weekday, a little later than 7pm and the seats were over-occupied already. Therefore, please do expect long waiting times if you come during peak hours on weekends.

One of their bestsellers, Chicken Chop w/ Black Pepper Sauce (S$5.60) is also a favourite of mine. More often or not, chicken chops topped with either black pepper sauce or mushroom sauce are my choices when I visited Rasa Sayang (although the latter is my favourite.) Marinated, succulent chicken steaks paired with fries, baked beans, coleslaw and garlic bread.

Another speciality of theirs, Fish & Chips (S$5.00) which is Peiyi's favourite, was nicely crisp with a nice golden colour on the exterior, yet soft and juicy inside. This dish is served with the same sides as above.

Although slightly pricier than the usual hawker fare, Rasa Sayang is well worth it as it serves not only quality, but also of good quantity as well.




Rasa Sayang Western Food

Opening Hours
Daily: 11:30 - 12:30

711 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8

#01-07

S-11 Food Centre

Red Star Restaurant @ Chin Swee Road, Singapore

Red Star Restaurant is conveniently located at Chin Swee Road, which is just a short 5 minutes walk away from Chinatown station. Usually flooded with diners, especially the elderly who came to gather and reminisce the nostalgic ambience. I love how they are still using the classic quaint pushcarts, which contains trays and baskets filled with freshly made dim-sum.

More often than not, Red Star Restaurant has always been the preferred choice when it comes to choosing a dinner place for dear grandma's birthday. Besides serving your usual dim-sum fix in the morning, this Mandarin restaurant which is opened by four well-known chefs in the 1970s, whipped out pretty decent Cantonese classics as well.

For example, their signature Yam Basket topped with assorted ingredients is a favourite of many. Its crispy exterior covered the soft, piping hot yam cake, matched with a couple of savoury seafood and vegetables,  this delectable dish is one of the must-tries. 

Chicken with Assorted Vegetables was a tad bland for my liking. Nevertheless, I like the unique idea of combining ham with chicken chunks, topped with creamy egg sauce.

Fried Fish Slices in Sweet and Sour Sauce was average. Nothing to rave about, as I usually do not eat fried fish slices, but when I do, I love it when it's soaked in broth.

We also had their spinach leaves, which turns out to be too clumpy. I just wished they'd put more eggs in it.

一品锅, also known as Royal Pot consists of an array of vegetables and seafood, including a generous portion of the luxurious sea cucumber.

Generally, Red Star Restaurant is an ideal place to head to if you want the nostalgia it brings, which is great for family gatherings, especially when there are elderly. Other than that, food and service were pretty average, as there are definitely better ones out there.

Red Star Restaurant

Tel: 65325266

Operating Hours

Daily: 07:00 - 15:00

Daily: 18:00 - 22:30

 

54 Chin Swee Road

#07-23

Chin Swee Area Office

My Unpleasant Johor Experience

"2,000RM fine for 2 photos", the security guard at the Malaysia customs bus-bay told the three of us.

It was last Hari Raya Haji (26 Oct 2012), when Girlfriend Peiyi's family of 8 and myself decided to head out for a day's trip of fun at our neighbouring country, which is none other than Johor, Malaysia. But what was supposed to be exciting and something to look forward to, turned out to be a nasty, unpleasant experience.

We alighted at the bus-bay at the Malaysia customs at approximately 1100hrs, and while waiting for the rest of the family who got seperated at Woodlands Checkpoint, my girlfriend's mother took two pictures of girlfriend and myself with Baby Mitchelle. And stating the pure obvious, it was done out of no harm. Before I carry on, there are NO signage stating that photography or videography is prohibited in the bus-bay. Zero. None at all. Don't tell me I am wrong, because I looked around. Signages baring important notices, offenses and limitations should be obvious, even if there is, it should not be hidden at some crevice on the wall.

One security guard (Guard A) walked towards us and interogated us, with the suspicion that we were terrorists, on why we were taking photographs. Go google "malaysia customs", I confirmed that it will garner thousands and millions of images. I hate to mention it, but he was rankless. We didn't know, we explained to them. They requested for girlfriend's mother's passport, browsed through a few pages and refused to return it. After which he made a phone call to his "officer", another arrogant-looking rankless guard (Guard B) who wears a traffic-police vest and one who claims that he is the head in-charge here. Do I suppose now that they put rankless personnel in-charge of "high security places"?

Guard B then told us to delete the images, or else we will be charged for failing to comply with orders on top of the 2,000RM fine (1,000RM for one photograph). I requested to talk to his head, show him the pictures we took and delete his presence, but he insisted he is in-charged, I mean is there no one higher rank in the chain-of-command than this rankless traffic police? He said that we were disrespecting him and spoke to Guard A in some gibberish malay, which is sadly some language the three of us did not understand. They hinted that we will be brought to the police station and might lead to detention. After some dramatic words exchange, we decided to delete the photographs (thinking of it, why did we do that, when it was evidence we could show). The rest of the family finally arrived and somehow, girlfriend's brother-in-law managed to settle the case. Bribe maybe?

I am sure that my case was not the first, and it will not be the last. It is sad to say that corruption, regardless of severity is everywhere. After the drama, I asked one of the higher ranking officers at the customs and told me that there is no such thing as fine. And despite telling her about our case, she seemed to show the "heck-care" attitute, is this because that this kind of issues happened too frequently? It is obvious that at their management level, it can be better well-managed, but till to what extend?

The whole experience was definitely unpleasant and has made a tainted impression of Malaysia on me. Now, I will think twice before even stepping into Malaysia. It is ironic that Malaysia wants more foreigners to visit their country when they do not enforce a certain standard to the people.

P.S. This post is written with no intentions of flaming the country nor the people. Just expressing my point of view on this particular experience.