Bukit Ketumbar, Cheras : Hiking with a dog and wild boars

It was my first attempt hiking at Bukit Ketumbar with my dog and it was a very pleasant experience. We were lucky with the weather as it was slightly overcast.

It was an up hill climb that I would rate as moderate to easy.

This is one of the view points on the way up hill.

My dog had a great time and I was trying to keep up with her. People were really friendly and there were a lot of families hiking together.

At the top, we were welcomed by some boars and makeshift jungle gym. The boars were very tame and there were lots of people taking a break from the hike and exercising.

This was a fun hike but I think I would probably bring a stick the next time I hike because I think it would make the hike a bit easier.

How to get there? Waze or use Googlemaps to Ketumbar Heights Condominium

Parking? this can be a bit difficult. We parked a short walk away from the entrance.

What to bring? insect repellent, drinking water, mobile phone, walking stick.

Level of hike: easy to moderate

Time: 40 minutes to 60 minutes

Here is a picture of my dog waiting for me 😂 during the hike.

Meal Preparation Animation

Fun video of meal preparation from this morning. 

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Preparation is one part of ensuring I eat well during the hectic work week. 

I need my meals to be simple, quick and hassle free with minimal effort during the week which means that I spend a part of my Sunday preparing for the week ahead. 

Varied vegetables & a colourful meal palette add a 🌈 to days when I’m busy working. 

Yes, it can be a chore and an effort but it saves time, money and is a healthier option in the long run. I’m not the most consistent at meal prepping but I do what I can when I have time.

 #mealprep #healthyfood #fitness #cooking #cookingvideo #joadores #vegetables #stopmotion 

👩🏻‍🍳🥚🥕🥑🍆🍅🥗🍱🥘🍝

Stop motion animation 🎥: @khairulhakim

Hummingbird Bakery Coffee Cake or Stuck Bundt Drama

Cake Ingredients:

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

450g unsalted butter at room temperature

450g caster sugar

8 eggs

450g plain flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

Makes 12-16 slices or more

8 eggs! I’ve never made a cake that required so many eggs. I decided to bake this cake for a dinner party hosted by Lady K for 16 people. The cake was moist & the coffee taste wasn’t overpowering. It was quite heavy to transport. I walked in the slippery cold to transport this cake. A guest commented that it looked like, “A gigantic doughnut”. It garnered a lot of compliments & some people requested for the recipe. Evidence that a cake is delectable is when people reach for seconds.Now, that is a cake’s encore ♥

Note: I sifted the dry ingredients twice: flour, baking powder,cocoa powder.

25 cm ring mould, grease & dusted with flour*very important step!

START

1. Coffee Essence: put 2 tablespoons of instant coffee granules + 170 ml water to boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Boil until reduced by half, then remove from the heat & leave to cool completely. Set aside a tablespoon for use in the glaze later.
2. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325ºF) Gas 3.
3. Put the butter + sugar + cold coffee essence in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) & beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
4. Add 1 egg at a time, mixing well & scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.
5. Beat in the flour + baking powder + cocoa powder & mix well until everything is combined & the mixture is light & fluffy.
6. Prepare your ring mould! Grease & dust it. Pour the mixture into the prepared ring mould & smooth over with a palate knife. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until the sponge feels firm to touch.
7. Leave the cake to cool in the mould for before turning it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: I made the error of not preparing the ring mould properly. I almost had a HEART ATTACK because the cake was STUCK to the tin & I had to leave for the party PRONTO! 

Gently lower mould into hot water. Obviously tin side down & not too much water! Take a moment to Breathe.

What I did: I boiled hot water which I poured into a little bucket, then I gently lowered my lovingly baked cake to the water for a few minutes. Closed my eyes & hoped for the better. Then I deftly lifted the cake out of the bucket & flipped it over onto a wire cooling rack.

Et Voila! It worked!! Did a victory dance in my little kitchen & proceeded to hastily glaze the cake.

Et Voila! Bundt out.

Hummingbird recipe proposed a vanilla frosting but I wanted a glaze because I felt that would be lighter, fuss free when transporting & quick to make.

Glaze recipe:

Glaze cake in sink

170g Icing Sugar, 4 teaspoons of peach rum, 1 tablespoon of water + 1 tablespoon of reserve coffee essence.

I used the peach rum because I had it at hand and decided that peach rum & coffee were complementary flavours. haha!

Note: Sift the Icing Sugar once to avoid lumps.

1. Combine the Icing sugar + peach rum + water + coffee essence. Then, use a balloon whisk to whisk until smooth.

2. I put the cake with the wire rack at the bottom in the kitchen sink & poured the glaze over it. I think this method is best because it is easier to clean the kitchen sink than a surface. It is an unsaid rule that your kitchen sink should be clean.

3. I sprinkled a pinch of cinnamon & a generous amount of brown sugar on top of the glaze.

4. I left my glazed cake to cool for 30 minutes.

I hope these little tips come handy when you bake. Happy Baking!

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Hummingbird Bakery Cheddar, Ham & Mushroom Muffins

Make & bake the muffins on the same day. It is very easy & quick to make: 30 minutes. I found the dough mixture very sticky & tough but the muffins turned out very well. It keeps for 3 days.

If you would like a vegetarian version, I reckon sun-dried tomatoes & olives are wonderful substitutes for ham.

Scrummy Savoury Muffins

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Hummingbird Bakery Green Tea Cupcakes

I baked these on the eve of Chinese New Year for a little dinner party hosted by Lady M. Baby M, Lady M’s niece demanded 2, that’s when I knew it was good.  The cupcakes had a nice little crusty top which led to an absolutely fluffy cake.

Note: Put the milk and green tea to infuse in the fridge overnight or for a few hours.

Frosting Note: I only used 200g of icing sugar in the frosting because I ran out of icing sugar. This turned out for the better because it wasn’t too sweet & had the slightly bitter taste of the tannins in the green tea. Lady M & I liked it because the flavours were more balanced. Although the icing did turn out a freakishly Frankenstein green shade because of the lack of Icing sugar compared to the shade of the green tea cupcake in the book that has a lighter shade of green.

Happy Chinese New Year!

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Hummingbird Bakery Nutty Apple Loaf

This Nutty Apple Loaf is crumbly & moreish. Its a quick recipe which takes about 30 minutes or less to assemble. Note: this recipe requires for an overnight refrigeration. Baking the loaf for breakfast is a brilliant start to the first meal of the day! The wonderful sweet scent a fresh loaf permeating from the kitchen is heavenly. Once baked, the chunks of melted chocolate & soft apple pieces form this delectable loaf. What a breakfast treat ♥

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Bea’s German Chocolate Cheesecake

Cake Ingredients:

600g of Hobnobs/Graham crackers, 100g unsalted butter melted, 800g cream cheese, 225g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 50g cornflour/cornstarch, 250ml whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

25cm/10-inch cake pan, greased and baselined with parchment paper
10-12 slices

Note: I took 2 days to make this cake.

This was a very big and rich cake. It was the pièce de résistance for the little tea party I hosted on the 4th January 2013. After the first attempt, I halved the size of the ingredients to bake a smaller cake for Lady J’s birthday party on the 19th January 2013. Both times, it was a hit. Have a go!

Note: you can make your own dulce de leche or purchase a jar from the store. I couldn’t find any dulce de leche in the supermarkets so I decided to substitute that ingredient with salted caramel.

1. Preheat the oven to 125°C (240ºF) Gas 1.
2. Make the Crust. Crush the biscuits until you get fine crumbs. To do this I put the biscuits in a bag & bashed it with a rolling pin or smack it with a wooden spoon. Then, I put the crumbs into a bowl and crumble the biscuits to a finer texture. This can take about 30-40 minutes. Be patient, put on a nice song and dance on the spot while your hands are busy. The texture feels like sand between your fingers. Just imagine yourself at a sweet beach!
3. Add the melted butter, the amount you will need varies. Test by grabbing the mixture and squeezing into your hand to make a ball, then releasing your hand. The mixture should hold its shape but also fall apart when touched slightly. If it doesn’t hold its shape, add more butter otherwise the biscuit will dissolve into the cheesecake and you will have no crust.If it holds the shape too well, add more biscuits to absorb the butter, otherwise your crust will be too hard.
4. Press the mixture down into a prepared cake tin & pat down until level.
5. Put the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and beat until well mixed and the sugar has been dissolved.
6. Slowly incorporate the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until throughly combined before adding the next. Scrape the side of the bowl regularly to make sure that everything is incorporated. Sift the cornflour/cornstarch into the mixture and stir until throughly combined.
7.Add the cream and vanilla extract and mix until combined.Pour the mixture into the pan over the crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour until the middle is slightly jiggly and the top doesn’t look shiny or wet anymore.
8.Remove from the oven and and let cool in the pan for 1 hour. Note: Refrigerate overnight.
10.Unmould the cheesecake by turning it upside down on a plate or board, then uprighting it again.

yummy.

Topping
Ingredients:
Fudge Icing + store bought caramel/dulce de leche + 5 tablespoons shredded coconut (do not replace with desiccated coconut) lightly toasted + 75 g pecan halves slightly toasted and crushed + melted dark or semi sweet chocolate for drizzling.
1. Spread a layer of fudge Icing over the cheesecake. Warn the dulce de leche/caramel slightly and drizzle over the fudge icing in generous dollops. Sprinkle in the pecans, coconuts & melted chocolate all over.
Fudge Icing
250ml whipping cream, 65g golden syrup, 350g dark chocolate (70% cocoa) chopped into pea sized pieces, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 75g unsalted butter cut into cubes and chilled.
Note: Do adjust the amount you need accordingly.
1.Put the cream + golden syrup into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2.Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. As soon as the cream mixture comes to a boil, immediately pour it over the chocolate. Set aside for 1 minute.
3. Using a small balloon whisk placed in the middle of the bowl, stir with very small motions. Don’t stray from the middle of the bowl. You are making an emulsion by whisking a large amount of chocolate at the bottom of the bowl & slowly adding small amounts of cream to it. Stirring in larger motions will incorporate more cream than necessary and will result in a grainy texture. Do not incorporate air as, as that will result in shortening the life of the icing. Keep stirring in small motions-it will look like nothing is happening until eventually, a thick, glossy mixture forms. Gradually stir in wider motions to incorporate more cream into the emulsion until it’s fully combined.
4.Add the vanilla extract and butter & mix until it is well combined. Set aside to let the chocolate stiffen into a firm consistency before using.

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