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Hed Chef
Curl up with hot chocolate
By Hedy Khoo
September 14, 2009
CLOTHES: Marciano LOCATION: kitchen culture at Leng Kee Road MAKE-UP & HAIR: Helen Wong from Make Up For Ever Academy (Tel: 63330678)
GOING on a first date is like ordering a cup of hot chocolate at a cafe you have never been to.
You wonder what to expect and wait with bated breath .
A topping of whipped cream, a sprinkling of cocoa powder, a cinnamon stick or a marshmallow?
What lies beneath when you get past the foam and initial sweetness? Is it quality cocoa powder we are getting here or an instant pre-mixed formula?
So many questions, so little time to find the answers. Especially when you are too busy fantasising about what your children might look like. That's all right as long as you don't fantasise out loud, causing your date to run away screaming before settling the bill.
But don't you sometimes wish you could skip the polite chit-chat and strip your date down to the bare essentials? I mean, find out who the true person is.
Is he honest, intelligent, but not beyond your control? Does he have good genes? This last question is pertinent in case your earlier fantasy of parenthood comes true.
While milk and foam may be pretty, I like my cup of hot chocolate to be simply made from good quality cocoa powder. Sometimes, less is more.
As a friend from northern Spain who gave me the recipe, as well as that for churros, said this is strictly for those who can appreciate cocoa in a form as pure as possible. Indeed, no cows were hurt in my attempt to recreate this fuss-free steaming concoction.
Dunk some home-made churros in it, and this is one cheery cuppa you could curl up with while looking through your little black book.
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CHURROS
Ingredients
200g plain flour, sifted
120ml warm water
2 pinches of salt
Oil for deep frying
Icing or castor sugar for coating
Method
--TNP PICTURES: KUA CHEE SIONG, HEDY KHOO
1. Put flour and salt in a large bowl, then gradually add water in, mixing and kneading the mixture into a dough ball. I cheated by using a cake mixer with a dough hook.
2. When the texture of the dough becomes smooth and slightly elastic, divide into four portions. Knead and roll each portion into a long and thin tube shape, about 1.5cm thick.
3. Heat 5-7cm of oil in a pot until boiling hot.
4. Take each length of the dough, put it into the oil in a spiral shape.
5. Fry each churro about 11/2 min on each side before removing from oil, and drain on kitchenpaper.
6. Sprinkle sugar on the churros and eat while hot.
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HOT CHOCOLATE
Ingredients
1 mug of water
5-6 tsp sugar
4 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 - 2 tsp fine corn flour
Method
1. Heat half a mug of water in saucepan. Add the sugar and stir.
2. Take another half a mug of water at room temperature, and add the cocoa powder and corn flour to it. Stir thoroughly.
3. When the water with sugar comes to a boil, add the cocoa mixture.
4. Stir and allow the mixture to come to a boil. If you want a thicker texture, you can keep it simmering for a few minutes more.
Hed Chef
Curl up with hot chocolate
By Hedy Khoo
September 14, 2009
CLOTHES: Marciano LOCATION: kitchen culture at Leng Kee Road MAKE-UP & HAIR: Helen Wong from Make Up For Ever Academy (Tel: 63330678)
GOING on a first date is like ordering a cup of hot chocolate at a cafe you have never been to.
You wonder what to expect and wait with bated breath .
A topping of whipped cream, a sprinkling of cocoa powder, a cinnamon stick or a marshmallow?
What lies beneath when you get past the foam and initial sweetness? Is it quality cocoa powder we are getting here or an instant pre-mixed formula?
So many questions, so little time to find the answers. Especially when you are too busy fantasising about what your children might look like. That's all right as long as you don't fantasise out loud, causing your date to run away screaming before settling the bill.
But don't you sometimes wish you could skip the polite chit-chat and strip your date down to the bare essentials? I mean, find out who the true person is.
Is he honest, intelligent, but not beyond your control? Does he have good genes? This last question is pertinent in case your earlier fantasy of parenthood comes true.
While milk and foam may be pretty, I like my cup of hot chocolate to be simply made from good quality cocoa powder. Sometimes, less is more.
As a friend from northern Spain who gave me the recipe, as well as that for churros, said this is strictly for those who can appreciate cocoa in a form as pure as possible. Indeed, no cows were hurt in my attempt to recreate this fuss-free steaming concoction.
Dunk some home-made churros in it, and this is one cheery cuppa you could curl up with while looking through your little black book.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHURROS
Ingredients
200g plain flour, sifted
120ml warm water
2 pinches of salt
Oil for deep frying
Icing or castor sugar for coating
Method
--TNP PICTURES: KUA CHEE SIONG, HEDY KHOO
1. Put flour and salt in a large bowl, then gradually add water in, mixing and kneading the mixture into a dough ball. I cheated by using a cake mixer with a dough hook.
2. When the texture of the dough becomes smooth and slightly elastic, divide into four portions. Knead and roll each portion into a long and thin tube shape, about 1.5cm thick.
3. Heat 5-7cm of oil in a pot until boiling hot.
4. Take each length of the dough, put it into the oil in a spiral shape.
5. Fry each churro about 11/2 min on each side before removing from oil, and drain on kitchenpaper.
6. Sprinkle sugar on the churros and eat while hot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOT CHOCOLATE
Ingredients
1 mug of water
5-6 tsp sugar
4 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 - 2 tsp fine corn flour
Method
1. Heat half a mug of water in saucepan. Add the sugar and stir.
2. Take another half a mug of water at room temperature, and add the cocoa powder and corn flour to it. Stir thoroughly.
3. When the water with sugar comes to a boil, add the cocoa mixture.
4. Stir and allow the mixture to come to a boil. If you want a thicker texture, you can keep it simmering for a few minutes more.
