Back to work

I went back to work for the first day after a month off. I knew that all of my colleagues are missing me while I was away. We had alot of conversations to catch up about it. It was nice to be back at work.
At the moment we are getting alot of student and also books. I heard that all PHD student just finished their study and they returned all the books to us. We had tone of books to put back on the shelf.
From Monday next week, I will be getting very busy as all new and old student starting. I am looking forward to it though.

Winter is coming

Brazilian Papaya

Thai herb

2 tomato plants

 11 Lychee trees

Indian Papaya

Ginger

 I will bring some of my plants inside in a few days time. The temperature is dropping fast saddly, my chillie is growthing nice and healthy. I would love to keep them out side but as the cold is coming, they would dies and never recovery from it. I had 4 chillie plants and I afraid I don't have enough space to keep it.

Chillie

Chillie producing a few already

other chillie

The ginger plant, getting big since I growth it in June. I need to bring ginger inside as well as the lemon grass.

Lemon grass

My lychee tree is growthing nice and strong. I try to plant the lychee since March but because of the weather this year wasn't warm enough. The lychee was trying to growth and at the end it about 4 inc. tall. I am going to have 11 lychee plant from seeds. I seed I bought from Asda. 
I will give away some of my lychees to my colleagues at work. I gave away some of my money plants until nobody wanted them. 

a lot of tomatos

My papaya tree is growthing too. I would love to growth one but the one is doing well was the Brazilian papaya. I am still waiting for the Indian one as the plant still very small. 

I had 2 big tomatos plants and they are doing very well. The plants has given us a lot of fruit and still growing strong and healthy. I also has a few small tomato plants in the front garden. I hope it going to survive in the cold winter. 

Last day of my 4 weeks holiday

From Monday 17^th September, I am going back to work. I felt like too much holiday to spend in one goes. What I had done during my holiday since the end of August until mid September?

I spent most of my time walking in a long distance, visited my local library and the market of course.

I also spent a lot of time making breads, cake and other dishes, some of my dishes were not so successful but some were nice. I tried to do the Chinese sweet on one occasion but I found it was too complicated and as well as the measurement wasn’t right from the recipe. It was turned out disaster.

I wasn’t spent most of my time just doing some cooking but also I managed to go out to see a few festivals in town. I love going out and about rather than just sitting at home.

Millennium Bridge

I have been to the Notting Hill Carnival on Monday 27 August. I enjoyed it very much. I took a few videos from my phone and put it on in my You Tube. The festival was fun and we managed to get a nice location, actually it was perfect because we were sitting on someone’s house for hours. We got a very cleared view from the top. The good things was I don’t have to flight with the other spectators for a nice view. The owner is originally from Jamaica and he was very nice old man. He kept dancing in his front door while we was sitting there.

I liked the Notting Hill carnival because of the people, the music and the food.

We were there until 6pm.

    

Waterloo Bridge

South Bank

During the Olympics, We always went for a walk by the river Thames in the evening. We would see a lot of tourists and the local residents around. There were also some lived screens for people to watch by the town hall. The spectators would sit on the grass and having a picnic during that time. I was nice though to see people from difference nationalities around London.

One night, while were walking around there near the London Bridge, we stopped by the Switzerland camp, which was not far from the Tower Bridge. We had some Swiss beers and some snacks. There were a lot of Swiss people there as well as a live music. We usually park our car at the horse statue and walked along the River Thames from there to the London Eye. During summer season there were plenty of performance along the ways. We would stopped by the Scoop to watch the play there but if there weren’t any things interesting to us, we would continuing to South Bank and watch this space, which normally plenty of stuff going on there.

Piccadily festival

near London eye

Anyway, that was part of my activities during the Olympics as well as watching live from television.

Piccadilly Circus

Feather on the ground

On one Sunday evening, I was watching the news at 6 o’clock and I heard from the news reader says about there is a festival in Piccadilly Circus right now. We decided to go there straight after that. It was 7pm. And by the time we arrived at Regent Street everything nearly done. We have seen the leaflet that there is a strange thing going to happen at 10.30pm. We just hang around and wonder what is going to happen in the next hours. Suddenly, on the top of the building, we saw there are a group of people preparing themselves on the top of the building roof. They were wearing clothes like an angle. Everybody just have to watch out from the top. I was fun at the end because they were doing a pillow flight on the wire swinging around in the circus. It was so beautiful night and most of the audience were very happy with it. The pillow was filled with feather and it could be the feather from the ducks. There were so many feathers on the sky like snowing in the winter. There was a man came toward me and he said to me “ Merry Christmas” it was a wonderful night in the summer time. I loved it.

Thames Festival

too many people

This performance was excellent

On the 8-9 September, there was The Thames festival which we also went there to joined the crown. There were so many people and the weather was great for the crown. We went there on Saturday night and on Sunday night. On Saturday the crowns wasn’t as many as Sunday. I found that on Sunday there were far too many people. We were there until nearly 9pm. As we have to watch to closing ceremony for Paralympics. We managed to get some photos of the night parade though.

Anyway, I am glad to go back to work tomorrow.

Paul Hollywood's Focaccia and Pitta recipes

I love Paul Hollywood recipes below;

Focaccia

Make 2, Prep 3 hours and bake for 15 minutes

This lovely, oil-rich Italian bread is great for sharing and is particularly good served still warm with extra virgin olive oil for dipping, and perhaps some salad and olives or antipasti. The dough here is really quite wet, so you might well prefer to knead it in a mixer. However, I’ve suggested you make it by hand because it’s useful to get to know the feel of a good, wet dough and this one is a little more manageable than, for example, a ciabatta.

What you needs;

500 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

10 g salt

10 g instant yeast

140 ml olive oil, plus extra for kneading and to finish

360 ml cool water

Fine semolina for dusting (optional)

To finish

Flaky sea salt

Dried oregano

Before baking it.

After

1. Lightly oil a 2-3 litre square plastic container. (it’s important to use a square tub as it helps shape the dough.)
2. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add 40ml of the olive oil and three-quarters of the water, and turn the mixture round with your fingers.  Continue to add water, a little at a time, until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You want dough that is very soft- wetter than a standard brad dough. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until the mixture forms a rough-dough.
3. Coat the work surface with some of the remaining olive oil, then tip the dough onto it and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 5-10 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin. This is supposed to be wet, sticky dough, so try not to add more flour.
4. When your dough feels soft and elastic, put the dough into the oiled tub. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size – about 1 hour or more.
5. Line 2 baking tray with baking parchment and drizzle with olive oil.
6. Put more olive oil on the work surface and dust with fine semolina if you have some. Carefully tip the dough onto the surface. Rather than knocking it back, handle it gently so you keep as much air in the dough as possible. Divide the dough in half. Stretch each piece out to a flat, even piece and place on a baking tray.
7. Put each tray into a clean plastic bag and leave to prove for a bout 1 hour, until the dough is doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it lightly with your finger. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 220 c.
8. Make deep dimples in the focaccia with your fingers, pushing them all the way through the dough to the bottom. Drizzle each focaccia with olive oil and sprinkle with a little flay sea salt and oregano, then bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Tap the bottom of the focaccia and you should hear a hollow sound. Trickle with more olive oil, then cool on a wire rack.

I wasn’t followed the whole instructions but I adapted with I’ve got. For example I don’t have a bread machine, I used my hands to knead and mixed it. My first focaccia was very nice and I loved it.

Pitta Breads

Makes 6-8/ prep 1-2 hours/ bake 5-10 minutes per batch

You’ll be amazed how easy it is to make authentic-looking pitta brads at home. These are delicious when freshly baked, split open and stuffed with good things such as hummus, salad and falafel- or almost anything else that takes your fancy. They also freeze well and you can pop them straight from the freezer into the toaster.

Ingredients

250g strong white bread flour

5g salt

7g instant yeast

160ml cool water

2tsp olive oil, plus extra for kneading

Fine semolina (or extra flour for dusting)

my little pitta bread

1. Tip the lour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add three-quarters of the water and the olive oil, and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add the remaining water, a little at a time, until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all the water, or your may need to add a little more- you want dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until the mixture forms a rough-dough.
2. Coat the work surface with a little olive oil, then tip the dough onto it and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 5-10 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to forms a soft, smooth skin.
3. When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size- at least 1 hour, but it’s fine to leave it for 2 or even 3 hours. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 220c and put a bake-stone or baking tray in to the centre to heat up.
4. Dusting a work surface lightly with fine semolina or flour. Tip your risen dough onto it. Fold it inwards repeatedly until all the air knocked out and the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into 6-8 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball, keeping them covered with a tea towel as you work. With a rolling pin, start rolling out the pieces of dough in rough oval shapes, about 3mm thick, stopping with your have as many as will fit on the stone or baking tray with some space in between.
5. Take the hot stone or tray from the oven, scatter with a little semolina, the later the pitta breads on it. Bake for 5-10 minutes taking the pitas out of the oven as soon as you start to see any colour on them. Repeat with the remaining dough. Leave the pittas to cool, keeping them coverd with a cloth as they do so; they trapped steam with keep them soft. Eat within 24 hours or freeze.

 Reference; How to bake by Paul Hollywood 2012 published by Bloombury

My favourite bread recipes by Paul Hollywood

I must say I love his baking book so I have been following his love of making bread.

Ciabatta

I made this ciabatta bread this morning following instruction from the book how to bake by Paul Hollywood. I love his book as it easy to following step by step.

I borrowed the book from my local library and I have to return it a few days from now.

I had made a few of his recipes for example the foccacia, feta and ciabatta breads.

I have to keep the recipe in my blog as for my future reference.

This straightforward ciabatta recipe is relatively easy and satisfying to make.

To get that classic ciabatta shape and open texture, you need a very wet and sloppy dough, so you really have to make it in an electric mixer.

What I need are:

500 g strong white read flour, plus extra for dusting

10 g instant yeast

10 g salt

                                   

40 g olive oil

400 ml tepid water

Semolina for dusting

       

Follow step by step from;

-       Lightly oil a 2-3 litre square plastic container. ( Paul says “ it’s important to use a square tub as it helps shape the dough.)

 -       Put the flour, salt and yeast into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook.

( I don’t have a mixer so I used my hand mixed) don’t put the salt directly on the top of the yeast because the salt kills the yeast.

-       Add olive oil and three-quarters of the water and begin mixing on a slow speed as the dough starts to come together, slowly add the remaining water.  Then mix for a further 5-8 minutes on a medium speed until the dough is smooth and stretch.

-       Tip the dough into the prepared tub, cover with a tea towel and leave until at least doubled, even trebles in size 1-2 hours or longer.

-       Heat your oven to 220 c (I used 200c) and line 2 baking trays with baking parchment or silicone paper.

ready for an oven

-       Dust your work surface heavily with flour – add some semolina too, if you have some. Carefully tip out the dough (it will be very wet) onto the work surface, trying to remain a rough square shape. Rather than knocking it back, handle it gently so you keep as much air in the dough as possible.  Coat the top of the dough with more flour and/ or semolina. Cut the dough in half lengthways and divide each half lengthways into 2 strips. You should now have 4 pieces of dough. Stretch each piece of dough lengthways a little and place on the prepared baking tray.

-       Leave the ciabatta dough to rest for a further 10 minutes, then bake for 25 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when taped on the base. Cool on a wire rack.

let it cool

keep in plastic bag

Finally, I have done my ciabatta bread.


Reference of this blog : How to bake by Paul Hollywoood, Bloombury publisher.

Learn how to cook too.

I starting off  how to cook since I had more leisure to do things in the afternoon. After I have been watching Jamie on television and also the other chefs. I had an idea in my mind what I am going to do for my dinner. Day after day, I had tried to learn a difference dishes.  

I would say a treat for me and its also keep me has more imagination.

When I was working with the Thai restaurant in central of London. I wasn’t bother with the ways the chef cook and what the ingredients was she used. I suppose when I was living in Thailand, the food for so easy to get and real cheap. I spend only less than 50 pence each meal, which was a real cheap over there.

Since I immigrated to the UK. I started my own recipe. I like my own taste of food. I also use a lot of chilli in my cooking, which I love.

I used to do a quick meal for myself example stir fired as well as some soups.

Now, I want to learn from other nationality as I have been to. I love seafood especially the Mediterranean dishes for example Italian, Greece and Spain.

Other day, I bought paella ingredient from supermarket near where I live. I made it for the following day and it was o.k, as I don’t have too many choices of seafood.

I also made roasted salmon with vegetables and olive oil, which was nice.

I forgot to mention that I made couscous the other day too.

I love my cooking right now. Its time for me to do Thai iced tea today. The weather is nice and I am sitting outside of my garden. Today is 9 September 20012. I hope the weather will stay with us for a few days before turning in to a cooler temperature and then winter is coming soon.

Making breads

I am currently madly in to baking bread. Since I have been in love with the smell of freshly made loaf. I prefer the bread from bakery rather than the ready-made packet one.

I have been loved eating the foccacia bread, which is Italian bread. The Foccacia cost rather expensive in the shops. I was curious how to made them one day.

During my 4 weeks holiday in late August to the beginning of September. I began my experimented with bread. I had more time to spend on the shops or even doing thing with out rushing around. I starting from get all ingredients from Asda supermarket.

I was confused at the beginning because I don’t really know that flours do I need to get as they were so many flours on the supermarket shelf. I sent a text to asked my Italian college about it and I had an idea after that. To tell truth, I never been making bread before in my whole life. I found myself in the challenged position.

I had gathered all my ingredients together. I started to look for the recipes that I needed. I found one on the BBC food programme section. I followed her step by step.

It was turned out very good and I was very happy after all.

After my first attempted, I had gained my confident of making bread. I starting doing a difference styled after that example; Ciabatta, carrot cake (this was I bought from ready made ingredients)

I am current happy with all my new skill of making bread. I will tell all what I have done and as well as the photos.