White Chocolate and Coconut Brownies - Video

Don't worry, you have arrived at the right blog!  So, how are you liking the new layout?  I've been using the same template since I started this blog and I think it's time to give the blog an update.  I am still playing around with the design, so please bear with me...

I want to thank you to my talented friend Oflavia who created the blog header.  And a big thank you to everyone for your support on my previous video, Indonesian beef rendang.  It really gives us the encouragements and confidence to create more videos in the future.  And guess what, here's another one!

I was looking through my recipe journal and I came across this white chocolate and coconut brownie recipe which I have not made in years.  The last time I baked this I believe was second year at uni, so it's definitely going back a few years.  I had some friends over for a fajita dinner, and I served these brownies at the end of our meal.   They're so delicious, one of the guests gave me a kiss (oh you know who you are).

Whether if you're aiming for a kiss or not, you should give this a go.  They're not too sweet which I love, but that's a personal preference.  You can add the sugar quantity if you want to...  I love with every bite you get little nuggets of white chocolate and the combination with the coconut is gorgeous.

Before you watch the video, I want to talk you through some of the behind the scenes photos... and all the fun we had in the process.  Starting with the opening sequence as pictured below.  This two second clip was the longest to shoot.  We cut out a paper, and use this as a trace for the flour to create all the letters.  The using a small pastry brush we sharpen the edges, tidy them up and make it all... pretty.   I'm not very crafty and this was a true test of my patience... because not only we had to make this once, but twice... because the first shoot did not work (you'll see later in the video outtakes).

Here's the team hard at work :)

Next was the ingredients list photo shoot which involved me laying on the kitchen floor, under a chair.... We've all been there right?  Well, you've got to do what you've got to do.

Am I starting a new trend here? baking on the floor? No?

And here's the finished picture.  Please ignore my ridiculously veiny hand....

Without further a due, here's the new video!  I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoy creating it for you.  Please give it a thumbs up if you have YouTube account or subscribe for more videos in the future.  Thank you and enjoy the rest of your Sunday... x

Piri-Piri Chicken

Technology had not been on my side the past couple of weeks. First with the sudden death of my laptop... It was working fine one morning and few hours later it just died... Then the next day the home internet decided to stop working too. Great! So apologies, if I haven't been in touch the past few days...

Anyway, the internet is up and running again, or at least for now... But I still have no laptop... so I'm posting this from the blogger app for the iPhone. I hope this will look alright.

OK, enough with my first world problems... And I want to share with you this piri-piri (or is it peri-peri?) chicken. 

I was first introduced to piri-piri chicken at Nando's (I think they call it peri-peri chicken there) several years ago. And I've been meaning to create a homemade version and so here it is... And I am very happy with the result... I'll be cooking this often I can tell you.

I don't think giving exact quantities for the ingredients is absolutely necessary here to be honest. It all depends how hot and spicy you want the chicken to be. I like mine spicy but still pleasurable.

I make the marinade by blending half an onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, about ten fresh red chillies (seeds and all), smoked paprika, a small bunch of fresh coriander (not just the leaves but also the stalks which will add to the flavour), zest and juice of one lime for freshness, a bit more tang courtesy of rice wine vinegar, a teaspoon of dried oregano, few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of sugar to balance all the flavours, regular vegetable oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend until smooth.

As per usual I use chicken thighs and drumsticks only because I prefer the dark meat. I think they have more flavours and are cheaper than the white meat. And to really get the flavours of the marinade to penetrate into the chicken, I make few slits to the legs using a sharp knife. Then pour over the spicy marinade, reserving some for basting. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge for few hours or overnight.

Take the chicken out about half an hour before cooking so that it's not fridge cold. I cook the chicken on the stove and finish them off in the oven grill to get the 'charred' look, basting a couple of times using the reserved marinade. But if the weather is nice, of course you can grill them outside on the bbq. I serve the chicken with brown rice and grilled corn on the cob. Utterly delicious.