Crazy about Bill

One of the nicest things about being at home is the fact that I get to do all the things I love without the pressure of time, deadlines, or the constant beeping of my phone. It does sound kinda cheesy, but these past few weeks I've learnt to better appreciate the simple things in life, most of which revolves around my extended family, who are almost always here every weekend! When they first started coming around, I thought our little gatherings would soon prove to be a massive headache, but surprisingly, they've turned out to be the people I can't wait to see when Friday arrives!

There are usually about 10 of us in total at these get-togethers, and in true Singapore fashion, what we love to do best is come together for the sake of a good ol'fashioned meal. It is not uncommon for someone in our family to arrive on our doorstep with a big pot of rendang, chicken rice, nasi lemak, sambal goreng...whatever has been rummaged out of the pantry, for everyone to share. Of course there are times when zero cooking has been done, and my cooking skills have been put to the test. I'm a self-proclaimed amateur foodie, but when it comes to cooking traditional Malay food, I definitely need a lot of guidance! Who knew frying chicken could be so technical, or that preparing pulut hitam required so much patience! With each weekend I am exposed to more and more secrets of our family's cuisine that I had no idea existed.

I may not be the best epok epok sizzler, and I know for sure my udang is never goreng-ed to an entirely crispy state, but what I do know is that simple, good food (with maximum flavour) speaks to everyone's palate. Without a doubt, this has to include Bill's famous Chocolate self-saucing pudding.

My all-time fav foodies is Melbourne-born Bill Granger.
A self-taught cook who is so gifted and passionate, his food speaks to people from all walks of life. As the owner of three restaurants and four books, his work has become HUGE in Oz, the UK, and the US. I was pleasantly surprised to also find his fame has reached Singapore, with his show screening on Ch.5 every weekday at 12.30pm. His food, including this choc pudding is guaranteed to please even the fussiest auntie snooping around your kitchen. Do give it a try:

Chocolate self-saucing pudding

125 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

a pinch of salt
120 g (1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
250 ml (1 cup) milk
85 g (3 oz) unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
185 g (1 cup) soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
250 ml (1 cup) boiling water

To serve
thick (double/heavy) cream

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

Sift the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add the milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract and mix with beaters until combined. Pour into four 250 ml (1 cup) greased pudding moulds. To make the topping, stir the brown sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl to combine, then sprinkle it over the pudding batter.
Pour boiling water carefully over the puddings, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with thick cream.

Serves 4