Pear and Snow Fungus Sweet Soup 雪梨雪耳糖水

Ingredients

1.5-2L water

1 snow pear or golden pear, skin and core removed then cut

1 snow fungus, washed and soaked for 5 mins (I like the snow fungus to be chewy after boiled. If want it soft can soak it longer)

5-10 red dates

Brown rock sugar, to taste

Method

1) Add all ingredients except rock sugar into water and boil on high heat till bubbling.

2) Turn heat to medium low and continue to boil for 30 minutes, with lid on.

3) Add in rock sugar to taste. Boil for another 5 minutes till rock sugar is fully dissolve. Serve hot or chilled in fridge.

Teriyaki Chicken

Honestly, I did not measure the amount of each ingredient used. Below amount is from my guess-timate so please do adjust to your own taste ... 

Ingredient

200gm chicken breast, cubed or thinly sliced
1 medium onions (red or yellow)
2 tbsp oil
1/8 cup of water

1/2 cup Kikoman thick honey soy teriyaki sauce

Marinate

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp corn flour
A dash of white pepper

Method

1) Add marinate to chicken and marinate for 30minutes.

2) Cut onion to half, then slice.

3) Heat oil in pan. Add in onion when oil is hot. Stir-fry onion on low heat till soft and translucent.

4) Add pork and stir-fry on high heat until 90% cooked.

5) Add water and teriyaki sauce. Continue to stir-fry on high heat for another 1-2 minutes and done! Easy peasy ....

Taiwanese Braised Pork on Rice 滷肉飯

Need to cut the pork much smaller

Ingredient

250gm pork shoulder butt, cut to small cube
1 tbsp dried shrimps, soaked and chopped finely
1 small red onion, cut and fried
5 cloves garlic, minced and fried

5 (or any number to head served) hard boiled egg

1/4 cup Kikoman premium so sauce
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/4 cup shaoxing wine
1 medium size rock sugar

Method

1) In a dry wok, add in pork cube and dry fry in medium heat until all the liquid in the pork is evaporated.

2) Add in dried shrimps and rock sugar. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Do not worry if rock sugar does not fully melted.

3) Add in the sauces, onion, garlic and half of the shaoxing wine. Continue to stir fry another 30 seconds. Cover and simmer for a minute.

4) Add hot water just enough to cover all the pork. Then add in the hard boiled egg. Cover and simmer in low heat for 30 minutes. Turn the eggs in the wok 2-3 times in between so that the eggs are coloured evenly with the sauce.

5) After 30 minutes, add in the remaining shaoxing wine and simmer another 5 minutes. Dish out and serve hot with steamed rice and some steamed vegetable.

Original recipe http://www.bearnakedfood.com/2015/01/30/lu-rou-fan-braised-pork-rice/

Steamed Egg 蒸水蛋

Steamed egg has always intimidated me. Egg + water ratio, timing and strength of heat ... Too much variable. Today decided to challenge it head-on ... My first ever 蒸水蛋

My mother's recipe was 1 egg needs to use 2 egg-shell of water. I found it difficult to measure with egg-shell ... LOL. Found a recipe that uses cup to measure so I decided to make it ... and I consider it not bad for a first attempt. Need to cook it longer so that the texture can be slightly harder.

Ingredients

2 eggs + 1 cup of water (original recipe said need to used cooled down boiled water but I only used normal filtered. Still can produced smooth steamed egg)

Method

1) Mix egg and water together and whisk till well combined.

2) Sieve the egg mixture into steaming bowl or plate.

3) Boiled water in steamer. When water bubbling boiled, turn heat to medium. Put in bowl/plate with egg mixture and steam for 30-40 minutes.

4) Dish out and top with a little soy sauce and white pepper. Serve hot ...

Recipe from https://kwgls.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/chinese-steamed-eggs-%E6%B0%B4%E8%92%B8%E8%9B%8B%EF%BC%89/

Baked Egg Cake 烘鸡蛋糕

Soft and not egg-y ... All 3 girls love it ... The picky eldest who can differentiate the taste of the same cake that made with different method gave 2 thumbs up! 

Ingredients

(5" cake pan would be just nice. I don't have 5" so I baked using my 7" square pan and the cake is slightly short)

3 egg white (large size 60gm)
65gm icing sugar

3 egg yolk (large size 60gm)
1 whole egg
50gm corn oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
65gm cake flour + 1/2 tsp baking powder (mix well)

1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
Icing sugar to taste
4 tbsp hot water
*combine these three and set aside


Method

1) Mix together egg yolk and whole egg with hand whisk.

2) Add in corn oil and vanilla extract. Whisk till well combined.

3) Sift flour into yolk mixture. Whisk till well combined and no lump. Set aside.

4) Whisk the egg white with a stand/hand mixer till it foamed up. Add in sugar in 2 batches and whisk till stiff peak.

5) Scoop 1/3 of the stiffed egg white into the yolk and flour mixture. Use the hand whisk and whisk till well combined to dilute the flour mixture Do not worry about deflating the egg white at this stage.

6) Pour the yolk and flour mixture slowly back to the stiffed egg white (keep 2 spoonful for chocolate mixture). Use the hand whisk and stir gently in one direction until just combined and no white streaks. Do not deflate the egg white at this stage. Then use the rubber spatula to fold the mixture from the bottom of bowl to ensure all are well mixed. Keep the folding as minimum as possible. Folding is to ensure the bottom mixture is also well combined, otherwise the cake would be dense at the bottom.

7) Line bottom of cake pan with baking paper. Pour the batter slowly into the cake pan. Level the top of the batter.

8) Add the 2 spoons of egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture. Stir well. Drizzle the chocolate mixture around top of the batter. Use a skewer and swirl the chocolate mixture to make pattern.

9) Baked at preheated oven 140 degree Celsius for about 60 minutes. I have keep the temperature low so that the cake top would not crack. You could increase temperature if you want it bake faster but the cake top will crack.

10) When done, remove from oven and turn the pan upside down immediately to cool.

Recipe adapted from http://www.anncoojournal.com/2014/03/baked-egg-cake.html

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups plain flour (do not packed the cup)

1/2 tsp baking soda

225gm unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup castor sugar

1 cup light brown sugar (do not packed the cup)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 60gm eggs

1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chip

Method

1) Use paddle attachment with the stand mixer at medium speed, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

2) Turn to low speed, add salt and vanilla extract. Mix till combined.

3) Add in egg one by one, mix till well combined.

4) Add in the flour and baking soda in 3 batches. Mix each batch till just combined. Do not over-mixed at this stage to prevent the gluten from the flour to develop.

5) Lastly, add in chocolate chip and mix till just combined. You can use  spatula to mix if you worry about over-mixing.

6) Drop a small spoonful of batter onto lined baking sheet. Each spoon should be about 5cm apart, depending on how big is the drop of batter. The cookie will spread when it bakes.

7) Bake at preheated oven between 160-180 degree Celsius for about 8-10 minutes. Temperature and time depend on your oven behaviour.

8) When done, let cookies cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes before removing. It will be too soft to handle when it is right out of the oven. It will hardened slightly as it cooled down.

Recipe from http://www.marthastewart.com/344840/soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies

Kaya in 15 minutes (No Need to Keep Stirring Too!)

No need to stand by the stove and stir stir stir ... You should plan for another recipe that uses egg white because this kaya recipe uses only the egg yolk.

This is the gula melaka kaya. Next will make the pandan kaya ...

Kaya with cream cracker was on of my childhood favourite

 Recipe from http://everybodyeatswell.blogspot.sg/2013/04/homemade-kaya-coconut-egg-jam-in-15.html

Coffee Chiffon Cake

Very soft and fluffy ...

Marrying coffee and my favourite chiffon cake. The result is wonderful and my picky eldest loves it.

Most of the chiffon cake recipes out there state that the egg white should be beaten till stiff peak and must use the rubber spatula to fold the egg white to the egg yolk mixture. The truth is I never managed to fold the stiff peak egg white evenly with the rubber spatula. Also most recipes mentioned that you should bang the cake pan against the work top a few time to get rid of the big bubble inside the batter and then pour the batter slowly into the cake pan to get rid of the small butter. Well, I never managed to get rid of all the bubbles with this method, too. 

Fed up of that, I finally decided I will beat the egg white only till soft peak, use the hand whisk to stir in the meringue and use the hand whisk to burst the bubbles after I have poured the batter into the cake pan. This method get me helped mixed the meringue and yolk mixture evenly and get rid of the bubbles much easily. Of course, you have to be careful not to deflate the meringue while using the whisk to do the work. The trick is to stir in one direction and do it in as less stir as possible.

Ingredient

4 egg yolks (I used 60gm eggs)

25g castor sugar

20g corn oil

65g coffee (I used my Nescafe Latte capsule to make the coffee)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

80g cake flour

4 egg white (I used 60gm eggs)

60g castor sugar

Method

Egg yolk mixture:

1) Using hand mixer, whisk egg yolks and 25g castor sugar till thick and pale.

2) Add corn oil, vanilla extract and coffee, continue to whisk till well combined.

3) Sift cake flour into the mixture. Change to a wire whisk and whisk till just evenly mixed. Set aside.

Egg white (meringue):

1) Wash mixer whisk and bowl thoroughly. Ensure no residue of oil and water.

2) Whisk egg white till it foams up (small air bubble).

3) Gradually add 60g castor sugar while continuing to whisk. Keep whisking till form soft peak.

4) Add egg white to yolk mixture in 3 batches. Use wire whisk to stir gently (not whisk) in one direction till mixture is just evenly mixed, without streaks of egg whites. Ensure bottom of mixture is also well mixed by using the spatula and "dig" the batter up.

5) Pour mixture into cake pan slowly. Then use the wire whisk and stir in one direction for 2-3 round to get rid of the bubbles in the batter.

6) Gently wiggle the cake pan or use a spatula to level the top. Levelled top will produce less crack during the rising when baking in the oven.

7) Bake at 150 degree Celsius till cake is golden brown and slightly springy, about 30min according to my oven behaviour and my oven does not need preheating. Larger cake may take longer time.

8) When done, remove from oven and immediately cool on wire rack with the cake pan turned upside down.

Adapted from my http://dishforkids.blogspot.sg/2014/11/improved-pandan-chiffon-cake.html

Still did not properly get rid of the bubbles ... -_-"

Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Macadamia Nuts

Once you pop, you can't stop!

 Ingredients

400gm raw macadamia nuts
1 egg white (small or medium size egg)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (or to taste)

Method

1) Whisk egg white and vanilla extract together with hand whisk till frothy and foamy.

2) Add in nuts and mix well. Ensure all nuts are coated with egg white. Discard excess egg white.

3) Mix all sugar and cinnamon powder together. Then add in the coated nuts to the dry ingredient and mix well.

4) Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil or any baking paper that is non-stick. Add in nuts onto baking sheet with the aluminium foil, in one layer.

5) Bake in preheated oven at 150 degree Celsius for about 20-25 minutes. Check every 10 minutes to ensure they are not burnt. Stir and flip the nuts once you see the top layer is browned, mine is at about after 10 minutes of baking. Continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes.

6) Remove from oven. Let it cool before storing it.

I have small round oven, so I have to bake in two batches.

Recipe adapted from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW4DrHjkyAQ

Nutella Bread

It stays soft the next day ... 

This is not the standard sliced bread size but slightly smaller. It s better to proof as one whole dough in a standard loaf pan, instead of cutting it to half and make 2 breads.

Ingredients

210ml cold fresh milk
300gm bread flour
2 tbsp castor sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp instant dried yeast
25gm unsalted butter (softened)
3 tbsp nutella

Method

1) Use the mixing bowl, add in milk, bread flour, castor sugar, salt and instant dried yeast, in that order. Careful not to let the yeast come into contact with the salt before mixing.

2) Use the dough hook of the kitchen machine or stand mixer, start kneading with low speed. I used Philip kitchen machine alternating between speed 1 and 2.

3) Knead until dough come together, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer. Rub the butter into dough. Rubbing the butter into dough allow the butter to be incorporated easier and faster. It's ok if you don't want to dirty hand and just throw in the butter.

4) Continue to knead at low speed until butter is thoroughly incorporated. Add in nutella spread.

5) Knead the dough until it can be stretched to a thin membrane before it breaks. It took my kitchen machine about 12-15 minutes, alternating between speed 1 and 2.

6) When the dough is ready, remove from mixing bowl. Shape the dough into rectangular dough and put into a loaf pan. Since I don't have a loaf pan, I cut the dough into half and shape into 2 rectangular dough and put into a 7"x7" square cake pan. Do not over-work the dough at this point.

7) Let it rise until at least double the size. Time depend on how warm the environment. I turned on my microwave at high for 20 seconds, then turn it off. Put the cake pan with the shaped dough into the turned off microwave and closed the door. It took about 1.5 -  2 hours for it to rise till it reaches the brim of the pan.

8) Bake at preheated oven 170 degree C for 20-25 minutes. Note that this is just the reference setting from the original recipe. Different oven will have different behaviour. My convection oven did not need preheating, and I baked it at 150 degree C for 25 minutes. If you do not know what to put, it is safer to bake at lower temperature for longer time. When the top is browned, it is done.

9) Remove from oven and cool on wire rack before slicing with a sharp knife.

This is the original recipe shared by a friend which uses bread machine

Steamed Plain Mantou

I used "pau flour" and I think the smell of the flour is too strong. Those "Fortune" frozen mantou sold in supermarket uses wheat flour. Maybe I will test with wheat flour next round.

I half the amount to make two dough. One plain, and the other I added some pandan paste. Fresh pandan juice from pandan leafs does not give such nice green.

I also think this recipe is really too plain and it's only good for eating with curry or chilly crab or something like that. I will add some vanilla extract too next round.

Steamed for 5 minutes next morning and it's still soft.

Recipe adapted from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N_srpDyXep0

Steamed Brown Sugara Rice Pudding with Red Beans 红豆砵仔糕

This is the shape of my one only rice bowl at home. Original rice pudding uses traditional chinese rice bowls which is smaller

Good thing about homemade is you can put as much as red beans as you like. This is still not enough for me ... LOL

Recipe from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXCHnFON7dc. But I used brown sugar and bumped up the amount to 80gm because I remember those that I ate in Hong Kong was not sweet enough for me.  

I also steamed with my electric steamer for 25 minutes instead of the suggested 10-12 minutes.

Apam Balik Thick Version

Attacked before I could even take a photo

This is what will happen if you are too greedy with the filling ... All oozing out ...

Recipe from http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2015/03/apam-balikpancake-with-peanuts-filling.html

Butter Cookies (Updated 5 June 2015)

This is literally BUTTER cookies. It's so buttery and soft, it melts in your mouth. The dough is quite difficult to shape even after refrigerated because it is soft. But softness is the key to melt in your mouth cookies. So next time I will use the piping method instead.

Melts in your mouth, not in your hands ... :)

Ingredient

345g all-purpose flour

250g butter, room temperature

112g super fine sugar or icing sugar

5ml vanilla extract
1 egg

Method

1. Cream the butter until light. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Gradually blend in the flour. Cover and chill dough for at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
5. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. 
6. Cut into desired shapes, using lightly floured cookie cutters. 
7. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets/aluminium foil.
8. Bake at 175 degrees C for 8 to 12 minutes or until slightly golden.
9. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Note: If using piping method or cookie press, do not need to refrigerate the dough mixture. Put straight into piping bag or cookie press and start piping after mixing in flour.

Note to self: Since my oven does not have heating from bottom, I have to turn the cookie upside down and bake second round until the bottom is baked.

Updated 5 June 2015

1) Lurpak is really a soft butter. Piped using the cookie press with piping nozzle is much easier than using cookie cutter. 

Not very pretty because my very bad piping skill ... =P

2) If too lazy to shape or pipe, shape into a log and put in freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and cut into pieces immediately as the dough will get soften very quickly.

Shape into a log

Wrap with cling film wrap and put into freezer for 30 minutes

Cut into pieces immediately after removing from the freezer

Braised Preserved Mustard with Pork Shoulder 梅菜焖猪颈肉

Ingredients

300gm pork shoulder, sliced
1/2 tsp soy sauce

600gm preserved mustard (I used salted type)
5 cloves garlic, lightly chopped
2 slices ginger

Sauce

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp shaoxing wine
30gm rock sugar
600ml water

Method

1) Marinate pork with 1/2 tsp soy sauce for half an hour.

2) Wash away thoroughly the salt on the preserved mustard. Then boil the preserved mustard in a pot for 2 minutes. Leave it in pot to soak for 10 minutes. Wring the excess water from the preserved mustard and cut it up roughly.

3) Heat oil in pan on high. When hot, put in pork and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then add in garlic and ginger and continue to stir-fry for another 1 minute.

4) Add in green mustard and continue stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add in sauce and let boil.

5) When sauce bubbling, turn heat low and let simmer for 1 hour.

6) Dish out and serve with hot rice ... it's heavenly! This dish taste even better the next day!

Recipe adapted from http://www.noobcook.com/mei-cai-kou-rou/2/

One Pot Cooked v2 一㷛熟

Cooked this with brown rice. Should add more liquid and some sesame oil as brown rice tends to be more dry

Ingredient

Marinate
300gm boneless skinless thigh, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp sea salt
Dash of white pepper

Others
4 tbsp oil

1 tsp sea salt
200gm bunashimeji mushrooms

1 tsp brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2cm ginger, chopped

1-2 small carrot, chopped
1-2 chinese sausage (lap cheong), chopped

4 cups rice grain (I used brown rice)
500ml chicken stock + additional water according to your usual way of cooking rice with your rice cooker

Method

1) Marinate chicken pieces with soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sea salt and white pepper for one hour.

2) When ready to cook, heat 2 tbsp oil on high heat. Add in mushrooms when oil is hot and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add in 1 tsp sea salt. Toss and mix well. Dish out and set aside.

3) Heat another 2 tbsp oil in pan on high heat. When oil is hot, add in marinated chicken pieces. Stir-fry on high heat for about 2-3 minutes.

4) Turn heat to medium, push meat aside. Add in sugar, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for one minute. Then add in carrot and chinese sausages. Continue stir-fry for 3 minutes. Then toss and mix everything together. Dish out and set aside.

5) Wash and drain rice grains in rice cooker pot. Then add in the chicken stock. Top up with water accordingly till usual amount when you cook rice in rice cooker.

6) Add in the cooked mushrooms and the stir-fried chicken with sausages and carrots. Put the rice cooker pot in, turn on the rice cooker, choose the rice function and let the rice cooker do it's job ...

*Note to self: Add 2 tbsp on sesame oil for more fragrance ...

Soft and Fluffy Hershey Sponge Cake

I have came across some recipes that made it sound so difficult to bake this. But this one is the easiest so far in terms of ingredient, measurement and it's method. Definitely a keeper ...

Ingredient (18cm Pan)

3 eggs white (I used 60gm egg)
120gm castor sugar
3 eggs yolk (I used 60gm egg)
80gm cake flour

50ml milk
30gm butter
20gm Hershey cocoa powder

Method

1) Add egg white into the mixer bowl. Ensure bowl is clean and no traces of water or oil.

2) Whisk using stand mixer till the egg white is smooth (no bubbles). Add half of the castor sugar in while continue whisking. When the egg white become fluffy, add the rest of the sugar. Continue to whisk till stiff peak is formed.

3) Add in egg yolks. Change to hand whisk and gently whisk till egg yolks are all incorporated.

4) Sift in cake flour. Use a spatula, turn and fold batter till flour are incorporated. Do not use the whisk.

5) Add milk and butter into a microwave-safe container. Cover and microwave high for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until butter melted.

6) While the milk & butter mixture still hot, sift in cocoa powder. Then stir till cocoa powder completely dissolved. Make sure there is no lumps.

7) Add the melted cocoa mixture into the egg batter. Turn and fold with spatula till all are incorporated. "Dig" from the bottom and fold it up to ensure bottom are also well mixed. Do not use beat or whisk the batter or the cake will not be soft and fluffy.

8) Pour batter into a lined cake pan. Then bang the cake pan on the work top a few times to burst air pockets. Wiggle the pan to smooth out the surface.

9) Bake in preheated oven at 170 degree Celsius for about 35 minutes. I used a convection oven which does need preheating.

10) Test with a skewer. If skewer comes out clean cake is done. As soon as the cake is done, drop the pan from 20-30cm height onto the worktop to prevent cake from shrinking.

11) Then turn the cake upside down onto flat surface. Leave it for 2-3 minutes.

12) Then remove the pan. Turn the cake over and cool on rack.

13) Slice only when it is completely cooled.


Recipe adapted from https://cookpad.com/us/recipes/167970-moist-light-chocolate-sponge-cake

Sweet Milk Bun

I am a lazy bum so I knead using my kitchen machine with the dough hook. And instead of sprinkling flour on top I used icing sugar instead. Although it uses condensed milk but the end result is not sweet at all. The icing sugar on top give it a little sweet taste so the bun can be eaten as it is.

The air-fryer seems to produce prettier looking buns ... :)

Baked using my Philip Air Fryer @ 140 degree Celsius for about 20 minutes

Baked using my convection oven @ 150 degree Celsius for first 10 minutes, 120 degree Celsius for another 10-15 minute

Baked with Philip Air Fryer @ 140 degree Celsius for 20 minutes (may reduce to 15-18 minutes for lighter shade of brown). This one no icing sugar on top but with chicken floss filling. 

Ingredients

150gm fresh milk
20g condensed milk
3/4 tsp instant yeast

225g bread flour
25g top flour/cake flour
40g castor sugar
25g beaten egg
1/4 salt
30g unsalted butter

Some icing sugar to sprinkle on top

Method

1) Mix fresh milk and condensed milk. If fresh milk is cold from fridge, microwave fresh milk on high for 10sec. Repeat the 10sec 2-3 times. The milk should be just a little warmer than room temperature (too hot will kill the yeast).

2) Sprinkle yeast on milk mixture (do not stir). Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes. You will see the mixture foamed up at the end of 15 minutes.

3) Mix all dry ingredient together in the mixing bowl. Pour in the foamed up yeast mixture and the beaten egg in. Use a wooden chopstick stir everything together until all are incorporated. Set aside for 10 minutes.

4) Then use the kitchen machine with a dough hook, knead at speed 2 until the dough become smooth. About 10 minutes.

5) Then rub in the butter. Continue to knead till the dough reach the "window pane" stage (this is when you stretch the dough it becomes so thin that you can almost see through it without breaking). It took my machine total about 18 minutes. I alternate speed 2 and speed 3 for 5 minutes each, with a one minute rest when alternating the speed. This was because kneading bread dough is quite heavy duty and I don't want my kitchen machine to break down.

6) Shape and smooth out the dough surface. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and proof for 1 hour, until it is double in size.

7) Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and the worktop. Move dough to the work top. Punch down the dough to release trapped air.

8) Divide dough into 8 equal portions (or according to size you want). Roll and smooth each dough and put it on a baking tray. In my case I put some in individual baking cup.

9) Cover and proof for another 45 minutes in the closed microwave (do not turn on the microwave).

10) Sprinkle icing sugar on top. Then bake it ...

To make chicken floss buns 

11) After step 8, roll out each dough, fill in chicken floss, wrap and close the seam by pinching it. Put the bun on baking tray, seam side down.

12) Cover and proof for another 45 minutes in the closed microwave (do not turn on the microwave).

13) Bake in Philips Air Fryer @ 140 degree Celsius for 15-18 minutes. Or in preheated convection oven @ 140 degree Celsius for 15-18 minutes. Can brush egg wash on dough before baking for shiny buns.


Recipe adapted from My Mind Patch.

Cantonese Egg Tart

My egg tarts never failed to become Portuguese tart no matter how I tweak my oven temperature. Oh well at least it still tastes delicious ...

Slightly better looking after I adjust the temperature again ... 200 degree C for 7 minutes, then 150 degree Celsius for another 15-20 minutes

My girls love it ... they do't mind the ugly look 

Ingredients

Tart Shell (Makes about 10-12 Tarts)

200g plain flour (plus 2 tbsp)

25g cake flour

125g unsalted butter, softened

50g icing sugar

1 egg, whisked

Dash of vanilla extract

* Dough can be kept in fridge to bake when want to serve

Custard Filling (Makes about 8 Tarts)

240g beaten eggs

160g sugar (I find it too sweet. Next round will reduce to 120g)

480ml fresh milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

* Filling can be kept in fridge to bake when want to serve

Method

To Prepare Custard Filling

1) Use hand whisk and whisk sugar with egg till sugar melted.

2) Add vanilla and milk. Whisk till evenly mixed.

3) Sieve the mixture (remove big bubbles) into a container with a spout. Let mixture rest for an hour or so to allow the small bubbles subside.

To Prepare Tart Shell

1) Cream butter and sugar with hand mixer till smooth, fluffy and light in color.

2) Add in whisked egg and vanilla extract. Mixed well.

3) Sift in both flour. Then knead all ingredient into dough.

4) Measure about 32g of dough. Roll to a ball, then flatten slightly on palm. Put the flatten dough into the tart mould. Then press the dough upward to cover whole mould (See picture below). Repeat for every tart moulds.

To Bake

1) Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius.
2) When all tart shells are ready to bake, pour the custard filling slowly into the tart shells.

3) Then bake in preheated oven at 200 degree Celsius, for about 7 minutes, or until the edge is slightly brown.

3) Lower heat to 150 degree Celsius. When the custard starts to puff up, open oven slightly and continue to bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the custard cooked through.

Note: 

1) The method is adapted from http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2009/03/cantonese-egg-tarts-recipe.html. But my oven never manage to produce the correct end result :(

2) Custard filling is adapted from http://kitchentigress.blogspot.sg/2012/10/hong-kong-egg-tarts-video.html

3) The oven temperature here are set according to my oven. May need to adjust accordingly with different oven.

Deep Fried Sweet Potato Ball

Crispy on the outside (however crispiness only last an hour or so ...)

Ingredients

330gm sweet potato
180gm glutinous rice flour
22gm potato starch
95gm castor sugar
Some water
Oil for deep fry

Method

1) Remove sweet potato skin. Cut into small chunks. Boil in water until it is soft.

2) Drain water and let sweet potato to cool slightly, until you can handle with hand.

3) Add in glutinous rice flour, potato starch and sugar. Mash the sweet potato. Then mix and knead everything together. At this point I realised my dough was crumbly and too dry, so I added water bit by bit and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and not crumbly anymore. I forgot to measure the amount, sorry ...

4) Pinch a small amount of dough and roll until it becomes a soft ball. Continue until all dough are used.

5) Heat oil in deep pot. Make sure oil is really hot before you add in the balls. I test with a pair of wooden chopsticks. Put the chopsticks into the oil, when the oil is bubbling around the chopsticks, it is ready.

6) When oil is ready, turn heat back down to medium low. Add in the balls batch by batch and fry until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pot.

7) When the balls are done, remove from oil and put on kitchen towel to drain excess oil.

*Next time I will air-fry it instead and see how it would taste ... hehe

Chewy on the inside. Just how we like it ...

Steamed Salted Chicken with Wolfberries 杞子盐蒸鸡

I have not been putting my time in cooking lately. Reading is my current hobby ... LOL. So this another simple dish so that I can spend more time reading than cooking while the kids are away at school.

Ingredient

1 chicken leg (whole)

200gm chicken breast, cut into chunks

2 tablespoon cooking sea salt (or more to taste)

1 tablespoon shaoxing wine

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Some wolf berries, soaked

Method

1) Rub sea salt all over chicken leg and breast meat.

2) Pour shaoxing wine and sesame oil over chicken. Mix well and marinate for an hour.

3) Boil water in steamer or chinese wok, or deep enough pan.

4) When water is boiled, add wolf berries to the chicken and put the plate that hold the marinated chicken into the steamer. Cover and steam for about 30 minutes.

4) Dish out and serve ... 

I added chicken breast meat because it is less fat ... 

Braised Yi Mian (Gravy in Advance)

My eldest can finish everything in the photo!

Ingredient

100gm lean meat, sliced thinly

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp corn flour

1 tsp shaoxing wine

Dash of white pepper

Sauce

2 tbsp oil

15gm young ginger, sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

10gm anchovies, washed and dried with kitchen towel (Made this again without anchovies. We prefer the taste without it.)

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp brown sugar

750ml water
1 to 2 eggs

2 tbsp corn flour + 4 tbsp water, mix well

Some cabbage (or other vegetable according to your preference)

Method

1) Add salt, corn flour, shaoxing wine and white pepper to meat. Mix well and marinate for 30minutes.

2) Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, salt and sugar from the sauce ingredient. Set aside.

3) Heat oil in pan. When oil is hot, put in garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until you can smell the garlic and ginger fragrant.

4) Add in anchovies. Continue to stir-fry till all are slightly brown (skip this step if not using anchovies).

5) Add in meat. Continue to stir-fry until meat is half cooked.

6) Add in water and soy sauce solution from step (2). Let it boil till bubbling.

7) While the sauce is still bubbling, crack the egg directly into the sauce. Then break the egg up gently and slowly. Give enough time for the egg white to get cooked and form the white streaks.

8) Add in corn flour solution last. Turn heat to low and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Now the gravy is ready.

9) When it is ready to serve, add your preferred amount of gravy, yi mian and cabbage into sauce pan/pot, simmer until noodle is soften. 

Simmer till noodle is soften