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