Thursday 28 June 2007

Basic Sweet Buns/Bread 奶油餐包

Asian peoples likes soft, sweet buns with sweet fillings and savoury fillings. These are my first homemade bread, my oven temperature is too high and the result is I get darker skin., might try another time with lower temperature for better result. Though it is darker but it taste good.

Source: Jo's Deli And BAkery

Ingredients:
480g High protein flour, non-sifted
70g castor sugar
20g soya flour
6-7g bread improver (optional)
5g salt
10g instant yeast
25g butter/margarine
1 Grade C egg
220ml water


Method:

1. Combine all except salt and butter, knead to form a dough, add in salt,knead smooth and lastly add butter and knead till smooth and shinny and elastic.
2. Place the dough in greased bowl, cover with damp clothes and let rise in warm place for 60-90 minutes till double size.
3. Punch down, scale each portion 50g, rest 5 minutes before shaping. Shape as desired, cover with damp clothes and let rise till double size about 30-40 minutes.
4. Brush milk or egg wash on top, bake in preheated oven at 175 degree celcious for 30 minute or till done.
Notes:
1. Please adjust the temperature, too high temperature will causing thick, hard crust and too low temperature will causing underbaked buns.
2. You may add filling too.

Wednesday 20 June 2007

Traditional Savoury Rice Dumpling - Bak Chang, Zong Zi- 肉粽


Chinese rice dumpling or known as Bak Chang (hokkien), Zhong zi (mandarin) or Zhong (cantonese) which will be eaten during 5th of fifth month in lunar calendar---DragonBoat Festival or Dumpling Festival - 端午节. According to legend, rice dumpling were thrown into river to prevent fishes eating Qu Yuan's body whose a famous chinese poet from Kingdom Chu, He failed to warn his King to against expansionism of their neighbour Qin. When dynasty Qin took over his contry, he drown himself in the Milou River after penning the Lament of Ying. Nowday, peoples are still eating it and it can be found anytime in most chinese shops in Asia.


Source: Jo's Deli And Bakery, Seadragon, Amy Beh

INGREDIENTS:
Makes 20-25

(A) For preparing glutinous rice:
1 kg glutinous rice (soaked overnight, drained)
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp chopped garlic; shallots
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp chicken stock
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1-1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp five spice powder
Pepper, salt to taste

(B) For preparing meat:
200g belly pork/ chicken meat (cut into 20-25 cubes)
1 tsp chicken stock
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
Pinch of five spice powder
1 tsp light soy sauce

(C) For preparing filling:
100g black-eyed/red beans (soaked overnight, drained)
20-25 nos. dried chestnuts (soaked overnight, drained)
100g dried shrimp (soaked until soft)
13 nos. chinese mushrooms (soaked until soft, cut into halves)
2 tbsp chopped garlic & shallots
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
Sesame oil, salt & pepper to taste
1/4 tsp five spice powder

(D) 13 nos. salt egg yolks, cut into halves
50 pieces bamboo leaves
Hemp strings



METHOD:

1. Soak the glutinous rice, beans and dried water chestnut seperately overnight, drained. Soak dried shrimp and chinese mushroom seperately till soft, drained. relatively fast.
2. Cook hemp- string and bamboo leaves till soft, wipe off.
3. For preparing glutinous rice (A): Heat oil in a wok. Sauté chopped garlic and shallots until fragrant, add in glutinous rice, fry for a while and lastly add in seasoning. Dish out and set aside.
4. For preparing meat: Season pork/ chicken with all seasonings in (B) for at least 2 hour or overnight.
5. For preparing filing: Heat oil in a wok, sauté chopped garlic and shallots until fragrant, add in the rest of ingredients (C). Dish out and set aside.
6. For each dumpling, shape 2 bamboo leaves like a cone, put in some rice and press it. Add in meat, chestnut, shrimps, mushroom and beans, cover it again with some rice. Wrap it up to 4 points triangle and bind it tightly.
7. Place wrapped dumplings in a large pot of boiling water and cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Served.
Notes:
1. Make sure no whole for the dumpling to escape.
2. Add more hot boiling water if water not enough to cover rice dumpling during cooking process.
3. Dumplings can be stored in freezer for at least 1 month. Steam or microwave dumplings before serving.


Notes:

1. Wrap the dumpling tighly before cook it in water.

Thursday 14 June 2007

Steamed 7up cupcake-----Apam Cantik Manis

This cake is called apam cantik manis in malaysia. It contains no oil, butter and it is so plain but still very delicious that you will want to eat it for second time.
It is easy to do it too and it is very healthy snack if compare with other cakes.


Source: Seadragon, Hanieliza

Ingredients:
2 eggs
110g sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
150g flour, sifted
150ml fizzy soft drink (7-up, sprite, cram soda)
Method:
1. Prepare steamer and arrange teacups/muffin moulds into the steamer, heat it over high heat till rapid boiling water.
2. Beat eggs till foamy, add in sugar and continue beating till pale yellow creamy, fluffy. Add in vanilla extract and mix well.
3. Sift in 1/3 flour into batter and fold in, add 1/3 0f 7-up and fold in. Repeat this step twice till finshing flour and 7-up.
4. Pour into muffin moulds or teacups and steam over rapid boiling water for 15 - 20 minutes.
Notes:
1. Steam your cake only over rapid boiling water.
2. You can add in colouring for prettier cupcakes. You can have a look at here http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/2007/06/apam-cantik-manis-steamed-soft-drink.html

Monday 11 June 2007

Brown Sugar Huat Kueh 椰糖开花小发糕

We call these 'ooo teng huat kueh'(hokkien) or apam gula melaka in malays. My girls loves soft, fluffy, moist and fragnant cake likes fatt koh. It was so warm now and I'm too lazy to bake chiffon cake for them and I made these. It is very healthy and contains no oil at all---- good for the line.

Source: Amy Beh, Cheat Eat,

Ingredients:
200g brown sugar or palm sugar
400ml water
300g cake flour
60g rice flour
4tsp double action baking powder

Methods:
1. Boil water and sugar together till sugar is dissolved. Leave to cool.
2. Arrange 10 tea cups or small tins in the steamer, bring water and let it boiled. At the same time, the tea cups/tins will be heated too.
3. Mix cake flour, rice flour and baking powder together and sift them 3 times.
4. Pour in the syrup and mix well till no lumps in the batter.
5. Make sure the water in the steamer is roaring boil, pour in batter to each cups/ tins to at least 80% full. Steam for 20 minutes over rapid boiling water.

Notes:
1. Cover the lid with clothe to prevent water dripping to the huat kueh.
2. Do not open the lid for the first 10 minutes or you will get flat huat kueh.
3. If your steamer is small, steam it for twice. Make sure the water is roaring boiled.

Ban Jiang Kuih----Crispy Peanut Pancake 面煎馃


Ban Jian Kuih that we call crispy peanut pancake in Malaysia or Mi Jiang kuih in Singapore. Anyway, it taste same so delicious. This is crispy version and the another version Ban Jiang Kuih is very thick, soft, bouncy texture. Some people call it as Tai Kau Min (cantonese) or malays will call it Apom Balik.


Source: Hip Stream, Lily Wai Sek Hong

Batter Ingredients
230 gm plain flour
2 tsp castor sugar
1 egg beaten
2 cups water/milk ( I used milk)
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp oil
Method:
(Batter Preparation)
1. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the center and add in egg, liquid and oil. Mix into a smooth batter and allow to stand for at least 2 hours. (Since the batter has egg, make sure you refrigerate your batter.) I lefted it overnight in refrigerator.
(Flling Ingredients)
150g castor sugar
1 cup peanuts roasted and ground
some butter
some creamy corn
Method:
1. Heat a crepe pan or a small nonstick pan slightly. (just hot enough for batter to stick to pan)
2. Pour in a 4 oz laddle of batter and swirl pan so that batter is coating the edge.
3. Sprinkle in some sugar, chopped roasted peanut, creamy corn and some butter on the pancake.Cook till the bottom of pancake is golden brown.
4. Fold the pancake into a half and leave to cool.(it will be crispy as soon as it gets cold)
Notes:
1. Be very patient to fry pancake till golden brown over low heat. After it is done, let the pancake "stand up" to cool down and it will be crispy. If you let it lay on plate, it would become soft.
2. I lefted it overnight in fridge and the next morning my family can enjoy these lovely crispy pancake.

Sunday 3 June 2007

Siew Mai - Steam dumpling 燒賣


These is my homemade siewmai which in very healthy version cause it contains no monosodium and my kids love it so much. Every sunday, we will go to chinese restaurant with our family in law for "yum cha" and this is my kids' favourite dim sum.

Source: Lily Wai Sek Hong

Ingredients:
20 pieces round wantan skin

Filling :
300g minced meat
150g diced prawns
1 black mushroom, soaked and chopped finely
2 minced water chestnuts

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
A dash of pepper
1 egg white
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp tapioca flour or cornflour

Method:
1. Combine the filling in a bowl.
2. Add in seasoning ingredients and combine well.
3. Mix it till sticky meat mixture.
4. Refrigerate the mixture for 40 to 60 minutes.
5. Put two teaspoons of the filling in the centre of each wantan skin.
6. Gather the edge of the wrapper together so that only the top of the filling is seen.
7. Place dumplings on a greased steaming rack and steam it for 12-15 minutes.

Notes:
1. You may reduce 75g meat and replace it with minced fatty meat if you prefer more the texture likes you eat it at restaurant. But, personality I prefer no fatty meat.
2. Mix the mixture till sticky is for more bouncy meat.
3. I use chicken meat and it taste nice too.

Friday 1 June 2007

Banana Chiffon Cake 香蕉雪芳蛋糕


My house still have a lots overripe bananas, nobody want to eat it. I don't like to wasting food, and I get an idea to make banana cake. But, this time I make banana chiffon cake which taste lighter, fluffy......and it is healthier. My kids love it.


Source: Eupho Cafe

Ingredients:
150g mashed bananas
2 eggs (about 130g included egg shells)
140g cake flour
100g sugar
60ml oil
60ml milk
11/4 tsp baking powder
1tsp vinegar
Method:
1. Mashed bananas to puree. Sift flour with baking powder for 3 times. Preheat oven for 160 degree celcius.
2. Seperated egg yolks and egg whites in differents bowl. Beat egg yolk with 4og sugar till pale, creamy and fluffy, then add in oil, milk and mashed bananas. Mix well, and now add in sifted flour and mix gently with a spatula but not overmix it.
3. Beat egg whites with 1tsp vinegar till a bit tiny bubbles,add in sugar(a bit a time for 3 times) and beat it till stiff.
4. Pour in 1/3 egg whites mixtures into the egg yolks batter,mix well. Then pour it into the rest of egg whites mixtures.
5. Bake immediately under preheat oven for 40 minutes.
6. Remove cake and invert the mould immediately. Leave to cool completely.
Notes:
1. Use only very ripe bananas, this recipes is very moist, I suggest reduce milk to 40ml in stead of 60ml.
2. Egg should be fresh and all ingredients should be in room temperature.
3. I use vegetable oil but not butter or magarine cause it is healthier.
4. Never grease or line it with baking paper when you are baking chiffon cake.