Thursday 27 September 2007

Snowskin Mooncakes with yellow split peas paste 迷你冰皮月餅 - 豌豆黃餡

Mooncakes are a typical and traditional chinese pastry with sweet fillings eaten during Mid-Autuum Festival since There are a lots of kinds of mooncakes, traditional mooncakes include cantonese, suzhou, beijing, teochew, shanghai, yunnan, fuzhou and more. Nowdays, there are also modern mooncakes likes chilled mooncake which more known as Ping Pei (snowskin) Mooncakes, jelly mooncakes and ice-cream mooncakes. I choosed to make chilled mooncake cause it is easier and simple besides it is also healthier.


Source: Mooncake Cookbook, Eupho Cafe

Ingredients:
(A) 150g koh fun ( cooked glutinous rice flour)
130g icing sugar
50g shortening
(B) 50ml fresh milk
180ml ice cold water
(C) 450-500g yellow split peas paste (or red bean filling/ any fillings)
Methods:
1. Prepare fillings, roll 15 balls which each weight 30g. Set aside.
2. Sieve koh fun and icing sugar into a big bowl, add in shortening and mix well.
3. Add in fresh milk and iced cold water and mix it to a soft dough. Pour some koh fun on your hand and on the table before you knead it cause it is quiet sticky at the beginning. Remember don't overmix!!!!!
4. Divide the skin to 15 portion which 20g each.
5. Round the skin, flatten the skin and wrap in the filling. Remember to seal all edges. Repeat.
6. Place it into a koh fun dusted mooncake mould and press firmly. Dislodge imprinted mooncake from mould.Repeat. Done.
Notes:
1. Don't overmix the skin, it may difficult to seal the edges.
2. You may refer to http://fcngoleong.blogspot.com/2007/05/emperess-chi-xi-dessert-yellow-split.html to get yellow split peas pudding as your filling. It contain no oil and taste not so sweet and is healthier.
3. I used 50g mooncakes mould, so skin should be weight 40% and filling weight 40%.
4. I experimented this mooncakes, it is still very soft and tasty after days. You may add some colouring or/en flavour to your skin too.

Monday 17 September 2007

Chinese Steamed Cake 懷舊雞蛋糕


This is a very easy,moist, soft, melt in the moulth and not so sweet steamed cake. Chinese prefer to steam their cakes than bake it cause chinese believed baked things will produces 'body - heat' and in the past not every chinese has oven. It is also contain no fat except from the yolks, great for the health! And most important is my kids loves it so much and they finished it between 15 minutes.


Source: My Culinary Journaal, Leisure Cat

Ingredients :
2 eggs
100 g fine sugar
1 tsp ovalette ( can be omitted, tho cake may not be as soft )
1 tsp vanilla extract
150 g flour
120 ml ice-cream soda / 7-up

Method :
1. Whisk sugar and eggs till creamy and stiff. Add in ovalette and vanilla extract and beat till creamy for about 5 minutes.
2. Fold in 1/3 of flour and 1/2 of the soda drink, repeat till done.
3. Steam 25 minutes or till done.
4. Cool, cut and served..

Notes :
1. You can substitute with other carbonated drinks. The cake then takes on the taste and color of the bottle drink.
2. Do not open the lid of steamer or you wouldn't get a nice high cake.
3. You may steamed it in a smaller mould too, it will rise likes fatt koh/ huat kuih/kuih mangkuk.
4. You may steamed it over a pan, or with bamboo steamer or even with microwave.

Tuesday 11 September 2007

Stewed Pork Belly With Mui Choy 梅菜扣肉

Mui Choy is preserved mustard cabbage in english, while 梅菜扣肉 or braised pork belly with mui choy is a very famous common home dishes which you won't get enough with it. There is two different kinds of mui choy --- salty or sweety, I prefer used the sweet mui choy.

Source: Lily Wai Sek Hong, Eupho Cafe

Ingredients:

500g pork belly
300g sweet mui choy (sweet preserved vegetables)
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced shallots
1 tbsp thick soy sauce
200ml fresh chicken stock

Seasoning :
3/4 tbsp thick soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp sugar or to taste
1 tbsp Hua Tiau wine

Method
1. Cook the whole piece of pork belly in a pot of boiling water for 8 minutes. Dish out and brush with thick soy sauce.
2. Deep-fry in hot oil till the meat is golden brown. Rinse the pork belly in cold water, then drain well and cut into thick slices.
3. Soak mui choy for 30 minutes. Remove, rinse and drain, then cut it into desired size. Put into a non-stick pan and fry briefly (to remove the moisture). 4. Heat oil and sesame oil in a saucepan. Fry shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add the meat slices and seasoning. Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Put the prepared mui choy in a big stainless bowl. Transfer the pork slices and cooked seasoning to the mui choy and pour the gravy over. Steam the dish for 50-60 minutes. Dish out and serve.

Notes:
1. I use 250g pork belly and 250g meat beacause it is healthier.
2. If you don't have fresh chicken stock, you can replace it with water with chicken granules/powder.
3. You may transfer it into slow cooker to stew it in stead of steaming it.
4. Remember to soak mui choy before cook it, it will be too salty if you skip this step.
5. Don't throw it away if you can't finish it, keep it in the fridge and it taste much better on the next morning.