My New Toy - Multifunctionele keukenmachine Artisan 5KSM150PSEIC ijsblauw

Hi, this is my lovely kitchenaids from my lovely husband. It is very useful, handy and easy to use without any noise. It is not only good and easy to make cakes, cookies but also for bread and buns. Now, I don't need to knead any dough anymore since I get this multifunctional kitchenaids. Besides, it can be used for grinding, rolling pasta, mince meat. It is very powerful, so becareful when you use it. Thanks to my dear husband.

My first homemade birthday cake 自製生日蛋糕

I always dream to make my own birthday cake, this year I make it myself in stead order from bakery. OOoo... pity enough, my birthday is during christmas eve. When I went to supermarket to buy whipping cream to decorate my cake, there is no more whipping cream,...... oh no what to do?! I decorated it with simple glaze. It is not beautiful cake but my kids likes it so much.

Source: YTower, Myself

Ingredients:
(a)4 egg yolks
60g milk
60g oil
60g sugar
some vanilla essence/extract/vanilin
a pinch of salt
(b)120g cake flour
3g baking powder
(c)4 egg whites
2g cream of tartar
70g sugar

Methods:
1. Sift (b) for 3 times.
2. whisk egg yolks with sugar using hand till dissolved. Add in oil and vanilla essence, mix well.
3. In another clean, dry bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar, add in sugar in 3 times and beat till stiff stage.
4. Fold in 1/3 of egg whites into yolk batter, mix well. Pour it into the rest of egg whites and folf in gently.
5. Bake in preheat oven 175 degree celcious for 35 minutes or till done. Invert immediately after out of oven.
6. Decorate the cake as you wish after the cake is completely cooled.

Notes:
1. Invert the cake is to prevent shrinking.
2. If you don't have cream of tartar , replace it with 1tsp vinegar or lemon juice to reduce the ph and can beat the egg whites easily.
3. This is a recipes of chiffon cake, it is soft and moist.

Tang Yuan - Tong Yuen - glutinous balls - 元宵 - 湯圓

Tang yuan (mandarin), tong yuen(cantonese), glutinous balls is a common snack during chinese new year, dongzhi( 21st or 22nd december) or even during lantern festival. It is symbolic family reunion. Tang yuan can be filled with peanuts, black sesame or any filling. It can be coated with some peanut powder or soy bean powder instead or sweet soup. In northern china, tang yuan might filled by minced meat and served with some chicken stock. Tang yuan is also known as yuan xiao, but yuan xiao sound identical likes 'remove yuan', so peoples change the name to tang yuan which sound fimiliar 'reunion'. Funny enough, taiwanese served it with some ferment glutinous rice. Japanese and korean eat it too, just in different taste and form.

Source: xiaoxiaomitong, myself

Ingredients:
100g glutinous flour
50g peanut powder
50g sugar
some oil

(B) sweet soup
1.2 liter water
4 pandan leaves
suagr to taste
Methods:

1. Cook sweet soup for about half hour or till fragnant.
2. Mix peanut powder with sugar and some oil and roll it into 22 small balls. Set aside.
3. Mix glutinous rice flour with warm water to make a soft dough.
4. Boil water till roaring boil, drop 20g of dough, cook it and let it float 1 minute, and dish up and drain.
5. Combined the cooked dough with the rest of dough and knead till smooth, divide into 22 pieces.
6. Wrap filling and cook till cooked.
7. Served with sweet soup.

Notes:

1. I cooked some dough and kned it with the rest of dough is to get a soft, chewy and bouncy tang yuan.
2. In stead of peanut powder, you can replace it with some toasted black sesame poweder. Or without filling.

French toast - wentelteefjes - 法国吐司 - 西多士

French toast or wentelteefjes 法国吐司 in dutch is very famous and common snack and breakfast in europe, america or even in asia. It is so easy to do and tast nice. For a heavier version, use cream in stead of milk---- it may tastier but not so good for your shape. Everyone may enjoy these simple french toast......

Source: Lily Wai Sek Hong, Amy Beh, Koopmans, Myself

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Whole milk
2 Large eggs
5 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Salt
3 slices White or egg bread
1 tbsp Butter


Method:

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt.Melt butter in large frying pan on medium heat.
2.Dip bread in egg mix, turning to coat each side.
3. Cook bread in frying pan until underside is golden, then turn and cook until reverse is golden.Serve immediately.

Notes:

1. Dutch love to served it with some cinnamon sugar.

Steamed bun 壽桃包 vs 鮮奶饅頭

壽桃包 is actually chinese birthday bun, a kind of steamed bun (baozi) in peach shape. It symbolic longevity, prosperity and happiness, so, in elder's party, you will see it. It is easy to do too. This time, I make it with old dough. It is soft and cottonny and taste much better than straight dough one. I made it for my mother in law's birthday party.

Source: Eupho Cafe, Yee's Kitchen

Ingredients:
(a) old dough - about 300g gram
200g flour
a pinch salt
1/2tsp yeast
110g water
(b) main dough - about 770g
200ml cold milk
350g flour
5g yeast
80g sugar
1/8tsp baking soda
1tsp bread improver/ bread softerner (optional)
100g old dough
15g oil

Methods:

1. Mix (a) old dough, knead till smooth and let it prove till double bulk for about 40-50 minutes. (during winter might longer)
2. Weight out 100g old dough for main dough recipe. Mix (b) main dough, knead smooth and add in old and knead till smooth and shinny. Rest the dough for 20 minutes and divide 60g-80g. Knead a bit and shape as desire.
3. Cover the shaped bun with damp clothes and final prove for 40 minutes. Steam over medium heat for 12 minutes, turn off heat and let it stay 3 minutes inside the steamer before taking out.

Notes:

1. Keep the remaining old dough in freezer, may keep 3 months. Thaw before use to room temperature, this recipe can make 3 times 100g old dough.
2. I steamed buns over medium heat to prevent bursting buns. If you make char siew pau, must steam it over high heat.
3. You should boil the steamer till roaring boil and then turn to medium heat before steam.
4. If you don't have bread improver or bread softerner, may avoid it.
5. I used 200g flour and 150g tang min fun (wheat starch) in stead or 350g flour for a softer bun as I reduce the gluten.

Mah Dou Koh 椰汁馬豆糕

Mah Dou Koh 椰汁馬豆糕 is a very famous and common dessert for cantonese which you can find it at any chinese restaurant. It is simple, delicious, sweet and tasty, but it is very easy to do too. Normally, chinese will make it during new year. Hope you will like it too.

Source: Yee's Kitchen, Mrs. Choi,

Ingredients:

100g yellow split peas (soak overnight)
165g evaporate milk
150-200g sugar (original recipe is 300g)
400ml coconut milk
170g cornstarch
5 cups water

Methods:

1. Cook yellow splits peas till soft, drain.
2. Combined cornstarch and coconut milk and evaporated milk.
3. Boil water and sugar till dissolved, slowly pour in (2) and stir constantly till thick and then mix in cooked yellow split peas. Remove from heat.
4. Pour into mould and when it come to room tempreture, chilled it in refrigerator for hours before served.

Notes:

1. The reason to soak the peas is to get the right texture---- soft but unbroken.
2. It is still sweet to me, please adjust the sweetness.