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.

Orange Tart 香橙撻

My husband bought too much oranges for me, I can't eat it all, beside my kids want to eat egg tarts. And I get this idea---- find orange tart recipe which a bit likes egg tart with a tint of orange flavour. The result is satisfied, everyone like it and happy to taste it. My kids say it is a sunflower tart.

Source: Seadragon

Ingredients:
150g flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
50g sugar
100g butter
1 yolk
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tsp water
Filling:
125ml orange juice
40ml lemon juice
1 whole egg
2 egg yolk
60g sugar
2tsp custard powder
1tsp orange zest

Methods:
1. Sift flour, baking powder and sugar, rub in butter into bread crumbles. Add in yolk, lemon juice and enough water to firm a dough. Don't overmix it!
2. Refrigerated it for 30 minutes with wrapping it with a cling or aluminium foil.
3. Preheat oven 200 degree celcious.
4. Dissolved custard powder with lemon and orange juice, add in sugar, beaten egg and yplks. Cook it over low heat for about 5-8 minutes for thickening.
5.Remove heat, add 1tbsp butter and orange zest, mix well and leave to cool completely.
6. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes, remove weight, bake for another 10 minutes. Leave to cool.
7. Preheat oven 180 degree celcious, pour the custard batter into the baked pastry and bake it for 20-25 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Notes:
1. When you grate the orange zest, make sure don't get the white part or you will get bitter taste.
2. If you have orange essence, may subtitute it for orange zest.
3. Just simply combine the pastry and never mix it throughly or you will get very hard pie crust.

Kuih Talam Ubi Keledek 蕃薯椰絲糕

I have lots of sweet potatoes in my kitchen, don't know what to do but thinking of making something special and not too complicated. I found this recipe and I modified it and reduce the sweetness and everyone enjoy it.

Source: China Express

Ingredients:

400g sweet potatoes
150g tapioca flour
50g rice flour
150ml coconut milk
80g sugar ( it is not too sweet, please adjust)
200ml water
1tsp salt
some desicated coconut for topping

Methods:

1. Steam the sweet potatoes, mashed it and mix in the rest of ingredients except desicated coconut. Combine well.
2. Steam the batter over medium heat for 1/2 hour.
3. Cool completely and cut and top it with desicated coconut.

Notes:

1. My sweet potato is very sweet, pleas adjust the sweetness as you wished.
2. Please cover the lid to prevent water dripping.

Chocolate chiffon cake 朱古力雪芳蛋糕

Chocolate chiffon cake is very welcomed by everyone with their softness and chocolate flavour. It is not difficult to do as you thought, if you get the right amounts and doing it in right way will ensure you get soft,moist, fluffy chocolate chiffon cake. I used it to do black forest cake.

Source: Jo's Deli And Bakery, Do What I Like, Lily Wai Sek Hong

Ingredients:
A)3 small egg yolks (small egg weight 50g include shell)
110g flour (prefer cake flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
20g cacao powder ( Van Houten)
60g sugar
70g oil
100ml milk
(B)3 small egg whites (small egg weight 50g include shell)
1/4tsp cream of tartar
60g sugar

Methods:

1. Preheat oven 190 degree celcious.
2. Sift flour, baking soda and cacao powder in a big mixing bowl. Add in egg yolks, sugar, oil and milk, whisk with hand until just combine and sugar is dissolved. Don't over mix.
3. In another clean and dry bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar till foamy, add in sugar and whisk at high speed till soft peak. Turn to medium speed and whisk till stiff peak, turn off. Don't overbeat.
4. Fold in 1/3 of egg whites into the batter, be gently and not deflate the egg whites.
5. Pour into (4) and fold gently .
6. Bake in 8" pan for 40-50 minutes. Invert the cake immediately after out of oven.

Notes:
1. Be very careful when folding the egg whites or your cake will not rise high and soft as cotton.
2. Don't grease your pan when you bake chiffon cake or sponge cake, I lined my cake mould with parchment paper and it rise very well even it should be bake in aluminium pan.
3. If you don't have cream of tartar, subtitute it with vinegar or lemon juice. It can reduce the alkaline PH and you can beat the egg whites succesfully.

Mooncake Golden Syrup 轉化糖漿

Golden syrup is a kind of syrup which you need it to make mooncake skin. It is not difficult to make by your own but just preferbary making it earlier so that your mooncake skin is easier to handle and it is more fragnant and nicer colour. If you lazy to make it may subtituted it with light corn syrup.

Source: Eupho Cafe, Amy Beh, Mooncake Cookbooks, Yochana

Ingredients:
1.2 kg sugar
1 liter water
1 lime
1tbsp maltose

Method:
1. Place all the ingredients into a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to a boil until sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat and continue to boil until syrup turns a light golden colour.
2.Switch off the fire and add the maltose. Stir well to dissolve. Leave to cool and store in clean jars for use as syrup for mooncake pastry.

Note:
1.Golden syrup can be prepared months in advance. Allow the syrup to mature with time the longer you keep, the better it is for making the mooncake pastry.

Salted Eggs 鹹蛋

Salted duck eggs is a common chinese preserved food and very easy to make it by your own too. There are many methods to make salted duck eggs likes soaking in brine(salt solution), or cover with salt or even wine addition or chilies etc. Chinese loves to eat it with congee, use the salted dugg yolks to make mooncake filling or biscuits' filling or cooking it with other materials.

Source: TPC

Ingredients:

25 duck eggs or 30 chicken eggs
8 cups water
2 cups salt
some sichuan pepper (about a pinch)
1/2 cup chinese cooking wine

Methods:

1. Wash and dry the eggs carefully. Set aside.
2. Put water and salt in a big pot, heat it till salt is dissolved, turn off heat and sprinkle a pinch of sichuan pepper. Set aside and let cool completely.
3. Arrange the eggs in a big pot, mix the cooking wine into the cold brine and pour into the pot to soak the eggs. Seal the pot.
4. Keep it in a shadow and cool place. It is ready after 25 days.

Notes:
1. Must wash and dry the eggs carefully, they break easily.
2. By adding sichuan pepper and some chinese cooking wine makes your salted eggs taste a bit fragnant and not so smelly.
3. Must let the brine(salt solution) cool completely before soak the eggs or you may get bad eggs.
4. Please write down the date of making to prevent over or undersoaking. Seal the pot tightly and remember never touch the pot again during 25 days or you will get breaken yolks but not beautiful yolks.
5. Prefer use glass pot that you can see through, if eggs break up, remove the eggs and soak it with new brine.

Pulut Tai Tai, Pulut Tekan 馬來西亞椰汁糯米糕

Pulut Tekan or pulut tai tai is one of the classic nyonya kuih which common served with kaya spread. Blue rice???? no, I coloured it with blue food colouring cause I can't find out bunga telang to extact the blue colour. This version is good to try, cause it is so delicous and easy to do too....

Source: Lily Wai Sek Hong, Seadragon, Streetfood cookbook

Ingredients:

500g glutinous rice ( soak overnight, drained)

350ml coconut milk

1tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

some blue colouring

pandan leaves, knotted

Method:

1. Put all ingredients into a steaming try, steam it on high heat for 30- 45 minutes. Open the lids and fluff up the rice and steam again for 10 minutes, repat till rice is cooked.

2. Removed from steamer, 1dd blue colouring into 1/3 of cooked glutinous rice , mix through. Pour the coloured glutinous rice into 2/3 glutinous rice and mix it for marble effect.

3. Transfer it to another square pan which lined with banana leaves, press it and put something heavy on the top till the kuih is cool and firm.

4. Cut and served with kaya.

Notes:

1. I use not much coconut milk to steam the glutinous rice cause I soak the glutinous overnight and it is east to steam.

2. The reason the fluff up the rice for every 10 minutes is to get fluffy rice but not sticky.

3. You may avoid the banana leaves or pandan leaves if you don't have it.

Mandarin Pancake 荷葉餅

Mandarin pancake 荷葉餅 is a famous wrapper for peking roasted duck but I wrap it with char siew. It is ver easy to make it and taste good too. The main concept to get soft pancake is not to pan fry it too long or it may turn out hard.

Source: Euphocafe, chinese cookbook

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3/4 cup hot boiling water

2 tbsp oil

Methods:

1. Place flour in a big bowl, pour in hot boiling water and stir it constantly with chopsticks. When it is slighlt cool down, knead it to a smooth dough.

2. Cover and rest the dough for 15 minutes.

3. On a floured surface, roll ot dough 3/4 cm thick, cut it out in circles (about a small bowl size. Repeat.

4. Brush the under circle dough surface and stick it on another dough circle. Roll it out to a bigger dough.

5. Pan fry it on a preheat non-stick pan for seconds and turn it to another side and pan fry it for second.

6. Dish out, seperate the pancake when it is still hot. Served with char siew or any fillings you like.

Notes:

1. Don't pan fry it too long or you will get hard pancake, it is already cooked when you pour in hot boiling water.

2. If you use normal pan, oiled a bit surface to prevent sticking.

Barbecued Pork (Char Siew) 叉燒

Char Siew is also known as barbeque pork with a slighlt red colour. It is tasty, and could served with rice, noodles, filling in puff pastry or in buns or pau. It is a well known cantonese cuisin in the whole world and you may find it in any chinese shop or restaurant.

Source: Amy Beh, Lily Wai Sek Hong, Jo's Deli And Bakery


Ingredients:

500g pork (pork loin or tenderloin)
2tbsp soy bean paste (tau cheon)
2tbsp hoisin sauce
5-8 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1tbsp rice wine

Methods:

1. Marinade the pork with all of the ingredients for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
2. Roast the pork on a rack in preheat oven at 220 degree celcious for 10minutes, turn the pork and bake for another 10 minutes. Repeat till cooked. Basting the pork with marinate for every 10 minutes while you turn the pork to another side.

Notes:

1. In stead of baking, you can cook it in a pan over low heat till all the sauce is thicken.
2. I avoid red colouring, that why it is in black colour.
3. Most os chinese use pork belly to make char siew but I choosed pork tenderloin cause I hate fatty pork and it is healthier.
4. You can freezed it in fridge and just reheat it before you eat.

Serikaya 咖央醬 2

Kaya, (also Serikaya means /sich in malaysbased on its golden colour) is jam made from eggs, coconut milk, sugar which flavoured with pandan leaves and caramized by sugar. Kaya is typically served with a warm toast with lots of butter and kaya or as filling for pau, buns and kuih. There are also kaya in green colour with coloured by pandan paste.

Source: My Mom, Seadragon


Ingredients:

1 bowl eggs
1 bowl sugar
1 bowl coconut milk
5-6 pandan leaves, knotted
1 slow cooker

Methods:

1. Dissolved sugar with eggs, then add in coconut milk and mix well.
2. Pour mixture into slow cooker and add in knotted pandan leaves. Turn on the slow sooker at low heat.
3. Check the kaya every hour and stir it. After 3-4 hours (depends to your slow cooker, it may a bit later or quicker), it may set and firm already, in another small sauce pan, heat it with some sugar till it is caramized and quickily pour it into the kaya and stir constantly. Done.

Notes:

1. Last time, when I make kaya, I need to stand for hours to cook my kaya. But now, I put all the ingredients into my slow cooker and I blend it to a smooth kaya with my blender.
2. It may be a bit lumpy, so blend it for a smooth silky kaya.
3. If you don't have pandan leaves, just flavour it with vanila extract or with pandan paste.
4. You may make your kaya with breadmachine with 'jam' function.
Here is my another green kaya http://fcngoleong.blogspot.com/search/label/Jam%20and%20Preserved

Steamed Mini Green Peas Cake 绿豆小小松糕

Steamed Mini Green Peas Cake is very soft, moist, tasty and very very similiar to restaurant's mah lai koh酒樓馬拉糕 which we taste in rotterdam dim sum restaurant. I bought these moulds when I was in holiday during summer break and this recipe I found from a cookbooks which my sis gave to me. It is so surprised me and kids which this cake same taste and texture if compare with the resaturant's mah lai koh. Hope you will likes it too.

Source: Streetfood cookbooks

Ingredients:

(A)

160g flour

50g green peas flour (hun kwee hun)

1tbsp custard powder

2tsp baking powder

(B)

160g sugar

3 big eggs

1tsp cake stabilizer - SP, Ovallette or quick 75

120ml melted butter

180ml water

vanilla essence

Methods:

1. Sift ingredients (A) for at least 3 times. Set aside.

2. Beat eggs, sugar and cake stabilizer with mixer will very creamy, foamy and light.

3. Slowly fold in vanilla essence, water and melted butter and mix well. Then slowly fold in sifted flours (1) till corporated but not overmix.

4. Pour into moulds and steam over high heat for 20-30 minutes or till done.

Notes:

1. In step 2, it takes about 10-15 minutes if using electric mixer. You may see the batter will not sink easily after you write a 8. This helps you to know the batter is done.

2. Melted butter and water should be warm and not cold or too hot.

3. You may steam it in a big cake pan for longer time.

Basic Sponge Cake 海綿蛋糕

Sponge cake海綿蛋糕 is almost same likes chiffon cake雪芳蛋糕. Sponge cake contains eggs, flour, fat(oil, butter, margerin) and sugar while, chiffon cake is moister and softer which contains more liquids, fats and also baking powder is required. Both of them are healthier than normal cake which they are less fat and kids just likes it.

Source: Yochana, Jia Lei, Amy Beh

Ingredients:
6 eggs
175g castor sugar
1 tsp Ovalette
225g cake flour, sifted
60g melted butter or corn oil
50ml cold water

Method:

1. Line two 20cm round cake pans with non stick parchment paper. Preheat oven to 180 degree celcious.

2. Whisk eggs, sugar and ovallette in a large mixing bowl fitted with an electric mixer till pale and stiff.

3. Gently fold in sifted flour, stir in water carefully then gently combine melted butter.pour batter into linedpan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until done..

Notes:

1. Ovallette, SP is sponge cake emulsifier or cake stabilizer. You may omit it but it takes times to beat eggs and your cake is not as soft as you wished.

2. Fold in your flour, oil and water but not mix it with your mixer.

3. When you bake, make sure all your ingredients are in room temperature unless your recipes called for cooled egg or milk.

Suzhou Mooncakes 苏式月饼

Suzhou Mooncake is a very simple mooncake . It is a normal pastry skin with red bean paste and a walnut on the top of paste. It suppose be white colour, but in Netherlands, all kinds of flours is a bit yellow colour. I think it is a bit taste like loh poh peng--- wife biscuit with re bean paste.

Source: Mooncake Cookbooks

Ingredients:

Water dough

250g flour

50g icing sugar

90g shortening

1/4tsp salt

110ml water

Oil skin

150g flour

90g shortening

Filling:

550g red bean paste http://fcngoleong.blogspot.com/search/label/Condiments

11 pieces of roated walnuts

some red colouring

Methods:

1. Divided filling into 50g each, shape into balls and set aside.

2. Water dough: Combine flour, icing sugar and shortening (A) together, drizzle in water and add in salt. Mix and knead into a soft dough. Rest for 10 minutes, divided into 11 protions.

2. Oil skin: Combine (B) together and knead into dough. Divide into 11 portions.

3. Flatten water dough, wrap in oil skin, seal all the edges good to prevent leaking. Round it once more, roll it into longish shape, roll it up likes a mini swiss rool. Repeat 3 times for each. Cover with a clothes for 10 minutes.

4. Round a portion (3), wrap in a piece walnut and filling (1). Arrange on a tray lined with baking sheet. For decoration purpose, dip the point of chopsticks into red colouring, dot 4 times or more on the surface.

5. Bake in preheated oven at 170degree celcious for 20- 25 minutes or till baked through. Cool well.

Notes:

1. Don't knead too much for oil skin.

2. You may subtitute shortening to corn oil or canola oil.

3. Don't press during rolling the dough, may leaks easily or you may failed to get a nice staple skin pastry.

Pandan Snowskin Mooncakes with Red Bean Paste 班兰迷你冰皮月饼 - 红豆馅

Pandan Chilled Mooncakes with red bean paste filling is a common mooncakes in malaysia. My family and friends asked me to make some mooncake again as my first chilled monncake with yellow split peas paste so welcomed by everyone even for a dutch, turkish, hindu...... yeah!!!! so great satisfaction!!! So, I decided make it again but in diffrence flavour.Hahha..... succes again. Hope you will like it too!

Source: Mooncake Cookbooks

Ingredients:
150g koh fun (cooked glutinous rice flour)
200g icing sugar
50g shortening
few drops pandan paste
200ml iced cold water
Filling:
500g red bean paste

Methods:
1. Divided filling 30g each, shape round and set aside. In another bowl, drop a few drops pandan paste into iced cold water. Set aside.
2. Sieve koh fun and icing sugar in a big bowl, add in shortening. Rub into small crumbles and add in liquid mixture, mix well. Divided 20g each.
3. Wrap the filling with skin pastry, place into dusted mooncake mould and pressfirmly. Dislodge the imprinted mooncake, readt to serve.

Notes:
1. I wrap my mooncake with kitchen servittes to prevent condensation when I keep them in the fridge.
2. Don't over knead the pastry or you may difficut to wrap it.
3. I make my red bean paste by myself, cause I personally prefer not so sweet or not too oily food. You may subtitutes with other filling. Red bean paste recipe http://fcngoleong.blogspot.com/search/label/Condiments.

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.

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.

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.

Japanese Cheesecake 輕乳酪蛋糕 - 日式芝士蛋糕

Japanese cheesecake or known as light cheesecake, it is a moist, soft and tasty cheesecake that you won't get enough with a piece and won't get full even after pieces. It is quite easy to bake it, the hints is your egg white shouldn't over beating. I baked this cake last month but now only have time to publish it.

Source: Eupho Cafe, Seadragon, Jas's Kitchen,

Ingredients:

(A)

250g cream cheese

50ml heavy cream

100ml milk

80g soft butter

(B)

25g cornstarch

20ml milk

(C)

150g egg whites (about 4-5 eggs)

100g sugar

10g cornstarch

1tbsp vinegar, or lemon juice or 1 tsp cream of tartaar

(D)

138g egg yolks (about 4-5 eggs)

Methods:

1. Combine (A), stir over a double boiler till dissolved.

2. Mix (B) and pour into (A). Lighlt beat egg yolks and add into the batter as well, sift the mixture for a smooth batter. Meanwhile, preheat the oven 150 degree celcious. Line the bottom of mould with a piece of parchment paper, if using non-stick mould, wrap outside of the mould with some aluminium foil to prevent water going inside.

3. Beat egg whites with vinegar, add in sugar and conflour for twice and beat it till soft peak but not stiff peak or you may failed.

4. Scoop 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter and mix, and then pour into the rest of egg whites and stir it with a spatula. Do not ovemix!!!!!!!

5. Pour into mould, put the mould into a bigger pan that can fit the mould. Add in warm water into the bigger pan for water bath. The water lever should at least half of the mould.

6. Bake 25 minutes at 150 degree celcious, bake 125 degreee celcious for an hour or until a skewer come out clean. Let the cake cool completely and refrigerated for a night. Served on the next day.

Notes:

1. Water bath baking is to prevent the cake quickily heating and crack, do not skip this step please.

2. You may have some crack on the surface, when it is cool, it may a bit collapse and you may not see the crack.

3. You may cover the cheesecake with some glace ---apricote jam or with some whipped cream.

4. Best chilled served, remember cut the cake only the cake completely cool down.

White Sugar Sponge Cake - Pak Thong Kou - 白糖糕 - 伦教糕

伦教糕 or 白糖糕 is white sugar sponge cake (also called white sugar cake and white sugar pastry) or called as Pak Thong Koh in cantonese. When I made this cake, it seem to be very less liquid, so I added more water in the batter. The result is my bak thong koh is too soft. If you made it, follow this recipes without any addition of water for a spongy texture. Anyway, my bak thong koh is tasty, next time will follow the recipes!!!!

Source: Seadragon

Ingredients:
A.Sponge Dough
50ml rice flour
50ml tepid water(lukewarm water)
1tsp dry instant yeast
B.Main Batter
150ml rice flour
350ml water
180g sugar
pinch of salt

Methods:
1. Combine A(sponge dough) and let it prove for an hour.
2. In the meantime, place rice flour in a big mixing bowl, bring water,sugar and salt to boil till sugar is dissolved. Pour it into rice flour, stirring to mix well. Let it cool completely.
3. Add main dough to sponge dough and mix well. Let it proof till the surface is full of tiny bubbles with sweet yeasty smell. If you smell strong sourish smell, steam immediately.
4. Lightly oil the 20cm mould, pour in batter and steam for 25 minutes over high heat.

Notes:
1. Cover the lid with clothes to prevent water dripping down, you must steam it over roaring boiling water.
2. Don't add more water or you may get soft texture likes me.

Sweet Buns 甜麵包

This is my second time bake bread using the same recipes but I bake it at 180 degree celcious for 30 minutes instead of 210 degree celcious. Hahahah.... it turn out good.

Source: Koopmans, Jo's Deli And Bakery

Ingredients:
1 package Koopmans Witbrood Mix (500g white bread mix)
70g sugar
25g butter/margarine
1 Grade C egg
220ml water

Methods:

1. Combine flours,water and egg in a mixing bowl.
2. Mix the ingredients and knead to form dough, add in salt and knead till smooth. Then add in butter and knead till smooth and shiny and elastic.3. Place in greased bowl, cover with damp clothes and leave in warm place for 60-90 minutes till double size.
3. Punch down, divided dough 50g each, rest 5 minutes before shaping. Cover with damp clothes and let it rise again for 30-40 minutes till double size.
4. Brush with some egg wash or milk and bake in preheated oven at 180 degree celcious for 30 minutes or till done.

Notes:
1. You have to adjust the temperature, too high temperature of the oven will result in buns with thick and hard crust. Adjust temperature of oven when necessary.
3. Avoid using too much flour will cause relative tough and crusty surface in the product.
4. You can add filling into buns too.

Marble Cake 扭紋牛油磅蛋糕

This is a old-fashioned home style cake which best serve with a cup of tea or coffee. I used strawberry paste in stead of food colouring for more fragnant, you may use a few red colouring in stead of strawberry paste.

Source: Seadragon, Lily Wai Sek Hong

Ingredients:

125g butter (soften)

165g sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

120ml milk

225g self-raising flour

For chocolate batter:

1tbsp cacao powder

1tbsp hot water

For strawberry batter:

1tsp strawberry paste, adjust the colouring as desired

Methods:

1. Preheat oven 180 degree celcious, greased the spring form ( I used 20cm).

2. Cream butter and sugar to pale and creammy, add in vanila and mix well.

3. Beat in eggs one a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Fold in half portion of flour and then half of milk, repeat till done.

5. Divided the batter to 3 portions, one for plain, one for chocolate batter and one for strawberry batter. Mix well.

6. Scoop out the plain batter, then follow by chocolate batter and then strawberry batter. Repeat till finish.

7. Bake 45 minutes. Done.

Notes:

1. Do not overmix the better after fold in flour, you may get hard cake. Use cake flour if you prefer soft cake.

2. If you replace milk with soy bean milk, you can use margerine in stead of butter too.

3. You must cream the soft butter to creammy and pale form before adding vanilla essence and eggs.

4. All ingredients suppose in room temperature before baking.

Peutercakejes - Toddler cakes

Kids love cuties things, I turn my hot cakes into bear forms and served it in colourful IKEA plates, they finished it between 10 minutes. Hahhahah... easy and simple but happy tea break.

Source: A dutch friend of mine

Ingredients:

1 cup of self-raising flour

1/4tsp baking soda

2tbsp sugar

1 egg

125ml milk

2tsp oil

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Methods:

1. Sift flour and baking soda together, mix in sugar.

2. Make a hole in the center, add in agg, milk and oil and mix well. Add in raisins if you want.

3. Heat a non-stick pan, when it is enough heat,scoop batter out to the pan as desired forms. Use low heat, pan-fry it, you will see a lots of bubbles on the surface of batter, turn it and fry it till golden brown. Served.

Notes:

1. I used non-stick pan, I didn't use any more oil to fry it, if you use normal pan, grease it with some oil before pour in batter to bake.

2. You can store it in freezer for a month.

Pandan Kaya Spread 咖央醬

Kaya is a jam made from cocnut milk, eggs, sugar and pandan leaves. Srikaya mean kaya with golden colour, depending on the amount of carmelization of sugar while green pandan kaya is based on the amount of pandan extract. Both of them are popular, as a jam, kaya is typically spread on toast or as fillings in kuih, buns, cakes of puff pastry. This is my mom recipes, she use a bowl to measure all ingredients -- a bowl of eggs, a bowl of cocnut milk, a bowl of sugar and some pandan leaves. I used pandan paste in stead of pandan leaves because it is hardly find at here, the reason I didn't caramized it is because the pandan paste give good green colour already and no need to caramize sugar for colouring.

Source: My mom, seadragon

Ingredients:

6 eggs

sugar (same amount with the eggs)

coconut milk (same amount with the eggs)

1 tsp pandan paste or 6 pandan leaves

Methods:

1. If you don't have double boiler, use 2 pots. One is slightly smaller than the other one, so that it can fit into the bigger pot. The smaller pot shouldn't touch bottom of the bigger pot, use a aluminium rack or else to elevate the smaller pot. Filled the bigger pot with water, the water should at least 1/3 or half of the smaller pot. Bring it to boil.

2. Beat lightly the eggs with sugar till dissolved, add in cococnut milk and stir well. Strain the eggs mixture into the smaller pot, add in pandan leaves or pandan paste and stir continuosly and steam it over gentle simmering water.

3. Keep on stirring kaya non-stop till the the custard is thick, discard the pandan leaves if you use pandan leaves.

4. Cool and bottled the kaya in jam jar.

Notes:

1. If you want make serikaya, fry 3-6tbsp sugar separately and stir in the caramel, add this to the kaya to achieve the golden colour.

2. This homemade kaya can't keep for long time cause we didn't add in preservative, it can be best keep in the fridge.

3. You can do it with bread machine too, it might be much easier.

4. Malasian like to eat it with hot bread toast with a lot of butter and kaya.

Japanese Steamed Eggs 玉子豆腐

This is Japanese Steamed Eggs or known as 玉子豆腐, 玉子 means eggs and 豆腐 means tofu. Actually it taste likes normal chinese steamed eggs but this one is more smoothy, soft and tastier, the most important is it is very east to do and healthy to eat.

Source: YTower

Ingredients:

5 eggs
250ml lukewarm water
1tbsp mirin ( 1tbsp sake plus 1tbsp sugar)
3 drops light soya sauce
A pinch of salt

Methods:

1. Lightly beat eggs, stir in 250ml lukewarm water and mix well.
2. Add in 3 drops soya sauce, a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp mirin, stir well.
3. Drain the eggs mixture and pour it into container. You may see a few bubbles on the surface, use a kitchen tower and wrap over all bubbles for a smooth surface.
4. Steam it over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Served with some light soya sauce.

Notes:
1. Don't overbeat eggs, just beat it very lightly.
2. Just add lukewarm water but not cold water or you will get bad steamed eggs.
3. Mirin helps to reduce eggs smell and for smooth shinny surface.
4. Salt is for helping coagulated eggs mixture to tofu form while a few drops light soya sauce is for colouring.

Pandan Chiffon Cake 班蘭 雪芳蛋糕 - Part 2

This time I used 1teaspoon pandan paste in stead of pandan juice which is very difficult to find at here, the result is pandan paste didn't play a second fiddle. It is so fragnant beside I save a lots of work ---- no need blend my fresh pandan leaves with water again.

Source: Lily Wai Sek Hong, Little Corner Of Mine

Ingredients:

150 g cake flour

1/2tsp baking powder

1/4tsp salt

8 egg yolks

300ml coconut milk

1tsp pandan paste

160g castor sugar

9 egg whites

1tbsp castor sugar

1/2tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice or vinegar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degree celcious.

2. Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and add the castor sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring slowly to disslove the sugar.

3. Set aside to cool. Sieve the cake flour, baking powder and salt.

4. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks till creamy foam, add in sifted flour, pandan paste and coconut milk. Mix until the batter is smooth.

5. Whisk the egg whites lightly and add in vinegar/lemon juice/cream of tartar and castor sugar. Continue to whisk until the mixture is stiff. Do not overbeat or allow the mixture to become dry. Set aside.

6.Gently fold half the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and blend well. Fold in the remaining egg whites and work very lightly with a spatula. Make sure the mixture is well mixed. Place the finished mixture in an ungreased chiffon cake mould.

7. Level and bake in the oven until golden brown (about 45-60 minutes). Remove the cake from the oven and invert the mould immediately.

Notes:

1. Never grease the mould or place baking sheets in the mould or you will get flatten cake.

2. Let it cool at least 1 hour before cut it.

3. Preheat oven at least 15 minutes before start baking.

4. After you mix batter with whipped egg whites, bake immediately.

5. I used vinegar or lemon juice in stead of cream of tartar ---couldn't find at here. You can use self- raising flour in stead of cake flour +baking powder.

6. If you can't find cake flour, use plain flour but reduce 2 tbsp and replace it again with 2tbsp cornflour to reduce their protein/gluten.