tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48055708214699125152024-03-07T15:36:59.782+08:00 Happy Home Baking It's all about the time I spend baking, cooking in my kitchen.Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.comBlogger486125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-35793760725176269242016-03-31T23:14:00.002+08:002016-03-31T23:24:09.118+08:00seafood stew in pumpkin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I learned this 'Seafood stew in a pumpkin' dish from a Korean cooking show recently. It is like serving seafood stew in a steamed pumpkin instead of a serving plate.<br />
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The dish is quite straight forward to prepare and I am confident that both my children would like it...even though one loves pumpkin and the other wouldn't even want to take a tiny bite. Initially I had planned to cook this dish just for one of them, but, like the Chinese saying, 计划赶不上变化 (<i>literally translated as plans always fall behind changes</i>), I ended up serving this for the whole family. Well, I thought, the elder one could enjoy the entire dish while the younger one could just eat everything, except the pumpkin ;)<br />
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There are two ways to prepare the pumpkin to use as a 'serving bowl'. The lid can be first carved out and the pulp removed before it is steamed. The other method is to steam the pumpkin first to make it easier to cut out the lid. Either way is fine as long as the pumpkin is cooked and has softened (fork tender) but can still retain its shape. Do not overcook till it becomes too soft otherwise it may not be able to hold the fillings. <br />
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The cooked pumpkin is then filled with the seafood stew and topped with grated cheese before sending it into the oven to bake. The baking is only meant for the cheese to melt as the fillings is already cooked.<br />
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This Korean dish is normally prepared with a spicy seafood stew that is seasoned with gochujang (Korean chili paste) and gochugaru (Korean chili powder). However, the cooking show("What shall we eat today?") demonstrates a non-spicy version, replacing the chili paste and chili powder with ready made pasta sauce. To make it even more palatable to suit children's taste buds, the pumpkin is brushed with honey before filling it with the stew. Besides the seafood, another key ingredients of the dish is Korean rice cakes. I replaced the rice cakes with cooked macaroni as I thought the it should go well with the pasta sauce, and it would be like pasta seafood marinara in a pumpkin. The dish was very appetising and I really like the nice presentation...something I would serve if I have guests coming over for dinner. I will also try the spicy version soon before my pack of gochugaru expires!<br />
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<b>Seafood Stew in Pumpkin</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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1 medium size pumpkin<br />
2 gloves of garlic, thinly sliced<br />
1/2 yellow onion, sliced<br />
1/2 bell pepper, cut into bite size<br />
2 sausages, slice diagonally into bite size<br />
1 small to medium size squid, cleaned, skinned, cut into rings<br />
6~10 prawns, removed shells and devein<br />
1/2 cup cooked macaroni or fusilli<br />
2~3 tablespoons pasta sauce (I used canned tomato sauce)<br />
1 tablespoon cooking oil<br />
1 tablespoon butter<br />
salt and pepper for seasoning<br />
a few tablespoons water<br />
some honey<br />
grated mozzarella cheese<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Wash the pumpkin. Cut a lid from the top of the pumpkin. Carve out the flash in the centre with a sharp knife carefully. Remove the pulp and seeds with a spoon. Scrape the inside of the pumpkin clean with the spoon. Discard the lid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>Steam the pumpkin for 15 mins until it has cooked and softened but still retains its shape. Drain the water that may have welled inside the pumpkin. (Note: alternatively, to make it easier to cut out the lid, steam the whole pumpkin for 15 mins before cutting the lid. Test the doneness and if necessary steam the pumpkin for another few more minutes.)</li>
<li>In a frying pan on medium heat, heat the cooking oil and saute the garlic, onions, bell pepper and sausages. </li>
<li>Add in the butter followed by the squid, prawn and macaroni. Add in the pasta sauce and stir fry quickly for about 30 seconds. Do not over cook the seafood. Add a few tablespoons of water if the mixture is dry.</li>
<li>Season with pepper and salt to taste. Remove from heat.</li>
<li>Brush the inside of the cooked pumpkin with some honey. </li>
<li>Fill the pumpkin with the seafood mixture. Top with grated cheese and bake in preheated oven at 200 degC for about 10 mins or until the cheese has melted. (Note: depending on the size of the pumpkin, there could be some leftover seafood mixture.)</li>
<li>Remove pumpkin from oven and place it on a large serving plate. Cut the pumpkin into wedges but do not cut through so that the wedges form a flower shape around the seafood. Serve immediately.</li>
</ul>
<br />Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-17015899759990097532016-03-28T10:00:00.004+08:002016-04-05T20:44:49.968+08:00BM milk loaf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ever since I received a preloved Zojirushi bread machine, I have been baking homemade bread regularly. The bread machine is very compact and as it doesn't take up too much space I have left it permanently at the corner of the kitchen counter. With it so visibly in sight, I am constantly reminded to bake a loaf of bread every other day.<br />
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I have lost count of the number of times I have baked this milk loaf. As long as there is fresh milk in the fridge, this is the bread to make. The recipe is from a bread machine cookbook by a Japanese author (<i>荻山和也╳cuoca用麵包機烘焙專業級麵包</i>) and I will be trying out a few other recipes soon.<br />
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This milk loaf recipe uses the most basic ingredients: bread flour, milk, sugar, butter, salt and yeast. It has a very high liquid to flour ratio, at 80%. That is, for 500g of flour, it will need 400g of milk. The usual liquid to flour ratio for most handmade bread ranges from 60% to 70%. The dough is quite wet and at first I thought it may not even come together to form a dough. After the kneading cycle which is about 20mins for my bread machine, the ingredients came together and a slack and sticky dough was formed. Nevertheless, it survived the next three cycles of rising with two auto stir down (or the common term 'punch down' by the kneading blade) in between. The dough became smooth and rose well before the machine went into the baking cycle.<br />
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After 3.30 hours, I was rewarded with a beautiful and tall loaf of bread. The crust was thin and evenly browned.<br />
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The texture of this bread is very soft and fluffy. The bread stays soft for 2 days (kept in air tight container) but I am not sure whether it would remain soft for 3 days as my family finishes the loaf within 2 days. The texture is slightly different from bread loaf made with tangzhong method. This one using straight dough method doesn't have the slight chewy texture as compared to the tangzhong method.<br />
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I have also tried using the bread machine's "dough function" to just knead and proof the dough but used the oven to bake the bread. With the exact same amount of ingredients, the dough was able to fill up my pullman tin. With only 20 mins of kneading by the bread maker, the dough was not able to reach the window pane stage. However, to my delight, the texture of the finished pullman loaf was just as good!<br />
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The bread tastes good with just the right sweetness. It can be eaten plain on its own especially when freshly baked. Besides the <a href="http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.sg/2016/01/bm-wholemeal-bread.html">bread machine wholemeal loaf</a>, this is another regular everyday bread which we won't get tired of having it for breakfast everyday!<br />
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<b>Bread Machine Milk Loaf<br />
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Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 450g/1 lb loaf)<br />
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200g milk (I used full cream fresh milk) <br />
250g bread flour (I used Prima brand unbleached bread flour)<br />
20g caster sugar<br />
20g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes<br />
3g salt<br />
3g instant yeast<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Place milk, bread flour, sugar, salt, butter in the pan of the bread machine (according to the sequence as stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine). Make an indentation on the flour with your finger and add in the instant yeast. Select the Basic or Regular function of the bread machine. Select Light crust function and press start. (Note: due to our hot weather, I use cold milk from the fridge.)</li>
<li>When the cycle completes, lift the pan out of the machine and carefully shake the loaf out of the pan. Leave the loaf to cool for at least an hour before cutting and remove the blade/paddle, if necessary. Store in airtight container.</li>
</ul>
<i>Recipe source: 荻山和也╳cuoca用麵包機烘焙專業級麵包</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-47327287319087839692016-03-19T15:59:00.000+08:002016-03-19T16:04:34.862+08:00Chinese style Mee Goreng<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Pardon the less than satisfactory image quality in this post as the pictures were taken with my mobile phone. I have no plans to blog about this dish, but since it turned out really good, I thought I should capture my moment of glory and leave a trace in this humble blog ;)<br />
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During this one week school holidays, I decided to try my hands at preparing this tze-char style or Chinese style Mee Goreng as it is one of my children's favourite. Although I can prepare stir fried bee hoon (rice vermicelli) with ease, I have big problems when it comes to stir frying noodles...be it egg noodles or those thick yellow noodles. My stir fried noodles usually end up tasting very dry and over cooked.<br />
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Thanks to the video from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOU6vpJHpv4">makansutra</a>, I am able to pin down the mistake I made when I cooked yellow noodles. The trick is to add splashes of stock or water while tossing and stir frying the noodles. In the past, I would stir fry the ingredients first then add the noodles followed by lots of water to prevent the noodles from getting dry. Allowing the noodles to 'boil' in the liquid and also the longer cooking time for the liquid to dry up could probably be the reasons why the noodles became too soft and over cooked. <br />
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This is the first time I could prepare a nice plate of mee goreng which is not dry and tastes so delicious. The noodles is not too soft and doesn't clump or stick together in lumps. I have included the recipe below for my own reference. If you feel like giving this a try do note that it may not suit everyone's taste buds, do adjust the ingredients especially the seasoning sauce according to individual preference.<br />
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<b>Chinese style Mee Goreng</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(serves 3~4)<br />
<br />
300g prawns<br />
1 small yellow onion, sliced<br />
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped<br />
6~8 leaves of cabbage, chopped<br />
300g yellow noodles<br />
2 eggs, lightly beaten<br />
2 cups bean sprouts<br />
1 big fish cake, sliced<br />
1 tomato, cut into wedges<br />
1 cup prawn stock or water<br />
2 tablespoons cooking oil<br />
a few calamansi lime for garnish<br />
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<i>seasoning sauce:</i><br />
5 tablespoons tomato ketchup sauce<br />
2 teaspoons sambal chili or chili sauce (I used Huy Fong brand Sambal Oelek )<br />
1 tablespoon oyster sauce<br />
1 tablespoon light soya sauce<br />
1 teaspoon dark soya sauce<br />
1 teaspoon sugar<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Remove heads, shells and devein the prawns. Rinse and set aside.</li>
<li>Rinse the prawn heads and shells. Place in a saucepan and add enough water to just cover the shells. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer for about 15 mins. Strain and reserve 1 cup of the stock, set aside.</li>
<li>Mix all ingredients of the seasoning sauce in a bowl, set aside.</li>
<li>In a wok on medium-high heat, sauté the sliced onions and chopped garlic with 1 tablespoon of oil till fragrant. Add the cabbage and stir fry till softened. Dish up and set aside.</li>
<li>Add 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok and add in the noodles. Toss and stir, then add a few tablespoons of the prawn stocks at a time to the noodles and continue to toss and stir over medium-high heat. (Note: I used about 1/2 cup of the stock)</li>
<li>Push noodles to the side of the wok and add the eggs, scramble the eggs and toss with the noodles.</li>
<li>Add in the bean sprouts, toss well.</li>
<li>Add in the the cooked cabbage, fish cake slices, prawns and tomato wedges.</li>
<li>Add the seasoning sauce, stir fry till the prawns are cooked through. Add more stock, a few tablespoons at a time, if the noodles dry up. </li>
<li>Dish up and garnish with lime or calamansi.</li>
</ul>
Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-33333652484459792372016-03-12T22:05:00.001+08:002016-03-12T22:07:25.752+08:00mille feuille nabe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is my first attempt at Mille Feuille Nabe, a Japanese hot pot that is made with layers of Chinese cabbage and pork belly slices.<br />
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This hot pot is called mille feuille nabe as is is arranged with many layers of cabbage and pork slices which resembles the classic French pastry, mille feuille (also known as Napoleon). Mille feuille means 'a thousand leaves' so this dish is called 千层白菜猪肉锅 in Chinese which literately means "a thousand layers cabbage and pork hot pot".<br />
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Besides Chinese cabbage, perilla leaves are also used to form the layers. Since perilla leaves are not readily available at our local wet markets (and they are rather expensive), I substitute with romaine lettuce. The hot pot looks so pretty with the layers of cabbage and the different types of mushrooms.<br />
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I made the stock from scratch but it can be replaced with store-bought vegetable or chicken stock. The layers are made by stacking layers of cabbage leaves, romaine lettuce and pork slices on top of one another. The stack is then cut into a few sections and packed in a circular manner in the pot. Most recipes will call for layering the bottom of the pot with bean sprouts, but I used the leftover cabbage leaves and mushrooms instead.<br />
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The vegetables reduced quite a fair bit after it is being cooked.<br />
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The dish is usually served with shabu shabu dipping sauce such as sesame sauce or ponzu sauce. However, we find that it is already very tasty without the sauce. It is a light and yet delicious one pot meal with all the flavours from the vegetables and mushrooms. Everyone enjoyed the huge hot pot and the four of us managed to finished it with only some leftover soup. I cooked udon with the leftover soup for my lunch the next day. Although the pot looks rather complicated with the layers of ingredients, it is actually very easy to prepare. This will be another one of our regular meals especially on a cool or rainy evening :)<br />
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<b>Mille Feuille Nabe</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
1 head of Chinese cabbage (also called napa cabbage)<br />
1 head of romaine lettuce<br />
400g thinly sliced pork belly (for sabu sabu)<br />
1 pack (100g) Bunashimeji mushrooms or white shimeji mushrooms<br />
1 pack (200g) Enoki mushrooms<br />
3 shiitake mushrooms (I used fresh shiitake mushrooms)<br />
some carrot slices cut into flower shape (optional)<br />
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<i>for the stock:</i><br />
10 large dried anchovy (remove the guts)<br />
<div>
1 piece kombu (dried kelp)</div>
3 stems of the shiitake mushrooms<br />
1 small size yellow onion (remove skin and cut into half)<br />
6 cups water<br />
1 tablespoon soya sauce<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
<div>
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><i>To make the stock: </i>place ingredients (except soya sauce and salt) for the stock in a pot and bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, remove the kombu and discard. Reduce heat and leave to simmer for about 30mins. Season with soya sauce and salt. Strain the stock and leave aside.</li>
<li>Wash and drain Chinese cabbage leaves, and romaine lettuce leaves, set aside.</li>
<li>Wash and drain shiitake, bunashimeji and enoki mushrooms.</li>
<li><i>To assemble the mille feuille stacks:</i> Lay a cabbage leaf then lay a romaine lettuce leaf on top, followed by 3 slices of pork belly. Repeat with cabbage, romaine lettuce, pork belly for another 3 layers. Finally, top it with a cabbage leaf. There should be 4 layers of cabbage--romaine lettuce--pork belly, with the bottom and top most as cabbage leaves. (Note: for smaller romaine lettuce leaves, use 2 leaves for each layer instead of one.)</li>
<li>Repeat the above to make a total of 3 stacks. (Note: for a small pot, 2 stacks should probably be enough).</li>
<li>Cut the left over cabbage leaves and romaine lettuce into big chunks.</li>
<li>Layer the bottom of a large pot (I used a 5 litre pot, 26cm in diameter) with the cabbage and romaine lettuce chunks, followed by the bunashimeji and enoki mushrooms. Reserve one bunch each of the bunashimeji and enoki mushrooms.</li>
<li>Cut each of the mille feuille stack into 3 or 4 sections (about 5cm each section).</li>
<li>Arrange the sections, cut-side up, starting from the edge of the pot working towards the centre. Fill the centre with the shiitake mushrooms and the bunch of reserved bunashimeji and enoki mushrooms. Top with sliced carrots (optional).</li>
<li>Pour the stock into the pot. Cover and bring it to a boil. Remove cover and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the ingredients are fully cooked. Serve with shabu shabu dipping sauce such as sesame sauce or ponzu sauce.</li>
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<i>Note: depending on the size of the pot, the amount of ingredients especially the cabbage, romaine lettuce and pork slices may vary.</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-9402774143121348182016-02-24T23:01:00.001+08:002016-02-24T23:04:09.878+08:00table for one<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JzdgyrZ4TLt3vc2e7G7XZaYUz4LIedVH63O2FtTHvt98Sui8ZgEgjZ5Loy9qgkCq2c_bi-s8Dqit2Cxbbytvgdp6IwXEvHvsqTEgEpLLdxS1e7PTNHk7tig9okrnX5Dwjpo-wv-D8eo/s1600/2016.02.19+mandarin+orange+salad+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JzdgyrZ4TLt3vc2e7G7XZaYUz4LIedVH63O2FtTHvt98Sui8ZgEgjZ5Loy9qgkCq2c_bi-s8Dqit2Cxbbytvgdp6IwXEvHvsqTEgEpLLdxS1e7PTNHk7tig9okrnX5Dwjpo-wv-D8eo/s1600/2016.02.19+mandarin+orange+salad+1.jpg" width="364" /></a></div><br />
Before I could even bake a batch of pineapple tarts, the Chinese lunar new year is already over! <br />
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This year, I was terribly late in preparing for the Chinese new year. I couldn't even complete my spring cleaning chores. Nevertheless, we didn't miss any of the family gatherings and feasting and were never short of any new year goodies.<br />
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As the festive season is over, now is the time to try to clear the leftover goodies! For the past two weeks, I have been helping myself to one mandarin orange a day, but there are still a dozen or more left in my fridge. There's also leftover bak kwa despite having been diligently helping myself to a slice or more every time when I feel like having some 'bak kwa sandwich'. <br />
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With some broccoli and cherry tomatoes, I pulled together the usual festive goodies into a one dish meal for my lunch...<i>mandarin orange and broccoli salad.</i><br />
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It was a quick and easy meal with minimal cooking. I only need to chop the bak kwa into small bits before toasting it on a frying pan and blanch the broccoli. The unsalted cashew nuts which I bought from the dried goods stall in the market were already baked and ready to eat. They look plain and raw but trust me, they are really tasty and a much healthier option than those which are salted or fried.<br />
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I prepared a very light salad dressing just to bring the ingredients together. It was a simple mix of 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise (I used Kewpie Half Salad dressing which has 50% less fat than the usual kewpie mayo), 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar and half teaspoon of Sriracha chili sauce just to give it an extra kick. The dressing is so light that the mayonnaise was almost non existence.<br />
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I wouldn't say this is a healthy meal since it contained half a slice of calorie-laden bak kwa (3 slices of bak kwa is about 7 bowls of rice!!), but the other ingredients did help to balance up a little. The overall combo is to my liking...savoury, sweet, tangy and juicy...a very satisfying meal on its own. I had this two days in a row, and I would certainly make it again even long after the festive season is over.<br />
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Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-80577310940612988052016-02-20T10:13:00.001+08:002016-02-24T19:44:22.976+08:00我家的聚宝盆 Our Treasure Pot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't know what has got into me, but just a few days before the Chinese lunar new year, I decided that I should try cook Poon Choi this year. I am never a good cook and I wonder why I could step out of my comfort zone to prepare this challenging one pot dish.<br />
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Thanks to the internet and generous sharing by food bloggers, after reading up on how to go about preparing the ingredients, this seemingly complex dish actually isn't really that difficult to prepare. However, it is a time consuming task to wash, cut and cook each ingredients before they are layered and assembled into the pot. The entire preparing and cooking process took me 3 hours with no help. I think it is not a prerequisite to have excellent culinary skills in order to be able to cook this dish, but rather, one must have a good understanding of each ingredient plus good stamina to be able to stand in the kitchen for a few hours. I believe in order to cook a delicious pot of treasure, one must use the correct type of ingredients (for example, the right type of yam), know the cooking time needed for each ingredients so as to avoid them being over cooked or under cooked. For example, the type of fish maw used, certain type requires much shorter cooking time; the type of dried shiitake mushrooms, certain types are very thick and require long hours of pre-soaking and cooking time. With this prior knowledge one would be able to plan ahead to cater to the preparation time for each separate ingredient. <br />
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Since the cooking process is quite a complex task, I listed down the types of ingredients, the steps, which ingredient to start the prep work, etc, read and re-read the instructions a few times so that everything goes into my head before I start the preparation work. I am glad that I have taken the time to do the pre-work as I didn't encounter any kitchen mishaps and everything went on smoothly. <br />
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I didn't plan to write this post since I am not able to share my recipe especially I was operating on a trial and error mode when I was preparing this dish. I wasn't sure how my poon choi would turn out as it was my first attempt. However, the photos I took with my mobile phone weren't too bad so I thought maybe I should share my cooking experience especially to those home cooks like me who are keen but are put off by the idea of making poon choi because it seems difficult. I came up with my own list of ingredients and instructions by gathering recipes from 3 main sources. One from the free Cold Storage Savour magazine (Jan/Feb 2016 issue), the marvelous 7 step instructions from <a href="http://www.herworldplus.com/solutions/recipes/recipe-make-impressive-pen-cai-7-easy-step">herworldplus</a> and the wonderful step by step tutorials and great tips from <a href="http://www.noobcook.com/pen-cai/">Noob Cook</a>. Thanks to Noob Cook for her clear and detailed instructions and kudos to her for providing the auspicious symbolisms of the poon choi ingredients as well. In case you are interested, I learned how to cut the carrot flowers from <a href="http://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/how-to-cut-carrots-to-flower-shapes/">Just One Cookbook</a>. <br />
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The dish turned out delicious and everyone enjoyed the meal. It was really well worth the effort.<br />
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<br />Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-55462956811690720462016-01-29T10:56:00.002+08:002016-03-27T22:10:29.392+08:00BM wholemeal bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mllbQm8WN488V-PzRPBeUkYm5-sUv-h95oUqij6LVxV7v7MBcMpeo7RuHlG8EzWkvliuEhViIYvrcAFK6p1ECZ0p_Enkedp4MGjk1039x4jCmIOVMylyexQXst0kElvETOG-6vhW7KM/s1600/2016.01.26+BM+wholemeal+loaf+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mllbQm8WN488V-PzRPBeUkYm5-sUv-h95oUqij6LVxV7v7MBcMpeo7RuHlG8EzWkvliuEhViIYvrcAFK6p1ECZ0p_Enkedp4MGjk1039x4jCmIOVMylyexQXst0kElvETOG-6vhW7KM/s1600/2016.01.26+BM+wholemeal+loaf+1.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><br />
I was given a preloved but almost brand new bread machine a few months ago. It came just in time, as my own bread machine refused to work right after the newcomer arrived, 一山不能容二虎 <i>(literal translation: there can't be two tigers in one territory)</i> ;)<br />
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This Zojirushi bread machine is very compact in size, much smaller than my China brand bread machine. It doesn't take up much space and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb on the kitchen counter, in fact it is slightly smaller than my rice cooker!<br />
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As compared to my old machine, the programming function of this newcomer is not as 'flexible'. Unlike my old machine, I can't stop and re-start the machine to let it run the kneading cycle for another round. This is due to the fact that after the machine is turned on, it has this 20 minutes 'rest' cycle before it starts the kneading cycle. If I were to re-start the machine, the dough would have to be left sitting (which means left to rise) for 20 minutes. I have learned a technique to over come this limitation, but I will elaborate more in a separate post.<br />
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In terms of the quality of the finished bread, both machines gave satisfactory results. I would think it is more using the right recipe to suit your bread machine than its functions or quality.<br />
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However, having said that, I choose to think that this Japanese brand should have a longer life span hopefully the belt that makes the kneading blade spin would not damage that easily. It is 5 times more expensive than my previous bread machines (which had a life span of around 3 years each), so I would expect this one to last for at least another 10 years ;)<br />
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One plus point of this Zojirushi machine is that the kneading blade will not stick to the bread loaf. Just give the pan a few shakes and the loaf will be released from the blade and slide out with ease, leaving the blade in the pan.<br />
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Here's sharing with you a bread machine Wholemeal Bread recipe which I took from <a href="http://caroleasylife.blogspot.com/2014/02/blog-post_12.html">Carol 自在生活</a>. I have been using this exact recipe ever since I got hold of the new machine. I probably made at least 10 loaves. Why? The reasons are:<br />
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<ol><li>It uses the most basic ingredients, water, flour, sugar, salt, butter and yeast. No eggs, no milk, yoghurt or other ingredients are needed to enhance the texture or flavour.</li>
<li>The bread is made using a straight dough method, no tangzhong or water roux is required to yield a soft texture.</li>
<li>Most bread recipes would call for adding the butter only after the dough has been kneaded to a smooth dough, however, it is not necessary to do so for this recipe, the butter is added together with the rest of the recipes.</li>
<li>The finished loaf has a nice thin crust, with a light and fluffy texture that stays soft for 2 days when stored in an airtight container.</li>
<li>Since it is a straightforward recipe, I usually set the machine to run in the late afternoon just before I start preparing dinner. The loaf will be ready in about 3.5hrs, upon cooling for an hour, I would either slice it or store it as a whole loaf. The timing works really well for me as we could have <i>almost fresh</i> loaf of bread the next morning.</li>
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The texture of the bread speaks for itself...<br />
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The dough rose high and mighty, almost hitting the lid. The resulting loaf is light and airy, similar to those made with kneading by hand or a kitchen mixer. I tend to forget about the machine when it is running, but I will certainly know when the loaf is almost ready as I could smell the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread coming from the kitchen. It feels really great when it is time to retrieve the loaf from the machine, without much effort, I could have a nicely baked homemade loaf :D<br />
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The recipe has never failed me and it is now our everyday bread. <br />
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<b>Bread Machine Wholemeal Bread</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 450g/1 lb loaf)<br />
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180ml water <br />
30g wholemeal flour <br />
250g bread flour<br />
14g caster sugar<br />
2.5 g (about 1/2 teaspoon) salt<br />
28g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes<br />
2.5g (about 3/4 teaspoon) instant yeast<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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* Place water, wholemeal flour, bread flour, sugar, salt and butter in the pan of the bread machine (according to the sequence as stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine). Make an indentation on the flour with your finger and add in the instant yeast. Select the Basic or Regular function of the bread machine. Select Light crust function and press start. When the cycle completes, lift the pan out of the machine and carefully shake the loaf out of the pan. Leave the loaf to cool for at least an hour before cutting and remove the blade/paddle, if necessary. Store in airtight container.<br />
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<i>Recipe source: <a href="http://caroleasylife.blogspot.com/2014/02/blog-post_12.html">Carol 自在生活</a></i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-46811138826871948812016-01-22T09:45:00.001+08:002016-01-22T21:34:21.986+08:00matcha yoghurt chiffon cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These matcha yoghurt chiffon cupcakes are put together with leftover egg whites from making some hollandaise sauce; the ever available low fat plain yoghurt in the fridge, plus a new can of matcha green tea powder.<br />
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After having tried the Plaster Blaster prata (prata served with ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce) at the Springleaf prata place, my elder son has been pestering me to try our hands at making our own hollandaise sauce. He even picked up this cookbook 'Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman' which I borrowed from the library to learn how to prepare the sauce. This is probably the very first cookbook he has read. I suspect the title must have caught his eyes when I left the book on the coffee table. You see, he likes or rather love mathematics, and of course he enjoys good food...it doesn't have to be an expensive gourmet dish as long as it tastes good or suits his delicate palate. I won't elaborate on our hollandaise sauce experiment here but he did manage to pull together his own version of plaster blaster prata with frozen pre-made prata, his newly acquired skill on poaching eggs with cling wraps, and the resulting not too bad (but still lacking something?) hollandaise sauce.<br />
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Okay, back to the green tea part...<br />
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the matcha powder which my baking friend bought from Kyoto must be of very good quality. It is very fragrant as it gives off a nice sweet aroma when I left it on the counter before sieving with the flour. The cupcakes came out of the oven in a nice shade of green too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1seUj-Zcduz_TN0q4LpzMHgotjzJ2QJLXqLNSSboNO_tmttLYLwOyMkq7ZN5gJmArwdqbmDa0mjH3aj2iVhcLy9B1mEr6xMyzKdEdqybTehPc_k5QoNALVZI6KjSnpllO27S2iI9oQvQ/s1600/2016.01.21+matcha+yoghurt+chiffon+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1seUj-Zcduz_TN0q4LpzMHgotjzJ2QJLXqLNSSboNO_tmttLYLwOyMkq7ZN5gJmArwdqbmDa0mjH3aj2iVhcLy9B1mEr6xMyzKdEdqybTehPc_k5QoNALVZI6KjSnpllO27S2iI9oQvQ/s1600/2016.01.21+matcha+yoghurt+chiffon+4.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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The cupcakes were tender and moist with a delightful matcha flavour and just a hint of tang from the yoghurt. The only problem with these cute cuppies is that it takes a lot of self restraint to refrain from reaching out for more ;)<br />
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<b>Matcha Yoghurt Chiffon Cupcakes</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzppcbql6ZNCxXDO3c2F1TD2qF543DlsQd9sVYX5URSxPILLqAqeoNHaAgKP8d2TkU8yifN7T00K1N_Jh8HNfIbFJEmy9eXaLa4StAsbxxs_ZUcDfAGBxT8nPSURnOXPKPyI3iUn7J7qI/s1600/2016.01.21+matcha+yoghurt+chiffon+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzppcbql6ZNCxXDO3c2F1TD2qF543DlsQd9sVYX5URSxPILLqAqeoNHaAgKP8d2TkU8yifN7T00K1N_Jh8HNfIbFJEmy9eXaLa4StAsbxxs_ZUcDfAGBxT8nPSURnOXPKPyI3iUn7J7qI/s1600/2016.01.21+matcha+yoghurt+chiffon+5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 12 cupcakes)<br />
<br />
3 egg yolks (use large eggs)<br />
25g caster sugar<br />
40ml vegetable oil (I used extra light olive oil)<br />
80g plain yoghurt (I used low fat yoghurt)<br />
80g cake flour<br />
10g matcha green tea powder<br />
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4 egg whites (use large eggs)<br />
55g caster sugar<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Sieve together matcha green tea powder and flour, set aside.</li>
<li>Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl. With a manual balloon whisk, whisk the yolks a little. Add in sugar and whisk to combine.</li>
<li>Add in vegetable oil gradually, whisk to combine.</li>
<li>Add in yoghurt. Whisk to combine. Sieve over the matcha and flour mixture. Whisk till the flour is fully incorporated. Do not over mix. The batter will be very thick. Set aside.</li>
<li>In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with a handheld electric mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar amount and turn to high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage.The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy. (Do not over beat the whites still stiff, it is better to beat the whites still soft peaks for easy folding with the yolk batter.)</li>
<li>Add the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula until just blended (I prefer to use a balloon whisk to do the folding). The yolk batter will be very thick, fold gently without deflating the beaten egg whites. The finished batter should be thick and voluminous, not thin and runny.</li>
<li>Spoon batter into paper muffin cups till 90% full. Arrange filled muffin cups on a baking tray. Tap the tray lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.</li>
<li>Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 degC for 15~20 mins, till the top is slightly browned or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove tray from oven and immediately bang the tray together with the cupcakes on the table top 2 to 3 times. This helps to prevent the cupcakes from shrinking. Let cool completely on wire rack.</li>
</ul>
<i>Recipe source: adapted from 好吃戚风蛋糕轻松上手, 福田淳子</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-49993147700225596752015-12-13T00:58:00.001+08:002015-12-13T00:58:48.216+08:00festive indulgence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXjIjzUEUSLCNX_UhFy-ZbOYFnwyDS62mVBlvNQ6cdnQSOO-d8nhILzbDMU_cEKdSeBBmKjefiYNSW7XHmQF-TSb5i4Z4U_O10rdqVrUhSXmABipC9-XXJQJHC89Bih-lchiDxy0AIrY/s1600/xmas+brownies+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXjIjzUEUSLCNX_UhFy-ZbOYFnwyDS62mVBlvNQ6cdnQSOO-d8nhILzbDMU_cEKdSeBBmKjefiYNSW7XHmQF-TSb5i4Z4U_O10rdqVrUhSXmABipC9-XXJQJHC89Bih-lchiDxy0AIrY/s1600/xmas+brownies+2.jpg" width="367" /></a></div><br />
Brownies are one of my family's all time favourite baked goods. They take very little time to prepare and are so simple that anyone can bake a batch with ease.<br />
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They are excellent homemade Christmas treats to giveaway to any chocolate fans.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCnLTyqTsEooWhSGWORTdhThjbalYL4v0AkBCdax1dBf0_TxVBNqBfwNHO06QlVP7J4JsICkTqnubeo71voSyiFK4q_AL-oAL-os5zBrOh4IqGWgJjShkJeG_375yOnrkH01hvVTOcjU/s1600/xmas+brownies+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCnLTyqTsEooWhSGWORTdhThjbalYL4v0AkBCdax1dBf0_TxVBNqBfwNHO06QlVP7J4JsICkTqnubeo71voSyiFK4q_AL-oAL-os5zBrOh4IqGWgJjShkJeG_375yOnrkH01hvVTOcjU/s1600/xmas+brownies+4.jpg" width="367" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQPXGN3XfFkflXoGZz82Gc5jglsVZrxZbT146OwlSI-CSnrUe0s8V6OdduBHx1ptXA7W30azEbQp-mRjQaIlSIhnmKmQZyU0przCdwKceBt9_KgYs6xJP7sCYxZp5n9s2ufb59iqJFTA/s1600/xmas+brownies+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQPXGN3XfFkflXoGZz82Gc5jglsVZrxZbT146OwlSI-CSnrUe0s8V6OdduBHx1ptXA7W30azEbQp-mRjQaIlSIhnmKmQZyU0przCdwKceBt9_KgYs6xJP7sCYxZp5n9s2ufb59iqJFTA/s1600/xmas+brownies+5.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><br />
These brownies have a nice flakey top while the centre is tender (not chewy), moist but not gooey. The original recipe calls for self raising flour but I took the liberty to substitute it with plain flour and baking powder. The baking powder makes the brownies softer and lighter in texture. I have also cut down the sugar amount from more than 200g to 150g. We simply love the rich and bittersweet taste and they go really well with a hot cup of coffee!<br />
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<b>Easy Brownies</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 16)<br />
<br />
150g semisweet chocolate, chopped<br />
65g (1/2 cup) plain flour<br />
30g (4 tablespoons) cocoa powder (unsweetened)<br />
3/4 teaspoon baking powder<br />
120ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil (I used extra light pure olive oil)<br />
150g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar <br />
2 eggs<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
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<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul><li>Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool. </li>
<li>Line the base and sides of a 7" square pan with parchment paper.</li>
<li>Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, set aside.</li>
<li>Place oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl, whisk with a balloon whisk till well combined. Add in the melted chocolate and whisk until well combined.</li>
<li>Sift the flour mixture into the batter. With a spatula, fold thoroughly until all the flour mixture incorporates into the batter.</li>
<li>Pour the mixture into the prepared square pan. Spread the mixture evenly to the edges. (The mixture is rather sticky and gooey.)</li>
<li>Bake in preheated oven at 180 degC for about 30 ~ 35 mins until the top is firm and crusty, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with some crumbs but no wet batter. Do not over bake. </li>
<li>Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Unmold and transfer to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in airtight containers.</li>
</ul><br />
<i>Recipe Source: adapted from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-24319355650156489292015-12-07T22:43:00.001+08:002015-12-07T23:33:10.024+08:00it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNCfiykZrfKmpdW0fTH8t5P0mIYTjlWNFguWIEUQm7oWcqQR09L8BBAA0ajxlbHldJ3ZjArCXibZREs3iWA3uqaDkTk0CSrS0wKrTi1C5XYYcgg5KDAgF5dOZtQ2raexEYV7ihGNnGio/s1600/2015.12.07+banana+wholemeal+cupcakes+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNCfiykZrfKmpdW0fTH8t5P0mIYTjlWNFguWIEUQm7oWcqQR09L8BBAA0ajxlbHldJ3ZjArCXibZREs3iWA3uqaDkTk0CSrS0wKrTi1C5XYYcgg5KDAgF5dOZtQ2raexEYV7ihGNnGio/s1600/2015.12.07+banana+wholemeal+cupcakes+2.jpg" width="361" /></a></div><br />
It's the time of the year again when I start to crave for holiday treats!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3plKTPIIZYoyGKoLUinW8liAIATjdCIKtrpcDBXpXYAtxpIvFSs7TSAEqCI5G3HMyGbLsIwrwm3U0VwkQvGQqHPDGSCBverJNWR7ertIiN5sMrBeKlaDXl1gnYe5SFBX_mrkqgmABoY/s1600/2015.12.07+banana+wholemeal+cupcakes+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3plKTPIIZYoyGKoLUinW8liAIATjdCIKtrpcDBXpXYAtxpIvFSs7TSAEqCI5G3HMyGbLsIwrwm3U0VwkQvGQqHPDGSCBverJNWR7ertIiN5sMrBeKlaDXl1gnYe5SFBX_mrkqgmABoY/s1600/2015.12.07+banana+wholemeal+cupcakes+1.jpg" width="372" /></a></div><br />
Here's my first Christmas bake, a batch of simple wholemeal banana cupcakes...easily prepared with just a few quick stir using a manual whisk and a spatula.<br />
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They are great as homemade Christmas gifts to share with friends and families.<br />
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The cake is moist, tender and has a little nutty texture from the wholemeal flour. It is chock full of delicious banana flavour, and despite cutting down on the sugar amount, the sweetness is just right.<br />
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I hope to be able to post a couple more of my Christmas bakes before I leave for my holidays. I will be spending this Christmas home away from home, and I wish we could get to make a snowman this year!<br />
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<b>Banana Wholemeal Cupcakes</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 12 cupcakes)<br />
<br />
235g plain flour<br />
75g wholemeal flour<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
2 large eggs<br />
135g caster sugar<br />
90g unsalted butter, melted<br />
125ml fresh milk<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
315g over ripe banana, mashed<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul><li>In a bowl, stir together plain flour, wholemeal flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.</li>
<li>In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with a balloon whisk until blended. Add in the caster sugar, melted butter, milk and vanilla extract, whisk to combine.</li>
<li>Add in about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Stir with the balloon whisk till combined. </li>
<li>Add in 1/2 of the mashed banana. Change to a spatula and fold in to combine.</li>
<li>Add in 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture. Fold in with the spatula to combine.</li>
<li>Add in the remaining mashed banana, fold in to combine. </li>
<li>Finally, add in the remaining flour mixture and fold in to combine, make sure there is no residual flour on the bottom of the mixing bowl. Do not over mix.</li>
<li>Spoon batter into paper muffin cups, fill it to about 90% full. </li>
<li>Bake in preheated oven at 180 degC for 20 to 25 mins till golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.</li>
<li>Remove from oven, let cool completely on a wire rack. Store in airtight container at room temperatures for 2-3 days.</li>
</ul><i>Recipe source: adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Baking</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-71336248582834046382015-11-21T14:47:00.001+08:002015-11-21T14:47:35.453+08:00Korean Style Tofu Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMD9U73oYjogUfGRSnCfFaOfYzj65nigGTpn-_EnqNKx0YkqHTsxMUtQQQ1ZPQeRr7HGYdNJU2uFMewsfMoPl85T5pgMWL7AssIxk5h0yMsTsKXhoWjHS2w8Qewqga40NUQgFx4zCC9Hk/s1600/2015.11.15+tofu+salad+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMD9U73oYjogUfGRSnCfFaOfYzj65nigGTpn-_EnqNKx0YkqHTsxMUtQQQ1ZPQeRr7HGYdNJU2uFMewsfMoPl85T5pgMWL7AssIxk5h0yMsTsKXhoWjHS2w8Qewqga40NUQgFx4zCC9Hk/s1600/2015.11.15+tofu+salad+1.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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This Korean style tofu salad is an easy side dish that I will put together whenever I have some leftover salad mix.<br />
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It is rather similar to a Korean tofu dish where tofu slices are pan fried and then cooked in a sauce. For this salad version, the tofu is steamed and left to cool. The ingredients for the sauce are almost the same, with Gochugaru or Korean red chili flakes as one of the key ingredients to differentiate it from other similar cuisines.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>PS: Pardon the poor quality image of the above photos, they were taken with my mobile phone.</i></td></tr>
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The savoury, spicy dressing goes really well with the plain cold tofu. It is a light and refreshing appetizer and a great substitute for the usual stir fry vegetable dish.<br />
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<b>Korean Style Tofu Salad</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
1 pack silken tofu<br />
75g (about half pack) salad mix<br />
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salad dressing:<br />
2 tablespoons light soy sauce<br />
1 tablespoon rice vinegar<br />
1 teaspoon sesame oil<br />
1 teaspoon sugar<br />
1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)<br />
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds <br />
2 tablespoons chopped scallions <br />
<br />
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<b>Preparation:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Steam the silken tofu over high heat for 3 minutes, let cool.</li>
<li>Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. </li>
<li>Wash the salad mix and drain. </li>
<li>Cut the tofu lengthwise in half, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place tofu slices on serving plate. Arrange salad mix on top and side of the tofu.</li>
<li>Drizzle dressing over just before serving.</li>
</ul>
Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-32649923583723737732015-11-10T16:19:00.003+08:002015-11-21T13:35:47.291+08:00easy okonomiyaki お好み焼き<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okonomi-yaki (お好み焼き) is a Japanese savoury omelette or pancake like dish, which literally means "grill (yaki) what you like/want (okonomi)". As the name suggests, it is a very versatile dish that has many adaptations and various topping options. There are however two distinct types of okonomiyaki...the Kansai (or Osaka) style and the Hiroshima style.<br />
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The Kansai- or Osaka-style okonomiyaki is made with a thick batter that consists of flour, grated nagaimo (a type of yam, known as 山藥 in Chinese), water or dashi, eggs, and mixed with other ingredients such as shredded cabbage, green onion, thinly sliced pork belly, shrimp, squid, etc, before it is grilled. For the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, the ingredients are cooked in layers rather than all mixed together. A crepe-like layer is grilled as the base while the other ingredients are either layered on top to cook or cooked separately before they are layered over the base.<br />
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Here's sharing with you an easy and gluten free okonomiyaki which I followed from this youtube tutorial created by <a href="https://youtu.be/XBf3mWH5Xfc">Ochikeron</a>. Grated nagaimo is not required in this recipe which makes this a simple everyday dish since nagaimo is not a common ingredient in my kitchen.<br />
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Another great thing about this recipe is that the vegetables and meat is stir fried before mixing into the batter...it's easier for me (who is not a good cook) to ensure the ingredients are evenly cooked.<br />
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My homecooked okonomiyaki turned out to be very delicious and well received. I love the taste and flavour of the homemade okonomiyaki sauce (a simple mixture of Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup and honey) combined with the Japanese mayonnaise. <br />
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After getting the hang of making the gluten free okonomiyaki a few times, I experimented with replacing part of the eggs with flour and water. The outcome was great too! The flour and water batter makes the texture more pancake-like while the gluten free version is more omelette-like. <br />
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Okonomiyaki is typically topped with bonito flakes and aonori (green seaweed flakes). Although you can either skip the aonori or replace it with finely chopped spring onions, I personally feel that it is best not to omit the bonito flakes. I bought the bonito flakes from local supermarket (Fairprice) and the aonori is available from Daiso. <br />
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I serve okonomiyaki as a side dish for dinner and it is excellent as a one-dish meal for lunch.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">PS: Pardon the poor quality image of the above photos, they were taken with my mobile phone.<br />
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<b>Easy Okonomiyaki<br />
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Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 2)<br />
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<i>for the okonomiyaki:</i><br />
2~3 slices of bacon (or ham)<br />
300g cabbage<br />
2 stalks spring onion<br />
100g plain flour<br />
160ml water<br />
2 large eggs, lightly beaten<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt <br />
some pepper<br />
cooking oil<br />
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<i>for the sauce:</i><br />
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce <br />
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup <br />
1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)<br />
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<i>for the topping:</i><br />
Japanese mayonnaise<br />
katsuobushi (bonito flakes)<br />
aonori (green seaweed flakes)<br />
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<b>Preparation:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.</li>
<li>Thinly slice the cabbage. Cut the bacon into thin strips, and slice the spring onion thinly diagonally.</li>
<li>Pan fry the bacon till lightly browned. Add cabbage and spring onion. Stir fry till cabbage is softened. Dish up and set aside to cool.</li>
<li>Mix eggs, flour and water in a mixing bowl till it forms a smooth batter. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Add the cooked vegetable mixture and mix well. </li>
<li>Heat cooking oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Spoon half of the batter into the pan and spread it to form a circular shape.</li>
<li>Cover with a lid and cook on low for 3 minutes or till golden brown. Flip* it over, cover, and cook the other side for 3 minutes or till golden brown. (*Note: to make it easier to flip the pancake, I slide it from the frying pan onto a large plate, then tilt and turn the plate to flip the pancake back into the frying pan.) </li>
<li>Slide the pancake onto a serving plate. Repeat with the other half of the batter. </li>
<li>Spread half of the sauce onto each panacke. Drizzle top with mayonnaise, then sprinkle with bonito flakes and aonori.</li>
</ul>
<i>Recipe source: adapted from <a href="https://youtu.be/XBf3mWH5Xfc">Ochikeron</a> and <a href="http://okonomiyakiworld.com/best-okonomiyaki-recipe.html">Okonomiyaki World</a>.</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-64569791276802160452015-10-29T16:12:00.001+08:002015-11-12T20:53:36.664+08:00Halloween Pumpkin Bread Buns<br />
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I made these pumpkins look-a-like pumpkin bread buns with pumpkin filling on a whim since we don't celebrate Halloween.<br />
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My first (and the only) Halloween experience was more than fifteen years ago when we stayed in Los Angles for a few months. I took my then two year old boy, who was wearing a Thomas-the train costume, treat-or-tricking in our neighbourhood. I actually bought a Batman costume for him but it was too small. So I returned it and managed to get the Thomas outfit from another store. The feeling was really good when we could return stuff and receive full refunds with no question asked.<br />
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Looking back, I am glad we were game enough to join in the Halloween fun, it probably will be a once in a life time thing for us. Furthermore, my son was still so young, if he were a few years older, he would never ever agree to put on any halloween costumes ;)<br />
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I learned how to shape the pumpkin buns from this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcUvH7WFGxU">video</a> by '<a href="http://caroleasylife.blogspot.com/2014/10/halloween-pumpkin-bread.html">Carol 自在生活</a>'. Each bread dough is wrapped around with a kitchen twine before it is left to proof the second time. This creates 'segments' on the bun making it looks very much like the ribbed skin of a pumpkin. My pumpkin buns didn't look as good as those made by Carol...the 'segments' were not very uniformed, some turned out bigger than the rest (^_^!)<br />
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Since I made these pumpkin shaped buns without planning ahead, I couldn't think of anything but to use chocolate chips to double up as the stems for the pumpkins. It didn't look too bad though.<br />
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This is the 'original' pumpkin buns I had in mind...using another shaping method...looks like I have to practise a few more time to get it right.<br />
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The pumpkin filling is very delicious, it has a nice buttery flavour, not too sweet and not dry.<br />
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I did not follow Carol's bread dough recipe exactly. Yet, the texture turned out to be very soft despite using a straight dough method. The buns were able to stay soft the next day. For the two leftovers which I kept in the fridge till the third day, I reheat them before serving and they were just like freshly made buns. I am so satisfied with the recipe that I will be making another batch to give away soon!<br />
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<b>Pumpkin Bread Buns</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 9 buns)<br />
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<i>for the bread dough:</i><br />
250g bread flour<br />
15g caster sugar<br />
2g salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)<br />
3g instant yeast (about 1 teaspoon)<br />
80ml milk<br />
100g mashed pumpkin (nett weight of pumpkin which is steamed, drained and mashed)<br />
15g unsalted butter (cut into cubes)<br />
<br />
<i>for the filling:</i><br />
300g mashed pumpkin (nett weight of pumpkin which is steamed, drained and mashed)<br />
30g sugar<br />
30g unsalted butter<br />
<br />
*9 pieces of kitchen twine (90cm each), soak in oil<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<i>to make filling (watch video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aZSbgeGm3p0">here</a>):</i><br />
* Pan fry mashed pumpkin in a pan till fairly dry. Add in butter and sugar and pan fry till well mixed. Dish up and leave to cool. (Note: do not add in the butter and sugar too early as it will cause the mixture to burn easily.)<br />
<br />
<i>to make the bread dough:</i><br />
* Place bread flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk and mashed pumpkin in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixer knead the dough on high speed until the ingredients come together to form a dough, takes about 8 to 10 mins. Add in the butter gradually and continue to knead for another 15~20mins until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. <br />
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* Place dough in a lightly greased (use vegetable oil or butter) mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap or a damp cloth and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degC) for about one hour, or until double in bulk.<br />
<br />
* Remove the dough from the bowl and give a few light kneading to press out the gas in the dough. Divide the dough into 9 equal portions (about 50g each). Roll each dough into smooth rounds, cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap and let the doughs rest for 10mins.<br />
<br />
* On a lightly floured work surface, roll each dough into a round disc. Press out any trapped air as you flatten the dough. Wrap each dough with one heaped tablespoon of the pumpkin filling. Pinch and seal the seam tightly. <br />
<br />
<i>to shape the dough (watch video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcUvH7WFGxU">here</a>):</i><br />
* For each wrapped dough, place seam side down on the middle of a kitchen twine, wrap the kitchen twine around the dough to form 8 segments (note: do not wrap too tight).<br />
<br />
* Place seam side down on a greased (or lined with parchment paper) baking tray. Space doughs two inches apart to allow them to expand. Cover with damp cloth or cling wrap and leave doughs to proof for the second time for about 40mins, or until double in size. <br />
<br />
* Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 deg C for 15 mins or until golden brown (if necessary, tent the surface with foil if the top browns too quickly closer to the baking time). Remove from oven and transfer to wire track to let cool a little. Remove the kitchen twine. Leave to cool completely and store immediately in an airtight container. If there are any leftovers after the second day, it is best to store them in the fridge, reheat/warm in oven before serving.<br />
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Recipe source: adapted from '<a href="http://caroleasylife.blogspot.com/2014/10/halloween-pumpkin-bread.html">Carol 自在生活</a>' Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-33050195165545083392015-10-24T09:26:00.001+08:002015-11-12T20:54:55.432+08:00Burger with oven baked sweet potato croquettes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFoe7A1iYYiQrjQdTDDDG_GPt8k-MzDHdYrNti8jSdXmAMT5PH445v9eHFebvMuUUDGQIp5aXBge_qHVHR6Z4zpgG3M7Oeyo0BnHCTc_tb9Knk62psiG0WNxn404Oj_TQAzy8UEiFZvw/s1600/sweet+potato+croquette+burger+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFoe7A1iYYiQrjQdTDDDG_GPt8k-MzDHdYrNti8jSdXmAMT5PH445v9eHFebvMuUUDGQIp5aXBge_qHVHR6Z4zpgG3M7Oeyo0BnHCTc_tb9Knk62psiG0WNxn404Oj_TQAzy8UEiFZvw/s1600/sweet+potato+croquette+burger+1.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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I was reading <a href="http://cookwithnobooks.blogspot.sg/2015/10/achar.html">The Experimental Cook</a>'s latest post on archar when it hit on me that, in a few years time, we will soon be two old folks at home too (^_^!)<br />
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In fact, we are already living like two old folks, especially on a weekday during school terms. Whenever my better half is at home for lunch, I will put in some extra 'effort' to prepare a decent but quick meal...just like this burger, made with store bought wholemeal buns ;p<br />
The extra work went into making some baked croquettes which I had meant to serve as a side for dinner that evening.<br />
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I have been making croquettes following Just One Cookbook's <a href="http://www.justonecookbook.com/baked-croquette">baked croquettes</a> after we got hooked with the delicious croquettes we had during our holidays in Kyushu, Japan (be it from supermarkets or those from local shops made with horse meat!). The homemade baked croquettes are a much healthier option and easier for me since I don't do deep frying. The recipe calls for pan frying the panko or breadcrumbs with some oil before using. This ensures that the breadcrumbs will be nicely browned. I have tried toasting the panko with and without oil, both seem to yield similar results when I made croquettes. However, for making baked tonkatsu I would always pan fry with oil so that the dish would be as close to the deep fried version as possible.<br />
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I had meant to try making some pumpkin croquettes but since I had sweet potatoes lying around, I thought it would be better to clear them first. The sweet potato croquettes turned out to be very good too and they are certainly much healthier than meat patties.<br />
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We do eat like old folks nowadays, there were no fries to go along with the burger, just a cup of low sugar low fat 3-in-1 coffee, and some left over lettuces and tomatoes ;)<br />
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<b>Oven Baked Sweet Potato Croquettes<br />
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Ingredients</b><br />
(makes 6 ~ 8)<br />
<br />
3 medium size sweet potatoes(about 400g), peel and cut into chunks<br />
1 medium size onion, finely chopped<br />
200g ground beef or pork<br />
freshly ground black pepper<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 tablespoon cooking oil<br />
4 tablespoons plain flour<br />
1 large egg, beaten<br />
1.5 cups (about 85g) panko (breadcrumbs)<br />
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<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Pan fry breadcrumbs over medium-low heat until golden brown (Note: keep stirring to ensure the breadcrumbs is evenly browned and to prevent it from getting burned). Set aside to cool.</li>
<li>Place sweet potatoes in a pot and fill it with enough water to cover the sweet potatoes. Boil for about 15mins or until fork tender. Drain and transfer the sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes while they are still hot. </li>
<li>Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion until soft. </li>
<li>Add the ground pork and stir fry until meat is cooked. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Remove from the heat and mix it with the mashed sweet potatoes.</li>
<li>While the mixture is still warm, shape into ½ inch thick oval patties. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.</li>
<li>Coat each patty with flour (dust off any excess flour).</li>
<li>Then coat the patties with egg and then the prepared breadcrumbs.</li>
<li>Place on baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in preheated oven at 200degC for about 10mins until golden.</li>
</ul>
<i>Recipe source: adapted from <a href="http://www.justonecookbook.com/baked-croquette/">Just One Cookbook</a></i> Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-56485114306852235722015-10-13T08:36:00.001+08:002015-11-12T20:55:12.082+08:00curry buns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0_YzWMI3E6dCAe9PrJNYg85pslwFsRtLSqrJJdGEhOIaN5oGbsL2UL2iPcg0oML5Rwiq3wvE4uimAbjq-Lrs0iOZC2hdCgK5_KtUbeO3eL9kHVwbIf0O5htb-Bk2A8jb5OVe1Mzw3aA/s1600/curry+buns+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0_YzWMI3E6dCAe9PrJNYg85pslwFsRtLSqrJJdGEhOIaN5oGbsL2UL2iPcg0oML5Rwiq3wvE4uimAbjq-Lrs0iOZC2hdCgK5_KtUbeO3eL9kHVwbIf0O5htb-Bk2A8jb5OVe1Mzw3aA/s1600/curry+buns+1.jpg" width="358" /></a></div>
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I have been in a bread making frenzy lately. There's this something about bread making. If you ever take a break from making bread, you wouldn't want to bake any, but once you retrieve a tray of freshly made buns from your oven, you wouldn't want to stop at just one batch. It's so addictive that I keep wanting to make a fresh loaf of bread or a tray of buns everyday!<br />
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When I first saw those lovely <i><a href="http://nasilemaklover.blogspot.sg/2013/07/chicken-potatoes-curry-buns.html">Chicken and Potatoes Curry Milk Buns</a></i> made by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover, I bookmarked the recipe right away. That was more than two years back and I didn't put any plans into actions (^^!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEa7dzgQ0gaeG1hABhfYDS6fWuc7ZbllxGSaQRh7w8-YzA_Ekut9vxjYxuKbss1p6CPzuLOU-MStoxDCsqAaGdhfCD2o0auGDcf6FVfvHjpuE9UyNm8E3lvrR5AfW9859uw1uXEtSgSzE/s1600/curry+buns+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEa7dzgQ0gaeG1hABhfYDS6fWuc7ZbllxGSaQRh7w8-YzA_Ekut9vxjYxuKbss1p6CPzuLOU-MStoxDCsqAaGdhfCD2o0auGDcf6FVfvHjpuE9UyNm8E3lvrR5AfW9859uw1uXEtSgSzE/s1600/curry+buns+2.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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It was only after I read Sze Min's delicious <a href="http://sze-min.blogspot.sg/2015/09/char-siew-bun.html"><i>Char Siew Buns</i></a> wrapped with pandan leaves that I recalled I have yet to tackle the curry buns recipe that has been buried somewhere in my ever growing to-do list.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja328ZnYh1ln0v3g1v_WxukZUkSDfj4Zs6RrU88aQUXIiw64erfPu0d1U54m3UTLZhdRAq3cAXSA1zaO8F0xoQpo6sLmvwzhETvBxsYbVcHFcNeZJdPHebpZNVSw4s49t2EWYBKUJA5PA/s1600/curry+buns+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja328ZnYh1ln0v3g1v_WxukZUkSDfj4Zs6RrU88aQUXIiw64erfPu0d1U54m3UTLZhdRAq3cAXSA1zaO8F0xoQpo6sLmvwzhETvBxsYbVcHFcNeZJdPHebpZNVSw4s49t2EWYBKUJA5PA/s1600/curry+buns+5.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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Grace from Kitchen Corner also shaped her mouth-watering <a href="http://gracekitchencorner.blogspot.sg/2015/08/sambal-ikan-bilis-pumpkin-bun.html"><i>Sambal Ikan Bilis Pumpkin Buns</i></a> in a similar way. So, when I happened to get a bottle of curry powder on my annual trip to Kwong Cheong Thye to get mooncake ingredients, and when I have some leftover pandan leaves from cooking sweet potatoes soup, I went right ahead to make a batch of curry buns. No more procrastination!<br />
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I adapted a tangzhong milk bun recipe from<i> '<a href="http://caroleasylife.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post_13.html">Carol 自在生活</a>'</i> for the bread dough. I have been experimenting bread machine loaves using her recipes and the results have been very satisfactory. The original recipe calls for making the tangzhong with milk (so interesting), but I replaced with water as I had no confidence that I would get it right the first time. As for the curry chicken potatoes filling, I used a recipe from this book <i>'I can bake by Agnes Chang'</i> as it is pretty easy and straight forward with a short ingredients list ;) <br />
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The pandan leaves gave a very nice fragrant while the buns were baking in the oven. Upon cooling, I could still detect a hint of the pandan fragrance on the buns. The curry buns were very well received since all of us love curry! Just like my usual tangzhong bread, the buns remain soft the next day. Due to the filling, it is better to store them in the fridge if there are any leftovers after the next day, just need to reheat in the oven and they will taste like freshly made ones.<br />
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<br />
<b>Curry Buns</b><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 9 buns)<br />
<br />
<i>for the buns:</i><br />
- tang zhong (water-roux):<br />
20g bread flour<br />
100ml water<br />
<br />
- bread dough:<br />
250g bread flour<br />
50g cake flour<br />
30g caster sugar<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
3g instant yeast (about 1 teaspoon)<br />
1 egg lightly beaten (about 55g without shell)<br />
80ml milk<br />
100g tang zhong (water-roux)<br />
30g unsalted butter (cut into cubes)<br />
<br />
<i>for the filling:</i><br />
1.5 tablespoons curry powder mix with 3 tablespoons water to form a smooth paste<br />
1 medium size yellow onions, chopped<br />
2 sprigs curry leaves<br />
1 tablespoons oil<br />
200g chicken breast, cubed<br />
2 large potatoes<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
5 tablespoons water (add more water if necessary)<br />
<br />
9 pandan leaves for wrapping<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<br />
<i>to make filling:</i><br />
* Peel and cut potatoes into small cubes. Boil in water for about 10mins. Drain and set aside.<br />
* Heat up oil on medium heat, saute onions, curry leaves till fragrant. Add in chicken and potatoes and stir fry till meat is cooked. Add in curry paste, salt and water (add more water if necessary). Stir fry till the mixture dries up. Dish up and leave to cool.<br />
<br />
<i>to make tang zhong:</i><br />
* Place 20g bread flour in a saucepan. Add 100ml water, mix with a hand whisk till smooth, making sure there are no lumps of flour. Cook over medium to low heat, stirring constantly with the hand whisk to prevent it from burning. Within 1 to 2 mins, the mixture will start to thicken, stop when you see traces in the mixture for every stir you make with the hand whisk. The tang zhong is ready. Immediately transfer the hot tang zhong into a bowl and cover it with a cling wrap, making sure the cling wrap sticks onto the surface of the mixture. This is to prevent a film from forming on the surface. Leave to cool completely before using it.<br />
<br />
<i>to make the bread dough:</i><br />
* Place bread flour, cake flour, sugar, salt, yeast, egg, water and tang zhong (use 100g) in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixer knead the dough on high speed until the ingredients come together to form a dough, takes about 8 to 10 mins. Add in the butter gradually and continue to knead for another 15~20mins until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. (Upon adding the butter, the dough will become very wet/slack again, add some flour if it remains slack after 10 mins of kneading. Depending on the type of flour used, the dough may still stick to the sides of the mixing bowl after 15-20mins of kneading. If this happens, continue to knead for another 5mins or so, stop the machine, oil or dust hands with flour and proceed to remove the dough from the bowl.<br />
<br />
* Place dough in a lightly greased (use vegetable oil or butter) mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap or a damp cloth and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degC) for about one hour, or until double in bulk.<br />
<br />
* Remove the dough from the bowl and give a few light kneading to press out the gas in the dough. Divide the dough into 9 equal portions (about 60g each). Roll each dough into smooth rounds, cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap and let the doughs rest for 10mins.<br />
<br />
* On a lightly floured work surface, roll each dough into a round disc. Press out any trapped air as you flatten the dough. Wrap each dough with one heaped tablespoon of the filling. Pinch and seal the seam tightly. Place seam side down on a greased (or lined with parchment paper) baking tray. Space doughs two inches apart to allow them to expand. Cover with damp cloth or cling wrap and leave doughs to proof for the second time for about 40mins, or until double in size. <br />
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* After 30 minutes of proofing, preheat the oven and wrap each dough with pandan leaves, tighten with tooth picks. Decorate top of each bun with curry leaf, optional.<br />
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* Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 deg C for 15 mins or until golden brown (if necessary, tent the surface with foil if the top browns too quickly closer to the baking time). Remove from oven and transfer to wire track to let cool. Once cool, store immediately in an airtight container. Any leftovers should be kept in airtight container in the fridge, reheat/warm in oven before serving.<br />
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<i>Recipe source for bread dough: adapted from '<a href="http://caroleasylife.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post_13.html">Carol 自在生活</a>' and 'I can bake by Agnes Chang'.</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-33836743335623209102015-10-04T21:50:00.001+08:002015-11-12T20:55:44.342+08:00onigirazuJust after I wrote about <a href="http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.sg/2015/09/pull-apart-sandwich-buns.html">chigiri pan</a> or pull apart bread buns in my previous post, I came to know about <i>onigirazu</i>, another (<i>not too new</i>) food trend in Japan.<br />
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I was at the local bookstore browsing the shelves of cookbooks when the text "不用捏饭团" on a book spine caught my attention. The Chinese text means rice ball or "onigiri" that is made without having to shape or squeeze.<br />
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"Onigirazu" or "不用捏饭团" are basically rice balls made by wrapping layers of rice and fillings with a square sheet of seaweed into a parcel which is then sliced into half, just like a sandwich. Due to the square shape and wrapping method, onigirazu are more versatile than onigiri when it comes to the choices of the fillings. You can wrap it with ham, sausages, eggs (be it hard boiled, scrambled, sunny-side-ups), tuna, salmon, cheese, pork cutlets, salad greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, ladies fingers, etc, etc.<br />
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For my first attempt at making onigirazu, I wrapped them with Korean spicy stir-fried pork, egg and salad greens. I seasoned the rice with some sesame oil and salt to make it more flavourful. Everyone enjoyed this humble and delicious lunch especially my younger child who loves seaweed wrapped rice balls, be it onigiri, maki or kimbap, and now onigirazu ;)<br />
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If you are interested to give these rice sandwiches a try, you may want to refer to <a href="http://www.nippon.com/en/nipponblog/m00085/">this article</a> which provides a tutorial on how to go about making them. Have fun! <br />
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<br />Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-79366737267436386442015-09-29T12:10:00.002+08:002015-11-12T20:56:16.226+08:00pull apart sandwich bunsI can't remember how I stumbled upon this site,<i> <a href="http://jpninfo.com/">Japan Info</a></i>, but I am glad I did as I got to learn about a new bread making craze in Japan. Since I am not into facebook or instagram, I am really very slow when it comes to following the latest food trend.<br />
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From a post on the 'Japan Info' site, I got to know about <a href="http://jpninfo.com/17847">chigiri pan</a>, chigiri refers to pull apart while pan refers to bread. Besides transforming the pull apart bread buns into adorable cartoon characters, chigiri pan can also be served as sandwich buns.<br />
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Here's my first attempt at making sandwiches with a batch of pull apart bread buns. The buns are made using my usual go-to tang zhong recipe with some slight moderation (simply replacing the milk powder with flour and instead of water I used fresh milk). Although most chigiri breads are made into 16 buns, I baked only nine buns in a 20cm square pan.<br />
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I filled the buns with simple sandwich ingredients such as ham, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. <br />
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The sandwich buns are not as pretty as those featured in the website, but I am really amazed at this clever idea. It is a very interesting way of serving sandwiches especially when each of us can 'chope' the fillings we like (<i>'chope' in Singlish means 'to reserve'</i>). They are also perfect to pack for an outing or bring over to a potluck party :)<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">PS: Pardon the poor quality image of the above photos, they were taken with my mobile phone.</span></i><br />
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<b>Pull Apart Sandwich Buns</b><br />
<b><br />
</b> <b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 9 buns)<br />
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<i>for the buns:</i><br />
tang zhong (water-roux):<br />
20g bread flour<br />
100ml water<br />
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<i>bread dough:</i><br />
210g bread flour<br />
90g cake flour<br />
30g caster sugar<br />
6g salt<br />
6g instant yeast<br />
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1 egg lightly beaten plus enough milk to make 135g<br />
75g tang zhong (water-roux)<br />
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45g unsalted butter (cut into cubes)<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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<i>to make tang zhong:</i><br />
* Place 20g bread flour in a saucepan. Add 100ml water, mix with a hand whisk till smooth, making sure there are no lumps of flour. Cook over medium to low heat, stirring constantly with the hand whisk to prevent it from burning. Within 1 to 2 mins, the mixture will start to thicken, stop when you see traces in the mixture for every stir you make with the hand whisk. The tang zhong is ready. Immediately transfer the hot tang zhong into a bowl and cover it with a cling wrap, making sure the cling wrap sticks onto the surface of the mixture. This is to prevent a film from forming on the surface. Leave to cool completely before using it.<br />
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<i>to make the bread dough:</i><br />
* Place bread flour, cake flour, sugar, salt, yeast, egg, water and tang zhong (use 75g) in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixer knead the dough on high speed until the ingredients come together to form a dough, takes about 8 to 10 mins. Add in the butter gradually and continue to knead for another 15~20mins until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. (Upon adding the butter, the dough will become very wet/slack again, add some flour if it remains slack after 10 mins of kneading. Depending on the type of flour used, the dough may still stick to the sides of the mixing bowl after 15-20mins of kneading. If this happens, continue to knead for another 5mins or so, stop the machine, oil or dust hands with flour and proceed to remove the dough from the bowl.<br />
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* Place dough in a lightly greased (use vegetable oil or butter) mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap or a damp cloth and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degC) for about one hour, or until double in bulk.<br />
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* Remove the dough from the bowl and give a few light kneading to press out the gas in the dough. Divide the dough into 9 equal portions (about 65g each). Shape and roll each dough into a smooth round ball. Place doughs seams side down on a 20cm by 20cm square baking tray (lightly greased with oil or butter or line the base and sides with parchment paper). Loosely cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap and let doughs proof for the second time for about 40mins, or until double in size.<br />
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* Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 deg C for 20 to 22 mins or until golden brown (if necessary, tent the surface with foil if the top browns too quickly closer to the baking time). Remove from oven and transfer to wire track to let cool. Once cool, store immediately in an airtight container.<br />
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* To serve, cut a slit on each bun, fill with desired sandwich fillings such as ham, scrambled eggs, lettuce, cucumber and tomato slices.<br />
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<i>Recipe source for bread dough: adapted from 65度C汤种面包, 陈郁芬</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-67061734252609367682015-09-23T17:07:00.002+08:002015-11-12T20:56:56.712+08:00Easy Teriyaki SalmonI seldom post recipes on home cook meals since I started this blog with the intention of sharing my baking experience. Furthermore, by the time I am done cooking, the lightning condition becomes unfavourable for me to take any any decent photos to share them here. Unlike baked goods, I can take my time or plan it in such a way that I could photograph them under natural lighting, I am not able to do so for cooked dishes. <br />
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Recently I started documenting my home cooked dishes with my mobile phone, mainly for my own reference or send them to my better half to show him what he missed out on when he was away ;)<br />
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I find it so much easier to take snap shots of the food with a phone camera as I can get it done within a couple of minutes before serving the meal. Some photos turn out not too bad, that is, if they are viewed on my phone ;) The images would appear grainy if displayed on a bigger, high resolution screen. Sometimes, the colour turn out a bit off. Nonetheless, I would still like to share my daily home cooked meals here whenever I am able to take a clear image of the dish and most importantly, when I get really excited with a delicious dish that is quick and easy to prepare.<br />
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This simple teriyaki salmon is a classic example of one of those easy to prepare, fuss free dishes that I put on our dining table ever so frequently. The salmon fillet requires just a few minutes to pan fry. I followed the recipe from <a href="http://www.justonecookbook.com/teriyaki-salmon-recipe/">Just One Cookbook</a>, my favourite food blog to go to for Japanese home cooking. Do visit her blog for the detailed instructions on how to go about preparing this dish. I followed the recipe quite closely even using sake which was bought from Japan. The only change that I made was to use corn flour instead of plain flour to coat the fillet. This is just my personal habit of using corn flour to coat fish and I use corn flour so often for my daily cooking. Usually I would serve the salmon on its own, or with a plate of stir fry dou miao (pea shoots) on the side. This time, I served it with a bed of salad greens drizzled with the teriyaki sauce, a great way to include more vegetables to our diet and yet minus the hustle of having to cook another dish :)<br />
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<b>Easy Teriyaki Salmon</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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1 salmon fillet<br />
a pinch of salt<br />
freshly ground black pepper<br />
1 tablespoon flour (I use corn flour)<br />
1 tablespoon butter<br />
1 teaspoon olive oil<br />
1 tablespoon sake <br />
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<i>Seasoning:</i><br />
2 tablespoons soy sauce<br />
1 tablespoon sake <br />
1 tablespoon mirin<br />
1 tablespoon sugar<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Rinse and pat dry salmon fillet with paper towel. Season both sides of the fillet with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle and coat salmon with flour on both sides, dust away any excess flour. Mix the seasoning ingredients together and set aside.</li>
<li>Heat oil and butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Place salmon skin side down and press it down with a spatula to prevent it from curling during the initial first minute of cooking. Pan fry for about 1 to 2 mins or until the skin is browned. Flip over and pan fry the other side for 1 to 2 mins or until browned.</li>
<li>Add 1 tablespoon of sake into the pan and cover with a lid. Leave to steam cook for another 2~3 mins. Turn off the heat and transfer salmon to a plate. </li>
<li>Wipe off any excess oil in the pan with paper towel. Add the seasoning ingredients into the pan and bring to a simmer on medium-low heat. Transfer salmon back into the pan, spoon the sauce over the salmon as it cooks. When the sauce is slightly thickened, turn off the heat and dish up.</li>
</ul>
<i>Recipe source: adapted from <a href="http://www.justonecookbook.com/teriyaki-salmon-recipe/">Just One Cookbook</a>.</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-82931315892404681752015-09-02T12:22:00.002+08:002015-11-12T20:57:09.953+08:00Mango Salad, two ways<br />
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I have a few large mangoes which although taste sweet but they are not that juicy and the flesh is quite firm. Usually we prefer to eat mango on its own, but this time, I used some to make salad.<br />
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I used to feel intimidated about making salad dressing, especially vinaigrettes. Ever since I started to add more greens to my diet, I have more opportunities to play around with different types of dressings. I like dressings that is not too sour so I like to add some honey to sweeten it. I also tend to prefer asian salad dressings which usually includes fish sauce or soya sauce and sesame oil...seasonings which I always have on hand.<br />
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For this mango salad, I mixed up a refreshing Thai style dressing that tastes spicy, sweet and sour.<br />
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This salad is great as a side dish,<br />
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and it can be transformed into a light and healthy lunch simply by adding some pan grilled chicken breast.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN3qx545JKG18jTmvULuvXehEXnhdw4bQ5XhUQ9va3sywVffzHQ4BluE6YxdKEx2QF8HhIrupZhdrNZ1J0uTBxLQSgnkKdsE-6j3b65xahg9NChwDxbElJe4Wrt6hVVPa_50KnlsUZwI/s1600/2015.08.31+mango-chicken-salad3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN3qx545JKG18jTmvULuvXehEXnhdw4bQ5XhUQ9va3sywVffzHQ4BluE6YxdKEx2QF8HhIrupZhdrNZ1J0uTBxLQSgnkKdsE-6j3b65xahg9NChwDxbElJe4Wrt6hVVPa_50KnlsUZwI/s1600/2015.08.31+mango-chicken-salad3.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
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I don't mind having this for lunch everyday ;)<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">ps: pardon the poor quality image of the above photos, they were taken with my mobile phone.</span></i><br />
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<b>Mango Chicken Salad</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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1 large mango<br />
half of a boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 150g)<br />
a handful of cherry tomatoes<br />
a handful salad greens<br />
1 Japanese cucumber<br />
some chili slices, optional<br />
some cilantro, optional<br />
1~2 teaspoons cooking oil<br />
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<i>for the dressing:</i><br />
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil<br />
1 tablespoon lemon juice<br />
1 tablespoon rice vinegar<br />
1 tablespoon fish sauce<br />
1 tablespoon honey (adjust according to taste)<br />
1~2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce (adjust according to taste)<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Slice chicken breast in half crosswise, season with some salt and pepper. Pan fry chicken breast with cooking oil on medium-high heat till cooked and nicely browned. Set aside to cool and then cut into bite size.</li>
<li>Wash and drain salad greens.</li>
<li>Wash and cut cherry tomatoes into halves, cut mango and cucumber into cubes.</li>
<li>Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl, add more chili sauce or honey according to taste.</li>
<li>Toss salad greens, tomatoes, mango, cucumber and chicken with the dressing, garnish with chili slices and cilantro. Serve immediately.</li>
</ul>
<br />Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-29506511051695519912015-08-28T15:25:00.001+08:002015-11-12T20:57:33.413+08:00cafe food at homeI am guilty again for the long absence. I have no new posts as I have not been baking that often. Instead of baking, I find myself getting more interested in cooking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OhfaBwdCNLNEIa1aiwvAFnMAWppFTls8bg0R2dvxUx68k5RbP8c-qL_cpJt-LA1L6ktUyuDmsTnyMu3z_biVlKPqj-WVlGaJPIIuYJZvwF4JhN7YVl532EXXt9K99OgKpfq-Yx1_nVA/s1600/2015.08.28+mushrooms-bread-salad1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OhfaBwdCNLNEIa1aiwvAFnMAWppFTls8bg0R2dvxUx68k5RbP8c-qL_cpJt-LA1L6ktUyuDmsTnyMu3z_biVlKPqj-WVlGaJPIIuYJZvwF4JhN7YVl532EXXt9K99OgKpfq-Yx1_nVA/s1600/2015.08.28+mushrooms-bread-salad1.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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Unlike baking, I do not always follow recipes to the t when it comes to day-to-day cooking. I tend to replace or substitute ingredients freely and I could get away with eyeballing the amount of ingredients or seasonings I put in the dish. As such, I find it difficult to share cooking recipes especially when I am not a good cook to begin with.<br />
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While I may not be able to spell out the cooking instructions, I thought why not share some of the photos of the dishes I prepared. The quality of the images are not great since they are taken with my mobile phone under very poor lighting condition.<br />
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I used a free mobile app to jazz up the pictures and they don't look that bad, at least I am not shy to post them ;)<br />
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This is an easy meal I prepared for my husband when he was home for lunch...poached egg and mushrooms served on store bought focaccia. I learned this from a cooking show on tv. For the toppings, I stir fried some button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and bunashimeji with some onions, garlics and seasoned it with salt and pepper. The salad dressing is a simple combo of 3 parts olive oil to 1 part lemon juice, nothing fancy.<br />
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The most tricky part of this meal is cooking the poached eggs. This is the first time I have ever poached an egg. The eggs were cooked using a straight forward method...just bring a saucepan of water to a simmer, then create a 'tornado' with a spoon in the water and put in the cracked egg. No salt or vinegar is needed. Although the eggs turned out looking quite ok, at least for a first timer, the water temperature was a bit too high, the water became so cloudy with egg whites floating all over, what a waste!<br />
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This is a visually appealing and delicious meal with a good mix of protein, fiber and carbs. Even though it is something so simple, I can't help but to feel proud of myself to be able to put together a cafe style meal like this at home. All I needed was a nice cup of coffee to end the meal.<br />
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<br />Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-44721971852909255432015-07-06T10:56:00.001+08:002015-11-12T20:57:51.755+08:00Chocolate and Chestnuts Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8WhW2huRjTNLzK2uVoFC0MKYxWnt4EH8HVxvFl-Xmx1r6mLwwwkc1-cJZgmnhJWZN8HG8FqULgr0bD8KSE9WBuy8zF3hdLfDDXkL8WI7XqWrAr24hJKP_ocgWWsB7-51hx-B3y7BCAE/s1600/chocolate+chestnuts+cake+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8WhW2huRjTNLzK2uVoFC0MKYxWnt4EH8HVxvFl-Xmx1r6mLwwwkc1-cJZgmnhJWZN8HG8FqULgr0bD8KSE9WBuy8zF3hdLfDDXkL8WI7XqWrAr24hJKP_ocgWWsB7-51hx-B3y7BCAE/s1600/chocolate+chestnuts+cake+2.JPG" width="359" /></a></div>
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This is a fuss free birthday cake I baked for my teenage child. He didn't want to celebrate the occasion at all, but I thought <i>we</i> should all deserve a homemade treat on this special day.<br />
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Over the years, I have learned that a birthday cake for any of my family members would always be a chocolate cake. I don't even have to ask. A chocolate cake, in any form, would be well received.<br />
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I didn't decorate the cake as my teenager wouldn't care too much. I didn't have to, as the finished cake was sophisticated enough on its own...both in terms of taste and presentation (just my personal opinion). The cake was made with good quality valrhona dark chocolate with 71% cocoa content. It lent the cake a rich and intense bittersweet chocolaty flavour that suit our palates. The top of the cake was brushed with liquor, the recipe recommends brandy, but I experimented with kahlua. The taste was rather mild and no one could detect its presence. I will try with rum when I make this same cake for my baking friend, hope the liquor flavour would be more prominent. The dark and poke marked surface may not look visually appealing to most people, but somehow, I have a weak spot for rustic, crackly looking simple cakes. The photo of the cake caught my eye when I was flipping through the cookbook. I bookmarked the recipe right away, although I must confess my cake was a far cry from the one illustrated in the cookbook.<br />
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Another interesting ingredient that makes this cake special is the addition of whole chestnuts. I like the chocolate and chestnut combo since I love roasted chestnuts, especially those freshly roasted chestnuts from mobile roadside stalls(which sadly, can hardly be seen nowadays). My younger child who doesn't fancy chestnuts told me it is better to leave them out ^^! Nevertheless, the dense but velvety texture of the cake made everyone craves for a second, bigger slice. My<i> sensible </i>kids practised 'portion control' though...making sure there was enough leftovers for their breakfast the next day ;)<br />
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<b>Chocolate and Chestnuts Cake</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes one 18cm cake)<br />
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75g dark chocolate<br />
80g unsalted butter<br />
40g cocoa powder<br />
20g cake flour<br />
3 egg whites<br />
40g caster sugar<br />
3 egg yolks<br />
30g caster sugar<br />
35g milk<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
100g ready to eat chestnuts, cut into halves<br />
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1 tablespoon brandy, for brushing<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Line base and side of 18cm pan(with removable base) with parchment paper.</li>
<li>Melt dark chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl is able to sit above the water and it should cover the pot so that steam will not get inside the bowl). Remove from heat. Let cool.</li>
<li>Sieve cocoa powder and cake flour, set aside.</li>
<li>In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric handheld mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar and turn to high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar mixture and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage. The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy. Set aside. (Do not over beat the whites still stiff, it is better to beat the whites still soft peaks for easy folding with the yolk batter.)</li>
<li>Place egg yolks and sugar in another mixing bowl. With the electric handheld mixer (Note: it is not necessary to wash the beaters/whisks after beating the egg whites), beat the mixture on low speed until it turns pale and thick.</li>
<li>Add in the melted chocolate and butter mixture, milk and vanilla extract, beat on low speed to combine. Sieve over the flour and cocoa powder, mix with a manual balloon whisk until fully incorporated. The batter will be very thick.</li>
<li>Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula (I prefer to use a balloon whisk) until just blended.</li>
<li>Add in the chestnuts, fold to combine.</li>
<li>Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven at 160degC for 45~50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumb. Do not over bake.</li>
<li>Remove cake from oven, brush top with brandy. Unmould, remove the parchment paper and let cool, right side up (do not invert) on wire rack. The cake tastes best when left over night at room temperature. If stored in fridge, bring the cake to room temperature before serving.</li>
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<i>Recipe source: adapted from 自然味の手作甜食, by 青山有纪 </i> Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-40741458632014975342015-06-23T23:09:00.002+08:002015-11-12T20:58:07.897+08:00oil-free chocolate banana muffins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSKQnO2eFCLYMoqRGBkmYlOx_FdjRwU1O-WCCR7_0JDftcrBWzcFVJNZPsY8oIoIJGKrf0U83k7eXBPTWIu8SuM5cV6U8Ex0rEt1LaRpcx11w9FgrkkF5EcY07A0JQ77UWUXUNelg73w/s1600/no+oil+chocolate+banana+muffins+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSKQnO2eFCLYMoqRGBkmYlOx_FdjRwU1O-WCCR7_0JDftcrBWzcFVJNZPsY8oIoIJGKrf0U83k7eXBPTWIu8SuM5cV6U8Ex0rEt1LaRpcx11w9FgrkkF5EcY07A0JQ77UWUXUNelg73w/s1600/no+oil+chocolate+banana+muffins+1.JPG" width="360" /></a></div>
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This is my second attempt at baking these oil free chocolate banana muffins. In fact, I made them before baking the <a href="http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.sg/2015/06/oil-free-chocolate-chiffon-cake.html">oil-free chocolate chiffon cake</a> which I posted earlier. The first attempt was not that successful as the texture of the muffins was a little dense with a slight kueh-like texture.<br />
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I am not sure whether I had deflated the batter or was it due to the type of cocoa powder I used. I had ran out of Valrhona dutch processed cocoa powder so I used natural cocoa powder.<br />
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I tried making these muffins again right after I got hold of the Valrhona cocoa powder. The second batch turns out really well.<br />
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Unlike the usual muffin-method or creaming method, the batter is prepared just like making a sponge cake, that is, beating whole eggs with sugar before adding the liquid and flour mixture.<br />
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These delicious muffins were soft and moist even though they were made without any oil. As stated in the cookbook, <i>好吃不发胖低卡甜点, </i>each muffin is 132 kcal compared to 197 kcal for a similar one made with oil. Once again this recipe shows that it is possible to enjoy homemade goodies which are lower in calories without having to compromise on the taste and texture.<br />
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<b>Oil-free Chocolate Banana Muffins</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes 8)<br />
<br />
100g cake flour<br />
30g cocoa powder (I used dutch-processed valrhona cocoa powder) <br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />
2 large eggs, room temperature<br />
70g caster sugar (I used 60g)<br />
150g banana, mashed<br />
50ml milk (I used low fat fresh milk)<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1 tablespoon rum<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Sieve together cake flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Sieve the flour mixture twice and set it aside.</li>
<li>Place eggs and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, whisk the mixture at medium-high speed till it becomes thick, pale and triple in volume. This should take about 5 to 6 mins. The batter should leave a ribbon like trail when the whisk/paddle is lifted. Turn to low speed, and beat for another 1~2 mins. This is to stablise the air bubbles in the batter. </li>
<li>Add in the mashed banana and Fold in with a spatula. </li>
<li>Add in the milk, vanilla extract and rum (do not pour in one spot, instead, gently drizzle over to prevent from deflating the batter). Fold in with a spatula, do not stir.</li>
<li>Sieve over the flour mixture in 3 separate additions. Each time Fold in the flour carefully with a spatula, making sure there is no pockets of flour being trapped at the bottom of the bowl. Do not stir the batter with the spatula, it will cause the batter to deflate. </li>
<li>Spoon batter into paper muffin cups to about 90% full.</li>
<li>Bake in preheated oven at 180 degC for 15mins or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out almost clean.</li>
</ul>
<i>Recipe source: adapted from 好吃不发胖低卡甜点 by 茨木くみ子</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-55407800845634149282015-06-13T16:51:00.002+08:002015-11-12T20:58:21.565+08:00oil-free chocolate chiffon cake<i>怎么可能?!<br />
无添加奶油 <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">&</span>油还是一样好吃?!</i><br />
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This is the subtitle of a cookbook, which means, '<i>How could that be possible?! It still tastes as good w</i><i>ithout adding butter or oil?!</i>'<br />
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When my baking friend showed me her oil free chocolate banana muffins made following a recipe from this cookbook, <i>好吃不发胖低卡甜点 </i>(<i>loosely translated as: delicious low-calories desserts</i>), I got really interested. <br />
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I bookmarked a few recipes and one of the first few I tried is this Chocolate Chiffon cake. The ingredients list is typical of a basic chiffon cake recipe, the only difference is, there is no oil in the list. There are no other special ingredients other than the usual eggs, sugar, flour and liquid.<br />
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Whenever I make a chiffon cake, I would usually prepare the egg yolk batter first using a manual balloon whisk before beating the egg whites with an electric handheld mixer. The instructions for this recipe however differ from my usual method as is it necessary to use the electric mixer to beat the egg yolks. Without having to wash the whisks/beaters of the mixer, the egg whites are first beaten before preparing the yolk batter. Hence, it is important to get ready the necessary ingredients so that the yolk batter can be prepared quickly, otherwise, the beaten egg whites may probably deflate if left aside for too long.<br />
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Other than the sequence, the rest is quite straight forward. Yet, I made a hiccup while preparing the egg whites. I over beat the whites, just slightly, but it still affected the finished product! What a major no no, and really unforgivable for someone who bakes chiffon cakes so regularly. I learned not to take things too easy or for granted, even if I am very familiar with the process.<br />
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Since I over beat the egg whites, I deflated the batter while folding the whites to the yolk batter. The finished batter was still thick but it could only fill up the pan to just 3/4 full. The cake didn't turn out as tall but fortunately, the texture was not really affected. Even without the use of any oil, the cake was still moist, soft and fluffy. If someone were to give me this cake to try, I would never be able to detect that it was made without oil. The only tell tale sign is that there wasn't any oil stain on the doily paper which I used to line the cake. Another thing I noticed is, the cake was a little more difficult to unmold, or is it just me?<br />
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The book states that 1/8 of this 17cm cake has got 113 kcal compared to 180 kcal for a similar chocolate chiffon made with oil, lower calories without compromising on the taste and texture. I used valrhona cocoa powder which lends the cake a richer and intense cocoa flavour. The cocoa powder also gives the cake a deep mahogany color. The pictures I took show a lighter shade as I had to adjust the brightness and contrast as the original images were too dark. I also took the liberty to add in some rum besides the pure vanilla extract. This recipe is a keeper and it will be my go-to chocolate chiffon cake from now on.<br />
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<b>Oil free Chocolate Chiffon Cake (无油巧克力戚风蛋糕)</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes one 17cm cake)<br />
<br />
4 egg whites (I used eggs with 55g net weight)<br />
45g caster sugar<br />
<br />
4 egg yolks (I used eggs with 55g net weight)<br />
25g caster sugar <br />
60ml milk<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1 tablespoon rum (optional)<br />
55g cake flour<br />
20g cocoa powder (I used dutch-processed valrhona cocoa powder)<br />
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<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Sieve flour and cocoa powder, set aside. </li>
<li>Get ready all other ingredients.</li>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degC.</li>
<li>In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric handheld mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar and turn to high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar mixture and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage. The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy. Set aside. (Do not over beat the whites still stiff, it is better to beat the whites still soft peaks for easy folding with the yolk batter.)</li>
<li>Place egg yolks and sugar in another mixing bowl. With the electric handheld mixer (Note: it is not necessary to wash the beaters/whisks after beating the egg whites), beat the mixture on low speed until it turns pale and thick. Add in milk, vanilla extract and rum (if using), beat on low speed to combine. Sieve over the flour and cocoa powder, beat on low speed till the flour is fully incorporated. (Note: prepare all ingredients in advance to allow this step to be done fairly quickly so that the beaten egg whites will not be left aside for too long.)</li>
<li><div>
Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula (I prefer to use a balloon whisk) until just blended.</div>
</li>
<li><div>
Pour batter into a 17cm chiffon tube pan(do not grease the pan). Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.</div>
</li>
<li>Place chiffon pan in middle rack of oven. Bake at 180 degC for 30 mins. Remove from oven and invert the pan immediately, let cool completely before unmould. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the pan and the center core. Release the cake and run the knife along the base of the pan to remove the cake.</li>
</ul>
<i>Recipe source: adapted from 好吃不发胖低卡甜点 by 茨木くみ子</i>Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-11327481809823940902015-06-05T22:25:00.003+08:002015-11-12T20:59:32.011+08:00Pork Floss and Sesame Seeds Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am on a baking spree since the beginning of the June school holidays, making cakes and cookies for my children to enjoy as they are spending more time at home.<br />
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This pork floss with seaweed and sesame cookies recipe is a breeze to prepare. The cookie dough is made using rubbing in method, there is no creaming or beating of butter required. The dough is easy to work with as it is not too soft nor sticky.<br />
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These savoury cookies turn out really well...light, crisp that taste buttery and very fragrant. It is a nice change to the usual chocolate chip butter cookies and are great as snacks to be enjoyed at anytime of the day.<br />
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<b>Pork Floss and Sesame Seeds Cookies</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(makes about 35 cookies)<br />
<br />
260g plain flour<br />
25g icing sugar<br />
120g unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes<br />
3 tablespoons pork floss with seaweed<br />
1 tablespoon sesame seeds<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 egg, lightly beaten<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Sieve flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. </li>
<li>With a fork (or use fingertips), cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. </li>
<li>Add in pork floss, sesame seeds and salt. Mix with hand to combine.</li>
<li>Make a well in the centre and add in the lightly beaten egg. Mix and gather the mixture to form a shaggy mass. Give it a few light kneading so that it comes together to form a smooth dough.</li>
<li>Flatten the dough to form a disk. Wrap in cling wrap or a place it in a plastic bag and leave to chill in the fridge for about 30 mins. (If the dough is left in the fridge for too long, it will harden, if this happens, leave it in room temperature for a few mins until it is soft enough to roll out.)</li>
<li>When ready, roll out dough to about 5m thick between 2 sheets of cut-out plastic bags (or use two sheets of parchment paper). </li>
<li>Cut out cookie dough with cookie cutter and transfer to baking trays lined with parchment paper. Leave a space of about 1" in between each cookie dough. Gather up the scrape and re-roll to make more cookies.</li>
<li>Bake in preheated oven at 180 degC for about 20-25 mins until the cookies turn light golden brown. </li>
<li>Remove the cookies from the oven and leave on the baking trays for 2 ~ 3mins (to allow the cookies to firm up a little) before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in air tight container.</li>
</ul>
<i>Recipe source: adapted from <a href="http://littlebearkitchen.com/2012-10-29-1176/">Little Bear's Kitchen</a></i><br />
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<br />Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4805570821469912515.post-81944252516714332942015-05-30T09:54:00.003+08:002015-11-12T20:59:44.382+08:00Steamed Tofu with Egg 嫩豆腐蒸蛋<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have recently started on the road to a healthier lifestyle, being more mindful of what I put in my mouth and exercise more regularly. I am watching my diet, making sure I increase my protein and fibre intake, but lower carb and reduce fat and sugar intake. Since young, my diet is mainly high in carb, low protein, low fibre. I am a rice, noodles, bread person, so it is quite challenging to plan my meals to cater to my diet and the rest of the family.<br />
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I came across this <i>Steamed Tofu with Egg</i> recipe from a book on eating well and weight loss programme. It is such a simple dish and rather similar to the usual steamed tofu and egg I have prepared. The only difference is, this recipe uses only egg whites and I have never tried steaming tofu with mushrooms. This dish is high in protein with the tofu and egg whites and yet low in calories. There is no oil and salt is the only seasoning used. <br />
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Since I cook this dish for my family, I replaced the egg whites with whole egg (and I do not want to have any leftover egg yolks). I have also used more tofu since the blocks of tofu available here usually come in 300g packs.<br />
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The original recipe is meant for a weight loss programme and the dish can be served along with some brown rice. I served it for my family of four as a side dish instead. This is a simple and healthy dish that is enjoyed by everyone in my family, especially my elder son. I am rather surprised that he likes this as he has quite a well developed palate. This dish has now become our new regular on our dining table :)<br />
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<b>Steamed Tofu with Egg 嫩豆腐蒸蛋</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
(serves 4 as a side dish)<br />
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200g silken tofu (I used 300g which is 1 block of tofu)<br />
2 egg whites (I used 1 whole egg)<br />
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (according to taste)<br />
1 shiitake mushroom (fresh or dried)<br />
1 red chili, sliced<br />
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds (I used white)<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Wash and cut fresh shiitake mushroom into slices (presoak dried shiitake mushroom if using).</li>
<li>Mash silken tofu with a folk. Add in lightly beaten egg/egg whites.</li>
<li>Add salt, mushroom slices, chili slices and sesame seeds. Mix to combine.</li>
<li>Place mixture in serving dish and steam at high heat for 10mins. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds, ground black pepper (optional), before serving.</li>
</ul>
<i>Recipe source: adapted from 吃三天瘦一圈 by 李承桓 </i><br />
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<br />Happy Homebakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310704979379806678noreply@blogger.com10