Steam Japanese Beancurd with Fish Slices and Mince Chicken

This is a healthy and delicious dish. I have always love Japanese beancurd and fish but if you notice I have very limited post on either Japanese beancurd or fish. I just could find suitable recipe for fish and beancurd and of course i have always trying to avoid deep frying Japanese beancurd so i may only left with steaming them because as we all know Japanese beancurd is soft and delicate, the only way from them to stand for stew is to deep fry them first. Then the fish. Besides finding them a bit pricey here I just don't know what to do to them besides frying, steam and grilling. So, if you have any recipes for Japanese tofu and/or fish please do let me know.

Ingredients:-

• 1 tube Japanese Egg Beancurd, cut to 1cm thick
• about 150g fish fillet, sliced
• 50g minced chicken or pork
• 2 dried chinese mushroom, soaken in hot water for 30 minutes, remove stem and thinly slice
• 1 stalk spring onion, cut about 1.5cm each

    Marinate (A)

• Pinch of salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp chinese cooking wine (optional)

   Marinate (B)

• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cornflour

   For sauce

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 shallot, finely slice
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely slice
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup water (I use the water mushroom soaking)

Method:

1. Lightly season beancurd with marinate (A) in a heatproof dish or dish that you intend to put in steamer.
2. Marinate minced chicken and mushroom with marinate (B).
3. Heat oil and sesame oil in a wok. Saute shallot, ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add in mince chicken and mushroom. Stir. Add oyster sauce, light soy sauce, salt, pepper and sugar. Mix well. Then, add 1/2 cup liquid. Let it boil. 
4. Arrange fish slices over the beancurd and pour chicken and mushroom mixture around the sides of the beancurb. 
5. Place beancurd in a steamer over rapidly boiling water. Steam for 12 - 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion before serving.

Cream Corn Cake

Basically, I used butter/pound cake recipe as the base, add in canned cream corn and reduce the quantity of milk; so that the batter don't get too watery. Well, I guess you can substitute cream corn with something else, red bean perhaps.

I am a bit of lazy today and feel like having cake with cream corn, therefore I decided to just mix everything and bake. Very similar to the method use to make muffins.



Ingredients:-

• 30ml milk
• 3/4 of 400g canned cream corn
• 125g butter, melted
• 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (150g) self raising flour
• 1/4 cup (35g) cornflour
• 1/8 tsp bicarb soda
• 1/8 tsp salt

Methods:-

1. Pre heat oven to 180 degree celcius.
2. Grease pan or layer with baking paper.
3. Mix cream corn with milk. Set aside.
4. In a bowl; combine self raising flour, bicarb soda, salt and cornflour. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl mix melted butter and sugar together.Mix well
6. Then, pour cream corn mixture into melted butter and sugar. Add in lightly beaten egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well combine and gradually add in the flour mixture.Divide into 3 batches. Add in another batch after the previous batch was well combined into the batter. Mix thoroughly.
7. Pour into pan that was prepared earlier and pop into oven for 40 minutes or until the tester comes our clean. Let it cool before slicing.  

No-frills recipes also has her own version of cream corn cake. Click here.

TIPS:

• Melt the butter in microwave try 20 seconds.
• Sprinkle some self raising flour if you feel the batter is too watery.
• Batter is consider perfect when it manages to hold the ribbon shape for 2-3 seconds when you drip the from above.

Creme Caramel

Creme caramel, flan or caramel custard is a rich custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top. Creme caramel is a variant of plain custard (creme), where some sugar syrup cook to caramel stage, is poured into the mold before adding the custard base. It is usually cooked in a bain marie or in the oven. Creme caramel is thickened by eggs, however, imitation such as agar or carrageenan can be use to substitute egg.

So, to make this wonderfully delicious, smooth, silky and delicate creme caramel, you will need:

For the caramel:

• 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
• 1/2 cup (125ml) water

For the custard:

• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
• 1 cup milk 
• 1 cup thickened cream
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ( I am vanilla lover. You can reduce the vanilla if you are not it's fan)

Methods:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degree celcius. (Fan forced? Reduce 20 degree celcius)
2. For caramel, combine sugar and water in a medium sauce pan and stir over heat, I use medium low heat, without boiling until sugar dissolves. Brush the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to remove ant undissolved sugar crystals. Bring to boil, uncovered, without stirring until mixture is deep caramel colour. Remove from heat, let bubbles dissappear and pour into remekins/mold(any shape you like but should be deep)
3. Combine cream and milk in a medium sauce pan (it's OK to use the same saucepan that yo used for caramel). Bring to boil and set aside to cool.
4. At the mean time, whisk eggs, vanilla extract and sugar in a large bowl. 
5. Then, whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Pour a little of the milk mixture in first so that the egg mixture does not suffered from sudden change of tempreture. 
6. Strain mixture through sieve into the remekins/mold.
7. Place the remekins/mold in a baking dish; add enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the remekins/mold. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the tester or skewer use comes out clean.
8. Remove from baking dish and cool before cover them with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.
9. When it's time to eat, slide the knife around the side of the ramekins/mould or you can use your finger to gently ease creme caramel away from side of pan. Place serving plate on top of the creme caramel, then quickly inver... and taa daaa !!!!!

Spoon from left

Spoon from right

and.... there goes a slice... and check out the glossy top.....

 TIPS:

• Instead of using 1 cup milk and 1 cup thickened cream, you can use 2 cup milk (full-cream)
• No caster sugar? Just use ordinary white sugar
• Be very careful during caramelised process because it sugar get burn very quickly once it start to brown.
• Be very careful when you boiling the milk and cream mixture because they could easily overflow.
• Why refrigerating overnight? to let to caramel/toffee break and liquefies so you will get a least 95% of the caramel.toffee out when serving.
• If the caramel turn solid, pop in the microwave for 10 seconds

Coca - Cola Chicken (Version 2)

I made Coca-Cola chicken before. It was a delicious yet simple recipe. If you don't like stir frying and oil then the first version  suits you better. I personally prefer the 2nd version of Coca-Cola Chicken. Maybe because of the chillies that are added to it. So, here's the second version.

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken thigh fillet, cut to bite size
• 1 cup Coca-cola
• 1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 inch piece ginger, slice
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 brown onion, slice (ring)
• 3 dried chilli (optional)
• 1 tbsp thicken caramelised sauce (if you don't have any then use dark soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
• Salt  to taste

Method:

1. Marinate chicken in coke for at least an hour.
2. Heat up oil and saute ginger, garlic, onion and dried chilli until fragrant.
3. Add in chicken pieces (only the chicken but reserve the Coca-Cola for later use). Stir fry until slightly brown on medium high heat.
4. Add in the previously reserved coke, caramelised dark sauce and soy sauce. Mix well. Reduce the heat to medium low heat and cook.simmer until the sauce thicken.
5. Adjust the taste. Add in sugar and salt as needed.
6. Serve hot.

Stir fry Garlic Sprout with Beef

Garlic sprout is a young green plant you get from a garlic bulb when you plant it in the ground. It is a popular ingredient in chinese and japanese cooking. The taste is garlicky but milder than the bulb that they have the unique sweetness to it. Their crucncy texture survive a fair amount of cooking time. Garlic sprout is available in any asian grocery.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch garlic sprout, cut about 1 inch long
• 100g beef, slice in stripes
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp oil for marinate
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp oil for cooking
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chop
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp chinese wine
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Method:

1. Marinate beef with soy sauce, 1 tsp oil and cornstarch.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil, saute garlic until fragrant and add in beef. Stir fry until meat surface change colour. 
3. Add garlic sprout, keep stirring for about 5 minutes. Mix in oyster sauce, wine and sugar.
4. Stir fry briefly until liquid evaporates. 
5. Serve hot.

TIPS:

• You can change the beef to pork or chicken

Empress Chicken (Gui Fei Chicken)

Story time: Empress chicken or better known as gui fei chicken is one of the four 'sexiest' chinese dishes. It is name after one of the four famous chinese beauty Concubine Yang Guifei or Drunken beauty. The finished dish carries a strong smell of wine, delicious and intoxicating. 

There are a lot of version of empress chicken and I have no idea which one is the original recipe. However, I decided to choose this one because I have all the ingredients in my pantry.. so I guess that explains it all :)

Ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken wings (I bought winglette. If you are using the whole wings cut each wings at the joint and keep the tips for chicken stock)
• 3 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 1/2tbsp chinese wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 cloves star anise
• 10 dried chinese mushroom, soak for 20 minutes in hot water , remove stem, cut top to half
• 1 stalk spring onion, cut about 1 inch long
• 1 piece ginger root, about 1 inch slice
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 - 1 cup chicken stock (I don't have any chicken stock so I use water for mushroom soak)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water

Method:

1. Prepare wings. 
2. Marinate with dark soy sauce, wine, salt, pepper, sugar and star anise. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in large saucepan or wok over medium heat. Add ginger, stir fry until fragrant, then, add in chicken wings. Stir fry for 30 seconds to brown/ seal .
4. Add in marinate and stir to coat the wings.
5. Add spring onion and mushroom and stir fry for further 2 minutes. 
6. Pour in water from mushroom soak or chicken stock. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Constantly check the liquid so that it doesn't dries up.
7. Remove chicken wings and mushroom to serving plate and thicken the sauce with cornstarch mixture, then, pour the sauce over the chicken and mushroom.

Strongbow Sponge Cupcake with Apple and Rose Cream

CookBook Challenge - Week 40

Just in case you have not known Strongbow is a genuine apple cider beer. I used the original version of strongbow and it contain 5% of alcohol.

Make about 11 medium sized cupcakes.

Strongbow Cupcake

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/8 cup self raising flour, sifted
• 1/4 tsp baking soda OR 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup strongbow
• 1 tsp rosewater essence

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 180 degree celcius and place cupcake cup in the baking pan.
2. Whisk 4 eggs and caster sugar until fluffy and light over high speed,
3. Sift self raising flour and baking soda. Add in egg mixture in 2 batches. Stir and mix well as you go.
4. Add strongbow and rosawater essence. Mix well. 
5. Pour mixture into cupcake cases and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the tester comes out clean. 

Apple and Rose Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 cup thickened cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp rose essence
• 2 tbsp apple cider

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredient together and whip until it reaches soft peaks form.

TIPS:

• Cold mixing bowl and whisk make iteasier to whipped the cream . Pop mixing bowl and hand whisk in the refrigerator or freezer for 15 minutes or until very cold.

Pear Galettes with Honey Whipped Cream

Galettes is a general term use in French to designate various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cake. It is also known as french crepes with savoury or sweet filling.

Pear Galettes

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet ready rolled frozen puff pastry, thawed and quartered
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash) 
• 1 Bocs pear, quartered, cored, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (optional)
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• icing sugar (to dust)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven at 200 degree celcius.
2. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Place quartered pastry on tray sprinkle evenly with cornflour and brown sugar. 
3. Roll edges in on 2 sides to form a 1.5cm border and brush edges with egg.
4. Arrange the pear slightly overlapping and top with berries over the pastry. Brush the pear slices and berries with melted butter and sprinkle caster sugar on galette.
5. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until pastry is puffed, golden and juice are bubbling. 
6. Dust with icing sugar and serve with honey whipped cream.

All done.. waiting for cream

Honey Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy/thicken cream
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Beat heacy cream until thickened.
2. Add honey and vanilla extract.
3. Continue beating until it reaches the consistency you that desire or until soft form peak.

With cream... yummy...

TIPS:

• You may use any other pear or other fruits which is suitable for baking
• Feel free to use fresh berries

Chicken in Milk

CookBook Challenge - Week 39

I am contemplating whether to put this pic or not.. what do you think?

I took this recipe from Jamie Oliver. I watched this on some channels awhile ago. So, since the week 39 (yes, I know. I am late) themed for Cook Book Challenge was TV Chef, I thought I may give this a try. I tried to search the recipe online and found it. However, it is kinda different from the one on TV. So, I thought I should adopt the best of both side. I did change some of the steps here to suit the utensils and equipment I have and of course my taste. The recipe calls for whole chicken but I decided to butterly the chicken instead in order to avoid soggy bottom and to get more crispy surface and since I could not get any sage leaves I substitute with mix dried herbs. I added some lemon juice too.

Here's the link to the original recipe by Jamie Oliver.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg)
• Sea salt / Salt
• Ground black pepper
• 115g or half a pack of butter
• vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 565ml milk
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 bulb garlic (only remove the papery skin and leave the remaining skin on)
• a quarter of lemon juice

Methods:

1. First of all, preheat oven at 190 degree celcius.
2. Butterfly the chicken. For instruction please read below.
3. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
4. Fry chicken in butter and little of vegetable oil or olive oil. Skin side down first. Turning the chicken to get even colour all over, until golden. 
5. Remove from heat, put the chicken on a plate and throw away butter and oil in the pan. 
6. Put back the chicken in the pan (skin side up) and return to heat. Add remaining ingredients; cinnamon stick, dried herbs, milk, lemon zest and garlic. Bring to boil, remember to scrap the sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan, then transfer to baking dish still skin side up, cover with wet baking/wax paper and pop into preheated oven.Of course, you can save trouble of tranferring to baking dish if you have pot/pan which is oven proof.
7. Cover and cook for 45- 60 minutes. Then, remove the cover, add in lemon juice and cook for further 15 minutes until the sauce thicken. 

Butterfly, season and fry

HOW TO BUTTERFLY CHICKEN

1. Place chicken on chopping board, breast side down.
2. Remove backbone using scissors. Use the tail of the chicken as handle to cut one side of the back then another side of the back. Stay as close to the back bone as you can.
3. Open up the chicken and lay it flat.
4. Slice through the thin membrane covering the keel bone or also known as breast bone. 
5. Place finger underneath the keel bone to remove bone. Remove cartilage that holding the bone. 

Watch this Video for demostration.

TIPS:

• Why wet baking/wax paper? Keep the chicken crispy and golden without drying out.
• Remember to baste the chicken with cooking juice every now and then.

Five Spice Chicken Kebab

CookBook Challenge - Week 38

Five Spice Powder or better known as Chinese Five Spice Powder is related to 5 elements theory. It's the mixture 5 spices namely szechuan peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and fennel. This 5 spices bring the taste of sweet, sour, pungent, bitter and salty.

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken thigh, trimmed and slice to about 1 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 tbsp five spice powder
• 1 tbsp brown sugar plus 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2  tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil 
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (put less if you don't like chilli)
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil plus some to grease grilling pan 
• a handful of cherry tomatoes, rince and drained
• 1 brown onion, quartered then half (triangle shape)
• 1 Zucchini, halves lenghtwise and slice 1cm thick
• a handful of cup mushroom, damp wipe the mushroom and cut to half

Methods:-

1. Mix the 5 spice powder, 1 tbsp brown sugar, garlic and salt in a small bowl. In another bowl mix 1 tsp brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and cayenne pepper.
2. In a large bowl, add in chicken strips, drizzle 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil and sprinkle spice mixture. Toss and mixed thoroughly. Marinade for 30 minutes.
3. Position the grilling  rack to the highest level (nearest to element). Heat up oven grill at high. 
4. In the meantime, thread chicken, cherry tomatoes, onion, zucchini and mushroom (in any order you like) on to skewer.
5. Grease hot grilling pan before you grill the chicken skewer. Lower down the heat to medium after you put the chicken skewers on.  Turning the skewer after 10 minutes of so when the dark grill form. Grill the chicken skewer both side for 10 minutes, then glaze both size with soy mixture. Grill a little while for the soy mixture to set.
6.  Move the cooked skewer to serving dish, drizzle with remaining soy mixture(if there's any) and sprinkle with chopped coriander. Let rest for 5 minutes turning once or twice and serve warm. 

TIPS:

• Soak skewer in water for about 20 minutes before threading.

Caramelized Orange Upside-Down Cake

Presentation: This is a one pretty cake. No worries on glazing or frosting or decor.
Taste: pleasant and fresh due to the caramel and orangy flavour.

Ingredients:-

Caramelized Orange Topping

• 2 oranges,  thinnly sliced crosswise
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

For the Cake 

• 150g butter, softened
• 3/4 - 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs, room tempreture
• 1 cup self raising
• 1/4 cup cornflour
• 1/4 cup orange juice

Instructions:-

1. To make caramelised orange topping: Rinse 2 oranges. Cut off and discard ends. then cut crosswise into thin slices. Place sugar and water in frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the oranges and simmer until liquid is almost gone and oranges are slightly caramelised. This will take about 10 - 15 minutes. Transfer to round baking pan, slightly overlap orange slices in concentric circle over syrup and chill until thickened.
2. Preheat oven at 180 degree celcius.
3. In the mean time, prepare the cake batter. Cream butter and sugar until its light and fluffy. Start beating on low speed the gradually increase the speed. Once the butter mixture is light and fluffy, add in egg one at a time. Beat until smooth. Then,  stir in corn flour and half of self raising flour until just incorporated. Stir in orange juice then remaining self raising flour until just incorporated. Carefully scrape batter over orange slices in baking pan and spread level. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cooked when tested with skewer. Remove from oven and let it stand for 5 minutes. 
4. Run thin knife between pan sides and cake (this step may not be necessary because chances are the cake may pull away from pan side when its cook). Hold a flat plate over baking pan and invert to release cake.
5. Serve warm or cold.

Tips:-

• Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream
• Preheat oven for at least 15 minutes before you put in cake batter. It will help your cake to rise further.

Drunken Chicken (Hot version)

Sounds difficult ??? No. It is not difficult at all. Drunken chicken comes in 2 versions. As a cold and hot dish. This recipe is a hot drunken chicken dish.

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken, cut into pieces
• about 1x1 inch ginger, thinly slice (if you are a big fan of ginger, add more)
• 1 clove garlic, pressed and roughly chopped
• 2-3 stalks spring onion, cut into 1.5 inch, separate the white and green part
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 cup chinese cooking wine
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt

Instructions:

1. Heat up sesame oil in pan/wok at medium heat. Add in ginger, garlic and white part of spring onion. Saute until fragrant.
2. Add in green parts of spring onion and chicken pieces, stir fry until chicken is slighly browned. Then, add in wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Mix well, cover with lid and simmer until chicken is cooked and the gravy is thickened. This will take about 15 - 25 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
3. Add some salt if it is not salty enough.
4. Serve hot.

Longan Pork Ribs

I actually quite surprise that some of my friends don't know what Longan is. I guess probably we all call it differently. Longan is call mata kucing in malay and kelengkeng in indonesia. I can't write in chinese therefore there is no way I could name them in chinese. While literally, the direct translation from chinese is 'dragon eye'. Longan is sweet, juicy and succulent. It is often use in East Asian soup, desserts either fresh, dried or in canned syrup.

Ingredients:-

• 500g pork ribs
• 1 canned longan, drain and reserve syrup in a pot/saucepan
• 2 cloves garlic, remove skin and pressed
• 2 dried chillies
• 3/4 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp thick and dark soy sauce (Thick Caramel Sauce)-available at asian grocery
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• some sugar (I added 1/2 tsp)

So, now what do you do the ingredients? this is really easy...

1. Add garlic, dried chillies, vinegar, thick caramel sauce and soy sauce into the pot/saucepan which you reserved syrup from canned longan earlier on. Stir and mix well. Then, add in pork ribs. Make sure all ribs are covered by the liquid.
2. Bring all the ingredient above to boil, then lower the heat and simmer with lid on. This will take about 30 - 40 minutes or until meat is tender.
3. Once the meat is tender, keep at the simmering mode but remove the cover. This will take about 10 minutes or so or until the sauce is thicken.
4. Taste. Add in sugar and soy sauce to suit you taste.
5. Finally, mix in longan and cook for 1-2 minutes. 
6. And then... taa-daaaa .... serve hot.

......This recipe is on its way to Week 97-PORK of Blogger Secret Ingredient...

Roast Pork Belly and Hoisin Dip

This is my first time making roast pork and it turns out really delicious. The crackling did not turn out as beautiful as I wanted but oh well, i should try cooking this again. The ingredients is really simple and I decided to make hoisin dip to accompany this roast pork. I bought my pork belly from Safeway. So, it prepack and it doesn't come in a slab.The size of the pork belly ? Exactly like the one in picture.

Ingredients:-


Roast Pork

• about 600g pork belly, score the skin (diamond shape)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp rock/sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic, remove skin and smashed

1.  Clean pork belly and pour hot boiling water over pork belly skin (in metal colander). Pat dry with kitchen towel.
2. Preheat oven to 200 degree celcius. In a large mixing bowl, mix olive oil, fine salt and garlic together. Rub the olive oil mixture into the flesh and rub sea salt into the skin and groves cut.
3. Place pork belly on a rack with tray underneath the catch the dripping oil. Roast for 15 minutes and reduce the tempreture to 180 degree celcius. Roast further 30 - 40 minutes or until the meat is cook as desire.
4. Then, you can put on grill and put the pork belly under it to crisp the crackling OR you may remove the pork belly and fry the pork belly skin downward and without oil on medium heat till the skin turn crispy OR simply continue roasting until the skin turn crispy.
5. Rest for 10 minutes and slice to bite size as for my case I don't even bother to slice them.

Hoisin Dip

• 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 gloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• a few drop sesame 
• salt to taste

1. Heat oil in a wok /pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and stir fry until fragrant. Turn heat down to medium and add in hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, water, sesame oil and salt to taste. 
2. Heat through remove from stove and serve. 

TIPS:

• Why pour hot boiling water over pork belly skin? So that the scored skin will pull apart, encouraging fantastic crackling and easier to rubsea salt over and into the skin
• Hoisin sauce: cool, store in seal container and refrigerate

Easy Steam Chicken

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken (I use drumsticks) 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 slices ginger
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp chinese cooking wine / sherry (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Methods:

1. Place chicken in a bowl and add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, wine, salt and pepper to taste. Marinate for about 30 minutes.
2. Then, steam in rapid boiling water for 20 - 25 minutes or until the chicken is cook. 
3. Garnish with some coriander or green onions.

TIPS:

• Add some water into the bowl of chicken if you like soupy dish

Stir Fry Tomato and Egg

Simple, delicious, appetizing and quick to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• 4 Eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Tomato paste or 1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp oil

Methods:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan or wok. When the oil is hot, add eggs and scramble. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same pan or wok, heat remaining oil, add the tomoatoes. Then sprinkle salt, pepper, sugar and tomato paste or ketchup. Stir fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
3. Add scramble eggs to the tomatoes, toss everything together for 30 seconds.
4. Remove and serve hot.

Egg

Sweet Banana with Tapioca Pearl

This is the traditional home make dessert. It can be serve warm or chilled and guess what, it is a very easy dessert to make.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon tapioca pearl or known as sago
• 2 cups water
• 1 pandan leaf or 1-2 drop of pandan extract/essence
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar or plam sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk or milk
• 1 large banana, sliced about 1cm thick

Method:

1. Rinse and drain tapioca pearl. Then, boil the tapioca flour in medium size saucepan with 2 cups water. Add in salt and pandan leaf/extract/essence. Let the tapioca simmer until it is tranparents. Constantly stir so that it doesn't stick at the bottom of pan.
2. Once its transparent which may take about 15 minutes, add sugar and stir until dissolve.
3. Add in slice banana and add coconut mik little by little. Let simmer for 10 minutes or until the banana soft. 
4. Adjust sweetness and serve.

Pork Cutlet with Rocket and Parmesan Mash

CookBook Challenge - Week 37

This dish is high in protein and quick and easy to cook.

Ingredients:


Rocket and parmesan mash

• 800g potatoes
• 40g butter
• about 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
• 70g baby rocket
• 1/2 cup parmesan, grated
• 1 tsp lemon rind, grated (optional)

 Pork and gravy

• 4 pork cutlet
• 1- 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp flour
• 10g butter
• 3/4 cup water
• a generous dash of Worcestershire sauce

• salt and pepper to taste

Methods:

1. Marinate cutlet with some salt, pepper and olive oil.
2. Rocket and Parmesan Mash: Place potato in a large sauce pan with cold salted water. Bring to boil for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash. Add butter and milk and mash well. Add rocket, parmesan and lemon rind (if you use any). Season to taste and stir until combine. Set aside and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in large frying pan on medium high. Cook pork cutler for 4 - 5 minutes each side or cooked until as desired. Serve with rocket and parmesan mash.
4. In the same frying pan, add in water, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to simmer and stir in flour. Stir until the flour dissolve and simmer for 20 seconds. Serve with the pork cutlet, rocket and parmesan mash.

TIPS:

• You may substitute pork with beef, chicken or lamb
• Sprinkle some cayenne pepper or chili flakes on the cutlet if you like slightly spicy dish

Banana Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Very uneven coat.. but its my first time doing coating...

How bana-choco-licious is this... hahahaha..... i love both bananas and chocolates.. so that's how this recipe makes its way to this blog....

 For Banana Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (150g) self raising flour
• 1/4 cup (35g) cornflour
• 1/4 cup (25g) Cocoa powder, I use drinking cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 125g butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup + 1/2 tbsp milk
• 2 medium ripe banana, mashed

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 180 degree celcius (160 fan forced). Grease a deep 20cm round cake pan and line base with baking paper.
2. Place the self raising flour, cornflour, cocoa powder, eggs, butter, vanilla extract and milk into a mixing bowl. Beat on slow speed until all ingredients are combine then beat on medium speed for 4 minutes or until the mixture turns pale. 
3. Mix in mashed banana and mix well.
4. Spread the mixture onto prepared pan. Bake fort 40 minutes or until cooked when tested. (Skewer comes out clean). Turn onto a wire rack, top side up to cool.
5.  Split cake into half and join with banana-chocolate ganache (recipe below). Then top /cover/glaze wth chocolate ganache (recipe below).

For Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:-

• 375 g milk chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup thickened cream

• 1 medium size banana, roughly diced if you want to mix it in chocolate ganache alternatively you can sliced the banana and put on top of ganache after you spread them

Methods:-

1. Place chopped milk chocolate in a large bowl.
2. Heat heavy cream on medium high heat until boil. 
3. Remove from heat and immediately pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy.
4. Remove 1/3 of chocolate ganache away from large bowl, mix with diced banana and refrigerate it so that it will could reach spreadable (thicker)consistency for the fillings.
5. Leave remaining chocolate ganache at room tempreture for it to cool before pouring over cake. 

Consistency for coating

Spreadable consistensy

TIPS:

• Best for pouring/glaze/cover the cake: chocolate ganache should be at barely warm state.
• 375g chocolate = abt 390ml
• Want to know more about Ganache? CLICK HERE

Braised Pork Belly with Salted Fish and Tofu

This is a beautiful dish. The pork belly and tofu just melt in your mouth. I get this recipe from Lily's Wai Sek Hong and added some of my own touch. You should try this too.

Ingredients:-

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 400g pork belly, cut 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/4 salted mackerel fish (any type of salted fish will do), cut to smaller pieces
• 2 shallots or 1 french shallot, finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1/2 cup chinese cooking wine
• 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• pepper
• 2 cup water
• 1 box firm tofu, cut into 12 pieces
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Let's start cooking:

1. Using a wok or pan, heat up oil and fry salted fish until fragrent or light brown. Set aside.
2. In the same wok, at medium high heat, add in shallots, fry for a few seconds before you stir in garlic. Fry until fragrant and light brown. Constantly stir them aroound because you don't want them to get burn too quickly.
3. Now, add in pork belly, mix well and pour in wine. Stir well and cook until the wine reduced.
4. Then, add in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and pepper. Mix well before you pour in water. Reduce heat and simmer pork belly for 30-45 minutes with lids on. Check constantly and pour in more liquid if it dries up before the pork belly tenders.
5. Add in tofu, fried salted fish and sesame oil. Try to soak tofu in gravy as much as possible. Simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes still with lids on. Turn off heat and let it rest for another 5 minutes or more so that the tofu can soak up the taste.
6. Then, serves hot.

Ganache (All about, well, almost all)

Let's start with the meaning of Ganache.  Ganache is a smooth mixture of thickened cream and chocolate. You can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate.Dark chocolate gives superb colour and rich flavour. Butter that is added into the chocoloate mixture will result in shinier glaze. The taste and quality of ganache is very much dependant on the chocolate you use. It is also possible to add liquor, liqueur, gourmet flovouring oil, fresh or canned fruit puree, frozen fruits concentrate and nut butter .

The word 'Ganache' sounds really scary. It give me this impression that it is a very complicated stuff. I even came across a forum saying that amateur baker shouldn't try making ganache. Emmm.... Well, after all the research and experiment, I could summarize Ganache in 3 words... 'thickened/heavy cream, chocolate and tempreture'.

Room tempreture maybe vary depending to where you are and season. If you are in warm climate or season, your room tempreture maybe higher, which means, if you keep your ganache in room tempreture it takes longer time to cool off or thicken. So putting in refrigerator or soak you ganache bowl in a bucket of ice maybe a great option to let it reach or stay at the consistency you wanted. Vice versa, if you are at the colder climate or season, your room tempreture maybe be lower, therefore, your ganache may reach colder or thicker consistency at faster rate. Of course you can refrigerate them too if you want. If you want to maintain your ganache consistency in coller climate you may sit the ganache bowl on a small saucepan half full of simmering water or hot water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.

To make ganache, hot cream is pour over chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. The rule of thumb to make ganache is an equal proportion of thickened cream and chocolate.However, the proportion of chocolate and cream very much is depending on its use.

Uses of Ganache:

1. Glaze or coat: one part cream & two parts chocolate; pour liquid ganache over cake when it is barely warm because at this point the ganache will not be too runny or too thick, if you want harder glazing/coating you should have higher chocolate ratio to cream
2. Filling: one part cream & one part chocolate; pop in refrigerator for 25 to 30 minutes to get spreading consistency/ thicken before spreading it over the cake. For fluffier consistency whipped them just like how you whipped whip cream.
3. Fluffy Frosting: one part cream & one part chocolate; refrigerated until thicken, ganache is ready for frosting or whipped when you are able to spoon the ganache and the texture hold, whipped just like how you whipped whip cream for fluffier texture and pipe it.
4. Decorative Piping: one part cream & one part chocolate; refrigerated until thicken or until when you are able to spoon the ganache and the texture holds, dark smooth piping mixture good for piping words or outlines on the cake.
5. Truffles: one part cream & two parts chocolate (less cream more chocolate harder texture); refrigerated until well thicken. Make make it into small balls.
6. Chocolate mousse: two parts cream & one part chocolate (more cream less chocolate for lighter texture)
7. Chocolates sauce for ice cream: cool until it is pourable or at the consistency you like
8. Dips for fruits 
9. Hot chocolate: Heat up milk and add as much ganache as you like
10. Toppings/Spread for pancakes, muffins, bread

How to cover/glaze/ frost cake with ganache:-

Brush any loose crumb from cake, place cake on wire rack and pace wire rack on baking sheet or large plates for easy cleaning purposes. Then, we should crumb coat the cake in order to got smooth finished. Use about 3 tablesppon of ganache to cover the the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to set the crumb coat. To cover cake, pour remaining ganache or enough ganache on the centre of the cake and work outward quickly.

Updated 26/08/10:  Dip spatula in hot water to clean off any crumbs or acumulation of frosting. Warmed spatula can also smooth and even out frosting.

How to make truffle:-

Form the well chilled ganache into small ball using hand or melon baller and rolled into cocoa powder. Place on baking paper to cool and solidify. Store in refrigerator but serve at room tempreture

How to make chocolate mousse:-

Spoon ganache into serving dish and refrigerate or whip the ganache until fluffy for light mousse texture before spooning into serving dish and chill

Let's add some twist to ganache!!!!

The following 'added' flavouring measurement is according to 2 cups thicken cream recipe

Adding liquor or liqueur
add 1/4 cup liquor or liqueur  = reduce thicken cream by 1/4 cup therefore its 1 3/4 cup thickened cream

Adding gourmet flovouring oil
Add a few drop and follow ther recipe measurement as it is

Adding fresh or canned fruits puree
if add 1/2 cup of puree = reduce thicken cream by 1/2 cup therefore its 1 1/2 cup thickened cream

Adding frozen fruit concentrate
if add 1/4 cup of concentrate  = reduce thicken cream by 1/4 cup therefore its 1 3/4 cup of thicken cream

Adding nut butter
Add 1/2 cup and follow the recipe measurement

A Big NO-NO:

• Never put them in freezer before whipping because it will comes out curdly
• Do not over whipped ganache or else it will be chocolate butter 
• If you decided to put chocolate bar in double boiler as well make sure the stainless steel bowl doesn't touch the simmering water because it will make the tempreture in the stainless steel bowl to high for chocolate thus 'spoilt' the chocolate i.e the chocolate will curdle/lumpy.

KEY POINTS:

• The coller it is the thicker the ganache and vice versa
• Fluffiness: Cool and thicken. Beat / Whipped = Lighter in colour and may increses the volume
• In warm wheather: keep ganache coated, frosted or fillied cake in refrigerator
• Less cream More chocolate = Harder ganache
• Lees chocolate More cream = Lighter ganache

 I hope this information is sufficient to ease your curiosity and difficulty in tackling ganache. Feel free to leave comments and/or additional information that I left out :)

Chorizo and Tomato Salad

CookBook Challenge Week-35

Ingredients:

• 1 raw chorizo sausage, sliced
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 french shallot / 2 shallots, finely slice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely slice
• Juice of 1 lemon
• salt and black pepper
• Olive oil

Method:-

1. Fry the sliced chorizo in a pan over a medium heat with a tbsp of olive oil. Stir them occasionally.
2. At the mean time, prepare tomatoes and shallot. Put them in a bowl with a good pinch of salt and pepper, a tbsp of olive oil and half of lemon juice. Toss everything together.
3. By now, your chorizo should be getting crispy, with lots of fat cooking out from it. Add garlic to the pan, stir occasionally. As soon as the garlic fragrant, remove from heat and splash lemon juice to stop the cooking. Stir.
4. Spoon chorizo, oil and garlic over tomatoes and shallot. Toss the salad and serve

TIPS:

• IF there is still leftover fat in the pan, store it in the jar and chill. Use it to rub over chicken before roasting... yummy...

Coca - Cola Chicken (Version 1)

Ingredients:-

• 500g chicken wings
• 2 - 3 cups Coke
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (I use half light soy sauce and half dark soy sauce for the colour)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and with skin
• a dash of five spice powder (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp cornflour with 1 tsp water
• sugar (if needed)

Methods:-

1. Pour coke and soy sauce in a pot. Add in garlic, a dash of salt and chicken wings. Bring the liquid to boil and simmer for 30 minutes with lids on.
2. Remove the chicken wings to a plate. Increase the heat of the pot to bring the liquid to a slow boil. Add in pepper, five spice powder and adjust seasoning.Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
3. Mix in cornflour mixture, simmer until the sauce is thicken.
4. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken wings and serve.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

CookBook Challenge Week - 35

Ingredients:

• 6 drumsticks or any parts of chicken, shallow slit on meat
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1/2 head of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms(champignon or cup mushroom), thickly sliced 
• 1 1/2 cup water
• Generous pinch of Turmeric / Saffron
• Juice and Zest of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 200 degree celcius.
2. Lighly coat chicken with flour. Heat oil over medium heat and browned chicken on all sides. 
3. Season and place in baking dish or shallow casserole.
4. In the same pan or wok at medium heat, saute garlic and mushroom, stir occasionally for 5 minute. Then, add in water, lemon zest and turmeric powder. Bring to boil and simmer for 3 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and mix in lemon juice. Then pour the mixture over chicken, cover and place in oven. Cook for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cook.

Stew Pork Belly with Salted Fish

I included couples of chicken feet in this dish and it tasted really good. However, chicken feet is not an essential ingredient in this dish so you can leave them out. 

Ingredients:-

• 300g pork belly, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/4 mackerel salted fish, cut into smaller pieces
• 1 inch ginger, slice
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (I used dark soy sauce)
• 1 - 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp chinese cooking wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• a generous pinch of sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooking oil

Method:-

1. Heat wok with 1 1/2 tbsp of oil at medium low heat and fry the salted fish. Fry until it turns light brown and crispy. Set aside.
2. In the same wok, at medium high heat, add in ginger, garlic and shallots. Fry until fragrant. Constantly stir them around because we don't want them to turn brown too quickly.
3. Add in pork belly and saute until browned. Then, add in oyster sauce, soy sauce and water. Mix them well and covered and turn the heat to low. Simmer with lids on until pork belly are tender. Check it from time to time and stir. If the water dries up before the pork belly reaches the tenderness you desire add in more water.
4. Once the pork belly is tender, add in salted fish that you fried earlier, cooking wine, sesame oil, a dash of pepper and sugar. Mix well and simmer until the sauce is thickened.
5. Adjust the seasoning again before serving.

TIPS:-

• Feel free to substitute the pork with chicken

Potato and Tuna Fish Cake with Tangy Dip

CookBook Challenge Week -32

 

Potato and Tuna Fish Cake

Ingredients:-

• 600g potatoes, peel, boiled until tender, drain, mash and cool
• 1 tbsp olive oil or any cooking oil
• 1 large brown onion, chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 - 3 (95g) cans Tuna, drained
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for shallow fry

Methods:-

1. Peel potatoes, boil until tender, drain, mash and cool.
2. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with oil and add the chopped onion. Cook for 2 minutes or until translucent.
3. Add translucent onion into cool mashed potatoes, along with egg, tuna and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold through all the ingredients well. Divide the mixture into even sized patties about 10cm diameter each. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 
4. Coat the patties lightly with plain flour before frying.
5. Add enough oil in wok or frying pan about 1 cm depth over medium heat to fry the patties. Add patties and cook for 3 to 5 minutes each side or until golden brown. 
6. Serve hot.

Tangy Dip - accompanied for the above recipe

Ingredients:-

• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 - 2 tsp sugar
• 1 french shallot / 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 - 3 stalk fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 large red chilli or several bird's eyes chillies, finely sliced
• Juice of half lemon

Methods:-

1. Combine all the ingredient together, mix well and serve. (Adjust quantity of any of the ingredients to suit your taste).

Orange Cake with Marmalade Cream

Ingredients:-

Cake Mixture:

• 1 cup (150g) self raising flour
• 1/4 cup (35g) cornflour
• 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 125g butter, soften
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1-2 tsp orange rind (grated)

Breakfast Marmalade Cream

• 150ml thickened cream
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2/3 cup Breakfast Marmalade Jam

Methods:-

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius (160 degree celcius fan forced). Grease a deep, 20 cm cake pan; line base with baking paper.
2. Place flour, cornflour, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla essence and orange juice into a large mixing bowl. Use electric mixer to beat on slow speed untill all ingredients combine , then beat on medium speed for 4 minutes.
3. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until the tester comes out clean when insert into centre of the cake. 
4. Turn onto a wire rack, topside-up, to cool.
5. For the cream: beat thickened cream with electirc mixer until soft peak form. Mix in breakfast marmalade jam evenly. Split cake in half and join them with breakfast marmalade cream. 

TIPS:-

• Allow it to set before cut it to serve. If not it will get messy just like the picture above
• Dust top with sifted icing sugar or beat more crean with icing sugar and put them on top the cake
• You can prepare the cake one day ahead: remember to cool completely, chilled and wrapped well in plastic wrap

Nestum Cereal Prawn

CookBook Challenge Week - 33

Ingredients:-

• 500g prawn (trim head and deveined, while keeping the shell intact)
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 cup Nestum Cereal (available at asian grocery) - you may lightly toast them without oil
• 1 - 2 tsp sugar (I use caster sugar, you may use brown sugar too)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 large chilli, finely chopped (You may use more than 1 or use bird's chillies)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Some curry leaves
• Oil (enough to fry the prawns)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Methods:-

1. Clean and trim prawn. Sprinkle with prawn with cornflour, salt and pepper. Coat well and leave aside for awhile.
2. At the mean time, chop chilli and garlic, also, mix toasted nestum cereal with sugar in a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat up amount of oil enough and lightly fry the prawn and drain.
4. In a clean wok or pan, over low heat, add in butter. Once it is melted, fry garlic, curry leaves and chili till fragrant or until the leaves soften.
5. Add in prawns, season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
6. Remove the wok or pan from heat, add in nestum mixture and coat well the prawn quickly. Adjust taste before serve.
7. Serve hot with rice.

TIPS:

• Amount of salt, pepper, chilli and sugar is depending on your likeness.
• Use at least medium size prawn and make sure the prawn is fresh.
• Make sure the oil is hot when you fry the prawns so that the shell is crispy
• If you are using instant nestum pack, dont worry about adding sugar because usually there are added sugar in instant nestum.