Thursday, December 4, 2014

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 50g sugar
  • 50g corn oil
  • 70g green milk or pandan liquid (10 pieces of green pandan leaves rinse thoroughly and drain, chop roughly 75g undiluted fresh coconut milk or water lend with chopped pandan leave, filter it to yield 70g green milk or pandan liquid; discard pandan pulp)
  • 100g cake flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder shift with cake flour
  • 5 egg whites
  • 50g sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Method
  1. Preheat oven to 200'c
  2. Whisk egg yolks and 50g sugar til thick and pale
  3. Add corn oil, green milk, Whisk till evenly mixed
  4. Re-shift sifted cake flour and baking power. Whisk till just evenly and set aside
  5. Whisk egg whites till thick. Gradually add 50g sugar and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar whilst continuing to whisk. Keep whisking till egg whites just reach firm peak stage
  6. Add egg whites to yolk mixture in 3 batched, mixing till almost ever after each batch. Scrape down thoroughly. Fold till just evenly mixed. Bang mixing bowl against worktop 3-4 times to get rid of big air bubbles.  
  7. Fill moulds with batter and bake till cakes 160-170'c about 45 minutes.
  8. Remove cake from oven. Invert and rest cake elevated from worktop. Leave till cool. Unmould by cutting cake out of pan. Slice and serve.

Pandan Chicken


Ingredients
  • 450g chicken chops (cut it to small pieces)
  • A bunch of pandan leaves for wrapping
  • Toothpicks 
  • Oil for deep frying
Marinade Ingredients

  1. 1 tbsp soya sauce
  2. 1 tsp five-spice powder
  3. 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
  4. 1 tbsp ginger juice
  5. 60g shallots, smack with the sides of a cleaver
  6. 1/2 tsp salt
  7. 1 1/2 tsp sugar
Methods:
  1. Clean the chicken dry them well and give it a few pricks with a fork. Marinate the chicken with all the seasonings above for at least 2 hours or more.
  2. Put a piece of the chicken towards the end of the pandan leave and roll it up tightly.
  3. Hold tight with a tooth pick.
  4. Deep fry until the golden brown.
  5. Dish out and serve hot.

Deep Fried Prawn Fritters

Batter:

  • 300g self-raising flour (sifted)
  • 3 eggs
  • 350ml water
  • 2 tsp turmeric (kunyit) powder
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chicken stock granules 
A:

  • 200g prawn meat (diced)
  • 1/2 carrot (shredded finely)
  • 1 big onion (chopped)
  • 100g bean sprouts (tailed)
  • 2 stalks spring onion (chopped)
B:

  • some whole prawns (as decoration)
  • 5 cups oil for deep-frying
Method:

  1. Batter: Mix all the ingredients in one direction until smooth and free from lumps. Add A and stir until well combined
  2. Heat up oil for deep-frying, dip ladle in the hot oil fro 1 minutes to heat up
  3. Spoon batter ino the ladle until full and arrange one prawn on top as decoration
  4. Dip ladle into the hot oil and deep-fry until the batter can leave the ladle, continue to fry until golden brown. Dish and drain
  5. Serve hot with chili sauce

Dragon Fruit Agar Agar Mooncake

Ingredient (12 jelly mooncakes) :

For inner filling,
(A)
  • 200g Dragon fruit 
  • 250ml Water 
  • 60g Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Agar-agar powder 
  • 1 teaspoon instant Jelly powder

(B)
  • 200mlCoconut milk

For mooncake skin,
  • 300g Dragon fruit 
  • 750ml Water
  • 110g Sugar
  • 3 tablespoons Agar-agar powder
  • 3/4 tablespoons Instant Jelly powder


Method:
For the filling,
  1. Mash/blend the dragon fruit until it become purée flesh. Combine it with the rest of ingredients filling (A).
  2. Bring to a boil and add in ingredient (B). Keep on stirring until it boils again.
  3. Then pour the filling mixture into the moulds till almost full (depends on the size of your mould).
  4. Leave them cool to set, dislodge then only proceed to make skin.
  5. Remove the filling from its mould and scratch the surface of the filling with fork so that it can stick together with the skin.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Beehive Cookies 蜂窝饼

Beehive Cookies 蜂窝饼 
Adapted from My Kitchen Snippets   
Makes 44 cookies

250g rice flour
4 tbsps all-purpose flour
3 eggs
200g granulated sugar
400ml thick coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt
enough cooking oil for deep frying


  1. Break the eggs into a mixing bowl. Add in sugar followed by the coconut milk and whisk until the sugar gets dissolved.


2. Sift together the rice flour, the all-purpose flour and the salt. Add this flour mixture to the mixing bowl in (1). Whisk until they combine really well.
3. Heat up enough cooking oil in a wok on high heat. Make sure that the oil is well heated before you begin. I have it tested with a wooden chopstick. A stream of tiny bubbles seen as the end of the chopstick is dipped into the oil indicates that the oil is ready. Turn the heat down to medium. Place the brass mould into wok and let sit and preheat for about a minute.
  • Working with just one single mould throughout the whole frying process, I could only deal with two cookies comfortably at any point. So I needed cooking oil just enough for two cookies to swim around spaciously. The oil must be hot enough to begin with so that the cookies won't get all so greasy in the end.


4. Transfer the mould into the batter and dip just deep enough to cover the sides neatly, leaving the top surface batter-free. Keep still for about 5 seconds.
  • As you remove the brass mould from the oil, lightly shake off any excess oil. If these extra oil drippings ended up in the batter, they may change the batter consistency and its clinging ability. As the mould gets dipped into the batter, you will hear some faint sizzling sounds as the batter starts adhering to the mould. Leave undisturbed for about 5 seconds to secure the adhesion before lifting the mould up and away.
5. Transfer the mould into the hot oil, keeping it immersed for about 15 seconds. Lightly shake to free the cookie and leave the mould in the hot oil.
  • As you plunge the mould with the batter back into the hot oil, make sure that the mould does not come into contact with the bottom of the wok. Leave it fully immersed in mid-oil while you make the 15-second countdown. That 15 seconds let the batter cook and take shape lightly. Shaking the batter off too soon and too hard will make the outermost layer "open up".  
  • There is a chance that the cooking oil is still a tad too hot and the first few cookies will get burnt. But as the frying goes, the batter will tame the heat down gradually. Mine only got right as I went into my 5th cookie. And as I entered my 10th, I had to turn the heat up to medium-high. So check the heat about every 5 cookies and adjust it accordingly in between medium and medium-high. 
6. Let the first cookie fry while you bring in the second cookie repeating steps (4) - (5) 
  • With the second cookie in the wok, I likewise let it cook on the mould for about 15 seconds before shaking it free. By now the first cookie would have just picked up a tinge of browning. You will notice how the browning is usually concentrated on the bottom half while the floating top will appear paler in color.
  • Using the mould, I would lightly place it on top of the first cookie so that the whole cookie gets immersed in the hot oil (again make sure the cookie doesn't touch the wok). Hold it there for another 10 to 15 seconds. The wave action from the heat beneath the wok will continue shaping the cookie. And at the end of it you'll notice a nice and even change of color on the cookie. Now you can let it float and brown a little more on its own. Yup, no flipping required. It won't take much longer from there. Leave the mould in the hot oil meanwhile getting it ready for the next cookie.
7. When the first cookie has turned golden brown, remove the cookie and drain on a sieve.
  • The cookie takes its final shape the moment it gets removed from the oil and exposed to the cool air, hardening them. When you remove the cookie from the oil, be sure to use either a flat spatula/sieve or the cookie will take whatever shape you let it rest on. Turn the cookie over as it rests on the spatula/sieve. The gravity will keep the cookie structure intact and neat (especially the outer layer). Let it cool down lightly before transferring it to a plate lined with a paper towel, face down. 

8. Repeat steps (4) - (7) until all the batter has been used up.
  • When the batter level gets too low for the mould to be fully dipped into, pour the batter into a smaller bowl before you continue.
9. Let cool completely and store in air-tight containers.

Glutinous Rice Chicken (Loh Mai Kai)

Ingredients
  • 600g glutinous rice (soaked for 3 hours)
  • 2 chicken drumsticks (chopped into bite-sized pieces)
  • 10 dried mushrooms (soaked and halved)
  • 4 Chinese sausages (sliced diagonally)
  • 4 tbsp cooking oil for oiling the bottom of the rice bowls
  • 500 ml water

Chicken & Mushroom Marinade
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp ginger juice
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp shao hsing wine
  • 2 Chinese soup spoons cooking oil
Note: For the mushroom must squeeze out the water before marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well then add in the mushrooms and mix thoroughly.

Seasoning For The Glutinous Rice 
  • 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp shallot oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp shao hsing wine

Methods:

  1. Drain the glutinous rice, add in 500 ml of water and steam for 25 minutes. Stir in the seasoning whilst still hot. Mix well and set aside.
  2. Marinate the chicken & mushroom pieces for 1 hour
  3. Oil the bottom of a porcelain Chinese rice bowl. Place in 1 piece each of the chicken, mushroom and sausage.
  4. Spoon glutinous rice on top and press it down and level the glutinous rice over the chicken, mushroom and sausage with the back of the spoon
  5. Cover the bowl with aluminium foil and steam for 25 minutes



Friday, January 10, 2014

Angpow Lantern


  1. Red packet angpow (30pcs)
  2. Cardboard (24 pcs)
  3. Tassels
  4. Double Sided Tape
  5. Gold or Red Thread 
  6. Trimming
Follow the step at http://www.youtube.com/user/ireneblchua


Dongzhi Tang Yuen

Ingredients:


Ginger Syrup
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
2-3 pandan leaves or screwpine leaves, tie into a knot
One 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and slightly pounded with a cleaver

Glutinous Rice Dumplings
1 packet of glutinous rice (sticky rice) flour
4 small bowl of hot water
Red, Green and Yellow food coloring

Method:
  1. To prepare syrup, boil the water in a pot. Add the pandan leaves and ginger and bring it to boil on medium heat until you smell and ginger and pandan leaves aroma. Add sugar and let it simmer for another 15 minutes minutes. Add more or reduce the sugar, to taste. Set aside.
  2. Divide 4 portion of glutinous flour and prepare 4 cup of hot water. 1st cup water add 1 drops of red coloring, 2nd cup water add 1 drop of yellow coloring, 3rd cup water add 1 drop of green coloring and last leave it empty.
  3. (You can replace the food coloring by natural colour like red=dragon fruits, yellow=pumpkins, green-pandan leave) All the natural you have to blended with water) 
  4. Mix the glutinous flour with water and knead with hands to form a dough. The dough is done when it doesn’t stick to your hands anymore.
  5. Pinch the dough into small balls and roll them in between your palms into round balls. Set aside on a flat surface lined with paper or a slightly damn cloth.
  6. Boil another pot of water, drop the dumplings into the boiling water. As soon as they float, transfer them into the syrup water. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Note:
Adjust the water level to the flour. Add more water if the dough is too dry. Add more flour if it’s too wet.

Hong Kong Style Swiss Chicken


For 3-4 person



Ingredients:
12 chicken mid-wings (or more) other part of chicken
1 cup light soy sauce (if you a superior dark soy sauce can add 1 tsp of dark soy sauce)
1 cup water (if you using other part of chicken you need to add more water because to cover the chicken while on cooking)
100g sugar or more for taste
1 spring onion, cut 1” lengthwise
5 slices ginger or more
5 star anise
2-3 tbsp Shaoxing wine or more

Method
  1. Bring water to a boil and immerse chicken and let boil for 1 min. Put the chicken in a bath of ice water as this will make the skin tasted crunchy and not easy broken. 
  2. Add all ingredients in a large pot, bring to boil over medium heat. 
  3. Turn on to low heat, and put the chicken (skin side down) and cover the lid, and stand for 10 mins. Turn the chicken once and stand for another 10 mins to ensure all sides are nicely coated with the sauce. 
  4. Serve immediately once done. You may use the same stock (frozen it) and repeating making this chicken wings later. 

Hainanese Chicken Chop


For 3 person

Marinate chicken ingredients:-
6 chicken thigh
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
½tsp dark soy sauce
½tsp salt or to taste
½tsp pepper

For fry the Chicken ingredients:-
1 cup flour  
1 tbsp corn flour

Tomato sauce ingredients:-
½ packet of mix vegetable (I used the small packet)
1 big yellow onion, sliced
160 g tomato ketchup
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt or to taste
½ tsp light soy sauce
2½ cups water
Thicken mixture- mix 1 tbsp corn flour water, to thicken the sauce

Other condiments
10 potatoes, boiled in hot water till tendered, slice it, then deep fry till golden brown

Method:
  1. Marinate the chicken thighs with marinating ingredients, for 3-4 hrs.
  2. Mix the Fry the Chicken ingredients together and coat it well on the marinated chicken Then deep fry till golden brown. Dish up and set aside.
  3. To prepare the tomato sauce, heat oil in a wok or saucepan, saute onion till aroma, add in water and the rest of seasonings and the mix vegetable except thicken mixture, cook for few minutes or till onion is soften. Then thicken the sauce with thicken mixture.
  4. To serve, arrange the deep fried chicken thigh, cooked potato wedges and sliced tomatoes on a plate. Pour the hot tomato sauce over and serve. Re-heat the tomato sauce before serve if you are not intended to serve immediately.