Custard Buns -卡士达面包

Recipe: Adapted from Carol's  "The Second Book of Baking for Beginners"

Ingredients:

How to make custard:
A) 200 c.c fresh milk
     20g fine sugar
     1/2 tsp vanilla essence

B) 1 whole egg, lightly beaten
     20 g sugar

C) 50 c.c fresh milk
      10 g corn flour
      15 g plain flour

D) 10 g unsalted butter

Method:
1)  Bring A to a boil on low heat.
2)  Combine ingredients B and C and mix well.
3)  Gradually pour (1) into (2), stir and mix well. Strained.
4) Cook (3) on medium low heat, keep stirring till the mixture is thickened and smooth.
5) Cover with clingwrap, leave to cool for later use.

How to make the dough:
270 g high protein four
30 g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
50 g egg (without shell)
30 g fine sugar
150 c.c milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
30 g unsalted butter  (cut into small cubes)

Glazing:
egg wash
some custard filling

Method:
1)  Beat ingredients except butter till a dough is formed.  Add in butter and continue to beat till an elastic and smooth dough is formed. Cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap.  Leave to proof for 60 minutes till double in size.

2) Punch out air and scale the dough into 8 equal portions, about 65 gram each. Roll to round balls, cover and rest for 15  minutes.

3)  Use a rolling pin to flatten the ball into a 12cm-wide disc, place appropriate amount of custard filling in the middle, seal and wrap.  Seam face downwards, arrange on the lightly greased baking tray.

4)  Leave to a final proof  for 50 - 60 minutes till double in size.

5)  Brush with egg wash and pipe custard filling on the surface.

6)  Bake in the preheated oven at 170 degree C for 18 - 20 minutes.

Lemon Chicken

Tangy and sour lemon sauce on crispy, fragrant and tender chicken - children would fancy this dish because it is relishing and the sour lemon sauce whets their appetite. 

Recipe:  Source from Y3K (  Issue No. 74 , 9/10 - 213) with minor modifications of my own.

Ingredients:

2 chicken boneless whole leg

1 egg  - lightly beaten

Marinade:

1/2 teaspoon salt.

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon tapioca flour

1 teaspoon custard powder

2 tablespoon water

For coating: (mixed together)

3 tablespoon self-raising flour

3 tablespoon tapioca flour

For Lemon Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1 lemon juice (squeeze from one lemon)

some lemon  pulp

1  tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup of water

For thickening: (mixed together)

1 tsp custard powder

1/2 tbsp tapioca flour

1 tbsp water

Method:

1)  Marinate chicken with the marinade for 1/2 hour.

2)  Dip marinated chicken into beaten egg and coat with flour. Deep-fry in hot oil until crispy.

3) Remove, cool, and cut into pieces. Place on plate.

4) Heat butter on a hot pan until it melts. Pour lemon sauce and bring to boil over medium fire. Add thickening sauce. 

5) Drench or drizzle no. 4 over chicken.

Pandan Angku Kuih

This is my second attempt at making angku kuih.  In my previous post (purple sweet potato angku kuih), I remarked that the dough was too soft for my liking. Today, I replaced the rice flour with extra glutinous rice flour.  The dough turned out to be what I want, it is a little more chewy than the purple sweet potato angku kuih. I am pleased with this recipe.

Recipe: (yields 24 - 25 medium size kuihs)

Ingredients:

Dough
300g glutinous rice flour
100g sweet potato (steamed and mashed)
250g warm water
1 tablespoon fine sugar
1.5 tablespoon corn oil
1/2 teaspoon green colouring  and pandan  flavouring

Filling:
300g peeled split mung bean
200g sugar (suit individual taste, may add more or less)
3 tablespoon cooking oil

Banana leaves - cut into 24 -25 small round pieces, bigger than the cavity of the mould

Steps:

Filling:
1) Soak mung bean for 2 hours. Drained and  steamed for 45 minutes until softened.
2)  Blend until fine paste is achieved.
3) Heat the oil, fry paste, sugar and oil until sugar dissolved and slightly dry.
4) Scale 28g each portion and roll into balls.

Dough:
1) Combine dough ingredients and knead till it forms a pliable dough. Divide dough into 27g each portion, roll into balls. Flatten the ball using a rolling pin or with your palm.
2) Spoon the filling and bring all edge together to form a ball again.
3)  Place the kuih into a lightly dusted with glutinous flour mould, press it to set the shape.
4)  Knock out the kuih and place it on a greased banana leaf.
5)  Steam on medium heat for 10 -12 minutes.
6)  Remove the kuihs from  heat, brush lightly some cooking oil on the surface.

Butter Pastry Mini Mooncake -班兰奶油迷你月饼

It has been a decade since I last made mooncakes. My family has been almost crying that they have forgotten the taste of home-made mooncakes. All my mooncake moulds had been packed and cold-storaged in the store for donkey years. Thankfully, the moulds have not turned mouldy , haha. Until a few days ago, my friend Catherine let us sampled the mooncake she made. After I tasted the mooncake, I couldn't resist at attempting it myself. I wanted to gain back my skill and practice otherwise I will find myself losing touch.

The pastry is very crispy even after a few days later. It is like pineapple tarts. If you like pineapple tarts, I am sure you will like this non-traditional mooncake.

Recipe: (Makes about  45 )

Ingredients:

Pastry:
250g  butter (room temperature)
50g  icing sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg white
420g plain flour
pinch of salt

Method:
1) Cream butter, icing sugar and salt till creamy.
2) Gradually add in egg,  one at a time, mix well after each addition.
3) Fold in flour till a dough is formed. Cover with clingwrap and rest for 1 to 2 hours..
4)  Divide dough  into 17g each. Shape the dough into  balls.
5)  Flatten the dough, put a ball of filling in the centre and seal.  Roll into round, lightly dust with flour , press into mould, dislodge imprinted mooncakes.
6) Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degree C for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow  to cool for 10 minutes,  then glaze the surface with egg yolk. Return to oven, continue baking till golden  brown.

Filling:
500g pandan flavoured lotus paste
50g melon seeds
cooked salted egg yolks (optional)

Method: Combine all the ingredients and  shape into  balls of roughly 20g each.

Purple Sweet Potato Angku Kuih - 紫番薯龟糕

Made these purple angku kuihs to share with Veronica (Minty's Kitchen). She shares her chwee kuihs and Ann (Anncoo Journal) brings her yummy mooncakes to share with us. lol. I am referring to our facebook conversation. As much as we would love for us to taste each other's creation, Ann lives in Singapore (if i am not wrong) whilst Veronica resides in Australia. We should meet up one day!

This is my first attempt making angku kuih from an adaptation of a recipe from my niece (Littlekitchen). The dough is soft and easy to make. However, I find the dough is too soft for me as I prefer a little chewy. So on my next attempt I will do a minor modification.... stay tuned!

Recipe:

Ingredients: (medium size mould)
For the filling:
250 g red beans
130 g sugar
4 tablespoon cooking oil
4 pandan leaves

Method:
Soak red beans for 1 hour. Drain. Boil the red beans till soft.  Put the red beans into a blender, add sugar and cooking oil to blend together until the mixture is fine and smooth.  Roll into 13 round balls of roughly 28g each. Leave aside for later use.

Sweet potato dough: (makes 13)
100 g sweet potato
150 g glutinous rice flour
1/2 tablespoon rice flour
1 tablespoon cooking oil
100 ml tap water

Extra glutinous rice flour (for dusting the mould)
Banana leaves (cut into 13 small pieces, bigger than the cavity of the mould)

Method:

1)  Cut sweet potato into cubes, steamed till cooked. Mash while it is hot.

2)  Sieve glutinous rice flour and rice flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add in mashed potato, sugar, oil and water, work slowly to knead into a fine dough. Take note, if the dough is dry and hard add a bit water to knead; if the dough is too wet add some glutinous rice flour. Leave the dough for  25 - 30 minutes. Divide and shape the dough into balls of 27g each.

3) Flatten the dough and place a ball of filling in the centre and seal.  Dust with some glutinous rice flour and press firmly into the angku mould. Knock out and  place on the greased banana leaf.  Repeat the same process with the remaining.

4)  Spray water over the angku kuih. Steam  kuih over medium low heat for 8 - 10 minutes.

5)  Remove the kuih from steamer, brush lightly some cooking oil over kuih while hot.

Purple Sweet Potato Buns- 紫色番薯小面包

These are sweet potato buns coated with cocoa  powder.  Don't they look like unwashed potatoes?!

I also made a few different patterns.

Can you spot which is the real sweet potato?

Saw this Hong Kong series 生活甜丝丝。And they named this bun as“番薯王子面包” which means Prince Sweet Potato buns. Nice name isn't it? But I do not understand why they regard sweet potato as the prince...

Recipe: Sponge and  Dough Method

Ingredients A: 20 g whole egg
                      40 g fresh milk (do not pour all, I found it is too wet).
                      2 g instant yeast (1/2 tsp)
                      5 g milk powder
                      70 g bread flour

Method:
Combine ingredients A and place into a mixer.  Beat till becomes a dough.  Leave dough in a big and lightly greased bowl, covered and rest for 60 minutes.

Ingredients B:  2 g instant yeast (1/2 tsp)
                       20 g sugar
                       1 g salt
                       50 g mashed sweet potato (steam and then mash)
                       60 g bread flour
                       12 g unsalted  butter (softened)

Filling: Mix mashed sweet potato and icing sugar together.

Method:
1) Combine fermented dough and Ingredients B (except butter), beat for few minutes till a dough is formed.  If the dough  appears too dry, drizzle  in a bit of water.  Add in butter continue to beat until an elastic and smooth dough is formed. Covered and leave to prove for 25 minutes.

2) Punch out air. Divide dough  into 20 g each portion.  Roll to round. Rest for 10 minutes.

3) Flatten the small dough into  round dish and wrap with sweet potato filling and seal up the opening. Shape them into sweet potato shape. Coat with cocoa powder and bread flour. Arrange them onto a greased baking tray. Leave to prove for 35- 40 minutes or double in size.

4) Bake in preheated oven  at 180 degree C for 12 - 15 minutes.
                   

Roti Jala

Had leftover potatoes cooked in curry from yesterday and as my family has been bugging me to make roti

jala for some time, I went to dig up "Singapore Cooking Book 2-  By Mrs Leong" recipe.  And went to buy a roti jala mould for 60 cents from a neighbourhood sundry shop.

I found the mixture too thick to go through the strainer, so had to trial and error to keep adding water before the consistency allowed it to flow rather smoothly. I do not know whether it is the holes that are too small, or the mixture is too thick.

Finally the roti jala turned out to be thinner than I wanted, however its texture was fine and does not stick to one's teeth when you bite into it.

Here's my roti jala, goes superb with the potato curry. Yum yum.

Recipe:

Ingredients: (makes 12, diameter 8")
225 ml (8 fl. oz)  milk
2 eggs
salt ( I used 1/2 tsp )
225 g  (8 oz ) all purpose flour - sieved
1 tablespoon oil

Method:
1) Mix all ingredients together (except oil), and strain the batter. If the batter is too thick, add water until desired consistency is reached.  Add 1 tablespoon of oil and set aside for 15 minutes.

2)  Heat up a non-stick pan with  medium low heat and grease it with some oil.

3)  Pour some batter into the mould and quickly transfer to the pan, make circular movement from outer part of the pan to inside of the pan, then make a zigzag movement from left to right and zigzag up and down.

4)  Leave the crepe to cook for 10-15 seconds (or the tops is set and done, the bottom turns light brown).
     Fold the crepe into half, then in half again to form a triangle shape.  Remove from the pan and set aside.        Repeat until all batter is used.

5)  Serve with your  favourite curry.  Enjoy.