APPLE CRUMBLE PIE

Apple Crumble Pie

is one of my favourites

If you want to know why I like it

just come and join me 

and have a piece

Filling:

5 cups peeled & chopped apples

1/2 cup sugar (I used 80g because I prefer not so sweet)

1 tsp ground cinnamon (I put extra for more flavor)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

1) combine all ingredients & leave aside

Short Crust Pastry:

135g all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

55g cold butter, cut

5 Tbsp ice water

2) combine flour & salt

3) cut cold butter into the flour

4) press butter with fingers to form crumbs

5) gradually add in ice water to bind the dough

6) refrigerate dough for 1 hour

Topping:

60g sugar

60g all purpose flour flour

60g cold butter, cut

7) combine all ingredients for crumble & leave aside

8) take out dough from fridge & roll  to form a pie base

9) line baking tray with the rolled pastry

10) knead the edges

11) pour apple mixture onto the pie dish

12) sprinkle toppings

13) bake in preheated 180'C for 40-45min until brown

BUBUR CHACHA

To many

this is definitely not their cup of tea

because it is sweet and 

also, with the amount coconut milk used

but

it is mine

I usually get my share of this sweet dessert

when Ah Cheng,

my good helper in the office

and 

like a daughter near me

will come with a pot of home-cooked Bubur Chacha

to share in the office

If you have a sweet tooth like me

you can try out this recipe

It is a matter of preparing all ingredients ready 

&

putting them together.

Simple?

Bubur Chacha

150g sweet potato, cut into cubes or wedges, steamed

150g yam, cut into cubes or wedges, steamed

60g black eye beans, soaked overnight & boiled in pressure cooker

1 Tbsp small sago

4 cups water

3 pandan leaves, knotted

1/3 cup coconut milk

sugar to taste

1) bring to a boil, previously boiled black eye beans including the water.
    Reduce the amount of water added, accordingly.

2) add pandan leaves & sago

4) when sago turns clear, stir in cooked yam & sweet potato 

5) add sugar to taste

6) lastly, add coconut milk & switch off fire when it starts to boil

7) can serve hot or cold

Notes (to add colour to the dessert)
1. I have steamed some purple sweet potato, mashed & mixed with some
    glutinous rice flour to make into balls. Pre-cooked in water & added
    to the bubur chacha. 
2.  A mixture of different types of sweet potatoes makes the dessert 
     colourful.
3. If you are in the mood of adding more colours, try making balls or shapes
    using tapioca flour kneaded with juice from pandan leaves or blue pea 
    flowers.

JIAZI CHINESE DUMPLINGS

Jiazi

Are dumplings that are loved by many Chinese

There are more than 20 varieties 

sold in a Beijing Jiazi shop

They are named

according to the fillings 

wrapped inside these little floured pastry

As such there is no fixed filling.

You can add anything and everything to it

and call it your very own creation

Like it?

Jiazi skin or pastry 

113g plain flour

113g high protein flour

113g water

1) Stir water into the flour mixture

2) use fingers to bring the dough together

3) knead to form a soft dough, should be soft & elastic

4) leave aside for 10min to relax, or leave in fridge for up to 24 hours

Filling:

180g ground pork

220g finely chopped cabbage

4cm length carrots, chopped finely

2cm length old ginger, chopped finely

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp corn starch

1/2 egg white

Method:

1) stir together all ingredients until combined, leave in fridge
2) roll out dough & cut into required size

3) can pinch dough into small pieces before rolling flat, if prefer

4) wrap filling & seal edge by pinching

5) make folds, 2 on each side
6) leave on floured tray
7) if not cooking same day, can freeze the jiazi.


There are various ways of cooking these Jiazi:

Pan fried
better known as 'pot sticker' in Cantonese

Method:
1) heat  some oil in a non-stick pan
2) arrange jiazi base down on the heated pan
3) when base of these jiazi turn brown as shown in the picture below
4) pour 1/2 cup water into the pan, cover & let cook until water dries up
5) overturn the pan onto a serving plate
6) serve hot
7) dipping sauce: thinly sliced young ginger in Chinese vinegar
     

Boiled

the easiest method

1) heat up a pot of water, add some oil, to give some gloss to jiazi

2) put in the jiazi, one by one

3) they are cooked when they float to the surface

4) remove & serve with garlic oil & diluted soya sauce

Cook in Soup

commonly known as 'koon tong kou'

in Dim sum restaurants:
If this is what you like,

1) make a soup base e.g. chicken broth

2) cook jiazi in boiling water with a little oil until float

3) remove & put into the hot soup
4) serve hot

MATCHA PANNA COTTA

90ml milk
150g cream
40g sugar
1.5 tsp gelatin sprinkle in 30ml water, let stand 5min
1.5 tsp matcha powder dissolve in 30ml milk

1) In a saucepan, bring milk, cream & sugar to a light boil
2) stir in gelatine mixture & matcha milk mixture, stir until dissolve
3) strain mixture & divide into moulds, let cool
4) chill for 4 hours until set

FOOCHOW TOFU SOUP (khor ta au)

If you come to Sitiawan
A Foochow dominant town
You will surely come across this famous 

FOOCHOW TA WU THOONG 
豆腐湯 This is just
a simple tofu soup
cook in Sitiawan Foochow way

 If you order tofu soup in Sitiawan Restaurant

you will most probably be asked:

which one?

Ta wu thoong or khor ta au?

Although they have the same ingredients

like oyster, shrimps, pork & vegetables

the difference is

The soup of Ta Wu thoong is watery

while

The soup of khor ta au is thick

If you have tasted both

you will surely like the khor ta au 

shown here

Ta wu thoong 

with its clear and watery soup

Do you like to try cooking the khor ta au?

1 box soft tafu, cut into small pieces

some shrimps

cut slices of lean pork

vegetables & spring onions

soup base (either from ikan bilis, chicken soup)

some cut shallots

1 Tbsp cooking oil

1.5 Tbsp. corn flour mixed with 2 Tbsp water

1) heat oil in a small pot

2) add shallots & fry till fragrant

3) add sliced pork, shrimp and fry together

4) add soup & tofu, let boil
5) add vegetables, pepper & salt to taste
6) slowly pour in the corn flour mixture, adjusting the thickness of soup
7) serve hot

FOOCHOW MEAT SOUP or huat nuke thoon

I never like to eat meat
especially those pieces in the soup

The Foochow people 
found a special way to cook their meat
to make it tender and nice

發肉湯
Huat Nuke Thoong in Foochow dialect

comes from

thoon = soup

nuke = meat

huat = tender

When combined:

is a soup dish with

pieces of glossy & tender meat with vegetables

Glossy because the meat pieces 

are covered with a layer of starch which make it so tender and nice

My grandmother from Sitiawan

likes to cook this dish herself because according to her it needs skill

(the secret is: she rubbed the starch into the marinated meat before cooking)

Look at this juicy, shinny piece of meat

which I have lifted up for you to see

My grandmother, a Foochow from China

liked to cook this soup with chinese cabbage (long type)

but I prefer choy sim

it depends on your liking

To prepare this soup, you will need:

vegetable of your choice

lean meat, cut into thin slices, marinate with pepper & salt

soup base (either chicken, pork or even ikan bilis)

tapioca flour or corn flour

1) rub flour into the marinated meat, make sure it really goes into the meat 

2) heat up soup base & cook the vegetables

    (if using chinese cabbage, you will need to cook the veg. until soft)

3) bring the soup to a rolling boil

4) put the meat pieces, one by one into the boiling soup

5) when the meat floats, it is cooked. So you can safely turn off the heat

6) serve hot