SESAME SUNNY BREAD (Mandy's)

Mandy's Sunny Bread

is popular among the bloggers

I cannot resist but give it a try

with added sesame seed powder

250g bread flour ( I replaced 30g with sesame seed powder)

3g yeast

20g milk powder (I omitted)

30g sugar

3g salt

1 egg

130g water

20g salad oil ( I used butter)

1) everything goes into the bread machine, bread dough cycle

2) when dough has risen to double, about 60min, form into a loaf

3) leave to rise in a loaf pan, until double in size

4) bake in preheated oven 190'C for 25min

ALMOND BUTTER CAKE

Butter Cake

does not taste as good if the butter is not pure

I am very particular about
Pure Creamy Butter

Another variation of butter cake

with added nut for fragrance and texture

Almond Butter Cake

recipe is adapted from Rumblingtummy

200g butter, melted

100g almond meal, extra fine

126g cake flour, sifted

6 eggs, separated

120g sugar (60g and 60g)

1/2 tsp salt

1) line 3 small loaf pan and preheat oven to 160'C

2) combine sifted flour & almond meal, mix well & leave aside

3) beat egg yolk, sugar and salt until light & fluffy

4) add melted butter & continue beating until well combined

5) fold in flour and set aside

6) in a clean bowl, beat egg white and sugar until stiff peak

7) fold in 1/3 egg white to flour mixture to loosen the batter

8) fold in remaining egg white

9) pour into loaf pans and bake for 45min

Note:
For added flavour
Sprinkle some almond flakes on top of the cake before sending into the oven

Can be baked in a 7" square pan

COPYCAT CRISPY PURE BUTTER SARTHE SHORTBREAD

If you like butter 

I mean 'pure' butter

I am sure you will like these flavourful,

wonderfully crispy and crunchy little cookies

You can't probably 

stop at just one piece

It is for this reason

that I have searched high and low

for a recipe that can come close to its texture and taste

I have stopped at 

Karlynn Johnston's thekitchenmagpie

Chocolate chip cookie recipe

I made 2 variations:

a) Almond Delights

b) Chocolate Chips

using the basic recipe as below:

Copycat Crispy Pure Butter Sarthe Shortbread

270g cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

220g butter, softened

200g granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1) sift together flour, baking soda and salt, and leave aside

2) preheat oven 375'C

3) cream butter with sugar until light & fluffy

4) add egg, vanilla & mix thoroughly
5) fold in sifted flour, do not over mix

6) press a teaspoon full of dough, flat onto parchment lined baking sheet

7) bake in preheated oven for 10-12min until golden brown

a) Almond Delights

    Roll the balls in a bed of almond flakes before pressing onto the baking sheet

b) Chocolate Chips

     Mix in 2 cups of chocolate chips to the final dough before rolling into balls

     Note: The chocolate chips are too big for these dainty sheets of cookies

                 next time I will use chocolate rice instead

STEAMED EGG

Eggs 

is commonly used in Chinese Dishes

Eggs can be fried

with

bulb onions, chillies and spring onions

with shrimps, minced meat or char siu
or

with preserved raddish (choi poh)

or

a combination of meat, shrimp & spring onions (Fu Yong Dan)

Eggs when hard boiled, 

can be used 

to cook curry

stew pork

make soup (Tai Pin Dan)

or cook noodles

Steam egg may be the easiest method

if one can master the timing

and

 the ratio of egg to water

TOFU STEAM EGG


I steamed it 
10 min from the time the water boils
I used 1/2 piece soft tofu
cut into cubes
1 egg plus 2X water to the volume of egg
salt & pepper to taste
cut spring onions and chillies as decoration

PLAIN STEAM EGG
note the smooth texture
You can steam it plain like above
or

with large or medium size prawns
or

with minced meat
or

with vegetables or mushrooms 
or

with preserved cabbage (tong choi) etc

For soft and smooth steam egg

the ratio is 2.5 to 3 parts of water to 1 part egg 

MANGO PUDDING

Mango Puddings

my grandson's favourite dessert

I followed the recipe from Happy Flour

250g mango puree

70g sugar

180g water

125g milk

4 tsp gelatine powder dissolved in

2 Tbsp hot water

1) boil water and sugar until dissolved

2) remove from heat and stir in gelatine mixture

3) when gelatine is fully dissolved, stir in milk and mango puree

4) STRAIN mixture and pout into moulds

5) chill before before serving

BISCOTTI PECAN AND DATES

Biscotti

are easy to bake

and has no fats in it

Nice to dip in coffee or tea

and
can be baked in your choice of nuts and dried fruits 

to suit individual taste buds

I have chosen

dates

and pecan

following this recipe

Biscotti Pecan and Dates
100g cater sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
230g plain flour
60g pecan, halved
75g dates, cut

1) beat sugar and eggs until thick and fluffy

2) in a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt

3) add in egg mixture and beat until well combined

4) fold in buts and dried fruits

5) transfer dough to a floured surface and form into a log

6) place log on parchment lined tray 

7) bake in preheated oven @ 180'C for 25min until slightly golden

8) remove and leave to cool for 15min

9) slice into 1/2" thick and lie cut side up on baking tray

10) bake in preheated oven 165'C for 10min both sides

CHAR SIU

Char Siu

being grilled in the toaster oven

to get the 'char' taste

You can try this recipe

if you like simple and no fuss recipe

500g pork belly

Marinate:

2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp dark soya sauce

1 Tbsp light soya sauce

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp red rice wine residue 

1/2 tsp pepper

1) marinate pork belly & leave in fridge overnight

2) cook in non-stick pan, covered, for 15min, 

     turn occasionally until sauce become thick & caramelized

3) grill in toaster oven for 5-10min to get a dark or 'charred' colour

4) pour gravy over char siu to get the juicy look!

Note: can freeze meat after leaving pork belly in fridge overnight

            if not cooking next day

EGG TARTS

Egg Tarts

are sold in markets

and

Dim Sim Restaurants

Texture varies from markets to expensive restaurants:

biscuit tart case,

short crust pastry,

and

crispy layered & oily egg tarts

I found this recipe from MiMi Bakery House

Pastry:
200g plain flour
70g icing sugar
140g butter
1/2 egg (beaten)


Filling:
2 eggs
60g sugar
140ml water
50ml evaporated milk (I used fresh milk)

1) rub butter into dry ingredients until combined
2) add egg & knead lightly to form a dough
3) refrigerate 20min
4) for filling, boil sugar in water until dissolved and leave to cool
5) whisk in eggs and milk, strain the mixture
6) when dough is ready, press evenly into moulds, 
     edges should slightly higher than the mould
7) pour egg mixture into these moulds (80% full)
8) bake in preheated oven of 200'C for 15-20min

NONYA KUIH KOSUI PANDAN

Nowadays, Traditional Nonya Kuih

is not easy to get.

Many, so called Nonya kuih today, 

does not taste or look like one,

both in texture or colour!

I like Nonya kuih,

only the traditional ones

Kuih Kosui

is in the shape of a small bowl or cup

filled with juicy shredded young coconut

in a tint of salt

I tried this recipe from Butter, Flour & Me

Kuih:

70g rice flour

30g tapioca flour

100g caster sugar

300g water

1/2 tsp alkali water

8-10 pieces pandan leaves+200g water (squeeze out juice)

Topping:

200g shredded coconut

pinch of salt

Method:

1) strain juice from pandan leaves+ water

2) steam topping ingredients for 5min, leave to cool

3) dissolve sugar in water for kuih, let cool

4) combine alkali water, pandan juice and sugar solution

5) steam cups empty for 5min

6) sieve flours & stir in liquids until well combined

7) cook over medium heat until mixture slightly thickens

8) pour into hot cups and steam for 15min

9) remove and let cool before add topping to serve

CANDIED NUTS

Nuts 

when roasted are fun to munch

more so if there is a hint of sweetness

I have adapted 

this recipe from lykitchenventure

250g mixed nuts (pecan, walnuts & peanuts)

100g golden syrup

1) roast nuts in preheated oven 160'C for 10min, turning 1/2 time

2) mix together roasted nuts and syrup in a bowl

3) spread out nuts & syrup on parchment lined baking sheet

4) bake in preheated oven for 15min until fragrant

5) remove from heat & turn nuts to make sure all nuts are coated with syrup

5) leave to cool completely before storing in airtight container

FOOCHOW DIALECT

"Hu Chiew Noin
Meh Suah Noin"
福州人 不輸人
Foochow people will not lose out to other people

"Hu Chiew Noin
Eh Huat Tat"
福卅人 會發達
Foochow people can prosper in wealth

CHEESY CRANBERRY SCONES

Scones are easy to make

and 

it varies according to the ingredients 

and dried fruits added

350g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

140g butter

100g cream cheese

30g fine sugar

3 Tbsp dried cranberries

3 Tbsp whipping cream

2 Tbsp milk

2 eggs, beaten

1) sift flour & baking powder, mix in salt

2) blend in butter & cream cheese, until mixture is crumbly

3) stir in sugar & dried cranberries

4) combine the rest of the wet ingredients & mix into the dry 

5) roll out dough to 2-3cm thickness, cut into circles

6) arrange on greased tray & bake in preheated oven 220'C for 15-20min

7) serve warm

MIN JIANG KUIH

Min Jiang Kuih 
also known as Apam Balik in Malay
is a sweet pancake 

with fillings of roasted groundnuts

It is one of my hubby's favourites

This is a popular hawker food

sold in many of the food courts and markets

either in

small pancakes, folded half

or cut pieces from a big pancake

I followed MiMi Bakery House 's recipe and

made this medium size pancake 

which I cut into 7 pieces

Batter:
130g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking powder (if omit, add another 1/4 tsp baking soda)
1/2 tsp yeast
1 egg
25g sugar
160ml water

Filling:
125g peanut, roasted & ground
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp butter

1) combine all ingredients in batter to form a smooth batter
2) leave aside for 30-45 min & sieve
3) pour 1-2 laddle of batter into a non stick wok, smooth out 
4) cook on low heat until bubbles appear all over
5) off or reduce heat, sprinkle sugar & peanuts on pancake
6) distribute butter onto peanuts
7) fold pancake over & remove from pan
8) serve hot

NONYA BEE KOH

Bee Koh

Nonya Kuih made with glutinous rice

I like the snow white colour

and the sweet and chewy texture

I have referred to Bumble Bee for the recipe

Nonya Bee Koh

250g glutinous rice

250g coconut milk

pinch of salt

100g caster sugar

2 pandan leaves, knotted

1) rinse glutinous rice & soak 2 hours or overnight

2) drain water from glutinous rice & place rice in lined bamboo steamer

3) put knotted pandan leaves on top of the rice

4) cover & steam for 45min

5) 1/2 time, stir the rice and sprinkle some water on the rice

6) continue steaming until times up

7) in a kuali, combine coconut milk, sugar and salt

8) cook over low heat until sugar dissolves

9) mix in cooked rice, stirring and cook and until liquid dries up

10) pour into a shallow plate, press with a spoon to compact, let cool

11) cut when completely cooled

Note:
caster sugar can be replaced with gula melaka for colour

PLAIN OVERNIGHT DOUGH

These soft buns made by  

http://pig61106.blogspot.tw/2014/09/blog-post_25.html

with 5 ingredients

knead together & left overnight in the fridge

When freshly baked
they are crispy on the outside

and soft on the inside

400g bread flour or mix with 1/2 plain flour

250g water

1 tsp yeast

1 tsp salt

20g sugar

1) All ingredients into the bread machine, bread dough cycle 1:30 hours

2) leave bread dough (covered) in fridge for a day or so

3) shape into 6 balls & leave to rise until double

4) before going into the oven, lightly sprinkle flour on bun & score buns

5) bake in preheated oven 190'C for 20min