Egg Tarts (16 November 2011)

Pastry Ingredients (12 tarts)

• 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 150 grams butter
• 1/2 egg, beaten

Stuffing Ingredients

• 1/2 cups sugar
• 11/4 cup water (300 ml)
• 4 eggs
• 80 ml evaporated milk

Preparation:

(1) Firstly to prepare the pastry: mix together the powered sugar and flour. Mix in butter with a fork until it is in small crumbs.

(2) Stir in the egg until the mixture forms dough. Spread some flour on your working area and continue kneading it there.

(3) Refrigerate the dough for about 20minutes.

(4) Now to prepare the stuffing:  Bring water to boil and add in the sugar. Leave the sugar water to cool.

(5) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

(6) When the dough is ready, shape dough balls into cupcakes tin to form a “tart” shape. The dough balls are about 1 1/2 inch.

(7) After the sugar water has completely cool, mix in the milk and eggs.

(8) Sift the mixture and pour it into the tarts at 80% full.

 

(9) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown, and the filling is puffed up a little bit.

 Done! :)))

Sweet and Sour Pork (15 November 2011)

I am sick today. The doctor gave me 3 days of medical leave including today. I am down with a bad cold. :-( 

I have to stay at home all day and didn't have anything much to do. :-(

I thought maybe I should make some delicious food ready for Hijiki when he is back from work. Hijiki has been asking me to make Sweet and Sour Pork for him for some time already. It is actually an easy dish to make. Just that there are two steps involved in the cooking process; deep frying the pork first before stir frying it later in the sweet and sour sauce and the fact that it requires the use of garlic and other chopped fruits/vegetables that could mean requiring more preparation time.

Personally, I prefer using fresh ingredients in my cooking. Therefore I do not use garlic from a bottle in my cooking or any pre-mixed sauce mixtures in a packet. Thankful Hijiki is the main cook in the house! Occasionally I will cook some nice dishes to pamper him! xoxo

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 300g lean pork, cut into cube-sized 
• 2 small fresh tomatoes, cut into 8 pieces each
• 1/4 small pineapple, cut into thumb size
• 8 small champignon mushrooms
• 1 onion, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 cup cornflour
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil

Note: I prefer mushrooms to capsicums thus I am using mushrooms in my recipe instead.

 

Marination:

• 2 Tbsp Maggie seasoning
• some White pepper (depending on preference)
• 1 egg

Note: If you don't have Maggie seasoning, you can substitute with dark soy sauce.

Sweet and sour sauce:

• 6 Tbsp tomato sauce  
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tsp white vinegar
• Pinch salt
• Cornflour slurry (1 Tbsp cornflour with 1/4 Tbsp of water)

Note: If your tomato sauce is quite watery, (in my case I am using MasterFood Brand which is quite watery) use more Cornflour slurry to thicken it.

Preparation: 

(1) Beat egg and combine with pork cubes, Maggie seasoning and white pepper. Marinate for at least 15 min.

 

(2) Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

(3) Coat marinated pork cubes with cornstarch.

(4) Deep-fry pork on high heat for 5 minutes or until golden browned. Remove and drain on kitchen towel. Set aside.

(5) Heat pan with oil, stir-fry garlic till fragrant. Then, add tomatoes, pineapples, and mushroom. Fry for about 2 minutes.

(6) Add the fried pork cubes, onion and pour in sauce mixture. Stir-fry to combine well for about 1 minute.

Done!

Honey Garlic Pork Spare Ribs (12 November 2011)

Hi guys! Tomorrow I will be watching a soccer game at the Suncorp Stadium! It's Brisbane Roar v.s Wellington Phoenix! So I don't think I have time to cook tomorrow. :-(

Hijiki requested that I cook lunch or dinner today and thought that some Honey Pork Ribs would be a good fit..... so.... :)))) 

Ingredients:

• About 500g of pork ribs
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 11/2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 11/2 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 Tsp baking soda
• 1/2 Tsp garlic salt

Preparation:

(1) Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.

(2) In a bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and brown sugar. Stir until honey and sugar are completely dissolved.

(3) Stir in the baking soda. The mixture will begin to foam. Transfer ribs to the bowl, and turn to coat.

(4) Line baking paper on a pan and foil on top of the baking paper.

(5) Arrange the ribs meat side up on the sheet. Pour excess sauce over all, and sprinkle with the garlic salt. 

 (6) Bake for 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes. 

 
Note: After I am done with step 3, I place the ribs into a ziplock bag and leave it in the fridge for an hour. You can totally skip this step if you can’t wait to savour some finger licking good ribs!

Singapore's Traditional Snack

Snacks soon to be of the past? Clockwise from left: Sar Kay Mah, Sesame Egg Split and Honey Twist.

Like they say, good things come in small packages, and that is exactly how we describe Sar Kay Mah and the master behind this vanishing snack.

It has a texture that is somewhat like crispies – chewy and crunchy. Plus the coat of malt sugar, the old-school snack has an addictive sweetness to it.

But Sar Kay Mah is only as good as what is described above if it is handmade, as its mass produced counterparts are often bland and “deflated”.

Handmade Sar Kay Mah can be found in the ubiquitous traditional bakeries in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. In Singapore, however, Mr Pan of Pan Ji Cooked Food at Chinatown Complex is probably the last man standing.

The 55-year-old began making Sar Kay Mah when he was just 14, and despite the fact that his left hand is deformed by birth, with only five fingers to carry out tasks, the stocky Pan borrowed strength from the rest of his body to knead the dough. 

Despite his commitment to make everything from scratch, business is hardly thriving and his stall is only graced by the occasional passersby.

“Not many people eat Sar Kay Mah these days, but I’m fine with just getting by,” Pan says in Mandarin.

Sar Kay Mah originates from Manchuria and was offered in ancestor remembrance ceremonies. There are many explanations for its name but the most believable one has got to do with its origin.

“Sar Kay” is a short form for “cut” in Manchurian, while “Mah” means “arrange”, hence “Sar Kay Mah” basically describes the making process.

In Hong Kong, people refer to Sar Kay Mah as “Ma Zai”, which also refers to horse racing. Hence, superstitious punters would eat Sar Kay Mah before placing their bets in hope of good luck.

Unfortunately, Singaporeans do not have any similar belief. The popularity of the snack here is dwindling. Even bakers have forsaken this tough job.

The entire process, which includes kneading, rising, cutting, frying, cooling, and coating, takes a good nine hours. Each time, Pan produces only a small amount to fill up the table in front of his stall.

The bachelor has no successor at the moment, so he jokingly asked this writer to become his disciple. When asked how long it will take to learn his skills, Pan responded with the air of a grand master, “It can take three days or three years. It depends whether you are smart or stupid.”

Source

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with Buttermilk Frosting (6 November 2011)

As promised, it is Cupcakes time!

I don't have an electric mixer at home so I searched for recipes that doesn't need it.

Enjoy!!! xoxo

Buttermilk Frosting Ingredients (Frost about 20 cupcakes):

• 125 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 375 g powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp vanilla essense
• some milk

Preparation:

(1) Chop your butter up into small cubes and then leave it at room temperature for an hour.
(2) Place butter in to a bowl, using a fork and press it so that it breaks up. Continue mixing it until it is smooth and creamy.

(3) Add the vanilla essense.
(4) Add the powdered sugar bit by bit while continuously stiring the mixture. Beat it for about 15-20 minutes.

Note: At this stage if it is too thick add milk to thin it. If it is too watery, add more powdered sugar to thicken it. :)

Cake Batter Ingredients (Bake about 20 cupcakes):

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 cups hot water
• 3/4 cup veggie oil
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp instant coffee
• 1 Tbsp vanilla essense

Preparation:

(1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

(2) Firstly to make the dry ingredients, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda till it’s all combined. Set aside.
(3) Mix the hot water, coffee, veggie oil, white vinegar and vanilla. Set aside.

(4) Slowly pour in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while continuously whisking the ingredients together. Don’t over mix.
(5) Pour the batter into your muffin try and bake for 18-20 minutes.

(6) Woahla! You can now decorate your cupcakes!

Chocolate Fudge Brownie (30 October 2011)

Good day all! I have made up my mind to learn how to bake cupcakes from next week onwards. But before I do that, I have tried baking some Chocolate Fudge Brownie! It really yum!

Ingredients:

• 125 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 200 g of bittersweet chocolate melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp vanilla essense
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp cocoa power

Preparation:

(1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Spray a square pan with non stick cooking spray and lay the bottom with baking paper. Set aside.
(2) In a large bowl whisk together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until all is combined.
(3) Add the melted chocolate and whisk, add the dry ingredients and mix everything together.

(4) Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs but not wet batter.

 (5) Cool for about 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

 (6) Cut into bars and serve!

Corn Flakes Cookies (5 June 2011)

It has been a long time since I have baked. I think the last time I have baked was when I was in junior high! :) Today I felt like doing something worthwhile on a Sunday afternoon - learn a new baking recipe!

Today I baked Corn Flakes Cookies!

Ingredients:

• 250 g butter
• 150g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/5 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cup corn flakes (coarsely crushed)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla essense
• 1/4 cup corn flour

Preparation:

(1) Mix the sugar and the butter together until it is creamy.

(2) Add in the vanilla essence and stir in the lightly beaten eggs.
(3)  Fold in the all-purpose flood and the corn flour.

(4) You can stop folding it once the mixture looks yellow and doesn't stick on your hand. Then scoop out about 1 tsp of the dough and roll it onto the crushed cornflakes.
(5) Place it on a baking tray covered with baking paper.
(6) Bake about 25 minutes at 180 degrees! Done! :)