Wrapping Rice Dumplings (包粽子)

Rice Dumplings

One of my favourite snacks. Usually I will buy them from the market or at the mall.  The most difficult part is not the ingredients, it is the way it was wrap & how to get all the nice corners & the dumpling has a nice solid shape!!

I have always wanted to learn how to wrap them & decided to take up the challenge a few days ago. I have been gathering information on how to wrap the rice dumplings. 

I found this video (the link below) very informative because she showed you how to get the nice corners. 

http://youtu.be/Hitm0V8unvs

This is my first attempt & I don't want to use expensive ingredients. For this practice session I used glutinous rice, some beans & peanuts soaked overnight then fried with salt & coconut milk. Only made 7 rice dumplings. 

Ta-da!!! My first rice dumpling. :)

A bit skinny, need to get a fuller dumpling next time.

How they were made...

1. Soaked the dried bamboo leaves. Cut away the hard stems from the bamboo leaves. 

Trim of the hard stems they will get in the way during wrapping.

2. With the top side of the bamboo leaves facing you, make a cone & fill up with rice. 

Fill it up with the rice and pressed to firm up the rice mixture.

3. Fold the top flap flat onto the rice filling & press the 2 corners & adjust accordingly until you get a nice pointy corners ( refer to video). Then get the other corner & fold it neatly & tug away the leaves to the side. 

Side View: Fold the top flap down and adjust the 2 corners.

Top View: Need to get into this shape where the top flap were folded onto the rice.

4. Secure the rice dumplings with strings. 

It takes a while to get the hang of it.. Took me a while to secure ONE.

5. Boil for 1.5hr with dumplings completely submerged into water then hung to dry & cool. 

They are heavy after cooked.

6. There were one or two dumplings with exposed rice but all my rice dumplings were still intact! Overall I think it was quite a successful challenge!!! :) 

Oops! An exposed rice dumplings!

Bon courage!!!

Chin's notes: 

1. Use the top side of the leave instead of the bottom. When the rice are cooked, they will not stick to the leaves. 

2. I find that it is easy to wrap if the glutinous rice is slightly cooked compared to raw glutinous rice.

3. I practiced with raw glutinous rice, a bit too loose. It is more difficult to manage the corners as well. 

Chicken Parcels ( 纸包鸡）

This a favourite family dish ( chi pao kai in Cantonese) with some juicy gravy. I have been busy with other recipes & totally forgot about this easy & yummy dish! 

Made some for dinner today... :p

This parcel was my first chicken parcel wrapped in August 2014. 

Chicken Parcels Recipe

Ingredients:

8 chicken thigh - cleaned, I removed the skin & keep the bone intact. 

3 stalks spring onions - cut about 3cm length.

4 baking paper / greaseproof paper - big enough to hold 2 chicken thighs. 

Marinade:

3 tbsp oyster sauce / mushroom sauce

1 tbsp light soya sauce 

1 tsp sugar 

1 tsp sesame oil 

2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine ( shaoxing/huatiow)

Pepper & salt to taste

4 clove of garlic - minced

Thumb size ginger - minced 

Preparation steps:

1. Clean chicken & leave in the big bowl. Add in the marinade & mix well. Marinate for at least 1 hour. Best if leave overnight.

2. Prepare the paper & put 2 pieces of chicken thighs & garnish with spring onions. 

3. Wrap it up & seal it. 

4. Repeat until all the parcels are done. 

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 20 minutes. 

6. Remove from oven & served immediately with steamed cooked rice! 

Bon appétit !! 

Chin's Notes:

1. Great to make for individual serving / one big parcels. For big parcel, best to use double layer of the baking paper. 

2. I just used normal baking papers. 

3. I did not remove the bone because more effort is required. I like to keep it simple. But will remove the skin ;) 

4. For sealing I will tie it up / seal it with a stainless steel pin. 

5. Alternatively you can also wrap it like below. ;) as long as the chicken is sealed properly! 

Cherry Almond Loaf

Cherries are in season. My friend, Sarah shared her lovely Cherry Almond Loaf recipe. It was a long bake, about 1 hour but worth it all. My eldest son, finished 1/3 of the loaf.... :p

The process... 

After 1 hr of baking.

Here is the link to the recipe: 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1039628/Cherry-almond-loaf.html

Chin's notes:

1. Cupcakes in the next bake. 

2. Added almond flakes to the loaf.

Different types of flour

Came across the following site which explains the different types of flour & it's purpose. 

Hope you'll find them useful too... :) 

http://www.recipies.50webs.com/undestanding%20flour.htm

Cucur Bawang

Can't remember when was the last time I had these until Alice Pang shared her mummy's recipe at the cooking forum - Thank you!! 

I love these fried onion & vegetables snacks. They are yummy with your favourite chili sauce.  I will add prawns if I have them but I ran out of prawns. 

Add the vegetables to the batter & mix well.

I made 2 different flavours, plain & with curry powder. 

Curried (darker in colour) & Plain (lighter in colour). 

Cucur Bawang / Fried Onoins - Adapted from her recipe:

Ingredients 

170g flour

30g corn flour

2 eggs 

100 ml water 

1 tbsp curry powder ( optional )

1/2 tsp salt ( or to taste) 

1/2 tsp pepper ( or to taste)

1 big onions - thinly sliced 

1 carrot - thinly sliced 

1 stick of celery - thinly sliced 

4 leaves of cabbage - thinly sliced 

Chili powder for garnishing ( optional ) 

Preparation steps :

1. In a big mixing bowl. Add the flour make a well, then add the eggs & water slowly stir the flour from the center to get a consistent batter. Add in the salt & pepper & curry powder. Mix well. 

2. Add in all the vegetable & prawns & mix well. 

3. Heat up the oil in the wok for deep frying. 

4. Take a spoon full of mixture & place into the hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown. 

5. Garnish with chili powder.

6. Yummy to eat with your favourite chili sauce! 

Bon appétit !

Chin's notes:

1. Can add your choice of vegetable & fresh chili but onion is a must! :) 

Honey Cornflakes

Baked them for snacks. These are easy to bake &  very yummy!  

Recipe from Noobcook.com 

http://www.noobcook.com/cornflakes-cups/2/

150g cornflakes - I did not crushed

50g butter - I used salted butter

2 tbsp honey

Preparation steps 

1. Melt butter in a pan/wok on low heat, do not bring to boil. Once butter is melted , turned off the heat & add honey. Mix well. 

2. Pour in the cornflakes. Stir & coat the cornflakes with the melted butter & honey until all the cornflakes are well coated. 

3. Fill up the baking tray lined with baking liners. Add garnishing like thousands & thousands. 

4. Baked in a preheated oven at 150 degree C for 10mins or until golden brown. Remove & let them cool on the wire rack. 

Voilà! 

Chin's notes:

1. Store in the air tight containers & served when needed. 

Salsa with Tortillas Wrap

A new favourite for my eldest son & I. So easy to make & taste is superb!! 

Anna Tan shared her recipe & I just use what is available in my fridge. Here is my version. 

Ingredients at a glance.

Put all the cut up ingredients in a large bowl.

Mixed well.

Salsa

Ingredients 

2 large tomatoes - I used combination of tomatoes to get the different colours.

I used 2 shallots - thinly sliced & diced

1 glove garlic - finely minced

English parsley / coriander / sweet basil leaves - thinly sliced

1 tbsp olive oil 

Juice from 1/2 lemon / lime

Black pepper & sea salt to taste 

Red pepper ( optional , I did not use because my son does not like peppers) 

Preparation steps: 

1. Diced tomatoes & the rest of the ingredients. Put them in a big bowl.

2. Add the seasoning & mix well. 

3. Chilled before serving.

4. Serve with corn chips / Doritos / tortillas wrap. 

Bon appétit ! 

Chin's notes: 

1. An easy lunch meal or as salad. 

2. I have tried with coriander or with sweet basil leaves. Very tasty! 

3. If you like black olives, they goes very well too with the tomatoes. 

Simple Miso Soup

My kids love miso soup & I have been buying the packets miso soup to cook until my friend Angie, introduced me to the ingredients for miso soup. Ever since then I have been cooking my own miso soup.  They are easy to prepare & taste yummy!!! A good soybean paste will make your soup taste wonderful!!

Ingredients at a glance. 

Add soybean paste into the boiled bonito stock.

Pour the soup into the serving bowl with sliced leeks.

Simple Miso Soup

Ingredients 

Bonito stock - I used the 1 sachet & add water about 1 litre

2 tbsp soybean paste ( or more ) 

Some seaweeds for soup - soaked & cut small 

1 Leek - thinly sliced

1 block soft tofu for soup / steaming - diced. I did not use tofu in today's soup. 

Preparation steps: 

1. In a pot add the water & bonito powder. Bring to boil. 

2. Lower the heat. Add the seaweeds & soybean paste & tofu. Simmer for 10 mins. 

3. Place the leeks in the serving bowls & pour soup over the leeks. 

Voilà! 

Chin's notes:

1. Soybean paste is salty, do adjust according to your preferrence. Add more water if the soup is too salty. 

2. You can also use white radish, thinly sliced.

3. I do not cook my leeks cos I like them a little raw. 

4. There are 2 different types of soybean paste white / dark brown. 

Steamed Orange - a cough remedy?

The whole family had been sick since we came back from our short holiday trip to the Netherlands.  We get persistent night coughs.

Someone from the cooking forum shared a natural remedy & I decided to look up if there is a recipe / any information on Steamed Orange. 

Slice of the top & add 1/2 tsp of sea salt.

Steamed for 15 mins & leave to cool in the steamer.

Drink up, eat up & leave the skin.

Here is what I'd found : 

http://www.everydayoats.com/2014/03/28/steamed-orange-a-natural-cough-remedy/

I bought some organic oranges & sea salt to try.  After taking the steamed oranges for 2 evenings. 

1. On the 1st night, coughs reduced. The 2nd night, it completely stopped or at least my sleep was not disturbed & I'm not aware if I did cough. 

2. Our day cough reduced as well. 

Chin's notes: 

1. I used 1/2 tsp of salt per orange. A bit salty for my kids but they still finished up the whole orange. 

2. Drink the accumulated water in the bowl. 

3. Will prepare these for the next few days. 

4. Please use organic oranges if possible, otherwise best to remove the wax on the orange skin before you streamed them. As you will be drinking the water accumulated in your bowl.

5. If you see a hole at the bottom of the orange.. It is not required to sliced the bottom., I was trying to level my orange & it was too big to close my lid.. 😁 

Pandan Chiffon - Cooked Dough Method

I have always baked my chiffon using the "usual" method.  Jenny Lim shared an interesting recipe & I just have to give it a try.  The texture is much softer compared to the usual method's chiffon. This recipe is a keeper. :)

The recipe asked for pandan juice , I used pandan extract & replaced the water with more coconut milk. I used plain flour instead of cake flour.

Oh.. This recipe do not ask for cream of tartar & baking powder. ;)

The processes happened very fast, I did not have enough time to preheat my oven. My batter was waiting (at least 3 mins) for my oven to be ready. 

NB: Make sure you start your oven before you prepare the batter. 

Pandan Chiffon adapted from Wen's Delight

Ingredients: 

A 

5 egg whites 

80g sugar

B 

5 egg yolks 

100g coconut milk 

1 tbsp pandan extract 

50g butter

90g plain flour 

Preparation steps: 

1. Whisk ingredients A until stiff peak. 

2. In a pot (heavy based is preferred), put in the coconut milk, butter & pandan extract. Over the stove, heat up the pot until the butter melted, turn off the heat. 

3. Fold in the flour quickly, until well mixed. Then add in the egg yolks & mix well. 

4. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg white into warm batter (B). Then the mixed mixture into the remaining egg white. Fold evenly until well mixed. 

5. Transfer batter into the chiffon baking pan. Drop the baking pan gently on the table to release trapped air. About 3 times. 

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degree C for 10 mins then continue to bake at 150 degree C for 35 mins. 

7. Test the cake if fully cooked with a toothpick / cake tester.

8. Invert baked cake immediately for cooling. 

9. Use a kitchen knife to unmould the cake when cake is completely cooled.

After baked.

Invert to let the cake cool.

Chin's notes: 

1. Here is the original recipe shared. 

http://wensdelight.blogspot.sg/2010/10/pandan-chiffon-cake-cooking-method.html?m=1

2. Remember to start preheating your oven before you start preparing your batter. The steps by steps process is so fast. 

3. Do no grease the cake pan, the batter needs the "wall" to "climb". 

4. There is no cream of tartar & baking powder used in this recipe. 

Yummy Moist Butter Cupcake

Janice shared the following recipe. There is a method that was used in the preparation. I did tried the method, they really turns out moist. But I am lazy to do the whites & yolk separately, hence I combined & used the ingredients measurements. The cupcake is really moist even after days! 

Added chocolate chips

Butter Cupcakes adapted from 

The Famous Mrs NgSK's Super Moist Butter Cake

Ingredients : 

230g soft butter at room temperature 

4 eggs - about 200g or there about

200g plain flour 

200g sugar 

60ml fresh milk 

1 tsp vanilla essence / extract

1 tsp baking powder

Preparation steps:

1. Cream butter until creamy then add the sugar. Cream until light & fluffy. 

2. Add egg one at a time, then milk & vanilla extract. Beat until well combine. 

3. Turn the electric mixer to slow, slowly fold in the flour. Stop the machine until all well combine.

4. Put paper liners on muffin moulds, then fill it up 2/3 with the cake mixture. 

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 150 degree C for 30 - 35mins or until the cupcakes are fully cooked. Toothpick test, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. 

6. Take them out from the oven & leave to completely cool before dressing up the cakes. 

Voilà !! 

Butter Cream Icing 

125g soft butter at room temperature 

125g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence / extract 

Colouring ( optional ) 

Preparation steps:

1. Whisk butter until it turns pale / light.

2. Slowly add in the icing sugar & vanilla extract. Whisk until light & fluffy. Add choice of colouring & whisk until well combine. 

3. Transfer to piping bags with attached nozzle & pipe on to the cupcakes. 

Voilà ! 

Chin's notes: 

1. The link to the original recipe : 

http://life-is-like-a-long-journey.blogspot.sg/2013/03/the-famous-mrs-ngsk-super-moist-butter.html?m=1

2. You can also add chocolate chips into the mixture.

3. The mixture yield about 16 - 18 cupcakes. 

Silky Steamed Eggs

It took me a while to get this right (almost 1 year) & finally  I think I managed to achieve the texture & the softness. 

There are 2 important factors 

1. The eggs & water ratio is 1:2 

If 4 eggs measured to 1 cup then 2 cups of water is needed. Mix well. 

2. The heat control. 

Let the steaming water boiled then add the eggs. Turn to medium-low & let it steam for 15 minutes. This will minimise the bubbles forming in the eggs. 

Added 19 May 2015 

NB: cover the egg mixture with cling wrap / plate / lid to prevent additional water getting into the egg mixture during steaming. 

Voilà! 

Garnish with sesame oil, light soya sauce, fried garlic / fried onions & coriander / spring onions. 

Chin's notes: 

1. Sieved the eggs mixture to remove any impurity & bubbles. 

2. I used an electric steamer / rice cooker.

3. If I used the rice cooker , I will put in the eggs mixture after 10 minutes in cooking mode. 

4. You can add some salt / chicken stock to the eggs before streaming. But I prefer to add light soya sauce & sesame oil to my steamed eggs. :P

Happy Mother's Day 2015

This year Mother's Day, we celebrated in Keukenhof, Netherlands... A beautiful spring garden (32 hectares) with 7 million flower bulbs & 800 varieties of tulips.

Wishing all mothers many blessed days a head...

Pandan Kaya Cake

I have a mission to make this cake for a special celebration in Paris.  I have never baked this cake before & I'm determine to give it try with the following recipe from Kitchen Tigress. 

My first attempt & I made some minor adjustment to the recipe because I do not have some of the ingredients & they turned out great! At least they taste yummy to the family ( my tasters ;) !! & the sweetness is just right! :p

This is a cake with a layer of "jelly" / custard garnishing with coconut flavour.

Pandan Kaya Cake adapted from Kitchen Tigress

For the cake recipe : 

Ingredients - 

A 

4 egg whites ( from medium size eggs) 

40g sugar 

1/2 tsp cream of tartar 

B

10g sugar 

3 egg yolks ( from medium size eggs ) 

50g corn oil / vegetable oil

45g coconut milk

1/2 tsp baking powder 

50g plain flour - sifted 

1 tbsp pandan extract

Preparation steps:

1. Line the baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Put all the A ingredients into the mixing bowl & whisk until the egg whites stif peak. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix all the B ingredients until they are well combined. 

4. Gently fold A into B in 3 portions until they are well combined. Do not over fold.

5. Transfer mixture into a lined baking tray & bake in a preheated oven at 160 degree C for 40 minutes or until the cake is cooked. Test with toothpick, they should come out clean when cake is cooked. Meanwhile, prepare the kaya / jam while waiting for the cake. 

6. When the cake is ready, remove from oven & leave the cake to cool on a cooling rack. 

For the kaya ( jam ) recipe : 

Ingredients -
C

340g of water + 1 tsp pandan extract

1/2 tsp of white agar agar powder

40g sugar 

25g of butter (I used salted butter) 

A pinch of salt (very little to bring the flavour out)

D

120g coconut milk

35g corn flour 

1/2 tsp pandan extract 

Few drops of yellow colouring ( or more to get the desire green colour) 

Kaya / Jam 

Preparation steps : 

1. While the cake is in the oven baking. Mix all the C ingredients into a cooking pot (thick/heavy base pot is preferred). Stir until all the sugar dissolved. Set aside for 30 mins / more. 

2. In a separate bowl, mix all the D ingredients until they are well combined. 

3. Only start to cook the kaya / jam only when the cake is competely cooled! 

4. Heat up the pot with C mixture on a medium heat. Do not bring to boil. Just warm enough to melt the butter.  Once the butter has melted. Turn off the heat & remove from heat. 

5. Stir in D mixture into C, once is well combined, turn on the heat to low - medium heat & cook the mixture until it is smooth & thicken. Stir constantly. Add more drops of yellow colouring if the mixture is too green. Add yellow colouring until the desire colour is achieved. 

6. Once mixture is thicken (when they coat the side of the pot). Turn off the heat & set aside to cool down a little. Just a few minutes.

To assemble the cake: 

Cake assemble process

1. You'll need a container / pan to put  the cake & kaya together. I lined the container/pan with aluminum foil. 

2. Cut the cake into the desire shape. I just halved my square cake to get 2 rectangle cakes. 

3. Place the bottom layer cake in the prepared container / pan. Then pour the kaya over the cake. Slowly swirl to get a layer of kaya coated evenly on the cake. 

4. Then wait for the kaya to set a little. I put into the fridge for 1 min to let the kaya set. 

5. Place the other half of the cake on the kaya. With the top facing the kaya, so I will get an even top for the finished cake. Then pour the kaya over the cake, swirl to get a smooth & even top.

6. Leave it in the fridge until the kaya is completely set. I left it overnight in the fridge. 

7. When the kaya is set, unmould & trim off the edges. Cut the cake into serving bite sizes & serve them cold. 

Trim off the sides

Voilà & bon appétit! 

Chin's notes

1. Here is the link to the original recipe: 

http://kitchentigress.blogspot.sg/2014/06/pandan-kaya-cake-video-recipe.html?m=1

2. The ingredients were quite small, I'll double them in my next bake! Only managed to get 2 layers of cake instead of 3. My final cake is about 5.5"x8.5" cake.

3. Take note of the sequence in the preparation. 

4. Kaya consistency can be tricky. I cooked until I can see the obvious stirring trails when I stir the mixture. 

South Taiwan Braised Pork

I love to eat pork especially braised pork. Saw Rontree Chan shared the following link in a cooking forum. And I just have to try it & the verdict ! Yummy is the word!

I have never tried this dish.  The meat & peanuts are just the right texture. The gravy is superb!

I had them with cooked steamed rice & perfect with pickled cucumber. 

The best part is , there is no additional cooking oil added. I guess it is slightly healthier ;)

The ingredients are easily available too. 

Ingredients at a glance

South Taiwan Braised Pork Belly 

Video of the shared recipe: 

http://youtu.be/9vDWjpoB3pw

Below is my interpretation of the recipe: 

Ingredients

Pork belly, sliced & cut into stripes

5 star anise , I used 8, cos I thought I heard 8. 

Raw ground Peanuts - as much as you like. 

Fried shallots

Fried garlic

5 spice powder

Salt, pepper & sugar to taste 

Light soya sauce 

Water 

Preparation steps: 

1. Fry the pork belly on the pan without oil until they turned white. Do not brown them. 

2. Then add the light soya sauce, add enough to get the nice browning color. Give a good stir. Add in all the remaining ingredients & stir well. 

3. Add water, just enough to cover the mixture, bring to boil & let it simmer for 50mins with the lid on. 

4. Served with cooked steamed rice or as suggested in the video cooked glutinous rice. 

Bon appétit ! 

Chin's notes: 

1.  I added some dark soya sauce to get the darker brown. 

2. I like them a little sweet & salty (adjust to your taste). I like to use rock sugar in my cooking. 

3. I used 8 star anise instead of 5 cos I heard wrong, I was worried about the dish may turned out too strong. But it turned out perfect!! 

4. Here is the recipe to the pickled cucumbers: 

http://fromchinshome.blogspot.fr/2015/04/pickled-cucumbers.html?m=1

5. Thank you Jacqueline Wee, for sharing the following website to give the measurement of ingredients used: 

http://blog.iset.com.tw/delicious/?p=11210

Here is the translation in English :-

400g Pork belly, sliced & cut into stripes 

5 pieces star anise 

Raw ground Peanuts 100g

Fried shallots 2 tbs 油蔥酥2大匙

Fried garlic 2 tbs、蒜酥2大匙

5 spice powder 1 tsp

Light soya sauce 3 tbs

Rock sugar 1 tbs

Pepper 1 tsp

Salt 1 tsp