Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Black Sesame White Rice Loaf
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Ingredients for Black Sesame White Rice Bread loaf: (24cmX10cmX10cm)
Set A:
150g cooked white rice
325ml water
- Combined rice and water in a small sauce pot and cook under low heat till the mixture is thicken and the water is adsorbed. Scoop up and let cool.
- Place mixture into blender and blend till thick watery mixture with no evident grain of the rice. Set aside for later use.
Set B:
400g bread flour
all above rice mixture
4 tbsp black sesame paste
7g instant active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
50g caster sugar
100ml ice water (adjust accordingly to moisture of dough)
40g unsalted butter
Method:
- Mix all ingredients in main dough except for butter together in a large mixing bowl to form a soft dough. Place on work area to knead or mixer to do the kneading. Knead the dough till it is not sticky, about 20 minutes.
- Add the unsalted butter in and continue to knead till the dough is shiny and elastic. To test if the dough is ready, pull a small piece off and stretching it with your fingers. If dough is very elastic and pulls to almost see through without breaking, then it's done.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof for at least 90 minutes to 2hrs.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll round and cover to rest for another 10 minutes before shaping the dough.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough flat into an oval shape and roll up from one end to a swiss roll shape. Place it in a greased bread tin. Repeat for the rest of the 3 dough balls.
- Let the dough proof for 40minutes to an hour to almost the rim of the tin.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush simple egg wash solution over the proved bread and sprinkle some black sesame over the top.
- Bake in the oven for 40 to 45minutes till the top is golden brown. If the top charred too fast, simply use an aluminum foil to over the top and continue to bake till done. Remove from mould after 5 minutes and let cool on rack.
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Overall a bread loaf worth trying out, especially if you like sesame. :) Spreading some cold butter over it makes it a great breakfast to have with a cup of your favorite beverage. Yum-O! Can't think of how to spend this coming holiday? Bake a fresh loaf of black sesame rice bread loaf for your family! They will love it.... ;) Happy bakes!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friends Forever
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Thursday, December 24, 2009
Chocolate Banana Christmas Cake
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Really did not have much time to do real nice deco, so simply used tinted white chocolate ganache and buttercream icing to pipe out everything. :-) I added mini chocolate chips around the cake edge for extra taste & texture. :)
The end result was delectable, everyone loves it, including me. :D The cake was soft and spongy, the chocolate buttercream and ganahe was just smooth and chocolaty, not too sweet and went really well with the sponge cake. ;0 The bananas were really yummy with the chocolate too, I was super glad I choose bananas over blueberries. ;) The kids were especially fond of the mini chocolate chips at the side! ;)
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Overall, a wonderful desert to have after dinner So glad I managed to bake it up for my friends and their family to enjoy this Christmas. ;) Last but not least, I want to wish everyone out there, a Wonderful Christmas this year and may all your wishes come true! Warmest wishes from yours truly, HoneyBeeSweets. ;)
Monday, December 21, 2009
Little Musicians
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Since we shipped our piano back to California in February this year, my girl has not got much hands-on practice except for occasional sessions at our neighbor's place. Her teacher, which is also the school principal, has generously loan a portable piano to us for a month so as to allow my girl to practice it at the comfort of our home. :) So to thank her, & "award" my girl, I seized the opportunity to make a batch of cupcakes for the Recital.
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Personally I like the piano cupcakes, so simple to make and with a clean look. If I were to make these cupcakes again, I vow to make more, so that at least everyone gets one. ;)
I shall keep this post short since I need to go pack up more stuff and finish baking my bread loaf (next post). So till next time, have a good day! ;)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Roast Pork, Fried Eggplant with Salted egg & Strawberry Shortcake
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- Balance amount of fat and lean meat. Yes, the fat almost melts in your mouth.
- Well seasoned but not overpowering so you can still taste the original flavors of pork meat.
- Crispy, crackly (not hard) skin, that gives the perfect contrast and texture to the overall taste....mmmmm! (check out the photo below, see the "bubbly" skin)
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Next up is Fried eggplant with salted egg (咸蛋香茄条). This is a simple, easy & delicious dish to whip up anytime of the week. Look out for fresh, firm egg plant, a.k.a. brinjals while in the market, an salted egg and some curry leaves and you are good to go!Ingredients for Fried Eggplant with salted egg:
150g cornstarch
2 cups oil for deep frying
2 salted egg yolks, steamed ( I used 1, which is suffice for me)
2 tbsp curry leaves
Seasoning:
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
Method:
- Cut the eggplant into wedges and coat it with cornstarch. Deep-fry the eggplant in hot oil until golden brown. Dish and drain.
- Leave 1 tbsp oil in the wok, add in salted egg yolk (mashed) and stir fry till aromatic. Add in curry leaves, seasoning and stir well.
- Add in fried eggplant and stir-fry until well mixed. Dish up and serve.
Simple right?
Slight crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and with salty, slight sweet & flavorful taste. Went really well with stream rice, so good! Highly recommended, please try this out. ;)
Yesterday, me and some of my good friends decided to have a mini pot luck cum Christmas party. Yeah, brought forward for my sake, thanks ladies! We brought our little ones and we even have gift exchange too. Not only did the kids had loads of fun, me and my friends had such fun too. Good food and great company, what more can I ask for? Since it's pot luck, I decided to make yam cake and Strawberry Shortcake, my style.
You probably think there's nothing so special about Strawberry shortcake, almost anyone knows how. Actually, instead of the usual sweetened whipped cream for the filling, I used custard cream + whipped cream. Result, a much tastier combo!
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Yesterday, me and some of my good friends decided to have a mini pot luck cum Christmas party. Yeah, brought forward for my sake, thanks ladies! We brought our little ones and we even have gift exchange too. Not only did the kids had loads of fun, me and my friends had such fun too. Good food and great company, what more can I ask for? Since it's pot luck, I decided to make yam cake and Strawberry Shortcake, my style.
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Ingredients for custard pudding cream:
375g fresh milk
55g unsalted butter
180g whole egg beaten
15g egg yolk
75g caster sugar
50g cake flour
250ml fresh whipping cream, whipped
Method:
- In a saucepan, heat up the butter and milk till butter is melted and the milk is almost boiling. Remove from fire.
- Add sugar and stir well till combine and melted.
- In another mixing bowl, add eggs and egg yolk together. Then add about 1 tbsp at a time of the milk mixture into the eggs and stir well. After about the 6 to 8th tbsp, add this mixture back into the reminding milk, butter mixture and stir well to combine. (this is an important step as it might cause the whole thing to cuddle, so be extra careful when doing it)
- Lastly, sift the cake flour in and stir well until combined and no clumps.
- Continue to cook mixture at low heat till thickens. Then remove from heat and let cool before use.
- Once cooled, fold in the fresh whipped cream. Chill mixture for an hour before use.
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Monday, December 14, 2009
Lo Mai Kai (糯米鸡)
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One of my all time favorite dim sum is Lo Mai Kai, a.k.a. "糯米鸡". It seems like if I do not get to make it before I pack and go, I probably won't forgive myself, hahaha! Neh, not that serious! It's just that I have this packet of glutinous rice siting in the cabinet for awhile now, so it's just came to me to make Lo Mai Kai with it. ;) I have been searching and researching for a good recipe for some time now, but I realize it's all about the correct seasoning and the texture of the glutinous rice. :) So I came up a version that I like and went with it (fingers crossed). :) Good thing I did not mess up and it was pretty well received by my family and friends! *phew* My friend even asked me for the recipe immediately after she tasted them. *victory!* Sometimes passion and hard work does pay off. :)
The matter of fact is, Lo Mai Kai is not that difficult to make at all. If comparing to buy from stalls outside, making them at home would be much healthier too. You do know how greasy those outside ones are right...huh huh. :P So stop eating those and start making some yourself! Wanna know how? Read on:
Ingredients for Lo Mai kai (makes about 12):
3.5 to 4 cups glutinous rice, rinsed and soaked overnight
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Seasoning for rice:
3 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine
5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
100ml water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp quality dark soy sauce
Ingredients for topping
6 shallots, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 whole chicken leg (thigh and drum) deboned, skinned and cut into chunks
6 dried mushrooms, soaked and cut half (Note: reserve water used for soaking the mushrooms for steaming later)
1 Chinese sausage, remove netting and slice thin
Seasoning for chicken and mushrooms:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1.5 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cornflour
sesame oil and pepper to taste
Disposable Aluminum bowls for the Lo Mai Kai to steam in (10-12 six ounces size round)
Method:
- After soaking for 8hrs or over night, drain water away from rice. DO NOT skip this step of socking the rice. Personally I love eating soft chewy glutinous rice. Allowing the rice to absorb the water overnight makes the rice texture softer and easier to steam cook through.
- Next you steam it in a prepared steamer with 5 tbsp of water (I find adding some liquid makes it easier for the bottom layers to cook through better) at high heat for 40 minutes.
- Marinate the chicken and mushrooms with the chicken seasoning and let seat for at least 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge before using it.
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- Remove rice from steamer after steaming, and add rice seasoning plus the reserved fried shallots while still warm. Stir and mix well. Adjust the taste and seasoning as to your preference.
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- Heat up the work with 4 tbsp of cooking oil and add shallots and slow fry till crispy, dish up. Next add in the garlic and grated ginger in and cook till fragrant.
- Add chicken and mushroom in and stir fry till almost cooked.
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- Get ready your Lo Mai Kai metal bowls or use disposable ones like me. Place 2 to 3 chunks of chicken meat, one mushroom and 1 Chinese sausage at the bottom of the bowl.
- Then stuff the seasoned glutinous rice over the meat and cover to almost full (about 90%). Use the back of the spoon to press it down so that it will be compact. This allow the Lo Mai Kai to stay "intact" when unmould from the bowls. Repeat till all ingredients are used up.
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- Add one tsp of the mushroom water that was reserved into each bowl.
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- Steam the Lo Mai kai at medium high heat for 20 minutes.
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- Remove from steamer and invert out on plate to serve.
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Have a fabulous Sunday folks!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Macaroon buns and Japanese Dark Pearl cake
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Ingredients for Macaroon Bun recipe (makes 8 to 10):
400g bread flour
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8g active dry yeast
40g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
25g milk powder
80ml water
200g whole eggs, lightly beaten
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
Filling:
3/4 cup plump raisins
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Macaroon Coating:
75g egg white
75g caster sugar
70g fresh ground almond powder
Method:
- Mix all ingredients in main dough except for butter together in a large mixing bowl to form a soft dough. Place on work area to knead or mixer to do the kneading. Knead the dough till it is not sticky, about 20 minutes.
- Add the unsalted butter in and continue to knead till the dough is shiny and elastic. To test if the dough is ready, pull a small piece off and stretching it with your fingers. If dough is very elastic and pulls to almost see through without breaking, then it's done.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof for at least 90 minutes to 2hrs.
- Punch out the air in dough, roll round and let rest for another 10 minutes covered before shaping.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a large rectangular sheet, about 40cm to 30cm. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and raisins generously over the surface.
- Roll it up from the shorter length end into a swiss roll form. Cut it into equal 8 to 10 pieces. Place on baking tray lined with parchment to let proof for another 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- In the meantime, make the macaroon topping. Beat the egg whites till foamy, add the caster sugar and continue to beat till thick and creamy. Add almond powder and continue to beat for 30 seconds till nicely incorporated.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop a spoonful of the creamy topping over the proofed buns.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes till the topping is slight brown. Remove from oven and cool on rack before serving.
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Everyone likes the cake plain on it's own. But when I served up for my girls last night, I topped it with some fresh whipped cream and a couple of fresh strawberries. They loved it even more! After devouring the cake, they demanded to have it the same thing served again tonight. :) Do try out this cake, it's wonderful, I know I would make it again. :) Have fun!
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