Warabi Mochi

I first fell in love with this Japanese dessert during a lunch appointment in "Fat Cow", a Japanese restaurant at Camden Medical Centre. Although I was very full from lunch but when I start eating this dessert, I couldn't stop, because it was so light, so cooling and so soft.
So for this month AB theme, I thought of this dessert as I suddenly have craving for this. I follow recipe from here and drizzle gula Melaka syrup before serve (instead of black sugar syrup) to give it an Asian twist.

Ingredient:
- 60 grams (2 ounces) warabimochiko (I can't find this powder so I used tapioca flour instead)
- 240 ml (1 cup) lukewarm water
- 40 grams sugar (I use caster sugar)
- about 30 grams (1 ounce) kinako (i used toasted black soybean powder, available at Daiso)

Gula Melaka syrup
- 50 gram palm sugar
- 1/2 cup water

Method: (Makes about 24 bite-size pieces)

1. Place tapioca flour in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in water little by little until the mixture is smooth, with no lumps. Whisk in the sugar. The mixture will be thin.
2. Pour black soybean powder in a ziplock bag.
3. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a saucepan and pour the tapioca mixture through. Place the pan over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon constantly and energetically as the mixture heats and becomes thick and elastic. After just a little while, the mixture will turn translucent.
4. When completely translucent, remove from the heat and pour the mixture -- whole or in small pieces -- into a bowl of ice water to chill first, before draining and putting in ziplock bag, coating with soybean powder.
5. Sprinkle the top with powder, and use a dough cutter (or large knife) dusted with soybean powder to cut it into bite-size pieces.
6. Separate the pieces and roll them around gently to coat on all sides. Let cool completely before eating.
7. Transfer them to a serving dish with some of the remaining powder (pour the rest back into the package) and serve with toothpicks. (In Japan, they were served with flat wooden picks with an angled point, that seemed to echo the shape of the kuromoji, the utensil used to cut pastries during the tea ceremony.)
8. Cook palm sugar with water till boil. Set to cool. Drizzle palm sugar syrup on top before serve.

Warabi mochi can keep for a couple of days. Cover and keep at room temperature; if you refrigerate them, they'll get tough.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Baker #20: Asian dessert buffet!(June 2012) Hosted By Moon of Foodplayground.

Q & A - Aspiring bakers #20

After posting Aspiring Baker #20 - Asian Dessert Buffet! (June 12) theme, thank you to some keen food bloggers that sent me their queries. To clear theirs and maybe your doubts, i will answer these questions that were brought up so far:

Q: is kueh accepted?
A: Guessed kueh is more appropriate for the earlier theme: AB #12: traditional kueh(Oct 2011).

Q: is agar agar / jelly accepted?
A: Yes! agar agar, jelly, pudding are all accepted. (will add this point to the AB#20 post)

Q: is Kulfi accepted?
A: Kulfi is a kind of ice cream, so it's not accepted.

Q: Is non cook dessert accepted?
A: Yes, it is accepted. Eg. Chendol, Ice kacang etc.

To summaries, see here for the rules(this revised copy is reflected in AB#20 post as well):

1) only Asian style dessert are accepted, no western dessert.
2) only cook/non-cook Asian dessert are accepted, no bake dessert.
3) Asian style cooked dessert include Chinese dessert eg. Tang Sui (糖水）, pudding eg. Soy bean milk pudding, 龟苓膏 etc, Malay/Nonya dessert eg. Chendol etc.
4) hot and cold desserts are accepted.
5) ice cream are not accepted.
6) agar agar, jelly, pudding are accepted.

Inspiration
Recently I went to HK for holiday, and brought back some instant HK desserts. See picture to see what I bought, and maybe these can also give your some inspiration to participate in this month AB#20 theme. :)

Top: Ginger Milk Curd姜汁撞奶
Left: Cha Cha Dessert, ingredients: red bean, yam, coconut cream, black-eyed Pea, Red Kidney Bean, brown sugar.
Right: Almond Cordial with Fungus Dessert雪耳莲子杏仁露

Bandung Soy Milk Beancurd Pudding

Was looking for "老伴豆花"the other day, and saw another shop selling pink colour 豆花 pudding, was curious what flavor is that and saw it was strawberry flavor. Was quite disappointed because the pink colour remind me of Bandung.
Why not make my own Bandung beancurd pudding? Yes, so I adopted the recipe I tried earlier and turned it into Bandung flavor. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
500ml Soy Bean Milk
2 tsp Gelatine powder
1/2 tsp rose flavour essence
1/4 tsp red coloring

Method:
1. Add rose flavor essence and red coloring into soy milk and stir well.
2. Heat up soy bean milk in a sauce pan over low heat(do not let it boil).
3. Put gelatine powder in a small bowl, ladle about 50ml of warm soy milk in it and stir till powder dissolve and well mixed.
4. Pour mixture back to sauce pan and stir well. Let it simmer for 30 second (do not let it boil).
5. Off the heat. Wait till mixture cool off slightly before sift it into a container to cool completely.
6. Chill mixture for 3 to 4 hour in fridge before serve.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #20 Asian Dessert Buffet!(June 2012) hosted By Moon of Food playground.

Aspiring Bakers #20 - Asian Dessert Buffet! (June 2012)

I am a big fan of Aspiring Bakers! Thanks to SSB for giving me this opportunity to host this month theme - Asian Dessert Buffet!(June 2012)

You may wander what kind of Asian dessert? After much discussion, here is a summary:

1) only Asian style dessert are accepted, no western dessert.
2) only cook/non-cook Asian dessert are accepted, no bake dessert.
3) Asian style cooked dessert include Chinese dessert eg. Tang Sui (糖水）, pudding eg. Soy bean milk pudding, 龟苓膏 etc, Malay/Nonya dessert eg. Chendol etc.
4) hot and cold desserts are accepted.
5) ice cream are not accepted.
6) agar agar, jelly, pudding are accepted.

If you are like me, a big fan of AB, and like to eat, cook and learn Asian dessert, do participate and share with us your recipes. Do drop me an email or comment if you have any question.

Looking forward to the delicious Asian dessert buffet!

Who can join?
Everyone! (if you do not have a blog, just send me a photo and recipe of your bake/dish

How to join?

Step 1 :
Make any Asian dessert in the month of June 2012. You may submit more than 1 entry.

Step 2 :
Post it on your blog between 01 June 2012 and 30 June 2012.
Your post must include the recipe or link to the original recipe. If you are using a recipe from a book, please include the title of the book too.
Any entries that are posted outside the date range will not be accepted.
Any entries that do not include a recipe or link to the original recipe will not be accepted too.

Step 3 :
Please mention that you are submitting your post to Aspiring Bakers #20: Asian dessert buffet! (June 2012) hosted by Moon of Food Playground and provide a link back to this post HERE.
Entries will not be accepted if the above is not included.

Step 4 :
Email to Foodplayground@gmail.com in the following format:

Your name or nickname:
Your blog name: (omit this if you do not have a blog)
Name of your bake/dish:
URL of your post:
URL of your photo (one photo for each entry):
(alternatively, you can attach your photo in your email, preferably less than 500kb).

Please use "Aspiring Bakers #20" as your email subject. You may submit more than 1 entry.

The roundup will be posted on 01 July 2012.

***
If you are interested to find out what's on the previous Aspiring Bakers #19: Dim sum affair (may 2012), hosted by SSB of Small small baker, see the roundup HERE

Red fermented beancurd Lotus Root

Every year, My sister will cook 罗汉斋(mixed vegetable) with red fermented beancurd(南乳) and my mom will always cook Braised lotus root with red fermented beancurd for me. I had some roasted pork in the fridge and I have not been eating this for awhile so cooked this for dinner today. It is very easy to cook and it always taste good. This is the recipe:

Ingredient:
1 cube red fermented beancurd
1 stalk lotus root (sliced)
Some roasted pork
1 cup chicken stock and red fermented beancurd sauce
1/2 tsp Sugar to taste

Method:
1. Boil lotus root in boiling water and a pinch of salt. When soften, Set aside.
1. Heat pan with Roasted pork. Fried till fragrant, golden and oily.
2. Add fermented beancurd cube and quickly smash it.
3. Add lotus root and stir well.
4. Add sauce and chicken stock, stir well. Lower heat and simmer till lotus root turn soft.
5. Sugar to taste. Ready to serve.

I am submitting this post to very good recipes family challenge.

Easy Bread Pudding

I always like bread and butter pudding. Since I baked raisin and chocolate chips bread, I may as well used it to bake bread pudding for breakfast. This is the recipe I followed and modified.

Ingredients:
2 slices raisin and chocolate chips bread, cut in cubes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup milk
1 banana, sliced

Method:
1. Place bread in bottom of round pan.
2. Beat eggs and sugar till bubbled.
3. Add vanilla and milk and pour over bread.
4. Top with banana.
5. Bake at 150 degrees C for 45 minutes or until set. Serve warm.

Verdict: we liked the soft, warm and moist inside and crispy outside texture. Not too sweet and very filling.

No knead Raisin and Chocolate Chips Bread

I baked this today and can you believe this is my first attempt baking bread? Yes, I am not a bread lover but these few days I am forced to stay home and eat soft food like porridge and bread. Since I need to clear raisin and chocolate chip that's expiring soon, so I thought instead of baking cake, I shall challenge myself and try baking bread for the first time.
I looked around for easy and fast to make bread recipe without using bread maker, and most importantly no knead! this is what I followed and modified(see below). I added raisin and chocolate chips.

Ingredients: (1 loaf, I used half of the ingredients from the original recipe)
1/3 cup warm water
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp vegetable shortening
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, approximately
1/4 cup raisin
2 tbsp chocolate chips

Method:
1. In large bowl, add yeast, sugar and warm water. Stir until yeast and sugar dissolved.
2. Heat milk in a pan and stir in shortening till melt.
3. Pour warm milk mixture into the yeast mixture. Add salt and stir well.
4. Sift in 1/2 cup of flour one at a time, until the dough chases the spoon around the bowl.
5. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead, add more flour as needed, until the dough is soft and smooth, not sticky to the touch.
6. Put dough in buttered bowl, turn dough over so that the top of dough is greased. Cover with cling wrap and let rise in warm spot for 1 hour.
7. Punch down dough. Turn out onto floured board and knead with raisin and chocolate chips.
8. Preheat oven at 170 degrees C.
9. Form dough into loaf and set in buttered loaf pan. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.
10. Put in oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. (I used skewer to test if it's done)
11. let cool on rack before serve.

Verdict: I like the soft inside texture, not too dry and smell good! Will use this recipe for more bread variants.

Miso Chicken Wings

I have tried baking fish with miso sauce, and it was very good. So I thought maybe I can use the same method for chicken wings. So I tried, so easy and o' so very good! Since then, I have been baking this and even marinated more and baked in oven as and when I want to eat.

Ingredient:
20 chicken mid wings
4 tbs miso paste
3 tbs mirin
3 tbs sake
2 tbs sugar
Honey optional

Method:
1. Marinate chicken wing with all ingredients overnight.
2. Bake wings in preheated oven at 200 deg C for 35 minutes.
3. Ready to serve.

Drunken Prawn 醉虾

That day I was craving for 醉虾, and I always have fresh prawns in my fridge, so I thought maybe I can try to cook this dish. I searched for a easy to adopt recipe and this is where I get my inspiration. I modified with the ingredients I had in my fridge.

Ingredients:
16 medium prawns
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup shao xing wine（绍兴酒）
5 ginger slice
1 tbs or more Chinese wolfberries (枸杞子）

Method:
1. Boil wolfberries and 1/2 cup of water for 10 minutes. Set aside.
1. Boil 1/3 cup of wolfberry water, ginger and wine.
2. Add prawn.
3. When prawn turn colour, add remaining wolfberry water.
4. Add salt for seasoning. simmer on low heat for 30 minute.
5. Add wolfberries and simmer on low heat for another 5 minute.
6. Serve when hot.

One Bowl Easy Chocolate Cake

Not sure if you miss me when I MIA (missing in action)for almost two week. I am now back in action after a work trip to Beijing. Will show what I ate there later in this blog, stay tune. ;)

I definitely miss home and miss cooking and baking. I love the smell of Changi Airport when i touched down... Mmmm.. So nice! Like home cooked food... Haha!

Looking back at what i have baked and cooked... This is by far one of my favourite recipe! It's easy, no fail and nice to eat--soft, spongy, and so "chocolate-licious"! Adopted from Martha Steward recipe, it require no mixer, little oil and just mix all in a bowl. Here is the original recipe and what I used:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 1/2 cup, 120g)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
1 1/2 cups sugar (I used 1/2 cups, 120g)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water (180g)
3/4 cup buttermilk (I used 3/4 cup low fat milk with 3/4 tsp vinegar, set for 5 minute or more)
3 tablespoons safflower oil (I used canola oil)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
3. Add eggs, warm water, milk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
4. Pour batter in lined loaf pan, filling 3/4 full.
5. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 30 minutes.
6. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

P.S: I topped cake with cream cheese and almond flakes.

Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd

Mentioned earlier in my previous post that I promised to bake lemon cake for my friend. And she had a special request: to include lemon curd.
So for the past few days, I have been looking around for easy to follow recipe and I stumbled upon this one. As I did not use many eggs so I modified a little and substitute egg for cornstarch. The result: shiny, tangy, not too sweet and a little thick, just the right texture and taste. And my friend was surprised to learn that this was my first attempt. So proud of myself ;)

Ingredient:
1/2 lemon zest and juice
25g caster sugar
1/2 egg
20g unsalted butter
1 tsp corn flour

Method:
1. Place sugar and lemon zest in a bowl.
2. Whisk lemon juice with egg then pour this over the sugar mixture.
3. Add butter, cut butter into little pieces.
4. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
5. In another bowl, put corn flour and add a few tablespoon of warm mixture, stir till well mixed and thicken. Pour it back into the simmering mixture.
6. Stir frequently till curd thicken, about 5 minutes. Leave to cool.
7. Top the cake with lemon curd and put in the fridge to set before serve.

Cake recipe from here.

Soy Milk Beancurd Pudding

Frankly speaking this is my second attempt. First attempt, I used agar agar powder with soy milk. The result was coarse and watery, guess I overcooked it. This second attempt, I followed this recipe and used gelatine powder with soy milk. The result was promising: smooth, soft and mouth in your mouth.. Yum! Will definitely make it again! Thanks Ellena for sharing such a clear recipe.

Ingredients:
500ml Soy Bean Milk (I used Vitasoy)
2 tsp Gelatine powder

Method:
1. Heat up soy bean milk in a sauce pan over low heat(do not let it boil).
2. Put gelatine powder in a small bowl, ladle about 50ml of warm soy milk in it and stir till powder dissolve and well mixed.
3. Pour mixture back to sauce pan and stir well. Let it simmer for 30 second (do not let it boil).
4. Off the heat. Wait till mixture cool off slightly before sift it into a container to cool completely.
5. Chill mixture for 3 to 4 hour in fridge before serve.

Black sesame marcaron

My 1st attempt and a very last minute project. As I only picked up my courage at this last minute. This was my 1st patch. Doing better for sure for 2nd patch. Recipe adopted from here.

I wanted to submit this post to aspiring bakers- march marcaron madness. Too bad I clicked post at 11.59pm but it showed 1 april for this post.
Good also, I can share more about this experience. This was my 1st attempt and definitely the not as difficult as I thought experience.
As I always find a lot of marcarons too sweet, so i reduce sugar to 20g instead of 40g.
1st patch, I did not cut the Parchment hole big enough, that's why my macaroon look like Indian sweets, hee!
My 2nd patch is definitely better, as I cut a bigger hole and the shape is better. The taste and texture is to my surprise, good! For 1st attempt, this is definitely a big encouragement.