Grilled Pork Fillet with Lemongrass

A Vietnamese style grilled pork with spicy lemongrass paste.

 

 

Grilled Pork with Lemongrass

 

Ingredients:

• 1 piece of pork fillet
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, use the bottom-half only, slice thinly
• 3 clove of garlic
• Few slices of  ginger
• 3 bird-eye chili
• 3 tbsp fish sauce

 

Methods:

1. Clean and pat the fillet dry.
2. Grind lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chili into a paste.
3. Add fish sauce into the paste.
4. Marinate the fillet with the marinating paste and chill in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
5. Spray some oil over the pork fillet and grill it in preheated oven at 200 degree C for 30 minutes or until cooked. Turn the fillet once to allow even cooking.
6. Slice the fillet and squeeze lime juice over it. Serve with chili sauce. 

For Mom with Love - Mango Mousse Cake

This Mango Mousse Cake was for my mom who celebrated her 66th birthday in March.

 

Mango Mousse Cake

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 15 pieces digestive biscuits, crushed into crumbs in a zip-lock bag
• 90g unsalted butter, melted

For the mango mousse:

(Adapted loosely from finebaking blog)

• 300g mango fresh
• 50g caster sugar
• 3 tsp gelatin
• 350ml whipping cream

For the top layer mango mirror:

• 200ml fresh mango puree
• 4 tsp gelatin powder
• 100ml hot water

 

Methods:

1. For the base: Mix the biscuit crumb with the melted butter. Press the mixture into the cake mold. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. For the mousse: Puree the mango flesh with the sugar. Strain to remove fiber from mango.
3. Put one third of the mango puree into the pot and stir in the gelatin until dissolved, over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining mango puree. Set aside to cool.
4. Once the mango puree has cooled down, whip the cream to soft peak stage.
5. Gently fold the cream into the mango puree and scoop the mousse into the cake mold, on top of the biscuit crumb base. Spread it evenly with a spatula. Chill in the fridge for several hours until set.
6. For the top mango mirror layer: Once the mousse is set, dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add gelatin mixture into the mango puree and mix well. Strain and spoon the mixture over the mousse. Leave the cake into the fridge overnight to set.



A Sweet Ending for Chinese New Year

A very belated post for this Tang Yuan dessert that I made with my girl in February.

 

My younger girl loves this sweet dessert very much. I have cooked it at home using store-bought glutinous rice ball. This year, to mark the end of Lunar New Year in February,  I made the rice balls together with her on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. We had great fun making and eating the dessert and she has requested me to make it again soon, before the next Chinese New Year.

 

 

 

Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Ball Dessert)

Adapted from noobcook.com

 

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

 

• 1 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 cup water (add gradually)
• 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
• food colourings (I used a dash of pink food coloring for pink balls and pandan paste for green balls)
• 1 litres of water
• few slices of ginger
• 2 pandan leaves, tied to a knot
• gula melaka sugar, to taste

 

Instructions

1. Combine flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Gradually add water and knead the dough until soft, smooth, and not sticky to the fingers.
2. Divide the dough into 3 portions. Add pink food colouring to portion A, pandan paste to portion B. Knead the dough until the colour is well distributed. For portion C, I did not add any coloring.
3. Working with one portion of the dough at a time (cover the other 2 with cloth to prevent them from drying), pinch a small amount of dough and shape it into a round marble-sized ball. Repeat the same for the other 2 doughs.
4. Bring a pot of water  to boil. Add the tang yuan into the boiling water and cook until they float to the surface. Transfer them immediately to a bowl of room temperature water until cooled or ready to serve.
5. In another pot, bring 1 litres of water, ginger and pandan leave to a boil. Add gula melaka sugar and stir till sugar melted. Off the fire. Add the tang yuan into the sweet soup. The tang yuan is now ready to serve in individual bowls.

Jelly Hearts

 

 

 

Jelly Hearts - A pretty and delicious cheesecake desserts.

 

Recipe adapted from here

 

Ingredients

 

For the base:

• 9 Digestive biscuits, crushed (I used 11 pieces, to ensure the base is thick enough)
• 70g butter, melted

 

For the cheesecake layer:

• 250g cream cheese, room temperature (I used low fat)
• 295g condensed milk (I reduced to 200g)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp gelatin powder (I added 1/2 tsp extra for a firmer cheesecake)
• 50ml hot water
• 6 strawberries

 

For the jelly layer:

• 90g jelly powder (I used 120g for thicker jelly layer, peach flavoured)
• Water, amount as stated in the jelly packaging

 

Methods:

 

1. Crush the biscuits into crumb and mix with the melted butter.
2. Pour the biscuit mixture into a square baking tin lined with aluminum foil for easy lifting up. Press the biscuit mixture evenly and firmly into the base.
3. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
4. Beat the cream cheese until smooth using a fork. Add condensed milk and lemon juice. Continue to mix till well-combined.
5. Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water. Strain it if there are insoluble granules. Add to cream cheese mixture and mix well.
6. Pour cream cheese mixture over the biscuit base and spread evenly.
7. Cut the strawberries into halves and trim each halve into heart shape.
8. Before the cream cheese is set, gently press the heart-shaped strawberries on top of the cream cheeses in a symmetrical pattern.
9. Cover with cling film and leave it to set in the fridge overnight.
10. The next day, make the jelly solution according to the instructions on the package. Let it cool to room temperature.
11. Gently pour jelly solution over the cheesecake and the strawberries. Place the baking tin back to the fridge for a few hours until the jelly set.

To serve, remove the tin from the fridge, carefully lift the cheesecake up using the aluminum foil and place it on a tray. Cut into 12 square pieces, with each piece has a strawberry heart at the centre.

 

Cotton Cheese Soufflé Cupcakes

These Cheese Soufflé Cupcakes are soft and light as cloud.

 



 

 

 

 

Cotton Cheese Soufflé Cupcakes

[Adapted from CornerCafe, makes about 12-15 cupcakes]

 

Ingredients:

• 125g cream cheese, soften
• 60ml milk
• 40ml canola oil
• 3 egg yolks
• 40g caster sugar
• 20ml lemon juice
• 30g cornflour, sifted
• 3 egg whites
• 70g caster sugar

 

 

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Line the holes of muffin pan with paper cups.
2. Place a large tray of hot water at the bottom rack of the oven.
3. Mix cream cheese with milk and oil in a bowl over simmering water. Whisk until smooth, remove from heat and set aside to cool down.
4. Beat egg yolks with 40g sugar until combined, Add in lemon juice. Gradually add in lukewarm cheese mixture and whisk to combine. Add in the sifted corn flour, whisk lightly to combine. Set aside.
5. Beat egg whites in a clean bowl until foamy. Add in 70g sugar over several batches, beat well after each addition until the egg white become firm but not stiff.
6. Spoon 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the cheese mixture. Mix to combine thoroughly. 
7. Fold in the remaining egg white and fold carefully to combine.
8. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup nearly to the rim.
9. Place the muffin tray on the oven rack just above the tray of hot water.
10. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the tops of the cheesecakes are lightly browned.

 

Egg Muffins with Ham and Cheese

A simple and yummy-licious breakfast options for weekend! These are basically egg omelette baked in oven.

 

Egg Muffins with Ham And Cheese

Makes 6

Ingredients:

• 4 Eggs
• 2 pieces of breakfast ham
• Some chopped button mushroom
• About 1/4 cup of grated cheese of your choice (may use up to 1/2 cup for more cheesy muffins)
• Ground black pepper and salt seasoning, to taste
• *More grated/shredded cheese for topping

 

Steps:

1. Preheat oven at 190 degree C. Grease a 6-hole muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients (except *) together with a hand whisk.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the muffin holes till 3/4 full.
4. Sprinkle more grated / shredded cheese on top of each muffin
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins have risen and are slightly browned and set.
6. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Apple Ring Bread

This Cinnamon Apple Ring Bread has a soft texture with full of Cinnamon favour and sweet juicy apple cubes in the centre.

 

I adapted the bread recipe from Mummyposhpearl and filled it with cinnamon apples. I am very happy with how well it turned out.
 

 

 

Cinnamon Apple Ring Bread

 Ingredients:

• 180g bread flour
• 120g cake flour
• 30g caster sugar
• 4g salt
• 4g instant yeast
• 210g of 1 egg + fresh milk mixture
• 20g unsalted butter, soften
• Cinnamon Apple Fillings (See recipe below)

 

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together.
2. Warm up the milk and egg mixture in a small pot over low fire. Do not let it boil.
3. Add the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture. Knead till well combined.
4. Add in the soften butter and knead the dough until it become smooth and non-sticky. Sprinkle additional flour sparingly if necessary as the dough is sticky to knead at the beginning.
5. Transfer the dough to a oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
6. Punch out the air and transfer to a flat work surface.
7. Roll it out into a flat rectangular shape and spread the cinnamon apple filling evenly over the surface.
8. Roll up firmly like a log, and joined the 2 ends together to form a round ring. Carefully transfer it into a buttered spring form ring cake pan, seamed side down.
9. Proof for a second time until double in size, about 30 minutes.
10. Use a kitchen scissor to make a few diagonal cuts around the ring. Brush some melted butter over the top and bake in pre-heated oven at 175 degree C for 20 minutes or until golden and firm to touch.
11. Brush the top with more melted butter for a glossy look. Let cool before storage.

 

Cinnamon Apple Fillings:

Peel and cut 4 medium apples into small cubes. Mix with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Cook in a a small pot over low fire until soft. Set aside to cool down for later use.


This is for Yeastspotting.

Yomeishu Baked Chicken

This east-meet-west baked chicken with herbal wine is a regular dish on my family's dinning table.Not only  it is good for health and flavourful, it is frill-free to prepare too.

 



 

Yomeishu Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

 

• 1 spring chicken
• 5 tbsp Yomeishu (养命酒)
• dash of freshly grounded black pepper
• 1 tsp of Chinese five-spice powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

 

 

Methods:

1. Clean the whole chicken, butterfly it. Discard the feet and head.
2. Mix together the seasoning ingredients.
3. Rub the inside and outside of the chick with the seasoning mixture.
4. Pour the remaining mixture over the chicken.  Leave chicken in the fridge to absorb the seasoning, at least 2 hour.
5. Place the chicken and seasoning mixture in a baking pan lay with aluminium foil.
6. Fold the foil to seal the chicken.
7. Baked in pre-heated oven at 200 degree C for 50 min.

 

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #28: Chicken Feast (February 2013) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker

Soft Cheese Butter Loaf

I have been making breads over the last few weekends. This afternoon, I made cheese butter loaf. It is so tasty and soft that I can't wait to write this post to capture the recipe.
 

 

 

 

Cheese Butter Loaf

Inspired by Table for 2....or more

Dry Ingredients:

• 320g bread flour
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt

 

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• 33g honey
• 165g low fat milk
• 65g low fat cream cheese (soften)

 

• 16g unsalted butter (soften)

 

• 3 tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese

 

Topping Ingredients:

• 15g soften unsalted butter
• 15g soften cream cheese
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

 

Steps:

1. Mix together the wet ingredients of egg, honey, milk and cream cheese and set aside.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Add wet ingredients into the flour mixture.
4. Knead by hand for 10 minutes. Add in butter and continue kneading until the dough become nonsticky and elastic. Sprinkle some flour if needed during the kneading process.
5. Leave the dough in a oiled bowl, cover with fling wrap and let it rise until double in size.
6. Once doubled, punch the dough down and move it to a work surface.
7. Divide it into 6 balls.
8. Stretch each ball into a long rectangular flattened piece, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the top. Roll it up from the short side. Place roll into a greased loaf pan, seamed side down. Repeat the same for the other 5 balls.
9. Cover the loaf pan with fling wrap, let the rolls proof for the second time until double in size, around 30-40 minutes.
10. To make the topping, mix everything together and set aside.
11. Preheat oven to 175 degree C. Using a knife, make a long slit in the middle the loaf lengthwise.
12. Spoon the topping over to cover the slit.
13. Bake at 175 degree C for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 160 degree C and continue to bake for another 20 minutes.
14. Brush with melted butter when it out from the oven.

 

We absolutely enjoyed the soft and yummy bread!

 

This is for yeast spotting.

Birthday Cakes for January Babies

I baked 2 birthday cakes last month. Both cakes used the same  moist chocolate cake recipe which I liked very much.

 

Birthday Cake #1 - This is for my friend who celebrated her 50th birthday - a simple cake decorated with sprinkles:

  

 

  

 

The second one, is for my 6-year old nephew. I used coco pop cereals and oreo cookies to create this "Coco-Beary Happy Birthday Cake". It was a pleasant surprise for him and he liked it very much. :)

 

 

 

 

Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe

(adapted from my previous post with small adjustments and baked in 7-inch round cake tin)

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 80g unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 120g sugar

 

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degree C. Line and grease a 7-inch round baking pan.
2. Heat milk, butter, oil, coffee granules and cocoa powder till the butter melts. Let it cool to room temperature.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and sugar. Add this and the beaten egg into the cooled wet ingredients. Use a hand whisk to beat till the batter is smooth and well mixed.
4. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a knife insert into the middle come out clear. Remove from oven and let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and let it cool on the iron rack before applying any decoration.

 

For the Coco-Beary Cake, I first applied a thin layer of frosting (beating 1/2 cup of nutella with about 28g butter until creamy and fluffy), then I lightly pat the coco pop cereals to cover the entire cake. I used 3 pieces of yellow oreo cookies and nutella spread to form its eyes and the nose. Another 2 pieces of the cookies are stuck to the two sides as its ears.

Almond Cookies

This is another cookies that I will bake every year for Chinese New Year - Almond Cookies. They are healthier compared to many other traditional CNY cookies such as pineapple tarts as they are baked with canola oil instead of butter.

 

 

 

 

 

The original recipe is from Alan Ooi's New Year Cookies Cookbook via melspantrykitchen. I have made some variations as below.

 

Almond Cookies

(Made about 50 cookies)

 

Dry Ingredients:

• 100g ground almond
• 20g almond bits
• 150g plain flour
• 30g corn flour
• 80g icing sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda

 

Wet Ingredient:

• 120 ml canola oil

 

For Egg Wash:

• 1 beaten egg yolk

 

Method:

1. Combine the dry ingredients together. Add in the wet ingredient and mix well with your fingers to hold them together to form a dough.
2. Pinch a small piece of the dough and roll it in your two palms to form a small marbled-size ball. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
3. Line the almond balls in a baking tray lined with baking paper. Apply egg wash over all of them.
4. Baked in pre-heated oven at 175 degree C for 20 minutes of until the cookies turned lightly golden.
5. Let them cool down completely before storing in air-tight container.

Pineapple Tarts (2013)

Chinese New Year is just around the corner again! My daughters are so excited over it, because their mummy is going to bake them pineapple tarts again.

I've been baking this Chinese New Year's must-have using the same recipe in the past few years. This year, I tried a different recipe and it yielded equally good result.

I used ready-made pineapple filling. The pastry recipe is from Thelittleteochew but as I only have a short window time frame in the night to do the baking, I halved the recipe as follows which yield one tray of little balls (about 40):

Pineapple Tarts

Ingredients:

• 200g plain flour
• 25g corn flour
• a pinch (original 1/4 tsp) of salt
• 140g cold, unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
• 1.5 egg yolks, beaten (I scoop out a spoonful from the beaten 2 yolks, and reserve for egg wash)
• 1.5 tbsp cold water
• 2 tbsp icing sugar (reduced from 3 tbsp)
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• For egg wash - the half beaten egg yolk + half tbsp water
• Pineapple fillings - rolled into small balls (slightly smaller than a marble)

Methods:

1. Sift flours, icing sugar and salt. Mix well to combine.
2. Beat the egg yolks, add in cold water and vanilla extra. Mix Well.
3. Add the butter cubes into the flour. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until it look like fine bread crumbs.
4. Add the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture.Using your fingers again, gently mix the liquid into the flour and gather them into a loose dough ball. Leave it in a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge, pinch a teaspoonful dough and roll it into small ball with your palms. Flatten it and place a small ball of pineapple filling in the centre. Wrap and roll into a ball so that the filling is hidden inside.
6. Insert a clove into the centre to dress it up like a small mandarin orange. Repeat the same for the rest of the dough.
7. Apply some egg wash over each of the balls. Bake in pre-heated oven at 160 degree C for 18-20 minutes or until the balls turned golden yellow.
8. Remove and let them cool completely before storing them in air-tight container.

Fruity White Wine Jellies

These pretty looking and delicious Fruity White Wine Jellies were dessert I made for our 2013 Countdown Party earlier.
 

 

 

 

 

I have a "Strawberry Red Wine Jellies"  recipe from a Christmas Baking Recipe booklet that came with the New Zealand Woman's Weekly Magazine I bought while holidaying in New Zealand years ago. I have made this same dessert for several times since and they never fail to impress my guests. This time I used fruity white wine instead of red wine and they turned out equally well to compliment the festive mood.

 

Fruity White Wine Jellies

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cold water (250ml)
• 1/2 cup boiling water (125ml)
• 6 tsp gelatin powder
• 3 cups fruity white wine (750ml)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• A variety of fresh mixed berries for the topping (I used strawberries, blueberries and kiwi)

 

Methods:

1. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the surface of 1 cup of cold water in a shallow bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes .
2. Meanwhile, place white wine and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolve. Add in 1/2 cup of boiling water. Stir to combine.
3. Remove from heat. Continue to stir over an ice bath while slowly pour in the gelatin mixture. Stir to incorporate.
4. Pour into small serving cups, top with fruits.
5. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until firm and set. Serve cold.

Cranberries Cream Cheese Bread

I was on medical leave yesterday. Supposed to be resting at home but could not resist the chance to spend my few hours of fee time in the kitchen. So I started making bread after taking my medication.

While waiting for the dough to complete it first proofing, the after effect of the medication started to kick in, making me so drowsy and sleepy. I pulled myself to proceed with the punching and shaping and the final egg wash of the dough before popping them into the oven. I also patiently waited for 20 minutes to go by before removing them from the oven. I realised my bread rolls are so much skinnier than those I saw in Sonia’s post. But they do taste as soft and yummy as how Sonia has described. So I attributed the skinny roll to my not up to standard kneading skill. After the first bite, I leave them to cool down and went to bed (finally) in the late afternoon. It was only in the late night when I read back Sonia’s recipe again then I realised that I had missed out an important step, that is the 2nd proofing to double the size before the egg wash stage. Alamak! But considering that I baked these bread rolls under the influence of medication, I shall forgive myself. But I will attempt this again over the weekend as my girls like them so much.

Cranberries Cream Cheese Bread

 (Adapted from nasilemaklover)

Ingredients:

• 50g cream cheese (I used low fat version)
• 40g dried cranberries
• 280g bread flour flour
• 40g caster Sugar
• 2.5g salt ( I added ¼ tsp)
• 120g milk (I used low fat milk)
• 40g egg (slightly less than 1 medium egg, keep the remaining for egg wash)
• 1tsp instant yeast
• 28g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
• Egg wash (with the balance egg + 1tsp milk)

Method:

1. Beat cream cheese with a spoon or folk till creamy.
2. Mix all ingredients (except butter & cranberries) together.
3. Start kneading the dough on a floured surface.
4. Add butter and continue knead till dough becomes smooth, glossy and elastic.
5. Add in cranberries and gently incorporate into dough.
6. Place dough in a oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let it proof till double size (about an hour).
7. Remove dough from the bowl, gently punch down the dough to remove air bubbles. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions ( about 90g each).
8. Roll each into small round dough ball, let them rest for 15mins.
9. Using a rolling pin, roll each small ball into flat oval shape, then roll it up like swiss roll by hand, press firm on the closing. Repeat for the other 5 balls.
10. Line them in a non-stick baking pan (9”x9”), with the closing side faced down. Let them rise until double in size.
11. Apply egg wash and bake at pre-heated oven at 180 degree C for 20mins until the top is golden brown.
12. Remove from pan and cool bread on a wire rack. Store in air-tight container.

I am submitting this for Yeastspotting.