Tuesday 31 May 2016

Coffee Pork Ribs


Hi

Coffee in the savoury meat.  I fell in love with it when I first tasted.  Each time I eat in the restaurant or zi char stall, this is one of the dish that I will order.  After seeing my friend, Cecilia Yap cooked this for dinner, it inspired me to cook too.
It’s a fairly simple dish to cook.  Not difficult at all.  But the tricky part for me is the deep frying.  I really hate cleaning up the oil splatters.  Well, this dish made all the effort worth.  The ribs were absolutely delicious and addictive.  It was a good try!
HAPPY COOKING!

INGREDIENTS
500g pork ribs
oil for deep-frying

Marinates
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp rice flour
2 tbsp potato starch
3 tbsp water

Sauce
2 packets instant coffee
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp water

METHODS
(1)Cut 500g pork ribs into strips and marinates for 1 hours

(2)Mix the sauce well in the bowl and set aside.

(3)Heat sufficient oil in a wok, deep-fry pork ribs till golden brown.  Drain and set aside


(4)Add coffee sauce mixture to a pan and cook until it is thickened

(5)Add pork ribs, toss and let sauce coat evenly.

(6)Garnish and serve.

Monday 30 May 2016

Churros with Salted Caramel Sauce


Hi

It didn’t come to my mind to do Churros until I saw my friend, Cecilia Yap posted her Churros on FB.  Deep fried dough rolled in with sugar and ground cinnamon then dipped it with caramel sauce.  Eat it when they are hot. Ooo…  I was attracted to her Churros!   2 weeks ago, I’m so glad to have her come over and made Churros with me.
The last time I had Churros was like a decade ago at one of the theme park in California.  To be honest, I don’t really remember my first encounter with this dessert.  My 2 boys were very young then.  But I do remember they enjoyed eating it with the chocolate sauce.

My family liked it so much that I made it again.  As I don’t have large star piping tip, I used a smaller one and pipe the dough into flower. 
 Also, instead of frying it, I baked it.  The outcome was equally good, which is crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside.

From now on, how could I ever forgotten about Churros!

Happy Baking!

INGREDIENTS
Dough
1 cup          Water
½ cup       Butter or vegetable oil
1 tbsp        Sugar
1 tsp           Salt
1 cup          Flour
1 tsp           Baking powder
1                 Egg
1 tsp           Vanilla extract
1 cup          Sugar
1 tbsp        Cinnamon powder

Method
(1)Head up water, butter, sugar and salt until just about boil.  Lower the temperature.

(2)Add flour and baking powder.

(3)Remove from the heat and stir continuously until it forms a ball shaped dough.

(4)Add egg and vanilla extract.



(5)Continue to mix until it becomes soft mixture that is not sticky when touched.

(6)Then fill the dough into a pastry piping bag with the tip attached.



(7)Heat up the wok with oil or Preheat oven to 180°C.  Fry the dough until it turned golden brown or bake in the oven for about 20 mins.

(8)In a bowl, mix the 1 cup of sugar with Cinnamon powder.  Cool the churros slightly before coating them with cinnamon sugar.



(9)Serve with caramel sauce.


Caramel Sauce
2 cups       Caster sugar
12 tbsp      Unsalted butter
1 cup          Heavy cream
1 tbsp        Sea salt

Method
(1)Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy saucepan, with a capacity of at least 2 or 3 quarts. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. You'll see that the sugar will begin to form clumps, but that's okay. Just keep whisking and as it continues to cook, they will melt back down.  Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks

(2)Continue cooking until the sugar has reached a deep amber color. It should look almost a reddish-brown, and have a slight toasted aroma. This is the point where caramel can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds, so keep a close eye. If you are using an instant-read thermometer, cook the sugar until it reaches 170°C.

(3)As soon as the caramel reaches 170°C , add the butter all at once. Be careful, as the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted.

(4)Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour the cream into the caramel. Again, be careful because the mixture will once again bubble up ferociously. 

(5)Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add the fleur de sel and whisk to incorporate.

(6)Set the sauce aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and then pour into your favorite glass jar and let cool to room temperature. You can refrigerate the sauce for up to 2 weeks. You'll want to warm the sauce up before using.




Sunday 15 May 2016

Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake

Hi

This Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake marks the last Bake Along.  I recalled how excited I was when Zoe invited me to join in this event and bake along with the rest.
I also remember I had lots of problem doing the linkage and Joyce would always help me at the backend.  Thanks for all these wonderful experiences.   I really learn a lot of things from you, Ladies.  

Thanks for all your hearts and efforts in organizing it.

HAPPY BAKING!

INGREDIENTS
180g       Butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
225g       Caster sugar
¾ tsp     Almond extract
2 tsp       Baking powder
180g       Plain flour
75g          Ground almond
3              Large egg
2 tbsp     Milk
3 tbsp     Cocoa powder mixed with 3 tbsp
hot water to make a paste
100g       Dark chocolate chip
30g         Icing sugar, to dust
1½ litre  (or bigger) bundt cake tin

DIRECTIONS
(1)Heat the oven to 180C.  Thoroughly brush a 1.5 litre bundt tin with melted butter.

(2)Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in the almond extract.

(3)Mix together the baking powder, flour and ground almonds. Beat in one egg at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour mixture in between. Repeat until all three eggs have been added, then fold in the remaining flour mixture and stir in the milk.

(4)Spoon half of the cake batter into a separate bowl and mix in the cocoa paste. Add the chocolate chips to the other half of the mixture. Add spoonfuls of each of the batters alternately to the tin and drag the handle of a teaspoon through the mixture to create a marbled effect.



(5)Bake for around 40 minutes and then test the cake to see if a skewer inserted into the deepest part comes out clean. The cake will take 40 - 50 mins, depending on the proportions of your bundt tin.

(6)Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Once cooled, dust the cake with a little icing sugar.

Wednesday 4 May 2016

Yuzu 유자 Chiffon Cake

Hi

I had almost forgotten the bottle of Yuzu Citron Tea in the fridge.  Since I was working from home on Wednesday and my mum was at my place, I decided to make a chiffon cake.  I tell you the cake is so fragrant that my mum and I fell in love with it. 
 

It has been a long time I have afternoon tea at home with my Mum.  No extravagant high tea buffet but Mum and I had a great time.  We had a nice tea from The Clipper Tea Co. to go along with the chiffon cake.  Mum and I almost finished the whole cake by ourselves as we chat and eat.
Thanks for this box of wonderful tea bags from Serene whom I knew her since we were 14 years.  And also, I'm very thankful to my boss for allowing me to work from home when he was overseas.  Thanks Boss!

Happiness is having a wonderful friend and a good boss at work.
The original recipe is for 5 eggs on 20cm pan.  I did a conversion on the recipe as I’m using 18cm pan.
HAPPY BAKING!

INGREDIENTS
18cm pan
20cm pan
[adapted by The Domestic
Goddess Wannabe]
4              Egg yolk
5              Egg yolk
27g          Caster sugar
30g         Caster sugar
105g        Cake Flour
115g         Cake flour
½ tsp      Baking powder
¾ tsp      Baking powder
                Pinch of salt
¼ tsp      Salt
54g          Canola oil
60g         Canola oil
81g          Water + 2 tbsp of
                Yuzu marmalade
90ml       Water + 3 tbsp of
                Yuzu marmalade
½ tsp      Vanilla extract
1 tsp        Vanilla extract
4              Egg white
5              Egg white
¼ tsp      Cream of tartar
½ tsp      Cream of tartar
40g         Caster sugar
50g         Caster sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
(1)Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. To the yolks, add caster sugar and beat on high until the mixture turns light and fluffy.

(2)Place the yuzu marmalade in a jar. Add warm water and stir until combined. Set this aside.

(3)Add the oil to the egg yolk mixture and continue mixing. Add vanilla extract and the yuzu mixture.

(4)Mix and add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined. Set this aside.

(5)In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue whisking.

(6)Gradually add the sugar, whisking all the while until stiff peaks form.


(7)Mix 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolk batter. Just beat it in.

(8)Gently fold the remaining meringue into the batter in 2 batches until no streaks remain.


(9)Transfer into a tube pan and bake at 160°C for 50-60 minutes. Invert and cool completely before you remove the cake from the pan.




Monday 2 May 2016

Home Made chicken Stock

Hi
Once you learn how to make this chicken stock, you will never want to get the store-bought chicken stock.
My mum uses a lot of chicken stock in her cooking when she stays over my place.  So I decided to make this chicken stock for her to use. 

 The home made chicken stock tastes different from the store-bought one.  It’s simply incomparable and also far more nutritious and far lower in sodium.  It is worth the effort and time.
The stock can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Usually I will make about 2 lites and finish before the next weekend arrives.
This is the recipe which I often used it.  I like it as it is easy and amazingly good.

Happy Cooking!

INGREDIENTS
[partially adapted from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe]

3              Chicken carcasses
4              Medium size carrots
6 stalks   Celery
1              Large onion
Handful of parsley [I omitted bay leaves and Rosemary]
½ tbsp   Whole black peppercorn


INSTRUCTIONS
(1)Start by chopping the onion, carrat and celery into big chunks.  There is no need to peel the vegetables.  Place them in a roasting tray.

(2)Place the chicken carcasses and parts on the vegetables

(3)Roast it in the oven at 180°C for an hour.


(4)Transfer it into a stock pot.  Fill the pot with water just enough to cover.  Add parsley, and peppercorns.

(5)Bring to boil and simmer this for 45mins to an hour.  You may have to top up the liquid during the cooking process.  Do give everything a stir occasionally.

(6)Turn off the heat and allow the stock to cool.

(7)Strain the stock.

(8)Transfer the stock into a container and place in the fridge over night.  The next day, you will see a layer of fat floating to the top.  Remove it.




Sunday 1 May 2016

Butter Pork Chops

Hi

This is indeed a true comfort food and absolutely delish.

I hardly do deep frying in my kitchen because the repercussion, that’s the amount of cleaning up in the kitchen from deep frying, is no fun.   But I really can’t resist not trying out this dish after seeing how tempting it was on Sharon’s blog [Delishar].  
 This is so delicious and best of all it’s so easy too!  I’m totally satisfied with it.


HAPPY COOKING!


INGREDIENTS
600g               Pork chops, pounded to tenderize
1 tsp                Salt
1 tbsp              Sugar
½ tsp              White pepper
½ tsp              Baking soda
1 tsp                Sesame oil
1 tbsp              Fish sauce
1 tbsp              Shao xing wine
1                      Egg white
1 tbsp              Corn flour
                         Enough oil for frying

Butter sauce
2 cloves          Garlic, minced
50g                 Butter
2 sprigs          Curry leaves
80g                 Evaporated milk
2 tbsp             Heavy cream / thickened cream
1                      Pinch of salt
½ tsp              Sugar
¼ tsp              Black pepper
1 tbsp              Cooking oil

1                      Chilli padi, seeded and chopped (optional)


INSTRUCTIONS

(1)Marinate pork with salt, sugar, pepper, sesame oil, fish sauce, wine, baking soda, and egg white for 30 minutes to an hour.


(2)Heat oil and deep fry pork chops until golden brown


(3)Set aside to drain on kitchen towel.


(4)Heat wok and add 1 tbsp cooking oil.

(5)Stir-fry garlic until fragrant.

(6)Add the butter to wok.

(7)Add in curry leaves and stir fry until fragrant.

(8)Pour in evaporated milk, cream, and bring to boil.

(9)Allow sauce to thicken slightly.

(10)Season with salt, sugar, pepper, and chilli padi.

(11)Add pork chops and toss to coat.

(12)Remove from heat and serve.

Note

Heavy cream can be substitute with more evaporated milk.