Another Hee Pan Recipe–Sweet Potatoes Hee Pan (番薯喜板）

INTRODUCTION

I have one sweet potato sitting in my kitchen shelves and likely to turn bad very soon.

Since it is only a small sweet potato, I have decided to “test” my recipe of plain hee pan recipe about 2 months ago.

Subsequent to my issuance of the post, some readers have successfully prepared it but some seems to have failed terribly. I am unsure of the reasons and I feel that there is a need to test my recipe issued earlier.

I have decided to add sweet potatoes to the hee pan and I am satisfied with the outcome. At least, none of which looks like a disaster though I would love to have my hee pan looked as beautiful as my first batch.

The hee pan is still soft and spongy.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: about 15 Hee Pans

Dough

• 150 grams of glutinous rice flour (糯米粉）
• 150 grams of plain flour (普通面粉）
• 150 grams of mashed sweet potatoes (蕃薯泥）
• 120 grams of castor sugar (细砂糖）
• 8 grams of Instant Yeast (即时酵母）
• 25 grams of corn oil (玉米油）
• 150 grams of lukewarm warm water (温水）

Others

• About 15 pieces of lightly greased banana leaves of 7cm x 7 cm (香蕉叶）
• A steamer with water capable of steaming at least 15 minutes under high heat.

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Put all dough ingredients in a whisking bowl. Add the water and use a tablespoon to lightly stir in until a dough is form. Transfer to a stand mixer and knead under medium speed until the dough is smooth (about 10 minutes)。 Note that unlike bread making, this process is to ensure all ingredients are well mixed and not to ensure that gluten structure is formed.  Alternatively, you can use hand to knead until the dough is smooth which is also rather fast as this is glutinous rice flour. Once done, divide the dough into 15 equal portions of about 50-60 grams each.

 

• Take a portion of the dough, shape it into a ball, place on top of a piece of banana leave and press it until it is about 1 cm thick. Perform the same for the remaining 14 portions. Put in the steamer tray and let it proof until double in size which may take about 45 minutes to one hour. In the process of proofing, cover it with some clingy wrap or a piece of wet tower.

• When the dough double in size and become smooth, get ready the steamer. Bring the water to boil under high heat and transfer the steamer tray to the steamer. Steam for 12-15 minutes. After 15 minutes, off the heat, and let it rest in the steamer for 5 minutes before taking the Hee Pan out of the steamer. Cool in a wire rack or place the hot Hee Pan in a piece of newspaper. The purpose is to let the newspaper  absorbs the water under the Hee Pan due to condensation. Best served hot as a snack item or breakfast item when hot.

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CONCLUSION

If you have never tried Hee Pan, you should give it a try. It is a rather healthy breakfast item with minimum fats. Most kids will like this soft and spongy type of kuih.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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• For more recipes, you can refer to my RECIPE INDEX (updated as at 8 June 2014)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts.  

• You can also join the FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED FACEBOOK GROUP  to see more recipes. Currently there are about 11,500 members sharing various food photos . I am posting my daily home cooked food in the above Facebook Group daily. I would be more than happy if you can  post in the Group for the recipes that you tried from my blog.

• If you are a Pinterest user and you are interested to have more recipes, you can join or follow this Pinterest Board set up by me  where there are more than 2600 recipes worldwide and pinned by various bloggers: FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED PINTEREST BOARD.

 

A Simple And Traditional Biscuit–Graham Biscuit (全麦饼干)

 

INTRODUCTION

In Western cookbooks, It is common that graham crackers were being used to prepare the biscuit base of chilled cheesecake and in fact, I do like graham crackers. I like the crispy texture of the biscuits with some bits to bite in the biscuit.

While I was flipping through by favourite cookbook  (Essential Baking Cookbook issued by Murdoch Books, UK 2000) today, I found a recipe on graham crackers. I was amazed  that only 5 ingredients were necessary to prepare the biscuits. Since I have all the ingredients at home, I have decided to give it a try.

Per Wikipedia,

“The graham cracker (/ˈɡræm/, /ˈɡreɪm/, or /ˈɡreɪ.əm/; also graham wafer) was invented in 1829 in Bound Brook, New Jersey, by Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham. The original graham cracker was made with graham flour, a combination of finely-ground unbleached-wheat flour with the wheat bran and germ coarsely-ground and added back in providing flavor. While graham crackers started out as a mild food, unsweetened or mildly sweetened, they are more commonly known as a sugar or honey sweetened baked good that approaches a cookie.

Most modern graham crackers are made mainly of the refined, bleached white flour to which the Rev. Graham was opposed, and others are made with blends that use unbleached, white flour as a base. Graham crackers have remained popular in North America as a snack food and breakfast cereal despite, or perhaps because of, the greater amounts of refined sugar (often mixed with honey) than in the original versions which may have been unsweetened, and far less graham flour, possibly without all the parts of the wheat included at all.” (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_cracker)

Prior to my preparation, I did search other recipes but most will require much more ingredients and  come with many variations such as adding of cinnamon powder. This recipe is unique as I did not find any other recipes that use cream in the preparation. However, I have substantially modified the ingredients and method  to suit my preparation.

Taste is awesome, texture is crispy and it is addictive.. I have taken more than 5 pieces in an hour..

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: Prepare about 50 graham crackers with sizes of about 5 cm x 5 cm x 2mm thickness

• 350 grams of wholemeal plain flour or wholemeal flour
• 60 grams of corn flour
• 60 grams of castor sugar
• 150 grams of butter (cut into cubes)
• 50 grams of fresh cream for whipping
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Line 2 baking tray with baking paper.

• In a food processor, put all the dry ingredients (except butter) in the blending bowl. Blend the dry ingredients until well mixed.. Add the butter cubes. Blend again until the texture resembles bread crumbs. Add in the cream, blend again until well combined. If you do not have a food processor, you can easily use hand to rub the butter against the flour mixture until a crumble structure is obtained.

• Divide the dough into two portions (about 370 gram each dough). Put one portion of the dough on top of one of the baking paper, Put another piece of baking paper on top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough with about 2 mm thickness.

• Put the flattened dough in the freezer and let it chill for about 10 minutes. Take out the dough, tear off one piece of the baking paper, use a pie cutter or pastry wheels or a sharp knife to cut the dough into your desire size (Suggested 5 cm x 5 cm). Put back to the refrigerator again until the oven is ready. If you prefer, you can use forks to make some pattern in your biscuits.

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degree Celsius. Once oven is ready, bake in the oven for about 7-10 minutes until the dough is firm and golden brown. Leave to cool in the baking tray for additional 2-3 minutes before transfer to the cooking rack for cooling.Once cooled, store the biscuit in an  air tight container.

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CONCLUSION

i am sure you will concur with me that this is  a simple recipe. and may be you want to give it a try?

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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• For more recipes, you can refer to my RECIPE INDEX (updated as at 8 June 2014)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts.  

• You can also join the FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED FACEBOOK GROUP  to see more recipes. Currently there are about 11,500 members sharing various food photos . I am posting my daily home cooked food in the above Facebook Group daily. I would be more than happy if you can  post in the Group for the recipes that you tried from my blog.

• If you are a Pinterest user and you are interested to have more recipes, you can join or follow this Pinterest Board set up by me  where there are more than 2600 recipes worldwide and pinned by various bloggers: FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED PINTEREST BOARD.

Another Extra Large Chinese Steamed Buns– Dabao or Pork Bun (大包/生肉包）

INTRODUCTION

This time, I have purposely prepared my minced meat steamed buns extra big. It is big and about 120 grams of dough and 100 grams of meat filling. So the buns weigh about 220 grams, about 2 times what is commercially sold in the store.

The minced meat steamed buns  was commonly sold in Singapore and Malaysia together with Chinese Barbecue Pork or Char Siu buns. It usually have some eggs in it and at times, certain stores may include some Chinese sausage or Lup Cheong.. It is always one of my favourite when I buy these Chinese steamed buns for breakfast or snack.

Before I proceed to the sharing of the recipe, there are a few points that I would like to highlight to readers .

• If you want to buns to have juicy minced meat, you may need to add a few tablespoons of water or meat stock to the minced meat.

• You can add some solid lard to the buns fillings and it will make your meat fillings more smooth.

• This recipe here yields only about 9-10 extra large steamed bun and I understand most readers may not want this size, therefore, feel free to reduce the size of dough and filling accordingly.  You can follow my ration of dough to fillings of 1.2 dough to 1 portion of fillings and calculate your number of buns.

• While this recipe usually pork, you can always substitute with chicken if you did not take pork.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Serving : About 10 steamed buns of sizes of 200 grams per bun

Dry Ingredients (A)

• 600 grams of bao flour or Hong Kong flour or low protein flour (水仙面粉）
• 50 grams of corn starch or potato starch （生粉或玉米粉）
• 100 grams of castor sugar （细砂糖）
• Pinches of salt （盐巴）
• 1/2 teaspoon of double acting baking powder/baking powder （双重发粉或发粉）
• 1 packet (10-11 grams) of instant dry yeast （即时酵母）
• 1/4 teaspoon of ammonia bicarbonate (optional) （臭粉 （可免））
• 30 grams of vegetable shortening or corn oil or cooking oil (白油）

Wet Ingredients (B)

• 320 grams of lukewarm water （温水）

Fillings

• 500 grams of minced pork belly (五花肉）
• 2-3 stalks of spring onion, chopped into small pieces (青葱）
• 2-3 stalks of coriander leaves, chopped into small pieces （芫茜）
• 3 cm of ginger, pound and extract juices （姜片）
• 2-3 winter mushrooms, soaked and diced into small stripes （冬菇）
• 2 tablespoons of corn flour （玉米粉）
• 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine （烹饪酒）
• 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce （耗油）
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil （芝麻油）
• 2 tablespoons of castor sugar （白糖）
• 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce (酱油）
• 5 eggs, hard boiled and cut into halves （鸡蛋）
• Salt to taste （盐巴）

Others

• Some cupcakes cups or square baking paper (water proof) for about 8 cm x 8 cm （纸杯或方形防水纸）

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Put all the ingredients for the fillings in a big bowl, use a pair of chopstick to stir it until well mixed. Let it seasoned for at least 1 hour.

• Weigh the filling and  divide into the number of buns you want to prepare. Take one portion , shape it into a ball, flatten in your palm and put a piece of egg on top of the minced meat. Wrap the egg using the minced meat and shape it into a ball．Once done, put the meat balls into the freezer section of the fridge and proceed to the next section. The main purpose of wrapping the eggs using the minced meat and the freezing of the minced meat balls is to  facilitate subsequent wrapping.

• Put all dry ingredients (A)  in a whisking bowl. Use a spoon to stir the dry ingredients and make a well in the centre. Add in the lukewarm water.  Use the same spoon to roughly stir it until it form a sticky dough. Use the machine dough hook to knead the dough for another 15-20 minutes or until the dough looks smooth and leaves the side of the whisking bowl. If the dough is too wet for the kneading, add 1-2 tablespoon of flour to continue. You can also do this manually if you don’t prefer to use the machine kneading.

• In a flat surface, dust with some flour, transfer the dough to the flat surface and knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough does not stick to your hand. Shape it into a ball, put it in a bowl. Cover with a wet towel or clingy wrap and let it prove for 30 minutes (or double in size) whenever is earlier. Note that this is a rather soft dough. As such, do add some plain flour or bao flour if it is too soft for you to handle.

• Once the first proofing has done, divide the dough into the number of buns you want to prepare. Take one dough, shape it round and use a rolling pin to flatten it.  Put a frozen minced meat ball on top of the dough. Seal the edges and place the bun in a piece of square paper or cup cake mould. You can directly put into the steamer tray if you preferred. Let the buns proof until double in size before sending for steaming.

• Meanwhile, heat up the water in the steamer to boil.  You should have adequate water to steam for about 30 minutes. Once the second proofing is done and the water is ready, steam the buns in the steamer for at least 20 – 25 minutes depending on the size of your buns. Use high heat throughout the steaming process.

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CONCLUSION

I am trying to emulate the type of minced pork buns sold in Singapore and I hope that this recipe will suit your taste buds. You can start making small  batches and see if it suits your taste buds. Again, as this is a savoury recipe, therefore feel free to adjust the quantity of the stated seasonings and the types of side ingredients.

Hope you like the post. Cheers and have  a nice day.

 

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• For more recipes, you can refer to my RECIPE INDEX (updated as at 8 June 2014)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts.  

• You can also join the FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED FACEBOOK GROUP  to see more recipes. Currently there are about 11,500 members sharing various food photos . I am posting my daily home cooked food in the above Facebook Group daily. I would be more than happy if you can  post in the Group for the recipes that you tried from my blog.

• If you are a Pinterest user and you are interested to have more recipes, you can join or follow this Pinterest Board set up by me  where there are more than 2600 recipes worldwide and pinned by various bloggers: FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED PINTEREST BOARD.

Local Baked Custard? Kuih Bakar Pandan Or Kuih Kemboja （香兰烘糕）

INTRODUCTION

This kuih is very much like a baked custard that is full of Pandan and egg aroma. It is soft and resembling biting the top green custard layer of the Kuih Salat or Kuih Seri Muka. That is understandable as the ingredients are very similar except for this kuih, plain flour is used and baked.

The name of this kuih is Kuih Bakar or in Indonesia, it is called Bingka Bakar. It is also called Kuih Kemboja possibly because the traditional bronze mould used for the preparation of this kuih that resembles a flower plumeria or Kemboja in Malay language. It’s flavour can be plain or with Pandan flavour.

There is very little write up about this kuih but as per Wikipedia in Malay Language, It was written:

“’Kuih bakar adalah sejenis kuih tradisional Melayu. Ia biasanya bewarna hijau kerana menggunakan daun pandan sebagai pewarna. Ia juga berbau harum wangi pandan. Kuih bakar biasanya agak manis dan berasa telor.” (Source: http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuih_bakar) – ‘It is written Kuih Bakar is a traditional Malay cake , usually green in colour because of the usage of Pandanus Leaves. It is  sweet and comes with a Pandan and egg fragrance. 

In this illustration, I have in fact baked 2 trays, one using the round baking tin and another using square baking tin. Therefore, the picture that I have taken may cause confusion if you see the square and round baking tin.. Pardon me for that.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: Prepare an 8” square baking tin of Kuih Bakar

• 2 eggs
• 200 grams of plain flour
• 200 grams or ml of water
• 200 grams of ml of thick coconut milk (1 packet)
• 150 grams of sugar
• 60 grams of ghee or butter (melted)
• few drops of Pandan Flavouring or 10 pieces of pandan leaves (extract juices)
• 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds as topping

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Greased the baking tray with some melted ghee or butter and pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.

• Beat eggs egg and sugar until well combined and sugar have dissolved. Add in the plain water, coconut milk, pandan juice (or pandan flavouring)  followed by melted ghee or butter. Once all well combined, add in the sifted plain flour, use the machine’s slowest speed (or fold in manually ) to stir until well mixed.

• Transfer the batter out to the greased baking tin. Sprinkle sparingly with sesame seeds and baked in the pre-heat oven for 30-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Note that baking time will very much depends on the size of the baking tin used. The taller the cake, the more difficult it is cook the cake. You have to use your judgement. As long as the cake is set, it is consider as cooked, It is common that the sides of the cake will rise slightly higher than the centre. Cool completely before cutting into desired sizes.

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CONCLUSION

If you have never eaten this kuih before, which is rather unlikely, try to imagine you are taking a bite of a firmer Kaya (coconut Jam) or the firmer top part of the Kuih Seri Muka . I am sure you will start to like it.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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• For more recipes, you can refer to my RECIPE INDEX (updated as at 8 June 2014)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts.  

• You can also join the FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED FACEBOOK GROUP  to see more recipes. Currently there are about 11,500 members sharing various food photos . I am posting my daily home cooked food in the above Facebook Group daily. I would be more than happy if you can  post in the Group for the recipes that you tried from my blog.

• If you are a Pinterest user and you are interested to have more recipes, you can join or follow this Pinterest Board set up by me  where there are more than 2600 recipes worldwide and pinned by various bloggers: FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED PINTEREST BOARD.

Four Seasons Blog Hop #55 (26 June 2014)

Welcome to the Four Seasons Blog Hop

A party where we can celebrate the greatness that each season brings to our lives.

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.

George Santayana

Thank you to everyone who shared their wonderful creations last week and to all of you who are joining us new this week!

Meet Our Hosts:

Terri/Shawna – Easy Life Meal & Party Planning – Bloglovin  Google+  Facebook  Pinterest  Twitter Kenneth – Guai Shu Shu  RSS  Google+ Facebook  Pinterest Twitter  Webstagram  Tumbler  Lynn – Turnips2Tangerines  Bloglovin  Google+  Facebook  Pinterest  Twitter Sandra – Scruptilicious4You Bloglovin Google+  Facebook  Pinterest  Twitter

So Let’s Get This Party Started!! Share your  food creations, gardening, clever projects, tablescapes, decorations, party themes, and inspirational knowledge … Ok, you get the point.  Join us every Thursday (opens Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm). Please stay for awhile and show some love to the guests, join us in the fun and grab a button.

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We will share your posts in a variety of ways on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus.  We will also have features of the week! Be sure to follow our Four Seasons Board on Pinterest!

By participating in this linky party, you agree to have your posts shared on social media and Pinterest and to receive email and Google notifications for reminders about the party. If you don’t want to receive notifications, please let us know.

Featured Blogger

This week we are featuring a blogger who has the most beautiful blog, posts and home! Does this lady know how to decorate!

Meet +Penny Phillips  from Penney’s Vintage Home who is passionate about decorating! “I  love to use pastels to decorate our home…my style is a mix of Romantic, Country, and Cottage all rolled into one!”

  Most Popular Post

Strawberry Icebox Cake – Tumbleweed Contessa

FEATURED POSTS

1. Penny’s Vintage Home – Drying Roses from Garden
2. Cranium Bolts – Thai Lunch at Mango Tree Bristo Bar, Bangalore 
3. Bakewell Junction – Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse
4. Family Home & Life – Side Dishes – 13 Recipes
5. New Mama Diaries – Mandarin Sunrise Smoothie
6. Keep It Simple Sweetie Blog – Light Easy Fish Tacos
7. Stretching it to Travel – Cheap Produce-Cucumber Salad
8. On A Wing and a Prayer – DIY Cinnamon Peppermint Toothpaste

 

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A 3 Ingredients Simple Dessert With Awesome Taste–Sago Gula Melaka Puddings （椰糖西米露）

INTRODUCTION

Frankly speaking, I never had this dessert until quite recently when I started working.. I remembered then, I need to stay and dine in the hotel for months and that’s how I get to know this sweet, smooth and cold dessert from the then Holiday Inn Damai Beach. Since then, on and off, I can only order from hotels and restaurants in West Malaysia or those selling Malay or Nonya cuisines. Apparently, it was not being sold in hawker centre and  definitely not as common as other local desserts such as Ais Kacang Batu or Chendol.

This is a rather simple 3 ingredient recipe and utilizes ingredients of which my Malaysian home state is famous for its production – Sago pearl balls. Sago is a palm that starch can be extracted and commonly found in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is a type of staple food for some minority tribes in Sarawak especially in the area near Mukah. As per Wikipedia:

“Sago /ˈseɪɡoʊ/ (Tamil : ஜவ்வரிசி) is a starch extracted in the spongy centre, or pith, of various tropical palm stems, especially Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak, rabia andsagu. A type of flour, called sago flour, is made from sago. The largest supply of sago comes from the East Indies. Large quantities of sago are sent to Europe and North America for cooking purposes. It is traditionally cooked and eaten in various forms, such as rolled into balls, mixed with boiling water to form a paste, or as a pancake.

Sago is often produced commercially in the form of “pearls”. Sago pearls can be boiled with water or milk and sugar to make a sweet sago pudding. Sago pearls are similar in appearance to tapioca pearls and the two may be used interchangeably in some dishes.”.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sago)

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: About 6-8 servings

• 200 ml or 200 grams or 1 packet of concentrated coconut milk
• 200 grams of sago pearl
• 200 grams of palm sugar (gula melaka or gula apong)
• Pinches of salt
• 2-3 leaves of Pandan or screw pine leaves.

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Soaked the sago pearl balls with adequate water until they fully expand which took about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil a pot of hot water. Add in the soaked sago pearls and stir the sago pearls in the hot water. Note that constant stirring is required throughout the cooking process.

• During this process, you will witness the water become starchy like glue, keep stirring for about 10 minutes until all the balls looks translucent. Off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Let is rest in the pot for at least 5-10 minutes before transferring out for draining. The resting in the pot is to let the remaining heat continue to cook the sago balls including the centre. You can always add in cold water throughout the process if you found that it become overly sticky.

• Once done, drain the balls in a big sift. Use running cold water to rinse the cooked sago balls and wash of the excess starch.

• Transfer the cooked sago balls into the desired moulds or bowls, cooled and if prefer, put inside the fridge for chilling until the sago balls are “set”.

• For the palm sugar (in this illustration, I have used gula apong), add 3 tablespoons of water to the palm sugar and microwave for 30 seconds to one minute. Stir until the sugar had completely dissolved.  If you do not have a microwave, melt the sugar over the stove under low to medium heat until it dissolves.

• For coconut milk, cook the coconut milk with pinches of salt and pandan leaves under medium heat until it boils. Once boiled. Off the heat and let it cool.

• For assembly before serving, take a bowl of sago pearls, put some coconut milk and followed by your desired amount of palm sugar. Best served when chilled.

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CONCLUSION

A simple 3 ingredients local dessert and I love the dessert for its smooth texture and rich coconut aroma. Do give it a try and remember to let the sago balls to sit in the pot before draining to avoid centre uncooked sago balls.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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• For more recipes, you can refer to my RECIPE INDEX (updated as at 8 June 2014)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts.  

• You can also join the FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED FACEBOOK GROUP  to see more recipes. Currently there are about 11,500 members sharing various food photos . I am posting my daily home cooked food in the above Facebook Group daily. I would be more than happy if you can  post in the Group for the recipes that you tried from my blog.

• If you are a Pinterest user and you are interested to have more recipes, you can join or follow this Pinterest Board set up by me  where there are more than 2600 recipes worldwide and pinned by various bloggers: FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED PINTEREST BOARD.

Classic Victoria Sponge Sandwich (经典维多利亚海绵夹层蛋糕）

INTRODUCTION

I am not good at cake decoration, deal with cream and etc.… It is just not my area of expertise.. What I thought that it should work always turned out to be  a mess and spoil my cake.. I told members in my Facebook Group that I seriously think that I should go for a cake decoration course and cake cutting course..

No matter how good is my bake, without proper techniques of cake decoration and precise cutting, it will irk the readers too…

Hmmm, having said that, I still decide to issue the post on this famous bakes – Victoria Sponge Sandwich reputably name after Queen Victoria of England.. It is not the fault of the cake or recipe. In fact almost all recipe for this famous cake is the same, equal quantities of butter, flour, eggs and sugar. It is my inability to slice and decorate the cake and  I seriously hope that these few ugly pictures can convince readers to try this simple sponge cake..

A  few things to note about Victoria Sponge Sandwich cake as per Wikipedia:

• The Victoria sponge or Victoria sandwich cake was named after Queen Victoria, who favoured a slice of the sponge cake with her afternoon tea. It is often referred to simply as “sponge cake”, though it contains additional fat.
• A typical Victoria sponge consists of raspberry jam and whipped double cream or vanilla cream. The jam and cream are sandwiched between two sponge cakes;
• The top of the cake is not iced or decorated apart from a dusting of icing sugar. 
• Although simple to make, Victoria sponge recipes are notoriously sensitive to cooking times and temperatures. As such, oven manufacturers often use a Victoria sponge recipe to test their oven.

Most Victoria Sponge cake recipes are the same and traditionally, it was baked in a round cake tin. For to day’s illustration, I have decided to bake in a Swiss roll tin of 9” x 10”. You can always used the baking tin your prefer.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: Prepare a 9” x 10” baking tin

• 150 grams of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150 grams of self raising flour
• 150 grams of castor sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2 tablespoons of fresh milk
• 1/2 cup of fresh cream for whipping – Whipped until soft peak form
• 3-4 tablespoon of raspberry jam or any other jam
• Some icing sugar for dusting the cake

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. and lightly grease the baking tin or line the baking tin with parchment paper.

• Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and eggs, beat until well combined. The eggs should be added one by one . Sift the self raising flour, add the fresh milk, use a spoon or spatula to stir until well mixed. Transfer the batter to the baking tin.

• Baked in the pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes (for this size) or or until lightly golden brown and risen. Depending on the type of baking tin you use, the cake can get cooked rather easily and use the above criteria to judge if the cake is ready. It  should not extend beyond 30 minutes.

• Cool completely in a cooling rack. For assembly, cut the cake into 2 equal halves, choose the ugliest side to become centre of the cake. Spread the jam on top of half of the cake and followed by the cream. Top the cake with the other half of the cake and dust sparingly with icing sugar.

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CONCLUSION

Pardon me for the messy frosting and I am sure you can prepare one that look more appealing than me. This cake is not a very sweet cake and it is definitely one of my top choices of tea cakes..

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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• For more recipes, you can refer to my RECIPE INDEX (updated as at 8 June 2014)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts.  

• You can also join the FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED FACEBOOK GROUP  to see more recipes. Currently there are about 11,500 members sharing various food photos . I am posting my daily home cooked food in the above Facebook Group daily. I would be more than happy if you can  post in the Group for the recipes that you tried from my blog.

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Mini Minie Mani Mo……. Mini Hamburger Buns (迷你汉堡包）

INTRODUCTION

I prepared this hamburger buns in accordance with the stated weight as in the recipe, however, I have never expect that it is such a mini size.. It was stated that for mini size, the dough should weigh 30 grams and if the reader need a slightly bigger size, 50 grams is adequate.

I prepared both versions and what shocked me is that it is really very small…it is very cute in fact and I think that it definitely it is a good party snack. In my best estimation, for a bun like what is commercially sold, at least 75 grams of dough is required.

I am pleased with the bun. In fact, it exceeded my expectations as it is a very soft and fluffy bun. It is just the right texture as a hamburger buns.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Recipe adapted from: 简易家庭面包制作 Page 80 汉堡

Servings： About 30 mini hamburger of 30 grams each

• 500 grams of bread flour or high protein flour
• 280 grams of lukewarm water
• 80 grams of castor sugar
• 30 grams of butter (room temperature)
• 11 grams or 1 packet of instant yeast
• 6 grams of salt

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STEPS OF PREAPARATION

• In a big bowl, put all the dry ingredients (plain flour, yeast and salt), make a well and add in the lukewarm water. You can either use hand or stand mixer to mix. If you are using a mixer, use slow speed to mix for 2-3 minutes until it form a sticky dough. Thereafter beat at high speed for 10 minutes until the dough is not sticky and the wall the mixing bowl is cleaned of any sticky dough.  Add the butter and beat for another 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and leaves the side of the mixing bowl.

• If it refused to form a dough, add plain flour 1 tablespoon by 1 tablespoon until it is smooth. If it is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water until a dough is form. (All flour have slightly different water absorbing properties, therefore, it is okay to add flour or water during the process and error tolerances are rather high)..

• Take out the dough and placed it in a lightly floured surface. Slightly knead until smooth. Shape it into a ball and proof in a greased bowl cover with clingy wrap or wet towel until it is double in size. This will depend on weather of the day and it usually took about 30-45 minutes. Once first proofing is done, punch the dough and transfer the dough out to a lightly floured surface.

• Divide the dough into the desired size (30 grams for mini, 50 grams for medium, 75 grams for normal size). Take a portion and knead for half minutes to ensure all air are out of the dough, Shape into a small ball, roll the ball in the bowl containing sesame seeds and ensure half of the ball is coated with sesame seeds. Transfer to the baking tray and let it proof until double in size. (It is important to ensure that  no air trapped in the dough as hamburger buns are not supposed to have lots of holes when cut into halves).

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degree Celsius.

• Once the proofing is done, bake in the pre-heated oven for 13 minutes.

 

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CONCLUSION

A straight forward bun recipe .. Again, I am happy with the bun’s texture and do consider to give it a try.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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• For more recipes, you can refer to my RECIPE INDEX (updated as at 8 June 2014)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts.  

• You can also join the FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED FACEBOOK GROUP  to see more recipes. Currently there are about 11,500 members sharing various food photos . I am posting my daily home cooked food in the above Facebook Group daily. I would be more than happy if you can  post in the Group for the recipes that you tried from my blog.

• If you are a Pinterest user and you are interested to have more recipes, you can join or follow this Pinterest Board set up by me  where there are more than 2600 recipes worldwide and pinned by various bloggers: FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED PINTEREST BOARD.

Famous Amos Copycat Chocolate Chips Cookies （山寨版之Famous Amos 巧克力曲奇）

INTRODUCTION

I have not share cookies post for quite a while and when I was shopping yesterday, I saw the Famous Amos Cookies store. I sudden have a craving for their Chocolate Chips Cookies. Hmmm, I doubt if there is any one who specifically reject cookies from this famous worldwide chain. I loved them but I do not purchase from them too often as it can be quite costly.

Since it is costly, why not prepare it at home. Cookies are cookies, the method of preparation will never far away from other cookies.  Are there any special ingredients? I do not know but since it is such a famous worldwide franchise, there must be at least copycat version of their cookies in the internet.

I searched and yes, lots of copycat recipes surfaced. I compared the recipes, and most of the recipe are basically the same.. Therefore, I just picked one recipe and prepared it.

Hmmm, outcome is satisfactory and I wouldn’t insist that it is 100% like what is sold in the stores (otherwise there will be no more Famous Amos Franchise stores) but it is close, pretty close, may be 80-90% close to what I have eaten before.

I thought it might be fun to share with all the history of this famous cookies. It is rather new and I am day dreaming that one day, I will be another Wally Amos. Lol. Per Wikipedia:

“Wally Amos, an Air Force veteran who worked as a talent agent with the William Morris Agency, would send home-baked chocolate chip cookies to celebrities to entice them to meet with him and maybe sign a deal to be represented by the William Morris Agency. Amos was from Tallahassee, Florida. On March 10, 1975, Amos took the advice of some friends and opened a cookie store in Los Angeles, California, naming it “Famous Amos”. In the first year he sold $300,000 worth of cookies, followed by more than $1,000,000 in sales in the store’s second year of operation.” (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_Amos)

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Recipe adapted from: Famous Amos Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookie

Servings: Prepare about 30 pieces of medium size cookies

• 250 grams  of plain flour or all purpose flour
• 150 grams of semi sweet chocolate chips
• 60 grams of butter (at room temperature)
• 60 grams of vegetable shortening
• 100 grams of brown sugar
• 50 grams  of white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of fresh milk
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Preheat the oven to 175 degree Celsius.

• Get ready 2-3 baking trays lined with baking paper

• Cream the butter, shortening, white sugar and brown sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs, vanilla essence and milk, beat until well combined (about 1 minutes). Add in flour and baking soda followed by the chocolate chips, use the machine’s lowest speed to “stir” until well combined.

• Scope a tablespoon of the cookie dough and place it on the baking tray. Leave adequate space for expansion. Use hand to lightly press down. Bake at the pre-heated oven at 175 degree Celsius for 13-15 minutes. Once taken out from the oven, leave the cookies in the tray for another 5 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack for cooling. It will be slightly soft when hot and become crispy when cooled.

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CONCLUSION

Football matches are in seasons now. Need a snack? Why not prepare this Famous Amos Copycat Chocolate Chips Cookies..

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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• For more recipes, you can refer to my RECIPE INDEX (updated as at 8 June 2014)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts.  

• You can also join the FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED FACEBOOK GROUP  to see more recipes. Currently there are about 11,500 members sharing various food photos . I am posting my daily home cooked food in the above Facebook Group daily. I would be more than happy if you can  post in the Group for the recipes that you tried from my blog.

• If you are a Pinterest user and you are interested to have more recipes, you can join or follow this Pinterest Board set up by me  where there are more than 2600 recipes worldwide and pinned by various bloggers: FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED PINTEREST BOARD.

How About A New Flavour Butter Cake–Coffee Pecan Cake (咖啡胡桃蛋糕）

 

INTRODUCTION

I was having dinner last Saturday night with one of my ex-colleagues.  I thought I might as well bake something for her. After my bake, suddenly something pop up, I can’t do the frosting for the cake which i planned initially. I have plan to do some coffee cream cheese frosting to go with the cake… As it is a cake to be given away, I can’t cut either…. Therefore the images that you have seen was a rather “bolding” cake taken in rush…

In addition, for the other cake, time was pressing for the photo taking, the cake was cut almost immediately when it is out of oven, therefore, the cake looks rather messy, pardon me for that.

There is nothing much to write about the cake. It is a coffee pecan cake. The pecan was actually given by my friend that I was going to meet that evening…. It is definitely ok to substitute with walnuts or other nuts of your choice.

I am happy with the cake though I have hope that the coffee flavour was stronger. I have uses 3 tablespoons of instant coffee but I will adjust the recipe to 4 tablespoons to give it a stronger aroma.

When I gave the cake to my friend, she told me that she did not take coffee products and luckily her mum said she loves coffee bakes. The next morning, she called me and said that the cake is very nice, better than her expectation, it is moist and the coffee aroma is not strong! ha-ha.. Is it a blessing in disguise? Well, my wife concurred too but complained that the coffee aroma is not strong enough.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: One 9” x 9” cake

• 250 grams of butter (at room temperature)
• 50 grams of condensed milk 
• 4 eggs
• 230 grams of self raising flour
• 50 grams of fresh milk
• 250 grams of brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons of instant coffee powder with 1 tablespoon of water
• 100 grams of chopped pecan or other chopped nuts

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius

• Lightly grease an 9” x 9” baking tin preferably with a detachable base.

• Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, add in the vanilla essence, eggs, coffee paste and use slow speed to “mix” until well combined. Eggs should be added one by one and scrap the bottom of the bowl to ensure no unmixed egg settled at the bottom of the mixing bowl.

• Add in the chopped pecan nuts and mix until well combined. Sift in 1/3 of the self raising flour  and milk and use the spatula to quickly fold in the flour.. Continue with the remaining 2/3 until all the flour  and milk are added.

• Transfer to the baking tin, level and bake in the oven (at the lowest shelf) at 180 degree Celsius at 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cooled completely before cutting the cake.

• If you noted the surface turning brownish too soon, lower the temperature to 165 degree Celsius and continue baking until the cake is cooked. It may take a bit longer and skewer test is still the final test. You can also turn off the top heat when you sighted the burnt, continue to cook until the last 15 minutes and on the top heat again.

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CONCLUSION

Not a difficult bake at all and I am sure you will be happy with the cake. If you like strong coffee aroma, you can also use coffee emulco from the bakery shop or the strongest coffee you can find. You can safely substitute part of the milk with some coffee liquor. Lastly, chopped nuts are optional and you can use any nuts you preferred.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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• For more recipes, you can refer to my RECIPE INDEX (updated as at 8 June 2014)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts.  

• You can also join the FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED FACEBOOK GROUP  to see more recipes. Currently there are about 11,500 members sharing various food photos . I am posting my daily home cooked food in the above Facebook Group daily. I would be more than happy if you can  post in the Group for the recipes that you tried from my blog.

• If you are a Pinterest user and you are interested to have more recipes, you can join or follow this Pinterest Board set up by me  where there are more than 2600 recipes worldwide and pinned by various bloggers: FOOD BLOGGERS AND FOODIES UNITED PINTEREST BOARD.