Fried Milk ( Taiwanese street eat)

                                         Crispy,  taste best when it is still hot.

you can pan fry it too.

or, you can eat it this way without fried...
top with a bit of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with condensed milk, finely grounded peanuts, some dessicated coconut.

Recipe: Taiwan Duck
Ingredients
1 mug milk ( your coffee mug size)
2/3 mug corn flour
1/3 mug white sugar
2 egg whites (large eggs)
1 tbsp rice flour
A pinch of salt

To pan fry:  just spread some plain flour and mix well onto the Fried milk for frying.
To deep fry:  mix 3 or 4 tablespoons plain flour with a little water in a small bowl as batter (see pic below)



Method
1.   Place all ingredients (except egg whites) in a large saucepan, constantly stirring over medium low heat.  When mixture gets thicker, add in egg whites and continue to stir vigorously until mixture become thickened ( like the consistency of toothpaste).
2.  Spoon and fill a greased square bowl ( for a nicer clean cut later).  Store in the fridge to set for about 3 hours.
3.  Cut them into squares and deep fry it.

egg whites, corn flour, sugar, pinch of salt, milk, flour ( for deep frying)

stir and cook until it gets thickened 

let it set on a square pan for nicer clean cut later.
( it was too late for me to realise that, haha)

ready to deep fry it

so tasty indeed.

Chocolate Chip buns ( Dan Lepard)

Using the Milk bread recipe, I made these chocolate chips buns and soft batch rolls.
These buns tasted just as good as our local bakeries.  I used premium dark chocolate chips here, it melts as you bite into it, especially when it just got out from the oven.



                     

                           
    Dan Lepard ( The Guardian)
    Ingredients
    375ml whole milk
    100ml cold water
    2 tsp fast-action yeast
    75g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the tin
    625g strong white flour
    25g castor sugar or honey
    Scant 2 tsp salt
    Oil for kneading

    250g chocolate chips ( I used premium dark chocolate chips)
    Egg wash, to finish

divide each into 100g

Do a bit of egg wash and ready to be baked

                           

     Method
    1.  Boil the milk, transfer into a bowl, stirring in cold water to bring down the temperature a bit quicker.  When it is gently warm, whisk in the yeast, leave for 5 minutes to dissolve.  Melt the butter.  Add the flour, sugar and salt to the yeast mixture.  Add in chocolate chips then pour in the butter.  Using your hands, work everything to a rough but evenly mixed dough.  Cover and leave for 10 minutes.  Gentle knead for 10 seconds.  Leave to let rise by half.

    2.  Divide into about 15 portions, about 100g each.  Shape them into balls or sticks and space put over two baking trays lined with nonstick paper.  Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size, then brush with egg and bake at 220C (200C fan-assisted)425F/gas mark 7 for about 20 minutes, until just golden.  Leave to cool on the tray. ( I had a metal pan with boiling water placed at the lowest shelf of the oven during baking)

soft 

Coconut red bean pudding ( Matcha)

   This is the kind of coconut pudding I had at the Yum Cha Restaurant recently.
   Using just a small amount of matcha powder makes the pudding taste so refreshing.
   Be generous with the beans used.

Beef cabbage steamed bun

 I made some quite big sizes of steamed buns,  one or two is enough to satisfy us.  It's great for lazy meals in weekends.  Great to dip in with some sauces, like vinegar mixes with sesame oil, even with mustard and chilli sauce.  

Milk bread (Dan Lepard)

I did not even deflate the air bubbles, love the holes...kind of artisan look :)

    Dan Lepard (The Guardian)
    Ingredients
    375ml whole milk
    100ml cold water
    2 tsp fast-action yeast
    75g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the tin
    625g strong white flour
    25g castor sugar or honey
    Scant 2 tsp salt
    Oil for kneading

ready to be baked

     Method
     1.  Boil the milk, let it cool in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in cold water to bring down the temperature a bit quicker.  When it is gently warm, whisk in the yeast, leave for 5 minutes to dissolve.  Melt the butter.  Add the flour, sugar and salt to the yeast mixture, pour in the butter.  Bring everything into a mixed dough.  Cover and leave for 10 minutes.  Gentle knead for 10 seconds.  Leave to let rise for an hour.

     2.  Grease a large loaf pan, shape the dough into either to two balls or a rolled-up sausage and place smooth side up in the tin.  Leave to rise by half, flour the top, cut a slash down the middle, bake at 180C (160C fan assisted) 350F/gas mark 4 for 50 minutes.  Remove from the tin as soon as it's baked and leave to cool.

I also used this recipe and made some Choc chip buns and soft batch rolls.
They are all good!

Soft batch rolls ( Dan Lepard)

Love the texture and the flavour.., these are my so-called Champion milk buns :)

             
Recipe: Dan Lepard (The Guardian)
Ingredients
375ml whole milk
100ml cold water
2 tsp fast-action yeast
75g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the tin
625g strong white flour
25g castor sugar or honey
Scant 2 tsp salt
Oil for kneading

divide each into 100g

touching one another will results extra soft baking here

they are done

Method

1. Boil the milk, tip ito a bowl, stirring in the cold water to bring down the temperature a bit quicker.  When it is lukewarm, beat in the yeast and leave for 5 minutes to dissolve.  Melt the butter. Add in the flour, sugar and salt to the yeast mix, pour in the butter.  bring everything into mixed dough.  Cover and leave for 10 minutes. Gently knead for 10 seconds.  Cover again and let it rise for an hour.

  2. Divide into mini 50g or large 100g ( I had 100g each), shape them into balls. Sit them touching   one another on tray lined with non-stick paper.  The trick to getting them extra soft is all in baking.

  3.  Bake rolls at about 220C / 425F/ gas mark 7 for 20-25 minutes, just until they are risen and coloured on top.
note: I filled a metal pan with boiling water on the lowest shelf of the oven throughout baking.

This recipe is taken from Milk Bread,  also the choc chip buns too.

Chinese Tea Eggs

                Get the right ingredients, a bit of patience and you'll get very tasty, fragrant eggs.
       

          Inspiration: youtube
       Ingredients
       20 eggs and 1 teaspoon salt
       2 English breakfast tea bags
       1 handful Oolong chinese tea leaves
       1 Taiwanese Spice bag ( you can get from Asian groceries)
       100ml soya sauce
       1 handful rock sugar
       3 or 4 bay leaves
       2 star anise
       1 cinnamon stick

main ingredients

with one teapsoon salt, cook 20 minutes.

all ingredients added in 

after 3 times of 20 minutes cook and 20 minutes away from the heat.
It's finally done.
Worth waiting though..:)

    Method
    1.  Wash all the eggs.  Place them in a saucepan with water just slightly over the eggs, add in one teaspoon of salt.  Once it comes to the boil, turn to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes (with lid on).

    2.  Remove from heat.  Let it sit for 20 minutes ( with lid on).  Next, rinse the eggs with water to bring down the temperature.  Using the back of the spoon, hit the bottom of the each egg 3 times, to allow the flavor of the spices to seep into the eggs.

   3.  Transfer eggs back to the saucepan, pour in all other ingredients, add in room temperature water to just slightly cover the eggs, cover the lid, once it comes to boil then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Now, remove saucepan from heat.   Let it rest ( with lid on) for another 20 minutes.  Repeat the process 3 times altogether.

  4.  Enjoy!

note:  let them continue to sit in the spice water overnight,  gently heat them up again on the stove, you will get an even stronger and better flavour,  and possibly a lovely marbled look :)  Also take note, try to always use medium low heat, that way the eggs will not turn out too "hard".

Coconut and passionfruit custard pie

      Prepared this for my students' gathering last weekend.  Very easy to make,  enough to serve 8.
     

Cheese and Bacon Toast

                                          Soft, fluffy, peppery, tasty savoury bread.
                                          Good to go on its own or use it as sandwich bread.

for my son's school lunch 

     Ingredients  A
     Bacon  6 pieces
     Black pepper  1 teaspoon

     Ingredients  B
     Bread flour  500g
     Castor sugar  30g
     Salt  1 teaspoon
     Instant dry yeast  2 teaspoons
     Water  300g

     Ingredients C
     Unsalted butter  40g
     Cut thin slices of onions  60g
     Pizza cheese  80g
     Black pepper  1/4 teaspoon

      Recipe taken from here
     note: I doubled the quantity of original recipe
 

fry until fragrant, drain out excess oil

well-risen dough

ready to get baked

  Method ( with alterations)
  1.  Bacon cut into small pieces, fry until fragrant over low heat. Remove from heat, drain excess oil away. Add in black pepper, let it cool for later use.

  2.  Mix all ingredients B, bring everything together as a rough dough.  Now add in unsalted butter, give it a quick mix. Cover and leave for 10 minute.  Gentle knead for 10 seconds, cover and leave for another 10 minutes.  Do twice more for the 10 minute interval.  Cover and let it rise for about 80 minute.

  3.  Punch down air, roll it into a ball, let it rest for 10 minutes.

  4.  Roll out into rectangle shape of 20cm long, width 15cm,  roll it up like a swiss roll, let it take second rise for about 50 minutes.

  5.  When dough rise to 90% to the top of the loaf pan, spread evenly the onion slices, pizza cheeses and last, the black pepper.

 6.  Bake at 180C for about 30 minutes ( I placed a pan filled with boiling water on the lowest shelf of the oven throughout the baking).

Mochi (red bean)

Maple Syrup Chicken with Capsicums and Cashew Nuts

         Recipe: Gourmet living magazine
     Ingredients
     500g chicken drumstick meat ( cut into pieces)
     some water
     40g green, red and yellow capsicums (seeded and cut into pieces)
     1 tbsp oil
     40g deep-fried cashew nuts ( I just slightly toasted it in the oven)

Sour cream sandwich bread (Dan Lepard)

My son would not mind to have this bread everyday for the rest of the year, as said. :)
Love the sour cream flavour, soft tender crumb and crispy golden crust..

             
     Recipe: Dan Lepard ( The Guardian)
     Ingredients
    125g cold sour cream
    2 tsp salt
    2 tsp castor sugar
    1 sachet fast-action yeast
    550g strong white flour, plus extra for topping
    Oil, for kneading

ready to be baked

 I usually let the bread cool a bit, wrap it up with sandwich lunch paper wrap,
 then locked in a plastic bag, slice only on the next day morning breakfast.

we had cream cheese spread, top with smoked salmon and salad for this lunch here.

     Method
     1.  In a large bowl, mix the cream with 150ml cold water and 100ml boiling water, add in salt, sugar and yeast, then mix in the flour until it forms a rough dough. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.

    2.  Gently knead the dough for 10 seconds. Cover and leave for another 10 minutes. Do twice more quick knead for the 10 minute intervals, then cover and let it rise for an hour.

    3.  Butter the base and sides of a large, deep, 19cm long loaf tin or similar and line the base with baking paper. Pat out the dough to about 2cm thick, roll it tightly like a scroll, seam sides down into the tin.  Leave to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, dust the top with flour and bake at 200C ( 180C fan assisted/390F/gas mark 6 for about 45 minutes.

    note: (I filled a pan with hot boiling water on the lowest shelf of oven throughout baking)

good to keep for days..

another lunch..

Beef and spinach Cannelloni

                                                             It's really yummy!

Matcha Bo Lo Pau (Pineapple Bun)

I added matcha to it,  it does bring out the flavour a lot.
Make a slit in the bun, slot in a thin piece of butter...yum.

Recipe: Gourmet living magazine
Bread ingredients
1 and 1/2 tsp instant yeast
240g milk
50g castor sugar
360g bread flour
90g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
10g milk powder
60g salted butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon and 1/8 teaspoon matcha powder





Method
1.  Beat ingredients (except butter) into dough.  Add butter and beat until dough can be pulled into a thin membrane.

2.  Round dough and cover with cling wrap.  Rest for 40 to 60 minutes until double in size.  Squeeze to expel air then divide into 12 portions to round.  Arrange an greased baking tray lined with parchment paper.  Cover the doughs.

3.  Rest dough at room temperature for 45 minutes until double in size.

Crust ingredients
60g salted butter
50g icing sugar
100g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp milk powder
1 teaspoon and 1/8 teaspoon matcha powder


Method
1.  Soften butter at room temperature.  Add icing sugar to beat until light colour.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

2.  Divide into 12 portions and roll to flatten.

For brushing
some egg wash

Assembly
1.  Place flattened dough on the bread.  Use spatula to press out lines.

2.  Brush with egg wash.  Bake in preheated oven at 180C for about 15 to 20 minutes till cooked.

flatten them and place each on top of the bun

after this, you then press out lines using spatula. 

crusty,  aromatic Bo Lo Pau