Pumpkin Hee Pan 南瓜喜粄

The last time I made bao was many many years ago, easily can be 20 years ago. After started my baking journey, although always come across my mind to make bao but I just didn't make it happen. Feel a bit leceh (troublesome), need to prepare the dough, need to cook the ingredients, need to wrap the bao, need to steam the bao... seem so many steps that making me back out hahaha....

However after seeing so many posts on the Hakka Hee Pan from the Chinese bloggers, I was curious on how it taste like. Ya, I never taste hee pan before, very suaku (country bumpkin) lol. And with so much raving about it, I decided to try to make it so I can taste it :D.

I made a mistake to pour all the water into the flour instead of add in slowly. The dough became so sticky that I need to keep adding in more flour :(. I also pressed the hee pan too much that making it looks so flat lol. The color of my pumpkin hee pan is quite pale too, not those bright sunny color. Next time must get those really bright yellow orange color of pumpkin to get nicer color.

Recipe adapted from 小雨伞的天空 

Ingredients :

250g plain flour, sifted

250g glutinous rice flour, sifted

150g castor sugar

6g instant yeast

270g pumpkin

235ml water

30g canola oil

Banana leaves or parchment paper or cupcake case

Method :

1. Dissolve the instant yeast in the water, mix well.
2. Remove the pumpkin skin, cut pumpkin into small pieces, steamed for 10 mins until soft, mash with fork. Let it cool and set aside.
3. Wash and clean the banana leaves, steam to soften and cut into square.
4. Mix plain flour, glutinous rice flour, sugar, pumpkin puree, yeast water and knead till dough is smooth.
5. Add in oil bit by bit, mix well with the dough. If dough is too sticky, use the plastic spatula to scrape.
6. Divide dough into 50g portions (do not need to proof), brush some oil on palm and roll into balls.
7. Place the ball onto the greased banana leaves or parchment paper and flatten it using palm.
8. Let the shaped hee pan proof for 25-30 mins.
9. Use finger to press the hee pan, fermented hee pan will be spongy, once ready can start to boil water in the steamer.
10. Once water is boiled, steam the hee pan for 12 mins at medium low heat. Turn off the fire immediately. 11. Do not remove the hee pan from the steamer.
12. Open the steamer lid a bit for 5 mins, then remove the lid carefully not to let water drip on the hee pan. (obviously I didn’t do a good job hahaha…)
13. Remove the hee pan and cool on the rack.


Verdict?
The hee pan is very soft and chewy, dun taste like mantou, dun taste like bao, so hard to describe the taste but definitely taste not bad for me when 1st piece, when ate 2nd piece the next day, actually kind of more like it, is like the more you eat, the nicer it is lol. The hee pan tasted good even when is cooled, tasted better the next day. The pumpkin taste is not very distinct and the hee pan is not so sweet too, can add in slightly a bit more sugar next time. Surprisingly, I have a lot of supporters on these hee pan, I didn't know there will be so many people like it, dear daughter is one of them. She ate 2 at one go and wanted to eat more but stopped by me, I do not want these hee pan to become her dinner lol. Definitely gonna make again, perhaps pandan flavour :D.

I'm submitting this post to  Aspiring Bakers #31 - Bao Ho-Chiak (May 2013) hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders

Stir Fry White Mushroom

I am very down recently, greatly affected by this super sad news that making me cried for a few days, feel so heartaching, can't sleep well at night. Someone who close to me, diagnose that has a small lump in the lung, 60-80% chance to be cancer, still need to go through a lot of test to get the final result. Now praying so hard that the result will not be so bad :(........

I actually bought this white mushroom to cook mee hoon soup for weekend lunch. However there were too much ingredients added in the mee hoon soup that I decided to leave out white mushroom. Instead I cooked it for dinner, just ching chai stir fry it with no precise measurement. Just post this up to join in the Little Thumb Up event.

Ingredients :
200g white mushrooms (sliced)
garlic, minced
dried parsley
chicken seasoning
pepper

Method :
1. Saute garlic until garlic is fragrant.
2. Add mushrooms, add in seasoning and quickly sauted.
3. Add in dried parsley and mix well.
4. Dish and serve.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

Claypot Mushroom and Bean Curd Sheet

When dear sister cooked this dish during one of the Sat dinner when I was at dear mum's place, I know that dear husband gonna like it since he is super love to eat 一品锅. Quickly asked recipe from dear sister and cooked for dear husband, and I am not suprised that dear husband keep praising on this dish :D. I had cooked twice so far, and this dish is going to one of my 'signature" dish since dear husband like it so much hahaha....

This dish is so versatile, you can throw in whatever ingredients that you like. I didn't follow exactly the recipe, I just dump in whatever ingredients that dear husband like, and of course I like too lol. Even the seasoning, I also adjusted to my own taste during 2nd time cooking. Dear husband commented even taste so much better for the 2nd time and he rated perfect! heeheehee...

I did not follow the recipe below, just use it for my reference only.


Recipe from Quick and Easy Hawker's Fair. 

Ingredients :
300g fish paste
6 pieces fresh bean curd sheet
3 cups oil for free frying (I omitted)
5 slices ginger
3 dried shiitake mushroom, soak a few hours to soften
1 packet enoki mushroom

Seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
300ml water (I used the water soaked with shittake mushroom)
1 tbsp corn flour water, for thickening

* I added in fish sauce during 2nd time cooking

Method :
1. Form fish paste into fish cake and blanch until cooked. Dish and drain.
2. Deep fry fresh bean curd sheet in hot oil until golden brown. (I skip this step, just soap in water to soften a bit) Remove and cut into pieces.
3. Heat up 1 tbsp oil, saute ginger until fragrant. Add in shiitake mushroom, fish cake, fried bean curd sheet, seasoning and bring to boil. Lower the fire and cook until gravy is thick.
4. Add in enoki mushroom and stir well. Thicken with corn flour water and dish up.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

Hokkaido Milk Loaf - Straight-Dough Method 直接发酵法

 
I am started to get busy again recently, totally left me with no time to blog. I have not gotten the replacement yet, short-listed a few candidates but no one really fit into my requirements and my gal is leaving at end of this week :(.  I guess I will be even more busier from next week onwards until the replacement is on board and settle down, training a new staff needs time as well....

I always wanted to get a bread maker to ease the making of bread. However when I finally got hold of one, I just let it shelve aside for a few months before I finally used it lol. It is true that making loaf using bread maker is really a breeze, I just simply added all the ingredients into my bread maker, set it to the functions and let it run on its own. Except during the kneading, I have to scrape down the side of the pan from time to time. Of course when 1st time using the machine, I need to keep going to the machine and see see look look to ensure everything is ok lol.

When I decided to make some bread out from my bread maker, Joceline posted her Hokkaido Milk Loaf. Looked at all the ingredients that can be found in my pantry and is a straight forward method, I shall wait no more heeheehee...

Sinful but one of my favourite way of eating the bread, spread with thick layer of butter and sugar, I finished the other 1/2 slice of bread before photo shooting, cannot resist hahaha... YUM YUM!

Recipe adapted from Butter, Flour & Me.


Ingredients :
270g bread flour
30g cake flour
20g milk powder
150g cold milk
80g whipping cream
40g brown sugar
3g salt
5g instant yeast

Method :
1. Mix everything together and mix until a dough form and knead until smooth and elastic.
2. Pour some oil into a bowl and let it spread around the bowl. Put the dough in and put plastic wrap over top of the dough. Then let the dough complete the 1st round of proofing, about 1 hour or until double in size.
3. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface. Deflate and divide into 3 equal portions and roll them round. Cover with cling wrap, let rest for 10 mins at room temperature.
4. Roll out dough in longish oval and roll up like making swiss roll, can repeat the process for 1-2 times.
5. Place inside a greased loaf tin for 2nd proofing for 45  mins.
6. Pre-heat oven and bake at 180C for 35 mins or until turn brown.

7. Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.


Method : (using Kenwood Bm250 Bread Maker)
1. Place the ingredients in sequence into the bread maker baking pan. I started with all the wet ingredients (cold milk, whipping cream) then dry ingredients (salt, brown sugar, milk powder, cake flour, bread flour then instant yeast)
2. Set to dough function : Menu 1, Light crust color, 500g loaf size
3. Remove the kneader once complete the kneading cycle (I think is about 1.3 hours, can't recall the exact timing. This is to prevent the hole in the loaf that cause by the kneader)
4. Once baking cycle completed, remove the bread from the baking tray and transfer onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.


Verdict?
The bread is soft even the next day, though the crust at the side of the loaf is a little bit hard probably till to the bread maker. I cannot detect much of milk taste but when I let my gals tried, one of them immediately asked me is it milk bread, said she can tasted the milk fragrant.

Honey Sesame Roasted Chicken

 

I am not very well since a few weeks ago, suffering from gastric issue. On top of that, I had bad headache for 1 week plus that making me feel even more sick. To make me feel even more down, one of my dept gal who worked under me for 6 years tendered her resignation :(. Thus during this period, I was really not in good mood of blogging....

I never have gastric problem in the entire of my life until 2 months+ ago, the 1st time I got gastric pain. I never skip any meal, in fact I eat many meals in a day, normally my stomach will not go empty for more than 3 hours lol. Not sure is it cos of drinking coffee? It may be coincidence but I started to drink coffee about the same period, may be a month before I started to have gastric problem.

My gastric issue was quite bad. For 1st time when I got it, I didn't feel much gastric pain but will vomit out almost after each meal, it was just like morning sickness until I almost thought that I was pregnant lol. It got better after medication and I reduced my coffee intake. Then after a few weeks, I got it again but this time round, I can feel the pain. And the same thing, I will vomit out every meal. For this time round, even Dr almost wanted me to do the pregnancy test hahaha.... Dr suggested that if I still didn't get any better, is better to go for endoscopy :(.

I have baked this dish twice. 1st time I had a little guest, dear daughter's schoolmate, stayed back for dinner, she requested for 2nd serving and even told dear daughter that the chicken is very delicious. 2nd time when I cooked this, dear daughter finished 2.5 pieces of the chicken maryland lol.

Recipe adapted from Jessie's Cooking Moment and Min's blog.

Ingredients:

5 chicken maryland

5 tbsp light soy sauce

5 tbsp worcestershire sauce

5 tbsp honey

8 cloves garlic, crushed

5 tbsp Water

pepper to Taste

2 tsp 2hite sesame seeds, toasted

Method:

1. Make a few cuts on the chicken maryland or prick the maryland with a skewer. Pour all the seasonings on the chicken & marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 190C, place the chicken on the baking tray, skin facing up. Bake for 15 mins and remove from oven.
3. Brush both side of chicken with honey and bake for 15 mins, remove from oven, turn the chicken and brush with honey and bake until golden brown. 

4. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Tip:

1. If you want to replace the worcestershire sauce with cooking wine, please reduce the honey by about 1/2tbsp.

Optional Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced

4 potatoes, sliced

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

dried/fresh mixed herbs

Method:

1. Place the sweet potatoes & potatoes onto the baking pan in a single layer.  Drizzle with oil, add salt & pepper to taste.  Add the mixed herbs. 

2. Place the chicken maryland on top of the vegetable and pour in the marinade. Cook in the 190C preheated oven until the chicken marylands are golden or cooked through.

Verdict?
This dish is delicious, the kids especially like it a lot. I love the sweet potatoes and potatoes too, but make sure must bake until soft.