Friday, October 31, 2014

sugared beignets

Beignet, literally meaning "bump", is simply a fritter.

In New Orleans, beignets are commonly served for breakfast, with loads, and I mean loads of powdered (or icing) sugar dumped on top.

I wanted to try my hand at making beignets because they can be made in advance, kept in the fridge and fried just before breakfast time.

Of course I am not going to dump loads of icing sugar on my beignets.

I rarely buy donuts because I like them freshly made. So the only way for me to enjoy donuts in any form is to make them myself.
And really, they are not very hard to make at all.

Here's how.

In a mixing bowl, add water, yeast and sugar.
Whisk to combine.
Set this aside for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, beat together eggs, salt and evaporated milk.
Pour this into the yeast mixture and stir well to mix.
Add half the bread flour and mix with a paddle attachment until just combined.
Add the butter.
 Then add the remaining flour slowly until all the flour is incorporated.
Switch to the hook attachment and beat on medium speed. The dough will be very sticky.
Add flour one tablespoon a time, until the dough just pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Spray a bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough into the bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let it rest in a warm place for 2 hours.
There are two points to note here.
1. You do not need to use a stand mixer to make beignets. You can knead by hand until you get a smooth dough. It may take a while though.
2. You can rest the dough in the fridge if you intend to make the beignets the following day. I have kept my dough in the fridge for 2 days and it still works fine.

Roll the dough on a clean floured surface until it is about 1 cm thick. 
If you are making traditional beignets, cut them into little squares (about 6x6 cm). I wanted little flowers so I used my cutter to cut the dough.

Note: You can also make the beignets to this stage, place them on a lined baking tray, cover with cling film and leave them in the fridge to be fried the next day. Be sure that the beignets are at room temperature before frying.

Fry the beignets in batches in hot oil (about 130°C) until golden brown.
Place the beignets on paper towels to drain then coat them immediately with cinnamon sugar.
Eat them as soon as you can. 

You will never look at donuts the same way again.

RECIPE
Sugared Beignets (Makes 24)
Loosely adapted from halfbakedharvest

Ingredients:
1 1/8 teaspoons (3.54g) instant yeast
1/4 cup (50g) caster sugar
1 1/4 cups (300ml) warm water
1 egg
1 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120ml) evaporated milk
3 1/2 cups (444.5g) bread flour
1/8 cup (28.35g) butter

Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, add water, yeast and sugar. Whisk to combine. Set this aside for 10 minutes.
2. In a bowl, beat together the egg, salt and evaporated milk.
3. Pour this into the yeast mixture and stir well to mix.
4. Add half the bread flour and mix with a paddle attachment until just combined.
5. Add the butter. Mix.
6. Then add the remaining flour slowly until all the flour is incorporated.
7. Switch to the hook attachment and beat on medium speed. The dough will be very sticky.
8. Add more bread flour one tablespoon a time, until the dough just pulls away from the side of the bowl.
9. Spray a bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough into the bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let it rest in a warm place for 2 hours.

Note here.
1. You do not need to use a stand mixer to make beignets. You can knead by hand until you get a smooth dough. It may take a while though.
2. You can rest the dough in the fridge if you intend to make the beignets the following day. I have kept my dough in the fridge for 2 days and it still works fine.

10. Roll the dough on a clean floured surface until it is about 1 cm thick.
11. If you are making traditional beignets, cut them into little squares (about 6x6 cm). I wanted little flowers so I used my cutter to cut the dough.

Note: You can also make the beignets to this stage, place them on a lined baking tray, cover with cling film and leave them in the fridge to be fried the next day. Be sure that the beignets are at room temperature before frying.

12. Fry the beignets in batches in hot oil (about 130°C) until golden brown.
13. Place the beignets on paper towels to drain then coat them immediately with cinnamon sugar.
14. Serve hot (preferably) or cold.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

When the mood to bake cookies strikes, it is always better to go with the flow and bake them!

Cookies are great because they do keep for a while (I place them in air-tight containers and they can last for up to a week), people can just help themselves when they want a snack and home made cookies are way, way, way better than store bought ones because you can easily "doctor" them.

I added oats to the cookies, substituted some of the plain flour with wholemeal flour and reduced the sugar.
And no one is any the wiser.

Since I was in the mood for huge cookies (like these huge Thick and Fudgey Double Chocolate Cookies), I made these cookies using a large ice-cream scoop. In this way, I can say hey, I only had 2 cookies and not feel so bad. :P

So here's how to make these yummy giant peanut butter cookies.

Start by creaming together butter and the sugars. The caster sugar gives it sweetness while the brown sugar gives flavor. You may want to play around with the proportion of the sugars but you need to include both if you want a more rounded flavor.
Add the peanut butter. I used chunky but feel free to use smooth peanut butter if you wish. Mix until the peanut butter is combined.
Add the egg and the vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and rolled oats and mix until just combined.
Add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. You can use a mixture of dark, milk or white chocolate.
Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before baking the cookies. See here for the reason why!
Dish the cookies onto a lined baking tray using an ice cream scoop. Gently flatten the tops with your fingers.
Bake at 175°C for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Cool on the tray for about 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.
These cookies are crunchy and peanuty.

Your kids (big and small) will love you if you bake these for them.

So what are you waiting for?

Get baking! :D

RECIPE
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Makes 12-15)
Adapted Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:
½ cup (113.5g) butter
½ cup (100g) caster sugar - I reduced this by 50%
⅔ cup (134g) unpacked brown sugar - I reduced this by 50%
½ cup (125g) smooth peanut butter - I used chunky peanut butter
½ teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup (125g) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (45g) rolled oats
¾ cup (96g) chopped milk chocolate, or chocolate chips - I used dark chocolate chips
¾ cup (96g) chopped dark chocolate, or chocolate chips

Method:
1. Start by creaming together butter and the sugars. The caster sugar gives it sweetness while the brown sugar gives flavor. You may want to play around with the proportion of the sugars but you need to include both if you want a more rounded flavor.
2. Add the peanut butter. I used chunky but feel free to use smooth peanut butter if you wish. Mix until the peanut butter is combined.
3. Add the egg and the vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients and rolled oats and mix until just combined.
5. Add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. You can use a mixture of dark, milk or white chocolate.
6. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before baking the cookies. See here for the reason why!
7. Dish the cookies onto a lined baking tray using an ice cream scoop. Gently flatten the tops with your fingers.
8. Bake at 175°C for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Cool on the tray for about 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

lotus paste buns

I had some lotus paste left from making mooncakes.

The great thing about lotus paste (or most Chinese pastes) is that you can store them for a year. Fantastic! So I always buy extra during festival time and keep the balance for making buns later on.

I made a tang zhong (汤种) the other day because I felt like making some bread. What I forgot was I had to wait for the tang zhong to cool down to room temperature before I could use it. So I left it in the fridge and made some 40 minutes Cheese Buns instead.

This means that I still had the tang zhong sitting in the fridge so this morning I decided to make some buns with it.
I am still a beginner when it comes to bread making and I really admire some of the different shaped buns that my friends in various baking groups have come up with.

So today, I made the buns in the shape of flowers.
To make these buns, you first need to make the tang zhong.

Mix together water and flour over low heat until it thickens and leaves a streak when stirred. For a more detailed explanation, see here.
Allow the tang zhong to cool to room temperature before using.

To make the dough, place all the ingredients except the butter in a mixing bowl.
Use the hook attachment of the mixer to mix until the dough comes together.
Add the butter and mix to combine.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, roll the dough to cover it with oil, place a piece of damp cloth over the bowl and let the dough proof until it has doubled in size.
Divide the dough into 12 portions.
Roll the lotus paste into balls, each weighing about 30g.
Roll each portion of dough into a flat disc.
Place a ball of lotus paste in the middle of the dough, gather the edges and pinch to seal.
Gently flatten the dough with your palm.
Make 4 cuts at right angles using a knife. 
Make 4 more cuts.
Twist alternate segments in a clockwise direction twice and the rest in an anti-clockwise direction twice.
Rest the buns, covered, for an hour.

Brush egg wash on the buns. Bake at 160-170°C for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Allow to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before transferring onto wire racks to cool completely.
Then just tuck in!

RECIPE
Lotus Paste Buns (Makes 12)

Ingredients:
For the tangzhong:
25g bread flour
125ml water

For the bread dough:
1/2 beaten egg
35g condensed milk
83g tangzhong
60ml water
200g bread flour
50g cake flour
50g castor sugar
7g yeast
5g salt
20g unsalted butter

For the filling:
360g lotus paste, divided into 12 portions

For the egg wash:
1 egg + 45ml milk, beaten (or just milk if making a vegetarian version)

Method:
For the tangzhong:
1. Mix the flour and water in a saucepan over low fire, stirring constantly. 
2. Once mixture has thickened and lines start to form, remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, cover the bowl with cling wrap and set aside to cool.
*Only use the tangzhong when it has reached room temperature.

For the buns:
1. To make the dough, place all the ingredients except the butter in a mixing bowl.
2. Use the hook attachment of the mixer to mix until the dough comes together.
3. Add the butter and mix to combine.
4. Place the bowl in a lightly greased bowl, roll the dough to cover it with oil, place a piece of damp cloth over the bowl and let the dough proof until it has doubled in size.
5. Divide the dough into 12 portions. Roll each portion of dough into a flat disc.
6. Place a ball of lotus paste in the middle of the dough, gather the edges and pinch to seal.
7. Gently flatten the dough with your palm. Make 4 cuts at right angles using a knife. Make 4 more cuts.
8. Twist alternate segments in a clockwise direction twice and the rest in an anti-clockwise direction twice.
9. Rest the buns, covered, for an hour.
10. Brush egg wash on the buns. Bake at 160-170°C for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
11. Allow to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before transferring onto wire racks to cool completely.

Monday, October 27, 2014

chinese steamed radish cake 萝卜糕

I have been listing some new dishes that I can make for breakfast. Savory dishes. Because yes, this is true, people here do get tired of eating cake or muffins occasionally.

I looked around and decided that a Chinese radish cake was the way to go. It is cheap to make, and can be made ahead of time, kept frozen and thawed to be pan-fried whenever needed, and everyone loves radish cake.
This first recipe I tried was from this book that I own. I had tried other recipes from the same book with much success, so when the radish cake was done, I was really disappointed. It was not soft and I really didn't like the taste and mouth feel.

Coincidentally, a couple of days after my attempt at making the not-so-great radish cake, my friend, Sharron, posted a photo of this radish cake she had made.

That looked like the type of cake I was after, so I asked her for the recipe, and got on with making the cake!
This recipe made so much more sense to me, both in the quantities of ingredients, as well as the method of making the radish cake. And sure enough, this time round, I had a soft radish cake.

I am in radish cake heaven!
Here are the step-by-step pictorial instructions on how to make this. You should really try making this at home because it is so so good and cost so much less than what is being sold in the shops.

Start by steaming the Chinese sausage (and Chinese bacon, if using) for about 5 minutes. Once steamed, let them cool before finely dicing them. I didn't have Chinese bacon, so I doubled the quantity of the Chinese sausage.
If you are using dried radish, soak them in warm water for about 10-15 minutes before chopping them into small pieces.
Similarly, soak the dried shrimps in warm water also for 10-15 minutes. If the shrimps are big, chop them into smaller pieces. I used smaller shrimps so I left them whole.
Thinly slice the shallots and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together rice flour and wheat starch. Set this aside.
Add a little oil into a heated wok. Fry the Chinese sausage (and Chinese bacon) for a minute or so.
Add dried shrimps and fry until fragrant.
Add dried radish and fry a further one to two minutes. Transfer this into a bowl and set aside.
In the same wok, add a little more oil. Fry the shallots until they are soft.
Add radish and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Season with white pepper.
Add chicken (or vegetable) stock.
Cover the wok and cook over medium heat until the radish has turned tender and translucent. This will take about 4-5 minutes. Once cooked, transfer this (carefully) into a large bowl.
Add the flours and stir to mix.
Add the cooked ingredients and stir until well-distributed.
You should be able to stir the mixture without needing to use much force. If you find that you need to put in quite a bit of effort to stir, add a little water.
Transfer the mixture into a lightly greased 7x7-inch pan, or 8-inch round pan, or 2 9x5-inch loaf pans.
Smooth the tops and steam over high heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
To test if the cake is done. insert a chopstick into the cake. If it emerges cleanly, then it is ready.
Cool the cake, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 4 hours before cutting into pieces.
Pan-frying them with a little oil.
Alternatively, you can also eat the cake as is, garnished with chopped spring onion, fried shallots and sliced chili.

RECIPE
Chinese Steamed Radish Cake 萝卜糕 (Makes 12-14 slices)
Adapted from Christine's Recipes

Ingredients:
1 kg Chinese white radish (daikon), shredded
170 g rice flour
4 ablespoons wheat starch
40 gm Chinese sausage (臘腸)
45 gm Chinese bacon (臘肉) - I replace with the same quantity of Chinese sausage
55 gm Chinese dried shrimps
60 gm salted radish
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup (180ml) unsalted chicken broth
pinch of white pepper

Method:
1. Steam the Chinese sausage (and Chinese bacon, if using) for about 5 minutes. Once steamed, let them cool before finely dicing them.
2. If you are using dried radish, soak them in warm water for about 10-15 minutes before chopping them into small pieces.
3. Similarly, soak the dried shrimps in warm water also for 10-15 minutes. If the shrimps are big, chop them into smaller pieces. I used smaller shrimps so I left them whole.
4. In a large bowl, mix together rice flour and wheat starch. Set this aside.
5. Add a little oil into a heated wok. Fry the Chinese sausage (and Chinese bacon) for a minute or so.
6. Add dried shrimps and fry until fragrant.
7. Add dried radish and fry a further one to two minutes. Transfer this into a bowl and set aside.
8. In the same wok, add a little more oil. Fry the shallots until they are soft.
9. Add radish and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.Season with white pepper. Add chicken (or vegetable) stock.
10. Cover the wok and cook over medium heat until the radish  has turned tender and translucent. This will take about 4-5 minutes. Once cooked, transfer this (carefully) into a large bowl. Add the flours and stir to mix.
11. Add the cooked ingredients and stir until well-distributed. You should be able to stir the mixture without needing much force. If you find that you need to put in quite a bit of effort to stir, add a little water.
12. Transfer the mixture into a lightly greased 7x7-inch pan, or 8-inch round pan, or 2 9x5-inch loaf pans.
13. Smooth the tops and steam over high heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour. To test if the cake is done. insert a chopstick into the cake. If it emerges cleanly, then it is ready.
14. Cool the cake, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 4 hours before cutting into pieces and pan-frying them with a little oil. Alternatively, you can also eat the cake as is, garnished with chopped spring onion, fried shallots and sliced chili.

I went to Ikea the other day to get a bed for my little girl and Christmas decorations are already being sold! Yes! It is THAT TIME OF THE YEAR to eat, drink and be merry! Are you getting excited? :)

Are you planning to cook anything special for this Christmas???  Or maybe start baking batches of delicious Christmas goodies? For Christmas 2014, Yen from Eat your heart out, Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and yours truly, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and  are cooking and celebrating for the whole month of December 2014 starting on 1st December. Join us and remember to link your post with us if you are cooking something special for your Christmas celebration.