Lor Bak (Meat rolls) ~ MFF Penang

I have been eagerly admiring and drooling over all the lovely food posted by bloggers who joint the event and took note of this delicious lor bak that is being posted by a few bloggers....I love the minced meat version so told myself I must try this Penang version too.  Lor bak uses thinly sliced pork strips instead of minced pork.  I must admit, I love this version very much:)

I used Alan's recipe but simplified the methods being the lazy cook that I am:P


Main Ingredients:

500g pork tenderloin, cut into short and thin strips
3 tbsp potato starch (I used wheat starch as I do not have potato starch)
1 large bombay onion, diced
5 water chestuts, skin peeled and diced (omitted as I had none)
50g bangkwang aka yam bean or jicama, peeled and cut into thin strips + 1tsp salt (optional) (salt is omitted and I used 100g instead to replace water chestnuts)
1 large egg
dried beancurd sheet (tau peoy)
oil for deep frying

Marinade:

1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp five spice powder

Method:

Mix all ingredients including the marinate and let it marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Cut beancurd skin into rectangular pieces, each approximately 15 x 20 cm long. This is easily done by following the creased “folding seams” of the folded tau peoy in the packets as they are being sold.
Wipe each piece rapidly with a slightly dampen kitchen towel or cloth to remove excess salt and oil. (Mine wasn't overly salty so I skipped this step)
Lay a piece of tau poey flat on a surface and place approximately 2 tbsp of filling in a tubular shape near one end of it, leaving a small recess (border) around the perimeters.

Fold the two longer sides over the filling and quickly proceed to roll the shorter end facing you over the filling as well, in the direction away from you. A little tension needs to be exerted to make sure that the filling is tightly wrapped, without breaking the beancurd skin.The beancurd skin should be rolled over the filling 2-3 times but no more than that. Excess skin not only affects the textures, it also makes the rolls too salty. Thus, trim any excess skin with a sharp knife.
Dab a bit of the starchy paste from the marinate on your finger and run it along the remaining exposed end of the beancurd skin. Finally, roll over and seal tightly.
Set aside with the sealed edge facing down, using the weight of the filling to keep the meat rolls sealed and intact. Repeat with the remaining pieces of tau poey and filling until ingredients are used up.
To deep fry, add oil to a heated wok over medium flame. Test with a pair of wooden chopsticks or alternatively, place a small piece of excess tau poey into the oil. The oil is sufficiently hot when small bubbles begin to form along the edges of the tau poey rapidly and the tau poey floats up to the surface.
(I used a frying pan instead of wok)

Slowly lower the meat rolls by sliding them into the oil with the sealed edge facing downwards. Divide and deep fry in two or more batches to prevent overcrowding. Turn periodically to ensure even coloration on both sides but be very careful not to break the skin.
When the skin develops a light tan hue, remove the meat rolls from the oil and drain over a wired sieve or colander.
Repeat the deep frying with other batches.
Finally, turn up the flame to medium-high and return the rolls into the oil the second time. This helps to purge out any oils within the rolls and crisp up the skin slightly.

Remove the meat rolls when they turn brown. It should take no more than 15-20 seconds. Do not overdo this the skin may char and burn, leaving a bitter aftertaste.
Drain over wire sieve or colander first and then over kitchen towel to absorb and remove excess oil.
After the rolls have cooled down slightly, cut and serve with, sliced cucumber, deep fried tau kwa (firm beancurd), poh piah chnee (deep fried spring rolls), heh piah chnee (deep fried prawn fritters) or deep fried fish balls. (I ate it with left over bang kwang and chilli/tomato sauce)

I'm  submitting this post to  Malaysian Food Fest [June 2013] - Penang hosted by Alan of Travellingfoodie

Banana Walnut Scones

This is the first time I am singing lyricals about scones:D I tell you these scones are the best I have made so far... looking at the photos, I am convinced that these scones are going to be delicious and I was right:D
I quickly gather my ingredients and have these scones in the oven within 30 minutes! I didn't sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar topping but followed the chinese recipe and glaze it with some lemon icing after the scones are cooled.  It was awesome good!

The recipe is adapted from Happy Home Baking and here if you can understand chinese. Plenty of photos to drool over at those sites! :)

Oozing with ripe bananas and nuts,  these are very good!

Banana Walnut Scones (my modifications in blue)

Ingredients:
(makes 12) (I cut mine into 8 for each portion and get 16 mini scones)

200g cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
30g brown sugar (I used white sugar)
1/4 teaspoons salt (omitted)
80g unsalted butter, Cold, cut into small cubes (I used salted butter)
80ml fresh milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
135g banana (skin removed), diced into small cubes

extra 1 tablespoon milk for brushing (omitted)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) (omitted)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional) (omitted)

 Method:

1. Lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a frying pan over low heat. Set aside to cool completely. 
2. Sieve cake flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add in caster sugar, salt, whisk to combine.
3. Place cold, diced butter into mixing bowl. With a fork or a dough scraper, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.  (It is important that the butter be cold so when it is cut into the flour mixture it becomes small, flour-coated crumbs. If the butter starts to melt away during this process, stop and place the mixture in the freezer for 10-15 mins to prevent the butter from melting further. Continue the process when the mixture is well chilled.)
4. Make a well in the centre and add in milk and vanilla extract. Give a few quick stirs with a spatula. Add in the chopped walnuts and diced bananas. Fold in with a spatula just a few times to make the mixture comes together to form a shaggy mass.
5. Gather up the mixture and place it on a lightly floured surface. Divide the mixture roughly into two portions. Dust hands with some flour. For each portion, gather and pat the mixture to form a combined dough. The dough will be soft, sticky and appear shaggy and lumpy. Do not over work the dough. (Over handling the dough will cause gluten to develop, and the resulting scones will turn hard.)
6. Place the two doughs (at least 2 inch apart) on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Pat down each dough to form a disk, with a thickness of at least 1 inch. Cut each dough into 6 portions (I used a dough scraper). I cut mine into 8 mini pieces. Move each portions slightly apart leaving a small narrow gap in between each portion.
7. Brush top with milk. Mix together ground cinnamon and sugar, sprinkle the top of the scones with the cinnamon sugar mixture (this is optional). I skipped this step.
8. Bake in preheated oven at 180degC for 28mins or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool.  I glaze the top with lemon icing before serving.

Note:
*Scones are best served freshly baked. Any leftovers can be kept in airtight container. Brush or spray some water over the scones and warm them in the oven before serving.
*To enjoy freshly baked scones for breakfast and to save some time, Steps 1 to 3 can be prepared the night before, cover the mixture and leave to chill in the fridge. The following morning, preheat the oven and continue from Step 4 onwards.
I had leftover scones at room temperature and shared some with my colleague and we agreed that they are still very delicious:D

These are really delicious!

Citron Flavored Sponge cake

I still have half a jar of  citron paste that is supposed to be mixed with water and drink.  But no one seems interested in drinking it so I have been happily using it to flavor my cakes instead:D This is another one of the cottony sponge cake that I love to bake these days as it is so much lighter than butter cakes. Easier on the wasit line:P

 I am posting here an adapted recipe based on the previous bakes that I have done for this cake using different flavors. You can check it out here and here.

Ingredients:

80ml Yuzu Citron juice - mix 40g of yuzu paste with 30g of water
40ml corn oil
1/4 tsp Salt
60g All purpose flour
 4 Egg yolks + 1 whole egg (Grade A)
 4 Egg whites
 1/4 tsp Cream of tartar
  50g Sugar (because the juice is already sweet, I have decreased the sugar)

Minimal shrinkage:)

Method:

1. Line baking sheet at the bottom of an 7" square pan (do not grease the sides or bottom) and preheat the oven to 160C. Place a baking sheet filled with water on the lowest rack. This is to create steam while baking to prevent cake from cracking and stay moist. Well mine still crack so I should bake at 150C next time.2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, corn oil and juice until combined. Sift in flour and mix well. Set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer, whisk egg white, cream of tartar and castor sugar till glossy and firm peaks formed, almost stiff with a slight curve at the end when you lift up the beater. 
4. Fold in a third of the egg white with egg yolk batter with a spatula. Then pour the mixture into the balance of egg white and gently fold to mix. Be careful not to over mix.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and lightly tap on the table top to remove large air pockets. Bake for 1 hour at 160°C. (I should adjust to 150C next time as the top cracked slightly). 
6. Remove cake immediately after baked and invert cake on wire rack to cool.

See how fluffy it is?

There are some bits of citron which gave a nice tangy flavor to it

Not a very filling cake because it is too light!

Bake Along #45 ~ Seeded Crackers

Crispy and flaky crackers, these are good on it's own!

Time really flies and we are now at Bake Along event no. 45 already! I have thought of skipping this post but since I was experimenting on crackers, I thought I may as well give this William Sonoma's recipe a try too! I must say this recipe came out more flaky and crispy than the other two crackers that I have baked using another recipe. The original recipe just bake it in a sheet and then break it up into smaller pieces after baking.  I decided to put my pasta machine to good use and roll the dough as thin as I could and then cut out the shapes. Overall a nice texture but too salty as I have forgotten I have used salted butter! I would reduce or omit the salt the next time I make this.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds (used mustard powder instead)
1/2 Tb. solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1/2 Tb. cold unsalted butter (I used salted)
1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more, if needed

 dock before baking  to prevent puffing

Directions using hand power method:D

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, pepper, poppy and sesame seeds. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of peas. Pour in the 1/4 cup cream and mix with a fork until a rough mass forms.

Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough out onto a clean work surface and gently squeeze it together. Add a few more drops of cream if the dough will not hold a soft shape. Gently press the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or for up to 1 hour.

Preheat an oven to 350°F(Mine at 160DegC). Line a half-sheet pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap the dough disk and place on a lightly floured work surface.  Roll out the dough into a rectangular sheet as thin as possible without tearing, dusting it with flour as needed to prevent sticking to either the work surface or the rolling pin. Trim the edges of the dough to fit the prepared pan, then carefully transfer the dough to the pan. Alternatively, using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the sheets of dough into shapes and place on the pans. (I used the pasta machine to roll out the dough before cutting into rounds and bake).

Bake 1 sheet of crackers at a time until they are crisp and brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely until crisp. If you have baked the dough in sheets, break each sheet into shards.

The crackers are best when eaten fresh, store unfinished crackers in an airtight container to retain their crispiness.

These are from another recipe without shortening which produces less flaky crackers

I am linking this post to Bake Along event hosted by lena of frozen wings who chose this crackers recipe, Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids. Please click on the link below to see the rest of the bloggers' posts.

Braised porkbelly with mushrooms and wild cloud ears fungus

 I actually cooked this dish for the last Chinese New Year dinner but never got down to posting it.  Glad I have kept it until now so I can submit this post to the Little Thumbs Up event being held and hosted by Joyce of kitchen flavors for the whole of this month. For those who wish to take part, please visit her blog for more details.

Soaked one chinese mushroom - this is huge!

Dried giant sized chinese mushroom bought from Guilin

Soaked wild cloud ears fungus

Keeping it simple with few ingredients

Add the mushroom and fungus

Add water and seasoning and braise till pork is fork tender

Scoop up a bowl and enjoy with rice or slices of crusty bread

The recipe is very simple yet very delicious:

Ingredients:

600g pork belly, cut into an inch chunks

1 extra large chinese dried mushroom, soak until soft and sliced

a handful of wild cloud ears fungus, soak and sliced into smaller pieces

one thumb size ginger, sliced

1 piece star anise

5 cloves garlic, peeled but keep whole

2 pieces of cloves

2 pods of cardamons

seasoning:

3 tablespoons light soya sauce

1 tsp of salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons dark soya sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

Method:

In a large pot, add 3 tablespoons peanut oil or corn oil, saute the garlic, ginger, cloves, anise and cardamons till fragrant.  Add the pork and stir fry till meat turn opague. Add enough water to cover the meat and then add the mushrooms and fungus.  Stir in seasoning and bring to boil.

Lower heat to low and braise for about 30 minutes or until meat is fork tender.  Give it a sitr every now and then to avoid burnt bottom. Refill water if it dries up and meat is still not tender.

Served with white steamed rice or bread.

I am submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up whose  host of this month is  Joyce from kitchen flavours, and this event is organized by Bake For Happy Kids, and my little favourite D.I.Y. 

Pizza Margherita using 100% wholewheat flour

I have a whole packet of wholewheat flour sitting in my fridge and besides using a bit for baking bread, I am looking for other ways to use this healthy flour.  As I surf in the internet, I came across this awesome pizza using 100% wheat flour! A bonus when I read the recipe and it's so easy peasy!
So here's the recipe which I adapted from The Comfort of Cooking....it really is so soft and delicious even though it's all wholewheat flour!

I highly recommend you to bake this pizza if you want something healthier:)

100% Wholewheat Pizza Dough
Adapted from the Comfort of Cooking


INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 teaspoons (one 1/4 ounce package) active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

2 teaspoons sugar, divided

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting

3/4 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, combine yeast, water and 1 teaspoon sugar; Let sit for five minutes.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 cups flour, salt and remaining teaspoon sugar. Make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture and olive oil.
I didn't do this part. I just mix all ingredients except olive oil, into the mixer. When the dough comes together then add the olive oil and continue kneading until a fairly smooth dough is achieved.

Stir with a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment until the dough just comes together. Knead, either by hand or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, for about 5 minutes (2-3 minutes if using a stand mixer). As you knead, add remaining 1/4 cup flour in small increments, just until dough is no longer sticky. (You may not need to add the full 1/4 cup) I have to use all the flour.

Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour (up to 2 hours).

Punch down risen dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Shape dough into a ball. Either wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate/freeze for later use, or bake right away. I kept mine for 2 nights before I got the chance to bake this!

To bake, preheat oven to 475 degrees F/245 deg C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to desired crust thickness and place on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Add your desired sauce and toppings. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.

For the sauce and toppings:

3 tomatoes boiled till soft and skinned
4 tablespoons tomato sauce
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp of mixed dried herbs
a clove of garlic minced
one bay leaf
Mozzarella cheese, as much as you like
Some basil leaves

Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a pot and add garlic to fry till fragrant.  Add skinned tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, paprika, herbs and bay leaf and cook till it thickens and juice almost dry. Leave aside to cool while you shape the pizza dough.

Want some?:)

Rissoto with saffron and porcini mushrooms

Rissoto with saffron and porcini mushrooms...so good you will ask for seconds!

This month's Little Thumbs Up event features mushrooms and it is hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours. Mushrooms are quite easy to be incorporated into our daily dishes as they are quite versatile....here I used porcini mushrooms to give this saffron infused rissoto a very earthy flavor. Porcini mushrooms have a very strong in smell so a little is enough. They are expensive so I am using these sparingly and no, I did not buy these..:P

Sliced dried porcini mushroom

soaked and cut into smaller pieces, a little goes a long way 

Saffron soaking in hot water

Cooking rissoto requires constant stirring

Half way there!

Mushrooms and saffron added to the almost al dente rissoto

done!

Plated

Topped with some crispy bacon

 The recipe is as follows:-

Ingredients:
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 tsp saffron soak in 1/2 cup hot water

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt or to taste
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

Heat oil in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add onions, garlic and salt and saute until onions are translucent.

Add rice to pan and saute for a couple of minutes until rice is toasted and fragrant.

Add chicken broth to pan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and keep stirring the rice to until rice is cooked. Add saffron and mushroom and continue to cook until rice is soft but still have a chewy bite to it.  Add the 1/2 cup water a little at a time if water evaporate too quickly. When rice is cooked, add the heavy cream and stir to combine.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes before serving with bacon pieces.

Tuck in! Yum!

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up event, hosted by Joyce, kitchen flavours, organized by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen for my little favourite D.I.Y.

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY TO ALL MOTHERS OF THE WORLD:D