Category: Meat

Remaking Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon

Have you watched the movie “Julie and Julia”? I watched it several times and I find the emotions which Julie when through very familiar. Of course, I am not obsessed with Julia Child as crazy as Julie but I can share the excitement and anxiousness while she waits for comments and responses from her blog readers. Having this blog allows me to share my story and experience of cooking and baking food for my family and friends. It is also a platform which I hope you can be inspired to remake the foods I shared. 

In one of the scenes of the movie, Julie made Beef Bourguignon for a special dinner. The process was long and tedious. She felt asleep and the stewed beef burnt. Lucky mine was not burnt and turned out so good…. The fragrance coming from the oven kept me wide awake so it is impossible for me to fall asleep. 

Reading Julia Child’s recipe book is a nightmare. It is complicated and confusing. Ingredients are not consolidated in a list and instructions are unclear. My hubby and I had to read several times and rewrite the recipe to make sense for ourselves. At the same time, we refer to Thomas Keller’s for cross referencing. Julia’s recipe calls for beef cubes but after trying 50% beef cubes and 50% boneless short ribs, trust me, please use short ribs. It was so tender and tasted so gorgeous. 

Ingredients

  • 170g Thick bacon, remove rind and cut into 1/4″ thick and 1.5″ long 
  • 1.3kg Boneless Beef short ribs, cut into 2″ cubes
  • 1 Large carrot, cut into chunks
  • 1 Yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed with skin 
  • 2 sprig of Thyme
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • Herb bouquet in cheese cloth: 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf and 1 thyme sprig 
  • Almost 1 bottle of full bodied red wine (600ml + 120ml)
  • 400ml + 120ml Beef stock 
  • 20 Pearl onions, peeled
  • 450g Button mushrooms, halved
  • 28g Plain flour
  • Olive oil
  • Butter
  • Salt 
  • Pepper
Steps:
Beef

  1. Preheat the over to 230 degree Celsius. 
  2. In a heated dutch oven, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and saute bacon over miderate heat till light brown. Remove and set aside. 
  3. Add beef cubes and browned it. Do not overcrowd the pot. You may have to do this in batches. Remove and set aside. 
  4. Add in onions and carrots. Saute till onion turns brown. 
  5. Add in bacon and beef cubes. 
  6. Add in 1tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Sprinkle flour lightly over beef and mix well. 
  7. Put the dutch oven, uncovered, in the hot oven for 4 minutes. 
  8. After 4 minutes, take the pot and toss the beef. Return it to the oven for another 4 minutes. 
  9. Remove the pot and lower the temperature of the oven to 160 degree Celsius.
  10. Put pot over stove and add in 600ml of wine and 400ml beef stock to cover the beef. 

  11. Add in tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. 
  12. Bring to simmering point. 
  13. Cover and place pot into oven for 3 hours.


 Pearl Onions

  1. In a separate sauce pan, heat 1 tbsp of butter and add pearl onion and saute for 5 minutes. 
  2. When they start to brown, add 120ml Beef stock and 120 ml red wine.
  3. Add some salt and pepper and herb bouquet. 
  4. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until liquid evaporated. 
  5. Remove  herb bouquet and set aside the onions. 

Mushrooms

  1. In a saute pan, heat pan with 28g of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil. 
  2. Add mushrooms to brown. Avoid stirring. 
  3. Toss the mushrooms only with it starts to brown. 
  4. Add some salt and pepper. Remove and set aside. 


To serve
  • Remove dutch oven from the oven. When the beef is ready, fork pierces the meat easily. 
  • Pour contents into a sieve over a large sauce pan. Wash the dutch oven and return the drained contents. 
  • Add in pearl onions and mushrooms. 
  • Skim fats from the sauce in saucepan.  
  • Simmer sauce to reduce to about 500ml. 
  • Pour sauce over the meat and vegetables. 

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by Categories: Meat Leave a comment

Parmesan Sauce with Peas and Bacon

Recently…

Question: What is the theme of your blog? 
My answer: Hmm… There isn’t a theme. I cook the things I like to eat and the things I want to try. 
Question: What is your blog about? 

Yes, there are many people who blog about food. And I blog about food and cooking because it has a special meaning to me. 

My family started humble with little food to eat. I remember my mum told us that they had to fork out the last few coins to feed the family because we were very poor then. At that time, the coins managed to only get three steamed cupcakes (if you noticed, steamed cupcakes is one of the earlier posts on my blog) to feed a family of five. Since, my parents worked very hard to feed the family and slowly our family began to live more comfortably. Because my parents had to work, I started to help out in the kitchen at a young age. I am blessed that my mum is a good cook so I learnt to love cooking and baking. Over the years, I built on my cooking repertoires through culinary classes, cook books and research over the internet. My family and friends are my great supporters of my trials. Even though some of my experiments failed terribly, they have been very encouraging. I got to understand the phrase that food binds people together and often I like to invite family and friends over for dinner and sometimes bring baked goodies to friends and colleagues.  

So what is my blog about? 

My answer: It is about cooking for love. I hope I can inspire you (everyone) to cook at home. To cook for the ones you care and love and to enjoy the goodness of home-cooked meals together. 

This recipe is requested by a friend. She has a beautiful family and three wonderful children. I am sure she has asked for this recipe to cook a nice meal for her family. This sauce is good for any pasta. I had it with fresh linguine and ravioli too. Once my hubby and I invited my brother-in-law over for dinner, (Yes, we like to host and have been inviting people for dinner on weekends) he was obsessed with this pasta sauce and had been requesting for us to cook it again and again. 


Recipe (Serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
  • 100g Bacon, thinly sliced
  • 100g Frozen Green Peas
  • 3 Garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 Shallots, chopped
  • 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 2 cups Heavy cream
  • 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
  • Pinch of Nutmeg
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 200g Cooked Pasta 
Steps:
  1. In a large pan, heat heat on medium and cook garlic and shallots. 
  2. Add in bacon and fry till bacon turns light brown. 
  3. Add in heavy cream. Cook on medium high heat till cream reduce to 2/3 of the original the amount. 
  4. Add in nutmeg, peas, salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. 
  6. Toss with cooked pasta. 

Enjoy! And do enjoy cooking, yea? Yes, I know cooking takes time. But if you do not spend time cooking for your love ones, who will? 


by Categories: Meat, Noodles, Sauces, Vegetables Leave a comment

Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice

It has been six months since I have returned to Singapore. Routines are back and busyness got the better of me. In the recent months, there was much talk about inflation and how much standard of living has increased in Singapore. From what I know, the cost of Big Mac is a benchmark across countries to measure standard of living. Well, I think to measure inflation and standard of living over time in Singapore would be a plate of chicken rice. 

I remember that a plate of chicken rice during my younger days was priced at a humble $1.50. Over time, price has increased in steps of 50 cents  and now the cost of a plate of chicken rice varies from $2.50 at hawker centres to $25 at hotels. So what makes a good plate of chicken rice? Some think it is the fragrant rice and others think it is the appetizing chili sauce. I think it is  the smooth and tender chicken. Or perhaps it is all of the above? 

Today, we had decided to invite my family over for chicken rice. 

Once I shared with a friend in the states the variety of Singapore delicacies. As I mentioned that tourists love Singapore Hainanese Chicken rice, she looked puzzled  and asked how would rice with chicken be possibility be a favourite. Linking to the South-east Asian origin, asian spices and herbs are essentials to a good plate of Chicken rice.  I guessed one has to taste it to believe it! 

The preparation is time-consuming as there are three parts to this sumptuous meal. As mentioned, chicken, rice and chili sauce. Are you ready? 

Recipe (For 4 person)
Ingredients:

A) Chicken
  • 1.5kg Whole chicken, cleaned and pat dry 
  • 2-cm knob of ginger, bruised
  • 5 cloves of garlic, bruised
  • 3 stalks of spring onions, bruised
  • A pot of water
  • 1 tbsp Sesame oil

Steps:

  1. Remove fats from lower end of the chicken and put aside. This will be used in the preparation of rice. 
  2. Boil the pot of water. 
  3. Put all the ingredients into boiling water. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 
  4. Prepare a basin of iced water.
  5. When chicken is ready, remove the chicken from the pot and soak in iced water for 5 minutes. This step will stop the cooking process and tenderize the chicken. 
  6. Remove from iced water and place on a plate. 
  7. Rub the chicken with some sesame oil.
  8. Reserve the chicken stock for cooking of rice and chili sauce. It is very good as soup to accompany the chicken rice. 
  9. When the chicken is cooled, chop the chicken into pieces on lay on a serving plate. Decorate with some coriander/ cilantro. 



After soaking in ice-bath, the skin will be translucent and very smooth. 

B) Rice
  • 3 cups of rice, washed and drained  
  • Chicken fats from the chicken 
  • 4 cups of Chicken stock from the preparation of chicken
  • Spice paste: 2cm ginger, 6 garlic cloves, 3 shallots
  • 2-cm knob of ginger, bruised
  • 5 cloves of garlic, bruised
  • 3 stalks of spring onions, bruised
  • 3 stalks of lemon grass, use only the bottom 2 inches, bruised
  • 2 large pandan leaves, tied into knob
  • 1/4 tsp Salt 
  • 2 tbsp Cooking oil
Steps:
  1. Make the spice paste by blending the ginger, garlic and shallots or pounding with mortar and pestle. 
  2. In a heated wok, add cooking oil and chicken fats. 
  3. Brown the chicken fats over low heat. 
  4. Add in spice paste and the other ingredients except the rice and pandan leaves.
  5. Fry from 3 minutes or until fragrant. 
  6. Add in the rice and pandan leaves. 
  7. Fry to ensure the rice is well-covered with spice paste and oil. 
  8. Add in 4 cups of chicken stock. 
  9. Cover the wok and cook over low heat.
  10. After 10 minutes, stir the rice to prevent burnt bottom and check if the rice is done. Continue to cook if it is not ready. 
  11. If it is done, transfer to a rice-cooker to keep warm. 

C) Chili Sauce
  • 100g Fresh red chili 
  • 5 Garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 cm knob of Ginger, peeled
  • 3 Shallots, peeled 
  • 4 Cilantro stems
  • 1/4 cup of Chicken Stock  
  • 1 tsp White vinegar 
  • 2 tsp Sugar 
  • 2 tsp Salt 
Steps:
  1. Make the chili paste by blending the ginger, garlic, shallots and cilantro stems or pounding with mortar and pestle.
  2. In a saucepan, cook the chili paste and add in the other ingredients. 
  3. Let it simmer for 2 minutes. 
  4. Remove from heat. Cool before serving. 

To make it a complete meal, you may want to include some poached greens with oyster sauce, sliced cucumber and chicken soup with spring onions. Bon Appetite! 
by Categories: Meat, Rice 2 Comments

Crispy Layered Curry Puffs

I grew up in a Singapore heartland and I could get simple and tasty food in the nearby coffee shops and eateries. I could remember Hainanese chicken rice was scrumptious and serving was generous. It can beat the Mandarin Chatterbox $25 chicken rice anytime! My favourite was the Fried Hokkien noodles. They were fried upon order and watching the uncle frying the noodles was truly an eye-treat. Food then was authentic and delicious.  


Today, food is fancier in presentation. Food appreciation is elevated to include different senses. Beside taste, it must be a feast to the eyes and scent to the nose. The recent craze of curry puffs has invited a few brands to compete for a market share. With competition, curry puffs have evolved from the good old days of Epok Epok. 



So what makes a good curry puff? My answers are:

  • Crispy and flaky dough
  • Buttery dough
  • Warm and moist filling
  • If it is Potato filling, hard boiled eggs is a must!
Well, my featured version of curry puff has of course satisfied my own criteria.  And I brought these to Boston Food swap. I would say it created a buzz among the Bostonians in the event. 

Photo from Boston Food Swap



Recipe:
A) Chicken and Potato Filling

  • 1 Chicken Breast, cut into cubes
  • 2 Large Potatoes, boiled and cut into cubes
  • 1 Red onion, diced
  • 1 handful of Cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Curry powder
  • 1 tsp Tumeric powder
  • 1 tbsp Chili paste (optional) 
  • Black pepper and salt to season
  • Cooking oil
  • Water
  • 2 Hard boiled eggs, cut into 6 segments

Steps:

  1. In a heated wok, add 2 tbsp of oil. Add in chili paste. Fry till fragrant. 
  2. Add in onions, fry until it turns translucent. 
  3. Add in chicken and fry until it turns opaque. Add in potatoes. 
  4. Add into curry powder, tumeric powder, seasoning. Stir well.
  5. Add in 1/4 cup of water. Simmer until the chicken is cooked and water dries up, approx 10 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat and set aside. 

B) Dough 


1) Water Dough

  • 450g All Purpose flour
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 200ml water

2)  Oil Dough 

  • 200g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
  • 365g  All Purpose flour
  • Some Ice cold water

Steps:

  1. Prepare the water dough. In a mixing bowl, mix flour with salt, add in water slowly to form a dough. Adjust the water accordingly to have a pliable dough. 
  2. Wrap with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes. After which, divide the dough into balls of 85g each. 
  3. Prepare oil dough in a different mixing bowl. Mix the butter and flour together. Add some ice cold water to help to gather the dough together. Do not over knead as it may transfer heat and melt the butter. Wrap with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes in the fridge.After which, divide the dough into balls of 70g each. 
  4. Flatten a water dough ball and place a oil dough ball onto the center of water dough. Wrap the oil dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
  5. Roll the mixture dough into a rectangle about 18 cm x 10 cm. Roll the dough tightly into a spiral, start with a shorter end. Rest for 10 minutes. Cut it into 4 equal pieces. Repeat for the rest of the dough. 
  6. Take a piece of cut dough. Roll into a round 1/8 inch  dough wrapper. 
  7. Fill the wrapper with filling and a piece of hard boiled egg. 
  8. Seal the edges with some water. Pinch the ends. 
  9. Deep fry it in medium high heat. Remove when pastry turns golden brown. Drain from oil. 
by Categories: Bread, kueh, Meat, Vegetables 1 Comment

Singapore Beef Rendang

Beef Rendang is a typical Singapore Malayan dish. It is usually eaten with steamed rice with other dishes (aka Nasi Padang). The spicy dish can be found in most of the Malay rice stalls and it is also frequently seen as one of the auspicious dishes in Malay weddings and celebrations in Singapore. The taste of the dish is rich and complex because of the many asian spices, as well as coconut milk and flakes in its recipe. The meat is slowly cooked to bring out a tender and juicy texture. 


I have never try making Rendang. I always thought that Rendang is a very tedious recipe to make. Furthermore I seldom cook beef in Singapore because beef in supermarket is usually expensive as they are imported, hidden behind a glass counter. And if I were to buy beef from the wet markets, I had to tell the butchers the particular cut I want and they probably do not know what I am talking about! And the sight of chopping and slicing the cow look bizarre to me. (Beef is rather a bloody meat.) I will suggest that butchers have a list of different cuts they offer, like the farmers’ markets here in Cambridge. 


 In US, beef is accessible, cheaper and fresher. Of course, I do warn that it is better to know where the beef is from. Knowing the source of your food gives a sense of awareness and assurance that your food is treated with minimum/ no pesticides and chemicals, antibodies and hormones. 



Recipe (Serves 4 – 6 people)
Ingredients:


A) Flavour Paste

  • 1/4 cup packed Dried chilies, soaked in hot water for 1 hour
  • 6 Shallots
  • 6-8 cloves of Garlic
  • 1 Thumb sized knob Ginger
  • 1 Thumb sized knob Blue Ginger (Galangal)
  • 1/2 Thumb sized knob Yellow Ginger (Tumeric)
Steps:
  1. Using a blender, blend all the ingredients into a medium-fine paste. 
  2. Set aside.

B) Spice Blend

  • 4 cloves
  • 3 Green cardamon pods
  • 1 Star Anise
  • 1 2-inch long cinnamon stick, break into half

C) Ground Spice Blend

  • 1 tsp Coriander Powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin Powder
  • 1 tsp Fennel Seeds Powder
  • 1 tsp Tumeric Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Black pepper

D) For the Rendang

  • 1/2 cup of Cooking oil 
  • 1 lb (450g) Beef Chuck, cut into 1″ cubes (Good to have some fats in the beef)
  • 200ml Coconut milk
  • 1/8 cup Taramind concentrate
  • 1 Lime leaf (optional)
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed top and bruised bottom with the back of a knife
  • 4 tsp of palm sugar
  • 1 tbsp Salt 
  • 1/4 Grated fresh coconut or frozen coconut , thawed
Steps:
  1. Using a pan, fry the grated coconut with a pinch of salt till it turns light brown. Set aside.
  2. In a pot, heat 2 tbsp of oil until shimmering hot. Add the spice blend and stir constantly for about 1 to 2 minutes. Careful not to burn. 
  3. Lower the heat to medium and add in another 2 tbsp of oil. Add in the ground spice blend. Stir well for 1 minute and add in the remaining of the cooking oil. 
  4. Add in the flavor paste. Let it cook until the oil separates. Stirring frequently. 
  5. Add in the beef and cook, stirring it to coat it with the spices. 
  6. When the beef turns opaque outside, add in coconut milk, taramind concentrate, lime leaf and lemongrass. Bring it to boil.
  7.  Add in sugar and salt.
  8. Reduce the heat to low, let it simmer for 1.5 hour. The Rendang will slowly cook and the gravy will reduce to coat the beef. Oil will start to appear on its surface. 
  9. Add 1 cup of water and reduce for another 20 minutes. Here, the beef will turned tender. 
  10. Add in toasted grated coconut and stir well. Cook for another 20 minutes or until the gravy is thick. Remove from heat.
  11. Before serving, remove the whole spices, lime leaf and lemongrass.
  12. Enjoy!
by Categories: Meat 2 Comments

Coriander and Tomato based Curry Chicken

I am very fortunate to be able to be to learn to cook different cuisines during my stay in Cambridge. My participation in two culinary clubs has been very rewarding. I made many friends from different countries and learn from them how to cook their home country’s delicacies. My friend, D, is from India (Calcutta) and she taught me this dish during one of the culinary sessions. She is a very good cook. Her warm character and generosity is contagious. Her calm and composed disposition makes people around her at ease.  



One of the most delicious dish I have learnt from D (so far) is the Coriander and Tomato-based Curry Chicken. It is not the usual thick, coconut-milk based curry that Singaporeans like to eat. It is lighter and healthier. The gravy is well-flavored with spices, onions and tomatoes, simmered with chicken to bring out the goodness. 


Recipe (Serves 4)
Ingredients:

  • Half a chicken, chopped into pieces
  • 2 large Tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 yellow onions, chopped
  • 1 handful of coriander leaves
  • 1 tbsp Ginger paste
  • 1 tbsp Garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Garum Masala
  • 1 tbsp Cumin powder
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • Water
  • Cooking Oil
  • Salt and Pepper

Steps:
  1. Marinate the chicken piece with salt and pepper for 30 minutes.
  2. In a pot, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Saute onion until it turns translucent. 
  3. Add in ginger and garlic paste. Stir well and add in cumin and 1 tbsp garam marsala. 
  4. Add in tomatoes and fryuntil the oil separates from the mixture. 
  5. Add in the marinated chicken and fry until it turns opaque. 
  6. Add in 2 cups of water and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. 
  7. Add in salt, pepper and sugar to taste. 
  8. To finish, add 1 tsp pf garum marsala and coriander leaves. 

Recipe is adapted from my friend who is now in Cambridge, MA 
*Her name is not disclosed for privacy purpose
by Categories: Meat, Soup 3 Comments

Egg Benedict & Hollandaise Sauce

Egg Benedict… A sinful breakfast/ brunch item made of poached eggs and ham over English muffins, sinfully drizzled with the divine Hollandaise sauce. All faint hearted should avoid this delicious combination because the sauce is rich, buttery and creamy. You may die of a heart attack! Just joking! But well, you got to try it at least once (from a decent restaurant, or make your own!). 

Hollandaise sauce is one of the five mother sauces in the French sauces repertoire. It is difficult to make and does not keep for long. To make the sauce, you need egg yolks, butter, lemon and some seasoning. I had to get my hubby to help me during the preparation process as one has to add melted butter into the mixture while whisking it continuously. In fact, I learnt that it is good to involved your hubby in the cooking process because he will appreciate your hard work in bringing food to the table. Well, my hubby enjoyed his breakfast very much and of course he appreciated the hard work I put in. I guess it will take some time for him to request Egg Benedict again for his breakfast at home.  (In fact, the next day we tried Egg Benedict at Boston. The sauce was a let down :P)
Recipe
Ingredients:

A) Hollandaise Sauce
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 4 sticks of butter (2 cups), melted and clarified
  • 1 tbsp Freshly squeezed Lemon juice
  • Salt and white pepper to taste
  • Water
Steps:
  1. Simmer a pot of water over low heat.
  2. Using a mixing bowl (that is able to place over the pot of simmering water for double boiling), whisk the egg yolks over the simmering water. Whisk the eggs till it is creamy and ribbons are formed. 
  3. Remove the mixing bowl from heat, add in the butter a teaspoon at a time and whisk continuously. If the mixture becomes too thick, add some warm water. Continue to add all the butter a teaspoon at a time. 
  4. Add in lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk well. 
  5. Set aside. Keep the sauce warm. 

B) Egg Benedict (For 2)
  • 2 Eggs, at room temperature
  • Ham
  • English Muffins, halved and toasted
  • Asparagus, trimmed 
  • 1 tbsp White vinegar 
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp of oil
  1. Blanch the asparagus in boiling water and put it into ice bath. 
  2. In a pan with 1 tsp of oil, saute the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. In the same pan, heat the ham (optional)
  4. In a pot of simmer water over low heat, add white vinegar. 
  5. Crack an egg into a bowl. Slide the egg using the bowl carefully into the simmering water. Let the egg poach for 3 minutes. Repeat the same process for another egg. 
  6. Using a slotted spoon, remove the poached egg. 
  7. Lay a slice of muffin on a plate, top it with ham, egg, asparagus and drizzle with a generous amount of hollandaise sauce. 
  8. Bon Appetit!

by Categories: Bread, Meat, Sauces, Vegetables Leave a comment

My Favourite Sausage / Hot dogs Rolls

Do you have a favourite item at the bakery? 

When I was young, my mum would bring my siblings and I to the bakery frequently. We always bought the same baked items. I love sausage rolls, my sister liked ham buns and my brother adored Red bean buns (I am not sure if they still like what they used to :P). So when our parents bought some bread home, we know they got what we wanted. Sometimes my brother and I would get into fights when he ate my sausage rolls. Yes, it was very ‘territorial’. 

How would you enjoy a sausage roll?
Option 1: Eat the bread and sausage in organized bites
Option 2: Eat the bread and followed by the sausage
Option 3: Eat the sausage and followed by the bread

And I choose option 2! Save the best for the last, yea? 

I am glad to find this recipe online and I can bake them in my kitchenette. But just one simple advice, stick to your favourite brand of sausages. I bought 98% fat-free turkey sausages from a local supermarket but was utterly disappointed with the taste as they were way too salty.  

Recipe (Makes 8 sausage rolls)
Ingredients: 
Part 1:

  • 300g Bread Flour
  • 1 package of Instant Dried Yeast
  • 10g Sugar
  • 6g Salt
  • 30g Unsalted Butter, Softened and cut into small cubes
  • 1 egg 
  • 170 – 180g Whole Milk 
Part 2:
  • 1 egg and 2 tsp of water for egg wash
  • 8 sausages, washed and patted dry
  • 1 tsp Butter
Steps:
  1. In a mixing bowl, mix bread flour, dry yeast, sugar and salt well. 
  2. In a separate bowl, mix milk and egg together. 
  3. Add milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well using a spatula. 
  4. Using hands, remove the dough and knead on a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough is tender and elastic. About 10 minutes. 
  5. Add in the butter into the dough and knead for another 10 minutes or until the dough is soft, smooth and stretchable. Make sure the butter is well blended in.
  6. Put the dough in a lightly buttered bowl. Cover the dough with a damp cloth. Let it rest for 1 – 1.5h or till size doubles. (I let it rest in a 90 deg Fahrenheit oven with a tray of warm water).
  7. Deflate the dough with your fist. 
  8. Divide the dough into 8 portions. Roll the balls in your clenched hands against the table top till the dough smoothed. 
  9. Cover them with damp cloth and let them rest for 10 minutes.
  10. For each portion, roll them into 25 cm long ropes. Using the elongated dough to wrap a sausage. Leave 3/4 inch of each ends of the sausage unwrapped.  
  11. Lay the sausage rolls on a baking tray. Cover with damp cloth and let them rest till the dough doubles.
  12. Preheat the oven to 200 deg Celsius / 390 deg Fahrenheit.  
  13. Brush the dough with egg wash. 
  14. Bake the rolls for 12- 15 minutes or until the dough is light golden brown.
  15. Rub the rolls with a little butter to achieve a shine.


The recipe is adapted from http://food-4tots.com

by Categories: Bread, Meat Leave a comment

Bak Kua (Chinese Pork Jerky)

Happy Lunar New Year to my family, friends and readers. Let’s welcome the New Year with hopes that it will bring us good health, abundant wealth and prosperity! May your lives be filled with joy, love and care. 


Being miles away from home, I do feel the absence of the festive atmosphere. I am very grateful that my family mailed me some Lunar New Year decorations and my apartment do looked a little more ready to celebrate LNY. The other thing I could do is to prepare some Chinese New Year goodies. 


Bak Kua is a popular LNY must-have in every household. During this special festival, queues form outside every Bak Kwa shops in Singapore. The queues may take up to 2 hours. Hence, they make good gifts for future mother-in-laws especially if they are from the famous brands. Unfortunately, there is no Bak Kua in Boston. Good news is that I got to make it from scratch!


It is in fact rather simple to make but take quite some time to make a small amount. Now I understand why it is so costly. 





Recipe (Makes six 6″ squares)

Ingredients:
  • 700g Ground pork 
  • 3 tbsp Fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp Dark Soya sauce (Thick consistency standard / 优等)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Light Soya sauce
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Cooking Oil
  • 1/2 tbsp Five spice powder
  • 1 tsp Maltose (optional)
Glaze
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp maltose
  • 2 tbsp hot water

Steps:
  1. In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients  (except the glaze) with a pair of chopsticks in a single direction (e.g. clockwise). 
  2. Stir till the meat is sticky and gluey. 
  3. Cover with cling wrap and store in refrigerator overnight. 
  4. Preheat the oven to 300 deg Fahrenheit/ 150 deg Celsius. Prepare the glaze by mixing the ingredients together. 
  5. Prepare a parchment paper of the size of your baking sheet . 
  6. Take some of the meat mixture (depending on the size of your baking sheet) and spread on the parchment paper. Take a cling wrap and lay over the meat mixture. Use a rolling pin and roll the mix mixture into 2-3mm thick. Remove cling wrap.
  7. Bake it for 40 minutes or until the meat is cooked and gravy dries up. The meat should feel like a rubber mat. 
  8. Remove and use a pastry brush to glaze the meat.  
  9. Bake for 10 minutes and repeat glazing for the other side. Bake for another 10 minutes.
  10. Remove from oven. You may cut it into bite size portions. 
  11. Repeat baking process for the rest of the meat mixture. 

by Categories: Meat 1 Comment

Port Glazed Roast Duck in Cherry sauce

I am going to demystify this much-neglected poultry, Duck! Love it or hate it! I love it!

Duck has a rich and distinct flavor. It goes well with fruits, other sweet ingredients and spices which give a delicious and exotic taste. It has a higher fat content than its winged counterparts (e.g. chicken and turkey). But the fats are there for a reason. You may remove the excess fats at the rear but do not remove the skin of the duck. That’s the best part. I guess that is why the skin is much sought after delicacy in China, “The Peking Duck”. 


I have never cook a WHOLE duck before. I have cooked duck breast and chopped duck but never the WHOLE duck. The size of the bird was a bit daunting as most of my wares hardly could fit the fellow. And furthermore it is a challenge to cook the distinct scented bird. That is probably why the Chinese use spices and Westerners use strong flavored fruits to bring out the best flavor in ducks. 


After a wonderful “Turducken” Thanksgiving dinner at my friend’s house in New Jersey, I decided I would cook a bird for Christmas. Few days before Christmas, I went to Whole Foods (the place which I know the duck is fresh and clean) to get a fresh duck. Of course, it came up to a bomb. I chose a smaller duck as it would only need to just feed my hubby and I. Despite the modest mass, it costed me US$20. Anyway, it probably cost more in a restaurant. I really hope this turned out well. The other ingredients that was required in this recipe was also hard to find. I had to run to few stores to get what I need and had to modify some. But it was ALL WORTH IT! We finished the entire duck and cleaned it to its bones. Then a question popped, “Why didn’t I buy a bigger duck?”  

Recipe
Ingredients:


Duck

  • 1 whole duck 
  • 1 Yellow onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 6 sprigs of thyme
  • Salt and black pepper
Steps:
  1. Clean the duck well. Remove all innards and strayed feathers. 
  2. Remove excess fats at the rear. 
  3. Remove the wing tips with a knife.
  4. Pat the duck dry with kitchen towels. Both inside and outside .  
  5. Rub the duck with salt and black pepper. Both inside and outside.  
  6. You may pull the excess neck skin to its back and secure with a skewer.  
  7. With the duck breast facing upwards, lay the duck on a dripping pan. 
  8. Stuff the duck cavity with onion, thyme, lemon and garlic.
  9. Set aside and prepare the glaze. 
  10. Preheat the oven to 220 deg Celsius.

Glaze
  • 150ml Port
  • 2 tbsp Maltose syrup (You can find this in Chinese Supermarket) 
  • 3 tbsp Honey
  • 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire 
Steps:
  1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minute. 
  2. Let it cool for 10 minutes. 
  3. Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze onto the duck skin. Make sure all parts are glazed. 
  4. Put in it the oven and lower the temperature to 180 deg Celsius. Roast it for about 1.5 hr to 2 hrs. 
  5. In between every 20 minutes, remove the duck from the oven and baste the glaze and some duck fats onto the skin. 
  6. You may need to flip the duck to get crispier skin on both sides. 
  7. When it is done, you may use a meat thermometer to insert to the thickest part of the duck to check if it reaches 165 deg Fahrenheit/ 73 deg Celsius. 
  8. Remove from the oven and let the duck rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Duck fat
  • 3 shallots, chopped
  • 200ml Port
  • 200g Dried Cherries (You may soak the cherries in the port and drain before use)
  • 300ml Chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp Cherry or Plum Jam
Steps:
  1. In a saucepan, add duck fat and fry the shallot till it turns transparent.
  2. Add in pot and let it simmer till half of the wine is evaporated. 
  3. Add the stock and jam. Let it simmer until it reaches a light syrupy consistency.
  4. Add in the cherries. Simmer for another 5 minutes. 
  5. Serve with the duck. 


Recipe adapted from citrusandcandy.com
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