Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Green Tea Mochi with Red Bean Filling

I have heard of mochi before, but don't really fancy eating it, as I seldom like food that is coated with cornstarch. Anyway, why do I google all the way to find this Mochi recipe is because, my SIL (Emily) asked me if I know how to make this yummy thing called "MOCHI". Hmm, I was tempted to try anything new as you know , I have just started baking and cooking, and will just try everything and anything I see or hear. OK, I know it sounds crazy. Well, let's just say, it's the fun of making something with your own bare hands, and seeing it turn out to be something that is wonderfully nice and yummy, and most important edible hahaha....that's the biggest achievement and satisfaction.
So I googled through my few favourites bloggers, who are well experienced in baking and cooking , and 'YES' I managed to find some postings on Mochi-making. I studied it for a while and find it very interesting, it's kinda like making the Chinese 'tang yuen' or Glutinous Rice Balls, as it uses 'glutinous rice flour' too and the only difference is you have to mould the dough while it's still warm....or else it will turn stiff. As Mochi is supposed to be smooth and soft when you bite on it, while the filling stay gooey inside and oozes out when you bite them..........OK,  this description does not come from me but my SiL.......she says the reason why she loves this 'MOCHI' thingy is because, it reminded her of her first love........for Mochi, that is........LOL
Not wanting to bore you anymore, here's the recipe that I extracted from My Kitchen Snippets. Oh yes, some useful tips, Tip #1: Don't be too worried that the dough will become tough and stiff if you don't start moulding it right out of the microwave,as i can tell you, it's really HOT!! argh....silly me for being an amateur, I 'kelam –kabut' mould it and put filling while it's quite hot when it came out of the microwave, and .........I burned my thumb and was awarded with a tiny 'water bubble'.....lesson learned :(  *sob, sob* So, don't fold it when it's hot, warm would do...........:P

GREEN TEA MOCHI WITH RED BEAN FILLING
(yields about 4-5 balls, or 6-8 balls if you make it smaller like I did)

Ingredients
1 cup of Mochiko (I think you can only get this Mochiko flour in Japanese stores) / Glutinous Rice flour

2 tbsp of sugar

1 tsp of green tea powder (or if you prefer plain Mochi, then just opt this green tea powder out in Step 2)

2/3 cup of water

Some sweet red bean paste (or any paste that you prefer; lotus paste, peanut paste etc)

Some cornstarch, for dusting

Method:
  1. With wet hands, take 1 tbsp of red bean paste and roll it into a ball. Make about 4-5 balls.
  2. In a microwave safe bowl, mix together mochiko / glutinous rice flour, sugar, green tea powder and water. Mix well.
  3. Microwave the mixture on 'High' for 2 minutes. Remove and stir quickly. Return it to the microwave and cook for another 2 minutes. The dough will bubble up and inflate, but be careful not to overcook or the dough will be too tough. (I used only 1 minute and 50 seconds overall on my microwave oven on High, adjust according to our own microwave).
  4. Divide the dough into 4-5 equal portions by using a tablespoon. Make sure the plate or counter top is dusted with cornstarch as the dough is very sticky.
  5. Dust your fingers and palms with cornstarch and flatten a piece of the dough (it will be quite hot, so be careful) and put in the filling, then wrap the dough up and seal the opening with a tight pinch. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
  6. Chill the mochi before serving.

Monday, October 26, 2009

CHOCOLATE CHEESE BUTTER CAKE


I love anything in chocolate, and I love anything in cheese....so, when the Twins (Daniel & Dylan) picked this cake recipe from my cookbook (I Love Butter Cake by Kevin Chai) and ask me to bake for them to bring go school, I willingly nodded with a smile and knew it sounds good and it should taste good too.........what can be 'not' good when a chocolate and cheese comes together in one? Moreover this recipe calls for white chocolate....hmm, from the sound of it already makes me salivating.....LOL ^-^
So, to cut it short,  the cake turn out really good, I meant "really GOOD" , I say it again :)
I would really encourage you to try it if you love chocolate and cheese combination like I do.......it's really delicious, and you know what? ............from the moment you put the cake into the oven to bake.....the whole kitchen is perfumed with 'White Chocolate and Butter' aroma.............suprisingly, not cheese though, and when you slice the cake, you can still see the white chocolate chunks in almost every piece of the cake....the cheese and butter blended in so well, each piece is rich and moist and very filling too, so what are you waiting for... ..hahaha, Happy 'Chocolate Cheese Butter Cake Baking!

CHOCOLATE CHEESE BUTTER CAKE

Ingredients

200gm butter, softened at room temperatue

175gm caster sugar ( I used only 120gm, but still finds it a bit sweet, maybe 80 -100gm will be just nice)

3 eggs

180gm plain flour (I used Self-raising flour, therefore I omitted the baking powder)

20gm milk powder

½ tsp baking powder

100gm white chocolate – diced

100gm cream cheese – diced

50gm white chocolate chips – for topping

Method:
  1. Grease and line baking pan; pre-heat oven to 180~C.
  2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
  3. Fold in sifted flour, milk powder and baking. Then add in white chocolate and cream cheese, mix until well blended.
  4. Spoon batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle white chocolate chips on top. Bake in oven for 30 minutes – 40 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake. Enjoy!
Happy Baking!

    Sunday, October 18, 2009

    ASSORTED DOUGHNUTS


    Yes, it's Doughnut Day......a day that I decided to make nothing but just doughnuts ^-^  As the kids just love to eat the "Big Apple" Donuts, I decided to try and make some myself.  My MiL also suggested I try making it as she said if I can make bread or buns, doughnuts are in the same category......only difference is instead of baking, it's deep fried in oil. Well, since I just bought a new cookbook , that's all about doughnuts.....of course by flipping through the pages already it increases my urge to try it :P
    OK, so the kitchen is where I'm heading to, weighed out my ingredients, kneading and proving and then frying the donuts........it sure is not much difference when compares to bread-making. The amount of time needed for proving and resting is just the same, and in fact the ingredients are pretty much the same too. oh yes, of course you have to stand-by a 'doughnut-cutter' ......another difference :)
    Well, the end result is.......this doughnut's texture of the donuts are very bread-like, and with all sorts of topping that you can think of......the kids will love it...even I like it too ^-^

    Here it is.......this recipe is extracted from my new cookbook - "Donuts and Bagels Up Close" by You Chun-Hsiung. Happy Doughnuts Making!

    PLAIN BREAD DONUTS (yields about 19 @ 50gm donuts)
    Ingredients for Dough
    (A) 15gm dry yeast, 200gm water
    (B) 500gm Bread flour, 100gm whole eggs, 75gm fine granulated sugar, 15gm milk powder, 7gm salt
    (C) 50gm butter

    Method

    1. Beat ingredient (A) with egg beater until yeast dissolves completely.
    2. Place ingredient (B) in stainless steel bowl, add 3/4 of ingredient (A), beat at low speed until well-blended, scrape sides constantly until it forms dough, add rest of ingredient (A).
    3. Beat until there are no lumps in dough, add butter, beat until smooth and elastic.
    4. Remove a small piece of the dough, pull out with fingers (stretch test) to see if the dough can stretch into a fine membrane without tearing, if there it tears, continue to knead for a few more minutes and try again until you get it (But, to tell you the truth, I didn't pass that test, but the doughnuts are fine, as I find that hand-knead method are quite hard to achieve that result, so don't despair).
    5. Test again by pulling a small piece of dough out with fingers, if it is not torn and forms a thin silk-like membrane, the dough is ready.
    6. Set the dough aside to rise in the mixing bowl for the first time about 40-45 minutes depends on the room temperature, normally a warmer place lets it ferment faster.(Lightly flour the bowl to avoid the dough sticking to the side)
    7. The risen dough should be 2-3 times bigger than the usual dough, to test if the dough is ready, lightly dip your finger into some flour and insert it into the centre of the dough, the hole of the finger should stay there and rise up very slowly.
    8. Remove dough from the bowl and lightly punch down the dough to release the air bubbles trapped inside, then let rise for another 5 minutes longer.
    9. Remove dough to floured work surface, with a rolling pin, lightly roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1cm thickness.
    10. Use the doughnut-cutter (any size) and cut out the doughnut pattern.
    11. Flour baking paper, arrange bread donuts on it, set 2cm apart and let rise for second time for about 20 minutes.
    12. Heat the oil in the frying pan in medium heat, and deep-fry the doughnuts in oil until golden on both sides.
    13. Remove and drain the excess oil with kitchen towels, let cool on the rack, and decorate with as you like, for example sprinkle or dip with fine granulated sugar, dipped into chocolate ganache, topped with chocolate chips, nibbed almonds, hundreds and thousands sprinkle and other.
    Happy Doughnuts Baking! ~

      Saturday, October 17, 2009

      Tiramisu (2 of 4)


      "Pick me Up" this phrase is so true for Tiramisu.......as the temptation of picking up a piece of this cake is really hard to resist. I have fell in love with Tiramisu the very first time I tasted a piece in one of the 5 –star resort in Kota Kinabalu, and from then on........I just can't stop having a bite of it each time I saw a piece of Tiramisu being served. I used to begged my Hubby to make me a Tiramisu cake when he was still working in the hotel industry, as he has all the utensils and ingredients he needed. But........he never did , as his main excuse is "it's very tedious and a lot of work lah"......huh!

      So, I finally get to really put my hands to making this cake now , all on my own, and I wanted to proved to him, that it's not as tedious as he used to say it is. Hahaha, but deep down, I am quite scared too that it will not turn out right, and he will laugh at me for my stubbornness........as he has already branded me as the 'most stubborn person he has ever known'.......:P

      Tiramisu, here I come, and guessed what? IT turned out in perfect shape, perfect taste and I got praised by those who have tasted a piece of it..........thanks guys, for giving me that boost of confidence.....xoxo

      Here's the recipe for "Pick Me Up' Tiramisu.....this recipe is a sure-keeper! Happy baking!

      'PICK ME UP' TIRAMISU

      Ingredient

      A pot of strong coffee (Espresso preferably) but I used Nescafe ....:P

      3 tbsp Brandy , I don't have Brandy at home so I used coffee liquor - Kahlua

      2 large eggs

      3 tbsp castor sugar

      250gm Mascarpone Cheese , I substituted with 250gm Philadelphia Cream Cheese

      250ml thickened cream

      150gm dark Cocoa powder

      500gm Savoiardi (lady fingers/ sponge biscuits)

      Method:


      1. Make a pot of strong coffee, pour into a dish or bowl and allow to cool before adding the Brandy / Kahlua in.
      2. Seperate the eggs, and set aside the whites.
      3. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and the castor sugar together until pale and thick.
      4. Add in the mascarpone / cream cheese and mix until combined.
      5. In another bowl, whip the cream and then fold in to the egg, sugar and cheese mixture.
      6. In the third bowl, beat the egg whites into soft peaks and then quickly fold into the cake mix.
      7. Sprinkle a thin layer of cocoa powder into a large serving dish.
      8. Dip the biscuits into the coffee mixture, taking care not to over soak them for too long, before placing in the serving dish.
      9. Continue dipping biscuits and placing in the dish, creating a layer of soaked biscuits. Dust with a sprinkling of cocoa powder.
      10. Spread a thick layer of the cake mixture over the layer of biscuits before dusting with another sprinkling of cocoa powder.
      11. Place another layer of soaked biscuits in the dish, again sprinkling with cocoa powder.
      12. Smooth the rest of the cake mixture in a thick layer over the second biscuit layer. Again, sprinkle with cocoa powder.
      13. Place in the refrigerator and allow to set. Do not serve for at least 3 hours, for the best flavour, leave it for 24 hours. Enjoy!

      Non-Bake OREO Cheesecake ( 1 of 4)

      I know it's crazy to make 2 creamy rich cheese cakes in a day and topped it up with a main course that is creamy and rich , and not forgetting cheesy as well - that's "Chicken Pie".....whoa!!! LOL

      Yeap, I did that exactly in a day.....one fine Sunday ^-^, hey, let's just say, I'm celebrating Deepavali , OK?!! hehe...... I was so insane to choose these two cheesecakes, as both of these are extremely 'RICH' and well , what can I say, it's YUMMY from the top of my voice. I haven't make cheesecake before since I started baking, so why not, NOW. Like my boys advice me, "Mummy, practice makes perfect"....yeap, boys, Mummy totally agrees ;)

      The other when i was shopping for cake ingredients in Bake with Me (the local cake ingredient store), I asked for 2 blocks of 250gm Philly Cream Cheese , but too bad, they ran out of stock, and only has the 4kg packing left. As I knew the next few days would be Public Holidays due to Deepavali, I wouldn't want to suit at home doing nothing, and since I'm so determine that I'm going to make cheesecakes this round, ........so without hesitation, I just grabbed that 4kg box of cream cheese home.
      Mind you, I will be baking a lot of things with cheese in the following weeks to come.....LOL ^_^ OK, who cares....let's hit into my today's menu, I'm going to make :-
      1. Non-Baked OREO Cheesecake
      2. Tiramisu
      3. My version of "DOME" Chicken Pie
      4. And last but not least......Jasmine Green Tea Konnyaku Jelly
      Thank goodness that these two cakes does not requires baking, that's why I can managed to add item (3) and (4) on the menu. Not to waste anymore time, as I have promised a few friends to have these 2 cheesecakes and the chicken pie recipes posted ASAP....hehe, sorry for the delay ya....:P Happy 'Crazy' Baking like me........cheers ^-^

      NON-BAKED OREO CHEESECAKE
      This recipe was extracted from Kraft website.
      Ingredient

      1 cup crushed OREO Original cookies

      50gm butter, melted

      500gm block of Philadelphia Cream cheese, softened

      ¾ cup castor sugar

      3 tsp gelatine, dissolved in ¼ cup of boiling water

      2 tbsp lemon juice

      1 cup Dairy whipping cream, lightly whipped

      100gm OREO Chocolate Creme cookies, crushed

      50gm OREO Chocolate Creme Cookies, extra, roughly chopped

      Method:
      1. Combine the crumbs and butter and press into lined 20cm springform cake pan. Chill in the fridge for later use.
      2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. (you might like to add in the cream that is scraped off from the OREO cookies). Fold in the gelatine mixture, lemon juice, whipped cream and lastly the roughly chopped OREO Chocolate Creme Cookies.
      3. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with extra OREOs crushed cookies crumbs on top and refrigerate for another 2 hours or until set.




      MY “DOME” CHICKEN PIE (3 of 4)


      After completing the two non-bake cheesecakes, I continued to get my ingredients ready for the "DOME" Chicken Pie that the kids ordered. It's actually pretty simple and straight forward, nothing too fancy though. Just refer to the below ingredients , and like I named it, it's my version of the "DOME" Chicken pie that one of my good friend (Winnie) introduces me when we had lunch at The 'DOME' Cafe at 1Borneo quite some time ago. Give it a try, because it's really simple and tasty too for both young and old. Happy Chicken Pie baking!

      MY 'DOME' CHICKEN PIE

      Ingredients for the filling

      300-350 gm of chicken breast, diced

      Some cornflour for marinating

      2 tsp of soya sauce

      200gm packed frozen mixed vegetable, defrost
      1 can (290gm) Campbells PREGO Cheese & Herbs Cream

      Some oil for cooking

      4 - 5 pieces of puff pastry – 5inch x 5 inch (you can buy the ready-made ones from any supermarket)

      4 – 5 ramekins ( I use the 4 inches in diameter ones)

      Method:
      1. Marinate the chicken meat with cornflour and soya sauce, leave aside.
      2. Heat the sauce pan with tbsp cooking oil, and sautéed the chicken.
      3. Add in the mixed vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes.
      4. Add in the Cheese and herbs cream. Use the emptied can, refill with half –can of water , stir and pour into the saucepan.
      5. Cook for a few minutes, turn off the heat.
      6. Spoon the chicken filling into the ramekin (should make about 4 – 5 ramekins) and covered it with a piece of the puff pastry. You will need to use some egg white to seal the sides of the bowl by pressing it with your fingers. Don't forget to use a scissor to cut an 'X' on the top-centre of the puff pastry to let the hot air escape when baking.

      7. Bake at pre-heated oven at 180~C for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown and cooked. Enjoy!







      Happy Pie Baking!

      JASMINE GREEN TEA KONNYAKU JELLY (4 of 4)


      After all the heavy dinner and creamy cheesy desserts, let's settle for some light and refreshing konnyaku jelly. It's really simple to make and the kids will sure loved it....mine did. My kids just loved any types of jelly or konnyaku. ^-^  In fact I too like jelly or konnyaku especially when the weather is hot and you need something to refresh and chew on. It doesn't take too much time to prepare, only a few hours of setting in the refrigerator, that always ended up testing the kids patience. So, the finale of the menu today is the 'Jasmine Green Tea Konnyaku Jelly' that I extracted from my newly bought book – "Making Yogurt & Pudding" by Joy of Cooking.
      Here's the recipe, it's really simple, and the fragrant jasmine green tea gives this jelly dessert a refreshing zing! So give it a try! Happy Konnyaku Making!

      JASMINE GREEN TEA KONNYAKU JELLY

      Ingredients

      3-4 jasmine green tea bags

      250ml hot water

      20gm konnyaku powder

      100gm fine sugar

      850ml cold water

      Honey to taste

      Method:

      1. Steep the tea bags in hot water for 3-5 minutes and remove.
      2. Combine konnyaku powder and sugar and mix well. Bring to a boil, then remove from the stove.
      3. Combine mixture with the tea.
      4. Pour into moulds. When it has cooled , chill in the refrigerator. Drizzle with honey before serving.
      Tips: Do not leave the teabags in the hot water too long as it might turn bitter.

      Tuesday, October 13, 2009

      BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE SLICE


      I always believe that when someone is craving for something, it must be satisfied, or else he /she will not have a peace of mind that day.....hehe. Today, I felt just like that, I was busy working in the office, and out of a sudden,  the thought or should I say, a craving for a slice of 'Blueberry Crumble' came into my mind. I was searching into my pen drive to see if I have this piece of menu in MY RECIPE folder......... Oh yes, and I did have one........abstracted from My Kitchen Snippets. I took a good look at the recipe and set my mind that I'm going home to make my "Blueberry Crumble Slice" tonight ^-^
      I was so envied that My Kitchen Snippets are using fresh blueberries in this recipe (as this recipe called for). As for me, I have to substitute the fresh blueberries with the blueberry pie filling that I can get from the cake ingredient store. Well, as Malaysia does not grow berries that well in this kind of climate, we only get to eat berries very occasionally, and that is if some supermarket sell them.
      cakes with a crumble topping has been one of my favourite, as it's give you two types of outcome; (1) a biscuit-like crumb on the topping and beneath,(2) a delicious yummy cake. When I sent this cake to my in-laws' house, I got very good comments from my SIL (Emily) and also my MIL .....and  my kids like it too. As for my Hubby, he said my Blueberry Crumble Slice looks good and very successful, but as usual, he did not eat any as he is not a sweet-tooth kind of person, but did give me a thumb-up for this ^-^. As for Angel, she only likes the crumbled toppings.......hehe, weird girl as usual. Try it out and I guarantee you'll like this cake and the recipe is a sure-keeper, and I will definitely make this cake again myself........cheers to all and Happy Crumble Cake Baking ^-^
      Recipe as per below or you can always check into My Kitchen Snippets to check it out, strongly recommend you all to check this website out, as there are a lot of awesome recipes there.

      BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE SLICE
      6 tbsp of butter
      2 eggs
      1/2 cup of sugar
      2 tbsp of sour cream
      1 tsp of vanilla
      1 cup of flour
      1/4 tsp of salt
      1/2 tsp of baking powder
      2 cups of fresh blueberries (I used Blueberry filling for pie instead because Malaysia can't get fresh blueberry)

      Crumble topping
      3 tbsp of soft butter
      1/2 cup of brown sugar
      1/2 cup of flour

      Method
      1) Grease a 8" x 8" square pan and line the bottom with parchment paper leaving an overhang on both side (for easy removing your cake later)
      2) Mix all the crumble topping together until it resemble coarse breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
      3) In a mixer cream butter and sugar, sour cream and vanilla until light and fluffy.
      4) Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour until well combined.
      5) Spread the batter evenly into the baking pan, cover the top of the batter with blueberries (press berries slightly into the batter) and sprinkle the crumble topping over the blueberries.
      6) Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F over for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in the pan.
      7) To remove from the pan, just lift the cake up from the overhang parchment paper and cut into squares.

      Happy Blueberry Crumble Slice Baking !

      Sunday, October 11, 2009

      OUR PUPPY, PRESTON

      New addition to the family household........hmm, sounds exciting right? Yeap, we had a new addition today to our family. It's been awhile since the kids are making pleas to me and Hubby to get a dog as a pet. Well, I initially thought that we could wait until the boys are older, maybe when they are in the secondary level first before we decide to get a pet –dog.
      I was a bit surprised myself when Hubby suddenly decided to get a dog NOW. He suggested we get up early today (Sunday) even-though the boys don't have Sunday School class this week, to head down to Gaya Street Fair. So we all agreed as we haven't been to this fair for a few months already. So we arrived there around 7am, it's busy as usual, crowded with people selling, and buying alike. We slowly strolled our way down through the crowd, and Hubby headed straight to the dog stalls where there is a lady selling varieties of different breed puppies. The main attraction that day was the cage with 3 snowy white puppies and a tag hung onto it that read "Labrador Retriever + English Sheep Dog" (a mixed breed).
      Hubby asked the lady if there is a male among the 3 puppies and she pointed to one which appears to be the quietest one. He is so cute and adorable. The kids were jumping with joy and asking if we can bring it home. Hubby negotiated with the lady seller and she decided to sell at RM240 plus 2 bags of Alpo Dog Food. We bought a cage for it too. There we go......that's who we ended having a new addition to the family. We discussed and think for some time before we finally came down to a name for him – and that's "PRESTON". Hello everyone........meet our puppy, Preston......Welcome Preston ^-^

      Friday, October 2, 2009

      Mid –Autumn Festival 2009

      Yes, it's Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! It's the time of the year where the tradition of every Chinese family celebrates with their family and loved ones with a box of moon cake. I used to remember that when I was a kid, every Mid Autumn Festival, my mum would buy a box of moon cake especially for me, and the filling of the moon cake is "TAUSA" or so called Red bean paste. I only eat that flavour of moon cake during that time, and very reluctant to try others too. Stubborn, right? Hahaha.....

      Nowadays, there are so many kinds of moon cake, and so many varieties of flavour too. To name a few, there have the 'Pin Pei Moon cake', 'Puff Pastry type of moon cake', 'Yam moon cake', 'Durian moon cake', 4 seasons moon cake meaning there are 4 types of taste in one single moon cake', and a lot more, I can't remember the names :P........because there are really a big varieties of them in the market. But, for me, I still prefer the traditional type, with the brown skin and not too fancy filling....just plain Red bean paste or Lotus paste with or without egg yolk.

      As for my Hubby, he is really a "NO-NO" to sweet food, therefore he would shake his head when ask to take a bite of the moon cake.......LOL. For the kids, they don't really have a liking for moon cakes either, maybe a small piece if I tell them that it's a traditional celebration for Chinese family. Sigh, I think slowly, the modern Chinese will slowly fade of the very traditional type of moon cake as I can see that the sales for moon cake in the bakery shops are not so overwhelming, and even though people do buy, they prefer the cool type, which is the 'Ping Pei' skin and anything that is lighter, as people nowadays are very health conscious.

      I still want to celebrate Mid Autumn Festival with my kids and family, but to get the kids to eat moon cake, I decided to make some 'Jelly Moon cake' that I selected from a book that I bought from the bookstore during one of my Sundays. I'm so excited to give it a try as its looks very beautiful and tasty too. I am sure the kids will love it too. So, I have selected a few that I wanted to try out, and decided I will give some to my nieces and nephew for Mid Autumn Festival celebration as a gift.....since most children loves jelly (a.k.a  agar-agar)....even I like agar-agar too........:P

      So here are the few types of Jelly Moon cakes I made........try it...it's fun to make and nice to eat...:)

      The recipes for these 4 types of jelly moon cakes will be as follows. Happy Mid Autumn Festival everyone....xoxo

      Mid Autumn Festival Project #4


      TIRAMISU ICE-CREAM Jelly Mooncake

      Ingredients for mock jelly egg yolks

      A:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

             40gm caster sugar

             1/8 tsp salt

             150ml water

             100gm carrot (diced, boiled till cooked, pureed)

      For Filling

      B:    1 heaped tbsp agar-agar powder

             20gm castor sugar

             125ml concentrated coconut milk

             150ml water

             50gm non-dairy fresh whipping cream

      For the Skin

      C:    20gm caster sugar

             1 tbsp agar-agar powder

             200ml water

      D:   100gm Tiramisu Ice-cream

      Method:
      1. Combine all ingredients (A) into a pot. Bring it to boil. Turn off heat, strain solution. Pour into small ice-cube moulds. Cool then keep chilled till it set. Unmould jelly egg yolks when needed.
      2. Bring sugar, agar-agar powder and water of ingredient (B) to a boil. Stir in whipping cream, turn off heat immediately. Strain solution and spoon a little into small moulds. Leave to set a little. Add in mock jelly egg yolks. Spoon in extra solution to cover mock egg yolk. Once set, unmould, trim edge, keep aside.
      3. Bring ingredient (C) to a boil. Turn off heat, add in ingredient (D. Stir evenly.

      4. Spoon a little no.(3) into moulds. Leave to set, add in no.(2), spoon in more of no. (3) to the surface. Leave to set, keep chilled.



      Mid Autumn Festival Project #2


      DRAGON-FRUIT Jelly Mooncake

      Ingredients for mock jelly egg yolks

      A:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

              50gm caster sugar

              200ml water

              50gm mango hot filling

      For Filling

      B:    1 ¼ tsp agar-agar powder

             50gm castor sugar

             125ml concentrated coconut milk

             150ml water

             1/8 tsp salt

             2 blade pandan leaves (knotted)

      For the Skin

      C:    100gm flesh of red dragon-fruit puree

      D:    ½ tbsp agar-agar powder

              60gm caster sugar

              175ml concentrated coconut milk

              1/8 tsp salt

              50ml water

      Method:
      1. Combine ingredient (A) to a boil, sieve mixture. Pour into rounded ice-cube moulds. Leave it to set before unmoulding.
      2. Cook ingredient (B) to a boil, sieve mixture. In small cups, pour solution, place in a piece of mock egg yolk. Set jelly, unmould, trim edges.
      3. In a pot, combine ingredient (D) together. Keep on stirring till it comes to a boil.
      4. Add in the dragon-fruit puree to no. (3). Once it comes to a rapid boil, turn off heat.

      5. Wet mooncake mould. Spoon a little no.(4) into it, set a little. Place in filling no.(2). Fill no.(4) to the brim of the mould. Leave to set, keep chilled. J



      Mid Autumn Festival Project #1


      CENDOL Palm Sugar Jelly Mooncake

      Ingredients for mock jelly egg yolks

      A:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

          40gm caster sugar

          1/8 tsp salt

          150ml water

          100gm carrot (diced, boiled till cooked and pureed)

      For Filling

      B:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

      50gm palm sugar

      1/8 tsp salt

      75ml concentrated coconut milk

      150ml water

      1 blade pandan leaf (knotted)

      For the Skin

      C:    ½ tbsp gar-agar powder

          70gmcaster sugar

      1/8 tsp salt

      100ml concentrated coconut milk

      250ml water

      D:    120gm cendol (drained off water)

      Method:
      1. Combine ingredient (A) into a pot. Bring to boil, Turn off heat, strain solution. Pour into small ice-cube moulds. Cool then keep chilled till it set. Unmould jelly egg yolk when needed.
      2. Bring ingredient (B) to boil. Turn off heat and remove pandan leaf. Strain solution and set aside.
      3. Spoon a little of no. (2) into small moulds. Let it set a little, gently, place in a mock egg yolk. Fill in more of No.(2) to cover mock egg yolk. Set, unmould, trim edges and set aside.
      4. Bring ingredient (C) to a boil. Turn off heat, cool solution.
      5. Spoon a little ingredient (D) into moulds. Spoon in some no.(4), let it set a little. Add in no.(3), a little cendol and no.(4).
      6. Set wll no. (5) and keep chilled. Ready to serve J

      Mid Autumn Festival Project #3


      RED BEAN COCONUT LAYER Jelly Mooncake

      Ingredients for mock jelly egg yolks

      A:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

             40gm caster sugar

             1/8 tsp salt

             150ml water

             100gm sweet potato (peeled, cut into pieces, steamed, mashed whilst hot) but I used back the carrot egg yolk instead

      Palm sugar filling

      B:    1 ¼ tsp agar-agar powder

             50gm castor sugar

             125ml concentrated coconut milk

             150ml water

             1/8 tsp salt

             2 blades pandan leaves (knotted)

      For red bean ingredient

      C:    1 tbsp agar-agar powder

              60gm castor sugar

              100ml concentrated coconut milk

              250ml water

              2 blades pandan leaves (knotted)

      D:    500gm Red beans (boiled till softened)

      Method:
      1. Combine all ingredients (A) into a pot. Bring it to boil. Turn off heat, strain solution. Pour into small ice-cube moulds. Cool then keep chilled till it set. Unmould jelly egg yolk when needed.
      2. Bring ingredient (B) to a boil. Remove pandan leaves, turn off heat, strain solution. Spoon a little into moulds. Let it set a little, place in mock egg yolk. Spoon in more solution to cover mock egg yolk. Set it, unmould, trim edges, keep aside.
      3. Bring ingredient (C) to a boil. Turn off heat.
      4. Scoop out 2/3 of no.(3). Add ingredient (D). Mixed well.

      5. Spoon a little no. (4) into moulds. Set it a lttle. Place in no. (2), spoon in a little no.(3) and set it a little. Lastly, fill to the brim with no.(4). Leave to set, keep chilled. J