Lotus Leaf Bun

荷叶包

This is the Chinese version of burger bun except that it is steamed and flat. Most people eat this bun with braised pork belly. 

Ingredients:

150g plain flour

30g wheat starch

1/2 tsp instant yeast

15g castor sugar

90g cold milk

4g cooking oil / pork lard

1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. Cut parchment paper into small pieces of 10cm x 10cm. 

2. Prepare steamer and fill it up with sufficient water for steaming to last 15minutes.

3. Put all ingredients except oil into the mixing bowl and use dough scrapper to combine before using hand to knead into a dough. Cover the dough and rest for 10 minutes. Then add the oil and knead until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic, around 20 minutes. Form a ball and proof the dough (covered with cling wrap) for 15 minutes.

4. Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 50g each and form a ball. Use a rolling pin to roll each dough into an oval shape. Position the rolling pin in the middle of the oval shape make an indentation. Then lightly brush some vegetable oil on the dough and fold it into half*. Place it on a piece of parchment/baking paper. Repeat this process for rest of the dough ball. Place the shaped buns in a steamer rack and proof for 20 minutes. 

5. Once 20 minutes is up, turn the heat on the steamer up. When steam comes out of the steamer, reduce heat to medium and continue to steam for another 10minutes. Do not open the steamer lid during steaming as the buns will collapse. Once steaming is done, do not open the lid immediately. Let the buns rest in the steam for 5 minutes. Remove the buns from the steamer.

6. The buns taste good even on their own. Re-steam for 5 minutes before serving if you like. 

* To make line design on the bun, use the dough scrapper and fork to make indentation.

Soft Dinner Rolls

 

Saw a packet of potato flakes at a bakery supply store and couldn't help but bought it as I've seen bread recipes using it. If you think potatoes are bland, they are not, especially when they are used to make bread - so flavourful! Below recipe is adapted from crazyforcrust.

Ingredients

370g bread flour

170ml fresh milk / oat milk

110ml warm water

1 egg

1 tsp yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

40g unsalted butter

20g potato flakes

Method

1. Rehydrate the potato flakes with the warm water.  

2. Combine all ingredients, except butter and salt, in mixer and knead at medium speed for 3.5min until it comes together in a ball of dough.

3. Add butter and salt, and knead for another 3.5min until dough is smooth and elastic. The dough is sticky due to high hydration.

4. Do window pane test (for gluten development) and proof for 30-40min until double in size.

5. After 1st proofing, punch down the dough and divide into small pieces and shape them into balls to fit my 28cm x 5cm x 19cm pan. Rest the balls for 15 mins. After that, reshape into balls, cover and let it proof at room temperature for 1 hour.

6. 15mins before end of 2nd proofing, preheat oven to 180 deg cel. Bake the buns at 180 deg cel for 20mins.

Note: Can make burger buns using this recipe. Makes 10 buns of 75g each.

Hakka Yam Abacus Seeds

 客家算盘子

This dish is normally cooked during the Chinese New Year as the abacus shaped beads signify wealth and prosperity.

Ingredients:

1 yam (peeled and cut into thin slices) - 1kg yam can make about 800g abacus seeds (for 4 pax)

tapioca flour (33% of weight of peeled yam)

Method:

1. In a wok or steamer, steam the yam for 30 minutes until very soft (when pressed with a fork). Remove from steamer and mash it with a fork (or press the steamed yam through a sieve). Add a bit of salt and tapioca flour to the mashed yam and knead till you get a soft and smooth dough that does not stick to your hand. Note: More tapioca flour, the more bouncy (QQ) the abacus seeds will be BUT lesser yam taste.

2. Roll the yam dough into logs of about 2cam in diameter and cut them into equal pieces of about 1cm thickness. Roll each piece into a ball and press the centre gently with your thumb/index finger to create a depression (to look like the abacus seed on an abacus). Repeat with the rest of the dough.

3. Fill the wok/pot with water, add a dash of cooking oil and bring to a boil. Prepare a separate pot of ice cold water. Place the abacus seeds into the boiling water and stir to ensure they do not stick to the bottom of wok/pot. Cook the abacus seeds for a few minutes. When they float to the top, scoop them out and plunge them into the cold water for 5 minutes. Then drain and set aside the abacus seeds. Drizzle a bit of oil over the seeds to prevent them sticking to one another. 

4. While the abacus seeds are cooling down, cook your ingredients (e.g. minced pork, dried shrimps, shiitake mushrooms, dried cuttlefish). Stir fry the abacus seeds with your ingredients and add seasoning (light soya sauce, sesame oil, dashes of white pepper, dark soy sauce and fish sauce). Garnish with fried shallots, spring onions and sliced red chilli, and serve hot.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Roulade

 

This is a French dish called poulet farci but more commonly known as Chicken Roulade. Roulade is a french word for 'roll-up'. There are a variety of recipes out there in internet, some stuffed the chicken with fillings like bacon, cheese and spinach, while a few wrap the chicken in bacon. Cooking method differs widely too, with some baking the roulade and others poaching followed by pan searing the roulade. I think my recipe below is the simplest method to make roulades. You can customise by adding fillings if you like.

Ingredients:

2 pieces chicken thigh (deboned) 

Seasoning: 1/4 tsp salt, dashes of freshly ground pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp paprika

8 pieces of smoked bacon

Method:

1. Season chicken thigh.

2. On a baking sheet, lay bacon strips across the sheet. Place the chicken thigh one end of the bacon strips, tuck the chicken thigh and roll it up using the baking sheet as tightly as possible. Then wrap the roulade using aluminum foil.

3. Boil a pot of water and add the roulades. Poach for 30 mins over medium high heat. Turn the roulades around for even poaching. After poaching, drain the liquid and set aside the roulades to cool.

4. Once cooled, remove the aluminum foil and baking sheet gently. Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken roulades and sear all sides until brown and aromatic.

5. Transfer to serving plate and rest 10 minutes. Then cut up the roulades into thick slices and serve!

Miso Pork Noodle

 

What can you cook at home for one person? This is what I whipped up today- miso pork soup, inspired by dailydelicious. Simple meal but still delicious. 

Ingredients:

200g minced pork

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

dashes of white pepper powder

1/2 tsp chilli paste (add more if you like it to be spicier)

1/2 tablespoon miso paste 

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 Japanese dashi (Japanese soup stock) packet (refer to Just one cookbook for good writeup on dashi)

2 tablespoon Japanese sesame dressing

200ml water

50ml milk

160g dried pumpkin noodles or any noodles you prefer.

Method:

1. Put water and dashi packet in a small pot and bring to a boil. Then, lower stove heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Shake the dashi packet a few times to release the flavours from the packet. Set aside.

2. Heat up wok with cooking oil. Stir fry garlic and ginger under medium heat until fragrant. Add minced pork followed by white pepper powder and stir fry under high heat until pork is cooked through. Then, reduce the heat to low and push the pork to the side of the wok. Put chilli paste, miso paste and sugar into wok, and stir fry for a minute under low heat. After one minute, mix in the pork and stir fry under medium heat.

3. While cooking the pork, cook the noodles as per package instructions. Transfer the noodles to serving bowl.

4. Bring the soup to a boil and ladle into the serving bowl. Then add the pork, top with scallions, a few drops of chilli oil and toasted white sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes

Adapted this recipe from Joel Robuchon.

Ingredients:

Potatoes (buy Russet potatoes if possible)

Butter (50% of weight of potatoes)

Whipped cream or milk (1 tablespoon per 200g potatoes)

Salt (1/4 tsp per 200g potatoes)

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are tender/soft (use a chopstick, fork or skewer to test). Drain the potatoes and peel them. Alternatively, cut the potatoes lengthwise into two, place them on a steamer rack and steam them. 

2. While the potatoes are hot, mashed them through a sieve into a small pot. Sieve again for finer texture, if required.

3. Put the pot on the stove over medium heat and stir. When steam rises from the potatoes, stir in the butter in 5 portions, adding one portion only after  each portion of butter has been incorporated. Then, stir in whipped cream or milk. Finally, turn off the heat and season with salt.

Best served warm!