Japanese Style Chicken in a Pot [日式雞煲]

This is one of my husband's favorite dishes. It never has any leftover no matter how much I make.

Ingredients:
1lb Chicken meat (I prefer chicken legs/thighs)
250ml Dashi (1 cup)
1Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Sake
4 Tbsp Mirin
4 Tbsp Soy sauce
Some green onions
A little bit of Wasabi

1. Pat chicken meat lightly with corn starch. Discard any excess starch.
2. Finely chop green onions.
3. Combine dashi, sugar, sake, mirin and soy sauce in a pot and bring to boil. Add chicken, and cook for about 5 - 6 min. Turn the meat occasionally.
4. Remove from heat. Add chopped green onions and wasabi on top.

Note:

1. Mirin is a sweet cooking wine. Usually, it consists of 40-50% of sugar. It is a kind of rice wine similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content, which is 14% instead of 20%.
2. Dashi ( だし) is a Japanese basic stock. Many of Japanese recipes call for dashi, such as miso soup, noodle broth and simmered dishes. Dashi gives Japanese dishes their authentic flavor.
3. The aroma of this dish is so strong that It makes my house smell like a Japanese restaurant.

Japanese Basic Stock (Dashi) [日式湯底]

Dashi ( だし) is a Japanese basic stock. Many of Japanese recipes call for dashi, such as miso soup, noodle broth and simmered dishes. Dashi gives Japanese dishes their authentic flavor.

Ingredients:

1000ml water (4 cups)

4 inches Konbu kelp (fig. 1)

1 handful dried bonito flakes (fig. 1)

1. Wipe konbu kelp gently with a moist cloth to clean. (fig. 2)
2. Put konbu and 950ml water together in a sauce pan with medium heat. Remove konbu before the liquid reaches a boil.
3. Pour the remaining 50ml water to the liquid to keep from boiling.
4. Add bonito flakes. When the liquid boils, remove from heat immediately. Skim the surface to remove foam if there's any.
5. When the flakes sinks to the bottom of the pan, strain the liquid through a sieve with a cheesecloth on the top. (fig. 3)

fig. 1

fig. 2

fig. 3

Note:

1. You should be able to find the konbu kelp and bonito flakes in any Asian supermarket.
2. if straining without a cheesecloth, it won't affect the taste of the stock, but the liquid will not be as clear.

Custard Fillings (without custard powder) [奶黃餡]

Last week, I tried to make Chinese steamed bunny buns with custard fillings. I never made custard fillings. So, I browsed the internet to look for a custard fillings recipe. However, all the recipes I found have to include custard powder. I went out and bought a can of custard powder only to find out this can of powder just contains some corn starch, artificial color, artificial flavor and a few unrecognized chemical names but not a trace of egg in there.  Fortunately, I found a very good recipe from one of my cookbook collection, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 by Julia Child. This is really a back to basic recipe which uses all natural ingredient and it tastes really good. Of course, it takes more work to prepare than using custard powder, but I think it's worth it.

Ingredients: (yield 230g of custard fillings. enough to make 12 small steamed buns)
2 Eggs
50g Sugar
25g All purpose flour
100ml Evaporated milk
100ml Milk
1/2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract or a string of vanilla bean
1/2 Tbsp butter

1. Beat the eggs with an electric beater or wire whip in a mixing bowl, and gradually add the sugar. The mixture will eventually turn to pale yellow. It will also be thick enough that when you lift up the beater, the mixture will fall back into the bowl forming a slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface of it. This process can prevent the egg yolks from becoming granular when heated.
2. Beat in the flour gradually. 
3. Boil the milk + evaporated milk (if you use vanilla beans, add to the milk mixture now)
4. While still beating the mixture, gradually pour in the strained (if using vanilla bean) boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets.
5. Pour the mixture to a saucepan. Set to moderate high heat. Constantly stir the mixture with a wire whip. Remember to reach all the way to the bottom of the pan to make sure it's stirred thoroughly.  As the sauce comes to the boil, it will be lumpy. Turn to low heat and continue to stir until the flour is cooked, about a minute.
6. Remove from heat immediately and stir in the butter. **If you use vanilla extract, add this now.

Note:

1. The original recipe calls for milk only, but since Chinese likes the smoothy texture and strong taste of evaporated milk, I substituted the evaporated milk to half of its recipe. I used 2% fat milk. If you prefer to have a stronger taste of milk, use whole fat milk.
2. My average-Joe palates can't tell the difference between vanilla beans and vanilla extract. The reason I used the beans in this recipe was I wanted to keep the color of the custard look more bright yellowish. I tried to use extract in my last trial, but it tainted the custard and it looked kind of on the brownish yellow side. It indeed was a minor issue, but I wanted to look good on a photo shot, so, I used the expensive beans (yes, beans are way more expensive) this time :P
3. I usually use less sugar in my recipe and this one is not an exception.
4. Thin stream of droplets means pouring it very slowly. I tried to take a picture of it but it's very hard to get a clear picture while I need to perform both tasks at the same time.
5. It is easy to overcook the mixture. You may have to try making it several times before you can get the right consistency, not too thick but not too thin either :P don't give up!

Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs [糖醋排骨]

This is a quick and easy dish to make. Nothing fancy about it yet everybody likes it! When you check the ingredients, you will see it seems like a formula, which makes it very easy to remember.

Ingredients:
1lb Pork ribs
1 tbsp cooking wine
2 tbsp vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp water

1. Mix the wine, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and water together. Heat until it boils. Add the meat. Cook it in high heat for about 5min. Occasionally stir it to make sure all the meat is coated with the sauce.
2. Turn to low heat and simmer for another 25min. Turn off the heat, wait about 10min before serving.

Note:

1. If you want tenderer ribs, simmer them for longer time. Remember to add more water though,  otherwise, the sauce will be very condensed.
2. Add more water next time if this recipe is a bit salty to your taste.

Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls (Cheong Fun) [蒸腸粉]

My husband loves "cheong fun". He would always order one if it's on the menu. I thought of making it at home but never found a suitable hardware. However, recently I saw a grilling tray from Sur La Table that looked like the one which the chinese restaurant chefs made with, of course, mine is in a smaller scale. Basically, it is a tray that has many holes on it and the size of the holes is just about right. It is big enough for the steam to go through, but not too big such that the mixture would leak through it. So, here we go, finally, I can make this traditional morning treat myself ^_^ Let's roll!

Ingredients: (make 4 rolls)
1 cup Rice flour (110g)
2 tbsp Corn starch
1 tbsp Oil
450ml Water

1. Mix the rice flour and corn starch. Then add in water and oil.
2. Put the tray in the wok (fig.1). Heat the water until it boils. Lay a piece of cloth on the tray (fig.2). Pour the mixture on the cloth (fig.3). Cover it with a lid and steam for about 3min with medium heat. When it is done, the rice sheet will look a little transparent (fig.4).
3. Take rice sheet with the cloth to a flat surface. Let it cool down a little bit (fig.5). At the same time, you can lay another piece of cloth on the tray and make another sheet. Trim the sides (fig.6) and it will be easier to peel it off of the cloth. Roll up the rice sheet (fig.7) to make a roll (fig.8).

Note:

1. If you can't find a tray with holes, a regular tray and without a piece of cloth will do the job well. The rice sheet maybe just a little "wetter".
2. For the first timer, you may try to use less water in the recipe and the rice sheet will turn out 'harder' and it's easier to practice the peeling and rolling. yes, it takes some practice to peel and roll without breaking the rice sheet.
3. I cut the leftover into slices and made "hor fun" with soup. not bad either ;)
4. I also made the sesame sauce for dipping, but I spend too much time making this blog today. It is time to do something else. Sesame dipping sauce will be posted later. stay tuned!

Roast Pork Sirloin with Garlic and Rosemary

This is an easy and healthy dish. The preparation time is about 10 min. This pork cut is lean yet juicy and tender after roasting for 1 hour and 40 min. I use freshly cut rosemary from my own garden. The aroma of the herb is at its prime. When roasting, my house is filled with the fantastic smell of rosemary and garlic.

Ingredients:

2 to 2.5lbs of Pork sirloin (Pork shoulder is another good choice if you don't mind more fat ^_^)

1/2 tsp of salt

3 tbsp of olive oil

1 bulb of garlic

8 sprigs of rosemary (4 sprigs for roasting and the other 4 sprigs for garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Mince the garlic. Mix it with salt and olive oil.
3. Spread #2 on the pork evenly. Put 1 sprig of rosemary under the pork and 3 sprigs on the top of the pork.
4. Put it in the oven and roast for approximately 1hour and 40 min, until the internal temperature reaches 160F.
5. Remove the pork from oven and let it stand for several minutes. Transfer it to a plate and garnish it with the rest of the rosemary.

Steamed Bunny Buns with Custard Fillings [小兔奶黃包]

Buns
Ingredients:
200g of All Purpose flour
10g of Sugar
150ml of Warm milk (or H2O)
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp Active dry yeast
a little bit of salt (about 0.5g)
1 small carrot (for eyes)

1. Put active dry yeast in the warm milk. Wait for about 5min for it to activate.
2. Put flour, sugar, oil and salt in the bread machine.
3. Finally, put in the yeast and the milk mixture.
4. Use the "dough" mode on the machine.
5. Take the dough out after about 30 min of proofing, or the dough rises twice as its original size.
6. Divide the dough into 12 small portions. it should be about 30g each.
7. Wrap custard paste. Make the closed side to be the bottom and put it on your palm. Create ears by cutting with a pair of scissors as shown in the picture below.
8. Put in 2 pieces of julienned carrot on each side as bunny's eyes.
9. place each bunny on a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking.
10. Put the bunny buns in a warm place (i usually warm the oven, turn it off, then, place the buns inside covered with a moist towel when the weather is cool/cold) for about 20min for second proof.
11. Steam for about 12 min.

 

Custard fillings
For recipe, please click here.

Note:

1. If you don't have a bread machine. mix all the ingredients together, and knead until the dough looks smooth. it takes about 15 to 20 min.
2. When I make it next time, I will try to use whole wheat flour or stone ground flour instead of AP flour, since whole wheat flour contains more fibers. However, the final product may look a little bit brownish.

Have a wonderful adventure in cooking! Trial and error makes your dish perfect to you and your family. God bless you.

Steamed Bunny Buns with Purple Yam Fillings [小兔紫薯包]

Purple yam fillings recipe will be here soon.

Green Tea Ice-Skin Mooncake with Red Bean Filling [綠茶紅豆冰皮月餅]

Recipe will be here soon.

Greek yogurt

My kids love the creamy texture of Greek yogurt. Mixed the yogurt with a little bit of maple syrup or honey, the kids think it's ice-cream. Greek yogurt contains higher content of protein than regular yogurt. It's also low in sodium. However, Greek yogurt is generally more expensive. The good news is it's easy to make it at home.

Stone Ground Wheat Bread Loaf - Trial 1

The first trial is pretty successful. It is soft and tender inside. I substituted butter with coconut oil, and it turned out great. I am going to use less sugar next time and see if it still tastes as good.

Whole wheat bread doesn't rise as much as white bread does.

Recipe:

140g bread flour
100g stone ground wheat flour
5g active dry yeast + 20g warm water (to activate the yeast)
10g milk powder (optional)
25g sugar
3g salt
30g egg (use a large size egg, the remaining egg used as egg wash for the crust)
50g milk
60g water-roux (tangzhong)
25g coconut oil (or unsalted butter)

Procedure will be here soon.

Wheat Flours

 

All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is the finely ground endosperm of the wheat kernel separated from the bran and germ during the milling process. All-purpose flour is made from hard wheats or a combination of soft and hard wheats from which the home baker can make a complete range of acceptable baked products --- yeast breads, cakes, cookies and pastries.

• Enriched all-purpose flour has iron and 4 major B-vitamins (thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and folic acid) added in amounts equal to or exceeding that in whole wheat flour. Actually, all enriched flour has twice the folic acid as does whole wheat flour. All but about 5 percent of white flour in the United States is enriched.
  
  
• Bleached all-purpose flour is exposed to chlorine gas or benzoyl peroxide to whiten and brighten flour color. Chlorine also affects baking quality by "maturing" or oxidizing the flour, which is beneficial for cake and cookie baking. The bleaching agents react and do not leave harmful residues or destroy nutrients.
  
  
• Unbleached all-purpose flour is bleached by oxygen in the air during an aging process and is off-white in color. Nutritionally, bleached and unbleached flours are equivalent. But bleached flour is beneficial for cake and cookie baking.

Bread Flour
Bread flour, ground from the endosperm of the hard red spring wheat kernel, is milled primarily for commercial bakers, but is available bleached or unbleached at most grocery stores. It is usually enriched. Although similar to all-purpose flour, it has greater gluten strength and is generally used for yeast breads.

Self-Rising Flour
Self-rising flour is an all-purpose flour with salt and leavening added. One cup of self-rising flour contains 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Self-rising can be substituted for all-purpose flour in a recipe by reducing salt and baking powder according to these proportions.

Cake Flour
Cake flour, milled from soft wheat, is especially suitable for cakes, cookies, crackers and pastries. It is low in protein and low in gluten.

Pastry Flour
Pastry flour has comparable protein, but less starch than cake flour. It is milled from a soft, low gluten wheat and is used for pastries.

Gluten Flour
Gluten flour, processed from high protein wheat, contains a much higher protein content than bread flour. It is used by bakers in combination with low protein or non-wheat flours. The gluten flour improves baking quality and produces yeast breads of high protein content.

Vital Wheat Gluten
Vital wheat gluten is derived from wheat flour and is the texture of flour; it is concentrated dried gluten protein with very little starch remaining.

Semolina
Semolina is the coarsely ground endosperm of durum wheat. High in protein, it is used by American and Italian manufacturers to make high quality pasta products such as macaroni and spaghetti. It is also used for couscous in Africa and Latin America.

Durum Flour
Durum flour is a by-product in the production of semolina and is used for American noodles, some types of pasta and occasionally in specialty breads.

Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour is a coarse-textured flour containing the bran, germ and endosperm. The presence of bran reduces the gluten development, therefore, baked products made from whole wheat flour tend to be heavier and denser than those made from white flour.

Whole wheat flour is rich in B-vitamins, vitamin E and protein, and contains more trace minerals and dietary fiber than white flour. It also contains about five percent fat. In most recipes, whole wheat flour can be mixed half and half with white flour. Graham flour is another term for whole wheat flour.

Farina
Farina is the coarsely ground endosperm of hard wheats. It is the prime ingredient in many hot breakfast cereals. It can also be used for pasta.

**Substituting
¨  Any recipe calling for all-purpose flour may use ½ whole-wheat flour and ½ all-purpose flour.
¨  If wanting the product to be 100% whole wheat, substitute 1-cup whole-wheat flour minus 1-tablespoon for every cup of all-purpose or bread flour the recipe calls for.
¨  To create a lighter whole-wheat loaf, add 1-tablespoon gluten flour and 1-tablespoon liquid for
each cup of whole-wheat flour.