Anpanman pancake [麵包超人煎餅]

My older daughter asked me if I could make an anpanman bento for her. Since the color of pancake quite matches the skin tone of anpanman, I tried to make one this morning. The recipe of this pancake is very healthy too. I substituted most part of butter/oil with applesauce. To achieve the same kind of fluffiness, one has to pay attention on the mixing method. All ingredients and methods will be posted later. Stay tuned!

Bento Box (10/27/11)

My daughter's little pumpkin bento ^_^

1. The pumpkin face is made of cheddar cheese. The bow is swiss cheese. The cheeks are baby carrot. The eyes and the mouth are seaweed.
2. Underneath the pumpkin face is a sandwich made of salmon (with very soft bones, very rich in calcium), mayo, and whole grain bread.
3. The pink flowers at the corners are made of low fat turkey bologna and a few sweet corns.
4. The rest is broccoli, sweet plum tomatoes and seedless red grapes.

*some of the items are organic. I usually use organic when it's available, especially the ones that have to eat with the skins, such as tomatoes and grapes.

Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes [番茄炒蛋]

Since I still have a couple of pomegranates in my fridge, why not try to add a little bit of its juice into this ordinary dish to make it extraordinary? it does add some interesting flavor to it, and most importantly, it tastes good :)

Ingredients:

2 Beefsteak Tomatoes

4 Eggs

2 Slices of ginger

1 Sprig of scallion (chopped)

3 Tbsp pomegranate juice

2 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp sugar

A pinch of salt

1. Blanch tomatoes with hot water. Then, put them into cold water (iced water is even better) and soak for a while. Peel the skin of tomatoes, and chop them into chunks.
2. Mix pomegranate juice, ketchup, sugar and salt together as the sweet & sour sauce.
3. Beat the eggs. Warm oil in a pan over low heat. Pour the egg mixture and pan fry it till it's half cooked. Dish up and set aside. Chop into small strips after it's cooled.
4. Heat a little bit of oil over high heat. Put in ginger and pan fry it. Add tomatoes, stir for a while and pour in the sweet & sour sauce.
5. Put the striped eggs back to the pan and mix everything together.
6. Garnish with chopped scallions.

Note:

1. I prefer beefsteak tomatoes for this dishes as it is meatier and contains less juice than roma tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are usually for making paste, such as spaghetti sauces.
2. This recipe is inspired by a cookbook by Gigi Wong (黃淑儀). You can try haw flakes (山楂片) as she suggested in the book. Simply ground and soak 6 pieces of haw flakes in 2 tbsp of hot water until molten to substitute the pomegranate juice.

Pomegranate Panna Cotta [石榴奶凍]

A time to plant and a time to harvest. Yes, It's October and it's harvest time! A friendly neighbor recently gave my family his freshly picked pomegranates from his backyard. I tried one and it is sweet and tart. Red is always my favorite, especially the ruby red of these sparkling gem-like kernels of pomegranate. When you open a pomegranate, it's almost like you are unlocking a treasure chest from a far away land. Did I also mention this is an antioxidant powerhouse? Ok, to show my appreciation of receiving this wonderful food,  I am going to make pomegranate panna cotta for my neighbor.  Pomegranate and panna cotta, there two things are like a perfect match from heaven. yum yum yum...

Ingredient: (make 6 servings. 1/2 cup each)

500ml (2 cups) 2% fat milk

250ml (1 cup) whipping cream

350ml fresh pomegranate juice

60ml honey

2 packages unflavored gelatin (1 for panna cotta & 1 for pomegranate jello)

1 Tbsp sugar

1. Sprinkle a package of unflavored gelatin to 1 cup of cold milk. Let it sit for about 5min (to bloom). Stir a little bit if it's clumped. 
2. mix the the other 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of whipping cream and honey. Heat it over medium heat. Don't boil it. Pour the mixture to the gelatin milk when starting to see steam.
3. Stir the mixture thoroughly. Pour it to 6 serving cups, that should be about half cup each.
4. Chill it in a refrigerator for about 3 to 4 hours for it to set. That's panna cotta.
5. After panna cotta is set, begin to make pomegranate jello. Sprinkle 1 package of unflavored gelatin to 100ml of pomegranate juice. Heat the remaining 250ml of juice with 1 Tbsp of sugar. Don't boil it. Pour the heated juice  to the gelatin juice and stir thoroughly. Cool it down a little bit.
6. Carefully pour the juice over panna cotta.
7. Chill for another 2 hours.

Note:

1. Panna cotta is an italian dessert. It's a gelatin cream dessert usually served with berries.
2. Most of the recipes call for large portion of whipping cream. However, I modify to a healthier recipes and replace most part with 2% fat milk. It still tastes 'creamy' and my family and guests love it.
3. For an even healthier recipe for kids & health conscious people, I would say to use 3 cups of 2% fat milk for this recipe. To myself, I claim myself as a health conscious person, but I also believe consuming in moderation. If it's a once in a while thing, I don't think it would hurt. I just think panna cotta without cream is not panna cotta, as if diet coke is not coke! yes, I never drink diet coke. I rarely drink soda (yup, it's like drinking calories. watch out if you are on diet). If I drink, I drink the 'real' ones! :P
4. Though it's made of whipping cream, its fat content is nearly the same as an equal amount (1/2cup) of Haagendazs vanilla ice-cream.
5. I used about 4 medium pomegranates to extract 1.5 cup of juice.
6. If you don't like the taste of honey, you can substitute it with sugar.
7. blooming means when the gelatin absorbs the liquid, each granule becomes enlarged. This process is to ensure the smooth texture of a finish product. Sprinkle the gelatin powder to the liquid and let it sit for about 5min. When it's mixed with another hot liquid, the gelatin will dissolve evenly.
8. If you add the gelatin to warm or hot liquid directly, the gelatin cannot soften properly.
9. If you want to save some labor work from getting the pomegranate juice, you can try a store-bought bottled juice. Though I've never tried it myself, I heard the result is still pretty good. just remember to get the ones that say "not from concentrate", which people said it would affect the texture and color of the jello.
10. Check the firmness of panna cotta before you plan to add the pomegranate jello on top. If panna cotta is not set and you pour the warm pomegranate juice on it, the red color will bleed to the white panna cotta. It won't affect the taste, but it doesn't look very nice. 
11. I think it is a very good dessert for a Thanksgiving dinner or a Christmas dinner.

A basket of freshly picked pomegranates from neighbor :)

Look at the kernels, aren't they like rubies?

This is one of the methods I found on the internet of how to seed a pomegranate. Cut a pomegranate into 4 quadrants. Hold a piece like shown above. Use a big spoon to knock on the shell. The kernels should come off easily. Check this video from youtube if you need a detail demo.

A bowl of kernels. Some membranes (the white stuff) are still mixed with the kernels.

Fill the bowl with clean water. The membranes will float to the top. Pour water and rinse a couple of times.

A bowl of washed and cleaned kernels. ready to mill.

Fortunately, I have a lot of gadgets at home, and this food mill is one of those. It works really well in extracting the juice. Some suggest you can also use a blender or a food processor to do the job. Just blend it for a few seconds. Turn it off and filter it out. However, I believe a food mill can get some clearer liquid because it didn't break the seeds. After getting the juice, filter it with a sieve to get rid of any impurities.

Little Pumpkin Cake [小南瓜糕]

Fall season has officially arrived. Let's celebrate the festival of harvest by making some little cute pumpkin cakes. It actually is mochi with red bean paste inside. It's especially delicious when served hot. i like it simply because of their cuteness ^0^

Ingredients: (make 12 cakes)
350g Kabocha squash/Japanese pumpkin (after skinned and seeded)
350g Glutinous flour
about 100ml water (it depends the water content of a pumpkin)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp sugar (optional)
Red bean paste
Raisins (for decorative stems)
12 2"x2" parchment paper/wax paper (prevent sticking between the cakes and the steamer)

1. Cut pumpkin into small cubes. Steam over moderate high heat for about 10min.
2. Mash the cooked pumpkin or chop it with a food processor.
3. Add glutinous flour and sugar (optional) to pumpkin and mix well.
4. Add water little by little and knead dough until it is smooth.
5. Divide it into 12 pieces. Wrap each piece with red bean paste. Cut raisins into small pieces as stems. Use toothpick to make a small hole on the top and insert "raisin stem" in it. Use toothpick or the back of a knife to make a couple of marks on pumpkin cake to make it look more like a pumpkin.
6. Slightly grease the parchment paper with a little bit of oil. Put a pumpkin cake on top.
7. Steam with a bamboo steamer (recommended) for about 8min on moderate high heat.

Note:

1. Kabocha pumpkin is a sweet squash, plus red bean paste usually is very sweet already. I didn't add sugar when making the dough. However, if you prefer a sweeter dessert, add sugar accordingly.
2. The amount of water added in this recipe is for reference only. Some pumpkins may contain more water naturally or it gets more water after being steamed. Please adjust the right amount of water with your good adjustment.
3. Bamboo steamer is preferred in this recipe as it can prevent steam water dripping back to the cakes.
4. I wish I had time to make an entry about red bean paste, but I still couldn't find the time yet... Stay tuned for the red bean paste recipe.

Kabocha squash/Japanese pumpkin

Cut into cubes for steaming. Bamboo steamer can prevent steam water dripping back to the pumpkin.

Mash the steamed pumpkin or simply use a food processor.

Knead together the pumpkin, flour and sugar (optional) until it is smooth. I love the vibrant yellow of the dough. it looks like mango to me :P

Divide pumpkin dough and red bean paste into 12 pieces. pre-cut the raisins into tiny stems.

Wrap red bean paste inside.

If the closing is not smooth, dab some water with a fingertip and 'massage' it in a circular motion to smooth out the surface.

Use toothpick to poke a hole on the top and insert a piece of pre-cut raisin as the stem. Use toothpick or the back of a knife to make marks on the pumpkin cake.

Ready to steam :)

Bento Box (10/12/11)

The monkey case contains ketchup.

Ginger Milk Pudding [薑汁撞奶]

A friend of mine asked me a couple of days ago if I can try to make ginger milk pudding. Since i had some milk and a ginger in my fridge anyway, and thought it shouldn't be hard to make, why not? I mean there're only 2 main ingredients, right? ginger and milk! However, to my surprise, it wasn't as easy as I thought. I failed! I tried a few times. Boiled the milk, grated the ginger to get the juice. Poured the milk to the juice, but it didn't curdle as it's supposed to be. I ended up getting ginger milk drink instead of ginger milk pudding. Being as curious as curious George, I put it into an investigation. Checked a few websites and read some articles, bought several kinds of milk, and tried and tried... Finally, there you go. I made it! The texture of the ginger milk pudding is very smooth and I enjoy the taste of the ginger hot (辣)  in it, especially we're officially in a cool fall season here.

The texture is somewhat like steamed egg custard with lots of water. It melts in your mouth before you even try to swallow it.

Actually, the process of milk curdling is quite intriguing. Since I've spent quite some time to do the investigation, I would like to share with you in case you're interested as well. (anytime you are falling asleep in the following story, skip to the recipe :P)
First of all, I want to say the creation is amazing. Do you know why milk curdles? It has to because as we know, all mammals drink milk at their young ages. Milk curdling or coagulation plays an important role in them. If milk is not coagulated, it would rapidly flow through the stomach and miss the opportunity for initial digestion of its protein. Thus, in their stomach, they have certain enzymes to do this job. This is also the principle of cheese making. In our case, ginger milk pudding, is the same too. Gingers contain protease, which is the enzyme that coagulates the milk. Also, knowing that the environment in stomach is acidic, which means acidity favors the milk coagulation.
OK, hope this brief explanation may help you understand a little bit more of our food :) most of the time, I enjoy the process of understanding what I am eating than eating itself :P

Ingredients:
Whole fat milk (preferably organic)
1 Tbsp ginger juice
2 tsp sugar (according to your taste)

1. Grate the ginger and extract the juice. I would filter out the impurity with a small sieve.
2. Boil milk in medium heat, add sugar. When the temperature reaches around 67°C, remove from heat immediately and pour into the ginger juice. Remember to stir the ginger juice before pouring the milk to make sure the 'starch' in the ginger juice, which precipitates at the bottom, is mixed thoroughly.
3. Wait for about 10min for the milk to curdle.

Note:

1. Temperature also plays an important role in this process. This chemical reaction is favored in certain temperature. I tried 60+F and 70+F, and noticed the milk curdling did better around 67F. The old method usually tells people to heat the milk when steam starts to appear, then, pour the milk between 2 pots back and forth for a few times (6 times?) in order to achieve this temperature. However, I like to use my cooking thermometer, which makes cooking process like a breeze. No guessing! I use my thermometer for many other recipes, such roast pork and turkey (I always get the most juicy turkey breasts for my guests). my cooking thermometeris about $15, which I believe is a good investment :)
2. I tried several kinds of milk, lactose free, 2% fat, 1% fat, whole fat, organic and non-organic.  For an unknown reason as of now, the whole fat organic milk turns out curdling the best, and it tastes the best too :)
3. Old gingers contain more protease. Young gingers usually produce in summer, and the gingers get 'older and older' as the season approaches to late winter.
4. Adding about 1/4 tsp of vinegar enhances milk coagulation and it shouldn't affect the taste. I tried and it worked. However, later when I used whole fat organic milk, it coagulated pretty well even  without vinegar.
5. I am glad I've learned an interesting chemistry lesson from making this wonderful dessert. Hope you will have fun too ^_^

Here is the ginger juice. 1Tbsp should be enough for 1 cup of milk

I like my cooking thermometer which can tell the exact temperature I want.

I didn't pour the milk from a higher point in order to shove the milk into the ginger juice like some of the people stated in their recipes. Knowing that this process is only trying to mix the milk ginger and milk well, I poured the milk as shown above with a rapid movement and the pudding turned out ok.

These are some of the milk I've tried. The one in the middle, Naturally Preferred Organic Whole Milk, which I got from Ralph's, made the ginger milk pudding most successfully.

Steamed Egg Custard [蒸水蛋]

Steamed egg custard is a classic Chinese dish. It is a very simple dish yet it's loved by adults and kids alike. However, to make a silky-smooth egg custard does require some techniques.  There're several different approaches to achieve this texture. Here is one of those which I've tried and it works really well.

Ingredients:

3 large eggs

250ml water (1 cup)

1.5 tsp soy sauce

a pinch of salt

1. Boil ample of water in a large pot in high heat.
2. Mix water, soy sauce and salt together. Beat the mixture with eggs lightly. Skim the foams on the surface.
3. Put the egg mixture in the pot when the water is boiling. Cover the container with a lid (you can use a plate which is slightly larger than the container)
4. Steam it in high heat for 3 min. Turn off the heat and let the residual heat continue to cook for 9 min.

Note:

1. Use ample of water such that the residual heat can last long enough to continue cooking the egg custard.
2. Covering the egg custard with a lid can keep the surface of the custard smooth.
3. Adjust the saltiness yourself. 1 Tbsp of my organic soy sauce contains about 850mg of sodium. For kids' dishes, I usually lightly salt it.
4. The rule of thumb of the eggs and water ratio is 1 egg to 1.5 part of water. If you use more or less of eggs, you may measure the amount of water with a measuring cup.
5. The cooking time here is for your reference. I understand sometimes my 'high heat' could be slightly different than yours, or my container could be a bit wider or narrower than yours.
6. There're many dishes that use steamed egg custard as the base. If we can master this basic dish well, we can come up with other similar dishes easier.
7. Hope you'll have a wonderful time cooking! I read a couple of books and websites, and used more than 2 dozens of eggs to do trials and errors to finally come up with this recipes. The whole process was indeed quite fun and interesting ^_^