Pandan Snow Skin Mooncake

Mid-Autumn festival or Mooncake Festival falls on October 3rd in the year 2009 ,that is this coming Saturday.Every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the entire year, the Chinese celebrate "zhong qiu jie."Moon cakes are typically round, symbolizing the full round moon of the mid-autumn festival. They are usually made with four egg yolks, representing the four phases of the moon, and are sweet, filled with sweet bean or lotus seed paste.This year I'm not into baking mooncake but I still have some lotus paste leftover in freezer. While I was blog hopping I saw happyflour make beautiful snow skin mooncake posted in her blog. I never try to make any snow skin mooncake before but would love to try..I found out snow skin mooncake is 10 times easier than traditional baked mooncake but my 1st experiment making snow skin is not really up to the expectation or pretty at all.I realised I didn't knead and press the dough hard enough into the mould .The down side is I was too excited to take the photos right away,didn't let the tapioca flour sit on the mooncake for awhile first..Well...you will see some white powder still on the surface..I also adpated the recipe slightly to suit me..If you're looking for the original recipe ,hop over to Happyflour !!

Ingredients:
105g kao fen (cooked glutinous rice flour)
30g shortening
95g icing sugar
1tbsp fresh milk/evaporated milk
100g water ( I used 160 g water)
60g pandan juice ( I replaced with water)
1/2 tsp pandan essence ( I used 2 drops)



Filling:
400g lotus paste
50g tapioca flour/Hong Kong flour(steamed for 10mins, cool and sift twice


Method for Dough:


1. Sift kao fen and icing sugar together.

2. Rub in shortening into the flour mixture until it resemble bread crumb.

3. Mix all the liquid and essence together.

4. Add in liquid mixture into the flour mixture and mix to form soft dough. Do not overmix. (You may need more or less liquid depend on the quality of the flour. Dough will look rough but soft in texture.)

5. Cover the dough and rest in the fridge for 15 mins.(I leave it on the counter since my kitchen is cold)



Filling:

1. Divide the lotus paste into 10 portions of 40g each.( mine is about 100 gm each)

2. Roll them into balls.



Shaping:

1. Divide dough into 10 portions of 37g each.(mine is about 80 g each)

2. Dust the surface, rolling pin and mould lightly with flour.

3. Roll out the dough, leave the centre slightly thicker than the edge.

4. Wrap the dough with the lotus paste and seal the edges.

5. Press into the mould and plunge it out slowly.

6. Use a brush to brush away excess flour around the mooncake.

7. Chill in the fridge and serve.





Note:

Weight of the skin and filling depend on the size of the mould.



I wonder why with my mooncake mould I only able to make 6 pieces instead of 10 pieces mooncake.Isn't there a special mooncake mould for snow skin? Or it's the snow skin mould smaller in size than regular traditional mooncake mould?

The recipe warned not to over mix the dough,so I didn't really mix the dough enough.No wonder the skin look not smooth at all..


I follow the recipe weighting the lotus paste but realised that my mould is bigger need more dough and paste in order to fill up the mould..

steamed tapioca flour for brushing

wooden mould is not suitable for snowskin mooncake*sigh*

too bad I only have one plastic mould..

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Tofu Chicken in Eggy Gravy

Tofu or Bean Curd it's high in protein and calcium and well known for its ability to absorb new flavors through spices and marinades. Tofu is highly versatile as well as highly nutritious part of a healthy diet.Due to its chameleon-like qualities and nutritional value, tofu, a staple of Asian cuisines for hundreds of years, has recently become popular in Western vegetarian cooking .Tofu is its Japanese name, while in China it is known as doufu. I always store silken tofu in my fridge. So whatever I run out of idea what to cook for dinner,cooking tofu became very handy.Cooking tofu is not only easy and simple but savoury delicious !

Ingredients:
1 block or large pack Firm Silken tofu,cut to 5 pieces

4 cloves fresh garlic,peeled and chopped

1 large piece boneless chicken breast,about 400 gm,sliced

3 tbsp corn starch + 2 tbsp cold water+ 2 tbsp soy sauce,mix well wt sliced chicken

1 large egg

1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

1/2 cup water,plus extra

1 stalk scallion,washed and cut 2 inch

4 tbsp tapioca flour for coating

3 tbsp oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

salt to taste



Method:

1:Heat a copper Stainless Steel skillet or pan at medium high heat with oil.Coat cut tofu with tapioca flour,shake the excess.Make sure skillet is hot enough before place coated tofu on the pan.Pan-fried both side tofu until light brown,then dish out and set in a plate.

2:Place chopped garlic into the same skillet,add some oil if necessary.Fry garlic till fragrant,then add in water.When water rolling boil,add in chicken mixture,slowly use spatula to move the chicken mixture from sticking into each other.Add in chicken bouillon powder and salt to taste.


3:Place pan-fried tofu ,scallion and crack a egg into the skillet.Give the egg a quick stir before add in sesame oil.


4:Check the seasoning before dish out and serve warm with rice.

Note:
I was surprised this tofu dish flavor and taste have similarity with Cantonese Fried Noodles sell at any hawker stall in Malaysia. I guess it's maybe I used tapioca flour and a very hot copper Stainless Steel Skillet pan with (not non-stick pan)to pan fried the tofu and garlic..Maybe I should use the same method again to make Cantonese Pan-Fried noodle,right?

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Steamed Chicken Dumpling

Dumpling or Gyoza becomes one of the most widely loved foods that are served in any Chinese or Japanese restaurant in North America.There are two way of cooking dumpling:Fried or Steamed.Usually the filling are pork,shrimp or vegetable but these days the restaurant owner tried to be creative to pleased their customers.You can find beef,chicken or fish filling's dumpling in any of the hip-hop Asian restaurant that served dumpling..For us who want to make our own dumpling at home,we don't have to slave ourself to make our own wrapper anymore.Getting the skin or wrapper is not a challenging task anymore.We can get different type or flavor dumpling wrapper at any Asian market to make our life easier..I bought a pack of vegetable dumpling wrapper but instead of making vegetable filling I twist it to make chicken!!..something healthy not to said it's also taste delicious !!

Ingredients:

1 large whole boneless chicken breast,about 1 lb chopped or blender or ground till smooth and fine

1 small carrot,peeled and shredder

1 cup chopped Chinese cabbage

2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp ground white pepper powder

1 stalk scallion,washed and chopped

some cold water for sealing

For Sauce:

4-5 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

handful of shredder ginger*optional*

Method:


1: Combine ground chicken,carrot,cabbage,chopped scallion and all seasoning in a medium blow,mix well.Check the seasoning wt tip of finger..to taste
2:Prepare steam with water for steaming.
Unwrapped dumpling skin from plastic wrap,cover with semi wet paper towel or towel to prevent from drying out while wrapping.
3: Use a dumpling skin,lay on the center of your palm,scoop I tsp filling in the center ,then add a shrimp on the filling.Fold the circle in half and moisten the edges with water . Use index finger and thumb to bring the sides together. The smooth edge will conform to the decreased length of the pleated edge. Pinch the pleats together then pinch to seal. Place the dumpling on a floured tray and repeat this with the remaining dumplings.
4:Arrange dumpling separate from each other,don't over lap on a tray or big plate.
5:While the steamer water is rolling boil,place dumplings onto the steamer,steam the dumplings with some cabbage lay at the bottom to prevent the dumpling from sticking.Do not over lap.Reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10-15 minutes.Again depend on the size of your steamer.If you have bigger steamer,you need to steam longer.
6:Carefully remove the fragile dumpling from steamer and serve hot or warm with dipping sauce.
7:Mix all dipping sauce in a medium bowl with shredded ginger.Check the seasoning before serve.

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Fried Crispy Spring Roll with Chicken and Bacon

I love Fried Crispy Spring Roll,period!! There are two type of fried spring roll skin available in USA 's Asian market. Usually fried spring roll with thinner wrapper are generally smaller and crispier.It's called Shanghai Spring Roll which sold in American Chinese restaurant all over in US and A.Fried Egg Roll used a thicker wrapper as the skin and it's also a popular American appetizer served in many Chinese restaurant,buffet ,catering hall or party..I preferred Fried Crispy Spring Roll rather than Egg Rolls coz I can enjoy the crispy texture of the fried wrapper..As usual I used cabbage,dried shrimp,chicken and bacon as the key ingredients!!

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage,shredder and washed

1 medium carrot,peeled and shredder

5 pieces,fried bacon,chopped

1/2 cup dried shrimp,soaked and chopped(har mei)

1 whole boneless breast,remove excess fats,sliced,about 500 gm

1 large onion,peeled and sliced

2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

1 tbsp ground white/black pepper powder

1 tbsp salt or to taste

1 package large spring roll,25 pieces a pack

1 small pack spring roll,50 pieces a pack

2 cups oil or extra for frying

1 egg,beaten for sealing

Method For Filling:

1:Heat wok at medium high heat with 2 tbsp oil,add in chopped dried shrimp(hei bee) ,fry for 30 seconds or till fragrant ,add in sliced chicken.Fry chicken for about 1 minute then add in shredded carrot,cabbage,onion,salt,chicken bouillon powder and ground pepper.

2:Keep stirring occasionally, 10 minutes until the cabbage cooked,then dish out into a colander,set aside to drained and cool completely before wrapped.

Method to Wrap:

1:Line 2 trays with lightly wet paper towel.Transfer one fourth of filling to a small bowl and keep remainder covered. Place 1 large wrapper on a work surface, keeping remaining wrappers covered with a clean kitchen towel or lightly wet paper towel (to prevent them from drying out). Place a small size wrapper on top of the large wrapper in triangle position , put 2 tablespoons filling along middle of long edge of triangle, then add 1 tsp chopped bacon before shape filling into a thin 5-inch log.

2:Fold left and right corners of wrapper over filling, overlapping slightly and aligning bottom edges. (Wrapper will resemble an open envelope.) Dab top corner with yolk, then roll up wrapper away from you into a long thin roll, making sure ends stay tucked inside. Place on a tray, seam side down. Repeat with remaining triangle. Make more rolls in same manner with remaining wrappers and filling, keeping trays of rolls chilled, loosely covered, until ready to fry.

3:Heat fryer at 350F or medium high heat,fry rolls in batches of 5 or 6, keeping rolls apart during first minute of frying to prevent sticking, until golden brown and cooked through on both side, 4 to 5 minutes.

4:Transfer fried spring roll to paper towel lined tray to drained the excess oil before served warm.


Note:

You can use any chili sauce as dipping sauce for this fried spring roll but I preferred to eat as it's..so I can taste the wonderful and delicious filling without overwhelming sauce flavor. Wrapped the excess wrapper tightly in paper towel and in ziploc bag before store back in freezer to use for other day wrapping.

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Stir-fry Almond Chicken

I bought so much of vegetables ,now sitting full in the fridge.Each time I shop at farm market I will definitely grab green pepper,tomato,fresh white mushroom,carrot,onion,potato,lettuce ,cabbage and other greens..Well,since I encouraged Mishu to eat greens I better cook some tasty dish with this vegetables..

Ingredients:

1 large piece boneless chicken breast,about 500 gm (removed excess fats and sliced)
1 large onion,peeled and sliced
1 large fresh tomato,washed and cut square
1 medium green pepper,washed and cut square
100 gm fresh white mushroom,washed and sliced
3-4 cloves fresh garlic,peeled and chopped
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 cup almond,crushed or chopped or silvered


Method:
1:Heat large skillet or wok at medium high heat with oil.When skillet hot enough add in chopped garlic,fry till lightly brown,add in sliced chicken.Fry sliced chicken for 2-3 minutes before add in all cut vegetables and seasoning.
2:Stir-fry all the ingredients for another 3-5 minutes,check the seasoning before sprinkle almond nut into it.
3:Dish out and serve warm with rice.

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Butter Prawn (奶油虾)

This is my first time cooking Butter Prawn at home. Usually I just order Butter Prawn from Dim Sum place.Recently I bought a box of 4 pounds shrimp with head on (attached) from Chinatown and would love take this opportunity to make famous Malaysia's Butter Prawn .Well,I didn't use egg yolk and milk in my cooking..why bother? By the way the egg yolk after fried is too dry to eat and it's for display purpose only,I think..To my surprised I was happy with the result!! scrumptious and delicious Butter Prawn which I love and miss very much!

Ingredients:
1 lb prawn with head on,trimmed and washed
1/4 cup corn flour+1 tsp salt
4-5 tbsp butter
2 sprig curry leaves ,washed
1 whole red pepper,sliced
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1 tsp sugar
1 cup oil for frying

Method:

1:Heat oil in fryer at medium high heat.Coat flour mixture with clean prawns,shake off excess flour before place into the fryer.Do not over crowded the prawns in the fryer.fry till lightly golden brown,dish out and drain.

2:Heat large skillet at medium low heat,add butter,curry leave,cut red pepper,chicken bouillon powder and sugar.Quickly add in cooked prawns into the skillet and toss all the ingredients well combined.

3:Dish out and serve warm as appetizer or main dish.

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Roast Chicken Fermented Red Bean Curd/ Nam Yee Kai

Nam Yee or Fermented Red Bean Curd is mostly used in Chinese cooking.I didn't realised I bought few bottles of nam yee in my pantry.Well maybe the price is only $1.00 each,so whenever I visit Asian market I just grab a bottle with my others purchases.Usually I used nam yee to make crackling pork but this time I marinated with chicken thigh.Hubby found the flavor weird and funny ,maybe I added more nam yee that I intended or maybe I marinated it too long..as they said you love it or hate it! If you like nam yee flavor this method is really great and healthy!

Ingredients:
6 pieces chicken thigh,washed and cleaned
3-4 pieces of nam yee/Fermented red bean curd,mashed
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground white pepper



Method:
1:Prepare a large container with chicken thigh,mashed nam yee,sugar,salt and ground white pepper,mix well,close tight and store in fridge.Marinated for 6 hours or overnight.
2:Prepare a aluminum foil over a baking sheet or tray.Preheat oven to 375 F at Bake setting.Place marinated chicken over the baking tray.Bake for 35 minutes or depend on your oven temperature.
3:Remove from oven and serve warm .

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Stir-fry Petai (Stinky Beans) wt Bamboo Shoot and Shrimp in Sambal

While I was chatting with my mom,she told me she mixed bamboo shoot when she cooked petai.Petai or Stinky Bean is one of many Asian favourite beans which you can find everywhere in Malaysia,Indonesia,and Thailand.If you're not use to eat this Stinky Beans ,it's can be really challenging...love it or hate it!!.As some people called petai is a Taboo food like durian.This beans have a very strong pungent or unique flavor after you consume it .Here is US and A we don't have the luxury to get fresh petai in pods.The petai we can get is from Thailand and it's called Sator Beans in frozen form.While I shop at Asian market I found few of the Asian market sold fresh bamboo..well,I never try to cook fresh bamboo shoot with petai..Later I told my mom that I used fresh bamboo to cook with petai but when she asked did I boiled the bamboo first before stir-fry with petai..."huh...boiled first ?"" but but then the bamboo don't have crunchy texture" I said...but my mom told me don't worried ,after boiled the fresh bamboo still have crunchy texture...Hmmmm...maybe next time I will try to use precooked bamboo that I saw on the chiller shelve in the market to save me all the work..

Ingredients:
1 pack frozen petai about 229 gm ,thawed
I head small fresh bamboo,peeled and sliced julienne
8 large shrimp,shelled ,clean and deviened
3-4 tbsp sambal-belacan-paste or more
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp tamarind powder
2 tbsp oil
Method:
1:Heat large skillet or wok with oil and sambal-belacan-paste at medium high heat.When the pan is sizzling hot add in shrimp,fry for 30 seconds or until it's curl,then add in cut bamboo shoot and petai.
2:Stir-fry the ingredients for 2-3 minutes,add in tamarind powder,sugar and salt to taste.Mix all the ingredients well.Check the seasoning.
3:Dish out and serve warm with rice.

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Stir-fry Two Kinds of Beans with Shrimp

Last week I harvest this bunch of organic string bean from my vegetable garden .These days I try to encourage Mishu to eat vegetable but sadly she not really interested..She told me vegetable is yikes!! all she ate is the shrimp and sauce from this cooked vegetable with her rice.Well, I also mixed with some leftover snow pea to cook this twosome vegetables dish .This time I add in some soy sauce to stir-fry this twosome which is really great!

Ingredients:

1 bundle string bean,about 1/2 lb,remove tip from both end,cut 3 inch length and washed

1 cup snow pea,removed both end by pulling the string from the tip,washed

6 large shrimp,clean and deveined

3 fresh cloves garlic,peeled and sliced

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp water,plus extra if too dry

1 tsp chicken bouillon powder

2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1:Heat large skillet at medium high heat with olive oil and sliced garlic till lightly golden brown,then add in shrimp,fry for 1 minute or till curl
2:Add in string bean,snow pea,chicken bouillon powder,soy sauce and water.If you want the bean crunchy and crisp cook less than 5 minutes.If not cook longer and add in extra water to cook.Stir all the ingredients from time to time well.
3:Check the seasoning before remove from heat.Dish out and serve warm with rice .

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