MANDARIN ORANGE BUTTER CAKE WITH WALNUTS

After seeing so many blogger friends start to baked butter cake with mandarin oranges, I said to myself...hey...why not give it a try with a kick of mandarin oranges zest, juice and walnuts in it.

You can get my butter cake recipe here.

And tathemmm.....it turns out super delicious with the crunchiest of the walnuts.

The cakes are good with a cup of hot tea or a cup of hot coffee.

BAK KUAH / LOONG YOKE

Today when I was shopping at the grocery store, I saw a very nice 3 lb of pork shoulder in a pack. And so I was thinking of making bak kuah/loong yoke that I have miss so much since I was in America. I did brought some from New York but still is not that good like Malaysia Bak Kuah. Back at home I unpack all my stuffs and started to marinade my ground pork. Those ingredients for marinate are light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, fish sauce and sugar. I marinade them for 3 hours before drying them in the oven.


After the marination time, I brushed some oil on the bottom of a baking sheet and add a bowl of marinate ground pork on it. Then with my hand, I gently pressed the ground pork to a even thin layer. In the oven it go for 15 minutes at 180 F for drying process.


After the drying processed, I cut the bak kuah/loong yoke to small pieces. Then I grilled them at high heat on my indoor grill. Guess what.....the bak kuah/loong yoke turns out to be so deliciuos and so tasty even my kids want to have more.

I'm so happy with the outcomes although this is my first attempt of making it.

SESAME BALLS WITH RED BEAN PASTE

My family and I love to eat these sesame balls. We usually have them at the chinese restaurant where they served with tim sum. I found this recipe from CD Kitchen and it's my first time making it. It really turns out good and delicious. And is the recipe I would like to share.....

INGREDIENTS :

320 g korean sweet potatoes
480 g red bean paste
3 cups glutinous rice flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sesame seeds, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes and drained
1 cup hot water
3 tbsp sugar


METHOD :

1. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into small pieces. In a pot of water, add the sweet potatoes and boil until tender. Drain, mashed and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, sieve the glutinous rice flour and all purpose flour together. Then add the mashed sweet potatoes and sugar. Knead the mixture with hot water until well mixed.

3. Knead dough into small balls and roll each ball into a round flat shape.

4. Spoon some red bean paste and knead back into balls.

5. Coat the balls with wet sesame seeds and set on a baking sheets.

6. Deep fry the sesame balls on a low heat until the balls are golden and swollen.

7. Drain and served with a cup of hot tea.

NIEN NIEN YO YUE - KOI FISH KONNYAKU JELLY

That's the colorful fish koi jelly with longans. Don't they look alive???

Last month, I was searching for this Koi Fish Mould everywhere and even online. And lastly, I found this mould on Ebay and brought it.

The fish mould turns out to be a pretty fishes

I just add a packet of Konnyaku Jelly that my sister brought from Malaysia. I brush the fish mould with some red coloring konnyaku jelly and add the rest of the konnyaku jelly to mould.

And it turns out to be like this......pretty ahh!!!

This is my Koi Fish Jelly Mould

MELTING MOMENT COOKIES WITH GOLDEN RAISIN

INGREDIENTS :

230 g all purpose flour
110 g corn flour/starch
170 g icing sugar
55 g custard powder
250 g cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
some golden raisins


METHOD :

1. Preheat oven at 390 F. In a mixing bowl, add the flour and icing sugar and mix it well. Add in the cold butter and rub into the flour mixture until it bread crumbs like.

2. Then add in the egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix it with hands. It should be a firm dough and if it crumbles, add a few drops of milk.

3. With a cookies scoop, scoop the dough onto prepared baking sheets and gently press with a piece of golden raisin on top.

4. Bake for at least 15 minutes. Let it cool completely before storing.

GONG XI FA CAI

I would like to wish my family and friends a Happy and Prosperity New Year

These are the cookies I baked for this Chinese New Year

Pineapple Tarts - This is the must for CNY because in hokkien dialect it called 'Ong Lai' means Good Luck Coming Our Way

Peanut Cookies

Nestum Cookies

Melting Moments with Golden Raisins Cookies

PINEAPPLE TARTS

INGREDIENTS :

Pastry Tart:
340 g all purpose flour
200 g cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
5 tsp cold iced water
1 egg yolk

Egg Wash: Lightly beat with
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water

Pineapple Filling:
2 kg whole pineapple
200 g sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp butter
1 cinnamon stick
8 whole cloves
2 star anise
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder




METHOD :

1. For the filling, remove the skin of the pineapple and gouge out the black eyes with a sharp knife. Shred the pineapple into a large bowl and strain off half of the juice.

2. Put the shredded pineapple, sugar, butter and lemon juice into a saucepan and cook till thick like jam for about 60 minutes.

3. Add in the sugar to taste and if the jam is too dry, add in more pineapple juice that been saved.

4. Cool the pineapple filling before adding to the pastry.

5. For the pastry, preheat oven for 390 F. Lightly beat the egg yolk with vanilla extract and set aside.

6. Sieve the flour, baking powder and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Stir in the salt and mix it well.

7. In the flour mixture, add in the cold butter and using the rubbing-in method to rub in the butter into the flour until it is bread crumbs like.

8. Add egg yolk and ice water into the flour and use a fork to blend well to form a dough or you can used a food processor for this method.

9. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and refrigerated for at least 1 hour.

10. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, put the dough on it and roll out the dough to 4 mm thick with a rolling pin. Use a tart cutter to cut the dough and place the tart on the prepared baking sheets.

11. Roll the pineapple filling into a small ball and add to the tart. Brush the tarts with the egg wash.

12. Bake the tarts for at least 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

13. Let it cool completely before serving.

NESTUM COOKIES

INGREDIENTS :

3 cup all purpose flour
3 cup nestum cereal
1 1/2 cup sugar
250 g butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract



METHOD :

1. Preheat oven at 350 F. Sieve the flour and baking powder and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl add butter and beat until fluffy. Then add sugar, vanilla extract and eggs one at a time. Mix it well and then add flour gradually. Lastly, add the nestum cereal and mix it well.

3. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough to a prepared baking sheets. Then use a fork to press down.

4. Bake the cookie dough for 15-20 minutes.

5. Let them cool completely before storing.

PEANUT COOKIES

INGREDIENTS :

200 g peanuts
200 g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100 g icing sugar
1/4 tsp salt
100 g peanut oil
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 tsp water - for egg wash



METHOD :

1. Preheat oven at 350 F. In the wok, add the peanuts and dry fry over low heat until crunchy.

2. Blend the peanuts into fine powder.

3. Sieve the flour, baking powder and icing sugar. Then add in the peanut powder and salt. Mix it well.

4. Add in the peanut oil and mix till a piable dough is formed. Then on a floured surface knead the dough with hands.

5. With a cookie dough scoop, scoop the dough to the prepared baking sheets. Then with the head of the chopstick, made a nice little hole on top of the cookies.

6. Brush the top of the cookies with egg wash.

7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or till golden brown.

8. Let it cool completely before store in the container.

CHILLED MANGO CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS :
For the Crust:
150 g Graham crackers
60 g melted butter

For The Filling:
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
125 ml heavy whipping cream
125 g sugar
350 g mango, pureed
2 tbsp gelatin powder
4 tbsp water



METHOD :

1. Preheat oven at 300 F. In a food processor, add the graham crackers and blend till fine. Then gradually add in the melted butter. In a 9-inch spring-form pan, pour in the crust mixture and firmly pressed on the crust. Bake for 10 minutes and let it cool.

2. In a medium glass bowl, add in the gelatin and water. Set aside until spongy. Then set the bowl to a boiling double-boiler until the liquid turns clear and set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and gradually add in the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.

4. Add the dissolved gelatin to the mango puree and mixed in the cheese mixture till incorporated.

5. In another bowl, whipped the cream till stiff and fold in the cheese mixture.

6. Pour in the mixture into the prepared pan and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour before the jelly topping.


For The Jelly Topping
200 g mango, pureed
4 tsp gelatin
2 tsp sugar
8 tbsp water


METHOD :

1. On the double-boiler pan, add in all the ingredients until dissolved. Set aside and let it cool and not set.

2. Pour the topping gently onto chilled cheesecake.

3. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.

BAKED NIAN GAO WITH RED BEAN

At first I thought of steaming the old style of nian gao for Chinese New Year, but I changed my mind to do baking style. I went to the internet and do Google's search for baking nian gao. Then I came to this website with the simple recipe and the result came out simply awesome.


INGREDIENT :

1 lb (500 g) glutinous rice flour
2 1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 can (15 oz) red bean paste



METHOD :

1. Preheat oven at 350 F.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except red bean paste. Beat in high with hand mixer until incorporated.

3. Grease 9 x 13-inch pan. Pour 3/4 of the batter in the pan and bake for 8 minutes.

4. Remove pan from the oven and pour in the red bean paste. Spread the red bean paste evenly on top of the baked batter. Cover the red bean paste with the remaining batter on top. Bake for another 30-50 minutes till the rice cake is done.

FRUITY SNOW FUNGUS DESSERT

Snow fungus is one of the wobbly varieties of fungus that is commonly found on various types of trees especially in the Asian countries and also other warm climates across the globe. It is white in color and almost transparent. Snow fungus is commonly knows as wood ear and derives this name from its appearance on decomposing logs, which are an ideal breeding ground for this variety of mushroom. The superior quality of snow fungus, however, is light yellowish-white in color and feels like mucilage when touched. The Chinese and Japanese herbal medicine practitioners have been using snow fungus for over 2000 years now to heal various ailments. It is commonly used to enhance body liquids, to cure dry cough and also heart palpitations or the trembling nervous system. At the same time, snow fungus is commonly used as a stimulating herb and also as a beauty augmenting medicine. It is widely used for the betterment of the skin tone.

INGREDIENTS :

2 clumps snow fungus, soaked and divided into small florets
1 Korean Singho pear, peeled, cored and cut into 16 pieces
800 g papaya (almost ripe), peeled, removed seeds and cut into bite size
2 tbsp apricot kennels, washed
50 small red dates, pitted and washed
Brown rock sugar to taste



METHOD :

1. In a pot, pour 1.6 liters of water, add in red dates and apricot kernels, bring to boil and then simmer for 40 minutes.

2. Add in snow fungus and simmer for another 20 minutes or till it is soft but crunchy.

3. Add in pears and papaya pieces, bring the contents to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes or long if you like the fruits to be softer.

4. Sweetened the soup with rock sugar and served hot or cold.

HOISIN-GLAZED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

INGREDIENTS :

2 pounds center-cut beef tenderloin roast
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps quartered
3 bunches scallions (white and green parts separate), cut into 2-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, very thinly sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry sherry/hua tiau cooking wine



METHOD :

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the beef all over with salt and a generous amount of pepper. Add the oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering, then sear the beef until it is a mahogany brown on all sides, about 8 minutes in all.

2. Transfer the tenderloin to a shallow roasting pan, reserving the skillet. Brush the beef all over with the hoisin sauce and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 125F for medium-rare, about 30 minutes. Transfer the roast to a cutting board, tent it very loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest while you cook the mushrooms.

3. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, scallion whites, garlic, ginger, 1 1/2 tsp salt and red pepper flakes and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the scallion greens and sherry and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.

4. Slice the roast and serve with the vegetable.

SPITFIRE SHRIMP

I adopted this recipe from the Food network. The taste is kinda strong from the ground cumin but if you don't like it, you can omit the ground cumin. Overall it just taste like shrimp in buffalo sauce.


INGREDIENTS :


Seasoning:
1 lime, juiced
2 oz (1/4 cup) hot cayenne pepper sauce
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp crab boil seasoning

Shrimp:
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and divined
12 to 15 blades fresh chives, chopped, for garnish


METHOD :

1. Preheat large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.

2. In a medium bowl, combine all the seasoning ingredients till blend and set aside.

3. In the heated skillet, add in the olive oil, butter, garlic and shallots for 1 minute. Then add in shrimp and cook for 3 minutes, tossing and turning frequently.

4. Dish out the shrimp and pour into prepared hot seasoning mixture and coat the shrimp evenly.

5. Garnish with chopped chives. Served warm or chilled.

FRENCH APPLE TART / TARTE AUX POMMES

INGREDIENTS :

Recipe sweet pastry crust, recipe follows:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten


Fillings :
6 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, halved and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 cup of unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp granulated sugar

Glaze:
1/4 cup apricot preserved, heated and strained


METHOD :

1. For the pastry crust, sift flour and salt together and set aside. Place the butter in your mixer and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Do not over mix because it will be hard when baked.

2. Flatten the dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

3. On a lightly floured surfaces, roll out the sweet pastry to a round about 1/8-inch thick size that fits a 8 or 9-inch tart pan.

4. Lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin and unroll onto top of tart pan. Gently lay in pan and with a small floured piece of pastry, lightly press pastry into bottom and sides of pan. Roll your rolling pin over top of pan to get rid of excess pastry. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

5. Preheat oven to 400 F and place rack in the center of oven. Line unbaked pastry shell with a parchment paper and fill the pie weights or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface.

6. Bake crust for 20-25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly brown. Remove weights and cool crust on wire rack before filling.

7. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spread the applesauce over the cooled pastry crust. Arrange the apples decoratively on top of the applesauce, overlapping them. Sprinkle the sugar on top of the apples.

8. Bake in the middle rack for 45 minutes or until the apples are golden. Brush with the heated apricot preserved while the tart is still hot.

9. Let the tart cool on the rack before serving.

MINI CHEESECAKE WITH FRUITS TOPPING

INGREDIENTS :

2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 OREO chocolate sandwich cookies
1 kiwi, peeled, cut into 6 slices, then cut each slice in half
1/2 cup fresh blueberries



METHOD :

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended.

2. Place 1 piece of cookie on bottom of each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups then cover with cream cheese mixture.

3. Bake for 20 minutes or until centers are almost set. Let it cool. Then refrigerator for 3 hours.

4. Place 1 kiwi piece and blueberries on top of each cheesecake and serve.

BLUEBERRY & MASCARPONE TURNOVERS

INGREDIENTS :

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries
2 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg, beaten
vegetable oil, for frying

Special equipment : a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter


METHOD :

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the cheese, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth. Stir in the blueberries.

3. Using a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut the pie dough into 12 circles. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg. Place about 1 1/2 tsp of the cheese mixture in the center of the dough. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling and pinch the edges to seal. Using the tines of fork, gently crimp the sealed edges. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

4. While pastry is chilling: In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F.

5. Fry the turnovers for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with sugar while still hot.

6. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.