Sweet Corn Custard Tong Yuen In Heavy Ginger Syrup  

Posted by: Julia in

Ingredients:
  • 35g wheat starch (tang mein fun)
  • 100ml freshly-boiled water
  • 200g glutinous rice flour
  • 300-350ml water
Custard filling:
  • 100ml UHT milk
  • 15g cornflour
  • 20g custard powder
  • 45g castor sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 150ml hot water
  • 10g butter
  • 100g puréed sweet corn paste
  • Ginger syrup
  • 130g mature ginger
  • 80g brown sugar
  • 20g palm sugar (gula Melaka)
  • 100g castor sugar
  • 1.2 litres water
  • 5–6 screwpine leaves, knotted
Directions:
  1. To prepare the custard, combine milk, cornflour, custard powder, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Stir in hot water and mix well. Cook the mixture over a low heat, stirring continuously until it thickens.
  2. Remove saucepan from heat and add butter and puréed sweet corn paste. Keep stirring until well mixed. Dish out and set aside to cool completely.
  3. Refrigerate before use.
  4. To prepare glutinous rice ball dough, put wheat starch in a bowl and pour in boiling water. Stir well with a pair of chopsticks until a soft dough is formed.
  5. Combine glutinous rice flour and the cooked dough in a large mixing bowl. Stir in water and knead to form a soft dough. Divide dough into small balls. Flatten each ball into a thin disk. Spoon a little custard filling in the centre and wrap up to secure the filling.
  6. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bring a pot of water to the boil; drop in the prepared balls of dough. When the balls float, remove with a slotted spoon and place in cold water for 10 minutes. Serve tong yuen in hot heavy ginger syrup.
  7. To prepare ginger syrup, grate ginger and set aside. Bring water to the boil with the three types of sugar. Put in the grated ginger and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the syrup and set over a gentle low heat to heat up.

Fruit Salad  

Posted by: Julia in

Ingredients :
  • 2 medium oranges, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 1 large banana
  • 1 cup seedless red grapes, washed
  • 1 1/2 cups seedless watermelon cubes
  • 1 kiwi, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 1 cup strawberry, cut into wedges
  • 1/2 honey dew, cut into wedges

Dressing :

  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Directions :

  1. In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, water and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
  2. Peel the banana and slice thickly and add to the dressing straight away to prevent discoloration. Add the orange wedges and toss well.
  3. Combine the grapes, watermelon, honey dew, strawberry and kiwi in a large glass bowl. Add in the orange and banana mixture, and stir to mix well.
  4. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Peanut Cookies  

Posted by: Julia in

Ingredients :
  • 200g peanuts (can use 200g ready-ground peanuts, dry-frying it yourself gives it a better taste)
  • 200g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 1/4 tsp + a small pinch more of salt
  • 50-100g coarsely chopped peanuts, dry fry in a wok till fragrant
  • 100g groundnut oil, plus more if needed
  • 1egg for wash
Directions :
  1. Preheat oven to 165C.
  2. Dry fry the 200g of peanuts in a wok over low heat, stirring continously, until fragrant. This will take about 5-10mins. Let peanuts cool completely, rub off skin and grind them into a powder. I used a food processor to do this but I think a coffee grinder or blender would work as well. I also added the salt into the grinder so that it gets evenly distributed into the ground peanut mixture.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and icing sugar. Add in the ground peanut and salt mixture, and the caosrsely chopped peanuts and mix well.
  4. Add in oil and mix with your hands until a pliable dough forms. You may need to add a little more oil to get the dough to come together into a ball.
  5. Pinch off little bits of dough and roll into balls. If you desire a uniform button shape like in the picture above, use a small bottle-cap, line the hollow bit with cling wrap, and press the dough into the cling-wrapped cavity. Lift the cling-wrap to release the dough and place onto a baking tray.
  6. Using a pastry or paint brush, gently brush the cookies with the egg/milk wash.
  7. Bake at 165C for 20mins until golden brown.

Steamed Egg  

Posted by: Julia in

Ingredients :

  • 2 eggs
  • 200 ml water
  • 1 tsp sherry
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • a dash of white pepper
  • a tsp of sesame oil
  • 1 tsp of soya sauce
  • chopped spring onions for garnishing
Directions :
  1. Bring water to boil in a steamer and turn down heat to low simmer.
  2. Beat eggs, water, sherry and salt with a fork or a pair of chopsticks(a whisk creates too much foam). Sieve into a 6 inch deep dish and put to steam.
  3. The time it takes to cook depends on heat of the water. Have patience and the eggs will be done when it is no more runny when a knife is inserted in the center or from experience, shake the dish and it will jiggle but will be firm.
  4. Remove and sprinkle will sesame oil, soya sauce and spring onions.
  5. Serve while it is hot.

一個人 - 蔡依林  

Posted by: Julia in

One More Time - Three Bicycles  

Posted by: Julia in

Stewed Chicken In Dark Soya Sauce  

Posted by: Julia in

Ingredients :
  • 2 chicken legs (whole)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 whole bulbs garlic (remove skin)
  • Approximately 15 - 20 white peppercorns
  • Warm water
  • 1 piece star-anise (optional)
  • 2 pieces hard-type beancurd (optional)
  • 2 large hard-boiled eggs (optional)
Seasoning :
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons dark soya sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Directions :
  1. Add sugar into a wok / saucepan which has been heated up. Let the sugar caramelise (turn liquid and brown).
  2. Once sugar fully caramelised, add chicken legs and let it “sear” for 1 minute on each side. Add water to cover the chicken by 1 to 2 cm. Add the rest of the ingredients and seasoning. Once water begins to boil, reduce to medium low heat, cover lid and let it simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
  3. To serve, separate gravy from the rest of the ingredients. Chop the chicken to desired size, cut beancurd into quarters and half the eggs.

Sour And Spicy Ikan Bilis  

Posted by: Julia in

Ingredients :
  • 1 rice bowl measure of ikan bilis (rinsed)
  • 1 red chilli (sliced thinly)
  • 3 shallots (sliced thinly)
  • 3 cloves garlic (sliced thinly)
  • 2 pieces lime (juiced)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon dark soya sauce
  • Sugar to taste
  • 5 tablespoons cooking oil
Directions :
  1. Bring oil to high heat in wok and fry ikan bilis till golden brown. Remove and set aside ikan bilis. Discard used oil.
  2. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in wok and fry shallots till beginning to brown. Remove and set aside fried shallots. Add garlic and fry till golden brown. Remove and set aside fried garlic. Add chillis and fried ikan bilis and stir well. Return fried shallots and garlic to mixture, stir evenly and add dark soya sauce, lime juice and sugar.
  3. Dish out and serve.

Icy Watermelon Cooler  

Posted by: Julia in

Ingredients :

  • 750ml watermelon juice
  • 250ml ice-cream soda
  • Lemon slices
  • Lots of crushed ice
  • Some mint leaves

Directions :

  1. Mix watermelon juice with crushed ice and mint leaves, then top up with soda. Give the lemon a twist and drop it into individual glasses.
  2. Garnish with a triangular slice of watermelon. Make a small slit and insert it into the rim of the glass. A lovely drink with a twist!

Steamed Egg Cake  

Posted by: Julia in

Ingredients :
  • 8 eggs
  • 160g castor sugar
  • 160g plain flour, sifted
  • 175ml ice-cream soda

Directions :

  1. Line bottom of a 23cm bamboo rattan basket with grease-proof paper. Place eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk until thick and lemon-coloured. Sift in flour and gently fold in with a metal spoon. Beat in ice-cream soda until mixture is well combined.
  2. Pour mixture into prepared basket and steam over rapid boiling water for 25–30 minutes.