Friday, May 30, 2014

Ginisang Monggo with Dilis (Mung Beans Stew with Dried Anchovies)



Ginisang Monggo with Dilis (Mung Beans Stew with Dried Anchovies)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of Monggo Beans (Mung Beans)
4 cups Water
1 tbsp Cooking Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1 small Onion, sliced thinly
1 small Tomato, diced
1/2 Bouillon Cube
1/2 tbsp Fish Sauce
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
1 tsp Sugar
10 Shrimps, peeled and deveined
a handful of small-sized Dried Anchovies
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
Wash monggo beans thoroughly, and soak in a clean tap water for 6 hours to soften.
Rinse well, and place in a casserole dish.
Boil in monggo beans in 4 cups of water on medium low heat for about 15-20 minutes, or until soft but not mushy.
Drain the stock in a separate bowl, and set aside.
Set boiled monggo beans aside.

In a shallow pan, wipe a little oil and sauté the dried anchovies until brown and crunchy. (Do not burn so it will not give a bitter taste!) Remove from heat and set aside.

In the same shallow pan, put oil and sauté the garlic until fragrant.
Add the onions and cook them until translucent.
Add tomatoes. Add the bouillon cube, and cook for a minute.
Add-in the shrimps, and let it cook for another 2 minutes.
Add-in the monggo beans along with the dried anchovies. 
Pour-in the stock. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the fish sauce and ginger powder.
Sprinkle ground black pepper, and salt to taste. Add sugar.

Cover and let it simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes on medium low heat.
Stir it from time to time to avoid scorching.
Taste, and season more if needed.


Serve hot with plain rice. Enjoy!!

Yorkshire Pudding (Batter Pudding)

A cross between popover and a soufflé.
It is an English dish made from batter consisting of eggs, flour, and milk.

Yorkshire Pudding (Batter Pudding)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Salt for seasoning
Canola Oil

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 230ºC.

In a medium bowl, crack-in two eggs.
Add-in milk and season with salt.
Stir with a wire whisk until light and well combined.
Sift-in all-purpose flour and mix thoroughly until smooth.
Set aside.

Pour about half teaspoonful of canola oil in each popover cup or muffin tin cup.
Heat the muffin tin in the oven for 2 minutes.

Get the muffin tin out of the oven (Don’t turn off the oven!) and carefully pour prepared batter into cups, filling each one-third full.

Bake until puffed or golden brown for about 20 minutes. (Don't keep opening the oven to check!) Serve immediately as it will deflate as it gets cold.

Happy Eating!!

Note:
Best served straight from the oven.
Can be served with bacon and egg, or served as "sweet" with assorted fruit jam or your favorite spread.





Japanese Mayonnaise Tuna Buns



Japanese Mayonnaise Tuna Buns

Ingredients:
Japanese-Style Sweet Bun Dough 湯種甜麵糰:
375 g Bread Flour
100 g Plain Flour
35 g Milk Powder
75 g Caster Sugar
3/4 tsp Salt
2 1/2 tsp Instant Dry Yeast
1 Egg, lightly beaten
150 ml (approx.) Water, lukewarm
40 g Butter, cubed

Water-Roux Paste 湯種:
25 g (just under 2 tbsp) Bread Flour
125 ml (1/2 cup) Water

Egg Wash:
1 Egg, lightly beaten

Tuna topping:
1 (7 oz) can white tuna, drained and flaked
6 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1/8 tsp dried minced onion flakes
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 pinch garlic powder

Preparation:
Water-Roux paste 湯種:
Mix bread flour and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring continuously until it reaches 65ºC.
The mixture should have thickened to a paste really quick and swirls should appear as you keep whisking, and when you stir you can see the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, place a cling film over the paste and leave until lukewarm, or room temperature, before using.

To make the Japanese-style sweet bun dough 湯種甜麵糰:
Sift bread flour, plain flour, milk powder, caster sugar and salt onto the working surface.
Add instant dry yeast and mix well.
Form the flour mixture into a well.
Add lightly beaten egg and lukewarm water roux and mix in.
Gradually add just enough lukewarm water to form into a slightly sticky, soft dough.
Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. During hand kneading, the dough also needs to be thrown onto the working surface once every few minutes between kneading to improve the dough structure.

Knead-in butter until incorporated. Knead a few times more until the dough becomes stretchy and elastic.
Form the dough into a round ball.
In a large greased bowl, place the dough and cover with cling wrap. Place in a warm place. Let it rise for an hour, or until double in size.
To test if the dough has risen properly, dip a finger into bread or plain flour and poke down into the center of the dough as far as your finger will go and pull out again – the hole should remain if it is ready. If the dough springs back, then it is not ready, continue to prove further.

Punch down, knead briefly and form into a ball shape. Then divide into 16 equal portions. The easiest way is to first divide equally into 4 larger portions first, then divide each of these again into quarters each. Form each into balls and let rest for 10 minutes.

Take one of the 16 small divided balls and roll out with a rolling pin into a flat circle. Then, roll the dough out into a 20 cm (7.9 inch) rope.
Shape into a ring and pinch ends together.
Put the dough on a flattened paper liner 10 cm (4 inch) in diameter.

Lightly cover, and leave to rise for 40-50 minutes, or until double in size.

Meanwhile, prepare the tuna topping.

To make the tuna topping:
In a medium bowl, stir together the tuna, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, and onion flakes.
Season with curry powder, parsley, dill and garlic powder. Mix well.
Set aside.

When the dough is ready, brush the surface with beaten egg.
Put the tuna topping into the center, and sprinkle with some dried parsley.


Bake in preheated 190°C oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Note:
Soft, fluffy and light buns with delicious tuna topping.
Best served hot or warm.
Can be kept for 2 to 3 days in airtight container in the refrigerator, re-heat in the oven or microwave before serving.




Glazed Choco Donut Muffins

These luscious Choco Donut Muffins are baked, not fried;
and covered in a sweet chocolate glaze.

Glazed Choco Donut Muffins

Ingredients:
Donut Muffins:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 c all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Topping:
Sprinkles

Choco Glaze:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup milk
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp corn syrup
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
Grease muffin tin. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 220 °C.

To make the cupcakes:
In a medium mixing bowl, Add-in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda and salt. Whisk together, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, mix together oil and both sugars. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add-in eggs, one at a time and mix well.
Add-in vanilla and mix again.
With mixer on low speed, Mix in the prepared dry ingredients alternating with milk.
Pour into muffin tin, filling each cavity 3/4 full.
Bake 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of each muffin comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 3 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack and cool completely before glazing.

To make the choco glaze: 
In a medium saucepan, cook butter, milk, cocoa and corn syrup until it starts to boil.
Remove from heat.
Sift powdered sugar over the cocoa mixture, and whisk in until smooth.
Add-in vanilla and whisk again.

To assemble:
Dip each donut muffin top down into the glaze.
Set on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to catch the drips.
Let sit for few minutes and then add sprinkles.

Happy Eating!!

Note:
The glaze will thicken up as it sits. It will set on the muffins and won't be sticky.



Lemon Glazed Toasted Coconut Cupcakes



Lemon Glazed Toasted Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
8 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp coconut water
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Topping:
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Lemon Glaze:
3/8 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp coconut water
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line the muffin tin with paper liners.

To make the cupcakes:
In a medium bowl, Sift-in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Place the butter in a large bowl and stir until creamy in consistency.
Slowly add-in the sugar into the butter. Slowly stir-in the egg mixture.
Add one-third of the flour mixture. then add-in one-half of the milk. Continue adding them alternately, ending with the flour mixture.
Stir the batter after each addition.
Add-in the coconut water and vanilla.

Fill the paper liners half full of batter.

Bake in the preheated oven about 14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. 

Leave the oven on.

Transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool, about 20 minutes.

To make the topping:
Spread the sweetened shredded coconut on a baking sheet, and bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 7 to 8 minutes. (Do not burn!)
Transfer to a shallow bowl and let cool.

To make the lemon glaze:
In a small shallow bowl, Mix together the lemon zest, lemon juice, coconut water, and powdered sugar.

To assemble:
Dip the top of a cooled cupcake in the glaze, and immediately dip the glazed top in the toasted coconut.
Allow the glaze to set before serving or storing the cupcakes.

Happy Eating!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Samchi Jorim 삼치조림 (Braised Spanish Mackerel)



Samchi Jorim 삼치조림 (Braised Spanish Mackerel)

Ingredients:
1 Spanish Mackerel, halved lengthwise
Salt and Pepper
Potato Starch / Corn Starch
12 cm Green Onion / Leek
1 Sun-dried Red Chili
Cooking oil

Braising Sauce:
2 tbsp Soy Sauce (JinGanjang)
2 tbsp Cooking Wine
4 tbsp Corn Syrup
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
2/3 cup Water

Instructions:
Cut the leek and dried red chili. Set aside.

Wash the mackerel, and wipe with paper towel.
Fillet the mackerel, and cut into 2 cm portions.
Season with Salt and Pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the braising sauce.
In a bowl, add-in the soy sauce, cooking wine, corn syrup, oyster sauce, and water. Mix until well blended. Set aside.

Dredge mackerel in potato starch evenly, and set aside.

Put cooking oil in a heated pan. Fry the mackerel.
Lay fried mackerel on paper towel to drain oil.

In a medium saucepan, Put-in the braising sauce.
Add-in the dried red chili, and bring to a boil.
Add-in the fried mackerel. Simmer over high medium heat until the sauce has reduced, and turned a little sticky, but not dry.
Add-in the leeks.

Serve with rice and Enjoy!