Polo Bun Revisited

Flaky Pastry Egg Tarts

 When my friend, Peng, linked me a video about a hong kong grandpa retiring and teaching his grand daughter to make his famous flaky pastry egg tart, i remembered that i have also made the flaky pastry this way but have not posted cos i have been neglecting my blog, but this recipe will be lost if not shared.  All flaky recipes have been following the western way of layering by wrapping the butter dough with the less butter dough(the chinese called this the water dough and the butter dough, oil dough), but for this egg tart, it is the other way round, the water dough is wrapped by the oil dough.  It is really flaky and easy to roll.  I have used the traditional ingredient - LARD but vegetable shortening can be used.  LARD  is available in 1 lb block in all our supermarkets and it is inexpensive.  Follow my instructions and you will have perfect flaky egg tarts.

Tofu Fah II/Douhua 豆花

If you are asian you should be familiar with soya bean products.  Products made from soya beans are a staple or a must have in any asian pantry.  Recipes using these products are limitless.  I don't think i need to introduce these products and i am sure all you readers already know what they are.   I am a soya bean fan and my brothers have mentioned that i will and can survive if i am to be put in tofu land.  Soybeans are considered to be a source of complete protein.  A complete protein is one that contains significant amounts of all the essential amino acids that must be provided to the human body because of the body's inability to synthesize them.  

I have tried  making tofu fah/douhua using the way of pouring the hot soya bean milk into a tall pot which has diluted gypsum powder mixed with water at the bottom(this is called 'chong kau' in cantonese) but, at that time i made a very very large batch of soya bean milk and it was scary for me, as it was a  huge large pot of hot boiling soya bean milk!!!!!  So, i tried another process by just stirring in the diluted gypsum into the hot boiling milk, the recipe is here HERE.  I went through the comments in this post and found so many unsuccessful attempts by my readers and would like to comment further as to what might have caused it.  Most of the time,  the result is like scrambled eggs.  First caution is - the boiling has to ceased and the heat from the stove turned off before adding in the diluted gypsum and when you are  stirring the hot soya bean milk, do it in a front and back motion and then bring the wooden spoon or wooden spatula to the middle of the pot and hold it there.  This will stop the motion of the soya bean milk , cos vigorously movement will break up the protein which the gysum has just coagulated it.  So, do not stir round and round when the gypsum solution is added, just move front and back and stop at the center of pot, hold the spatula/wooden spoon at this position until the movement stops.

What i am about to share is a recipe using less beans with the same amount of water and instead of using cornstarch/potato starch, i have used RICE FLOUR.  The method will the pouring method and this time is not so intimidating  as it is a smaller portion and can be managed in any home environment.

Smile Pao Revisited

Since this is my first posting of this new year, i would like to post something more cheerful as January can be a cold, dreary bummer  of a month. The only way to shake the desire to hibernate until spring, i had to cook or bake something that puts a smile not only on my face but a smile to everyone who enjoys eating these Smile Pao. 

I have found that the previous recipe makes lovely smiling paos, the dough has to tweaked to get the texture not to stick to the teeth.   I realised that fermentation will turn flour into starch and starch is responsible for stickiness, so this time around, i have omitted the wheat starch and used 5 tablespoons flour instead.  I would have loved to use pao flour but unfortunately i am out of it, so i used bleached all-purpose flour.  The starter dough was left on the counter for more than 24 hours and it still makes good smiling paos,  it was still ok cos my kitchen was pretty cold even with the heater on.

Rose Wantan

 

 

Has it been that long?  5 weeks????? no posting!!  OMG, time really goes by fast when you are occupied.  Was really occupied, entertaining visitors, entertaining myself by going for a
Cruise - Disney Fantasy Cruise.  Had a Fantastic time especially enjoyed the food on board,  fine dining nightly with the most fabulous menu.  Could not decide what to order and our server had to bring me 2 entrees and 2 desserts - yes nightly.  The best part of all is that the orders are free,  the menu has no price tag.  Can't wait for breakfast every morning,  the buffet lounge is endless, the food was displayed in a circle and breakfast items are endless too - gravlax, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel, smoked trout, etc. Even the egg benedict served here was perfectly done and i had the pleasure of ordering egg benedict at Royal Court which was delicious.  Am running out of words to describe the food.  The second best part of the cruise was that i did not have to cook although i would love to.  But i did learn how to make strudel dough from scratch and make lobster ravioli from the chef of REMY. the famous french restaurant on board.

 

Now that i am back on land, the kitchen will be busy again.  There is nothing much that i can cook with until grocery shopping time.  Found some shrimp and wanted to make wantan but oh no, no wantan skin!!.  Found a packet of egg roll skin and remembered that making fried wantans with egg roll skin is in my do list.  Can't wait to start making them and the finished wantans were not only deliciously crispy but oh so pretty.

 

Mini Shanghai Mooncakes

The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar,  and it falls on September 30th this year (2012).  Although it is still about 1 1/2 months away, preparation for the making the mooncakes has to begin now especially if you are to make the Traditional Mooncakes - the syrup has to be cooked and kept until needed, in fact the longer it is allowed to settle, the better it is.  Most mooncakes bakers will cook the syrup last year for this year's baking.  If this syrup cooking is too tedious and intimidating, i am sharing this recipe which s full of the fragrance of butter and pure lotus paste/red bean paste and the best part, you don't need any mooncake molds.

I make mooncakes every year and somehow could never find time to post it in time for my readers who would like to try and have a hand in making some for the festival.  This year, i make sure that i will post first before i start getting into the actual baking and forget to post.  Sorry.................

Smacked Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers have not received as much press as other vegetables in terms of health benefits, but this widely-cultivated food provides us with a unique combination of nutrients and are a valuable source of conventional antioxidant nutrients 


While there are literally hundreds of different varieties, virtually all can be divided into two basic types: slicing and pickling. 


Two common questions about cucumbers involve consumption of their skin and their seeds. There are several facts you need to know before making your decision about consumption of cucumber skins and seeds. First, it is important to remember that the skins and seeds of cucumbers are both rich in nutrients. In fact, the nutrient richness of both plant parts is significantly higher than the flesh. But???????  Both conventionally grown and organically grown cucumbers may have been waxed!!!!! However, the only waxes that can be used on organically grown cucumbers are non-synthetic waxes, and these waxes must be free of all chemical contaminants that are prohibited under organic regulations. Conventionally grown cucumbers may be waxed with synthetic waxes that contain unwanted chemical contaminants. For these reasons, it is recommended to leave the skin of organically grown cucumbers intact regardless of whether the organically grown cucumber has been waxed. For conventionally grown cucumbers,  removal of the waxed skin is recommended. I really do miss the white skin cucumber in Malaysia and i don't think that they are waxed, unlike the green thick skinned cucumber sold here, so...... waxed.  As for the seeds, asian pickling recipes call for removal as the seeds will be soft and asians like the crunch.  The seeds are left on for sliced cucumber but when the cucumber is matured, the seeds are not good eats.


After all the complicated recipes that i have attempted and shared, i would like to share a simple and delicious salad which needs only a few ingredients and a nice big chinese cleaver.  The name of this salad might sound rather uninspiring and it is so called because of the unusual method used to chop the cucumber but the smacking does help with releasing some tension.

Smile Pau/Bao Improved Final

What a surprise!!!  I have finally managed to get into Blogger after some mind blogging tasks, so early in the morning, brain is still in the sleeping mode.  I am staring at the new format and my brain is trying to get accustomed it.  I tried loading pictures as i have promised to show before steaming and after steaming the paus/baos and i am delighted to find out that i am now able to select several pictures at one time, just like it used to be, a long time ago.  Thank you Blogger, for bringing back this feature.  


Below, i have numbered every pau/bao that i have pleated and took a picture of it before steaming it and then another picture of it after steaming.  I have tried my best to figure out how to get a uniform smile but these paus/baos have a mind of their own, they will smile however they like and with attitude.  Which Smile do you like?  I like the one that split uniformly like a blossom and i have found that if i gather the pleats neatly , it will and might split like blossom.  The ones that i twisted, split like the map of the world, it is not so easy to pleat with this recipe as the dough is so soft.  Need many credit hours and that too might not ensure that it will work despite all the practice.    Well, at least they cracked and the taste is there, accept it lily, they are hand-made and rustic.

Smile Pau/Bao Improved Continuation

 As promised, i am sharing how to finish making the pau/bao.  In my next post i will share pictures of the pleated paus/bao before steaming and after steaming.

Smile Pau/Bao Improved

 I have just finished making another batch of char siew pau/bao and this time with a starter that i have left to ferment for more than 48 hrs - it was give and take 55 hours.  The starter dough did not look any different and did not smell sour or yeasty.  My conclusion is that if the starter is replenished with just enough water to make into a soft dough, the starter dough will not become foamy.  The first batch of Smile Pau was made with less starter dough and using  more dry flour cos the starter dough was more liquid to start with.  So, when adding the dry flour to the starter dough to make the main dough, it has to be adjusted according to the texture of the starter dough.  Although this Smile Pau/Bao gave the best grin, i feel that there is room for improvement, not only the texture, the appearance too.  I have tried my best to share my experience as i have made more than 5 batches of Smile Pau/Bao and they all SMILE, although sometimes not the way i would love the SMILE to be.  It has been quite fasinating to see the result of this Smile Pau/Bao, smiling how ever they like, they have attitute.  Perhaps it is me, i am not expert enough to seal the pau/bao and it will take many more batches of pau/bao making, even that too might not ensure that i will get it right.  But, what i do know is right, is that the WATER for STEAMING has to be ALOT(quantity) and VERY VERY HOT,  to create as much steam as possible.  This is the toughest combat that i have to face, steaming in high altitute. 

I have edited this recipe by replacing the wheat starch with pau flour as i have found that too much starch makes the pau gummy and sticks to the teeth.

Breakfast Chee Cheong Fun

 

 

I love this type and style of chee cheong fun for breakfast and have been trying to get the texture right but have not been able to get it right until now. Now, my quest is over, i can have this type of chee cheong fun for breakfast with no fuss no muss. A piece of chee cheong fun can be made in the microwave for only 2 minutes without having to heat up a pot of water for steaming or using a crepe pan to fry which is not too bad but the underside sometimes tend to be overcooked and so will be slightly rough.

Smile Pau/Bao

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it's breaking
When there are clouds, in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile, through your fear and sorrow
Smile, and there'll be tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through
If you'll....


Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear, may be ever so near,
That's the time, you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you'll just....


Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear, may be ever so near,
That's the time, you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you'll just....


Smile

I hope you all enjoyed this video and sang along with the lyrics as the lyrics of yesteryears are so meaningful.  Smile is a very powerful tool, even a pau/bao that smiles will make your day.  It is easier to make me SMILE but not so easy to make the pau/bao smile.  It took me 2 days and many paus/baos after, to be able to make them Smiling.  It is not the recipe, any recipe will work if we are able to recognize the function of each ingredients in the recipe.  I have edited this recipe and omitted the wheat starch and replaced it with pau flour as i have found that too much starch makes the dough tasted gummy and stick to the teeth.  The wheat starch write-up is for your knowledge only.

Velvety Sauce Char Siew Pau/Bao

I have to share this Velvety sauce as this sauce kicked the Char Siew Pau/Bao up a few knotches and moved it to my favorite, will not go back to my older recipe.  The recipe for the sauce makes a fairly large batch and it is worth the while cos it will keep well in the fridge and every time you want to make Char Siew Pau/Bao, half the work is done if you have Char Siew and all you have to do is to make the Pau/Bao dough.  Talking about Pau/Bao Dough, i get all excited when i see a new recipe and what a let- down to the excitement when the result is not up to my expectation.  I still fall back to SuperSoft Pau and if you are lazy and do not want to make the Tangzhong, go ahead and follow Tien Tsin Pau recipe or Pan Fried Pau, they are very good pau doughs which my picky pau eater, Renee approves.

I am posting the Velvety Sauce as the Ingredients and Method for making the Pau/Bao Dough are already posted in the 3 links i have provided above.  You can make
Char Siew following these 2 recipes - Char Siew and Lam Yee Char Siew

Coconut Milk Egg White Tart

Julie, a reader of my blog, requested if i have a recipe for this egg tart. She said that she does not know how to call this tart, so do I !!!.   I have not heard of it, she said she ate them in Hong Kong and  I regreted that she did not ask me a year ago cos i was in Hong Kong last year and would have gone to get some.  Julie, thank you for introducing me to this tart and have the confidence in me to try and build up a recipe from looking at a picture.  i don't know if i got it right but this is my first try and i should say, it was tremendously delicious.  Julie, i hope you will try to make them and give me a feedback. 

The first few tarts i baked, it was just coconut milk, water, cornstarch, sugar and egg white, it set beautifully but the white color is not prominent, so i added a tbsp of milk powder to the custard mixture and the second batch turned out more appealing and the taste had more depth.