Hong Kong Style Crystal Dumpling / Har Gow

Ingredients
Dumpling Skin
100g wheat starch
25g tapioca starch
150g water (100°C)
5g oil
1g salt

Meat Fillings
600g meat (chicken + prawn or fish paste)
3-6g salt (3g for sweet, 6g for savory)
18g sugar
1-2g white pepper powder
10g sesame oil
optional ingredients: chopped waterchestnut (soaked in sugar water for 10min), shallot, garlic, mushrooms, spring onion or mushroom seasoning (MSG)

Garnishes
chopped shallots
sliced garlic + light soya sauce
crispy fried shallots
fried peanut and crispy anchovies
chopped spring onion
chopped coriander leaves
potato chips (yes... potato chips)
chopped red chillies (to add last so that the color will stands out

Green Tea Skin: add 5g matcha powder to the flour
Charcoal Skin: add 2g charcoal powder to the flour
Other colors: add the liquid colourings to the boiling water
Soon Kueh: the skin can also be used for soon kueh. Increase the oil to 15g

Directions
Meat Filling

• chop meat into very small pieces
• add all other ingredients together (best to use a mixer), spread on a tray and keep in the fridge until ready to use
• proportions of ingredients can be adjusted to taste (yes taste the raw ingredients... won't die one)

Dumplings

• put both flour together in a bowl
• combine water, oil and salt in a pan and cover the top with stainless steel bowl (to prevent evaporation) and bring to a boil
• once the water get into rolling boil, add the flour and quickly keep stirring using a wooden spatula till all floor absorbed the water evenly
• remove the dough to a working surface and keep kneading till dough is even, smooth and springy
• put the dough under a covered bowl to prevent drying
• prepare a plate and glaze it with oil (preferably onion+garlic+ginger oil)
• take a small piece of dough and use a rolling pin to roll thin
• use a round cutter (I use a small bowl) to cut round shape, fill with meat fillings and pinch the edges together to form hargow dumpling (refer to here @ 6.5min on how to pinch the edges of the har gow)
• place on the prepared plate and steam for 10-12min ... you should be able to smell the fragrant of the dumpling when it is ready (do not open the steamer cover too early to check)
• immediately after removed from the steamer, glaze each dumpling with oil
• add garnishes for presentation and to enhance the taste

Foodnote: I love dim sum and am glad to have the opportunity to learn how to make this myself. The taste is really awesome and the garnishes together with the dim sum really makes the taste super awesome. Looking forward to the next baked dim sum class (Basic). Hopefully after Hari Raya, I will definitely want to continue with the intermediate class and learn more dim sum dishes.

To freeze: keep raw dumplings uncovered in the fridge on a tray for 1-2hr. Transfer to a covered container. When it is ready to be consumed, steam from frozen.

Char Siew Roast Chicken

Ingredients
BBQ Chicken
2 kg chicken breast
7 tbsp dark soya sauce
7 tbsp light soya sauce
7 tbsp oyster sauce
7 tbsp hoisin sauce
7 tbsp honey
7 tbsp sugar or maltose
7 tsp salt
7 tsp pepper
7 tsp vinegar (ACV)
7 tsp 5 spice powder
7 tsp sesame oil
(other ingredients/flavours of choice eg. paprika, chilli powder, garlic, onion, lemongrass etc.)

Directions

• clean and put the chicken in a big bowl
• cook the dark soya sauce, light soya sauce and oyster sauce till fragrant
• pour onto the chicken and add in the other ingredients... mix well
• keep in chiller to marinate for 20min or overnight
• place chicken on a baking tray lined with parchment paper
• bake in 200°C for 18-20min till edge is brown and skin is crispy (10min through baking, pour out excess water and brush chicken with honey or maltose)
• once cooled, cut into tiny cubes and put aside

Ingredients

Char Siew Sauce
650g water

70g sugar

50g oyster sauce

50g soy sauce

50g dark soya sauce

5g pepper

50g sesame oil

50g modified starch (or corn starch)

Directions

• cook dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil till bubble and remove from fire
• in a separate bowl, combine modified corn starch with sugar and water and whisk till mixed
• add all the sauces together to thicken
• mix well with the chopped chicken and add in pepper powder
• freeze the char siew chicken for use as filling for pao

Foodnote: This is a recipe for the char siew chicken pao. The roasted chicken itself is very yummy and juicy. I would like to try and make this and it can be kept frozen for many other recipes and fillings. I might even try it to make grilled fish... yummy!

Mantou Bun & Basic Pao

Ingredients
Sponge (starter)
230g medium protein flour (Prima blue plain flour)
5g high sugar yeast (Bruggeman brown packet)
130ml cold water (5°C)

Pao Dough
fermented starter dough
150g medium protein flour
10g baking powder (Rumford brand)
80g sugar
10g shortening (put in flour dusted small bowl for easy transfer)
40ml cold water (5°C)
1g yeast (optional but can add to speed up proofing)

Directions

• prepare the starter dough by mixing yeast to the flour
• in a mixer with K-beater attachment, add water to yeast and flour mixture and knead on low speed for 4min
• cover the bowl with the starter with cloth and let it rest for 30min
• separately, prepare ingredients for pao dough
• in a bowl mix flour with baking powder and set aside shortening and sugar separately
• after 30min of resting the starter, weigh in the ice cold water and add in to the starter followed by sugar and shortening (add optional 1g yeast here)
• knead on low speed for 2min and after that add in half of the flour to knead for about 30s and pour the rest and continue kneading for 4-5min till dough is soft and smooth
• weigh and divide into 2 portions of dough
• shape the dough (mantou or with filling), place in cupcake paper and let it proof for about 40min
• steam under high pressure for 12min or till you get a whiff of sweet smelling buns

Mantou

• roll out the dough (1st roll must be as thin as possible to remove air bubbles) about 4mm (longish rectangular shape) and fold into 2... continue this for 6 folds
• after 6 folds, roll the dough like swiss roll (from the long side)
• using a sharp knife, cut into about 6-8 pieces, proof and steam
• can also deep fry

Longevity Bun (with red bean filling)

• measure 20g of red bean paste, round into balls and put aside
• roll each dough out about 4mm and fold into 2... continue this for 6 folds
• after 6 folds, roll the dough like swiss roll (from the long side)
• using a sharp knife, cut into about 6 pieces
• round the dough with a rolling pin flatten it
• wrap the red bean paste in the dough and using both palms, shape it with a pointed top
• using a scraper, create a line vertically
• take some flour, add water and green coloring to form a dough
• roll flat and cut to create 2 long leaves
• use water to stick leaves to the dough
• using a air brush (can also use spray bottle) spray to add red coloring
• proof and steam 

Brown Sugar Pao

• replace the sugar with brown sugar for the pao dough

Green Tea Pao

• add 10g of matcha powder to the flour of pao dough

Charcoal Pao

• add 3g of baking charcoal powder to the flour of pao dough
• add additional 10g water

Pandan or Coffee Pao

• add 10g of essence (paste) and reduce the water to 30g instead of 40g

Tao Sar Pao

• fill the dough with red bean paste (25g)

Char Siew Roast Chicken

• fill the dough with char siew chicken (25g). See here for recipe.

Foodnote: I have always wanted to learn to make steamed pao and finally had the opportunity to learn to make it myself. The best part is this recipe does not use any chemical and the buns are so nice and soft. The actual recipe when we tried in school is using Prima Ivory White flour but that can only be bought in big 25kg. Advice from the chef is that the best alternative is Prima plain flour in blue packaging. The yeast and baking powder... also must use the recommended ones eerr ok ok.

Anyway we made 3 types of pao: plain mantou, longevity bun and brown sugar pao. Shaping the longevity bun is quite challenging and the final shape just look like butt ahahaha. The brown sugar pao was made by just replacing the sugar. 1g of yeast was added to speed up proofing. It tasted... ok lah. Can't really taste the brown sugar hhmmm... 

Okie dokie... can't wait to practice it myself and make varieties of fillings like red bean or curry potato or dry sambal ikan bilis yum yum.

Soft & Fluffy Milk Bread

Ingredients
70g water
60g milk
5g instant dry yeast

38g sugar
5g salt
1 egg

250g bread flour
40g butter

Directions

• combine water, milk and yeast in a bowl
• add sugar salt and egg and mix well
• add bread flour till evenly combined with a spatula and leave covered for 15min
• knead dough till smooth and add in butter (low speed on KA 2 for 5min using dough hook)
• knead till window pane stage and smooth (medium speed KA 4-5 for 30min), round & put into a bowl, cover with clingwrap and let proof for 1hr 
• cut and shape into buns (8-10pcs)
• cover with clingwrap and leave for 15min
• roll each bun flat, then fold like swiss roll or add any filling
• arrange into a baking tray and leave for another 1hr
• apply egg wash before baking for 12-15min at 170-180°C
• once removed from oven, brush with melted butter

Cream Cheese Filling

200g cream cheese

30g sugar

~ just mix together using a spatula

Foodnote: Oh Em Gee... this recipe is so awesome. Got it from the internet here. I tried kneading by hand and honestly it took me like forever lol. But somehow after more than 1/2 hour of sweat and hitting the dough on the counter top...  finally the dough is no longer sticky and come together and I get the window pane stage. That is the main trick of getting super soft dough. The bread is unbelievably soft and yummy. After baking, it is super soft and delicious just like from the bakery yum yum... I love it so much! The next day it is still soft ooh la laaaa... (psst... will try to use the mixer next time hehe)

Update: So I made this again on 1503 and this time I use the KitchenAid mixer. I divided the dough into 10 (~50g each)... 5 filled with red bean paste (20g) that I bought from Sheng Siong which is nicer than the one from Bake King and another 5 with cream cheese (~1 tbsp). Super yummy and pillowy soft! 

No Sugar Artisan Bread

Ingredients
2 cups of bread flour
1 cup of very warm water (not boiling)
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp active yeast
melted butter + white sesame (optional)

Roasted garlic & spring onion butter spread

• mix soft salted butter with roasted chopped garlic and spring onion

Directions

• add the salt and yeast to the warm water in a big bowl
• add in the flour and mix with a spatula or by hand till evenly mixed... it will be sticky
• cover it with clingwrap or if the bowl comes with a cover, leave a small gap for air to escape and leave it to rise for 2 hours (it should double in size)
• flour your hand to handle the dough and divide into 2 equal portions
• round the dough and place it on a parchment paper (or grease the tray) and leave to proof for another 40min
• after 40min, pre-heat the oven to 170-180°C
• brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle white sesame (optional as I find the sesame don't stick well)
• score the dough on the sides and top
• bake for 30 minutes with a water tray at the bottom
• after 30 minutes, turn off the heat and leave the door of the oven open for 15-30 mins 

Foodnote: After trying out the killer toast recipe, I just have to try this easy no knead artisan bread that requires no sugar. Although it is time consuming to have to wait for the dough to rise etc. but it can also be left in the fridge overnight and the next day, just shape and bake. I actually only bake 1/4 of the actual recipe and I got 2 big round loaves of bread that can last me for 2-3 days!! I also made a mistake ggrrr... I found a craft cutter instead of my scoring knife. No wonder it is not sharp that I have to use my knife. After that... than I found my scoring knife ggrrrrr... Definitely will be making this again for my upcoming potluck session... AAANDD... using my scoring knife this time round!! Another mistake I did is to use a greaseproof baking paper instead of parchment paper so the bottom stick ~sigh. Need to slice the paper off the bottom hhhmmm. Next time will just grease the baking tray. Taste wise... very nice when it is hot to eat with butter and jam. Very chewy so obviously I love the killer toast more. However... still nice and I finish a whole loaf *hide*

Made this again for potluck session. This time, I prepared garlic and spring onion spread. It is really yummy and a hot favourite with my friends!! I tried to demo but run out of bread flour so we got Bake King bread flour instead of Prima which I used previously. The dough came out very sticky hhhmmm. Maybe need more flour for different brand of bread flour. Will take note.

Chocolate Chiffon

Ingredients of Part A
Group 1
108g egg yolks (6 nos large eggs)
120ml milk
75ml oil
30g castor sugar

Group 2 (sift together)
120g cake flour (I use Hong Kong flour)
30g cocoa powder (I use Valrhorna)
3g baking powder
3g baking soda
4g salt

Ingredients for Part B
Group 3
228 egg whites
90g castor sugar
3g cream of tartar

Directions

Part A

• in a large mixing bowl add egg yolks, milk and sugar and use hand whisk till fully combined
• pour in oil and mix again using zig zag motion
• add in Group 2 in batches and mix till well incorporated and batter is creamy flowy

Part B

• in a mixer with balloon whisk attachment, whisk in eggs white till frothy before adding in cream of tartar
• whisk till soft peak and gradually add in caster sugar
• increase speed (KA4) and whisk till firm peak

Final Steps

• add 1/3 of egg whites meringue into Part A mixture with hand whisk to lighten the batter
• add another 1/3 mixture till fully combined
• lastly add the final portion and whisk till fully combined before switching to spatula to scoop up from bottom to fold up until no streaks of Part A batter can be seen
• fill in 3/4 of chiffon pan (23cm) and use a skewer to run around through the batter to remove anyair bubbles
• bake at 160°C for at least 40-50min
• remove from oven and turn it upside down on a rack to cool down
• once cooled, use a sharp knife to release the edges and inner ring through pulling motion
• remove from pan and use the knife again to releave the cake from the base of the pan
• ready to serve!!

Foodnote: I usually like the normal pandan chiffon cake but fell in love with this one! It is so soft and the taste is oh so awesome. We even eat it with chocolate ganache... oooh la la... Thank you Chef Susan for this recipe. Hope to attend her bread class next?

So I tried to make this chiffon cake on 12 Sep 2020 and it was a success!! I followed Chef Low advise to use Hong Kong flour instead. Turns out very nice and this really gives me more confidence to bake more chiffon cake woohoo... 

Pandan Chiffon Cake

(Measurement for single 18cm portion. Double portion for 23-25cm chiffon pan)
Ingredients Part A
Group 1
140g egg yolk (8 large eggs)
120g coconut milk
8g kopoe kopoe pandan paste
80g vegetable oil

Group 2
140g sifted cake flour
5g salt

Ingredients Part B
Group 3
210g egg whites
140g castor sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Directions
Part A

• in a big bowl combine egg yolk with coconut milk to prevent hydration while preparing other ingredients
• whisk Group 1 centre to side till completely mixed adding oil last
• add Group 2 and whisk till batter is smooth and no lumps
• once mixture is creamy and flowy, put it aside to prepare Part B

Part B

• using a mixer with balloon whisk attachment, whisk egg whites until frothy before adding in cream of tartar and whisk till soft peak
• gradually add in the castor sugar and then whisk on higher speed (KA8 -10) till firm peak

Final Steps

• scoop 1/3 of egg whites meringue into Part A and fold in till fully combined making sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl
• fold in the rest of the egg whites in 2 more batches
• fill in 3/4 of chiffon pan and use a skewer to run around through the batter to remove any air bubbles
• bake at 160°C for 40min to 1hr till skewer comes clean from center of cake
• remove from oven and turn it upside down on a rack to cool down
• once cooled, use a sharp knife to release the edges and inner ring through pulling motion
• remove from pan and use the knife again to releave the cake from the base of the pan
• ready to serve!!

Foodnote: Glad that I now can make my own chiffon cake weeee.... I also discovered from FB similar technique of baking that produces super soft spongy cake. Will definitely be trying those recipes. I am so happy and looking forward to more bakes this year!

Today 19 September 2020, I finally tried to make pandan chiffon cake at home. I feel more confident after the success of making chocolate chiffon cake by substituting the flour. Since I still have hong kong flour, I use it for pandan chiffon too. The cake become so fluffy that it cracked hehe. But texture and form is very satisfying. Will definitely be trying to make other flavor of chiffon. Feeling satisfied and glad that I take the Basic Cake course yippee.... 

Vanilla Swiss Roll with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients for Sponge Cake
160g egg whites
120g castor sugar
120g egg yolks
70g cake flour (sift 3x)
a pinch of salt
40g vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• pre-heat oven to 170 degree C and prepare baking pan lined with baking paper
• whisk egg whites on medium speed with balloon attachment till soft peak
• gradually add in sugar till firm peak (ie when whisk is lifted, egg whites form peak that is hooked)
• add in egg yolks one at a time on low speed just till evenly mixed with every addition
• sift flour and salt directly over the batter in 3 batches and use a hand whisk to mix it evenly (do not over whisk or the batter will deflate
• temper oil with 2 scoop of batter
• pour back tempered oil into the batter and mix well
• add in vanilla extract and use a spatula to fold the mixture to fold gently until evenly mix
• bang mixing bowl on counter top 2 - 3 time to remove big air bubble
• spread batter into baking pan and spread evenly with a spatula pushing batter into the corners
• jiggle pan lightly to level the batter and tap on countertop gently twice
• bake on middle rack for about 20min till middle of cake is springy
• remove from oven and drop pan from 1" high for 3-4x to release side of cake and to prevent cake from sinking
• remove cake from pan and flip cake on a clean baking paper, skin side facing down
• place a clean baking paper on top of cake and flip cake over again, now skin side facing up
• leave cake to cool on wire rack

To assemble cake

• place cake on a new piece of baking paper, skin side facing down now
• peel baking paper on cake
• spread chocolate ganache
• roll cake on baking paper to guide along

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache filling
200g dark chocolate couveture (55%)
200g heavy cream (35% whipping cream)
20g honey to add shine
20g butter (optional)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• heat cream on low heat and keep stirring till bubbly on the sides
• remove from heat and pour in the chocolate
• let it soak for a while
• using a spatula, stir center to side... center to side
• to put aside before using, cover with clingwrap touching the chocolate and use another clingwrap to cover the bowl

Foodnote: TBC

Vanilla Sponge Cake

Ingredients for Sponge Cake
Part 1
275g eggs (5 nos.)
10g vanilla extract
130g castor sugar

Part 2
130g cake flour (sifted 3x)

Part 3
30g vegetable oil

Directions

• in a mixer with balloon attachment, whisk eggs, vanilla extract and castor sugar on low for a while just to combine all ingredients together
• turn to high speed (KA 8-10) for 8min
• turn to lower speed (KA 3-4) for another 2min
• total should be 10min to reach a ribbon stage
• remove batter from mixer and fold in cake flour in 2 batches
• in a separate small bowl add in the oil and scoop in some batter into the oil and mix well (oil tempering)
• pour back the oil mixture into the batter and mix well
• prepare 2 nos. of 6" cake rings by lining it with baking paper (inner) and aluminium foil (outer)
• scoop batter into each mould: 140g portion
• bake at 190°C for 18min
• turn cake over to cool it
• once cool, slice each cake into 2 and decorate it with cream, coulis jam or fruits
• chill before serving

Ingredients for Chantilly Cream

500g non-dairy whipping cream

50g icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Directons

• whisk all ingredients with balloon attachment till firm peak and keep in the fridge till ready to use. If over beat, just add a bit more cream to soften the cream

Foodnote: TBC