Rice Cooker Milk Bread

Ingredients 

220g bread flour

2g yeast

25g castor sugar

2g salt

15g vegetable oil or melted butter

145g milk+egg mixture (1 egg + milk)

Directions

• combine all dry ingredients together in a bowl
• add egg mixture followed by oil and combine well
• transfer on working surface and knead (like washing clothes) till dough becomes smooth and elastic (about 10min)
• round the dough and placed in an oiled glass bowl to proof for 1hour till double it's size
• cut to 9 equal pieces (about 43-45g)
• take each dough and release air by flattening dough with a rolling pin and round it into a small ball
• arrange the dough in a small non-stick rice cooker
• proof again for another 30mins
• start the rice cooking mode (about 16min) until finish and repeat the start cycle one more time
• remove immediately from the rice cooker
• brush with milk/egg wash and pop in oven for 10min at 160°C to brown the top of the oven

Foodnote: Well making homemade bread is my favorite and this is one recipe that I just have to try because I love the simplicity and this is good for those people who don't have an oven. I don't know what to expect but the bread turns out well. I am too lazy to buy milk so I just use evaporated milk. Should have diluted it with water but use it whole hehe so my bread turns out yellowish. Still taste good though and I have no regrets trying this bread. I think it will be as good baked in the oven too. I ate it with butter while it is warm and the skin still crispy... yummy!!!

Coconut Butter Cake

Ingredients 

100g unsalted butter (room temperature)

100g castor sugar

2 whole eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

100g cake flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

20ml fresh milk

30g dried shredded coconut

Directions

• mix eggs with vanilla extract and put aside
• in a bowl and using hand-held mixer, whisk butter and sugar till fully combined
• add egg mixture by batches and whisk till batter is light and pale
• sieve cake flour and baking powder into the batter and fold in using a spatula
• add fresh milk and fold again before adding the shredded coconut
• transfer to a baking pan and sprinkle some shredded coconut 
• bake at 170°C for 30-35min

Foodnote: since I have dried shredded coconut to clear, decided to try this recipe since the portion is very small. This turns out very yummy & moist even though I might overbake it a bit (because... WFH). I love it and will definitely make it again.

Apple Crumble Muffin

Ingredients
2 apples chopped mix with juice of 1/2 lemon
200g self raising flour (or 200g plain flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
125g brown sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
100g melted butter

Crumble
50g plain flour
25g cold butter
15g brown sugar
(rub together till you get breadcrumbs and keep in the fridge till ready to use)

Directions

• sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and put aside
• whisk eggs and sugar till pale then add melted butter
• fold in flour mixture and chopped apples
• scoop into paper liners topped with crumble
• bake at 175°C for about 25min

Foodnote: Recipe shared by a volunteer friend when we got rescued green apples. The initial recipe calls for 3 small green apples but I only have red apples from my eldest brother. I use about 1.5 apples. This recipe is a keeper. Love the soft texture and also the rise in the muffin. Will try other muffin recipes after this. Perhaps... carrot cake muffin? Woaaah the smell of the muffin baking in the oven is really awesome.

Fried Yam Puff (Woo Kok)

Ingredients
(recipe for 4 students)
600g powder yam (peeled, cut into 1cm cube & steamed)
200g wheaten starch
160ml boiling water
5g salt
25g sugar
6g five spice powder
10g sesame oil
4g pepper powder
80g shortening
1/2g ammonia
new cooking oil for frying

Directions

• scald the wheat starch with boiling water and mix well
• add hot steamed yam and stir well till all yam hard bits are mashed
• add in seasoning (sugar+salt+5spice+sesame oil+pepper)
• once the dough is cooled, sprinkle the ammonia and add in the shortening
• mix well to form dough
• divide yam dough into 40g balls and form a deep bowl
• add filling (char siew or red bean paste)
• seal by pinching 2 sides of the opening and form a sharp seal
• heat oil to 180°C and deep fry till puffy net formed and color is golden brown

Foodnote: This yam puff is very interesting especially when the net is formed. Interesting taste too... but maybe I'd like the filling to be red bean instead of char siew. Anyway... it is quite challenging to make though the effect is very satisfying to see. Hhhmm... not very sure I'd be making this at home though but still good to learn something new.

Sesame Seed Ball

Ingredients
200g glutinous rice flour
70g wheaten starch

210g water
60g sugar
60g shortening

vegetable oil for frying
lotus or red bean paste (form into 20g balls each)
white sesame seeds

optional: meat fillings like for siew mai or charsiew

Peanut filling
roasted chopped peanuts
sugar
flour (dry fry flour till brown)

Directions

• mix the glutinous rice flour and wheaten starch together and put aside
• in a saucepan, heat water, sugar and shortening till rolling boil
• turn off heat and add in the flour mixture
• using a wooden spatula, quickly stir in the ingredients till even
• transfer on a working surface and start needing to form a dough
• divide the dough into 40g portions
• press the dough into palm of hand to flatten
• fill with lotus/read bean paste and seal
• wet the ball and roll into sesame seeds
• roll into palms again to make sure that the sesame seeds will completely stick on the balls
• heat oil to 180°C and deep fry until light golden brown (if oil exceed 180°C, remove the saucepan from heat and drop in the balls to drop the temperature)
• keep stirring the balls so that it will cook evenly
• drain on sieve and transfer to kitchen towel to remove excess oil completely

Foodnote: So happy to finally able to learn to make this. We made with red bean fillings and also with charsiew. I have never made this before (the malay style) so now I am looking forward to try to make this on my own. The trick to make the sesame seed really stick to the balls, is to wet it first, and keep rubbing/rolling in our palms till we feel the sticky starch start seeping and covering the sesame seeds. To make the sesame seed balls with consistency of mochi, just remove the wheaten starch.

During our last class (exam day) we were shown the common way of making the sesame balls... adding the boiling water to the flour and mix together. After that, knead the dough with sugar and once cooled, adding the shortening and knead till dough is formed. I prefer adding the way the chef taught us (Teo Chew style) because is easier and more straightforward.

Steamed Yam Cake

Ingredients
(makes 3 portions)
600g yam cube (1cm) best to use Pahang yam
50g washed and chopped dried prawns
300g rice flour
500ml water
15g salt
13g sugar
3g 5 spice
1g pepper
800ml water
4 tbsp fragrant oil for frying prawns
100g washed, soak and chopped mushroom

Garnishings
sliced spring onions
sliced red chilles
crispy fried sliced shallots
toasted white sesame etc.

Directions

• in a bowl, mix rice flour with 500g water and put aside
• in a saucepan, mix oil and dried prawns
• turn on the heat at high and fry till prawn is crispy and fragrant
• add yam followed by other ingredients such as salt, sugar, spice, pepper and 800g of water and cook till yam is soft
• to add mushroom, sautee the mushroom first; put aside and add it later with other ingredients after dried prawns
• add rice flour mixture and keep stirring until it thickens and form a paste (wooden spoon can stand)
• transfer paste into a greased tray or metal cups
• smooth the top of the cake using a spatula
• brush fragrant oil generously on yam paste
• steam for 1 hour till set (make sure steamer is covered with kitchen towel to prevent water from dripping into yam cake
• add garnishings before servings

Steamed Carrot Cake (Lo Bak Go)

600g shredded turnip (white carrot)

remove 5 spice

reduce water in 2nd part to 700ml

Steamed Pumpkin Cake

600g cubed pumpkin (1cm)

remove 5 spice

reduce water in 2nd part to 700ml

• only use pumpkin raw ie. cook the rest of the ingredients first and once cooked, add in the pumpkin, stir and proceed to steaming

Foodnote: I love this yam cake. Love the savoury taste and the fragrant oil added to the cake. This can also be steamed in a cake tin and fried the next day. I love it just like it is with lots of yummy garnishings. One of the chef in the school make homemade Lao Gan Mo to eat with the yam cake. It is very yummy nom nom nom

Steamed Sponge Cake

Ingredients
(makes 2 portions)
160g cake flour
40g instant custard
4g baking soda
8g baking powder
200g brown sugar
4 eggs
16g gel (ovalette)
100g melted butter

200g lotus or red bean paste
4 salted egg yolk
chopped parsley as garnishing

Directions

• sieve together cake flour, instant custard, baking soda and baking powder
• add brown sugar to sifted mixture and combine well
• add eggs and gel... whisk or use mixer to beat till batter turns pale
• fold in melted butter until well mixed
• place flatten ball of lotus paste or red bean paste (10g each) at the bottom of paper cup
• add batter about 3/4 full and topped with chopped salted egg yolks and parsley (optional)
• steam for approximately 12min until steamer produces a nice steam cake smell

Foodnote: I love steam cake. This steam cake is yummy but I might omit the lotus/red bean paste. We also didn't add salted egg yolk and parsley during our lesson hhhmmm. I think it will be a bit savory with those toppings? Perhaps I should try some and see how it is like when I practice to make this at home. I can't stop eating the steam cake... very sweet though

Siew Mai & Phoenix's Eye Dumpling (Fong Ngan Har Gow)

Ingredients
Wonton Skin (refer here)
200g plain flour (100%)
2g salt (1%)
1g alkali water (0.5%)
70g water (35%-40%)

Filling
300g minced chicken
300g fish paste
6g salt
18g caster sugar
20g sesame oil
other ingredients
30g chopped mushrooms
100g water chestnut
3g ground white pepper
30ml fragrant oil (refer to here)
can also add chopped spring onion, chillies etc.
Basic for fillings: 100g meat + 1g salt + 3g sugar + 1-3g sesame oil)

Siew Mai additions
10g shredded carrots
20g crab roe

Phoenix's Eye additions
5g chopped spring onions
30g green peas


Directions
fillings

• mix all ingredients together but put the oil LAST!
• the final paste should be a sticky bouncy consistency
• place fillings in a tray and spread about 1cm thickness
• cover in clingwrap and best to keep it in the chiller overnight before use

preparation

• place fillings on wonton skin
• wrap the skin to form a basket for siew mai or pinch both ends of wonton skin to form phoenix's eye like the picture above
• decorate siew mai with shredded carrot and crab roe
• decorate phoenix's eye with spring onion and green peas
• arrange siew mai on a greased tray and steam on high heat for about 6-10min till fragrant
• once out of the steamer, quickly brush the steamed siew mai with fragrant oil generously
• garnish with anything of fancy such as crispy garlic+shallots+ginger, sliced onions, chillies, chopped spring onions etc.

Foodnote: Finally started the Intermediate Dim Sum class and we started off with making siew mai. Wished the school have crab roe ggrrrr so that my siew mai don't look so bland. Lucky got garnishes lah. Always looking forward to class and learning new kills and tips on making food yummy.