Matcha Green Tea Yogurt Mousse Cake
Friday, March 20, 2009Green teas contain a high amount of antioxidants, which are found in many foods, including vegetables, fruits, and chocolate, known to forestall aging.
Green tea is also known as a mood enhancer as it contains L-theanine, an amino acid known to relax the mind.
Mousse | Garnish |
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- Dissolve the gelatin in the water and set aside for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the matcha green tea powder into the yogurt. Microwave the gelatin together with water for about 20 seconds. Pour the yogurt mixture into the melted gelatin. Whip the cream with sugar in a separate bowl until very soft peaks form, carefully fold this into the matcha yogurt mixture.
- Place an 7-inch mousse ring in a plate and arrange one single layer of lady fingers on the bottom, leaving one centimeter from the sides, so that the mousse will drip down and fill up all around the cake layer. Gently press second layer of lady fingers cookies and the rest of the mousse filling. Cover and chill for at least 5 hours until firm.
- To unmold cake, using a damp very hot towel, carefully heat outside of spring-form pan until edge of mousse melts slightly. Pipe some whipped cream around the edge of the cake, dust the top with matcha tea powder. Garnish with fresh strawberries and sugared pearls.
Okara-Soya Pulp Crouquettes / 豆渣丸子
Wednesday, March 18, 2009Okara (oh-KAR-uh)or soya pulp is the high fiber remnant after the production of soya milk or tofu/bean-curd. Okara is a Japanese word, meaning "the honorable shell." In China, okara is known (in pinyin ) as douzha / "soy lees", or doufu zha / "tofu lees". Soya pulp or residue in plain English.
I usually make soya milk or tofu with a machine, therefore the okara will be cooked during the process.
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- Dice carrot, bell pepper and black fungus. Place them in a mixing bowl. Squeeze excess water out of okara and add into the vegetable dices. Mix in chopped scallions, shallot fritters, egg white, egg and starch. Flavour the mass with chicken bouillon, salt and pepper to taste. Combine all the ingredients.
- Heat up oil till 180C/350F. Form the mixture into balls and low them down to the heated oil. Fry until golden brown. Alternatively you can fry the okara balls lightly coated with sweet potato-starch, as a result, okara croquettes taste more crispy. Serve with any preferred sauce.
Aubergine Sandwich In Tomato Sauce
Tuesday, March 17, 2009A juicy delicious ground meat filling sandwiched between two layers of aubergines and braised with tomato sauce.
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- Place all the spread ingredients together in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside. Peel and cut the aubergine into 3mm thick rounds. Dissolve the cornstarch with water in a small bowl.
- Spread some ground meat mixture on a round of aubergine and top with another, pressing gently to form a "sandwich". Coat the sandwich like aubergine thinly with flour, dip into the beaten egg and then with bread crumbs. Heat up some oil in a pan. Deep-fry the sandwich aubergines until golden brown. Drain and place them in a serving plate.
- Heat up a skillet with a tablespoon of oil.Add in tomato wedges and carrots. Stir briefly. Pour in the prepared sauce and bring it to a boil. Add the cornstarch solution to the sauce and cook until it starts to thicken. Turn the heat off and pour the sauce all over the aubergine. Sprinkle the chopped spring onions on the top and serve.
Pipa Tofu / 琵琶豆腐
Monday, March 16, 2009This tofu should look like the Chinese string instrument "pi pa" or a fruit loquat, also called “pi pa” in mandarinangiesrecipes
, hence the name Pipa Tofu. Add some chopped shrimps into the mixture if you are a seafood lover.
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- Mash the tofu with a tablespoon. Soak the dried mushrooms in some water until soft. Drain and chop. Cut the baby corns and carrots into the same size, green onion into chunks.
- Place the tofu, ground meat, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and flour in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients. Form the mixture into oval shape with a tablespoon. Heat up some oil in a frying-pot. Lower the shaped tofu into the oil and fry until golden crispy. Remove and drain.
- Heat a skillet with a teaspoon of oil until hot. Add in baby corns and carrots. Stir for about 1 minute and remove. Add in spring onion, dried mushroom and stir until fragrant. Pour in the stock, light soya sauce and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook to a boil and return the tofu to the skillet. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for a few minutes until all the ingredients well-combined. Dish off and serve immediately.
Stir-Fried Chicken With Hoisin Sauce / 海鲜酱鸡片
Sunday, March 15, 2009Hoisin sauce/Hai Xian Jiang is commonly used for BBQ, for example, 'Peking duck, suckling pig', and 'stir-fries' in Chinese cuisine. "Hoisin", which means seafood in Cantonese dialect, is a soya-based dipping sauce flavoured with salt, sugar, garlic, vinegar, red chilli peppers, and thickened with cornstarch.
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- Mix the sliced chicken with the marinade in a bowl and set aside for 1 hour. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small dish.
- Heat some oil in a skillet over high heat. Add in the marinated chicken and stir briefly. Remove, drain and keep aside.
- Add in hoisin sauce and bell pepper. Stir well and return the chicken to the skillet. Pour in chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Let simmer for 1 minute. Add in the cornstarch solution and stir until the sauce thickened. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the thinly sliced spring onions.
Zuckerkuchen German Sugar Cake
Saturday, March 14, 2009An effective way to chase away the long-lasting winter cold jitters is to share a square of warm Zuckerkuchen with your friends. Come and join Angie to experience the joy and delight of this classic German coffee cake.
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- Place all the ingredient for the batter in a mixing bowl, stir for 4-5 minutes at the middle speed until all the ingredients are well-combined.
- Pour in a 26x16x4cm glass pan or a square cake pan. Bake in a preheated 180C/350F oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Mix all the ingredients for the topping. Take out the cake and slowly pour the topping over the cake. Return the cake to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.
Lamingtons
Saturday, March 14, 2009Lamingtons are a butter cake in the shape of a cube, coated in a layer of traditionally chocolate icing then desiccated coconut. Recipe adapted from Joy Of Baking
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- Preheat oven to 180C/350F and place oven rack to middle position. Butter the bottom and sides of a 26x16x4cm cake pan. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Re-invert. Once the cake has completely cooled cut it into 15 2-inch (5 cm) squares. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or even overnight. The reason for doing this is that it is much easier (less crumbs) to coat a cold cake with frosting.
- Place the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and of pouring consistency.
- Put the squares of cakes on a serving plate lined with a baking sheet. Have ready the coconut on a large box or a plate and the chocolate frosting. Spoon or ladle the chocolate frosting over each square of cake, making sure you cover all sides. With a knife transfer the chocolate covered cake to the plate of coconut and roll the cake in the coconut, covering all sides. Gently transfer the lamingtons to a clean wire rack to set. Once the lamingtons have set, store in an airtight container for several days.
Five-Spiced Alaska Pollock
Thursday, March 12, 2009Five flavours - sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty - are found in this unique five-spice powder containing fennel seeds/小茴香籽, cloves/丁香, and Chinese cinnamon/肉桂, along with star anise/八角 and Szechuan peppercorns/花椒 .
Ingredients | Marinade | Sauce |
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- Rinse and pat dry fish fillets. Cut each into 2-3 even chunks and place them in a bowl. Add in marinade and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Strain the marinade into another bowl and stir in all the ingredients for the sauce.
- Heat the oil till it is bubbling, then turn heat down to about medium-low. Place fillets into the pan and cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes until cooked thoroughly. Transfer the fish on a serving plate and sprinkle the shredded red pepper and spring onion over. Pour the sauce into the skillet and bring it to a boil. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.
Alaska Pollock Broccoli In Clear Sauce
Wednesday, March 11, 2009Alaska pollockm the member of the cod family, sometimes called walleye or bigeye pollock, is a lean fish with firm, white flesh and a nice flake.
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- Separate the broccoli into the small florets. Wash and drain. Rinse the fish fillets and cut into even chunks.
- Fill a medium pot with water and heat it on high until boiling. Add in a bit of salt, sugar and oil. Drop broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook without lid on for about 3 minutes. Drain.
- Pour enough water with half ginger and onion into a skillet to just barely cover the fish. Bring to a boil. Add in fish fillets and 1 teaspoon of rice wine. At the same time poach the broccoli in another pot of boiling water seasoned with a little salt and oil. Once the fish is cooked through, remove and reserve the stock.
- Heat up a skillet with some oil. Add in the rest of ginger and onion, stirring until fragrant and lightly brown. Pour in the saved fish stock and bring to a boil. Discard the ginger and onion. Return the fish fillets to the skillet, adding the rest of rice wine, seasoning with chicken bouillon and salt.
- Thicken with the starchy solution and drizzle with some cooked oil. Turn off the heat. Arrange the fish fillets on a serving plate, and surround the dish with the prepared broccoli. Garnish with shredded carrot. Serve with a dish with oyster sauce.