Baked Chocolate Mooncakes 巧克力月饼 ~ 2014

Baked Chocolate Mooncakes seem to be 'The' mooncake this year and after looking at all the other blogposts by fellow bloggers, the temptation is just too great to resist. So here are my Chocolate Moonies! I'm also taking the opportunity here to wish all my readers and friends a very Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. Do have a wonderful time and enjoy the day with your family, loved ones and friends!

Recipe for Baked Chocolate Mooncakes (adapted from 'here')

Ingredients

113 gm plain flour
18 gm Valrhona cocoa powder
85 ml golden syrup
25 ml peanut/vegetable oil
1/2 tsp alkaline water
480 gm lotus paste
20 gm lightly toasted melon seeds

Method

Mix golden syrup, oil and alkaline water with a ball whisk thoroughly till the oil is fully incorporated.
Sift plain flour, cocoa powder in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the syrup mixture. Using a spatula, mix well to form a soft dough. Cover with cling wrap and let rest for 30 mins.
Divide dough into 12 portions of 30 gm each. Roll into a ball.
Mix the melon seeds into the lotus paste and divide into 12 portions of 40 gm each. Roll into a ball.
Flatten a ball of dough, Put in a ball of lotus paste, wrap it up, roll into a ball.
Lightly dust a (75 gm) plunger mould with flour and firmly press in the ball of dough. Press out the mooncake and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 170 deg.C for 10 mins. Remove the mooncakes from the oven and let cool for 15 mins. Return the mooncakes into the oven and bake again for 10 to 15 mins.
Transfer the mooncakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. Store them in an air-tight container.
Yield : 12 mooncakes

Note : These mooncakes can be eaten on the day they're baked or you can choose to let the skin 'mellow' and turn softer after keeping them for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.

Mini lime marmalade chiffon cake

These little chiffon cupcakes were made with lime marmalade. Other than orange marmalade I've never come across lime marmalade and so this went into my shopping basket when I was in Perth last. It's slightly more sour than orange marmalade but it's delicious when you have it with butter or peanut butter slathered on a slice of freshly baked bread or toast!

Read on for the Recipe

Kai Chai Paeng aka Little chicken biscuit

K ai Chai Paeng or 'Little chicken biscuit' was one of my father's favourite item to take away whenever we stopped by Bidor, a small town south of Ipoh on the way to Kuala Lumpur, long ago before the North-South Highway came into existence. Those days, Bidor's famous restaurant, Pun Chun ,was like a half-way house whereby travellers would stop by for their signature 'Ngap thui meen' or duck thigh noodles. Pun Chun restaurant is right in the middle of town along the main road and has been in operation for 70 years and their Kai Chai Paeng were of the thick, doughy type made with lard and some pork but now they also have the thin and crispy version. Another small town, known as Kampar which is nearer to Ipoh is also famous for their thin and crispy version of Kai Chai Paeng. However, I'm not too sure which town is the originator of these 'chickenless', unique but absolutely aromatic 'Little chicken biscuit'.

Read on for the Recipe

Braised Pork Ribs with Yam & Wood ear fungus

I bought this yam/taro from a wet market and the lady assured me that her yams are creamy when cooked. She cut off a very small piece to justify her statement and true enough I saw some powdery substance on the knife. It can be very frustrating when you end up getting a yam that's firm even when cooked for yams have a hardy taste with a minimal amount of sweetness. But if you pair it up with some meat and fermented bean curd, the dish will be transformed into a tasty delicacy. Recipe for Braised Pork Ribs with Yam & Wood Ear Fungus Ingredients 750 gm Yam/Taro, peeled and cut into chunks 450 gm pork ribs, marinated with some seasalt 30 gm wood ear fungus, soaked, stemmed and cut into strips 2 pieces fermented beancurd (Nam Yue), mashed with some water 1 small knob ginger, smashed 5 cups water or more 1/2 tsp dark soya sauce Salt and sugar to taste 2 tsp Shaoxing wine Method In a wok, saute th...

No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

Search This Blog