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

These snow skin mooncakes stay fresh and soft even after being kept chilled for a few days.  There is a great variety of mooncakes to choose from these days and for the snow skin mooncakes, one can create different flavours for the snow skin and this time I chose to add in Kahlua for a coffee flavour. Kahlua snow skin mooncake ~ 2018 ~  咖啡冰皮月饼    Ingredients for Dough 65 gm kao fun 17.5 gm wheat starch       )   Mix and steam for 3 mins. 17.5 gm superfine flour   )   Let cool and sift 60 gm icing sugar 25 gm shortening 65 gm hot water                )   Dissolve the coffee granules. 1.5 tsp coffee granules     )   Let cool 2 tsp Kahlua liqueur Filling 250 gm lotus paste (store bought) For a 50 gm mould, the dough is 25 gm 10 gm melon seeds, slightly toasted  and filling is also 25 gm This recipe is adapted from my previous post of Cointreau Snow Skin mooncake.   Please click 'here' for the method.

Not only is this Braised Pork ribs with mushroom  a homey dish, it's also very easy to prepare.  There are also three ways of cooking this delicious dish.  You can cook this in a pressure cooker if you're pressed for time, or in a slow-cooker or traditionally, simmering it in a good old fashioned, Wok! Braised pork ribs with mushroom in black pepper sauce ~ 黑胡椒排骨燉蘑菇 Ingredients 450 gm spare ribs 12 Shitake mushrooms, soaked and stemmed  6 slices of ginger 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed 1/4 teaspoon dark soya sauce 1/4 tsp  chicken granules (optional) 2.1/2 cups water, or more light soya sauce, sugar and salt to taste Method In a wok shallow fry the ginger with some oil, then add in the mushrooms and stir-fry. Add in the spare ribs, stir-fry on high heat for about 5 mins. then add in  and some water.  Add in the sauces, crushed black peppercorns, chicken granules, lower the heat and cook till the ribs are tender. Fine tune to desired tast

It's that time of the year once again and there are Mooncakes galore at all the shopping malls and supermarkets.  The Mid-autumn Mooncake festival falls  on 24th September, this year.  This round, I'm sharing with you mooncakes with homemade yam paste.  Homemade yam paste is moist and sugar level can be controlled.  These mooncakes do not have a 'waiting period'  which is   (  回油 )  and can be eaten on the day they are baked.  Best to consume within four days. Yam Paste Mooncake ~ 2018  ~  芋头月饼 Ingredients 500 gm yam 100 gm sugar 25 gm wheatstarch 1/8 tsp salt 70 ml vegetable oil (may require less) Method Peel yam, cut into slices and weigh out 500 gm.   Steam yam slices on medium heat for about 30 mins. till soft. Immediately mash up the yam slices while still hot (yam will harden once cooled) OR can use a handheld blender to blend.  (I used the latter). Pour the mashed yam into a non-stick pot, stir on low heat adding oil little by little. 

This full of pumpkin goodness tea bread is moist, fragrant and can be enjoyed at all times of the day. It matures and tastes the next day as the pumpkin and cinnamon are enhanced the day after. Pumpkin choc chip bread  ~    金瓜巧克力面包 Ingredients 150 gm plain flour 70 gm wholemeal flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp cinnamon 2 large eggs 50 gm brown sugar (I used panella sugar) 70 gm caster sugar 340 gm smashed pumpkin 120 ml canola oil 1/4 cup ml milk 100 gm choc chips a pinch of salt Method Remove the skin, seeds and membrane from the pumpkin, cut into cubes and steam till soft.  Drain off the water and smash the pumpkin. Whisk the flours, bicarbonate of soda, salt till well combined, set aside. Whisk the eggs, milk, sugars, then add in the oil and mix till no oil surfaces. Add the mashed pumpkin. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and gently fold in the choc chips.  Do not overmix. Pour the batter into a greased and flour dusted non-sti

I had my first taste of Cordycep flower soup in a Chinese restaurant and didn't hesitate to ask the waitress what were those curly, twisty, crunchy and chewy 'strings' in the soup.  Her reply was that they were Cordycep flowers (scientific name Cordycep Militaris), a sort of woody cultivated mushrooms. According to traditional Chinese medicine, Cordycep flowers do have some nutritional health benefits, such as nourishing the lungs, improve sleep, reduce fatigue just to name a few. After cooking, you may notice that the soup has a hint of orangey colour. Cordycep Flower Soup ~  Confinement food ~  猪骨虫草花汤 Ingredients 25 gm dried cordyceps flowers, rinsed, 450 gm soft pork bones for soup 10 seedless red dates 10 gm goji berries 20 gm yuk chook 2.1/2 lt water seasalt to taste Method Blanch the pork bones in hot water, drain, rinse and set aside Boil 2.1//2 lt water in a pot and once boiling, add in the dried cordycep flowers,  red dat

These delightful light-as-air cakes are based on French Financiers and are super easy to make.  I used the basic recipe but adjusted the ingredients for variations.   These dainty cakes can be served as afternoon tea or just with a cup of hot tea or an after-dinner dessert. Lemony Choc Chip Friands  ~  柠檬巧克力费南雪 Ingredients 80 gm melted butter 120 gm icing sugar 60 gm almond meal (ground almond) 50 gm plain flour, sifted 4 egg whites 45 gm choc chips 2 tsp lemon juice (optional) 1/2 tsp baking powder icing sugar to dust Method Sift flour, icing sugar into a mixing bowl.  Add in almond meal, mix well and make a well in the centre of the mixture. Lightly whisk the egg whites till frothy.  Pour the egg whites, lemon juice into the mixture, followed by the melted butter.  Lightly stir to form a soft batter. Scoop the mixture into the greased and flour dusted Friand pan. Bake in a preheated oven @  180 deg.C for 15 to 20 mins.  Test with a skewer till it c