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

   These non-baked snowy mooncakes encased  with a reduced sugar white lotus paste, have a slight matcha flavour.  There isn't much after bitter taste effect of the matcha as the pastel snowskin is a mix of plain and matcha flavoured dough.  As they are non-baked, they have to be chilled in the refrigerator in an air-tight container and will stay fresh even after the fifth day..... an enjoyable mooncake all round. Matcha Snowskin Mooncake    ~   抹茶冰皮月饼 Ingredients 97 gm kao fun  27 gm wheat starch 27 gm superfine flour 75 gm icing sugar 37 gm Crisco shortening 112 gm water 1 tsp matcha powder Pandan/screwpine leaves 360 gm sugar reduced white lotus paste Method Mix the wheat starch and superfine flour and steam it for 3 mins.  Let cool and sift into a bowl. Sift in kao fun and mix well. Boil Crisco shortening, water, pandan leaves, icing sugar till sugar and shortenng dissolved.  Pour into flour mixture, mix and knead well. Divide dough into 2 portions.  Sift in 1/2 tsp matcha powd

I was contemplating the choice of fruit juice to make the snow skin with this mooncake mould.  As this mould resembles a money bag  ( 钱袋) used in ancient China long, long ago, it should be something yellowish to represent gold. I finally settled for carrot juice because of its vibrant colour. The filling is reduced white lotus paste with lightly toasted sunflower seeds. These snowies are soft, light, refreshing and they served as a delicious chilled dessert. I kept them in an airtight container in the fridge and they stayed soft and delectable even on the fifth day, not dried and no cracks. Lotus Sunflower Seeds Snowskin Mooncake ~  莲蓉葵花籽冰皮月饼 Ingredients 97.1/2 gm kao fun  27 gm wheat starch 27 gm superfine flour 75 gm icing sugar 37.1/2 gm Crisco shortening 84 gm water 28 gm carrot juice 20 gm lightly toasted sunflower seeds 350 gm reduced sugar white lotus paste Pandan/screwpine leaves Method Mix the wheat starch and superfine flour and steam for 3 mins.  Let cool and sift into

  Mooncakes are on sale again as the Mid-autumn Mooncake festival is not too far away.   As we are going through a rather tough time because of the Covid 19 pandemic, many mooncakes can be bought online saving the hassle of going out and having to endure long queues with appropriate social distancing at popular venues selling mooncakes.   I managed to get some lotus paste and here I'm sharing with you my post of this simple Lotus Walnut Mooncakes. Lotus Walnut Mooncakes (2021)  ~   莲蓉核桃月饼 Ingredients for Filling 320 gm lotus paste (store bought) 40 to 50 gm walnuts, lightly roasted, chopped Method Mix the chopped walnuts with the lotus paste and form balls of approx. 25 gm for a 50 gm mould and 40 gm for a 75 gm mould. Ingredients for Dough 150 gm superfine flour 90 ml golden syrup 38 ml vegetable oil 2 gm alkaline water Egg glaze - 1 whole egg, beaten and strain. Method Use a handwhisk to mix the golden syrup, oil and alkaline water till no oil surfaces.  Sift in the superfine flo

  These Balsamic Sugary Pork Ribs are finger licking good, sweetish with a hint of vinegar.  I requested the butcher to chop them into 3 to 3.5 inch lengths so that they can be eaten with fingers.  They were juicy and  tender, deliciously coated with the thick sauce.  Definitely a recipe for keeps. Balsamic Sugary Pork Ribs  ~   糖醋排骨 Ingredients 500 gm pork ribs 5 pips of garlic, chopped 3 slices of ginger 3 Tbsp rock sugar 1 Tbsp shaoxing wine 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar 2 star anise 1 Tbsp light soy sauce 1/2 Tbsp dark soy sauce White part of the spring onions Black pepper Salt to taste Lightly toasted sesame seeds (optional) Method Wash the pork ribs, pat dry. In a wok, add some oil and shallow fry the pork ribs, flipping from side to side till lightly brown.  Remove and drain off the oil.  Scoop up any excess oil from the wok. In the same wok, add 5 Tbsp water and 3 Tbsp rock sugar, on medium heat, stir to create a caramel. Pour in the pork ribs and stir-fry. Add garlic, ginger and the

  I made this Raisin & Cranberry Loaf Bread without a mixer and kneaded the dough by hand.  It is quite therapeutic to knead the dough by hand, sort of light exercise.  This homemade bread is lightly sweetened and delicious.  You can enjoy it fresh as it is or have it toasted the next day or even make french toast out of it.  Pair it with your favourite freshly squeezed juice and a cup of hot coffee or strong black tea and it will be a delightful 'Stayathome' breakfast, an envy of your neighbours! Raisin & Cranberry Loaf Bread ~   葡萄干蔓越莓面包 Ingredients 250 gm high protein flour or bread flour 115 ml warm milk 1.3/4 tsp dry yeast 48 gm granulated sugar (take out 1 tsp for yeast mixture) 1 egg - 55 gm without shell 2 gm salt 20 gm unsalted butter, softened or cubed 60 gm raisins            )  soak in water for about 10 mins. to  60 gm cranberries     )  plump them up.  Then drain and pat dry. Egg wash - 1 egg + 2 tsp water Method Prepare the yeast mixture with warm milk, 1

  Top-shells, charcterized by a spiral conical shell are marine snails of the Trochidae family.  They are rich in vitamin A and protein but contain minimum fat and carbohydrates and help in a healthy flow of the bloodstream.  If the canned Top-shells are big, you can slice them up but the ones that I am using in this recipe are relatively small, hence I just used them whole. Stir-Fry Top Shell with Broccoli and Carrot   ~  西兰花 红萝卜炒鲍贝 Ingredients 100 gm Top-shells 100 gm broccoli 50 gm carrot, slicted 3 pips garlic, chopped 2 tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water to thicken 2 tsp oyster sauce Lightly toasted almond slivers (optional) Method Saute the chopped garlic with some oil, add in the carrot and brocolli. Toss in the Top-shells, add oyster sauce and salt to taste. Stir in cornflour thickening.  Dish out and serve with rice.

  This is a soft and light coffee chiffon cake and I tweaked it a bit by adding in some chopped walnuts for some crunch.   One will never tire with having a piece of chiffon cake with your favourite hot cuppa as it's refreshing and can be served at all times of the day and on any occasion. Walnut Coffee Chiffon Cake  ~     核桃咖啡戚风蛋糕   (adapted from  'here'  ) Ingredients (A) 6 egg yolks 100 ml milk 3 Tbsp coffee granules 100 ml oil 40 gm caster sugar 140 gm plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 45 gm lightly toasted and chopped walnuts Pinch of salt (B)  6 egg whites 100 gm caster sugar 1/2 tsp cream of tartar OR 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar Method Sift flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. Dissolve the coffee granules in the hot milk. let cool.   Whisk the egg yolks with sugar till creamy.  Add in the coffee mixture, blend well, followed by oil.  Mix well.  Sift in flour and stir to combine.  Add in the chopped walnuts and mix well. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with t

  Double boiled soup is very nutritious and there are many recipes for this kind of soup.  But very often the key ingredient for this kind of soup is chicken, be it free range or black chicken.  Some double-boiled soups that you enjoy in restaurants are herb-infused.  This time around I made this very simple yet flavouful soup with free-range chicken, dried oysters, mushrooms, seedless red dates, dried longan and wolfberries and I served this with misua.  You can opt to cook this in a slow cooker or in a double boiler pot for 2.1/2 to 3 hours on low heat.  Double boiled chicken soup with dried oyster and mushroom  ~   冬菇蚝豉炖鸡汤      Ingredients 400 gm free-range chicken 4 dried oysters, reconstituted 5 mushrooms, reconstituted and stemmed 1 Tbsp goji berries 10 dried longan 10 seedless red dates salt to taste Method Prepare a double boiler pot.   Place the chicken, red dates, dried oyster and mushrooms into the pot and add in about 1 litre of hot water.  Double boil for 2.1/2 hrs on medi

  This is a soft and moist chocolate cupcake which will augur well for breakfast or to enjoy at any time of the day.  I added jam inside the cake by poking a 'tunnel' into the cake and slowly scoop the jam in  to fill up the tunnel.  You can use any flavour of jam according to your preference but no matter what flavour or brand of jam you add in, the cake will taste real good! Chocolate Cupcakes with Jam  ~   果酱巧克力蛋糕 Ingredients 30 gm cocoa powder 110 gm plain flour 1/2 tsp sodium bicarbonate 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 2 'L' eggs 90 gm caster sugar 90 gm light brown sugar 80 ml oil 1/2 cup buttermilk (milk + 1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice to make up 1/2 cup) 2 tsp vanilla Jam of your choice to fill up the 'tunnel'  after baked  Icing sugar to dust (optional) Method Sift plain flour, sodium bicarbonate, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt into a mixing bowl.  Whisk with a ball whisk to combine thoroughly. Using a hand whisk, whisk eggs, oil, vanilla,

  This is a fuss-free  recipe to try at home and no greasy kitchen to clean.  All you need to do is to season the spare ribs and dump them with all the ingredients into a pot to cook till the ribs are tender and the sauce slighly reduced which of course is up to personal preference.  You may like to retain more sauce which will be tasty and delicious with plain white rice. Easy Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs ~  甜酸小排  Ingredients 500 gm spare ribs 1 Tbsp tomato sauce 1 Tbsp chilli sauce 2 tomatoes, chopped 3 cloves of garlic   ) 3 slices of  ginger  )  chopped 5 shallots               ) 2 tsp sugar or to taste 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce 1/2 tsp bean paste  (tau cheong) 1 tsp light soy sauve 1 tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water to thicken Method Season the ribs with some salt. Place the chopped garlic, ginger and shallots in a pot. Add in the ribs, all the sauces, sugar, bean paste and enough water to cover the ribs. Cook on medium heat and then on low.  Simmer till the ribs are tender and cooked throug

  I stumbled upon this post on how to achieve "Tall Bakery Style Muffins'' from 'Handletheheat' blog which aroused my curiosity and I was very eager to give it a try.  The batter is chilled for a few hours or overnight and can be baked straightaway.   Thus the muffins can be baked in a jiffy and you can serve warm freshly baked muffins for breakfast.  Yes, I noticed that the muffins rose fairly high and they were fluffy and moist. Overnight Almond Orange Muffins  ~    隔夜杏仁橘玛芬 Ingredients 143 gm plain flour 30 gm caster sugar 30 gm brown sugar 1/8 tsp salt 1/2 Tbsp baking powder 1/2 cup buttermilk (add 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice to make up 1/2 cup) 57 ml oil 1 large egg 2 tsp orange zest 1/2 tsp vanilla Almond slivers to sprinkle Method Sieve and whisk flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In another mixing bowl, whisk egg, oil, vanilla and buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients (2) into the dry ingredients.  Add in orange zest.  Mix till just combine and do not ov