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

  I made these Peanut Butter Buns after watching  'Qiong cooking' video on youtube.  I didn't follow her recipe to the 'T' because her recipe called for 190 ml ice water and I only used 150 ml as it was sufficient to moisten and knead the dough.  I didn't cut the pieces of dough into 3 and braid them  but instead just roll them up and place them in the greased muffin pan.  The buns had a sugary crunchy crust and they were delicious when eaten warm.  I freezed 4 buns, defrosted and heated them up in the oven toaster the next day.  They were good as if freshly baked.  Great to go with a cup of your favourite hot beverage. Peanut Butter Buns ~  花生酱面包  (adapted from  'here' ) Ingredients 300 gm High Protein or Bread flour 1 tsp dry  yeast 1/2 tsp salt 20 gm milk powder 30 gm caster sugar 150 ml ice water (may need a bit more or a bit less) 30 gm softened butter Peanut butter, crunchy or creamy 1 egg plus 2 tsp water  R...

  Blue and white is a classic combination of elegance and is reminiscent of most Chinese porcelain in ancient China.  The pastel blue hue on these snow moonies is obtained from juice extracted from the Blue Pea flower.  I used yam paste as the filling for these moonies and they stayed fresh and soft kept in an air tight container, chilled in the fridge even after the 5th day.  As an experiment,  I even froze one, and after a week, to my surprise, it tasted just as good after defrosting.  Enjoy these moonies with some hot Chinese tea and you've got yourself a delicious-to-both-your- stomach-and-your-eyes treat! Blue (Blue Pea flower) and White Snowskin Mooncakes ~2021  ( 蝶豆花冰皮月饼 ) Ingredients  66 gm koh fun (fried glutinous rice flour) 18 gm wheat starch       )   mix and steam  18 gm superfine flour    )   for 3 mins. Ingredients for plain dough (A) 25 gm icing sugar 13 gm Crisco shortening 38...

   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. Div...

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 sugar 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 ...

  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 s...

  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 p...

  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 drai...

  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.