Crispy Oven-Baked Roasted Pork (Siew Yoke) 脆皮烧肉

Mum has cut down on red meat for almost a decade. While fighting Cancer, she has taken out pork from her diet.

Lately, she has mentioned to me that she has not tasted “siew yoke” for quite awhile and missed the taste.
Thought I should make some for her. Making my own, I could at least control the amount of salt used (so that it will not be so salty).

Mum loves it. The skin was very crispy while the meat was still juicy. It is also not as salty as those that we buy.


 

This is really a very easy recipe. Only 4 ingredients needed with a ratio of 1:1:1:1 (1kg pork : 1 tbsp salt : 1 tbsp pepper : 1 tbsp 5 spice powder.


The Crispy Oven Baked Roasted Pork (Recipe source: Angel, of Cook.Bake.Love )

Ingredients: -
1 kg pork belly (take the whole slab - do not cut into thin strip)
1 tbsp salt (I used fine Sea salt)
1 tbsp of the white pepper
1 tbsp at five-spice powder

Method:
1) Clean the pork belly and pat dry with the kitchen paper towel
2) Score the meat about 2cm apart both vertically and horizontally (do not score, the skin).
3) Prick all over the skin with a sharp skewer (I used the tip of a small Knife). Prick as much holes as possible This the step is very essential to ensure crackling on the skin.
4) Rub the skin and meat with salt all over.
5) Mix the white Pepper and five-spice powder and rub into the meat including the scored areas (do not rub on the skin ).
6) Keep the pork belly in  the fridge uncovered (skin side up), for a few hours. This is to dry up the skin so that it will become crispy after baking.
7) Take out pork belly 30 mins to 1 hour before baking to thaw in room temperature. Put the pork belly on a grill with skin side up (remember to place a tray lined with aluminium foil below to catch the oil).
8) Bake in preheated the oven, upper the rack at 200C for 50 mins , Adjust to 220C and continue to bake for another 10 mins. Check the skin, if there is still spot that is not crackling, switch to upper fire (so that the meat won't be over baked), bake for another 10 mins at 220C. Repeat this step (check every 10 mins), turn the position of pork belly if necessary, until there are  cracklings all over. If there is certain spot where the crackling is not so well done after prolonged baking, try to wipe away the oil and rub some salt on the skin before baking. Scrape away the charred part with a tong or knife before serving.
8) Rest the pork before cutting it into bit size pieces.

Making roast pork is easy. All you need is patience. However, the challenge is always the aftermath ie the cleaning up (as the oven will be coated with oil from the pork.

Chai Kueh (Steamed Vegetable Dumplings) 菜粿

A couple of days ago Mum mentioned that it’s been a long while since she last tasted “Chai Kueh”. Chai Kueh is a traditional dumpling with vegetable fillings.

I have never made this dish before. Googling for the recipe brought me to Nasi Lemak Lover’s blog. The recipe looks manageable for me. With all the ingredients in hand. I made Chai Kueh yesterday.

Gave half to my parents and got thumbs up from them. 

The texture of the skin was just perfect. Soft and chewy. Delicious. Only downside is my mistake of shredding the jicama (sengkuang) and carrot too finely. This has resulted in the absence of crunch for the filling. I should have used the coarser shredder.

My skill of wrapping the chai kueh has great room for improvement. (look …my chai kueh have odd sizes and shapes!)


The dough is rather sticky and difficult to handle. I find the dividing the dough into small balls and then rolling them flat (individually) makes it easier for wrapping.

I love seeing how these little “package” in white miraculously turn translucent (showing off the golden fillings) after steaming



(Chai Kueh) Steamed vegetable dumplings   菜粿
(recipe adapted from Nasi Lemak Lover)

For the filling
Ingredients :

1 large jicama (sengkuang), shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1 firm tofu, pan fry till brown, shredded
20g dried shrimps, soaked in water, chopped
Some chopped coriander ( I used cilantro/ spring onions)1tsp salt or to taste
2tbsp light soy sauce or to taste
1tsp sugar or to taste ( I omitted this) Pepper

Method :1. Heat oil in a wok, sauté dried shrimps till aroma.
2. Add in jicama (sengkuang), carrot and fried firm tofu, continue to cook for 15mins or till dry.
3. Add in seasonings and chopped coriander, mix well. Set aside to cool.

For the dumpling skin
Ingredients :
100g Tang Mein flour (Wheat starch)
200g tapioca flour
10g sugar
A pinch of salt
20g cooking oil
450g hot boiling water

Method :
1. Mix two flours in a mixing bowl, stir to combine.
2. Add sugar, salt and cooking oil in the hot boiling water.
3. Pour hot water into the mixing bowl and quickly stir to combine to become dough. Set aside to cool.
Other ingredients
banana leaves
fried garlic oil

To make steamed vegetables dumplings
1. Dust tabletop with a lot of tapioca flour (dough is very sticky), roll dough to form a thin circle.(using a round cutter or a small bowl to cut out thin circle as to standardize the size)
2. Wrap 1 tbsp of filling with each skin. Fold into semicircle and seal the opening by pressing the edges together.
3. Place each dumpling on a small sheet of banana leaf, place on a steaming tray, steam for 15mins.
4. Remove the steamed dumplings and brush the surface with some garlic oil. Serve hot.

The Chai Kueh tasted good even when cold. If you want to eat it the next day, just steam it again and it will taste as good as fresh!

Linda Collister's Espresso Brownies

I have not baked Brownies for awhile….

Last night while I was reading some food blogs, this particular recipe from Bisous A Toi caught my attention. I like the idea of adding coffee to the brownies and the marble effect with the cream cheese.

As I happened to have all the necessary ingredients, I went ahead and baked it today.


This is a very aromatic brownie. Why would it not be?…. when there is so chocolaty. However, the scent of the coffee is rather faint. Perhaps I did not use a high quality coffee powder. Just used the normal instant Nescafe powder. Nonetheless, it is still delicious. The cream cheese layer (topping) has a slight crunch while the texture of the brownie is fine, moist and soft.

I did reduce the sugar by a little (as you know I am not a sweet tooth).

 

Linda Collister’s Expresso Brownies (adapted from Bisous A Toi )

Ingredients
230g Dark Cooking Chocolate - 70%
115g unsalted butter at room temperature
275g powdered sugar ( I reduced to 250g)
5 eggs - beat until just fluffy
2 tbsp instant coffee, dissolved in a little hot water
70g flour
60g cocoa powder
20g full cream milk powder
100g Cream Cheese - room temperature
125g Butter
2 eggs - small size
40g Flour

Method
Cream cheese mixture
Beat cream cheese and butter until soft
Add in eggs one at a time
Once combined add in sifted flour and continue to whisk - put aside

Brownies
Melt dark cooking chocolate using double boil method - set aside
On a stand mixer,whisk butter and sugar till soft
Add in instant coffee.
Add in beaten egg and continue to whisk
Add in sifted flour, cocoa powder and milk powder.
Add in melted dark cooking chocolate..
Once mixed switch off mixer and pour batter into 22 x 22cm pan.. smoothen the top.

Pour a few dollops of cream cheese mixture on top of the chocolate batter.. do a little swirl to get a marble effect


Bake on preheated oven of 160C for 40-50 mins depending on your oven.

Fresh from the oven

Tea time treat

This is a keeper.

I bet my children will be asking for it again soon ;)

Roasted Chicken Drumstick

 

Bought some chicken drumsticks yesterday with the intention to cook chicken curry. Unfortunately, this morning I realised that I have ran out of potatoes.

So, looks like I will need to change tonight’s dinner menu. Still wanting to cook something with curry powder, I have opted to roast the chicken drumsticks instead.

This is a very simple recipe. With just under an hour of preparation time, this is an amazing tasty and crisp roast chicken drumstick. Got a double thumbs up from the family and DD was practically licking her fingers savouring every single bit of it.

Here is how this dish was prepared.

Roasted Chicken Drumstick (my own version)

Ingredients :

5 pieces of chicken drumstick ( One for each member of my family)

60gm butter (soften in room temperature)

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

2 tsp of curry powder

1 tsp of chilli flakes

a handful of dried rosemary

salt

pepper

Clean 5 pieces of chicken drumstick. Make sure you trim off the excess fat from the chicken. Pat them dry and place them in a roasting pan.

Season these “babies” with salt & pepper.  Leave them aside, while you prepare the marinate.

Mix together butter, chopped garlic and curry powder in a small bowl.

 

Mix till a paste is formed and add in the dried rosemary.

 

Spoon the paste onto the drumsticks.

 

Rub the paste all over the drumsticks …making sure they are well coated.

Bake them into a preheated oven of 200 deg C for 45 mins.

Once golden brown, remove it from the oven and let it stand in the roasting pan for a few minutes before plating them.

 

Don’t they look delicious???

 

The butter made the skin incredibly crispy.

The drumsticks were really flavorful and the chilli flakes gave some heat to this dish.

This is definitely a good change from the normal curry chicken dish. Great to be taken as a main course with some salad or with a plate of hot steamy rice.

Based on the response from the family, I see myself cooking this again in the very near future.

Kohi Jello

One of the things that we enjoyed most during our recent vacation in Japan is FOOD. We love the Japanese cuisine and made it a point to savour as many authentic dishes as possible while we were there.
I remembered that while in Nagano prefecture, the “obasan” served us some coffee flavoured jelly with our lunch. It’s complimentary from the house and was only given to the ladies (ie my DD and me).
This dessert was so good and  just the perfect way to finish a steaming hot meal (even in winter). Since we were only given 2 portions (there were 5 of us), we had to share with the guys.
We were told that Kohi Jello is very popular during summer in Japan.



Coming home and experiencing hot and humid weather (in Malaysia), I have been secretly yearning for this easy, elegant yet exquisite dessert.
After over 3 months, I finally made it (adapting it and customizing it to our taste).



Instead of serving the coffee jello with creamer or whipping cream, I spiked it up with some Baileys’ Mint Chocolate and a dollop of vanilla ice-cream.
This is heavenly and great on a hot summer day ….

Kohi Jello (serves 4-5 persons)
Ingredients:
2 cups coffee (I used Nescafe Gold)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp gelatin powder
4 Tbsp water
good quality Vanilla Ice cream as topping
a dash of Baileys ( I used Baileys Mint Chocolate)


Method:

1. Mix gelatin powder and water in a small bowl.
2. Combine coffee, sugar, and gelatin mixture in a medium sauce pan.
3. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.
4. Strain mixture and pour into 4/5 glasses or 4/5 moulds.
5. Chill in refrigerator.
6. Before serving, add a dollop of vanilla ice-cream or whipping cream on top of each jello.
7. Add a dash of Baileys over the topping and the jello. (if you are serving children omit the Baileys).
8. Serve and enjoy!!!

Happy Easter – Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Bun

Happy Easter!!!

I do not celebrate this occasion but I have been seeing a number of recipes on Hot Cross Bun that I decided to join the bandwagon to bake some today.

I saw Happy Home Baking’s post on Chocolate Chips Hot Cross Buns and I am instantly sold.

Anything with chocolate will be well received by the family….

Baked a batch of 16 buns this morning…

I must say that these are one of the best Hot Cross Buns I have baked. The buns came out soft and fluffy. The aroma of the chocolate with a tinge of cinnamon and mixed spices filled the whole house with such a heavenly scent.

To my delight, these buns (all 16 of them) were gone before the end of the day. It must have been so good or perhaps the family must have been real hungry today???? hahaha..

Anyway, for those who wish to try it out, here’s the recipe.

Chocolate Chips Hot Cross Buns (adapted from Happy Home Baking)
Ingredients
(makes 15 ~ 16 buns)
300g plain flour
30g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
40g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
5g Instant yeast
30g egg, lightly beaten
125 ml milk
40ml warm water
150g chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)

Flour paste for crosses:1 tablespoon plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of caster sugar
1 tablespoon cold water
Glaze:2 tablespoons of caster sugar
2 tablespoons of water

Method
* Place flour, caster sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice (if using) and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk to combine. Rub in the butter. Add instant yeast, stir to combine. Make a well in the centre, add in eggs, water, mix to form a soft dough.
* Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes (or knead with bread machine or stand mixer for about 5 minutes) until the dough is smooth and elastic. Knead in the chocolate chips. Smooth dough into a round ball, place in a greased mixing bowl, cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap and leave to rise for about one hour or until dough has doubled in size.
* Divide the dough into 16 portions and roll each portion into a ball. Place the balls, almost touching, on a greased rectangular pan Cover with damp cloth or cling wrap and leave to rise for about 30~45 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Preheat oven to 200 deg C.
* To make flour paste crosses:
Sift flour, cocoa powder into a small bowl, stir in the sugar. Add in water and keep stirring with a spoon to make a smooth thick paste. Place the flour paste into a plastic bag and snip off the corner (Note: snip off a very tiny bit will do so that the hole will not be too big). When the dough doubled in size, pipe a continuous line down the centre of each row of buns, length wise and width wise, to form crosses.

The buns before going into the oven.

* Bake:
Bake buns at 200 deg C for about 15~16 minutes or until golden brown.
* To make glaze:
While the buns are baking, place sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Transfer the baked buns to a wire rack, brush the tops with glaze. Serve warm.
Note: The dough can be made the day before up to the shaping stage, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate over night. The next day bring to room temperature leave to rise till double in size, pipe on the crosses and bake.

Happy Baking!!!

Cranberry Coffee Buns

Every Tuesday, I would check out the Cook’s Nook in The Star newspaper for recipes by Amy Beh. This celebrity chef is my aunt and she has 3 cookbooks in her name.
When I saw her recipes this week on “lovely loaves”, I knew I MUST bake it. There were 3 recipes and the one that caught my eyes was the Cranberry Coffee Loaf.
Baked it yesterday. However, instead of baking a loaf, I divided the dough into 12 equal parts and made them into buns. The aroma of freshly baked coffee buns was heavenly.

The buns are really soft and the texture is very fine. The buns are still soft after a day!

This is definitely a keeper.

Here is the recipe for your baking pleasure.

Cranberry Coffee Loaf (by Amy Beh)
Ingredients
300g high protein flour, sifted
½ tsp salt
65g soft brown sugar
5g instant yeast
160-165ml fresh milk
½ tsp coffee paste  ( I omitted this as I do not have it - updated April 2, 2012)
1 tsp instant coffee powder ( I used 2 tsp as I did not use coffee paste - updated April 2, 2012)
20g butter
80g dried cranberries
 
Method :
1. Place sifted flour and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
2. Add sugar, yeast and butter.
3. Beat for 5 minutes.
4. Add combined coffee milk mixture and continue beating for a further 10 minutes until dough is soft and elastic
5. Place dough in a large oiled bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
6. Punch down the dough and knead on a lightly floured board.
7. Add the cranberries and roll up the dough.
8. Shape into a loaf.
9. Place into a loaf pan and leave aside to rise again for 20 mins or until doubled in bulk.
10. Bake in preheated oven at 190C for 25-30mins. Remove onto a rack to cool.
Note : For the Buns, I kept them in the oven for only 12 minutes.