Carrot Bread

One of my favourite breads got to be this carrot bread. I first knew of carrot bread was when I chanced upon it at Breadtalk some years back. It was selling at around $2.50 to $3 for just half a loaf! What an expensive bread considering carrots are not any exquisite ingredient. So when I started baking my own bread, I made this one of my to bake list. I am quite pleased with the result and best of all, it is cheap and healthy!

  

Ang Ku Kueh

I like ang ku kuehs, the sweet or the saltish ones alike. The most tedious part in making ang ku kueh should be the preparation of the filling. You probably will need 2 days to prepare, one for soaking the mung beans and the other to fry the filling. After that, the actual process is actually quite a breeze and fun. I prefer homemade ones to those commercial ones as the latter are a tad too oily for me. So these are the ang ku kuehs I have made today.

Pullman Bread

This is a plain pullman bread. The texture is soft and the taste milky. I think it will taste great with jam but I prefer to eat it just plain or dipped into a cup of hot cuppa. Yes, it is so good that you can eat it on its own....

Blueberry Cheesecake

Softmeal Buns and Vegetarian Kelp with Soya beans soup

These buns were made using water roux (better known as 'tangzhong') which, if I am not wrong, was originated from Japan. It was popularly raved by many bloggers. Breads made by 'tangzhong' were known to be soft and keep well for a longer period as compared to breads  made by other methods. Basically, it is similar to direct method of making bread but requires an additional step of cooking part of the bread flour with water prior to the mixing of the ingredients. This method allows better hydration and thus the flour absorbs more water resulting in a softer texture.

After a day of breadmaking, I boiled a pot of nutritous soup: kelp with soy beans. Kelp is a good source iron and is low in calories and fat. So, it is really good for those who wish to consume soup without the fear of putting on weight. But one note, do wash it with lots of water and thoroughly as it is coated with lots of grime and white deposits.

I substituted pork ribs with mock meat to make the soup vegetarian. It is really and easy soup to boil though it took me 2 hours to boil it but the end result was really good. It was light and refreshing. So if you would like to try, I have included the recipe here.

Kelp and soya beans soup

50-60g Dried kelp

60-80g soy beans

adequate amount mock meat (use pork ribs if you like)

salt to taste

adequate amount of water

1. Wash the dried kelp thoroughly and cut into smaller pieces.

2. Put all ingredients (except salt) in a pot and bring to a boil with high heat. Lower fire and boil for 2 hours.

3. Before serving, add salt to taste.

Steamed buns (小兔子刺猬包)

I shaped these steamed baos into rabbits and porcupines. I guess my shaping skills still need sharpening as some of these baos look out of shape. Nevertheless, they taste good.































300g Hong Kong flour
11/2tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp yeast
60g sugar
125ml water
1tbsp shortening
Filling: red bean paste/lotus paste (divide into balls of 30g each)

1. Mix all ingredients in a mixer and knead till smooth. Let dough rise for 1 hour or double in bulk.
2. Divide dough into equal pieces of 40-50g each (depending on how big you want your baos to be).
3. Enclose dough with red bean or lotus paste. Shape baos into oval shape. Snip ears and tails for rabbits. Make tiny snips on the dough to make the needles on the porcupine's body.
4. Let bao prove for about 25 mins
5. Steam for about 10-15 mins over rapidly boiling water.
6. Dip tip of chopstick into red colouring and dot on the bao to resemble the eyes.

Soft Cotton Cup Cakes

I have been trying to find the recipe for the type of soft cotton cupcakes I used to eat during my primary school days. These cakes are soft and light, and almost guiltless. I prefer cakes which are cottony soft, just like chiffon cakes. Cupcakes made with butter taste great but it always leaves me guilty after consuming them.
I came across this recipe from one of the bloggers' blog and decided to try it out today. The cakes are soft and nice. They are so light that you do not feel full even after eating two at the same time. It is a recipe worth trying out if you like such cakes. I had filled the cups too full and thus they 'blossomed' in the oven like huat kuehs. But once out of the oven, they started to shrink. Judging by their appearance, you probably doubt my verdict on them. But looks are deceiving :) This recipe is worth keeping, in my opinion. So for anyone who would like to try it out, I have posted it here.






























Cotton Soft Cupcakes
(A)
40g water
10g milk powder
5 egg yolks
100g cake flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla essence (or any other of your choice)

(B)
5 egg whites
1/2tsp cream of tartar
80g sugar

Combine (A) together till smooth. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar till frothy and add in sugar gradually. Beat till stiff peaks. Gently fold egg whites into (A). Spoon mixture into small cups and bake at 180 degrees celsius till cooked.