Japanese Cabbage Pancake

For this week’s cooking club, Tammi also showed us how to make a Japanese Cabbage Pancake. This seems like a simplified version of Okonomiyaki that Yumiko made. Yumiko’s Okonomiyaki was awesome and had a lot more ingredients. Tammi uses prawns and cabbage — a simpler version but much more quicker to make.

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Ingredients

There are only 5 ingredients in this recipe:

  • 1/3 piece of a small cabbage
  • 6-7 pieces of prawns
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 4 eggs
  • salt and pepper

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You may substitute the prawns with mushrooms, green onion, peppers or carrot if you prefer a vegetarian pancake. For those who prefer other meat can also substitute the prawns with diced ham, diced cooked chicken, bacon, cheese, etc. (more…)

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Berry Bread

Today, Tammi showed us (the Richmond Community Kitchen Cooking Club) how to make Berry Bread. She made 2 types of Berry Bread, mixed berry (frozen) and strawberry (fresh). She used the same batter recipe for both the bread.

Here is the fresh strawberries bread.

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries, chopped
  • 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup milk

(more…)

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Sweet Potato Sweet Soup (Fun Shee Tong Sui)

I like Tong Sui which is the Chinese sweet dessert soup. There are many type of tong sui. Some takes a lot of steps and others are very simple. The sweet potato soup is very easy and fast to make — just took me 20 minutes.

Back in the days where I grew up in Malaysia, sweet potato are basically eaten by poor people. I recall my parents telling that during the second world war, people survived on these stuff because it was easy to grow. In Canada, sweet potatoes are referred to as yams.

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Ingredients

  • 3 pieces of sweet potato
  • 1 brown sugar slab (for sweetness)
  • 2 pandan leaves (for flavor)

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Malaysian Style Curry Chicken

Big chickens don’t peck at small seeds.
~ Chinese Proverb

It’s been a long time since I made chicken curry. Curries are popular throughout Asia and comes in many different version. I think I know where the curry is generally from the color and look of it. The curry I made is the Malaysian style curry which is rich in coconut milk. The curry powder used is what gives the distinctive taste. I used the very popular Malaysian brand called Baba, which is available in the Richmond Public Market.

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The origin of the word curry is the Tamil word kari which means a sauce. Curries may be prepared from dried curry powder or from fresh roots and spices. Since curries are very rich in flavour, they are always served with a staple food such as steam rice. In Malaysia, curries are also eaten with bread or roti canai.

Ingredients

IMG_3976_edited-11 chicken, cut into pieces. I used mostly chicken drumsticks as the dark meat is more tastier and tender.
IMG_3971_edited-1This is the most important ingredient in making curry chicken. The BABAs meat curry powder is a blend of assorted spices including coriander, chilli, cumin, fennel, tumeric, dhal, pepper, cinnamon, cardamon, star anise, cloves and other spices.
IMG_3969_edited-1The rest of the ingredients include:

  • 8 to 10 tablespoons curry powder
  • 8 tablespoons water
  • 4 shallots
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 4 slices ginger
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 tablespoons oil
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • some curry leaves

(more…)

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Sally Lunn Muffin

Better to eat bread in peace, then cake amid turmoil.
~ Slovak Proverb

Hi Rosy, this blog is for you!

Rosy blogged on making Sally Lunn’s Muffin here. Her pictures looked so nice that Ben asked that I try to make it using her recipe. Her muffins looks better — tall, nice and even have a blop on the top.

Sally Lunn’s muffins are bread said to have originated from Bath, England. There is actually a museum in Bath that is said to have been the home of Sally Lunn. If you want to find out more, here is their website.

This is what mine looks like. Kind of burned on the sides and also flat. Arkensen’s friend, Henry, pop over and had the muffins — he likes it very much. My own boys just took it for granted. Grrr …

So Rosy, where did I go wrong?

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup light cream (half & half)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
  • 3 eggs, beaten

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Char Siu Bao (Part 2 of 2)

Even the best cooking pot will not produce food.
~ African Proverb

I am back with Part 2. This is where I use the filling made in my previous blog to make the buns. Sally commented in my first blog that she prefers the baked type. Oh yeah, that brings a point that there are two types of char sui bao (or char siu pau) — steamed and baked. The steamed ones like those shown below are the more common ones.

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Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon shortening
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 1 cup warm water

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Char Siu Bao (Part 1 of 2)

To hit a dog with a meat-bun.
~ Chinese proverb

Here it is, the Char Siu Bao recipe as promised in our Xiao Long Bau blog. Char Siu Bao is translated as BBQ Pork Bun. The word Char Siu is cantonese for BBQ Pork. You can either buy the char siu from chinese restaurants or chinese BBQ meat shops. Alternatively, you can make it your own. It is not difficult and I have briefly blogged on how to make this in the Char Siu Wanton Noodle Soup blog.

In this first part of my blog on Char Siu Bao, I will focus on making the char siu filling. I normally prepare the filling in the morning. This is because the filling has to be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 2 hrs before making the Char Siu Bao. This will firm up the filling for easy handling. You got to try this one out because I am 101% sure that everyone in your family will love this.

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Char Siu Filling

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oyster-flavoured sauce
  • 2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3/4 cup chicken stock or canned chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 lb (about 2 cups) diced Char Siu

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Pearl Balls

A pearl is worthless as long as it is in its shell.
~ Native American Proverb

Here is the other dish that Winnie showed us how to make in our cooking class this week. She called it the Pearl Ball, which is basically meat ball wrapped in glutinous rice. The dish derives it’s name from the translucent appearance of the glutinous rice in a ball shape.

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Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1/2 lb fish paste
  • 2 tablespoons dry shrimp, soaked and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely diced carrot
  • 2 tablespoons chopped shiitake mushroom
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
  • 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup glutinous rice, soaked in cold water for at least an hour

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Bean Curd Rolls

Paper can’t wrap up a fire.
~ Chinese Proverb

Today, Winnie showed us how to make Bean Curd Roll in the cooking club. The Bean Curd Roll can be eaten hot from the steamer or deep fried.

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Ingredients

The Pork Mixture/Fillings

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 cup carrot, finely diced
  • 1 cup water chestnuts, finely diced
  • 1 cup black wood ear, soaked and finely diced
  • 2 tablespoon five spice powder
  • 2.5 tablespoon chopped scallions
  • 1 tablespoon garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Maggi seasoning sauce
  • 1 teaspoon spice salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sweet potato starch

The Wrappings

  • 2 pieces bean curd skin
  • 1 cup chopped scallions

(more…)

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