Sunday 30 January 2011

Crispy Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
  • 8 drumsticks
  • 2 tbsp custard powder
  • 1/2 tsp pepper powder
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • extra plain flour for coating

Method:

Clean the drumsticks and set aside.

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl except the extra plain flour. Mix into a smooth consistency. If batters is too thick, add 1 tbsp water.

Coat the drumsticks with the batter. Keep in the fridge for several hours or preferably overnight.

Heat enough oil for deep fry. When the oil is hot, coat a drumstick into the extra flour & then deep fry until golden brown. Drain the drumsticks on absorbent paper

Bak Kwa/Loong Yoke

Since Chinese New Year is around the corner decide to make this Chinese dried meat a popular delicacy for Chinese New Year.
Ingredients:
  • 500g minced pork
  • 1 tbsp of thick dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Shoaxing wine
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 11/2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp five spice powder
  • 1 tsp oil

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix with a fork vigorously in one direction until a gluey paste is formed.

Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

Place meat on a large parchment paper. Roll out on a plastic sheet thinly. You may use clingfilm so the meat won't stick on the rolling pin.

Sun until the meat is easily lifted. Cut into pieces and BBQ on a low heat on each side until brown. If prefer, you may also use your oven. Heat the oven on 125c and bake for about 20 minutes. Increase temperature to 180c and bake for about 20-30 minutes until the meat is golden brown.

Cool and cut into pieces.

Sunday 23 January 2011

Curry Puff 2

This version of curry puff reminds me of my school days where I use to buy them from the Malay stall in the school canteen for only 10sen. This curry puff pastry is different from the spiral curry puff Ingredients for the pastry:
  • 11/2 cup of plain flour
  • 5o g shortening
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 4 tsbp water

Ingredients for the filling:

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp dried prawns, soaked and pounded finely
  • 2 tbsp meat curry powder
  • 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2 springs onion, sliced finely
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 5 tbsp oil

To make the filling:

Heat oil and fry chopped onion until sweat through. Add in the dried prawns, curry powder and 3 tbsp water and saute until fragrant. Add potaties and 1 cup water and cooked until potatoes are tender. Add salt and sugar to taste. Cook until the filling is dry. Leave to cool before use.

To make the pastry:

Using food processor, add in the flour, baking powder and salt, pulse to mix. Add in the shortening and pulse until it looked like breadcrumbs. Add in water and pulse until the dough is combined into a ball. Let the dough rest for 1/2 hour.

Roll dough out into a long sausage and cut into small portions size of a ping pong ball. Roll each portion into a thin circle and put the filling in the centre. Fold the pastry over to make a 1/2 circle and crimp the edge.

Deep fry until golden brown.

Monday 3 January 2011

Rose cupcakes with white chocolate icing

Ingredients:
  • oil or melted butter for greasing
  • 280g/10 oz plain flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 110g/4oz caster sugar
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 250ml/9fl oz milk
  • 6tsbp sunflower oil or 85g/3 oz butter, melted and cooled

For the white chocolate icing:

  • 100g/3.5 oz white chocolate
  • 140g/5 oz unsalted butter
  • 140g/5 oz icing sugar

Method:

Preheat oven at 200C. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin oe line 12 paper cases.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the caster sugar.

Lightly beat the eggs in a large jug or bowl then beat in the milk and oil. Make the well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined; do not over mix.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until well risen, golden brown and firm to touch.

Leave the muffin in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

To make the white chocolate icing: Melt the white chocolate in microwave on high for 1.5 minutes' stirring half way. Leave to cool. Put the butter in a large bowl and beat until fluffy. Stir in the icing sugar and beat together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the chocolate and mix well.

To make the sugar roses: Knead a little of the colouring paste into a 150g ready roll icing sugar until pale and even. Break into 3 balls. Then add a little more colouring to two giving three varying depths of colour. Keep until cling film. Rub a very thin layer of fat over a smooth work surface. Roll out one of the balls of icing thinly, about 1-2mm, then trim into a rectangle about 8x20cm. Cut off a 1cm strip of icing widthways, keeping the rest covered.

Carefully roll the icing up and around itself. For more realistic rose look, start rolling slightly skew-whiff so that the outside edge of the finished rose sticks out further than the middle. With about 2cm to go, start to guide the end of the icing down and under to make a neat rosebud. Pinch to shape, then cut or pinch off the bottom. Set a side at least 1 hour. Repeat with the rest of the icing.

For the leaves, colour the remaining icing green. Pinch off small pea-sized pieces, roll into balls, then flatten a little bit. Pinch one end to make a leaf shape. Use a knife and make lines to the leaf to make the leaf look like real leaf. Leave to dry.

Once the roses are dry and firm, dust a little lustre onto each rose using paintbrush or fingertip. Sprinkle with sparkles, if using. Position the roses onto the cupcakes in cluster of three, following with three leaves.