Ichigo Daifuku - Strawberry Mochi

Daifuku is a kind of Japanese soft mochi cakes. Can serve with hot tea.

I love mochi, soft and sweet from redbean, sour from strawberry, the mix is just right. I am so crazy about mochi that I even bought a mochi machine, but then, I have yet to grasp the technic of handling the softness of glutinous rice, anyway, once I master the machine technics will intro to you all. So meantime, I will do steaming on stove method.


Ingredients:

1 cup of glutinous rice flour
3/4 to 1 cup of water
2 tbsp of sugar
7 strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1 pack of Tsubuan or redbean paste ( I bought it from Daiso $2 per pack )
Potatoe starch for coating the glutinous rice sticky paste


Method:

• Wrap the strawberry in the tsubuan. Set aside.
• Combine glutinous rice flour, sugar and water, mix well and smooth.
• Pour into a glass bowl suitable for steaming. Cover the bowl with a aluminium foil to prevent droplets of water forming on the paste during steaming.
• Steam over a boiling pan for 10 mins. Take the glutinous rice flour mixture out of the pan after steaming for 5 mins. Give the mixture a good stir. Put it back into the steamer to steam for another 5 mins.
• Dust your counter top or silicone mat with potatoe starch.
• Remove the glutinous rice dough from the steamer, roll on the potatoe starch.
• Sprinkle potatoe starch all over the hot dough, coat your hands with potatoe starch to prevent the dough sticking onto your hands.
• Pinch out a portion of paste, about size of a pingpong ball.
• Flatten it with your fingers, take the strawberry and put in the center of the flatten dough. Pinch it to close so that you will have a nice strawberry ball.
• Should you find it too sticky to handle, put more potatoe starch on your hands.
• Done! Enjoy:))

Thai Pumpkin Custard ( Sangkaya Fak Thong )

I made 3 types of dessert in one weekend...this is a Thai dessert - Pumpkin Custard.
Pumpkin is steam till soft and custard's sweetness is just right. Very good review from friends who visited us for dinner.

Ingredients

1 small Japanese Pumpkin ( kabocha )
3/4 to 1 cup of coconut milk
4-5 eggs
1/3 cup of palm sugar ( i use Kula Melaka )
A pinch of salt
4 pandan leaves

Method

• Cut the top of the pumpkin and use the spoon to remove seeds inside
• Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl
• Add coconut milk and stir well
• Add palm sugar, salt and pandan leaves
• Squeeze the pandan leaves until the palm sugar dissolves and all ingredients mix well
• Sieve custard mixture into the pumpkin and steam for 45 mins or well done
• Cut pumpkin custard into pieces and serve.

Note: I put the cooled pumpkin into the fridge and serve cold next day. But if you want to eat it while its warm, should be ok too:) enjoy!

Tuna Kim Chi Soup

It was a hot day afternoon, without Hubby around...sianzzz..what to eat for lunch alone:((

This is a quick dish, cooking time is super fast. Go well with rice. Should you be pondering between instant noodles & Kimchi soup, I would choose the latter.


Ingredients

1 cup of kimchi
1 1/2 - 2 cups of water
4 gloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp of korean chilli flakes
2 tsp of soysauce
1 tsp of fish sauce
1 can of tuna chunks in olive oil ( I use ayam brand )


Method

• Heat pot with olive oil ( I use the olive oil from the can of tuna )
• Add garlic and chilli flakes, fry for a while
• Add Kimchi, soy sauce, fish sauce, stir fry 1 min
• Add water and tuna, bring soup to a boil. ( the added water should cover slightly above the kimchi )
• Taste soup to see if you need to add more soy sauce.
• Done! Serve with rice.

Japanese Cabbage Rolls

This is a popular Japan Home Cook Dish. Simple yet can have 3 in 1 effect. Veg + Meat + Soup. Have this dish accompany with rice will be superb:)

Ingredients:

8 Big Cabbage Leaves
300g of Minced Beef
1/2 Onion, minced
1/2 radish, minced
5 mushrooms, diced
1/2 can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of water
1 Bullion cube
Japan Rice Wine, a dash


Method:

• Slice off the hard core in the middle of the cabbage with a knife
• Soak Cabbage in water and peel off 8 pieces
• Add Cabbage leaves into boiling salted water till soft, cool in cold water & set aside
• Mix minced beef, onion, radish & mushrooms with salt & pepper, knead with hands
• Divide minced beef into 8 portions
• Place the ball size beef in the center of the cabbage leaf, fold the sides and roll up the leaf
• Put the rolls into the saucepan
• Add 2 cups of water, bullion cube, diced tomatoes, bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 25 mins.
• Add a dash of rice wine, cook for another 5 mins.
• Serve and Enjoy:))

Meringue with Whipped Cream & Strawberries ( Meringa )

Ingredients:

250g of Sugar

4 Egg Whites ( Room Temperature )

Cream ( Filling ):

1/2 litre of fresh cream

100g of Sugar

Garnish:

Bitter Coco Powder

Some Strawberries

Method:

• Put sugar in a bowl of your electric mixer


• Add egg white, slightly toss with a whisk


• Beat the meringue with the electric whisk on high speed for 15 mins until it reaches the right consistency ( it should be silken, smooth, soft, glossy, it doesn't fall out when scope up with the rubber scraper )


• Transfer the meringue to the pastry bag


• Pipe the meringue onto grease paper or silicone baking mat, making meringue circles of 6cm in diameter.


• Place baking tray in a preheated oven to 90 degree C to 100 degree C.


• Bake for 1 1/2 hr.


• Remove from oven after 1 1/2 hrs, the colour of the meringue will look white & glossy.

Cream ( Filling ):

• Pour fresh cream into the electric mixer, add 100g of sugar, slightly toss with a whisk, whip until foamy


• To decorate the plate, dust the plate with bitter coco powder


• Arrange the meringue on the plate, pipe the whip cream on the meringue, add sliced strawberries on the whip cream, top with another meringue


• Garnish some strawberries on the plate


• Meringue is done! Ready to serve. Enjoy:))

Note:

• Meringue cooking time depends on its dimension. A bigger meringue needs longer cooking time.


• Maintaining the cooking temperature under 100 degree C, the meringue will be white & dry.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes to go with Beef Stew

Ingredients

8 Russet Potatoes
200g of butter
2 Large pinch of nutmeg
Salt & Pepper
2 cups of milk


Method

• Cut potatoes into half and place in a steamer. Cover with a lid and steam for 20 mins until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.
• Melt butter in a saucepan. Let it foam once and then let it continue to cook over low heat until it begins to brown. When it is just golden, take it off the heat and add the milk.
• Add brown butter, nutmeg, milk, salt and pepper to the potatoes. Mash potatoes in a bowl with a potatoe masher.

NOTE: For lazy sheep like me alternatively can just mash the potatoes then add in all other ingredients, no need to brown the butter also ok...but the potatoes must be hot in order to melt butter. ( All my sisters will love me for this shortcut. They must be thinking why so "mafan" one before they come to this point, haha. ) Anyway, mash potatoes is not the "猪脚"，opps its 主角.
Dun let it take over the glam of your beef stew la. Enjoy:))

Beef Stew

This beef stew was cook in a Thermal pot - I use Endo brand. I prepare this dish the night before the Tea Party on Sunday afternoon. Hmm... 17 hours in the pot, smells great. Dun worry it is still edible. Haha. Just need one more boiling point on the stove before serving . Best eaten with mashed potatoes.

I would suggest that you use fresh beef instead of frozen beef. Tasty more tender. I got this fresh beef from Cold Storage at Holland.

Ingredients

1 kg of beef, cut into medium chunks. ( You can use beef cubes, for me I use beef flanks )
3 tbsp of olive oil ( for browning the beef )
3 onions, chopped into big chunks
3 carrots, chopped into big chunks
3 stalks of celery, chopped into big chunks
1 head of garlic, peeled ( I am talking about 1 full head, NOT 1 clove ya )
3 cups of red wine
1/4 cup of tomatoe paste
1 can of beef stock ( I use 1 pc of knorr beef bouillon cube mix with about 3 cups of hot water )
3 bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt & Pepper


Method

• Season beef with salt & pepper.
• Heat oil in a large pot. Add beef and brown it evenly and thoroughly.
• Remove beef and reserve on a plate.
• In the same pot, add onions to fry, follow by carrots and celery.
• Saute and make sure to scrape up every brown bits in the bottom of the pot until vegetables are caramelized.
• Add garlic, wine and tomotoe paste, stir well.
• Add beef stock, beef, bay leaves and fresh thyme, bring to a simmer, covered ( low heat for 2 -3 hours, if you are not using thermal pot )
• If you are using a thermal pot, boil the stew on the stove for 10 - 15 mins, remove from stove and put into the thermal unit. Hot delicious stew will be ready in 10 hours time ( the longer the stew cooks, the more flavour you will get, its yummy trust me lah )

Note: Should you find the stew not at the right consistency, that is not thick enough, you can thicken the gravy with corn starch mix with a few tbsp of water. Slowly stir into the stew, keep stirring the stew to reach your desired consistency.