Christmas Log Cake

Christmas Log Cake

Ingredients

(A) Chocolate Sponge Cake

Group 1

4    Egg White

80  sugar

Group 2

4    Egg Yolk

Group 3

65g   Cake Flour

10g   Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Chocolate Paste

Group 4

40g  Corn Oil

Method

1. Cream Group 1 till light

2. Add in Group 2 ( egg yolk)

3. Fold in Group 3, sifted flour and paste

4. Add in Group 4, corn oil

5. Bake at 200 degress celcius for 10 mins

(B) Ivory Chocolate Filling

130g White Chocolate

80g    Whipped Cream

1. Melt the white chocolate.

2. Whipped the cream till peak.

3. Take a bit of cream to mix the white chocolate.

4.  Then pour the rest of the chocolate in.

(C) Strawerry Puree JamGo

Group 1

20g  Strawberry Jam

50g  Sugar

Group 2

10g  Pectin

20g  Sugar

10g  Glucose

Boil Group 1 and Group 2 for 1 min.

Leave to cool.

(D) White Chocolate Ganache

100g  White Couventure Chocolate

100g  Whipped Cream

Heat up cream and pour over chocolate.

Assemble

1.  Spread the ivory chocolate filling on sponge.

2.  Followed by strawberry puree jam.

3.  Sprinkle 30g chopped nuts on top.

4.  Roll up the sponge.

5.  Pour white chocolate ganache over cake.

6.  Decorate as desired.



Christmas Cookies

Chinese Steam Fish

Chinese Steam Fish



Ingredients

- 1 medium whole fish, ( I ask the fishmonger to clean it for me)
- 6 slice of ginger, thinly julienned
- 1 chilli sliced (adjust to your liking)
- 2 medium tomato, cut into slices
- 80g salted vegetables, sliced thinly
- 2 salted plums
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- dash of pepper
- 3 stalks spring onion, thinly julienne to garnish
- 1 chilli sliced, thinly julienne to garnish
- 1 tbsp water

Directions

1. Make two diagonal cuts along the body of the fish (the fleshy part) on both sides. Place fish on the 
    plate.
2. Drizzle light soy sauce and oyster sauce over the fish. Keep in fridge (covered) for at least 30 mins.
3. When you are ready to steam the fish, add water and scatter the rest of the ingredients ( salted
    plums, salted vegetables, tomatoes and ginger strips) over the fish around the plate.
4. Place your steamer rack inside your wok. Add enough water to come to the base of the steamer,
    bring it to a boil.
5. Once the water has come to a boil it’s time to steam your fish. Place your dish on the steamer rack
    and cover and steam for 12 mins.
6.  Do not over-steam as the meat will become tough.
7. Garnish with spring onions strips and chilli strips.



Crispy Roast Pork Belly (脆皮燒肉)

Crispy Roast Pork Belly (脆皮燒肉)

Ingredients:

• 1.2 kg pork belly
• 1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine, optional
• to taste, rock salt

Seasonings:

• 3½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder

Method:

• To prepare the seasonings: Combine salt with sugar and five-spice powder well. Set aside.
• Use a knife to scrape away any impurities and hair. Rinse thoroughly. Blanch in boiling water for about 15 minutes, until 60 to 70% done, and the skin is softened. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towels.. Use needles to poke the rind as many holes as possible. Turn over to other side, cut a few slits on the meat to help absorb seasonings better.
• Rub wine evenly on pork. Let rest for a while. Coat the meat with seasonings evenly. Make sure there‘s no seasonings on the rind, otherwise the five-spice powder will darken it.
• Wrap the pork meat with foil and leave the rind unwrapped. Place in fridge, let air dry overnight in fridge.
• Preheat oven to 200C/395F.
• Remove pork from fridge and remove foil. Let rest at room temperature for a while. Poke the rind with needles evenly once again. Wipe dry. Season the rind with rock salt. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes (Remark: I used convection oven. If ordinary oven used, bake for 45 minutes.) Increase temperature to 220C/430F, bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until you get enough cracklings. (If ordinary oven used, move the pork from middle rack to upper. Grill the rind until evenly blistered and browned.)

The cooking time depends on how thick and how big the pork belly is. Please adjust accordingly.



8 days Shenzhen, Hong Kong & Macau ( 2nd Nov to 9th Nov)

Asta Hotel & Resorts

  

    Five Spice

Mian Dian Wang

Dessert Time

    Dim Sum Spread

   Sumptuous Dinner

   Pampering Time

Tailoring Time - choosing material for cheongsum

   Kok Kei - Shopping for Cookies

Stir Fried Asparagus with Scallops

Stir Fried Asparagus with Scallops

Ingredients

• 15 spears asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 5-8 large frozen scallops, thawed
• salt and pepper, to taste
• cornflour, as needed
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon diced garlic
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (125ml) water
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 1 teaspoon cornflour, mixed in 2 teaspoons water
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• salt, to taste

Direction

1. Blanch the asparagus and carrots in boiling water and 1 teaspoon oil for 3 minutes. Set aside.
2. Season the scallops with salt and pepper then lightly dust in cornflour.
3. Heat a frying pans with oil. Saute the garlic and shallot till aromatic.
4. Add the scallops then stir fry until both sides are evenly browned; about 3-4 minutes.
5. Turn the heat down to medium then add the water and simmer for 2 minutes,
6. Add Asparagus, carrots and chilli, oyster sauce, sesame oil and salt to taste.
7. Add the cornflour slurry.
8.. Heat and stir untir sauce is slightly thickened.

  .



Deep Fried Seafood Wanton

Deep Fried Seafood Wanton

Ingredients

- 1 fish fillet - cod fish ( use a good fish fillet)
- 6-10 medium size prawns
- dashes of salt and pepper
- 1tsp sesame oil
- less than 1tsp cooking wine
- 1/2 cup mixed vegetables of peas and carrots, cooked and cooled, set aside

- 4 water chestnuts chopped.
- 1 egg white

Direcctions

1. Chop the fish fillet and prawns to a paste form.

2. Mix themin a mixing bowl and add in the vegetable and water chestnuts.

3. Marinate with salt and pepper, seame oil and cooking wine.

4. Then add in egg white and mix well.

5. Texture should be just slick sticky.

6. Use wonton wraps and fold in the fillings and use a spring onion to tie it up.

7. Deep fried till golden brown.



Sambal Prawns

Sambal Prawns

Ingredients



• 3 medium onions, peeled, and chopped roughly
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, chopped roughly
5 Birds Eyes chillis
1 tablespoon belcehan (fermented shrimp paste)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
500 grams raw, peeled prawns
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
roasted sesame seeds

 Method

1. Process onions, garlic and chilli until fine.
2. Heat up a wok and add the oil.
3. Fry the process mixture and belechan over a medium heat, stirring all the time until fragrant.
4. Add turmeric and fry for another min and add the prawns and water.
5. Stir to combine, coating the prawns with the mixture.
6. Add tamarind, sugar, salt and soy and continue stirring, until prawns are pink and cooked through.
7. Sprinke with roasted sesame seeds.

 



Piglets Mooncakes

Snow Skin Moon Cake

Yam Flavour Snow Skin Moon Cake

Green Tea, Mango & Orange Flavour Snow Skin Moon Cake

Mango & Green Tea with lotus filling

Mango & Green Tea Snow Skin Moon Cakes

Little Snow Skin Piglets

Tom Yum

Tom Yum

Ingredients

2 stalks Lemon Grass

5 cups Chicken Stock

5 Bird's Eye Chillies Bruised

2 Coriander Roots Bruised

1 inches knob Galangal - peeled and sliced

5 Kffir Lime Leaves

400g Prawns

100g Straw Mushroom

10 Meat Balls

3 Pieces of Egg Beancurb

1 Sprig Coriander

Seasoning

3 Tbsp Lime Juice

2 Tbsp Fish Sauce

1 Tbsp Thsi Tom Yum Paste

Methods

1. Bruised the lemongrass and cut into short lengths.

2. Bring chicken stock to the boil over medium heat.

3. Add bird's eye chillies, coriander root, galangal, kffir like leaves and lemon grass.

4. Return stock to the boil for anothe 5 mins.

5. Scoop out coriander root, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass. 

6. Add prawns, mushrooms, meat ball, egg beancurd and return to boil again.

7. Add seasoning and remove from heat.

8. Serve and garnished with coriander leaves.

Macarons

Macaron

My first time baking macarons. Did two variants and am happy to see the "feets". Is not easy to bake this delicate cookies but I am happy that I managed to master it.

Ingredients

150g  Icing Sugar
150g  Ground Almond
75g    Egg White
150g  Castor Sugar
20g    Egg White

Method

1.  Sift the icing sugar and ground almond together.
2.  Place castor sugar in a base pan and fill with some water enough to cover the sugar.
3.  Boil the castor sugar with water, do not stir when it starts to boil.
4.  Beat the egg white at high speed until foamy. Do not stop beating half way.
5.  Slowly pour in the sugar syrub.
6.  The white will continue to increase in volume. The beating must continue as the meringue cool.
7.  Stir in the ground almond mixture & icing sugar. Fold till smooth and gross.
8.  Stir until well mix then add in the 20g egg white base on your own judgement.

8 Days Taipei & Kaoshiung Trip ( 13 June till 20 June)

Mirador Hotel 



 Love this Victorian Style Hotel which comes with a nice rooftop garden. Free internet access too.

Yummy Breakfast

Finally get to meet my friend Becky from Tainan. Really appreciate that she drove all the way to Kaoshiung to meet me and bring us to Love River and not forgetting the Banana Taipei bag that she bought for me.

    
This peanut ice cream is superb. Yummlicious.

Liohe Night Market

    
Different Delicancies

Stinky Toufu 

Foguangshan

Foguangshan

Love this Bubble Tea

HSR Train from Zuoying to Taichung. Our Cabby Mr Liao will pick us up to travel around Taichung before we head to Cijing.

Herbal Tea Egg 

Our Lunch

Cinjing Green Green Grassland

Starry Minsu with our friendly hosts

Home Make Breakfast

 Beautiful Sunrise

With our driver Mr Liao

 Wuling

Cihmu Bridge

   
Cisingtan's beach only has pebbles

Our Simple Lodging at Taipei - YWCA



Falling sick in Taipei. Weather was too hot and I was dehydrated. Still happily taking picture even though I am sick. Never fall sick in Taiwan, consultation is very expensive and is difficult to find a clinic too.

   
Yehliu Geo Park

Our Driver cum Guide Meeky Yang

Jiufen traditional fish balls and Jiufen old noodle shop

 
Jiufen Jinzhi red meat dumpling

   
  Ah Lan Hakka Glutinous Rice Cake

Taipei National Palace Museum Martry's Shrine

Finally get to meet my Taipei friend May..

Taipei 101