Coconut & Honey Roll 椰丝蜜糖券

Coconut & Honey Roll 椰丝蜜糖券

 

Recipe Source :  Adapted from a booklet distributed by "Farmcow" butter

 

 

Ingredients for dough

500g strong flour
5g salt
50g castor sugar
125g butter or margarine
1 egg
10g yeast
225g water

Filling

250g dessicated coconut
100g castor sugar
1 egg, beaten for brushing the dough 

 

For glazing

20g honey for glazing
1 egg, beaten for glazing

 

 

Instructions

1.  Mix all the ingredients for the dough, except yeast. Knead until smooth and elastic.
2.  Add in yeast and continue to knead for about 10 minutes.
3.  Flatten dough and roll into rectangular form.
4.  Brush the rectangular dough with beaten egg and distribute the dessicated coconut mixture onto the dough evenly.
5.  Roll up the dough like a Swiss roll.
6.  Cut into 2.5cm thick pieces and place onto large paper cups. 
7.  Brush each piece with beaten egg. Place tray in a warm place and let it rise until double in size.
8.  Bake at 190 degree C for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
9.  Brush baked rolls lightly with honey immediately after removing from the oven.

Sharing my notes on this baking experience :

1. It was rather difficult to roll up the dough tightly with the dessicated coconut.
2. The dessicated coconut dropped all over the place when I cut them into 2.5 cm thick.
3. The original recipe mentioned about placing the cut pieces onto a greased baking tray, but I think they will get burnt. Therefore I placed them into large paper cups. 
4. It was very difficult to brush beaten egg onto the cut pieces, especially on top where the dessicated coconut were distributed. I could only brush beaten eggs on the side and then slowly drip the beaten egg along the edges.
5. My coconut rolls were slightly burnt, so you may either have to place the baking trays at lower levels in the oven or you may have to adjust by reducing the temperature to 180 degree C instead of the 190 degree C. 

 Before baking

Fresh from the oven

YS has already chosen his piece and waiting to sink his teeth into it!

Macau : Statue of Kun Iam, A Ma Temple and Famous Bakeries 澳门：观音神像，妈祖庙 和 驰名饼家

Macau : Statue of Kun Iam, A Ma Temple and Famous Bakeries 澳门：观音神像，妈祖庙 和 驰名饼家

( 16th February 2013 )

This 20m-high bronze statue, located in the outer harbour, is probably the only statue in the world of the Goddess of Mercy that is not facing the sea. Instead it faces Macau to protect it. Locals lament that the statue looks more like the Virgin Mary instead.

The statue of Kun Lam

The entrance to the A Ma temple

Inside the temple

Another part of the A Ma temple

The Lou Benka confectionery gift shop, the first place we were brought to for shopping while in Macau. They are famous for their loh poh pang （老婆饼） which incidentally is sweet and loh goong pang (老公饼） which is salty.

 The street where the Lou Benka shop is located

This is the famous Koi Kee bakery where it all began. The bakery here near the A Ma temple is cheaper than say, those being sold at the Venetian casino or other outlets in town.

 The street where the bakery is located

Zhuhai : Silk Shop 珠海-丝绸店

Zhuhai : Silk Shop 珠海-丝绸店

( 16th February 2013 )

The silk shop was rather interesting. We were shown how silk was made and the different products made from it. We were told the benefits of using a silk blanket. We were taught how to maintain silk goods. Using hot water and washing liquid or washing powder to clean silk products is a no no as they damage silk. The best way to clean silk goods is to use shampoo and cold water to wash them. To wash silk products in a washing machine you must first put them in a net.
 

The entrance to the silk shop in Zhuhai

Silk on display

The life cycle of the silkworm

Silkworm cocoons

A set with modern design

For the empress

A traditional costume

For the emperor of old. It is for display only. I don't think anyone would want to wear that.

I thought all silk products and designs were old and antiquated until I came across the four designs on the left.

This will appeal to the younger set of people.

Steamed Wolfberries With Mutton 纪子蒸羊肉

Steamed Wolfberries With Mutton 纪子蒸羊肉

This dish is believed to nourish the blood and thus warms the body.  An elderly lady who is knowledgeable in traditional cures taught us this simple recipe. It is highly recommended for those who still feel cold despite all togged up in winter wear.

Ingredients

350g mutton  (minced)
2 slices ginger, shredded
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
5g wolfberries (kei chi in Cantonese)

Instructions

1.  Place the minced mutton into a plate.
2.  In a bowl use 2 tbsp of water to dissolve the salt before mixing into the mutton. Mix well to ensure even distribution. Add the sesame oil and mix thoroughly.
3.  Rinse the wolfberries and sprinkle them on top of the minced mutton.
4.  Sprinkle the shredded ginger on top of the minced mutton.
5.  Place the whole plate into a steamer and steam for 15 minutes. (You can read up my previous post on the technique of steaming)
6.  Serve hot.

 Delicious and nutritious

 

Double-Boiled Snow Fungus Dessert 雪耳炖冰糖

Double-Boiled Snow Fungus Dessert 雪耳炖冰糖

 A sweet dessert

Recipe Source : Replicating what I had eaten in a shopping mall in Zhuhai, China

I had this sweet dessert in Zhuhai, China a couple of weeks back. The ingredients used are simple and easily available in grocery stores or supermarkets. Brewed together with cane sugar or rock sugar, the end result is sweet and very satisfying. I am back home now and I have a strong craving to have this dessert and I decided to prepare it.

Ingredients

10g snow fungus ( soaked until soft, remove the stem and cut them into smaller pieces )
90g cane rock sugar ( adjust the amount of sugar to suit individual taste )
6 red dates, remove the seeds
100g fresh lotus seeds
18 gingko nuts ( remove the shell and soft skin or you can use fresh gingko nuts available at the wet markets )
600 ml water

Top left : fresh lotus seeds, Top right : gingko nuts

Bottom left : snow fungus. Middle : cane rock sugar. Right : red dates

 

Instructions

 

1.  Divide the above ingredients into 3 equal portions.
2.  Place each portion into an individual ceramic container. You will need 3 small ceramic containers. Alternatively, you can put everything into a large ceramic container used for double- boiling. You can read up on my previous post on the ceramic pot used and how to go about double-boiling.
3. Cover the 3 ceramic containers and place them into a larger aluminium or stainless steel pot. Fill up the larger pot with water to half the water level of the ceramic containers. 
4.  Switch on the flame and double-boil the contents for one hour. 
5.  Check on the water level in the larger pot to avoid drying up during the boiling process. Add hot boiling water if the water dries up. 

Very satisfying dessert after a meal

Zhuhai : Dinner & Shopping 在珠海的晚餐/珠海拱北地下街

Zhuhai : Dinner & Shopping  在珠海的晚餐/珠海拱北地下街

( 15th February 2013 )

The statue of the fisher girl (渔女像) by the Xianglu Bay in Zhuhai. There is a saying that if you visited Zhuhai without paying a visit to this statue then, strictly speaking, you have not been to Zhuhai at all.

The famous 'Buddha jumped over the wall' soup. Legend has it that when this soup was first being prepared, the fragrance caught the attention of a monk who clambered over the wall of the household that was preparing this soup to find out what's cooking, hence the name.

Coffee pork ribs

Abalone at HKD50 each. This dish was not part of the meal but the waitress brought it to entice us into buying but none of us did.

Roast chicken

Stir-fried zucchini with crab stick

Stir-fried pork slices

 

 Steamed fish

Stir-fried pumpkin

Stir-fried eggplant

The restaurant where we had our dinner.The dinner in Zhuhai is the best among all the meals we have had during the trip.

The underground shopping mall

The underground shopping mall

Zhongshan - Zhan's Garden 中山-詹园

Zhongshan - Zhan's Garden 中山-詹园

( 15th February 2013 )

Our tour guide,Yip, told us that Zhan's Garden was built by a very well off and filial businessman for his mother to spend the remaining years of her life in style. But eventually she decided against living there after sometime and donated it to the government and she moved elsewhere and the authorities turned it into a tourist attraction. After touring the place I, too, felt that given me I would do the same, that is moving out. Well, to begin with the construction materials used were all grey or dark grey giving it an antiquated feel. The whole place did not generate vibrant or happy energy and on top of that it was rather creepy. Everything was old and outdated, the rooms, the environment, and the air. It was like being transported back in time. It was a good thing that the old lady gave it up.

 

The entrance to Zhan's Garden

Self-explanatory

Map of the layout of Zhan's Garden

Wooden panelled door with the Chinese character for luck ( 福） deliberately placed upside down. The reason is to announce to the world that luck has arrived. In Cantonese being placed upside down is pronounced as 'dou' which also sounds like has arrived.
 

The water in the metal container is supposed to shoot up into the air if you were to rub the handles on both sides. Many tried with no results.

The wishing tree. All you need to do is to write your wish on a strip of red paper and fling it up the branch. Just wondering what the success rate is.

Is this a framed picture or a view from the inside of a room? Actually it is a window but at times it looks like a framed painting. But the people in modern clothes ruined all that.

There is a word missing from the sign. I have forgotten what it was but the guide explained to us and it was interesting.

A koi pond

Some bonsai plants, all 108 of it, if I remember correctly.

The most picturesque part of Zhan's Garden

The same place from a slightly different angle

The twelve animal signs of the Chinese zodiac with a different twist. All the animals are standing on two feet and have human bodies.