Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling With Red Bean Paste 紫红豆沙粿

Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling With Red Bean Paste 紫红豆沙粿

Recipe source :  Adapted from - Authentic Chinese Dumpling cookbook


Again, I was in a bind while making this purple dumpling, the recipe calls for a turtle-shaped mould which I do not have but since I have others I resorted to improvise and used a square one instead. As a result I have to make changes to the Chinese name as well.

 

Ingredients for dough

250g glutinous rice flour
1 tbsp wheat starch
1 tbsp castor sugar
3 tbsp cooking oil
300g purple sweet potato
150 ml boiling water                  
80 ml water                                

Filling 

300g  red bean paste

 

Red bean paste

Instructions to make the dumpling

1.  Peel the sweet potato and cut into pieces, steam over boiling water until the sweet potatoes are soft. Dish up and mash them into a smooth paste.
2.  In a mixer, add the glutinous rice flour, sweet potato paste, sugar, cooking oil. Remember to add in boiling water and the extra water at room temperature.
3.  Knead until a soft dough is formed.
4.  Divide the purple dough into small portions, depending on the size of your mould. Cover them with  a wet cloth.
5.  Divide the red bean paste into same equal number of portions as the dough. Roll the red bean paste into small round balls. Set aside for later use.
6.  Roll out a portion of the purple dough and flatten to make a small circle. Wrap a ball of red bean paste. Seal the edges. 
7.  Press the small dumpling into a mould which has been sprinkled with flour.
8.  Press gently to make the impression and then knock out the imprinted dumpling.
9.  Place onto a greased steaming tray.
10.  Repeat process until all dough and red bean paste are used up.
11.  Steam over high heat for about 7 minutes.
12.  Brush with oil immediately upon removing from the steamer.

 Raw purple sweet potato

 The skin remained soft and tasty even after several hours 

Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling 菜香寿粿

Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling 菜香寿粿

Recipe source :  Adapted from Authentic Chinese Dumpling cookbook

I was caught in a fix when I tried out this recipe to make the purple skin dough. The flour could not bind. All the ingredients were supposed to mix together to form a soft dough but that did not happen. I must have missed out an ingredient or misread the instructions.

I must find a way to make the dough. I could not afford to throw away all the ingredients already spread out on the table. So, I just took a calculated risk and added 150 ml of boiling water to the flour mix and kept my fingers crossed! There was much improvement. The flour started to bind. Feeling encouraged, I added 80 ml more water and started kneading until I got a soft dough. Viola! I finally got myself a purple dough ! I did not follow the filling as per the recipe and on top of that I did not have the proper mould as shown in the cookbook and I resorted to do it my own way.

Ingredients for dough

250g glutinous rice flour
1 tbsp wheat starch
1 tbsp castor sugar
3 tbsp cooking oil
300g purple sweet potato
150 ml boiling water                  
80 ml water                                 

Ingredients for filling

450g radish ( shredded )
150g minced pork
3 shitake mushrooms ( diced )
30g dried scallops ( soaked and shredded )
20g black fungus ( soaked and shredded )
2 shallots ( chopped )
2 tbsp cooking oil
200 ml water

Seasonings

1 tbsp castor sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2  tsp pepper

Instructions to cook the filling

1. Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil until hot. Saute the chopped shallots.

2. Add in the diced mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add in the minced pork and shredded black fungus. Mix everything evenly.

3. Toss in the shredded radish and dried scallops. Mix well.

4. Add in seasoning and water and cook until the radish are tender and quite dry.

5. Dish up and leave to cool.

Instructions to make the dumpling

1.  Peel the sweet potato and cut into pieces, steam over boiling water until the sweet potatoes are soft. Dish up and mash them into a smooth paste.
2.  In a mixer, add the glutinous rice flour, sweet potato paste, sugar, cooking oil. Remember to add in boiling water and the extra water at room temperature.
3.  Knead until a soft dough is formed.
4.  Divide the dough into small portions and roll out into round circles.
5.  Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the dough and wrap up and seal the edges.
6.  Adjust the semicircle and make it "sit" on its base with the edges pointing upwards.
7.  Place it on a greased steaming tray.
8.  Repeat the process until the rest are completed.
9.  Steam over high heat for about 8 minutes.
10. Brush with oil immediately after steaming.

Purple sweet potato

 

Ready for steaming

Brush with oil immediately after steaming

Long Bean & Orange Sweet Potato Dumpling 豆角番薯粿

Long Bean & Orange Sweet Potato Dumpling 豆角番薯粿

 Recipe source : Adapted from Authentic Chinese Dumpling cookbook


The colour is all natural from the orange sweet potatoes. The skin dough is soft and spongy while the long beans and minced pork give a crunchy texture to the filling. SK and I both find it delicious. But we have adapted the recipe to suit our taste. All in all we are very happy with this orange-hued dumpling. My mind is already working overtime, thinking of the possibilities of what filling to make next. 

Ingredients for the dough

110g orange sweet potato
100g glutinous flour
150g tapioca flour
250g boiling water ( use less water, about 150g is enough, otherwise the dough becomes very sticky ) 
1 tbsp cooking oil

Ingredients for the filling

120g minced pork
200g long beans ( diced )
20g carrot ( diced )
1 tbsp garlic ( chopped )
100 ml water
2 tbsp cooking oil

Seasonings

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp oyster sauce
dash of pepper
1 tsp cornflour

 Top : long beans
Middle :  a section of carrot
Bottom : orange sweet potatoes

 The prepared filling ready for wrapping

Instructions to cook the filling

1.  Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil until hot. Saute the chopped garlic until fragrant.

2.   Add in minced pork. Stir-fry briskly over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

3.  Add long beans and carrots. Toss well to mix evenly.

4.  Add water and seasoning and bring to the boil over high heat.

5.  Keep stirring until the water is almost dried up.

6.  Remove from heat and leave to cool. 

Instructions to make the dumpling

1.  Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small pieces.

2.   Steam over high heat over boiling water until soft and tender.

3.  Mash into a smooth paste while still very hot. Set aside.

4.  In a mixer, add glutinous flour, tapioca flour and sweet potatoes.

5.  Add boiling water and cooking oil. Mix until a dough is formed. Knead until smooth.

6.  Flatten dough with a rolling pin and use a Chinese rice bowl to cut circles from the rolled out dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth.

7.  Spoon 1 tbsp of filling onto the cut-out circle of dough and wrap into a semi-circle. Seal the edges.

8.  Bring both ends of the semi-circle together and pinched the tips to form a pouch-shaped.

9.  Place onto a greased steaming tray and steam over boiling water at high heat for about 8 minutes. 

10. Brush oil over the steamed dumplings immediately upon removing from the steamer. 
11.  Ready to serve.

 Pretty little dumplings

Bamboo Dumpling 竹叶粿

Bamboo Dumpling  竹叶粿

 

Recipe source :  Adapted from Authentic Chinese Dumpling cookbook 

Ingredients for the dough

30g wheat starch
200g glutinous rice flour
200g rice flour
2 1/2 tbsp castor sugar
50 ml boiling water
250 ml water
65ml cooking oil  

Ingredients for filling

450g radish ( shredded )
150g minced pork
3 shitake mushrooms ( diced )
30g dried scallops ( soaked and shredded )
20g black fungus ( soaked and shredded )
2 shallots ( chopped )
2 tbsp cooking oil
200 ml water

 Other ingredients 

24 pieces bamboo leaves ( cut into oval shape )
24  toothpicks

Seasoning

1 tbsp castor sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp pepper

Radish

 Shredded radish

Top left : shredded dried scallops. Top right :  diced mushrooms 

Bottom : shredded black fungus

Instructions to cook the filling

1. Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil until hot. Saute the chopped shallots.

2. Add in the diced mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add in the minced pork and shredded black fungus. Mix everything evenly.

3. Toss in the shredded radish and dried scallops. Mix well.

4. Add in seasoning and water and cook until the radish are tender and quite dry.

5. Dish up and leave to cool.

Instructions to make the dumpling

1.  Mix wheat starch with boiling water. Mix well to form a dough.
2.  Add in glutinous rice flour, rice flour, sugar, water and cooking oil. Knead well to form a smooth dough.
3.  Cover with a wet cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4.  Divide equally into small balls. Cover with wet cloth.
5.  Flatten the balls and spoon in filling. Wrap it up and seal the edges.
6.  Brush the bamboo leaves with oil.
7.  Wrap the filled-up dough with a piece of bamboo leave and secure the edges with toothpick.
8.  Repeat the process for the remaining dough and filling.
9.  Place them in a steamer and steam for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Steamed Tung Choi Pork 冬菜蒸猪肉

Steamed Tung Choi Pork 冬菜蒸猪肉

I had a packet of minced pork which was originally intended for making dumplings but I was feeling too lazy and could not summon up the energy nor the enthusiasm to make dumplings today. I did not feel inclined to do much cooking either. So I dug into the refrigerator to see what's suitable to be cooked with the minced pork and which must be easy to prepare as well.

I decided to steam the minced pork with tung choi (冬菜), which is a type of preserved garlicky vegetable, usually added into soups or porridge for the extra zing. 

Mind you, the tung choi is salty. So do not add too much.

 

Ingredients

250g minced pork
3 tsp tung choi
1 tsp cornflour
6 tsp water
1/2 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
dash of sesame oil

Instructions

1.  Chop the tung choi and mix evenly with the minced pork.
2.  Dissolve the cornflour with the water and add to the minced pork mixture.
3.  Add in the rest of the seasoning and mix well.
4.  Place into a shallow heat-proof plate or bowl and steam over boiling water for about 12 to 15 minutes.

 Tung choi in the earthen container and tung choi in a small dish

 Minced pork

Yummy ! Goes very well with both rice and porridge

GL's Cooking : Stir-Fried Bok Choy With Glass Noodle 小白菜炒冬粉

GL's Cooking : Stir-Fried Bok Choy With Glass Noodle 小白菜炒冬粉

My daughter, GL works far away from home. Whenever she misses home-cooked food, she would try her hands at cooking. Sometimes she shares her culinary attempts with me. I am happy that she has inherited our love for good food and cooking. 

I would like to share her innovation to make do with substituted ingredients to re-create some of the home-cooked dishes which she misses so much. Today she cooked Stir-Fried Bok Choy With Glass Noodle

 

  GL's cooking : Looks great !

She substituted dried shrimps with 12 pieces of dried scallops. The dish looks great and I'd bet that it tasted wonderful, especially with the 12 pieces of dried scallops.  If  I  may comment, I think it would be better if she added another 1/2 a bowl of water to it because it looks too dry.

 

My previous post : Stir-Fried Bok Choy With Glass Noodle

Mushroom & Prawn Fritters With Dipping Sauce 炸香菇与炸虾点蛋黄酱

Mushroom & Prawn Fritters With Dipping Sauce 炸香菇与炸虾点蛋黄酱

Recipe Source :  By Rohani Jelani ~ Creative Cooking published in The Star Newspapers

Ingredients for Batter

50g rice flour
30g plain wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp chopped spring onions or parsley
120 ml water
100 to 200g prawns ( shelled but leave the tails intact )
10 to 20 fresh shitake mushrooms
Oil for frying

Ingredients for Dipping sauce

2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice

Stir all ingredients together and serve in a little bowl to accompany the mushroom and prawn fritters.

Instructions

1.  Combine the rice flour, wheat flour, seasoning and chopped herbs in a small mixing bowl. Add enough water to make a batter of medium thickness.
2.  Heat oil in a saucepan or wok over medium heat. The oil should have a depth of at least 4 cm.
3.  Dip mushrooms and prawns in the batter and fry in hot oil until lightly coloured.
4.  Drain well on absorbent paper and transfer onto a serving platter accompanied by lemon wedges and dipping sauce.
5.  Serve while still warm.

Tip for the batter :

The batter should coat the mushroom or any vegetable or prawn lightly enough such that you can see through the batter. If it clings on too thickly, add a few drops of water to thin the batter down. If the batter drips off, then you've added too much water - sprinkle a little more flour to the batter.

I am submitting this post to Joyce, Kitchen Flavours

 The theme for the month of May 2013 is Mushrooms 

This event is linked to Little Thumbs Up 

And the event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids  and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

 
 

Chicken Rice Stall At Bercham, Near Ipoh, Perak 巴占鸡饭档

Chicken Rice Stall At Bercham, Near Ipoh, Perak
巴占鸡饭档

Last week we drove up north to Perak state to see a family member. While passing by Bercham, what used to be a small village and is now being developed, we decided to stop by to have lunch. As usual, we looked out for places with a crowd and we spotted one along the main road where customers were queueing up to make orders. Sure enough, the roast pork and chicken on display looked tempting and we decided there and then to place our orders and we were not disappointed. 

The fragrant and delicious boiled chicken

The roast pork with the crunchy skin

The 'char siew'

The three dishes together with three bowls of rice cost only RM23-00

The corner shop where the stall is located at Jalan Bercham Idaman 1, Taman Bercham Idaman, Perak

Bread : Pig In The Blanket 香肠面包卷

 Bread : Pig In The Blanket 香肠面包卷

Recipe source :  Adapted from My Kitchen Snippets

I  followed the step-by-step guide from My Kitchen Snippets to make this bread with an unusual name, called "Pig In The Blanket". My son, YS  referred to this bread simply as the "hot dog bun". Thus I was searching the web for a recipe on hot dog bun but to no avail until I came across My Kitchen Snippets' Pig In The Blanket which showed detailed step-by-step instruction on making this bread. 

YS was over the moon when the first tray of oven-fresh "Pig In The Blanket" was brought out from the oven. This is his favourite bread. 

Ingredients

300g high protein flour
2 tsp instant yeast
10g sugar
1 tsp salt
30g butter
220g of 1 egg + milk
1 packet of Frankfurters

Egg Wash For Glazing The Bread

1 egg                              
2 tsp water                     

Beat well together

 

Instructions

1.  Place flour, salt, yeast and sugar into the mixing bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook.
2.  Slowly drizzle in the egg and milk mixture on medium speed until the dough comes together and forms a nice ball of dough. Continue to mix for 10 minutes at medium speed.
3.  Add in the butter and continue to mix until the dough comes together again.
4.  Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size.
5.  Take the dough out of the bowl and punch down and divide the dough into 10 pieces.
6.  Roll each piece of dough into a ball and set aside for 10 minutes.
7.  Roll out each ball of dough into a long cylindrical rope and wrap this length of rope-like dough round a piece of Frankfurter. 
8.  Repeat the process until all the dough and Frankfurters are used up.
9.  Place the  pieces of wrapped-up dough onto a greased baking tray and let them rise until almost double in size. 
10. Brush with egg wash and bake in preheated oven at 180 degree C for about 15 minutes or until the bread are golden brown.

Note : You can refer to ( 'My Kitchen Snippets') post for pictures on the step-by-step guide

 

Yum, Yum !!

Orange Oatmeal Cake 香橙麦片蛋糕

Orange Oatmeal Cake 香橙麦片蛋糕

Recipe source :  Coco Kong, featured in Y3K Magazine


The aroma of baking this cake penetrated the whole house and drifted out to the porch where SK was washing his car. The rich aroma led SK into the kitchen to ask "what's baking in the oven ?"  A wonderful recipe - simple ingredients, easy to follow instructions and tastes great !

 

Ingredients

250g butter
160g castor sugar
4 whole eggs
orange peel, grated from 1 whole orange
3 tbsp fresh orange juice, extracted from 1 orange
150g self-raising flour
100g Quaker oats

Loaf pan :  9 inches x 3 inches

Instructions

1.  Preheat top and bottom heat of oven to 180 degree Celsius
2.  Cream butter and sugar together until white and fluffy.
3.  Add in eggs, one-by-one, beat well after each addition.
4.  Add in orange peel, orange juice and self-raising flour.
5.  Add in the Quaker oats. Mix together evenly.
6.  Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.
7.  Bake at 180 degree C for about 40 minutes.

 

A new find at Taman Bidara, Selayang, K.L. 刚发现的美食档口

 A new find at Taman Bidara, Selayang, K.L. 刚发现的美食档口

This new find was made lately at the place where we usually ate ‘char kuay teow’. Well, all this while we were too busy gorging on ‘char kuay teow’ to notice this unassuming little stall until one fine day the ‘char kuay teow’ man was so busy with his orders and the waiting period was so long that one of the family members decided to eat something else because she didn't want to wait too long for her ‘char kuay teow.’ When her order came, as usual, when someone in the family ordered something new, everyone in the family would not hesitate to sample the new food when it was served. And wow, was it good. Below were some of the stuff we ordered today when everyone switched from our usual 'char kuay teow' to 'koong poh loh see fun', （宫保老鼠粉）'wat tan hor' （滑蛋果条）and hokkien noodle. （福建炒面）

宫保老鼠粉

福建炒面

滑蛋果条

The coffee shop at Jalan Bidara 1, Taman Bidara, Selayang, Kuala Lumpur.

The unassuming little stall. All this while I thought the seller operated only at night.

Roast Pork & Bean Curd Clay-Pot 烧肉豆腐煲

Roast Pork & Bean Curd Clay-Pot 烧肉豆腐煲

Just mouth-watering!

Bean curd or tofu on its own is rather bland. However, once deep-fried and cooked together with meat and vegetables, it becomes scrumptious!. I love the chives in this dish. It lent fragrance to the tofu and the roast pork belly.  A great combination ! Scrumptious!

Ingredients

200g  roast pork
2 pieces soft bean curd or tofu
80g chives (韭菜)  or kow choi in Cantonese, cut into sections of 4 cm
2 slices ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp cooking oil
500 ml cooking oil for deep-frying tofu

Seasonings

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp wine
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cornflour

Dissolve the above seasoning ingredients in 1 1/2 Chinese rice bowl of chicken stock

Instructions

1.  Cut the roast pork and tofu into bite-size pieces.
2.  Deep-fry the tofu pieces in hot oil until golden brown. Set aside.
3.  Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a casserole. Saute ginger slices and minced garlic until fragrant.
4.  Stir in roast pork and add in the seasoning and stock solution.
5.  Place the deep-fried pieces of tofu into the casserole.
6.  Allow to simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.
7.  Add in the chives and mix well.  
8.  Ready to serve.