Pineapply Pastry Workshop 新款鳳梨酥工作坊

This is love by first sight. Traditional pastry put in a new mold with the same fresh and tasty ingredients. Welcome to join my second workshop in Chinese Evangelical Free Church in Monterey Park, CA.

Details and RSVP: visit www.cefcla.org or https://www.facebook.com/events/1097744560979881/?ref=newsfeed

or https://www.facebook.com/morethanbread.net

 

Chinese Almond Cookie 澳門杏仁餅

This cookie has been on my to-do list for a very long time. I have been experimenting with different recipes on and off for a few years. This recipe gives me the best results with nice almond aroma even without using any almond oil or extract. A hundred percent natural, gluten-free and a hundred percent tasty!!

Ingredients to make about a dozen cookies (depends on the size of your mold):

100g mung bean flour 綠豆粉
40g powdered sugar 糖粉
52g vegetable shortening 固體菜油
62g whole almond kernels 美國杏仁
45g sweet apricot kernels 南杏
2 tsp water 水

1)  Preheat oven to 215F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat and roast the almonds and apricot kernels for 10 minutes. Coarsely chop with a food processor after they cool down. Set aside.

2)  Adjust oven temperature to 250F.

3)  Dissolve sugar in water. Mix with shortening until it becomes a paste.
4)  Add almond and mung bean flour. Mix well with your fingers. It should look like wet sand.

5)  Put the mixture into a mooncake mold. Press the mold to shape the cookie. Then, release the cookie onto a lined cookie sheet.

6) Bake in the preheated 250F oven for 40-60 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on a rack before serving. It can be stored in an airtight container for about 2 weeks at room temperature.

Notes:
1) The right amount of pressure is required to shape the cookie in the cake mold. Not enough pressure and the cookie may not come together properly. Too much pressure and the resulting cookie may not be as soft or will be too dense. A little practice is needed.
2) The baking time is for your reference only. Bigger cookies need more time while smaller ones do not need as much time.
3) Don't get confused between the sweet and bitter apricot kernels. They look the same. Only use the sweet ones.

1) 預熱焗爐至華氏215度。將兩種杏仁焗十分鐘，待涼後用食品器打碎備用。
2) 調教爐溫至華氏250度。
3) 水與糖攪至溶解，加入固體菜油。
4) 加入杏仁碎及綠豆粉，用手搓勻成濕沙狀。
5) 分十二份，將一份放入模具內用手指壓實，再壓出放焗盤上。
6) 放入焗爐焗約四十至六十分鐘。
7) 焗好後放架上完全涼後便可食用，可放存氣盒內於室溫約兩星期。

注意事項：
1) 餅料放入餅模後用手指壓實的力度要適中，力度過大餅會太實，口感過硬；不夠力壓實，餅可能會散。
2) 焗的時間長短要視付餅的大小，自行調教。
3) 南、北杏外表一樣，要認明標籤，不要用錯有苦味的北杏。

食譜參考：肥丁手工坊

Chinese Black Sesame Pancake 黑芝麻燒餅

Are you eating more snacks these days because of the pandemic? You are not alone. Snacking is very common when we have more time at home or in front of the TV or computer.

 

This is a healthy snack that every one loves.

Sago Pudding with Lotus Seed Paste 蓮蓉西米布甸

This is a fusion dessert because its ingredients originate from different countries or culture.

Custard powder--English
Lotus seed paste filling--Chinese
Sago or tapioca pearls--Thai or Southeast Asian

No matter what its origin, it is a yummy and delicious dessert!

Coconut Tartlet 一口椰撻

I often regard coconut tart as a twin of egg tart. Both are a staples in Asian bakeries. However, I think coconut tart is easier to make and has a higher successful rate than egg tart. By using a smaller size tart mold makes it so cute and have no guilt feeling in eating more than one!

Chinese Walnut Cookies 中式合桃酥

When I took a bite of this walnut cookie, I couldn't believe it was made without lard or hydrogenated shortening. It is so crumbly it just melts in your mouth. It is just the taste of the cookies I had in my childhood, yet this recipe is much healthier.

傳統中式合桃酥或其他酥餅，與豬油是分不開的，但這食譜的作法只有菜油及牛油，也沒有人造(氫化)油脂，完全符合健康標準，食多幾件也無防。

入口酥鬆、即溶，做法簡單，你一定要試!

Snowy Mooncake Class 冰皮月餅班

Mango Roll 芒果腸粉

Long time no post! As I looked back to my 275 posts throughout the years, mango is one of my favorite subjects--with over 13 different recipes!

Here is my latest and new beloved dessert:

Sago Dumpling with Lotus Seed Filling 蓮蓉西米角

晶瑩剔透，有咬口，蓮蓉餡清甜幼滑，這確實是一款精緻小食、點心。但與其他懷舊小食一般，越來越少有食肆做，要品嘗都是最好自己動手了。

Ingredients to make 24 pieces:
225g tapioca pearls 西米
110g sugar 砂糖
260g lotus seed paste 連蓉
20g vegetable oil 菜油

1) Divide the lotus seed paste into 24 equal portions, about 12g each.

2) Soak the tapioca pearls in water for 2 hours. Drain.
3) Mix the tapioca pearls with sugar and oil. Steam for 2-3 mins.
4) Divide into 24 portions:

5) Take each portion and flatten. Wrap with a lotus seed paste. Steam for 8 mins until it is transparent. Serve in room temp.

2019 CNY Cooking Class

Merry Christmas and Happy 2019! 

Before you know it, Chinese Lunar New Year (2/5/2019) will be here. There will be a cooking class on how to bake Chinese New Year cake, aka nian gao, and sweet dumpling. The class will be conducted in First Chinese Baptist Church in Walnut. This is a hands-on and demonstration combined class. Space is limited and on a first come first served basis.

Address and registration information is below:

How to Make Salted Egg (Yolk Only) 淨咸蛋黃做法

Beginning this project, I was doubtful if it would work the way I saw in the pictures, if the salted egg yolks would turn out to be round, solid, yet slightly oozy. But after doing it myself, I am convinced. It is indeed an ingenious way to make salted egg yolks, without the egg whites or using the whole egg method. I have been making my own salty egg for a long time since the import is prohibited by the FDA (only cooked salty eggs can be imported to the US). But most of the time, only the egg yolks are used, like in mooncakes or other bakery products.

There is not really a recipe for it, meaning the quantity of the ingredients is arbitrary, not like in baking. It is the "how" which matters. The salt can be reused.

Hong Kong Milk Tea and Bo Law Bao program update

A limited number of tea filters and blended tea leaves will be available for purchase following the program. First come first served.

Date: 12/2/2017
Time: 2pm
Location: Norwood Library in El Monte, California

Custard Mooncake Class 奶黃月餅班

Custard mooncake class is back by popular demand. 

Date: 9/23, 2:30-4:30pm in Diamond bar, California. 

Fee $50, include all the ingredients, one set of mold and a box of six cakes to take home.

Email to :phoebechow@morethanbread.net if you are interested. Class limited to 6 people.

徇眾要求，奶黃月餅班加開

日期：9月23, 2:30-4:30pm. 

地點：Diamond bar, California.

費用$50, 包所有材料，一套月餅模，一盒六個月餅。如有興趣，請盡快給我電郵：

phoebechow@morethanbread.net。只收六個學生。

Mango Sago with Pomelo 楊枝甘露

I use mangoes the most in making desserts, especially during summer--ice cream, jelly, panna cotta, mochi, mille crepes, pudding, souffle. Yet this one is a bit different from the rest. It is in liquid form, much like dessert soups common in Asian cuisine. Unlike baking, dessert soups are very forgiving and easy to make. There is almost no way to mess up or fail. Adjust the amount of sugar or use sugar substitute according to your palate.

Using mango puree and dice mangoes together increases the mango flavor and it matches so well with coconut milk and sago. I wonder why I haven't made this before!

Handmade Steamed Rice Roll 布拉腸粉

What should be the quality of a good rice roll? Silky smooth, thin, soft and warm. And don't forget the dipping sauce. Some like plain soy sauce while others like a combination of soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame paste and some like to add hot, spicy sauce as well. A good rice roll, well combined sauce and a sprinkle of roasted sesame are a match made in heaven!

No matter what you prefer, it is a breakfast staple for many Chinese around the world. It is also a common and popular street food in Hong Kong. In dim sum restaurant, there are a variety of rice roll available: shrimp, minced beef and char siu. Many people also like the one wrap with Chinese fried bread stick (aka: Chinese donut)

Sweet Rice Balls with Peanuts and Sesame 糖不甩

"Sugar is not rejection" is the translation from Google for this Chinese dessert! Obviously something is lost from translating this classic and well-loved dessert of many Cantonese people. The literal meaning of the name comes from the fact that when the sweet rice ball rolls on the peanut, sesame, and sugar mixture, the coating does not come off. It sticks to the rice ball like this:

The Best and Easiest Ma Lai Gao 最好味及易做的馬拉糕

This is my third update of some of the older recipes/posts (the other two are: Pineapple Cake/Pastry, Turnip Cake). The old Ma Lai Gao recipe uses an aged dough, which takes a long time and a lot of patience. This new one is a lot simpler to make and does not require lye while the result is still soft and fluffy.

隨著鳳梨酥 及 羅蔔糕 食譜的更新，今次輪到馬拉糕了。舊的食譜 用麵種做，比較費時，這個新食譜比較簡單及不須加鹼水，也一樣鬆軟可口。

The Best Pineapple Cake/Pastry 最好味的鳳梨酥

After posting the the Best Turnip Cake, I feel the need to update my old pineapple pastry recipe as well. Pineapple pastry is one of my blog's most popular posts. It has been quoted and used to compare with other bloggers' recipes by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids. I admire her spirit to search the best and not settle for mediocrity.

How does this new recipe different from the old one? By having more egg in this new version, it basically produces a crust which brown more nicely than the old one. The higher percentage of milk powder contributes to a richer crust as well.

As for the filling, I think what people dread most is the time it takes to cook the pineapple to a thick paste. It is a real test of your patience! Continue reading below as I show you how to cut down the cooking time.

Hand Made Egg Roll 香脆手工蛋卷

Making egg rolls has been on my to-do list for quite some time. It is a very straightforward recipe, using only butter, egg, sugar, and flour. They just need to be blended together with a handheld mixer for a few minutes and the batter is ready to be cooked. But it does need a special pan that can be flipped to cook both sides. I tried different recipes and this one is the best, full of egg flavor and with a pleasantly crunchy texture.

The Best Turnip Cake 最好味的蘿蔔糕

I have been using the same recipe to make turnip cake since high school... It's been a very long time, and I thought it was the best, that is, until I tried this recipe.

Basically, how this recipe is different from my old one is it includes two more types of flour in addition to rice flour--wheat starch and potato starch. It gives the cake a far better texture, making it softer and lighter.

Another way it is different is the way the turnip is prepared. I used to use a food processor to grate it. If you don't have a food processor or if you dread hand-grating a whole turnip, try cutting the turnip into strips. Not only does it save work and time, it provides a very good texture as you bite into the pudding. 

Simply put, this is a wonderful recipe!