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

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!

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:

Steam Egg with Ginger 薑汁燉蛋

This is one of my favorite classic Chinese desserts. Sweet, smooth, silky steamed egg with ginger is nutritious and satisfying especially in winter cold months. It can be made with milk for an even smoother texture. But if you are lactose intolerant, like me, you can use water. Sugar can be substituted with other sweeteners if you have diabetic concerns as well.

薑汁燉蛋這款經典甜品是我的至愛，香甜、幼滑，加上薑汁，更是錦上添花。在秋冬季節遇到手腳冰冷，或容易傷風感冒，多食有薑的食物會有幫助，行氣活血。

食譜中如用奶代替水，就更加香滑。白糖也可以用代糖取替。

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

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!

Egg Drop Sweet Soup with Fresh Water Chestnut 蛋花馬蹄露

Although the calendar says it is May, the weather in Southern California feels like summer for a week and winter for another. This Chinese dessert can be served warm or cold, which is perfect for the season. Fresh water chestnuts are available year round. It is a versatile ingredient. Besides using it to make water chestnut pudding/cake 馬蹄糕 during Chinese New Year, it can be used in other savory dishes to provide a crunchy texture.

Tofu Pudding/Dou Fu Hua 幼滑豆腐花

The texture of a dish is as important as its taste. It will be a big disappointment if a food that is supposed to be crunchy turns out to be soft or soggy. On the other hand, if it should be smooth and silky but it is rough and firm, people might be surprised and wary. The best texture for tofu pudding is smooth and silky, which you can just swallow.

What's the trick to making silky tofu pudding? The temperature of the soymilk is critical. The optimal temperature to mix soy milk and the coagulant is 155F/85C. If the soy milk is boiling hot, the resulting pudding will not be as smooth.

The coagulant used in most of tofu making is gypsum (calcium sulfate). It is a mineral mined from natural rock, not a synthetic chemical.

The correct ratio between gypsum and potato starch in the following recipe gives the best texture and minimal amount of whey.

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.

Steamed Pandan Coconut Multilayer Cake 班蘭椰汁千層糕

The first time I had this dessert, I thought it was made from glutinous flour because it was soft, chewy, and starchy. But how wrong was I! There is another kind of flour which produces a very similar texture. It is tapioca flour. Being a very popular flour in Asia, it is used in various kinds of dishes, especially in desserts. For people living in North America, the word tapioca is synonymous with boba. The pearl-like balls, usually black, are commonly found in milk tea and other drinks. If you like them, then you will appreciate the texture of this Indonesian dessert.

Banana Flavored Roll 香蕉糕

Glutinous rice balls, mochi, Chinese New Year steamed cakes and boba all have something in common. They are comprised of glutinous flour as the major ingredient. It is what gives them their chewy, gummy texture. Banana rolls are also one of these foods which fit the description. But it has a misleading name (just like bo lo bao/pineapple bao without pineapple). Anyhow, how I have missed this glutinous flour roll! Besides Hong Kong Style Waffle and Chinese Steamed Cake, this is my other favorite childhood snack.

It only has a few major ingredients--water, sugar, glutinous flour, and banana flavoring--but the right ratio is important to bring out the best texture. I have been searching and experimenting a long time for a good recipe. Some make it by steaming raw glutinous flour while others use cooked flour to make the roll without further steaming. The following recipe from another blogger has the best texture with the right ratio of glutinous flour, wheat starch, and tapioca flour and it is super easy to make.

Custard Moon Cake 奶黃月餅

These exquisite moon cakes are created by innovative bakers from Hong Kong. A box of eight reportedly fetches almost HK$500 (~USD$65-70)!! The cake is filled with moist and rich custard with a nice coconut flavor. The recipe is straight forward but it takes some tricks and a lot of practice to create a nice and distinctive look.

I tried different recipes and finally came up with this one with modifications.

這款近年風靡香港的奶黃月餅，身價越來越貴，據報一盒八個要港幣近五百大元 !!
不過又真是很好食，奶黃餡香滑，加上一杯熱茶，真是一絕。

Moon Cake Mold 月餅模

This year's Mid Autumn Festival is on Sept 8, less than two months away. In order to make homemade moon cake, either the baked traditional kind or easy-to-make snowy moon cake, you will need an indispensable tool. This plastic moon cake mold is so much easier to use than the traditional wood mold that it makes the whole process a breeze.

Chinese Steamed Cake Ma Lai Gao 古法馬拉糕

Dim Sum Series, part 4:

This steamed cake is called ma lai gao. I have tried a few recipes using different ways to leaven the cake batter: beating whole eggs (physical), using yeast (biological) and/or baking soda/powder (chemical). None of the above gave me a satisfactory result.

The average maximum heat a household steamer can generate is about 212F/100C. This temperature is so much lower than the usual 350F/180C oven temperature used in baking a cake. It means that the way the cake batter is prepared is a crucial factor in determining whether it is a dense or soft cake.

I kept telling myself that there must be a way to make a fluffy and moist steamed cake. So, as a last resort, I went back to the traditional method: using an aged (prefermented) dough. This is a combination of biological and chemical methods. By making an aged dough (similar to a levain in making a sourdough bread), natural yeast and bacteria are cultivated. Later on, baking soda is added to balance the pH level. Leavening is provided by the yeast and baking powder. Although egg beating is not required in this recipe, some patience and time is required :).... However, you will be rewarded with a steamed melt-in-your-mouth cake that was achieved without the addition of lard (commonly used in restaurants).

For an updated recipe, click here