Purple Sweet Potatoes Loaf

What's your favourite color? Mine is always purple and red. Ever since I'm a little girl I always like the color of red. Well, at that time I just find that red is pretty sharp and when we wear something red, we really stands out. Then, when I slowly grow up, I find that purple is nice too. I'll like my parents to paint my room purple, buy me purple towels, a purple bag etc...haha! I just find it's a romantic color. Don't you think so? (^o^)

So, when comes to baking, color is also very important. (this is what I think so lah..;p) Refer back to my older post, I usually have sharp colors in my bakings! And today, a warm and romantic one, Purple Sweet Potatoes Loaf with dried Cranberries.

An easy "quick" bread recipe founded! And of course it has a super soft texture until the next day!
This recipe does not need any pre-fermented dough or Tang-zhong. Scroll down to have a look at the ingredients..:))

(Recipe calls for a 7.5"x3.5" loaf tin)

Ingredients:
(A)
200g bread flour
10g milk powder

(B)
20g castor sugar
2g fine salt
1/2 tsp honey
65g purple sweet potatoes (cooked & mashed)
85g cold water
25g beaten egg
4g instant yeast

(C)
25g butter (room temperature)

(D)
some dried cranberries or raisins

Method:
* Mix together all ingredients (B) in a bowl. Slightly whisk with a whisker.
* Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl and add in ingredients (A)
* At high speed mix them all together into a dough then add in butter (C). 
* Continue to beat at high speed until you get an elastic dough, until you can pull the dough to almost see through texture without breaking it.
* Add in dried cranberries or raisins (D). Mix well.
* Cover and let prove for 30 minutes.
* Punch the air out from the dough and divide into 3 equal portions
* Slightly roll out the 3 portions with a rolling pin and roll up like a swissroll.
* Place into the prepared greased loaf tin (7.5x3.5")
* Let prove till 80% of the tin (about 45 minutes)
* Bake at 180'C for 30 minutes
* Remove the loaf from the tin once done and let cool completely before slicing.

Oh, don't you like the color? Beautiful!!

Happy Baking!

Homemade Beef Burger

Nothing beats homemade food! This was my first attempt on making our very own burger buns and the result is awesome. And that I have to share this recipe with you, a very easy and thumbs up recipe indeed! 

We had this for dinner yesterday and everyone thought that the buns were store bought...hehe! *so proud of my self* (thick skin ^^)

Alright, dinner was served....Homemade Beef Burger, yeah! all homemade except the salad lah...I have no courage to plant them yet..LOL!!

Beef Burger with Garden Salad

Ingredients for the Buns:
60g condensed milk
15g beaten egg
170g cold water
2g salt
5g instant yeast
300g bread flour
5g milk powder
20g softened butter

* a little white sesame seed

Method:
~ Mix well condensed milk, egg, cold water and salt in a mixer. (just mix them at medium speed for 2-3 minutes)
~ Add in flour and milk powder and mix them into a dough
~ Finally add in the butter and knead into a fine dough until you can pull the dough to almost see through texture without breaking it. (Note that the dough is a little soft here)
~ Cover and let prove for 30 minutes
~ Dust some flour on the work surface and hands. Transfer the dough to the work surface.
~ Press down the dough to let the air out. Divide the dough into 60g each or smaller it you prefer.
~ Round them up. Spray some water and dust with some white sesame seeds.
~ Place them onto the prepared pan lined with parchment paper. Let prove for 1 hour.
~ Bake at 180'C for 10-13 minutes (please adjust to your own oven's temperature) 

Well, as you can see below here (before and after) the buns were done. If you want to make mini buns, you should divide the dough into 30g each instead. 

Ingredients for the Beef Patty:
500g minced beef (90% lean meat)
1 beaten egg
1 large onion (finely chopped)
1/2 cup Crushed Soda Biscuits
3 tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
a little salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
~ Mix all ingredients above in a large bowl
~ Make into patty about 0.5" thick (size depends)
~ Use a wax paper in between each patty when chilling for easier separation.
~ Keep chill for at least 30 minutes before frying with some olive oil.

** The patty can be store in freezer for a week in an airtight container.

Hope you like this recipe!

Spices "Dong Po Rou" (香料东坡肉)

"Dong Po Rou" is a Hangzhou dish which is widely known across China. The dish which is made pan-frying and then red cooking pork belly. The pork is cut thick and should consist equally of fat and lean meat. And the skin is left on. The mouthfeel is oily but not greasy and the dish is fragrant with Chinese wine. The dish is named after the famed Song Dynasty poet and gastronome Su DongPo 

I had this recipe kept long time ago and finally I get it done. With some added ingredients, the outcome was satisfying and all of us love it!

Spices Dong Po Rou

Ingredients:
600g pork belly with skin
2 stalks spring onions
2 whole black / toasted garlic (flatten)
5 slices fresh ginger
* some hemp strings

1/2 tbsp red distilled grains
200ml water

2 star anises
1" cinnamon stick
5 cloves
2 nos "Sand ginger" / "Cekor"
2 nos "Cao Guo" / Amomum Tsaoko

5 tbsps light soy sauce
30g palm sugar (I used the Indonesian palm sugar)
3 tbsps Shaoxing wine

Method:
~ Cook the pork belly into the boiling water for 25 minutes, dish out and leave to cool. Cut into 6 equal pieces evenly and knot it with hemp strings (you can ignore tying with the hemp strings if you can't get any)
~ Cook the red distilled grains and water for 20 minutes, strain well and reserve the juice.
~ Heat up 3 tbsps cooking oil in a wok, g=fragrant spring onions, garlic and ginger. Drain well and transfer them into a claypot.
~ Add in pork belly, red distilled grain juice, spices and seasoning.
~ Add in water (just enough to cover the pork belly) and bring to boil.
~ Cover and simmer at low heat for 1.5 hours
~ When the pork belly is tender, dish out and strain the stock. Bring the stock to boil and thicken with a little cornstarch solutions. Pour over to the pork belly and serve hot.

I've also made some Steamed Plain Baos / Mantao to go along with this delicious pork. For the recipe of my Steamed Plain Baos / Mantao, please refer to my older post here.

Have a Nice Day!

Cotton Cheese Cake

Cotton Cheese Cake also known as Japanese or Sakura Cheese Cake was popular in Malaysia more than 15 years ago, at that time emulsifier was used to give a better texture for the surface. There are lots of recipes posted in the web about this cake, and I just love it my way as adapted from one of my favourite books..."The Joy Of Baking by Bake with Yen"

Japanese Cotton Cheese Cake

I didn't share this recipe when I first baked this long long time ago because at that time I have not started to blog yet. So just imagine how long was that be....I can't recall too!
With little adjustment on the sugar and some changes of the recipe, here is the recipe to share with you and also for my own reference.

Ingredients:

135g fine sugar
6 egg whites (size B)

50g butter
250g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
6 egg yolks (size B)
100ml fresh milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

60g Superfine Cake flour
20g Cornflour

Method:
~ Line a 9" round pan with parchment paper and wrap the outside of the pan with aluminium foil.
~ Preheat oven at 160'C and place a slightly bigger tray filled with hot water for steam-bake.
~ Sieve both flours and set aside.
~ Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Slightly cool down and add in egg yolks and lemon juice. Use a egg whisker to mix gently until well mix. Set aside.
~ Whisk egg whites with sugar until slightly stiff (don't over whisk)
~ Mix in flour mixture into egg yolk batter and stir until well combined.
~ Mix in the whisked egg whites slowly until well combined.
~ Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and place the pan into the prepared tray of hot water.
~ Steam-bake at 160'C for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

If you want to have a cheese cake but a lighter one, this is what you should try.
Love the soft texture, the light taste of cream cheese and a tinge of lemon, perfect for afternoon tea or supper...hehe!

Cheers!