Shepherd's Pie or Reese's Pie???

Hi all, here's another recipe that I promised to share. This was the one that I've tried the other day together with the peanut kueh. This was my first time trying a shepherd's pie but somehow I'm not sure how is the actual recipe tastes like....;p This pie came to my liking when I saw my aunt's (Venorica's Kitchen) post last week. Its so easy and something different to serve for dinner instead of noodles or rice we used to have. (My daughter used to complain that she's bored with rice and noodles...haha!)


Well, if you are wondering why I decided to have such a title for this post, this was because of 2 reasons. First, I never try to eat a shepherd's pie before and secondly I've changed the ingredients to suit my very own taste. But of course this was inspired by my aunt...:)
Ingredients:
200g minced chicken fillets
6 small local potatoes (yellowish)
50g white button mushrooms (sliced)
** mozzarella cheese (depends on your liking, I used quite alot)
100-150g carbonara sauce (I used Prego's brand)
1 tbsp salted butter

Method:
~ First marinate the minced chicken fillet with some dried bazil leaves, alittle paprika powder, alittle black pepper and a pinch of salt for at least 30 minutes.
~ Cooked the potatoes until soften and mashed. Add in butter and mix well.
~ Saute the minced meat with 1/2 tbsp olive oil until fully cooked and add in the mushrooms. Stir well, off heat.
~ Then add in carbonara sauce and mix well. (If you find its too watery, then you may use less)
~ Spoon the cooked meat into prepared tray, top with cheese then followed by mashed potatoes.
~ Sprinkle some cheese on top of the potatoes if desire.
~ Bake at preheated oven at 200'C for 25 minutes. Serve hot!

This recipe served a 8x4" and a 6x2" trays. Can you believe that my daughter finished up the small one and asked for more...;p Oh she just love carbonara sauce and that's why I used that and cheese.....YUM!! Now you know why I named such title here...LOL!!!

Cheers!!

Peanut Santan Layer Kuih

I've been quite busy these few weeks and another 2 weeks to go then I can relax and enjoy my time slowly. You could probably wondering why...huh? Well, it's because I have to spend more time at the office now and back home, I got to do revisions with my daughter for her coming week examinations. Yes, it's very tiring rushing everything in a day, but this does not keep me from baking something nice and delicious..:)

Here's something I'll like to share today. Infect I've done 2 different recipes today!! One for dinner and this lovely kuih for dessert..:D I'll like to share this kuih recipe first then will find another time to share my "dinner" recipe with you!

A fragnant and sweet kuih, that you'll probably love it...Peanut Santan Layer Kuih (Peanut with Coconut milk layer Kueh)


A recipe adapted from "famous cuisine no.70" with alittle modifications.

Ingredients (A):
200g grounded peanuts (as shown as picture below)
60g rice flour
80g tapioca flour
10g green bean starch
200ml thick coconut milk
115g sugar
400ml water

Ingredients (B):
60g rice flour
80g tapioca flour
10g green bean starch
200ml thick coconut milk
115g sugar
200ml water
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
~ Combine ingredients (A) and (B) separately, strain well.
~ Prepare 8" round tray with lined banana leaf or just brush with alittle peanut oil.
~ Spoon batters in tray on sequence by different colour at about 150ml each layer. Covered and steam each layer for 3 minutes over high heat.
~ For the final layer, steam over high heat for further 20 minutes, remove from heat. Leave to cool completely before cutting.

This kuih (almost the same as the layered kuih, 九层糕 ) was so good, chewy and not sweet at all. Love the peanuts and it really goes well with the coconut milk! It was well recieved by my hubby and my daughter..:) My daughter likes to eat it by peeling it layer by layer, she said that's more delicious that way...haha!

I'll like to submit this post to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011), hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker.

Cheers!!

Cantonese Stewed Pork Paus (廣式扣肉包)

School exams coming in less than 3 weeks time, we (parents) are so stress and everybody has been starting to do their revisions. (Actually mothers are doing the revision)..haha! Hopefully they can do well for this year end exams, and good luck for everyone who are sitting for it..:)

Back to my post today, its a steamed buns (paus) again. Well I like steamed paus and we can have it either for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even supper. Founded a new recipe for the paus pastry and I was attracted by the pictures inside. So no doubt, here's mine..:)


I've changed the fillings inside into stewed pork instead of roasted pork. Just feel like tasting something different this time. But somehow after steaming, there were some brown spots on the paus...wonder was it that I didn't seal the paus properly. Anyway I still got to learn and improve on how to shape the paus properly. Don't they looked like garlic?...LOL

Here's the recipe, (adapted from 快乐厨房别刊)

(A) 4g instant yeast, 160g water
(B) 280g pau flour or low gluten flour, 120g cornflour, 80g sugar, 40g shortening
(C) 10g double action baking powder
(D) Stewed pork (canned)~ drained, 1 tsp char siu sauce, 1 tbsp cornflour, 1/2 tbsp sugar
(E) 10 shallots (finely diced)

Method:
~ Mix (A) together then add in (B) and lightly knead into a dough. Covered with cling foil and leave rest for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
~ Meanwhile remove the fats from the stewed pork and finely diced. Then add in char siu sauce, conrflour and sugar and mix well.
~ Panfry shallots until fragnant and add in stewed pork. Panfry alittle while and let cool.
~ Mix in (C) and knead gently into a fine dough (careful don't over knead) then covered and rest for another 15 minutes.
~ Divide dough into 30g each and wrapped in fillings.
~ Place on prepared parchment paper and steam at high heat for 10-12 minutes.


The pastry was soft and fluffy, that I love it so much. Definitely a keeper. Trust me, try it out then you'll know. You may use red bean, lotus or even peanut fillings too. I'm sure they taste really good!!

Cheers!!