Black & White Fungus Sweet Dessert 木耳甜汤

Serving 4 dessert bowls

Ingredients:

30g dry white fungus 干白木耳

5 g dry black fungus 干黑木耳

2 pcs seedless red dates 无核红枣

1 pc honey date 蜜枣

4 pcs dry longan 龙眼干

40g cooked barley 熟薏仁

3 pcs cooked candied winter melon 熟冬瓜糖

500g water 水

1 pandan leaf 香兰叶

80g rock sugar 冰糖

Directions:

1. Rinse and soak all the dry white fugus, black fungus, red dates, honey date and dry longan for about 20 minutes.

 

2. Remove the base of the white and black fungus.

3.. Collect 40g of barley and a few candied winter melon strips from the residue of your barley brew.

4. Heat up 400g water with pandan leave, red dates, honey date and longan in a pot.

5. Use a food processor to chop the white fungus and candied winter melon strip into coarse bit. Add the remaining 100g water to the white fungus in the  grinding cup. 

Use pulse mode to operate the processor. Every grinding will last for 1 second. Give 5 intervals grinding.

Do not use long grinding as the white fungus will turn into paste and affect the texture.

You can view the process here:

6. Use a scissor to cut the black fungus into small bits.

7. Pour all the white fungus, black fungus, barley into the pot. Bring to a boil, then add in rock sugar.

8. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or to your desired tenderness.

9. Serve warm or cold :)
Please consume the dessert within the same day. As it is not advisable to keep food with white fungus for more than 24 hours. 

Steamed Choco-Egg Cake 蒸蛋糕

Yield: One 14cm round cake

Ingredients:

2 eggs, separated, room temperature
70g fine sugar

50g milk, room temperature

10g condensed milk
10g vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla essence 

85g top flour
1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp cocoa powder

~ 1 tbsp hot water 

Directions:

1. Line a 14cm cake tin with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Mix flour with baking powder using a hand whisk.

3. Mix cocoa powder with hot water into a paste.

4.  Beat egg whites in a clean and grease free mixing bowl at high speed using an electric mixer till frothy. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the sugar in three lots. When the sugar is well incorporated to the batter, adjust the mixer speed to high, and beat the egg white batter for about 3 ~ 5 minutes, or till stiff peaks formed.

6. Add in egg yolks, one at a time, to the egg white batter and mix well.

7. Start to boil a small pot of water, to be ready for steaming the cake later.

8. Add in the flour mixture, one tablespoon at a time, to the batter using the pair of whisks taken out from the mixer set. Stop mixing once no flour can be seen.

This is to prevent deflating the batter too much and too fast.

9. Pour milk, condensed milk, vegetable oil and vanilla essence into a bowl. Add the mixture, in three additions to the batter using the pair of mixer's whisks.

Similarly, try to mix the batter with minimum mixing time.

10. Pour about 1/4 of the batter into another bowl. Mix it with cocoa paste to form an even batter.

11. Pour half of the egg batter into the cake tin. Give the cake tin a few jolts to level the surface and to get rid of trapped air. Lower it into the pot of boiling water. Cover the pot with lid and heat for about 5 minutes or till the surface is cooked.

12. Pour the chocolate batter over the egg batter surface. Give the cake tin a few jolts before returning to the pot of boiling water.  Cover the pot with lid, and heat over medium high heat for 5 minutes, or till the surface has hardened.

12. Pour in the remaining egg batter over the chocolate batter. Cover with a lid and steamed at high heat for about 5 minutes. 

Reduce the temperature to medium low, and continue to steam for about 15 to 20 minutes.

13. To test whether the cake is ready, insert a thin bamboo stick into the centre of the cake, if the stick draws out dry, the cake is ready.

14. Remove the cake from the steamer  and cool down over a wire rack.

15. When the cake is cool, cut into serving portions. It's best serve warm :)

Japanese Cucumber Salad

Serving: a side dish for 4 adults

Ingredients:

1 Japanese cucumber, cut into bite size

Marinating ingredients:

1/4 tsp salt

Drinking water for rinsing

2~3 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp chopped garlic

1/4 tsp chopped chili

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tsp ground roasted peanut

1/4 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Wash and pat dry one Japanese cucumber. Cut into bite size and marinate with 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and let them rest for about 15 to 20 minutes. This helps to drain out the excess cucumber juice and make the end products crunchier.

2. When 15 minutes is up, rinse the cucumber with drinking water and drain dry.

3. Add sugar, garlic, chilli and vinegar to the cucumber. Mix well.

4. Add the ground peanut and sesame seeds to the cucumber mixture. Mix well.

5. Cover and store the salad in a glassware. Refrigerate in the fridge for 1/2 an hour before consumption to have a more infused flavour :)

Miso Pork Ribs Stew

Serving: 4 adults

Ingredients:

350g Prime Ribs, 4 sticks cut into 8

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 big onion, chopped

Seasoning sauce ingredients:

40g low salt miso paste

2 tbsp mirin (sweet Japanese wine)

1 tbsp low salt Japanese soya sauce

~2 tbsp sugar

~200ml water

1/8 tsp dark soya sauce, to add colour

1/2 tsp potato starch mix with 1 tbsp water.

Direction:

1. Wash and drain prime ribs. Pour boiling water onto the prime ribs, and let it submerge for about 1 minute, drain away the water, cover and set aside.

2. Heat up a pot and pour in 1 tbsp sesame oil on low heat.  When the oil is hot, add in the chopped onion and sauté to soft.

3. Place the prime ribs in and pour water to cover the ribs. You can place a drop-lid onto the ribs if you have one. 

Bring to a light boil and lower the heat. Simmer for about 1/2 hour.

4. Mix miso paste, mirin, soya sauce and sugar in a bowl.

Pour the seasoning sauce into the pot.

Bring to light boil, then lower the heat to simmer for another 1/2 hour. Cover with a lid partially.

5. Remove the prime ribs to a bowl and cover them.

Bring the gravy to a boil to thicken it. When the pot is left about 3/4 cup of the gravy, add about 1/8 tsp of dark soya sauce to enhance the colour.

Lower the heat and pour in the starch water. Stir regularly to form a smooth gravy.

6. Turn off the heat and return the pork ribs to the gravy to coat well. Leave the pork ribs in the gravy for about 10 minutes.

7. Serve with warm rice :)