Layered Kaya Steam Bun aka Asian Mille Feuile

I was looking online for something different to make besides the typical oven bake kinda food for either breakfast or lunchbox and stumble upon this interesting photo. Hence launched into a search for the recipe. It is actually not cake but steam bun layered up with kaya in between each layer. This is soft and fluffy and smells great too... glad my no 1 likes it.

 Trying to make it more "chinese" so added the prosperity word on it... with my home made stencil (mom was wondering since when I can do such pretty chinese word).

Recipe:

Kaya

• 40 g sugar 
• 40 g palm sugar 
• 200 ml undiluted fresh coconut milk (I used coconut cream in the can)
• 4 young, light green pandan leaves wash and cut 5 cm long (no fresh one, dried one, still smells good)
• 4 yolks (make sure there's no egg white at all)

Steps:

1. Dissolve sugar, palm sugar and coconut milk (along with the pandan leaves) on medium high heat, maintain and gentle simmer stage. 
2. Once the sugar melted, scoop partial of the mixture on the beaten egg yolks, little by little (roughly 1/3 to half).
3. Then continue stirring the coconut milk mixture while slowing add in the egg yolks with partial of the coconut mixture all into the saucepan. Stir it at low heat till the mixture thicken to your desired thickness. As I wanted to use it for this recipe, I make sure it is rather thick. It should take roughly bout 4-5mins.

*This is a quick so called 5mins kaya recipe but I had spent longer as I it thick.

Bun

• Part 1: Starter or Sponge dough
• 250g pao or low protein flour
• 200g water
• 1/4tsp (1g) commercial/instant yeast

1. Mix and set aside over night, roughly 12-13hours (room temperature - timing depending on the weather, if hot, not more than 12hrs)

• Part 2: Bun Dough
• 150g pao or low protein flour
• 50g sugar
• 1tsp baking powder
• 40g cooking oil (I don't like shortening and so I substituted it with oil)

1. Knead all ingredients from part 1 and 2 together to form a soft and smooth dough. It takes roughly 5-10mins to achieve that with hand. The dough is rather soft and a bit hard to handle.
2. Leave it to proof for bout an hour.
3. Prepare a baking tin roughly 9inch, layered with non stick baking paper.
4. Divide into 10portions, shape into ball before flattening and roll to round disc (roughly bout 8inch so as to allow space for it to proof).
5. Stack the first piece into the baking tin and spread the kaya over it. The original recipe asked for a tablespoon, but I was greedy, I put in more coz I prefer it to have more of it.
6. Continue stacking the bun doughs and spreading the kaya jam on every layer (except the last top one). Cover with a cloth and let it proof for another 2 hrs.
7. Heat up a pot of water and steam the bun. It should takes bout 30-35mins on medium low heat.
8. Once done, take it out to cool before slicing in... the bun should rise and filled up the entire cake tin, looks really fluffy and felt really light.

Bon apetit 

Note: you may choose to use jam or any other spread if you don't like or too lazy to make the kaya jam.

Quick Style Hainanese Chicken Rice

Weather is getting cold and I just want something yum, good for recovering body from sickness yet with some hot soup. Then it just cross my mine why don't I do a quick hainanese chicken rice with the pressure cooker.

So I prepared this while the little one is taking her nap and the big girl was still in school for her after school activity.

Previously I had also posted the recipe before but using the traditional method, that consumes roughly almost at least 2-3hrs to prep and cook the entire dish. The recipe is here.

For this, it took me an hour for the entire prep including preparing of sauces (and some chatting online.. hehehe)

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken drumsticks (use what ever amount you need for your family or other part of the chicken)
• 5 cups of water
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups of cold ice water
• 3 cup rice (soaked in warm water to remove pyhtic acid and then washed and drain)
• 2tbsp butter
• 2tbsp minced garlic
• 2 leaves of pandan
• 10-12 slices of ginger
• 1 tbsp of garlic and 1tbsp of ginger, minced together
• 4tbsp of sesame oil
• 3tbsp cooking oil
• 1tsp oyster sauce
• 3tsp soy sauce
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 5tbsp chopped spring onion
• some fish balls
• some slices of cucumber for serving

Steps:

1. Pour the 5cups of water into the pot of the pressure cooker and select the saute high mode, close the lid so that it heats up faster.
2. Once the water is boiling, add in 1tsp salt and half the ginger slices. Then add in the chicken.
3. Close the lid and change it to manual pressure mode, KPT for 7mins.
4. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the ingredients for the rice and sauces.
5. In one saucer, mix 2tbsp of spring onion with the minced garlic and ginger. Then add in 2tbsp of cooking oil, 1tsp soy sauce, small pinch of salt, 1tbsp sesame oil, and mix well. Set aside for serving.
6. Once the chicken is done and pressure valve has drop, remove the pot from the pressure cooker and ladle the chicken into the cold ice water. Leave it for roughly 5-10mins before plating it up.
7. In another pot, set the pressure cooker to saute high mode, add in the balance cooking oil and sesame oil. After bout 1min, add in the balance of the minced garlic and saute till it is light golden. Scoop out half on another saucer and set aside for the other sauce.
8. Add in the balance of the pandan leaves, ginger slices, salt, butter and rice and stir fry it for a min or two. Then add in the chicken stock from boiling chicken. It should be about 3cups, enough to cook the rice. Set the pressure cooker to rice mode.
9. Add in the oyster sauce and balance soy sauce into the saucer with the fried garlic. Stir and set aside for serving.
10. Heat up the pot with the balance of the chicken stock, add in the fishballs and let it boil for bout 5mins. Season with some pepper. Dish out to serve and sprinkle with the balance of the spring onion.
11. Once the rice is ready, you may serve your food.

Steam Pumpkin Bun

Ingredients

• 85g pumpkin puree
• 35g raw sugar
• 250gram of plain flour
• 3g instant yeast
• 3g baking powder
• 1/8teaspoon salt
• 15g olive oil
• 60g water (including the juice from the pumpkin)

Steps:

1. To make the pumpkin puree, remove the skin and cut 120g of pumpkin to thin slices. Steam over high heat for 5-7mins.
2. Let it cool down and then mashed it with a fork. Use a fine sieve and mash it on it. This will squeeze out the water from the steam pumpkin.
3. Mix half the water to the instant yeast and set it aside. Since it is early winter now, I had mix the pumpkin juice with some hot water so that it is warm.
4. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and pumpkin puree together. Stir it to mix. Then add in salt, olive oil, yeast liquid and the rest of the water and knead.
5. I had knead with hand yesterday coz I wanted some exercise but you can use the mixer to do it. With hand, I had knead for about 5mins till the mixture had turn into a nice non sticky dough.
6. Cover the dough with a cling wrap and set it aside to let it proof for about 20mins. Again, if your place is cold like where I am now, prepare a warm water bath (3:2 hot to cold water ratio) and set the dough on top to proof.
7. Punch down the dough and cut to desire size and shape accordingly. I had rolled mine with some home made meat floss. Recipe available here.
8. Leave it to proof for another 30mins.
9. Heat up a pot of water. Then steam the buns in high heat for 12mins. If your bun is bigger, do steam longer.

Lor Bak Gou (Turnip Cake)

I was rather amazed that I had made this like so many times but had never blog the recipe down. Well, here it is just in case I need to hunt for it again one of these days.

Ingredients:

• 500g turnip (julienne with my magi mix)
• 300g rice flour
• 50g corn starch
• 2.5 cups water (inclusive of those reserved water)
• 2 pcs of lap cheong or chinese sausages (cut to either small cube or slices)
• 6pcs of dried mushroom (hydrate and cut to small cubes - reserve the water)
• 4pcs of dried scallop (soaked in water and then shred it - reserve the water)
• 60g dried shrimps (soaked in water and lightly chopped - throw away the water)
• 2pcs of shallots, finely slices
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt (for marinade)
• 1/2tsp sugar (for marinade)
• 1/2tsp wine (for marinade)
• 1tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2tsp white pepper
• 1tbsp oil

Method:

1. Marinade the lap cheong, mushroom, dried scallops and dried shrimps with the marinate ingredients.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the rice flour, corn starch, water, soy sauce, white pepper and 1tbsp of oil.
3. Heat up the 2tbsp of oil and saute the items from step one for about 2-3mins. 
4. Next add in shallots and saute for another 2-3mins before adding in the garlic.
5. Now add in the radish and stir fry it till it is mix evenly with all the other ingredients.
6. Lower down the fire and pour in the liquid mixture and quickly stir it around. Once evenly coated, turn off the fire.
7. Prepare the water to steam the cake. While the water is boiling, scoop the creamy mixture on a greased pan.
8. Steam for about 20mins on high.
9. After it is done, leave it to cool before slicing or serving otherwise it will be sticky.

Gula Melaka Pak Tong Gou

Have a bag of rice flour lying around and not sure what to do. Google up for idea and got tempted to try this.

Ingredients:
Syrup:

• 100g gula melaka
• 100g white sugar
• 375ml water
• 1 pandan leaf

(A)

• 125ml lukewarm water
• 1tsp instant yeast

(B)

• 300g rice flour
• 250ml water

Steps

1. In a saucepan, heat up the 375ml water with the sugar and panda leaf till the sugar is well dissolved and the mixture is a little boiling. Remove from heat and let it cool.
2. Mix the ingredients in group A in a bowl. Let the yeast bubble up.
3. Mix ingredients B in a mixing bowl till it is well mixed. Then slowly stir in the hot syrup mixture to slightly cook the rice flour.
4. Once the mixture get to luke warm temperature, mix in ingredients A and stir till even. Leave it to proof for about 1.5hrs.
5. Pour the mixture onto a greased pan.
6. Boil a pot of water. Once boiled, lower the temperature to just let the water slightly bubbly. Steam the mixture for 15-20mins till the cake cracks at the top. 
7. Leave it to cool before cutting to avoid it from being sticky.

Steamed Glutinous Rice

Everytime someone posted something I like on Facebook, it gets me wanting to cook them. And here it is steamed glutinous rice. Cooked this few times de but just didn't blog down the recipe each time.

The glutinous rice served with a quick curry chicken.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of glutinous rice (I uses the thai one this time), soaked for 3hrs with cold water
• 4 tablespoon of finely chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
• 2 pieces of lap cheong (waxed sausage), cut to small slices (roughly 0.5cm each) 
• 3 pieces of chinese dried mushroom, soaked and cut to small slices
• 1 big handful of dried shrimp, soaked and roughly chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon of five spice powder
• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• a big dash of pepper
• 4 tablespoon of oil
• a big handful of chopped spring onion for garnishing

Steps:

1. Heat up the oil and fry 1/2 tablespoon of the shallots. Once brown and crispy, set aside for garnishing.
2. Heat up some water in the steamer.
3. Then fry the lap cheong for about a 1min before adding in the  dried shrimps.
4. Stirring for another 1 min, add in the shallots. When they are about to brown, add in the garlic and mushroom.
5. Finally stir in the rice and seasoning. Cook for about 4-5mins.
6. Scoop the rice into a bowl and leave it to steam for about 20-30mins, depending to how soft you want the rice to be. My hubby likes it "al dente" so I had mine steamed bout 25mins.

Put Chai Kou - Red Bean Steamed Rice Cake

I had been wanting to make this steamed rice cake for a while but the other day when I wanted to make, I was out of rice flour and I spent half a day trying to make my own rice flour that totally spoiled the entire dish.

Finally this time, with the right proper ingredients, it is good and yummy.

This is with the red bean paste that I blended for the mooncake

Wondering how it taste with strawberry jam, yum yum too...

Ingredients:

*Just for the cake itself

• 40g rice flour (A)
• 13 wheat starch (A)
• 55ml water (A)
• 35g sugar (B)
• 115ml water (B)

Method:

1. Mixed all ingredients for A till smooth (preferably use a whisk).
2. Heat up ingredients B in the double boiler to melt the sugar. Once all sugar dissolved, remove from heat.
3. Leave the water to boil.
4. Slowly add in item B to the A mixture and stir till even.
5. Greased the mould (I uses 4 ramekins, or u can use teacups).
6. Pour the mixture into the ramekins or teacups and put it into the boiler and steam for 15-17mins.
7. Turn off the fire and leave the cake to cool down.
8. Remove from the mould and served with some red bean paste. 

* If you dont want to serve it separately, u can just scoop some red bean (cooked till very soft) into the mixture prior to steaming.

Pumpkin Muffin

Last weekend when I was at my mom's place, I saw her bought a big pumpkin and asked her for a slice of it. After some googling, I found this nice steamed pumpkin muffin recipe and thought of giving it a try. Due to preference of taste, there are some modification to the recipe.

Make: roughly 8 normal cupcakes mould size

Ingredients:
125g pumpkin (I'm not sure how much I used coz I didnt weight mine)
1 egg (large) – i think mine not big enough
85g castor sugar, I reduced mine to 65g
½ tsp salt
100g thick coconut milk (canned or fresh) – I used normal cream instead and add bout 10g of milk
30g salad oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
200g cake flour (which is roughly 185g flour with 15g of corn flour)
1.5 tsp double acting baking powder 

Methods:

1. Mix cake flour and baking powder together. Sieve and set aside.
2. De-skin pumpkin, cut into small cubes, steam and mash with a fork. Set aside.
3. Preheat steamer – Fill a cooking pot/ wok with water and bring water to a boil. Place a steaming rack (it’s optional).  For half the portion, I actually try steaming them in the oven to test the different and I think it is better tasting.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat egg until foamy with a hand whisk.
5. Add in sugar and salt. Continue beating until well combined and the sugar and salt are dissolved.
6. Add in cream, milk, oil and pumpkin in sequence. Mix until well combined for each addition.
7. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture from step (2). Pour the wet mixture from step (6) into it in 2-3 batches. Use a spatula to fold in the wet mixture until blended and no traces of flour.
8. Spoon the batter into the lined pudding moulds until 80% full.
9. Steam on high heat for about 15 minutes.
10. Once it’s done, remove the pudding moulds from the cooking pot/ wok and transfer to a cooling rack.
11. Best to serve warm.

Steam Pork Bun

For the dough recipe, click here. The recipe is rather different that it mixes all ingredients together before letting it raise... but it is a lot easier.. though not as nice as my mom's version, but still quite ok.

For the filling, I used some lean (plust bout 10% fat) pork (above the pork leg area), cut in big pieces, marinated with charsiew sauce, sesame oil, pepper and salt, cooked with sauteed shallots and some rice wine. After cooking, cut it to small pieces for filling use.

After filling the dough, leave it to raise and prepared the boiling water for steaming. Steam for 10mins.. done.

Lor Mai Kai

• Quarter chicken cut to bite sizes (700g)


• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce - marinate


• 1 teaspoon of five spice powder - marinate


• 1 teaspoon of pepper - marinate


• 2 tablespoon of rice wine - marinate


• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce - marinate


• 1 teaspoon of teriyaki sauce - marinate


• 2 tablespoon of corn flour - marinate


• 3 cups of glutinous rice - soaked for about 4hrs


• 1 cup of water


• 5 tablespoon of garlic


• 2 teaspoon of shallot


• 1 tablespoon of oil


• 4 chinese dried mushrooms (soaked and sliced)


• 50g sliced pork


• 1 pinch of salt - pork marinate


• 1 pinch of pepper - pork marinate


• 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce - pork marinate


• 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce - pork marinate


• 9pcs of dried musssels


• 2 tablespoon of dried shrimps


• 1/2 tablespoon of oil


• 9pcs of aluminium bowl


• 3 cups of water for steaming

1. Marinate chicken with the marinate ingredients for 4hrs.


2. Marinate pork sliced with pork marinate ingredients for 4hrs


3. Saute shallot for 1mins and add in garlic. Fry till almost golden, add in glutinous rice.


4. Fry the mixture for 2 mins, add in water and steam till water fully absorbed. Set aside.


5. Use the 1/2 tbsp oil to fry the dried shrimps. After 1min, add in dried mussels. Fry for 2mins and set aside.


6. Lay chickens, mushrooms, pork, dried mussels and dried shrimps on the aluminium bowl.


7. Cover it with the glutinous rice.


8. Steam over boiling water for 20mins.


9. When serving, cup the aluminium bowl over a plate and the lor mai kai will come off. Served with chilli sauce.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/23245/lor-mai-kai-glutinous-rice-chicken.html

Steam Taufu

• 3 cloves of chopped garlic



• 1 tablespoon of dried shrimps, wash and chopped



• 1 tablespoon of olive oil



• 1 piece of soft taufu, cut for easy serving

1. Leave the taufu to cook in the microwave under high for 2 mins. Should you not have microwave, steam it for 5 mins.



2. Saute dried shrimps for 2mins, add in chopped garlic.



3. Fry till garlic is golden and serve it on top of the taufu.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/19693/steam-taufu.html

• 1 cup of basmati rice


• 1.5 cups of water


• 1 teaspoon of olive oil


• 1 pinch of salt


• 1/2 cup of chopped scallion


• 1/2 cup of finely chopped carrot

1. Wash the basmati rice and steam it with 1.5 cups of water, olive oil and salt.


2. Once the rice is cooked, add in the scallion and carrot.


3. Stir all the items well and leave it to steam for 5mins.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/15018/vege-steam-rice.html

Steam Okra with Fried Vege Topping

• 3 pieces of okra, cut to slice (bout 1cm thickness)





• A pinch of salt





• 1 egg





• 1/2 cup of scallion





• 2 pieces of crabstick, cut to 1cm thickness





• 2 vegetarian meatball (cut to slices too)





• 1 tablespoon of chopped bombay onions





• 1 teaspoon of soy sauce





• 1 teaspoon of oil.





• Pinch of pepper





• 2 cups of water

1. Steam the okra over boiling water for 5mins with the pinch of salt.





2. Mix all other ingredients together except for onions and oil.





3. Saute onion till fragrant.





4. Add in the mixture and fry till egg is cooked.





5. Served on top of the steam okra.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/13607/steam-okra-with-fried-vege-topping.html

Steam Chicken with Ginger Dip

• 2 pieces of medium size chicken




• PInch of salt




• Pinch of pepper




• 3 tablespoon of minced ginger - sauce




• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil - sauce




• 2 tablespoon of sukiyaki - sauce




• 1 tablespoon of chopped onion - sauce




• 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic - sauce




• 3 cups of water for steaming

1. Marinate chicken with salt and pepper for 30mins.




2. Steam with boiling water for 15mins.




3. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together for dip.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/12775/steam-chicken-with-ginger-dip.html

Steam Herbal Pork

• 150g of sliced pork rib meat


• 8 slices Angelica Sinensis aka 当归


• 1/2 handful Wolfberries aka 枸杞子


• 100ml water


• A pinch of salt


• Pinch of pepper

1. Lay everything on some aluminium foil.


2. Steam on boiling water for 10mins.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/12449/steam-pork-with-herbs.html

Steam Clam

• 1 inch length of ginger, cut to slices



• 5 pieces of dried chilli (seeds removed)



• 1 dash of salt



• 1kg of clam with shell



• 5 cups of water for steaming

1. Mixed everything except the water in a steel bowl.



2. Steam in boiling water for 7 mins or till clam shells open up.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/11784/steam-clam.html

Steam Brinjal

• 1 piece of cheddar cheese (cut to small pieces)


• 1 brinjal (cut slices about 2cm thick, with a slit in the middle)


• 1 pinch of salt


• 1 pinch of pepper


• 1 teaspoon of olive oil


• 1 piece of aluminium foil

1. Rub salt on the outer of the brinjal.


2. Insert the cheese in the slit of the brinjal.


3. Lightly oiled the aluminium foil and place the brinjal on it.


4. Steam for 5 mins

http://www.grouprecipes.com/11321/steam-brinjal.html

Steam Spring Roll

• 1.5 pieces of beancurd skin (I DID NOT rinse it water)


• 200g of pork (fat plus lean, the chinese call it the 3 layer meat)


• 2 pieces of garlic


• 1 piece of shallot


• 1/4 piece of onion


• 1 by 1inch size of salted fish


• about 3 inch length carrot (chopped)


• 2 pieces of dried chinese mushroom (soaked)


• 50g chicken fillet


• 30g of dried seaweed (soaked and drained)

1. Blend all ingredients (minus the beancurd skin).


2. Cut beancurd skin to your desired size.


3. Place some mixture and seaweed on the beancurd.


4. Roll one round and fold in both sides of the skin.


5. Roll it till the beancurd skin is used up.


6. Dab some water on the edge of the skin to seal.


7. Boil a pot of water.


8. Place the meat roll in a dish and steam it till it's cook.


9. Remove and cut into pieces.


10. You may serve it just like that or cut it to small pieces, dust with cornflour and deep fried in hot oil briefly.


11. Dish, drain and serve with chilli sauce!

http://www.grouprecipes.com/9711/steam-spring-roll.html