Chinese coconut milk pudding

I saw another recipe to make the coconut milk cake another day, no bake cake!!
Also, I know my husband loves coconut... so I give it a try :)

It is very very very easy, all you need is nice mould to make it look beautiful!!

It is very tasty that I will make another again this week for my friend!

Ingredients
200ml Coconut milk
375ml milk*
85g sugar
20g gelatin powder
1 egg white

*I used soya milk since I have no milk at home :(

Instructions
1. Beat the egg white

2. In a pot, mix coconut milk, milk and sugar, heat the mixture until sugar are all dissolved

3. When the mixture becomes hot with steam, add in egg white, stir it quickly
Turn off the heat, add in gelatin powder

4. Remove the bubble or foam or crumbs in the mixture through the sieve
Note: This step is important to remove any crumbs - undissolved gelatin powder, egg white...

5. Pour the mixture into the mould(s) and put them in the fridge for at least 3 hours to let it set
Note: I used silicon mould because the cake can be removed easily, if you use tin mould, grease it before you pour the mixture

Enjoy!

Glutinous rice cake/ nian gao to celebrate Chinese new year

Happy Chinese new year of goat! I decide to make some Chinese traditional cake for the celebration, it is the first time I make nian gao :)

Actually I got this recipe from a sister at church few years ago, I haven't tried it yet. I have had some glutinous rice flour in the kitchen for several months, now it is the good opportunity to use them up!

I like this recipe because I am too lazy to steam the cake haha... I can bake this cake in the oven :)

Ingredients
3 eggs
1-1.5cups sugar - I used 1cup
125g magarine or 3/4cup vegetable oil - I used vegetable oil
1tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla extract 
450g glutinous rice flour
2.5-3cups milk*

Red bean paste about 500g (according to your need)
Optional: 2tbsp black or white sesame

*The bigger the egg, the more the milk you use

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven at 180°c
Whisk the egg, add in sugar, magarine/oil, baking powder & vanilla extract. Mix well

2. Add in flour & milk little by little, to avoid forming the lumps. Mix well

3. Grease the shallow mold (either rectangular or round), pour the mixture into the pan
Note: Why shallow? Because it cooks well more evenly everywhere and especially in the middle 
If you use a deep pan, you will need to add extra 10mins for the 1st bake or until the cake looks solid

4. Bake for 25mins until the cake look a bit solid

5. Take it out from the oven, scrap the red bean paste on the top
Then sprinkle sesame
Put the cake back to the oven to bake for another 25mins

Coconut version:
If you don't have any red bean paste at home, don't worry, you can replace it by using 1 cup coconut powder, sprinkle the powder on the top after the 1st bake

Enjoy!

Bird cushion - Spring is coming soon

I like buying beautiful fabrics and especially when they look unique, even though I don't use them, when I look at them I feel so happy :)

So... I bought the 2 pieces of fabric for long time but didn't know what to sew... recently my cushion cover is torn so I think it might be good to use them!

The bird pattern is so nice to match my dark violet sofa and with other cushions!!

Back of the cushion: I love this olive color :)

*I sewed 2 press studs at the top and at the bottom, I made a nice velvet ribbon in the middle

Red bean bun - utane method

I bought some red bean paste from Chinese supermarket, that I wanted to make Chinese bun, but at the end I found a recipe of red bean bun in Hong Kong style, by the utane/tangzhong method :)

It tastes so good as I thought, not deception!

Ingredients:
Utane
25g strong flour
125ml water

Dough
125ml lukewarm milk
5g sugar
6g active dried yeast

350g strong flour
50g sugar
5g salt
7g milk powder
56g egg (just a bit more than 1 egg)
about 120g utane

30g butter

Red bean paste
Rest of the egg
Optional: Sesame or poppy seed


Instructions:
To prepare the utane, click here

1. Mix sugar and WARM milk, then add in yeast, wait until the yeast floats on the top (about 10mins)

2. Mix all dry ingredients together, then add in wet ingredients. Mix well

3. Add in little cubes of butter and mix well
Knead the dough, when you are able to stretch the dough to become thin layer, that means it's ready

4. Brush some oil in a big mixing bowl and put the dough in it, cover it with plastic wrap
Let rise in a warm place until it is doubled

5. Take the dough on the working surface, punch to deflate some air inside the dough, divide it into 10 portions
roll each small portion into a ball, cover them with plastic wrap and let them rest for 15mins at room temperature

6. Roll out dough into a circle, about palm size, put red bean paste on the dough
Be careful - use a tablespoon (measuring spoon) to scoop the red bean into a ball

7. Close the opening by squeezing the side towards the center, squeeze hard so that the opening won't be broken. 
Shape the dough to a ball, turn it upside down with the opening at the bottom

8. Line the tray with baking sheet, place each dough on it
Attention - scattered them with more space as they will be risen in doubled size!
Let the dough rise until doubled in a warm place

9. Preheat the oven at 180°c
Use a scissor to cut the side of the dough 5-6times (see the picture above) - you are not obligated to do that
Brush the rest of the egg on the top
Sprinkle sesame or poppy seed on the top

10. Bake for 15-20mins

Enjoy!

Tom Yum Goong - Thai soup

Since I moved here, I visited a Chinese supermarket, so excited, I found some lime leaves, that is why today I would like to make some Tom Yum soup :)

I like spicy food, this soup is just very delicious and easy to make. Whenever we have guests, I like making it to them and they like it :)

Ingredients:
4-6cups chicken stock
1 stalk lemongrass, remove head and leaves
3-4 lime leaves, torn into half
8 slices Galangal
Big sliced of 2 red chilies - according to your tolerance of spicy taste

Sliced Shiitake mushrooms - can be replaced by any Asian mushroom you like

Raw shrimp (shells removed)

1/2 cup lime juice
3tbsp fish sauce
3tbsp chili paste
1-2tsp sugar

fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions:
1. Boil stock in a pot
Use the back of the knife smash the lemongrass

2. Add lemongrass, lime leaves and sliced chili and boil for 2 mins
Add mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 2 mins

3. Add shrimp. Simmer 3-4mins until shrimp is pink

4. Turn the heat down to medium low, add fish sauce, chili paste and lime juice.
Stir well and let it simmer until hot.

5. Test the soup -
If too sour, add more sugar
If too salty, add more lime juice

6. Serve with fresh coriander and serve hot

Enjoy!

Move to a mussel & chocolate country

Happy new year to all!

I was very busy at the end of year 2014 and beginning of year 2015, because we left a cheese & wine country to a mussel & chocolate country!!

I now live in a small town with a beautiful church, my home can see the tower of this church and I can also hear the bell rings everyday!

Unpacking things make me feel exhausted, I'm glad most of the boxes are unpacked, things are getting more and more organized. Super good news that I just had internet yesterday, that is why I am able to write a post here! Internet is too important nowadays!

One of the most exciting things for me is that I have a well equipped kitchen :) though it's an open kitchen, my cats are celebrating between themselves... :( I have a standard oven - yay! I can keep baking :)

I will try to find some new recipes and share with you all (may be some mussels dishes??)... For the moment we just found that we can always find Italian restaurant here... which is a bit weird... and the portion is very big.

Stay tune!

Gingerbread cookies

Happy new year!
Sorry I am a bit retarded... holiday just makes my brain works slower... I thought I posted the recipe of gingerbread but actually not... oh no... sorry it comes late :( but I still make a batch today haha! I don't care, it's too delicious :)

I remembered the first time I made gingerbread was in Finland, we can buy ready dough in the supermarket to make the cookies, the smell of cinnamon is very good. I hated it when I was a child but now I love it.
This Christmas I wanted to make some gingerbread cookies with my niece and nephew, as we spent the Christmas together. They really enjoyed cutting the dough and they loved the taste too!

This recipe is quite good, so here you go:

Ingredients:
100g butter at room temperature
50g cane sugar
1g salt
1 egg

75g honey

300g flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1tsp cinnamon
2tsp ginger powder

Instructions:
1. Mix butter, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl, then add egg and mix well

2. Add honey, mix well.
Add in baking powder, flour, cinnamon and ginger powder, mix well

3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 30mins

4. Preheat the oven at 180°c
Roll out the dough to 0.5cm thickness - I prefer a bit thinner than too thick, use cookie cutter to cut out the cookie form
Place them on a tray lined with a baking sheet

5. Put the tray into the oven and bake for 15mins

Enjoy!