Lo Bak Gou (Turnip Cake)

Lo Bak Gou reminds me of my late grandpa. I remember he would always ask me to make this and then cut them into cubes, pan fry them till crispy and then stir fry with belacan and chilli padi. He had one of those 'very old' heavy-bottomed wok and it was damn 'siok' to cook with one of those! My aunts and cousins would all gather together and finish the whole dish. Then, we would all go to the beach behind my grandpa's and play Rounders (just to burn off the calories);p

Its basically made of rice flour, corn starch and turnip. You can add any fillings you like.  For my version, I added dried shrimp and spring onions. You can add chinese sausage if you like but I usually don't because some of my friends don't eat pork (definitely gonna share this).

I don't really know the ratio of rice flour to water because I usually just go by instinct. But I think my method is quite simple. My mom would just mix everything in a pan and steam it. Often the cake came out with a super sticky and soft top and a very stiff bottom. That is because when you mix any flour in water and leave it to stand, the flour will sink to the bottom.

So after some research, I decided to cook the flour before I steam the cake as suggested by some bloggers( I don't really remember who as I have read through too many).

Let me try and recall the measurements for the ingredients roughly ;)

Ingredient

- 600 gm of turnip, grated finely
- 300gm rice flour
- 2 tbsp corn starch (Do not omit this as it makes the cake soft)
- Roughly 3 cups of water
-Some chopped spring onion
- Some chopped dried shrimp
- Salt and pepper


Method

1) Mix water, rice flour, corn starch, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir occasionally to make sure flour does not sink to the bottom. Be generous with salt and pepper. Taste it. The last time i ate raw flour I didn't die so make sure you taste yours to make sure it's tasty.

2) Heat some oil in a pan. Stir fry dried shrimp and spring onion till fragrant. Add in grated turnip and mix well.

3) Once fragrant, add in flour mixture and stir. Mixture will thicken. This is where I usually go by my instinct. You don't want the mixture to be too stiff (cake will be hard as rock). On the other hand, you don't want it to be too watery. Stir for roughly 2-3 minutes. Mixture should be easy to stir and spread over steaming pan. If mixture gets too stiff, just add more water and stir till the consistency you want.

4) Oil a non-stick pan, pour in mixture and steam over medium heat for 30-40 minutes.

5) Insert a satay stick (alternatively you can use a chopstick) in the centre of the cake, if the stick comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

NOTE:
If you remove the cake half-cooked and try to cook it again, it WILL NOT work! So, make sure cake is cooked before removing from heat.

Fried Lo Bak Gou with belacan... Siok ah....

Scones

The original recipe was adapted from Mary Berry so I am assuming that these are english scones. To make it sound healthier, I have added some fruits, flaxseed and even wholemeal in my version of scones. I guess you are more willing to eat them with clotted cream and jam now...hehe...

Yummy

Ingredients

- 200g self-raising flour
- 50g ground flaxseed
- 1 rounded tsp baking powder
- 40g cold butter
- 25g sugar
- 1 large egg
- Less than 100mls of milk


Method

1) Mix together flour, ground flaxseed and baking powder.

2) Rub the butter into flour till it resembles bread crumbs, stir in sugar and set aside.

3) Whisk one egg and add milk to make 100mls, keep 1 tbsp as egg wash.

4) Mix milk mixture to flour and mix well.

5) Roll out gently and cut into desired shape and size.

6) Egg wash and bake at 200 degree celsius for 10-12 minutes.


Note:
Do not over knead else it will turn into bread.
Do not twist when cutting else the sides will not rise evenly.
Do not let egg wash drip on the sides.

Scones are ready! Where are my high-tea buddies???!!!

Polo Bun

The word 'polo' means pineapple in Cantonese. I am guessing it got its name because its crust resembles the skin of the pineapple as it does not contain any pineapple at all.

Its a tea-time favourite in Hong Kong. The people would toast the bun and sandwich it with thick slices of cold butter, and of course a cup of the famous milk tea. How sinful?

Before going into the oven

How bootiful is that!

Ingredients

Note: Recipe was adapted from The Woks of Life

For the Bun:

- 160 mls heavy cream
- 240mls + 1 tbsp milk
- 1 egg
- 65 g sugar
- 70 g cake flour
- 490 g strong white flour
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt


For the crust:

- 35 g milk powder
- 175 g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 125 g extra fine sugar
-  50 g shortening
- 1 egg yolk
- vanilla
- 2 tbsp milk ( I used 4 tbsp)



Method

For the bun:
 
1) Combine all ingredients and knead till smooth and not sticky (about 15 minutes).

2) Cover with damp cloth and let it proof for 1 hour (Dough will double in size).

3) After one hour, gently knead dough to release air.

4) Shape into desired shape and size.

5) Place dough on a non- stick baking pan and let proof for another hour.

6) While dough is proofing, mix all the ingredients for the crust and mix to combine.

7) Roll out crust and place on top of bun dough (first picture).

8) Brush with egg wash and bake for 10-13 minutes on 180 degrees celsius.


It's hard work but in the end it's all worth it! Look at the enjoyment on the face.

Yummmm

Hokkaido Cupcakes

It's Spring! And yet it snowed 2 days ago... and yes it snowed in London... I guess that's why people always say the english weather is very unpredictable;p

We are having a gathering at a friend's house tomorrow.. Boodle fight.. This is the first time I have heard of this boodle fight thingy. Apparently the cooked food are placed on banana leaves which is placed on a super long table.. and guests would have to FIGHT to get to the food. Of course I am joking! Guests will eat together on the table...

Since the owner of the house had been whining about not having the chance to taste my version of the hokkaido cupcake, I decided to make some for the gathering..

It's kinda difficult but relatively easy to make these cupcakes. There are some serious techniques involved here. Folding of the meringue for instance. Fold it in ONE direction and be GENTLE.

Ingredients

Part A:

- 6 egg yolks
- 40 g sugar
- 80 mls milk
- 80 mls oil
- 120 g cake flour

Part B:

- 6 egg whites
- 80 g sugar

Method:

1) Hand whisk yolks and sugar till pale.

2) mix in oil, milk and flour and whisk till combined.

3) Whisk egg white and sugar till firm peak.

4) Fold B into A.

5) Bake at 150 for 20-25 minutes or till slightly brown.

Tip: When you lightly touch the top of the cake and it bounces back, it means its ready.

No time to brush hair and wash face... Boodle fight it is!

one more for luck...;0