Popiah...Laksa...Mee Siam...Nasi Lemak...Local Delights!!!!

Sorry to leave this blog outdated for so long. Busy with work recently. Just yesterday, i was talking to my muslim colleague and recommended him to try QiJi. Last time, i used to eat my dinner there (Bugis outlet) before i went for my sewing class. Really miss the good old days. QiJi's popiah is very nice...it's a 'die die must try' item there. Also, their mee siam and laksa are very nice esp. the gravy. My husband loves their laksa. Nasi lemak is a 'must try' item too. Basically all food items from Qiji are good. If u are keen, u can go to their website to check out their outlets.
http://www.qiji.com.sg

Bread Conquest

I always wanted to bake my very own bread that is as soft and fluffy like what is sold in bakery. Finally, i mastered the skill!!! I discovered a new method of bread making which will guarantee softer bread. Check out the recipe below which i found it in this link http://www.bettyskitchen.com.cn/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=22249

Water Roux:
1) 20g bread flour
2) 100g water

Mix ingredients 1 and 2 in a pot until flour is fully dissolved. Cook over slow fire and stir non-stop to prevent burning the base. Keep stirring until u see streaks are formed while stirring.

Cool down the water roux with a piece of glad wrap with the wrap touching the surface to prevent the surface from drying up.

Dough:
Mixture A
1) 210g bread flour
2) 56g cake flour/plain flour
3) 20g milk powder
4) 42g caster sugar
5) ½ tsp salt
6) 6g instant yeast
Mixture B
1) 30g egg (mixed yolk and white)
2) 85g water
3) 84g water roux

Mixture C
1) 22g unsalted butter

Steps:
1)Mix mixture A (except yeast) thoroughly.
2)Add mixture B and yeast in bread machine pan and wait for 5 min for the yeast to dissolve.
3)Add in mixture A into the bread machine pan and set the bread machine for SWEET DOUGH mode and press START.
4)After 15 mins of mixing the dough, add in mixture C. Stop the machine and reset to SWEET DOUGH mode and press START.
5)After 30mins, the bread machine will stop and let the dough to prove instead the machine.
6)After proving for at least 35-40mins, remove the dough from the machine and punch out the air.
7)Divide the dough into 9 equal size portions and roll them into ball. Rest them for 10 mins.
8)After 10 mins rest, wrap red bean paste (according to your preference of sweetness) with each portion and roll into balls.
9)Proof the red bean unbaked buns inside the oven (not switched on) with 2 cups of hot water to simulate a proofing environment for 40 mins.
10)After final proofing, brush egg mixture over the surface and put black sesame seeds.
11)Bake for 15-20mins for 170 degree celcius.

For me, instead of using bread machine, i hand kneaded the bread and put cheese filling instead of red bean paste. Check out my pix below!!!


Hand knead the dough for 20 mins

Able to pull a thin layer without breaking -> dough has kneaded well with elasticitiy. Rest the dough for 40mins

After proofing for 40mins till double the original size, divide into smaller balls and rest for 10mins

Fill the balls with slice cheese and roll into balls. Send for another round of proofing of 40mins till double size

Prepare the cheese toppings which is made of grated cheddar cheese mixed with sugar

Dough after been proofed for 40 mins

Brush the surface with egg and top with a slice of cheese and sprinkle grated cheese mixture

Bake for 15-20mins at 170 degree celcius

Done!!!

See how flurry the bread is

My own version of cold ramen

Last Sunday i made the cold ramen using the recipe i posted below. But the topping i used tomato, japanese cucumber, chicken ham, egg and crabstick. The noodle i also swapped with japanese soumen (instead of dan dan noodle). I like it very much because it's healthy and different.

Japanese Cold Ramen, simple yet healthy (^__^)/~

Year 2002 i went to Japan to learn japanese drum from our grandmaster's troupe in Nagano, Suwa. I remember one of the Japanese dish that i ate was this cold ramen which has many vegetables added to it and the dish was presented very colorful. This dish is normally comsumed during hot summer. So give this a try if u want something that is easy to make yet healthy and delicious.

Ingredients:
1) Chinese dan dan mian 4 bundles
(Boil and drain in cold ice water and toss with sesame and salad oil)
2) Sesame oil 1 tablespoon
3) Salad oil 1 tablespoon
4) Celery 1/2 stick (Can omit if u don't like celery like me)
5) Japanese cucumber 1/2 stick
6) Egg 1
(Season with salt for taste and cook like pan fried egg and cut into strips)
7) Ham 2 slices
(Can substitute with halal chicken/beef ham)

Sauce:
1) Soup (chicken stock) 1 cup
2) Japanese soy sauce 4 tablespoons
3) Vinegar 2 2/3 tablespoons
4) Sugar 2 teaspoons
5) Sesame oil 2 teaspoons
(Mix all the ingredients for the sauce thoroughly)

To make this recipe more interesting and colorful, you can add tomato in strips, Japanese seaweed in strips, crab stick in strips and also carrot in strips.

So basically just assemble them by putting the sauce in a plate and top with cooked noodle. Then assemble the vegetables and ham/crabstick/egg on top of the cooked noodle nicely. Enjoy~~~

Japanese Soy Sauce - (Unverified)

Soy Sauce is very important in japanese cooking and Japanese soy sauce (shoyu) is very strong in taste compared to Chinese soy sauce. I've been searching for halal japanese soy sauce for years. Finally after asking halal japanese outlets in Singapore like Ramen Ten and Hei Sushi, i've found the halal Japanese soy sauce that i can use for my japanese cooking. I thought KIKKOMAN is halal but after talking to their Japanese manager and he claimed that none of their KIKKOMAN product is halal as they added alcohol at the last stage of process. So the halal Japanese soy sauce that Ramen Ten and Hei Sushi are using is YAMASA brand. Their soy sauce does not add any alcohol. I've read online of how they process their soy sauce and it looks 100% halal to me. But take note that not all of their products are halal. Check out their website if u are interested to know more:
http://www.yamasa.com

Halal Japanese Sushi finally...

Finally, Hei Sushi is halal certified (they acquired the cert this year February). But they have closed down the restaurant at Whitesand mall and reopened it at Downtown East. Very happy to eat halal japanese sushi with the sushi served on conveyer belt. heehee. Hei Sushi is a 'sister' to Sakae Sushi. Hope they will open more halal japanese restaurant all over Singapore.

Steak!!!!

We still have a lot of beef from korban. Last sunday, my husband asked me if i can cook steak for him. Happened that we still have baked bean, potato, canned peach and beef in the fridge. So i cooked a simple steak for dinner. I made mashed potato which after boiling the potato, i mashed them up and add butter, salt and pepper for taste. For the beef, i cut them into 1 inch thick and then coated both sides with side and pepper. Heat up the pan super hot and add olive oil. Then cook both sides for 4 minutes (or till the surface is browned and grilled-looking). Remember the pan must be hot before u place the meat in. Then quickly transfer the meat on aluminium foil and wrap up to seal the heat so that the meat will continue to cook inside the aluminium foil. The keypoint is the pan must be hot to 'grill' the meat surface in short time and the heat inside the aluminium foil will cook internally without overcook the meat. Give it a try!