Zucchini Stir-fry

Ingredients:
1 large zucchini, cut into strips
1 small carrot, cut into fine strips
1-2 tbsp dried shrimps, washed and soaked
2 cloves garlic,minced
a handful of glass noodles, soaked to soften - cut into shorter lengths
1 tbsp chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp fish sauce
a few drops of sesame oil
salt, pepper and sugar, to taste
water

• Heat oil in a hot frying pan, saute minced garlic until aromatic; then add in dried shrimps and fry until aromatic.  
• Add in zucchini and carrot strips, stir well.  Add in glass noodles followed by cooking wine, sugar and salt.  Add in enough water to cook the noodles.  
• Once the glass noodles are cooked through, season with fish sauce, sesame oil and pepper.  
• Serve hot.

Soft Sandwich Bread

  

 

This Sandwich Bread is really really soft even after two days.  Although it might take a little extra time to prepare the overnight sponge dough as well as the gelatinised dough, I find that it is really worth the effort.  

I usually make more than one loaf of bread at a time.  After allowing the bread to cool, I'd pack them into freezer bags and put them in the freezer.  To defrost the frozen bread, take the required portion out from the freezer the night before and bring it to room temperature. Otherwise just defrost the frozen bread in the microwave oven before eating.  The bread still retain its softness.  

Recipe Source:  Alex Goh's Magic Bread

Ingredients:

(A) gelatinised dough
150g bread flour
105g boiling water

(B) overnight sponge dough
100g bread flour
60g water at room temperature
1/4 tsp instant dried yeast

(C) 
450g bread flour
20g milk powder
45g sugar
10g salt
9g instant yeast

(D)
285g cold water
120g overnight sponge dough (however I used all from (B)

(E)
60g butter

• Add the boiling water from (A) into flour, mix until well-blended to form a dough.  Cover and set aside to cool.  Keep it in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
• Mix water and yeast in (B) until well blended.  Add in flour and mix to form a dough.  Let it proof for 30 mins.  Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Mix (C) until well-blended.  Add in (D) and knead to form a rough dough.  Then add in (A) and knead until combined.
• Add in (E) and knead to form elastic dough.  Let it proof until dough doubled in size.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and mould it round.  Let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Flatten the dough then roll it up like Swiss roll.  Let it rest for 10 minutes.  Repeat this process once more and place 3 pieces of dough into a greased sandwich loaf tin.  
• Proof until nearly doubled in size.  
• Bake at 170 deg C for about 35 minutes.  
• Remove from the tin immediately once it is baked.

Spring Rolls

Ingredients:  (Makes 27)

150g minced pork
60g finely grated carrot
270g finely grated yam bean
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp cooking oil
pepper
enough oil for deep frying
spring roll wrappers (5" x 5")
cornflour mixture (corn starch + water)

Marinade: Mix all together
3/4 tsp corn starch
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
salt & pepper, to taste

• Pour marinade into the minced pork and mix until well combined.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok.  Saute garlic until aromatic, add in minced pork.  Cook until meat is brown.  Dish out and set aside.
• In the same wok, stir fry carrot and yam bean until soft.  Add the meat into the vegetables and add in oyster sauce, pepper and spring onions.  Toss well and cook until filling is dry.  Dish onto a plate and let it cool.
• Place a spring roll wrapper on the cutting board.  Place a heaped teaspoon of filling near one corner of the wrapper. Fold over the corner and roll tight.  Fold in the 2 sides and brush the edges with cornflour mixture and roll to form a spring roll. Cover spring rolls with a damp towel to prevent from drying out.
• Heat enough oil in a wok, fry spring rolls in batches until golden.  Keep turning them to brown evenly.  Drain on paper towel.
• Serve spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce.

Note:  Use a dampen kitchen paper towel to cover the spring roll wrapper to prevent from drying out while making spring rolls.

Ice Cream Bread

You only need 2 ingredients  for this quick bread.  ICE CREAM + FLOUR.   No kidding!  Easy as  ABC.  You can throw in your favourite berries and nuts for extra flavour if you wish. Hop over to Rebecca's blog to check out her delicious Blueberry Ice Cream Bread.  

This quick bread is  very flavoursome and moist in texture.  The orange-sugar topping adds a little extra zing to the bread.  Perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea.  

Ingredients:  (Makes 8 petite loaves)

480g vanilla ice cream, softened

230g self-raising flour

40g pistachio nuts, chopped - keep some extra for topping

30g choc bits

50g dried cranberries, chopped coarsely - keep some extra for topping

2 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp raw sugar mix well with orange zest (optional)

• Preheat oven to 170 deg C.
• Grease and flour a 8-cup petite loaf pan.
• With a hand held mixer mix together softened ice cream and flour until combined.
• Add in chopped pistachios, cranberries and choc bits, stir to combine using a rubber spatula.
• Divide batter evenly into the pan.
• Sprinkle remaining pistachios and cranberries over the top of the bread.  Spoon melted butter and sprinkle orange-sugar mixture over the top. 
• Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes until top is golden brown.
• Remove pan from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before removing the bread from the pan.

Chinese Chives Pancakes

Recipe source:  Amy Beh's Chinese Spring Onion Pancake

Ingredients:

50g chives, chopped 
75g dried shrimps, chopped and lightly fried

Batter:
70g plain flour
20g tapioca flour
2 tbsp rice flour
2 tsp corn flour
130ml water (approx)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chicken stock granules
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp oil

• Combine all the batter ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  
• Strain and then add in chopped chives and dried shrimps.  Mix to combine.
• Heat a little oil in a frying pan.  Pour in a ladle of batter into the pan and cook under low heat until it is cook on one side.  Flip the pancake over and cook until golden.  
• Remove and serve pancakes immediately.  You can drizzle some sweet chilli sauce over the pancake if you like.