Dry Bak Kut Teh

I know that dry Bak Kut Teh has been around in Malaysia for quite some time but I haven't had the chance to try it until lately when I was in Malaysia.  I love the strong and robust flavours in this dry version of BKT especially the fried cuttlefish and mushrooms which gave the dish its umami taste. However, I must say I couldn't detect the flavour of  BKT herb or spices in this dry version.

This is my version of Dry Bak Kut Teh which I think is going to be my family's favourite for a while.

Ingredients:

2 pre-packed Bak Kut Teh spices
2 litre water
1 head of garlic

• In a pot, cook the Bak Kut Teh spices in 2 litres of water and garlic for about an hour.  Save broth for later.

450g pork ribs, cut into chunks
300g pork belly, cut into pices
4 dried shiitake mushroom
8 dried chillies
1 big dried cuttlefish
10 pieces tofu puffs
1 tbsp grated palm sugar (or brown sugar)
cooking oil

Sauce:
2 - 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
salt & pepper, to taste

• Soak dried shiitake mushroom  and dried chillies separately until softened. Cut mushrooms into quarters and chillies into halves.
• Wash and soak dried cuttlefish to soften.  Then cut into thin strips.
• Blanch pork ribs and belly in a pot of boiling water for about 5 - 6 minutes.  Rinse and set aside.
• In a wok, heat up about 1 tbsp of oil and stir fry cuttlefish strips until fragrant.  Then add in dried chillies and continue to fry for about a minute.  
• Next, add in pork ribs, pork belly and tofu puffs together with the sauce.  Fry for a little while before adding in the Bak Kut Teh broth. Transfer everything into a claypot and bring to the boil. Then simmer until pork ribs are tender and sauce almost dried up.

Butter-Garlic Wholemeal Buns

Adapted from Christine's Tangzhong Wholemeal Toast  I made one and a half times the original recipe. I reduced the wholemeal flour and much to my delight I could knead it to the stage which passed the windowpane test.  The buns were super soft and fluffy as tangzhong were added into the dough. 

Ingredients:

415g bread flour

125g wholemeal flour

60g caster sugar

7g salt

9g instant dried yeast

65g egg (lightly beaten)

145g milk

180g tangzhong (refer here to make tangzhong and measure out the required amount)

60g butter, softened

• Combine all the main dough ingredients, except butter. Knead until well combined and smooth.  Then add in butter and continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic and passed the "window pane test" (refer here).
• Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl.  Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise until doubled.
• Gently deflate the dough to release trapped air.  Divide dough into 21 equal portions and roll each portion into round shape.  Cover and let them rest for 15 minutes.
• Take a ball of dough and cup your hand over it and roll in a circular motion. Place 12 balls of dough onto a greased 8" round pan and 9 into a greased 7" square pan.  Continue with the rest of the dough. Cover and let them rise until almost doubled (90%).
• Preheat oven to 165°C.
• Snip a cross on the buns with scissors and place garlic-butter over it.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Garlic-Butter: (Combine everything together)

150g butter, softened

4 clove garlic, minced finely

salt & pepper, to taste

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Passion Fruit Chiffon Cake

Do not let the ugly, shriveled and deeply wrinkled skin of a passion fruit scare you off.  You have to look beyond the wrinkles for its appeal which lies in the intensely fragrant pulp and juice inside the skin.   Unripe passion fruit has smooth skin and it's a good idea to let it ripen at room temperature before eating. Always select a passion fruit which is a little heavy for its size which indicates it has lots of pulp inside.

I am not a fan of passion fruit because of its tartness.  However I love the intense aroma and flavour it imparts in desserts and cakes.  So, would it sound strange to you if I say I don't like passion fruit but I love passion fruit chiffon cake?  

This chiffon cake is indeed refreshingly sweet and tangy and it is so aromatic and you just won't be able to stop eating after having one piece!  In this recipe, I used 2 passion fruit. To extract the pulp and juice, cut the fruit into two; scoop the pulp into a sieve and using the back of a spoon press onto the pulp and seeds. Discard the seeds if you are not a fan of the seeds but if you like the crunch and extra flavour, add 2 tbsp of the seeds back into the juice. 

Ingredients: (for a 20cm chiffon)

(A)
5 egg yolks
20 sugar
60g oil
70g passion fruit juice (from 2 passion fruit)
2 tbsp passion fruit seeds (optional)
70g cake flour 

(B)
5 egg whites
80g caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
• Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale.  Gradually add in oil, passion fruit juice and seeds.  Stir until combined. Add in sifted flour and whisk until well combined.
• In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, add in cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.  Gradually add in sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold the meringue into the flour/egg yolk mixture in 3 batches. 
• Pour batter into a 20 inch ungreased tube pan. 
• Bake for about  1 hour or until cook.
• Remove cake from the oven and invert the pan to cool.
• Unmould the cake when it is completely cool.