Cupcake Giveaway on my new blog

Visit my new blog at http://www.eggshellgreen.com and enter the Cupcake Giveaway! Entries close Monday 19 April 2010.

New blog

My new blog is at http://www.eggshellgreen.com Cheers!

Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork buns)

As promised, here is the recipe for the BBQ pork version of my Steamed Pork Buns (this recipe uses exactly the same dough).

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 3/4 C standard flour
• 5 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 C sugar
• 200 mL milk
• 1 Tbs oil

Filling

• 1 tsp oil
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 1/2 tsp of ginger powder
• 200g bbq pork chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbs standard flour
• 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• couple dashes sesame oil
• 1 Tbs oyster sauce
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 125 mL water

Method

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the garlic and onion until fragrant and browned, add ginger and fry for another minute.

Take pan off the heat, and empty contents into a bowl with the bbq pork.

Sprinkle on the flour and mix in well

Add the soy, sesame oil and oyster sauce and mix to combine

Mix in the sugar and water.

Put filling mixture back in pan and return to a low heat, stirring and cooking until thickened.

Allow the mixture to cool then refrigerate until the mixture has become very thick (overnight is best, but you can use it as soon as the dough is ready).

Make the dough.

Sift flour, baking powder, and sugar into a bowl.

Stir in milk to form a dough.

Turn onto a floured board and knead for 2 minutes.

Add the oil to the dough and knead for another 3 minutes until smooth.

Cover and let rise for half an hour.

Divide dough into 4 pieces.

Roll each piece into a log and cut into 6 pieces.

Flatten a piece of dough with the palm of your hand to form a circle about 10cm in diameter.

Put a tablespoon of filling into the middle.

Place bun on a square of baking paper and arrange in a steamer (4 will fit in an 8 inch steamer).

Steam for 17 minutes above rapidly boiling water with a tablespoon of vinegar added (the vinegar helps the bun appear whiter).

Serve hot. Buns can also be frozen and reheated in the microwave for 2 minutes on high or re-steamed for about 10 minutes.

Pretzels/Pizza Base

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C warm water
• 2 T sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 sachet yeast granules (or 4 teaspoons)
• 4 C high grade flour

Method

• Put warm water in a large bowl.
• Add sugar and salt, and mix till dissolved.
• Sprinkle yeast into the mixture, leave for about a minute until the yeast starts to dissolve by itself, then mix until thoroughly dissolved.
• Add the flour to the liquid and mix until most of the flour is combined with the liquid.
• Empty this mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough (adding more flour but only when needed), until the dough is smooth and elastic. Takes about 6 minutes of kneading.
• Put about a teaspoon of oil into the bowl, and place the ball of kneaded dough back into it. Lift the bowl and swirl it to make the ball of dough run around the and cover itself in the oil. This makes it easier to remove later.
• Cover the bowl with a teatowel and leave this in a warm place for about an hour until the dough has at least doubled in size.

For pizza base:

• Preheat oven to 210° celcius.
• Take the dough out of the bowl and cut in half.
• Roll or stretch out each half to make two large pizza bases.
• Put the bases onto a baking tray or into a pizza dish.
• You can now put the pizza topping onto the pizza base and bake for 15 minutes or until base is crispy and cheese bubbly, or: If you want to freeze the bases you can leave the base plain and bake for about 5 minutes until just cooked. Transfer to a wire rack and let bases cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in freezer. Bases can be used frozen - just put topping on and then bake for about 20 minutes at 210° until underside is crispy.

For pretzels:

• Preheat oven to 230° degrees celcius.
• Take dough out and cut into 12 pieces (or 16 for smaller pretzels).
• Roll each piece into a rope about the thickness of a pencil, and shape into pretzel shape.
• Dip each pretzel into glazing solution (mix 1 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon baking soda).
• Arrange pretzels on a baking tray lined with baking paper and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt (flakey or kosher).
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden.
• Transfer to a wire rack when cooked, and while still hot, brush with some butter. Pretzels best enjoyed warm and still crispy!

Sweet and Sour Tomato Pork 2

This is a variation of the other recipe. It's actually easier and has pineapple in it (yum).

Serves about 4.

Ingredients

• 250g minced pork seasoned with a dash of soy sauce, salt and pepper
• 1 T cornflour
• 1 can of tomatoes
• 1 can of chopped pineapple with juice
• 1/2 T white vinegar
• 1 spring onion - chopped
• salt to taste

Method

Roll the pork into small balls and roll in the corn flour to lightly coat.

Brown the balls on all sides in a pan.

Add everything else (saving some of the spring onion for garnishing).

Bring to the boil and then turn heat down to simmer.

Simmer until the sauce thickens.

Serve on rice with blanched greens, garnished with spring onion.

Sweet and Sour Tomato Pork

This is a winter favourite ('cause it's hearty, tasty and cheap!).

Serves about 4.

Ingredients

• 250g minced pork seasoned with a dash of soy sauce, salt and pepper
• 6 large tomatoes - chopped
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 T white vinegar
• dash of fish sauce
• 1 spring onion - chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 t minced garlic

Method

Brown the mince in a pan.

Add everything else except the minced garlic (and saving some of the spring onion for garnishing).

Bring to the boil and then turn heat down to simmer.

When the mixture has simmered down into a thick sauciness, take off the heat and stir in the garlic.

Serve on rice, garnished with some spring onion.

Steamed Pork Buns

These are mini-versions of what mum makes, mainly because I have a small steamer and they're a great yum-cha size but still have all the flavour. You can make 12 bigger ones instead of 24 small but will need to steam them for longer (about 25 mins). I like to make these with added water chestnuts and sesame oil. Another variation is the more well-known BBQ Pork buns (char siu bao) - a recipe to come soon. Also, I've devised my own dough - mum uses store-bought bun mixes which cost more than they're worth. I've found the only difference is that the premix uses bleached commercial flour which makes the bun whiter.

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 3/4 C standard flour
• 5 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 C sugar
• 200 mL milk
• 1 Tbs oil

Filling

• 2 water chestnuts, crushed (using the side of a knife)
• 2 shallots finely diced
• 1 large Chinese mushroom finely sliced
• 250 g pork mince
• 1/4 tsp salt
• dash sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• dash of pepper
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled, cut into 24 pieces
• 1 1/2 Chinese sausages, sliced into 24 pieces, fried and drained

Method

Sift flour, baking powder, and sugar into a bowl.

Stir in milk to form a dough.

Turn onto a floured board and knead for 2 minutes.

Add the oil to the dough and knead for another 3 minutes until smooth.

Cover and let rise for half an hour.

Mix together all the ingredients for the filling except the eggs and sausages.

Divide dough into 4 pieces.

Roll each piece into a log and cut into 6 pieces.

Flatten a piece of dough with the palm of your hand to form a circle about 10cm in diameter.

Put a tablespoon of filling into the middle and top with a piece of egg and sausage.

Enclose the filling by pinching the edges of the dough while rotating the bun until fully sealed.

Place bun on a square of baking paper and arrange in a steamer (4 will fit in an 8 inch steamer).

Steam for 17 minutes above rapidly boiling water with a tablespoon of vinegar added (the vinegar helps the bun appear white).

Serve hot. Buns can also be frozen and reheated in the microwave for 2 minutes on high or re-steamed for about 10 minutes.

Dukka

This recipe makes an amount enough for a few dishes of it to be distributed around your guests as a nibble. Provide some bit-sized crusty bread and dishes of good olive oil for dipping and to enable the tasty dukka to be picked up by the bread.

Ingredients

• 2 T coriander seeds
• 2 T cumin seeds
• 1 T paprika
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 3 T finely chopped nuts (mixed or hazelnuts)
• 1 T sesame seeds - toasted

Method

Dry fry the spices with salt and pepper in a frying pan until fragrant (a couple of minutes).

Grind in a mortar and pestle until fine.

Mix in nuts and sesame seeds.

Store in an air-tight container when cool.