Pineapple/Char Siew Tarts (凤梨酥.叉烧酥)

This recipe is taken from Bryan's mom. She made the nicest tarts that I've ever tasted. In the past, I hate pineapples, hated anything pineapple-related. Now, I've grown to love it, and I missed it. No matter how troublesome it is to make these, I'm still gonna make them every year, it's our way of celebrating CNY here in this "atmosphereless" country.

Making the Fillings : (2 pineapples, 200g rock sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon powder)

Chop pineapples using food processor, remember to discard the inner (harder) portion of the fruit. Use ripe pineapples, if it is sweet, may reduce amount of rock sugar. In a pot, place all the ingredients and let it boil over low fire until almost all liquid has evaporated. Strain and let cool.

Making the Pastry : (500g butter, 720g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 4 tbs cold water, 100g fine sugar, 2 egg whites, 1 tsp vanilla extract) Note : to save egg yolk for brushing on tarts before baking)

1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter (softened) and egg whites for 5 to 10 min. Beat until fluffy. Add sugar and baking powder, and vanilla. Beat until mixed or sugar melted.
2. Sift half the amount of flour into mixture and beat for a few seconds to mix.
3. Using hand, knead the dough and add water (by each tbs) and add the remaining amount of flour and continue to knead until it form a soft dough. Adjust the texture of the dough accordingly by using extra flour or water. Dough shd be soft and if it breaks easily, sprinkle with water and knead again.
4. Divide each dough into equal amount and roll it out on one hand, and feed in pineapple fillings. Make sure you are able to wrap the fillings completely into the dough.
5. Preheat oven at 350 degree F.
6. Place each tart into baking tray, abt 2 to 3cm apart. (There is no need to grease the tray.)
7. You may decorate your tarts, using a fork, and gently press it down from the top.
8. Brush with yolk before baking.
9. Bake for 15 to 20 min.
10. Cool completely before storage.

Actually, on the day of making these tarts, I've got some leftover char siew roasted on the previous day. I suddenly have this idea that I can make them into char siew tarts using the same recipe to make pineapple tarts pastry. Bryan are totally nuts over these char siew pastry.

This is how you can make the char siew fillings :

Using half pound char siew, cut them into small pieces, then mix them with 1 tbs sugar, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice wine, 1 tbs oyster sauce, 1 tbs hoisin sauce and some sesame oil. In a saucepan, bring it to boil until it turns bubbly. Then stir in some cornstarch mixture to thicken it.

Cool to room temperature.

ta-da!! char siew tarts!

Fried Carrot Cake ("Cai Tow Kuay")

This recipe is written in request. It has gotten some pretty good comments from our friends (YG, MC, Jane, Boon, TingTing, Kevin, Adrian, Lin, GeokWah and Zijian) who've tasted it before... Well, we all know and loved fried carrot cake. Those who like it "white" never really like the "black" version. Those who love it "black" thinks the "white" version sucks....

I can never pick from those 2 types. I love both. In Singapore, you simply has to find out before you order, on which type is more popular....

Ingredients :

300g Rice Flour
1.2 litre water
1 Radish (abt 9-inch long)
1 pkt Pickled Radish ("cai poh"), use abt half a pound.
6-8 cloves finely chopped garlics

Sweet Soy Sauce (for black)
OR
Fish Sauce (for white)

oil
lots of beaten eggs
chilli paste (optional)
spring onion for garnish

This recipe makes up to 5 plates.

Preparing the caipoh in advance

1. Soak caipoh in water for 30 min to reduce the saltiness.
2. Rinse it dry and chopped it finely.
3. Heat a wok with oil, abt 2 tbs or more, fry the caipoh and garlics on medium heat for abt 10 min. Add 1 tsp sugar to it and continue frying for another 5 min. Remove and set aside.

Preparing the cake

1. Shred the radish, place it in a pot together with water and rice flour and mix it thoroughly. Add 2 tsp salt to it.
2. Boil the mixture under medium small fire until the mixture becomes sticky, this takes abt 10 min.
3. Transfer to a heatproof tray (oiled), steam it on medium-high heat for 30 min. (I use a two 9-inch stainless steel tray and steam in 2 batches)
4. Remove from steamer and let cool for up to a few hours.

For best result, store both the caipoh and cake in the fridge overnight.

When Ready to eat :

Get ready all the ingredients.. Caipoh, egg, sauce...etc. Cut the cake into big pieces.

You need a very hot wok to fry the cake to prevent sticking. Heat 3 to 4 tbs oil, throw in the cake and pan-fry until just brown, add caipoh (for each serving plate I uses 1 tbs of caipoh). Fry for a few seconds and then using the frying ladle, chop the cake into smaller pieces. Then pour in the beaten egg.

You know the rest. For black carrot cake, add sweet soy sauce. For white, add a few dash of fish sauce, and finally the chilli paste.

Serve with spring onion on top of fried carrot cake.

Sometimes, when you run out on caipoh and egg etc... you can just eat the carrot cake pan-fried. Like this...

Samsui Chicken

I must be crazy when create this dish, I dun even know if anyone will like it or agrees with me that I am crazy. haha..

I tot it was quite straight forward to name the dish, Ginger Chicken. However, for some strange and unexplainable reason, Bryan decided to name it Samsui Chicken.

2 chicken thigh

2 tbs shredded ginger

green vegetables (ie. 小百菜)

1 cup chicken stock

Marinade 15 min :

Soy sauce, pepper, cornstarch, and sesame oil.

1. Wash chicken and debone it. You can use the bone to make chicken stock. (Note : to make stock, just add some water to the bones, throw in some onions, afew red dates and a little salt.)
2. Heat oil, throw in 1 tbs of ginger and pan-fry chicken until it brown on both sides.
3. Add the rest of the ginger and fry for a few seconds, then pour in 1 cup of chicken stock.
4. Reduce fire to medium and cover the pot, let it slow cook for abt 15 min until chicken is thoroughly cooked thru.
5. Remove chicken and set aside. Gravy shd turn sticky at this point, not watery. Let it cook another 5 to 10 min if it is too watery. Add more stock if it is too dry.
6. Throw the vegetables into that gravy, keep stirring until it is cooked.
7. Then return the chicken back to the pot. Ready to serve.

Onion Ring

2 large onions, sliced.
Place in the refrigerator to chill for half an hour.

Ingredients of Batter :

1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
a little pepper

Set aside another 1/2 cup flour in a plate for coating onions.

Method :

1. Mix egg, oil and milk on low speed of electric mixer. (Hand mix also can...just stir it fast)
2. Then add in all dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking powder, pepper)
3. Keep mixing until batter is smooth.
4. Coat each onion into flour before dipping into batter.
5. Well, need I say anything abt deep-frying?
6. Njoy!

Claypot Rice

1 chicken thigh (breast meat can be used too)

2 chinese sausages

2 stalks celery (cut into 1cm length)

some salted fish - cut into tiny pieces

1 tbs ginger (shredded)

half cup water

sesame oil

some light soy sauce

some dark soy sauce

oil

spring onion - chopped (for garnish)

rice (1.5 cups)

Wash and dry chicken, deboned and cut into small pcs. (no need to marinate)

1. Cook rice in rice cooker as normal. When almost cooked, place the chinese sausage on a heatproof plate and place it on top of rice to steam for 10 min (The rice cooker shd be at the "keep warm" mode)
2. Heat oil in wok, throw in ginger to brown, then add chicken. (oil must be hot enough)
3. Fry chicken and add some dark and light soy sauce and cook untill it is done.
4. Add water and let it boil. (Taste at this point and add more soy sauce if necessary)
5. Finally, add a little sesame oil and set aside.
6. Add more oil and brown the salted fish until crisp. Set aside.
7. At this point, if you have a claypot, you can transfer the rice to it, if not it is ok to make this using the rice cooker.
8. If using a claypot, coat with a little oil. Put in the rice, then followed by chinese sausages, salted fish, and pour in the chicken.
9. Place the claypot on fire to cook for a few more min over medium fire. You will know when it is ready when the rice at the bottom begins to "stick". (keep a lookout here, risk of going "chao da" (burnt) here.
10. In a separate bowl, mix some more dark soy sauce and sesame oil.
11. Splash them in at the serving table when you are ready to eat. Sprinkle some spring onion over and serve.