[Wordless Wednesday] Soy Milk Egg Tart Recipe

Cherry Blossom Mantou vs Steamed Sakura Chicken With Choya

My experiments with using pickled cherry blossom continues after my first recipe on Matcha Cherry Blossom Chiffon (抹茶盐渍樱花戚风蛋糕) in April. And also with the extra packets of supply that Joyce (ahpoohbear) loop back for us from her recent Osaka trip, I am able to try out more fusion recipes using pickled cherry blossom.

In this post I am sharing two recipes such as Cherry Blossom Mantou (Asian-style steamed bun with pickled cherry blossom) and Steamed Sakura Chicken With Choya (Steamed chicken mid-joint using picked cherry blossom and choya).

CHERRY BLOSSOM MANTOU
(樱花馒头)

Here I am making a two-tone colour steamed bun (mantou) using Sakura Leaf Powder for the green portion but you could always replace it with Matcha powder according to your preference. The sakura leaf powder added a distinctive taste to this steamed bun leaving it with a sweet and savoury flavour that makes you go for second helpings.

(Make: 6 pieces  | Preparation: 55 minutes | Cooking: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
250g All-purpose Plain Flour
1/2 Teaspoon (2g) Baking Power
3g Instant Dry Yeast
110ml Lukewarm Water
10g Milk Powder
1 Teaspoon Sakura Leaf Powder
Some Salt Pickled Cherry Blossoms (盐渍樱花), soaked in water
25g Caster Sugar
10g Unsalted Butter, soften

Method:-
1. Add dry yeast into the lukewarm water and give it a quick stir, set aside for about 2-3 minutes till bubbles appeared.

2. In a big mixing bowl, stir in sift plain flour, milk powder and baking powder together with caster sugar till combined.

3. Next slowly add in yeast water into the flour mixture and stir using a metal spoon or clean hand till it forms soft dough.

4. Knead soft butter into the dough till it does not stick to your hand and divide the dough into 2:1 ration size.

5. With the smaller dough, knead in Sakura Leaf Powder till combined then proof the two doughs in a warm place for 20 minutes.

6. Next, flatten the doughs to release the air in it. Place the green dough on top of the plain, roll it up into a oblong shape and proof for another 15 minutes.

7. Cut the dough into equal portion, place each portion on the steamer rack with greaseproof paper below. Place some drained sakura flower on top and rest for another 15 minutes.

8. Sprinkle some water on the mantou before placing the steamer rack into the pot of boiling water and steam them over medium heat for about 10 - 12 minutes (depending on the size of the mantou). When done, removed and served hot/warm.

STEAMED SAKURA CHICKEN WITH CHOYA
(樱花梅酒鸡)

My inspiration for this Steamed Sakura Chicken with Choya (樱花梅酒鸡) comes from our all-time favourite; Steamed Rice Wine Chicken (蒸黄酒鸡) which I would prepare at least once a month. And with some pickled sakura on hand as well as Choya (plum wine) that mum bought during her recent trip, I decide to use these two special ingredients to try out this dish.

(Serves: 2-3  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
6 - 8 Chicken Mid-joints
1 Teaspoon of Grated Ginger
1 Stalk Spring Onion, cut into sections
100ml Choya (Japanese plum liqueur)
Some Salt Pickled Cherry Blossoms (盐渍樱花), soaked in water

Method:-
1. Lightly marinate chicken mid-joint with grated ginger, cornflour and pinch of salt.

2. With some ginger slices and spring onion below, arrange the mid-joints on top and place the drained sakura flowers that had being soaked for 5 minutes (rinse well) on it (refer to the photo above).

3. Lastly pour in choya and let it stands for 5 minutes before steaming the mid-joints over medium heat for 20 - 25 minutes till tender.

The mid-joints were infused with the combination of Choya and pickled Sakura leaving it with a refreshing and fragrance after taste. Also after steaming, the soup broth was full of flavour due to the essence from the chicken and choya. Do give this a try if you happen to have a bottle of Choya at home and don't worry about the pickled cherry blossom as you could always omit it for a new recipe.

Lastly I would be submitting this Cherry Blossom Mantou to this month Aspiring Bakers #31 - Bao Ho-Chiak (May 2013) hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders.

[Day 6] Shabu Shabu @ Shabujo, Shinjuku

Japan trip won't be satisfied if we did not try their sushi, sashimi, omurice, shabu shabu, takoyaki and etc. So on the last night of our trip, we decided to go for Shabu Shabu which was perfect for that  cold and wet evening when everyone needs some hot food to keep warm. So after searching around for a decent Shabu Shabu restaurant near our hotel at Shinjuku ( 新宿), we finally settled for Shabujo which is listed in their recommending food good guide. For your information, Shabujo is about 6 minutes walk from JR Shinjuku Station, East Exit.

[Wordless Wednesday] Double Chocolate Loaf Cake Recipe

*For Double Chocolate Loaf Cake:-
- 100g 70% Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped
Add half add into the batter and use the remaining for toppings.

[Wordless Wednesday] Corn Bread Muffins Recipe

[#LiptonMomentsSG] Lipton Moments Photo Campaign

Hello all Lipton fans as well as Instagramers and Facebook users! From now till 20 May 2013, snap and submit your Lipton Moments photos with hashtag #LiptonMomentsSG and be one of the weekly winner to win a spa voucher or walk away with the Grand Prize of 3D2N trip to Bali (for two pax).

There are no restrictions on the number of photos or Lipton theme (not necessary to feature Lipton product in it) to be submitted for this contest. But it would be great if it is something related to moment of positivity, happiness and good times spent with family or friends. Above are some sample photos of our #LiptonMomentsSG which I would love to share with you.

In order to be one of the weekly winner, you just have to follow the 4 simple steps shown below:-

1. Snap a photo of your "Lipton Moments" (you can find some inspiration at #LiptonMomentsSG)

2. Upload your photo(s) either through

Facebook @ Lipton Moments Contest (click on the link)

Upload your photo(s) using Lipton Moments Apps from Lipton Facebook Page

OR BY

Instagram.

Sample of the Lipton Moment photo submit through Instagram

3. Remember to write add interesting caption(s) and tag it with #LiptonMomentsSG to quality for the contest.

4. Prizes include weekly spa vouchers from Hyatt Hotel Singapore (worth SG$ 184.89 each) for the first 3 weeks, and a Grand Prize featuring 3D2N trip to Bali (worth SG$826.00 for 2 pax) in the fourth (last) week!

* Submission end on 20 May 2013 (2359 hours). Terms and Conditions of the Lipton Moments contest can be found here.

My Instagram entries posting as @CuisineParadise

I have submitted a few entries which you might be interested to take a look on how simple it is to join this contest. So hesitate, come join us and submit your #LiptonMomentsSG photos and stand a chance to win either the weekly spa voucher(s) or 3D2N Bail getaway trip. Good Luck everyone!!!!

Lemon Butter Cake With Chia Seeds & Pistachio Nuts

This Lunar New Year, I have come up with 2 similar cakes using orange and lemon rinds plus Chia Seeds to enhance the taste of the cakes. And for festive flavour, I also used dried longan (龙眼) which represent "many good son" and pistachio nuts (开心果) which is often given as a gift to symbolize health, happiness and good fortune.

Kiwifruit Compote

If you still remember, last month I have shared a post on Blueberry Vs Raspberry Compote (recipes here) where you could used it as topping for yoghurt, pancake, crepe, cheesecake and etc. Here since I have some extra kiwifruit from my #14daysofZespri goodie bag, I decided to make some Kiwifruit Compote to go with toast or crackers for a healthier snack.

KIWIFRUIT COMPOTE

For your information, I used this Kiwifruit Compote for my "Kiwifruit Yoghurt Parfait" which featured in the other post HERE.

(Makes: 1/3 Cup       | Preparation: 2 minutes      | Cooking: 3 - 5 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 2 Ripe Zesperi® Green Kiwifruit
• 2 Tablespoons of Caster Sugar
• Zest Of 1 Lemon
• 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Method:-

1. Peel the outer skin of the kiwifruits and cut it into 1.5 cm cubes.

2. Put all the ingredients into a heavy duty saucepan, simmer over medium low heat until the sugar melt and kiwifruit soften. (Do not overcook the berries else the compote will end up to be with too much juice)

3. Remove from heat and serve warm with pancakes or crepes. Or alternatively you can stored cool compote in sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

Indeed this can also be a very addictive quick snacks due to it's sweet and sour refreshing taste plus a hint of citric aroma from the lemon rind. To bring the taste, you can also pair it with some smoke or cheddar cheese.

This is our all time favourite cheese cubes and best is they comes in different flavour each box!

For more interesting recipes using Kiwifruit, you can visit Zespri website @ http://www.zespri.com.sg/

Zespri Kiwifruit Yoghurt Parfait

Today is 7th day of my "Zespri® 14 days Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge (#14daysofZespri)" and it feels really wonderful and amazing on how these "brown fuzzy fruits" could actually benefit our health and improve our daily intake of Vitamin C and etc.

And as you probably will know Yoghurt is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium and etc so by making a dessert using yoghurt and kiwifruit is definitely a awesome choice as it has all the goodness in a cup. So rather than using "cream cheese" plus yoghurt to make the parfait, I have omitted the cream cheese and used only yoghurt and kiwifruit for a lighter and healthier dessert.

KIWIFRUIT YOGHURT PARFAIT

This quick and simple recipe can also be prepared a few hours ahead and served after meal. And you don't have any "kiwifruit jam" (recipe HERE) you can replaced it with some honey or store bought blueberry jam which taste equally good too.

(Makes : 3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | )

Ingredients:
6 Pieces Digestive Biscuits
1 Zesperi® Gold/Green Kiwifruit
250ml Vanilla/Plain Yoghurt
Some Kiwifruit Jam/Compote

Method:-

1. Place the digestive biscuits in a ziplock bag and crashed it coarsely with a rolling pin or glass bottle.

2. Peeled the skin of the kiwifruit and sliced it to  about 0.5cm thick (6 - 8 slices).  

3.To assemble the yoghurt parfait, place some crushed digestive biscuits on the bottom of the serving cups.

4. Spoon in 1 tablespoon of yoghurt, top with a slice of kiwiwfruit, another spoonful of youghurt follow by a teaspoon of kiwifruit jam on it.

5. Lastly top with some youghurt and another slices of kiwifruit on top as garnish and serve.

After sharing this quick and healthy dessert over the Social media platform such as Instargam and Facebook, it did received quiet a number of "Likes" and "Comments" too.

Other than using Kiwifruits to make the "Yoghurt Parfait" shown above, you can also cut it into cubes and mix with some canned fruits such as Longan, Lychee or Fruit cocktails and served it as a refreshing after meal dessert. My this version was inspired by Keropokman's "Longan Dessert", I added some mixture of cubed Zesperi® Gold/Green Kiwifruit which gives it twist to contrast the sweet and sour flavour kiwifruits and Longan in syrup (Instagram photo HERE).

For more interesting recipes using Kiwifruit, you can visit their website @ http://www.zespri.com.sg/