Sushi from Scratch

It was my very 1st attempt on sushi making and prior to this, I had my Singapore colleague Jezamine, to scan over the recipes to me. Thanks Jez! I seriously think it doesn't worth all the trouble if I were to prepare sushi for just me and hubby to consume. Afterall, how much can we stuff the sushi loaded with high carb rice into our tummies and how many varieties can we have? Since mom and dad is here to stay with me, I thought it would be great to finally try my hands on sushi making. Let me just put it that japanese dinner can be pretty costly  for the 1st time because the ingredients and sauces do not come cheap. As long as I use up all of them before they expire, I guess money will be well spent then. The fillings I prepared today were cucumber, rish roe, sesame, carrot and pork floss. There were canned tuna and crab stick in the fridge but mom and I decided that the current ingredients should suffice.

 

 

I do not want another boring style of sushi with the seaweed on the outer layer. As such, I made with the rice on the outer so that I could coat the rice with the roasted black sesame. What I failed to achieve was rolling it into a square shape. Well, next time I'll try to do better than this.

 

 

I enjoy eating inari. We bought the empty tofu skin and made an assortment of filling : stuffed rice with fish roe & sesame  and stuffed rice with pork floss & sesame. Good combination? The sweetness of the tofu skin blends real well with the rice which has been mixed with japanese vinegar.

 

While shopping for the ingredients, hubby saw the raw fish which came with 8 of them in a box. He kept asking me 'this?, ok?" and I knew no matter how vehemently I object to it, he will still place this box of fishes into our shopping cart. He loves the fried fried fish filled with plenty of ..uh.. eggs. Mom coated the fish with our special crispy flour and fried it at high fire towards the end to achieve a tip top crispiness. They all claimed the bone could be swallowed but I ain't taking no chances. I don't even eat unagi, for Christ's sake!

 

So here are the ingredients I used for today sushi making. The roasted sesame dressing is my usual salad dressing besides mayonaise, ceasar and thousand island. The next sushi for dinner will be in Sept as well, I promise.

Crispy Fried Popiah

I was doing the weekly grocery shopping with mom in hypermart, deliberately led her to the frozen food department and merely showed her the popiah skin. It was like she was suddenly struck with something long forgotten and replied : I know how to make crispy popiah. Her next inevitable question was "do you wanna eat?" I would be a total idiot if I said no but frankly speaking, I'm a fan of anything fried and crispy too. Umm... seems like I'm a fan for a a variety of food.

Mom stir fry the content to be wrapped in the popiah skin : slices of turnip, cabbage, black fungus and bits and pieces of chicken meat cut in small cubes. She said making this finger food is like snapping her fingers ; easy, fast and hey presto, the food is done.

One can't do without sweet Thai chilli sauce when it comes to fried popiah. We dipped generously into the chilli sauce and savoured the taste and the crispy popiah skin. Well, you just gotta eat it while it's still hot and warm, otherwise it will be soft and soggy.

Sigh...another yummy dish to go with our dinner.

Huh?? What?? Recipe?? Later lah. The weather of late is killing me and the new TNB meter is ticking away like nobody's business.

Black Sesame Mantou (Steamed Buns)



Steaming hot mantou, just out from the wok.


This is my first attempt on mantou. I was suddenly inspired to try it out because of the picture of mantou I saw in my sis in law's (SIL) baking book. I borrowed the book on behalf of my mom because my mom is also into making pau. The book was in chinese and I for one was totally clueless on what was being written on it. I had to ask my SIL to translate the recipe for me. She's a pro in making bread, pau and mantou. Generally anything that uses yeast, she's an expert.

The mantou has risen again after shaping. It's ready to be steamed.

I've never been so happier with the way the dough turned out the be. It had double its size in an hour's time. By that time, the dough was so soft, so fragile that it made my heart sang because I smell success. Afterall, it's not often I can get my dough to the right consistency. Hubby is not a fan of mantou or bread but he ate 2 anyway. I ate most of it while sharing some with my in laws and friends. I'm contemplating to replace the thin layer of sesame spread with red bean or lotus paste. Think I should try that out sometime soon?

The recipe is upstairs and it's in hardcopy. Please leave a comment if recipe is needed.

Oh yea.. I know the pictures were not well taken because all food pictures were taken by me and I can't handle the DSLR as well as hubby. Been trying to polish my skills on it but... hrmmpp....... guess I lack of the passion.

Ingredients :

(A) Water           260g

       Yeast           5g

      Medium Protein Flour (or wheat flour)     350g

(B) Medium Protein Flour (or wheat flour)      150g

      Sugar                           60g

      Corn oil                        5g (or 1 tsp)

      Black sesame seed       25g

(C) Black sesame powder  25g

      Icing sugar                   15g

Method :

1. Mix (A) with spatula in a bowl. It will be sticky. When well mixed, cover with damp cloth and let it proof for 1 hour.
2. Mix (B) together. Mixture will be dry. Mix it well. Then take the mixture (A) which has proofed and mix together with mixture (B). Knead it on a floured surface till well blended and dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Leave it to rest for 10 mins.
3. Take a rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangular shape. Brush the top of dough with a little bit of water. Then mix (C) and sprinkle on top of the slightly wet dough. Sprinkle it well and evenly.
4. Slowly and gentlly roll the dough up (ie like rolling a swiss roll cake). Ensure there is no empty space when you roll the dough. Once done, hold each end of the long dough and slowly pull it to make it even slightly longer. Cut it into 16 portions and place each portion on a small piece of baking paper. Let it rest for another 25 mins. Steam it for about 20 mins.

My cooking tips : I replace half of the sugar with organic molasses which gives a better taste plus it is healthier. However, the mantou will be slightly brownish reddish due to color of molasses. Corn oil can be replaced with melted butter.

Fried Beancurd with Satay Sauce Dip

I came home from work with a pleasant surprise. Mom had actually made a satay sauce from scratch without the help from the instant packet which most people will conveniently get from the hypermart. Unfortunately, I wasn't at home to witness the entire procedure. Apparently, she made this several times in Singapore and Sydney and it was a hit with everyone. The sauce was meant as a dip for the fried beancurd and freshly cut cucumber. Of course, you may use it as a 'salad' sauce where you drizzle it over smaller cut fried beancurd, shredded turnip, shredded cucumber and shredded carrot. Sounds like a rojak, eh? We all love the sauce, hubby and myself. We couldn't get enough of it and had to glean off the very last drop from the bowl. 

The recipe? Yeah.. the recipe is in her grey matter. I hadn't got a chance to ask her before she left for Singapore. Will get it from her soon.

Cucur Udang (Prawn Fritters)

Since mom arrived,  I've taken a back seat and I'm doing this with utmost willingness. She really has this unwavering passion in cooking, trying out new dishes but deep down, I know she just wanna whip up some great food for us to enjoy. This is her very 1st attempt on cucur udang, a recipe she found in my bilingual recipe book. We bought a lot of prawns during our last trip to Kuala Selangor and she casually asked me whether I'll be interested to eat cucur udang. Though it was her 1st trial, the cucur udang came out marvellous. She was generous with the prawns, onions and chili. It was full of real stuff rather than just flour. To eat this, I had to deliberately ride my bike out to the nearest shop to get a bottle of Thai chili. The recipe is adapted from Agnes Chang. After going through the entire recipe, mom said she feels some modification is needed (aisheeh man!)

Ingredients A:
300g plain flour, sifted with 21/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
250ml water (1 cup)

Ingredients B:
3 tbsp dried prawns, soaked and pounded
120g prawn meat, diced
3 red chillies, chopped
3 green chillies, chopped
2 stalks spring onion, chopped
2 big onions, chopped
1 tsp salt or to taste

Method:

1. Mix A in one direction until a smooth batter is formed.
2. Add B and mix until well combined. Taste it.
3. Heat up oil, spoon mixture into hot oil and deep dry with medium heat until golden brown and cooked. Dish and drain.
4. Serve hot as a snack with Thai Chilli sauce.

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings (Chai Kueh aka Soon Kuay)

When I was back in Singapore in March 2011, mom and John's MIL collaborated to make Soon Kuay. I gave a whoop of joy when  I saw what the 2 elderly women was toiling about in the pretty messy kitchen. One was frying the filling in the wok while the other was using all her might to make the skin and later on, wrapped it nicely using the Soon Kuay mould. When the steaming tray came out, I couldn't wait to sink my teeth in it and boy, the taste was super fantastic while the skin was absolutely soft , thin and silky. I couldn't forget the taste  many days after that.

Mom actually bought 2 packets of the Soon Kuay flour and brought it over to KL. I helped her with the frying and wrapping. I still need to practise a little on how to knead the Soon Kuay flour. She bought the Soon Kuay flour in Singapore under the brand name Sunflower. The flour is a premix of rice flour, tapioca flour, wheat flour and corn flour. If this premix is not accessible to you, you'll need to find out the exact measurement on how to make it. It's of course easier to use the premix. It is best eaten with a little sweet sauce (甜酱)  and chilli sauce.

Soon Kuay Flour premix. Brand : Sunflower

 Here's the recipe that has mom generously shared :

Ingredients :
2 mid size turnip (about 1kg)
1 tbsp dried shrimp - coarsely minced
300g thinly sliced pork (with a little fat in it)
8 small onions - thinly sliced
1 tsp cornflour - add with a little water
light soy sauce
oyster sauce
dash of salt
dash of sugar
dash of pepper
1 packet of Soon Kueh Flour (brand is Sunflower bought in Singapore)

Filling method :

1. Heat up oil, fry shallots till fragrant in low heat. Before it starts to turn color, add in dried shrimp. Turn on low heat.
2. When color changes to slight brown, add in sliced pork. Saute till meat is cook. Add in oyster sauce before adding in turnip. Saute and add in a little water.
3. Add in soy sauce, sugar, pepper and salt. Please taste it before you continue adding more of the sauces to suit your preference. If it gets drier, add in water little by little. Saute till turnips are soft. Taste it for one last time to decide whether you need to add in more of the sauces.

The mould to make Soon Kuay

4. Add in cornflour and stir before dishing out. Set it aside to cool while you work on the dumpling skin.

Dumpling skin method:

1. Pour 500ml of water into a pot, bring to boil. Add 260gm of Soon Kuah flour into the briskly boiling water. Turn fire off immediately. Add one soup spoonful of cooking oil into it, use a pair of chopstick or wooden saucepan to stir well, use palm to blend it hard until it forms into a smooth and elastic dough.
2. Divide dough into several portions and flatten into Kuay Sheet, wrap Kuay Sheet with prepared fillings.
   

Steaming Method :

1. Ensure steaming tray is fully "oiled" before placing the Soon Kuay on it to steam.
2. Steam for about 10 - 13 minutes, remove tray from steaming pot and glaze it with a little vegetable oil on top. Serve immediately with sweet sauce and chilli sauce

Homemade Kaya by Mom

Hubby's sister was asking me whether my mom knows how to make kaya. That's goes without saying. Mom knows how to make kaya and has been making since my primary school days. I recalled seeing her making the kaya by using a slow cooker. Apparently she did but it wasn't the most recommended method. When mom was down here with me in KL, I asked her to show me how to make kaya. Afterall, it has been like donkey years since I last ate the kaya made by her. She actually needed a double boiler to make it but like I said in my previous post, I don't have one at home. We put a glass bowl in a huge pot filled with simmering water and cooked the kaya in very slow fire for over an hour.

It is rather easy to make kaya. All you need is a little patience because there was a lot of constant stirring and that means you gotta stand to accomplish the task. As simple as the recipe is, I just cannot recall the exact measurement my mom used. I shall post it in the next 1 or 2 days. Gotta call my mom in Singapore tomorrow to get the recipe :)  Meantime, just hang it there .

I've just got the recipe from my mom. Here you go...

Ingredients A:

1 fresh coconut milk (fit into one chinese bowl)

4 eggs

300g castor sugar

5-6 pieces of pandan leaves, knotted

Ingredients B:

5 tbsp castor sugar

1 tbsp water (or enough water to 'wet' the sugar)

Method :

1. In a pot, mix in Ingredients A. Stir them well until sugar dissolved.
2. Cook this over low fire in a double boiler. If you don't have one, put the glass bowl (with ingredients A) and place them in a pot filled with water).
3. Keep stirring every now and then until mixture reaches a smooth consistency. This will take about an hour. Mixture will also thicken.
4. In another pot, pour in Ingredients B and cook over very very low fire. Ensure it's either 1 tbsp water or just enough water to wet the sugar. You may omit water entirely BUT it will be slightly tough to cook just sugar without a single drop of water. Mixture will turn brown. Turn off fire.
5. Pour the brown sugar mixture into the thickened coconut mixture and stir for another 10 - 20 mins.
6. Turn off fire and kaya is done.

My cooking tips :

• You may substitute the eggs with duck eggs instead which will give a smooth texture to the kaya. The downside is duck eggs have higher cholestrol.
• Before stiring in the brown sugar mixture, you may want to remove the pandan leaves from the coconut mixture. This way, it may be easier to stir in the brown sugar mixture.

Mom's Curry Puffs

The end product : Curry Puffs. Best served with a cup of coffee

  I gotta hand it to my mom. She just loves to spend her entire time in the kitchen, making some delicious food for us to eat. She could just stand there for hours for preparation & cooking but later on, she'll feel the tiredness taking its toll on her. We were all going for dinner in my in law's place and she thought perhaps it might be a good idea to make some curry puffs to bring along. Afterall, there'll be more people to share and that means, her time and energy will be well worth it. So early Sunday morning, I skipped jogging and helped mom to prepare the ingredients.

A sneak peak of the filling

  They turned out beautifully. I especially like the filing mom made. The pastry was crunchy , not too oily but of course, if you leave it for 5 hours later, the pastry will go kinda soft. What we usually do is pop it into an oven toaster and cover the top with a piece of aluminium foil. The skin will turn out crispy again. As usual, mom's recipe is always based on 'estimation' but from what she told me, I reckon it would be something like this recipe from Rasa Malaysia but I made some slight modification, based on how I saw mom preparing it. Enjoy !  

Part of the ingredients to prepare the curry puff

Filling:

5 tablespoons oil

1 big onions (finely chopped)
8 small onions (finely chopped)

1 large carrot (diced)

2 teaspoons meat or chicken curry powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

200g  of finely diced chicken breast meat

2 large potatoes (boiled and finely diced) 

Potatoes boiled and diced.

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Ready to be mixed with water and butter

Pastry:

500g plain flour

150g  margarine

3/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon of salt 

The yummy puff filling



Method:

Make the filling first. Heat oil and fry onion gently until golden brown. Add the curry powder, chili, turmeric and fry gently. Add the chicken, potatoes, sugar, pepper, salt and cook for 5 minutes. Mix well and leave aside to cool.

Frying the curry puffs 4 at a time in the wok



To make pastry, mix flour with margarine, water, salt, and knead well. Let it rest for 1/2 hour. Cut the dough into circles (3 in) in diameter. Fold pastry over to make a half circle and crimp at edges. Deep fry in hot oil until golden.



All nicely wrapped, ready to be fried.