How to fold in egg white

Besides having a stable stiff egg white, folding process of the stiff egg white into the cake batter is an important step. Properly folding egg whites into your batter makes your recipe light and fluffy and so, care must be used to keep from over mixing the fluffy character of the egg whites away.

It takes time to understand and familiar with the folding process. Do not worry, practice makes perfect. I ever failed this step and spoiled my whole cake. Hopefully the following steps and attached video can help you to master the folding process.

Put about 1/3 of the whipped egg white into the batter. Using a large spatula, cut a path down the middle of the mixture with the edge of the spatula. Then gently turn half the mixture over onto the other half. Continue cutting down the middle and turning a portion over. Do not stir. The purpose of folding is to retain the air you have beaten into the whites. Be careful to only work the batter enough to incorporate the whites, and never use an electric mixer for this step. Repeat the same steps for the entire of the whipped egg white.

Tips:

Do not add the egg whites until you are ready to do the folding process.

Make sure all other ingredients are thoroughly mixed before adding the egg whites.

 

Braised Radish with Ribs

Radish has a lot of benefit in the view of Chinese Medicine (Ping Ming Health). Unfortunately, the taste of radish is really strong when it is taken raw. Due to its benefit, I have tried to make juice with radish by hoping that my kids will like it. To make the drink more attractive while minimizing the taste and odour of radish, I have blended radish juice with apple and orange juice. Even though I can 'cheat' my kids over the attractive color of the juice, the taste of radish is still strong to accept. They spit the drink immediately when their taste buds touches the juice. I am totally understand as I also find that the drink is too 'spicy' for me. I left with no choice but to braise radish for them and it turns out they love it so much.

Ingredients
1 medium radish
300g of ribs
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tbsp. of bean paste
2 cm of ginger
5 pieces of cloves
3cm of cinnamon stick
2 pieces of star anise
500ml water
Soya sauce to taste
Brown sugar to taste

1. Boil a small pot of water to scald the ribs. This is to remove all the blood traces. Set aside.

2. Clean the radish and cut the radish into big pieces.

3. In a separate pot, heat up the oil and then, put in ginger and bean paste. When it is fragrant, put in the rib and stir fry for a few minutes until outside later of meat is cooked.

4. Add in cloves, cinnamon stick and star anise and water.

5. When the water is boiling, put in all the radish and simmer with small fire till all the radish is soft.

6. You may serve with rice.

Pandan Chiffon Cake (Extra soft)

I  have been trying a lot of different recipes and fine tune my technique in order to bake a soft and fluffy Chiffon Cake. It takes me about 2 years to master this cake. Although I have failed a lot of times, my passion towards baking will never die. I would say baking Chiffon Cake needs some luck. Today, you may bake it successful but the next day you may fail even though you are using the same recipe. Below are some notes that may help you master in Chiffon Cake.

I would say, having a perfect stiff egg white is the secret of baking this cake. Without a perfect stiff egg white, you will never get the soft texture of Chiffon Cake. The eggs need to be at room temperature so they will reach their full volume when beaten. Always use fresh egg as it is much easier to beat. Adding a little cream of tartar helps with us, although you can leave it out. Cream of tartar is used to give stiffness to the egg whites, so that the cake will not collapse easily. Not to forget to use a very clean mixing bowl to ensure egg whites can be whisked up easily until very stiff.

Another important ingredient in the cake is the oil. The presence of oil and coconut milk in the recipe will give a moist texture to the cake. Coconut milk used in the recipe will further enhance the taste of the cake. You may substitute with soya, however the taste will never be the same as compare with coconut milk. As for the oil, you can use any flavourless oil; vegetable, canola, corn or even sunflower oil.

To make the cake healthier, it is highly encourage to use home made pandan juice than using green coloring and pandan essence. With the help of a blender, extracting pandan juice from the plant is much easier. I would normally stored the pandan juice for overnight before using. On the next day, a layer of  concentrated pandan residue will settle at the bottom. I will normally use that layer as it has a stronger taste.

It is important that the batter is baked in an ungreased tube pan which allows the batter to cling to the sides of the pan as it bakes. The tube in the center of the pan lets the hot air circulate so the heat can reach the center of the bake and not over bake the cake. The cake needs to be turned upside down immediately upon removing it from the oven as this keeps from shrinking and losing its volume.

Hopefully you will also succeed with the baking! 

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Ingredients A

100g cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

5 medium eggs yolks

40g castor sugar

1/4 tsp salt

30ml oil

60ml coconut juice

50ml concentrated pandan juice

1/2 tsp pandan essence (optional)

Ingredients B

5 medium egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

40g castor sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 150'C and have ready a 22cm ungreased chiffon cake tin.

2. Sieve cake flour and baking powder together. Put aside.

3. Whisk egg yolks and castor sugar together until the batter is pale yellow. Add in the salt, oil, coconut juice, pandan juice and pandan essence together. Stir in one direction until smooth and well-combined. Mix this mixture into the flour.

4. Beat until smooth (about one minute). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

5. You may filter the batter if there are a lot of lumps.

6. In the other bowl, put in egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean mixing bowl. Use high speed to whisk until frothy. Add in sugar slowly. Continue to whisk until stiff but not dry. (Please refer to the video "How to whip egg white")

7. Gently fold the stiff egg whites (in three additions) into cake batter just blended (being careful not to deflate the batter). (Please refer to the video "How to fold egg white")

8. Pour the batter into a 22cm ungreased chiffon cake pan and bake at 150'C for about 30 minutes until lightly brown. Change to 180'C and continue to bake until 100% cooked and golden brown.

                         

9. Remove from oven, invert (turn upside down) and leave to cool completely before removing cake from the tin.

                           

How to whip egg white

The process of whipping egg white is very important. A steady stiff egg white contains a lot of fine bubble trapped inside. This bubble is important to hold the cake mixture.

The following video shows how to whip egg white. This method implies for every recipe that requires stiff egg white.

Tips:

Eggs at room temperature whip better than eggs straight out of the fridge.

Try to use fresh egg as it is easier to whip

Pandan Layer Cake

Pandan Layer Cake is made from a layer of sponge and custard. It has to be fridge before consuming it. Since the custard layer is made from coconut milk, it has a very rich flavour. Fresh coconut milk is the best to be used in this recipe. You may substitute coconut milk with soya or milk if you do not like taste of coconut. Pandan juice used in this recipe will enhance the fragrant and colouring.

Ingredients: Sponge layer

100 gram cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

5 medium eggs (separate the yolks and white eggs)

50 gram oil

60ml coconut milk

40ml pandan juice

1/2 tsp pandan essense

75 gram sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 165'C.
2. Sieve the cake flour and baking powder.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks together with 1/3 of the sugar with a whisk until the mixture becomes pale.
4. Slowly mix in the oil, coconut milk, pandan juice and pandan essense with a spatula.

5. Mix until the mixture is homogenous and keep aside.

6. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg white until bubbles starts to appear. Add in cream of tartar and continue to whisk using high speed. After the cream of tartar blends well with the eggs (takes around und 10 second), add in 1/3 of sugar and continue with high speed. The remainder of the sugar should be added in after the earlier sugar blend well with the eggs. (Make sure that there is no yolk in the white egg).

7. Continue with high speed until they are uniformly white and stiff but soft peaks. This is a critical step for this cake as the white egg needs to hold the cake mixture in order to give a soft cake texture.

(Tips: You can test the readiness of the white eggs by checking the texture around the whisk. It is ready if the white eggs is stiff and able to hold its shape. Only the tip is curling back when we hold the whisk in up-right position).
Please refer to the video on "How to whip egg white" for more information.

8. Put about 1/3 of the whipped egg white into the batter, and mix it into the batter. Using a large spatula, cut a path down the middle of the mixture with the edge of the spatula. Then gently turn half the mixture over on the other half. Continue cutting down the middle and turning a portion over. Do not stir. The purpose of the folding is to retain the air you have beaten into the whites. Be careful to only work the cake mixture enough to incorporate the whites, and never use an electric mixer for this step. Continue with this process until all the entire egg white is blended well with the cake mixture.

9. Pour the batter into a 9"x13" pan. Use a spatula to flatten the batter surface. Bake the batter in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or the batter is done.

10. You may check the cake readiness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If there is any wet batter clinging to the toothpick, the cake is not ready yet. You may perform the toothpick test again in another five minutes. If nothing sticks to the toothpick, the cake is ready to be taken out of the oven.

11. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool on the wire cooling rack until it is ready to serve or store.

 Ingredients: Custard layer
6 tbsp. of hoen kwe powder
400 ml pandan juice (I am using a whole bunch of pandan leaves)
350ml coconut milk
3 tsp instant jelly powder
100g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pandan essence (optional)

1. Mix jelly powder, sugar, salt together with pandan juice and coconut milk. Keep it aside for 30 minutes. This will help the jelly to dissolve easier later.
2. After 30 minutes, mix in the hoen kwe powder.
3. Heating up the mixture using low heat and cook until the mixture is thick. Add in the essence.
4. You may strain the batter to remove any lumps that may have formed.

 To assemble:

1) Divide the sponge layer into 3 pieces.

2. Place a slice of cake into a container and pour 1/3 of the custard filling onto the cake.  Repeat layering of cake and custard filling (2x).  

3) Cool the cake first before placing in the fridge to set.

Sambal Petai (Most authentic)

(Source: HealthBenefitsTimes)

Petai is a favourite food in South East Asia. Petai features a sharp odor mainly because it consists of certain amino acids, and for that reason earned the nickname petai beans and also the smell within the mouth and body and in addition supplies a strong odor of urine that may give effect to 2 days after consuming petai, and also this complex carbohydrate within the parkia speciosa may cause a sharp-smelling fart too. You may refer to the above link for more benefits of petai.

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Ingredient A:
10 shallots
1 clove of garlic
5 pcs of chilli (remove seed)
3 pcs of small chilli (cili padi) (remove seed)
1 tsp of belacan
3 tbsp. oil

Ingredient B:
300g prawn, devein (marinate with sesame oil, soya sauce, sugar, corn starch)
300g of petai
1 medium onion, slices


1. Blend ingredient A together until it forms a smooth paste. If the chilli paste is too dry, add another tbsp. of oil.
2. Put the chilli paste into a pan. Heat up the pan. This is to avoid the chilli paste from sticking on the pan.
3. Slowly cook the chilli paste until the red oil reappear.
4. Add in the onion slices. When the onion is soft, add in the prawns.
5. Finally, add in petai when the prawn is almost done. Stir fry for around 30 seconds.

(Tips: In order to maintain petai crunchiness, do not over cook petai. In fact, petai can be taken as raw)

Blueberry Cheesecake

(Source from Wiki, The World's Healthiest Food)

Blueberries have a diverse range of micronutrients, with moderate levels of the essential dietary mineral manganese, vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fiber. Blueberries not only provide relatively low glycemic load, some studies indicate that they can also improve memory.

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Ingredients: Blueberry Puree
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup organic blueberries
2 tbsp lemon
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp corn flour


Mix all the above ingredients and boil them for 30 minutes until all the blueberries becoming puree. Sieve and set aside.

Ingredients: Cheesecake base
110g butter
180g Digestive biscuits, finely crushed
50g cornflakes, finely crushed
20g cocoa powder, sifted
20g brown sugar

Ingredients: Cheesecake filling
500g Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
120g castor sugar
20g corn starch, sifted
230g Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
4 medium eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
300ml whipping cream
200g blueberry puree

Base
1. Melt butter in a pan over a low heat until it is boiling.
2. Add in combined biscuits, cornflakes, cocoa powder and brown sugar.
3. Stir-fry thoroughly until they are combined and mixture is fragrant.
4. Grease a round 9" false bottomed or spring form cake pan. Spread and press mixture evenly until 
    firm. Spread melted chocolate on base if desired. Refrigerate until set.

Cheese filling
1. Beat cream cheese in an electric mixer at low speed until smooth and fluffy.
2. Add in sugar and beat until well combined. Scrape down on side of bowl frequently during
beating.
3. Mix in corn starch until combined.
4. Stir in mascarpone cheese gently until softened mix into cream cheese mixture on low speed.
5. Slowly add in eggs until combined.
6. Stir in cream.
7. Pour half cheese mixture on the biscuit base.
8. Put blueberry filling into a piping bag. Pipe half the filling on the cheese mixture in circular
movements.
9. Top with remaining cheese mixture. Then, pipe remaining blueberry filling in three round circle. (Please refer to the left image below)
10.With a toothpick, make a line across the circular design from the centre towards the outside of the web. This will give a pattern looks like a spider web. (Please refer to the right image below)
11. Place cake pan in a 10" pan over a larger dish and fill with boiling water until it reaches half the height of the cake pan.
12. Bake in preheated oven at 150'C for 15 minutes. Then, reduce oven temperature to 140'C and bake for another 40 minutes or until the cake is set but still wobbly in the centre. Turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes.
13. Remove water bath and leave the cake to cool in oven for two hours with the door ajar.
14. Cool cake completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Here is a website to show how to cut a cheesecake (WikiHow)

 

My first attempt of 'Spider Web" Cheesecake. There is still a large gap
of improvement  :)

 

 

 

 

 

Teochew Noodle

This simple noodle recipe is always served during the eve of Chinese New Year. It symbolizes longevity. The secret ingredient of this noodle is chives. The aroma of chives will enhance the whole flavour of this noodle.

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Chives (韭菜)
(Source from Wiki)
The medicinal properties of chives are similar to those of garlic. Containing numerous  organosulfur compounds such as allyl sulfides and alkyl sulfoxides, chives are reported to have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system. They also have mild stimulant, diuretic, and antiseptic properties. As chives are usually served in small amounts and never as the main dish, negative effects are rarely encountered, although digestive problems may occur following overconsumption.
Chives are also rich in vitamin A and C, contain trace amounts of sulfur, and are rich in calcium and iron.

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Ingredients
10 pieces of mushroom, soaked and cut into slices
200g mince pork, mince and marinated with sesame oil, soya sauce, pepper, 1 tsp of corn starch
200g prawn, removed shell and devein
100g chives, cut into 2" length
100g beans sprout
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 shallots, sliced thinly
250g longevity noodle
3 medium eggs, lightly beat and taste it with salt and pepper
pepper
salt to taste

Marinate
Marinate pork and prawn separately with 1tsp of sesame oil, 1tsp of soya sauce, 1/2 tsp of salt, a dash of pepper and 1tsp of corn starch, for 30 minutes.


(Tips: All the ingredients must cook separately in order to enhance the individual taste of each ingredient.)

Preparing the noodle
1. Cook noodles using a full pot of water. Unlike spaghetti, the texture of Longevity noodle is softer and thus it needs shorter time to cook this noodle . In fact, it is only to blanch the noodle for 30 seconds in order to loosen the noodle. Remove and air dry the noodle under the fan for around 30 minutes.
(Tips: The get the best noodle, we have to use the dry noodle. In fact, my grandmother will dry it until the sun for an hour)

Preparing the individual ingredients
2. In a separate pan, heat up 1 tbsp. of oil. Add in a pinch of pepper and salt. Stir fry the mushroom until fragrance. Remove and keep aside.

3. Using the same pan, heat up 1 tbsp. of oil. Stir fry the marinated pork mince until it is cooked. Remove and keep aside.

4. Then, heat up 1 tbsp. of oil. Stir fry the marinated prawn until it is cooked. Remove and keep aside.

5. Heat up 1/2 tbsp. of oil. Stir fry the chives for a few second. Remove and keep aside.

6. Heat up 1/2 tbsp. of oil. Fry the egg mixture until it is half cook. Remove and keep aside.


Final step
7. Heat up 2 tbsp. of oil. Add in pepper powder, garlic and onion. Fry until the onion is soft.

8. Add in bean sprouts and stir fry it for a few second. Then, add in the noodle and the rest of the cooked ingredients. Lower the fire to the smallest configuration,

9. At this stage, you have to use chopsticks to combine all the ingredients and noodle slowly. (It is quite a similar when tossing salad)

10. After it is well combine, serve when it is hot.

 

 

 

 



Satay Chicken-Pan fry

Satay (skewered chicken) is one of my family favourite finger food. It is best to be served whenever there are gatherings with family or friends. Since the chicken is marinated with sugar, children love Satay a lot due to its sweetness.

I would call this recipe as a 'cheat' version of Satay as I pan fried the meat instead of barbeque it. However, the taste is as good as the barbeque version.


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Turmeric
(Source from WebMD)

Turmeric is a plant and mainly used as the main spice in curry.
-Turmeric is used for arthritis, heartburn, stomach pain, diarrhoea, intestinal gas, stomachbloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems and gallbladder disorders.
-It is also used for headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fever, menstrual problems, and cancer.
-Some people apply turmeric to the skin for pain, ringworm, bruising, leech bites, eye infections, inflammatory skin conditions, soreness inside of the mouth, and infected wounds.

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Ingredients

3 pieces of thigh meat, removed the bone
2 tbsp of turmeric
1 tbsp of masalah powder
1 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of sugar/ honey


1. Marinate the chicken meat with all the entire ingredients for at least 3 hours.
2. Heat up the pan and fry the meat until the meat is cooked. You may also grill the chicken.
3. Serve it warm.