Coconut Moon Cakes

Moon Festival, which falls on September 27 this year (August 15 on the Chinese calendar), is one of the biggest holidays in Chinese culture. Also known as Mid Autumn Festival, it’s a time when friends and family get together and barbecue on roof tops, sidewalks and even in the streets to celebrate the full moon. Like many other Chinese holidays, there are several folk tales associated with Moon Festival, but it’s believed that the tradition traces all the way back to the Han Dynasty (157 - 87 B.C.E.). And when we think of Moon Festival, we think of moon cakes. It’s said that moon cakes originated around the end of the Mongolian era during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) when rebel soldiers began spreading secret notes inside of cakes calling for a revolt on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. On the night of the 15th, the rebel army successfully overthrew the Yuan Dynasty which started the Ming Dynasty.

Moon cakes come in all kinds of flavors, but traditionally they have a red bean filling with a dried egg yolk in the middle which is supposed to resemble a moon in the dark sky. Usually they come in fancy packages and people give them to each other as gifts during the holiday. While the traditional moon cakes are pretty and festive, they’re kind of like Christmas fruitcakes  — no one actually eats them. That’s why I make mine extra flaky with a coconut filling. They’re not only pretty, but also very delicious and fun to make!

You will need:

Ingredients:
Yields 24 golf ball size cakes
Dough A:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup hot water

Dough B:
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 T salted butter (room temperature)

Fillings:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
4 T salted butter (room temperature)
1 egg
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
4 Tbsp milk powder

1 egg for egg wash
Directions:
Started by making the fillings. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and mix in the shredded coconut and milk power until combined. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for it to set and firm up.

  

Meanwhile, make the dough. Preheat your oven to 375F. You will be working with two different doughs for the pastry. Start by mixing all of the ingredients from Dough A. Try not to work the dough too much. Like a pie crust, the less you work with it, the flakier the pastry will be. Once the dough comes together, cover it up and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Do the same with dough B. Combine the ingredients and let it rest for 20 minutes.

After both the doughs have rested for 20 minutes, roll into two separate logs. Then cut each into 24 pieces.

Roll them into ball shapes. Then cover them up and let them sit for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, roll each dough A into flat disks. Then place each ball of dough B in the center of dough A. Wrap dough B up tightly. Cover them up and let the dough rest for another 10 minutes.

Roll the combined dough into an oval shape. Gentle roll it up from bottom to top into a log shape. Let dough rest for another 10 minutes.

Now press the middle of the dough gently and fold the two sides into the center. Very gently form the dough into a ball again. Cover them up. Meanwhile we can work on the coconut fillings.

Roll the chilled coconut fillings into 24 individual balls.

Roll the dough into disks and place the coconut fillings in the center and wrap it up tightly.

Place all the pastries on a parchment paper lined baking trey and use a sharp knife to score the top of the cake with an X shape. Brush on a little egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes. Let it cool before serving.

Keep the cakes in an air tight container at room temperature. They should be able to keep for up to a month, but they are very addictive you may not last for that long. You will be surprised at how flaky the pastry is. Serve it with a cup of tea while enjoying the full moon weekend with your family and friends.

Sponsored by The Free Press
http://www.freepressonline.com/

Beet Root Steamed Buns

Chinese steamed buns are like a blank canvas. You can stuff it with both sweet and savory fillings or even be creative with the bun dough itself. Today I want to share with you how to make rose shaped steamed buns with beet root. Not only does it give your steamed bun a really pretty color, but it also makes the bun delicious and healthy. Plus it's a great way to use up those beets that are still growing in your garden.


Serves 4 people
Ingredients:

1 medium beet root (about 200g)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 T vegetable oil
1 tsp instant dried yeast
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup lukewarm water

 Directions:

Start by wrapping the beet in aluminum foil and roast it at 400 F in the oven for 40 minutes or until fork tender.

 
Puree the beet in a food processor. This will give you 1/2 Cup of beet puree. Mix in all of the ingredients and slowly add in the water. Depending on how juicy the beet is, you may not need the whole 1/4 cup. Kneed for 5 minutes until you get a smooth, slightly tacky, elastic dough. Cover it up and let it rise in a warm place for an hour. The dough will double in size.

After the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down and use a rolling pin to roll in out. Use a ring cookie cutter or a mason jar lid to cut four circles from the dough.

Place four pieces of the cut out dough together. Mark it by gently pressing down from the center using a chopstick or a skewer.

Roll the dough tightly starting from the bottom.

Cut the rolled up dough in half from the center were it was marked.

When you turn the dough up, you will see the pretty rose shape. Let it sit in the steamer lined with parchment paper and cover up for 20 minutes. The dough will rise again but not double in size.

Steam the buns on high heat for 18 minutes. After 18 minutes, turn off the heat and let the lid open slightly. Let the buns sit for 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe will make eight rose steamed buns. They are a great substitute for regular dinner rolls, but can also make four larger buns which are great for making sandwiches.

To make sandwich buns, roll out the dough with a rolling pin and gently roll the dough into a log shape.

 

Cut the dough into four pieces and steam it the same way as the rose buns. Steam for an extra five minutes because they are bigger.

So there you have it! Beet root steamed buns two ways. I hope you give the recipe a try and enjoy!

Thai Spicy Fried Chicken

Here in America we often associate Thai food with pad Thai, a popular stir-fried rice noodle dish. But back in Taiwan we immediately think of Thai fried chicken with a tangy sour-spicy topping, which is often the signature dish at Thai restaurants in Taipei. Near my family’s home, one particular Thai noodle shop in the night market serves it with a special plum sauce which really takes it to the next level. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a version that can match the dish I grew up with here in Maine, so I've come up with my own version of Thai fried chicken. It’s also become one of our favorite summer dishes to make at home and it’s a great way to use local plums that are just coming into season now. Serves 4 people.

You will need:

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken thighs

For the chicken marinade:
1/2 chopped hot pepper
1 chopped scallion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cold water
1 egg
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. cooking wine
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of black pepper
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar

For frying:
1-1/2 cups flour
1~2 cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
1 hot pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 scallion, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 Tbsp. cilantro, diced
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

For the plum sauce:
1/2 cup plums, pitted and pureed
3/4 cup water
2-1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. corn starch
1-1/2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. fish sauce
pinch of salt
pinch of dried pepper flakes (optional)
Directions:
Start by marinating the chicken thighs in along with all of the marinated ingredients. Cover it up and leave it in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Meanwhile, to make the plum sauce, mix all of the ingredients except the corn starch. Stir it into 2/3 C of water in a stainless steal sauce plan and bring it to a full simmer. Turn it down to low heat and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes for the flavor to infuse. Mix the corn starch with the remaining water in a separate bowl.  After the plum sauce has been cooked for 15 minutes, turn the heat to high and stir in the corn starch and water mixture. Whisk until the sauce thickens up. Sprinkle some dried pepper flakes over it if you like extra heat. Then remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

To make the topping sauce, dice the scallion, cilantro, hot pepper and onion into tiny pieces. Mix in the remaining ingredients.

After the chicken thighs have marinated, bread it in the flour along with a pinch of salt and mix of black and white pepper. Fry the breaded chicken at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes. I use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature, but if you don’t have one simply throw some flour into the oil. If it sizzles, then you’re ready to fry. Lastly, cut the chicken into strips and drizzle the topping sauce on the chicken. Serve it with the sweet and tangy plum sauce.

 

Sponsored by The Free Press

Visit http://thewayriceshouldbe.blogspot.com/2015/09/plum-and-almond-tart.html for a plum and almond tart recipe.

Pho Noodle

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) has became a really popular Vietnamese dish in America. Here's my simple pho noodle recipe for those of you who want to make the noodle from scratch.  The full pho recipe will be posted in the near future. You can also use this noodle to make pad thai and laksa.

Note: You will need a pasta machine for this and future noodle recipes.

Ingredients (serves 4 people):
1 1/3 C  rice flour
1/2 C tapioca starch
1/2 C boiling hot water
pinch of salt

Direction:
Slowly add the hot water into the tapioca starch. Stir it well as you add the water using one chop stick or the back of a spatula. Make sure there are no lumps. Add in the rice flour and kneed for five minutes on a well-floured surface.  This is a very sticky dough and can be a little hard to work with, so keep dusting the dough with more rice flour as you kneed it. When the dough is ready, it will be nice and smooth and will no longer stick to the touch.

 

Cut the dough into 6 pieces and roll them out. Next, use a pasta machine and roll it to the second to last of the setting so the noodle will still have a little thickness, but will still have a little more texture when you eat them. If you don't have a pasta machine, just roll the dough out as thin as you can and cut them into long thin strips. Once your noodle is all rolled and cut out, dust it well with rice flour so they don't stick together. Leave them out and let them dry for 15 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to boil along with a bowl of cold water with ice cubes in them. These noodles cook very fast, so you will only need to cook them for 15 seconds. After they are cooked, immediately drain them and shock them in the ice cold water for few minutes. Drain them out, place them in a serving bowl and pour the hot broth over it along with fresh vegetables and herbs. 

Enjoy!

Plum and Almond Tart

 

Plums are in they're full peak right now and it is a great fruit to make for both sweet and savory dishes. Today I want to share with you my almond tart recipe with fresh plum in it. This tart is not only delicious, but it's also very versatile. You can pretty much use this as a blank canvas and put different fruits in it according to the season.

 

Ingredients:
Serves 8 to 9 people in  a 10 inch tart pan

For the tart shell:
1 1/4 C all purpose flour
1/4 C ground almond
1/2 C confectioners sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt

For the almond filling:
1 C  ground almond
3 tsp all purpose flour
1 stick butter
1 large egg
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/4 C confectioners sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

For the plum sauce:
1 C pitted and diced plum
1/4 C water
1/3 C sugar

For the toppings:
5 to 7 pitted and sliced fresh plums
2 tsp raw sugar
2 Tbsp almond slices

Directions:

Start by making the plum sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in a stainless steel sauce pan and bring it to a full simmer. Then turn the heat down to low and let it cook for 20 minutes. The liquid will reduce and the sauce will thicken. Chill it to room temperature.

To make the tart shell, start by cutting the butter into small cubes and chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the flour, almond meal and confectioners sugar in the food processor. Then add the cold butter and pulse it to coarse meal. Add the egg and salt and pulse it just until all fully combined. Gently form it into a disk and chill it in the refrigerator for at least one hour. After the dough has been chilled, roll it out thin and press it into a buttered tart shell. Fold in any extra dough and press it around the side of the shell. This will give your shell a nice thick wall around it. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the shell. Chill it in the refrigerator again for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400F. Cream the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add in the egg, salt, almond extract and vanilla extract. Mix in the four and almond meal.

Spoon in a thin layer of the plum sauce into the bottom of the chilled tart shell. Then cover it up with the almond filling, using an offset spatula to smooth it out.

Place the slices of plum on top of the tart. The best way to assemble them is to start from the outside and work your way in to the center.

Sprinkle the raw sugar on the plums. This will not only sweeten the plum, but give it a nice caramelized color when it bakes. Last but not least, scatter the sliced almond over the tart.

Bake the tart on the lowest rack in the oven on 400F for 10 minutes. Then move the tart to the middle of the rack and turn the oven down to 375F and bake it for another 20 minutes. By doing so, your tart will not have a soggy bottom and the edges of the tart will not shrink. This way, you will get a nice evenly baked tart.

Enjoy!