Coconuct and Mango Mochi Rice Cakes

People who know me personally know that there’s nothing I love more than making desserts. As much as I love baking pies and pastries, I often forget how fun it is to make Asian desserts. One of the most popular Asian desserts is the mochi rice cake, also known as sticky rice cakes. Although it is often thought of as a Japanese dessert, sticky rice is one of the most common desserts in East and South East Asia. Each country has its own version of sticky rice cakes made with unique fillings of local ingredients. Sticky rice is also eaten as a savory meal in Asia. As much as I love the humble Taiwanese traditional mochi cakes coated in sweet peanut powder, the famous Hong Kong coconut mango mochi cakes are my favorite. Not only are they very refreshing with the fresh fruit filling, they’re also really fun and easy to make. (Makes 16 bite-size rice cakes)

Ingredients:

For the batter:

1 cup sticky rice flour

4 Tbsp. cornstarch

³⁄₄ cup confectioner’s sugar

¹⁄₂ cup coconut milk (canned)

¹⁄₃ cup whole milk

4 tsp. melted coconut oil or melted butter

For the filling:

1 to 2 mangos (depending on size)

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar 

For the coating:

¹⁄₃ cup desiccated coconut

¹⁄₄ cup confectioner’s sugar 

Direction:

Start by sifting together the sticky rice flour, cornstarch, and confectioner’s sugar. Sticky rice flour is also called sweet rice flour or glutenous rice flour. You can find these at local specialty food stores and obviously at the Asian grocery store if there’s one near you.

Whisk in coconut milk and whole milk. Mix until there are no more lumps. Try to go for the full fat for both kinds of milk, which will give your mochi a much richer taste. I also find that the light coconut milk tends to have a bitter taste. Then mix in the melted coconut oil.

Transfer the batter into a shallow bowl so it will cook evenly. On high heat, steam the batter for 20 minutes.

Use a chopstick or a spatula to stir the cooked batter for one to two minutes. The batter will become stickier as you stir it. Let it cool for 20 minutes so it will be easier to handle.

While you’re waiting for the batter to cool down, cut the mango into bite-size cubes. Toss the cubes in the granulated sugar. You can also swap out the mango with kiwi, strawberries and pretty much any fruit you like. If the fruit is sweet enough, you can also cut the amount of granulated sugar if you like.

Divide the mochi batter into even pieces. The mochi will be very sticky, make sure you work with wet hands. 

Flatten the mochi in your palm and fill the mango cube in the center. Wrap it up tightly and toss it in the desiccated coconut and confectioner’s sugar mixture.

Chill it in the refrigerator for an hour before serving, which allows the flavors to infuse. These are best served the day when you make them, but they can keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about three days.

Strawberry filling mochi rice cake.

More Asian desserts: Coconut Moon Cake

Garlic Naan Bread

Although bread is often associated with Western food, it’s also a staple of daily diets in parts of Asia. Naan is a type of bread that is widely eaten in west Asia, south Asia and even western China. Each region has its own version of naan and ways to prepare, cook and serve it. For me, nothing beats a fresh homemade bread. As much as I love baking my sour-dough bread every weekend, it does take a significant amount of time to make. So my solution to a “quick bread” is always some type of flatbread such as pita or naan. 

These days, bread seems to have a bad reputation as gluten-free diets have recently become the fastest-growing food trend. Obviously, there are people who have celiac disease who shouldn’t be eating gluten. There seems to also be a debate about whether “gluten intolerance” might be caused by the way the wheat is grown or how wheat-based products are prepared. People seem to forget that bread has been an important part of our lives for thousands of years. I’m a believer in making and preparing your own healthier bread at home, especially if you are sensitive to store-bought bread products. And believe it or not, it’s so much cheaper than buying it from the store! What better way to start making your own bread than by starting with the easiest (and tastiest) — naan. This week I’d like to share with you my go-to garlic and cilantro naan recipe. It’s so easy and fun to make and perfect for weeknight dinner. Makes 8 to 10 naany go to garlic and cilantro naan recipe, so easy and fun to make, perfect for week night dinner.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

¹⁄₂ Tbsp. garlic powder

1¹⁄₂ tsp. granulated sugar

2¹⁄₄ tsp. instant yeast

2 Tbsp. melted butter

¹⁄₂ tsp. salt

¹⁄₂ cups plain Greek yogurt (full fat)

¹⁄₂ cups luke warm water (105-110 F)

¹⁄₄ cups fresh cilantro

1 clove of garlic

Direction:
Start by mincing the garlic and finely chopping the cilantro. Mix in flour, yeast, sugar, melted butter and yogurt until combined. Add in lukewarm water and kneed until dough is smooth and elastic (about 3 minutes). Cover it up and let it proof for an hour, until it doubles in size. 

After the dough has risen, roll it into a log and cut it into 8 to 10 pieces.

Roll the individual dough into 6- to 8-inch diameters. 

Heat up a non-stick pan on high heat. Once the pan is blazing hot, place the rolled-out dough on the pan. Let it cook until it starts puffing up (about two minutes). Flip it and let it cook for another minute. 

 

These are great to serve with curry or any type of stew. If you have any leftovers, you can also slap an egg on it and make breakfast with it.

Yang Nyeom Chicken AKA Korean Fried Chicken

Many cultures around the world have some version of fried chicken made with varying seasonings and batter ingredients. Unless you’re a vegetarian, fried chicken is one of those universal foods that nearly everyone loves. One unique regional variation is Korean yang nyeom chicken. With its unique, crunchy-on-the-outside and chewy-on-the inside texture, coated in a sweet and spicy garlic paste, yang nyeom chicken is a true comfort food in Korea. This is always something I look forward to whenever I go back to visit my mother’s family home in Korea, and it is most commonly available through a delivery service, like pizza. It took me quite a few tries to finally figure out how to make that chewy doughnut-like batter along with its special sauce, but it’s easier than you’d think. This week I’d like to share with you my own yang nyeom chicken recipe. (Serves 3-4 people)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken thighs with skin and bone

³⁄₄ tsp. salt

¹⁄₄ tsp. black pepper

For the batter:

¹⁄₃ cup sweet potato starch

¹⁄₄ cup glutenous rice flour

¹⁄₄ cup all-purpose flour

¹⁄₂ tsp. baking soda

¹⁄₃ cup water

1 egg

For the sauce:

2 cloves garlic

¹⁄₃ cup ketchup

2¹⁄₂ Tbsp. gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)

1 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. olive oil

¹⁄₄ cup water 

2 tsp. sesame seeds 

2 to 3 cups canola or vegetable oil for frying

Directions:
Cut the chicken thighs into 2- to 3-inch chunks. Season it with salt and pepper, cover it up and let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour. 

While you are waiting for the chicken to marinate, you can prepare the sauce. Mix the ketchup, gochujang, honey and cider vinegar. (photo 2) Also cut up the garlic and set both aside. Gochujang is a Korean hot pepper paste made with fermented soybeans and glutenous rice. It’s got a very unique, sweet and spicy flavor that cannot be replaced. You can find it at almost all Asian grocery stores, but it’s also available at local specialty food stores in the midcoast. Gochujang is great for stir-frying or with bulgogi (Korean BBQ) as well. (Recipe available at www.thewayriceshouldbe.blogspot.tw/2015/10/bulgogi-korean-bbq.html.) We also often use it as a dipping sauce for cucumbers or carrot sticks, which we call pangchan (Korean side dishes). If you can’t find gochujang, you can also just substitute it with other types of Asian sauces, such as sambal hot sauce. But I don’t recommend using Sriracha because it’s too strong! 

To make the batter, start by whisking together the sweet potato starch, glutenous rice flour, all-purpose flour and baking soda. You may substitute sweet potato starch with corn-starch, but unfortunately you can’t replace the glutenous rice flour because that’s what gives the batter its chewy, doughnuty texture. You can find it in specialty food stores under the name “sweet rice flour” or “sticky rice flour.” Mix in egg and water and stir until it becomes like a pancake batter.

Coat the marinated meat in the batter. In a large sauce-pan, bring 2 to 3 cups of oil to 350 F. You can also just drop a little bit of the batter to test if the oil is hot enough. If the batter sizzles and floats to the top, it means the oil’s ready for frying. Fry the chicken (in batches if needed) for 8 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat up 2 tsp. olive oil and stir-fry the chopped garlic for 30 seconds. Then pour in the mixed sauce and ¹⁄₄ cup water. Cook for two to three minutes until it thickens up. 

In the meantime, toss all the fried chicken back into the oil on high heat and fry for another three minutes. This will make the chicken extra crispy. Once the chicken has been re-fried, toss it in the sauce and make sure the pieces are all evenly coated. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds and it’s ready to serve. 

Yang nyeom chicken is great on its own or on rice and even with a cold beer, which is how Koreans typically eat it. 

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Samosas

For the past few weeks, I have been experimenting with cooking meatless dishes to try a healthier diet, but also as a personal challenge. If you have been following my recipes for a while, then you know that I rarely cook with the giant pieces of meat often used in Western cooking. However, meat is also essential in providing texture and flavoring for many of the dishes in my recipes. I’ve often joked that I’ll eat anything that has a face or a mom. And we Asians don’t waste any parts of the meat. From the feet and head to the eyeballs and intestines, we eat it all.

I have to admit, cooking without meat has been a lot more challenging for me than I thought it would be. It was almost like learning how to cook all over again. But I have also realized that by using herbs and spices to bring out the vegetable’s natural flavor you can get amazing results. Too often in vegetarian cooking, we try to make vegetables taste like meat. So what started out as a challenge has actually become a really fun experience as I play with spices and vegetables. These samosas are proof that you really don’t need to be on a vegetarian diet to enjoy vegetarian cooking!

Ingredients: (Makes 12-16 samosas)

For the dough:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. ghee or melted butter

1 tsp. Ajwain seeds or dried thyme

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1/2 cup water

For the filling:

¾ cup mashed potatoes

¾ cup mashed sweet potatoes

½ cup frozen peas

2½ Tbsp. minced shallots

2 tsp. ginger paste

1 tsp. garlic paste

¼ tsp. ground coriander seed

¹⁄₈ tsp. ground cumin seed

¹⁄₈ tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. curry powder

¼ tsp. garam masala

¹⁄₈ tsp. ground mustard seed

¹⁄₈ tsp. white pepper

dash of black pepper

1¼ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup cilantro

Around 2 to 3 cups vegetable or canola oil for frying

Directions:

Boil potatoes and sweet potatoes until soft, mash them together. I’m using Japanese sweet potatoes in the mix, which is why the mixture is white. But regular orange sweet potatoes work just fine.

Mince shallots, garlic and ginger into a fine paste.

On medium high heat, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Cook the shallots for one minute until soft and translucent. Toss in garlic and ginger paste. (photo 2) Cook for 30 seconds and mix in all of the spices, salt and pepper and the mashed potato mix. Cook until all combined. Mix in peas and cilantro, remove from heat and set it aside while you prepare the dough.

Note: If the potato mixture gets too dry while cooking, add a few tablespoons of water to loosen it up.

To make the dough, mix the flour, salt, turmeric powder and Ajwain seed together. Ajwain seeds are an Indian spice which is actually related to bishop’s weed. You can get them in the Asian grocery store or online. You may also substitute it with dried thyme, which tastes very similar. Add in ghee (clarified butter), which may be substituted with unsalted melted butter. Mix in water and kneed until the dough is smooth. This is a fairly stiff dough. Cover the dough up and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Cut dough into eight pieces or six if you wish to make bigger samosas.

Roll the dough out individually into an oval shape.

Cut the dough in half.

Brush the top (flat edge) with a little water and take corners and fold them into triangles on top of each other.  

Now you have a cone to fill in the fillings.

Bush around the edges with some water and seal it tightly. This will make a pyramid shape that is able to sit by itself.

Deep fry the samosas in a large skillet on medium low heat. Fry them slowly as this is how you get the classic samosa texture. Cook for about 5 minutes.



Let them cool down for five minutes before serving. These are perfect as an appetizer or a side dish!

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