葱饼 | CHINESE MUFFINS

How would you say  "葱饼" in English? I have to confess that I have absolutely no idea! So I'm just going to call them Chinese Muffins because, just like their English counterparts, they are yeast-based and baked in a skillet.  

葱饼
Adapted from 阿芳的3杯麵粉72變 by 蔡季芳

Makes 10

Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
1¼ cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Flour for dusting

Filling
Approx 200 grams spring onion
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place flour, sugar, yeast and 1 cup water into a large mixing bowl. Using a pair of chopsticks, stir ingredients together. After the water begins to be absorbed, add the remaining water little by little.  Use your hands to gently knead into a dough.

Add the oil and knead until the dough becomes very smooth.

Cover the dough and leave to proof for 30 minutes.

While the dough is proofing, wash and dry the spring onions. Cut finely. Marinate with salt, black pepper and olive oil.

Gently turn dough onto lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Roll out each into a tongue shape.

Fill each with spring onion filling. Let the 2 long sides meet and pinch edges together.

Roll each into a "snail". Dust your palm with a little flour and press each piece to flatten.

Cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Uncover the muffin rounds and gently transfer them to the skillet.  Cook both sides of the muffins for 4 - 5 minutes until the bottom of muffin turns golden brown.

Confession: These really ought to look like pancakes (instead of like English muffins) but even though I rolled them out they bounced right back up!  Maybe I didn't allow them enough time to proof properly.

HANOI

So here I am, back from a 5-day conference in freezing Hanoi.  It was a pleasant stay at the charming Metropole Hotel - French culture preserved alongside Vietnamese culture.  "Bonjour Madame" the staff chirps cheerfully to me as I pass.  Didn't enjoy the cold weather though.  Thankfully, it was nice and warm inside the hotel, which is a huge blessing if one has to be stuck indoors 98% of the time.

Metropole Hotel - a white oasis in the midst of hectic Hanoi



I did manage to sneak out of the hotel for a walk.  This is the romantic Hanoi West Lake.

Lanterns on trees and their reflection in the water create fairy lights

Peach blossom

On my last day in Hanoi, I stumbled upon a mysterious doorway.

I was first drawn by the old iron gate - and led further in by hanging lamps which, entwined with the vines above, seem to literally grow out of the trees

This shabby debris is stark contrast to The Metropole Hotel that's just 50 metres away

It's somebody's courtyard!

The streets of Hanoi are somewhat noisy and polluted.  It was difficult to cross a street without running into a motorcycle or two.  The honking never ceases.  That was why The Metropole seemed like such a santuary.  Nevertheless, the very early Saturday morning was quite peaceful.

The End ! :)

OH CRUMBS!

Nope, this isn't a UFO! It's a chocolate cake in a bundt pan!

Today I had the good fortune of having Jenny, Sally and Serena over for lunch.  Even though they didn't stay very long (since Serena had to return to work) and lunch was only a humble affair of plain porridge with four simple dishes, I think it is safe to say that everyone had a great time. It is, afterall, not everyday that we have so many GPs sit around the lunch table all at once.

For dessert, I made a cake.

CHOCOLATE-SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE WITH CHEESECAKE SWIRL

Adapted from Baking for All Occasions: A Treasury of Recipes for Everyday Celebrations by Flo Braker

Makes one 9-inch Bundt

Cheesecake Swirl

225 grams cream cheese at room temperature

50 grams caster sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
15 grams ground hazelnut
2 tablespoons dried sour cherries (I used orange-flavoured dried cranberries)

Chocolate-Sour Cream Pound Cake
65 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
180 ml warm water
260 grams cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
170 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
300 grams caster sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
170 grams sour cream

Place a rack in the centre of your oven and preheat the oven at 180 degrees C (or 165 degrees C if the pan has a dark finish). Lightly butter and flour a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan.

For the cake batter, whisk together cocoa powder and warm water in a medium bowl until well blended. Set aside to cool. Have all of the remaining ingredients at room temperature.

To make the Cheesecake Swirl:  In a medium bowl, the cheese with a rubber spatula just until the cheese is smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugar until blended. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined and creamy. Stir in the nuts and cranberries until evenly distributed. Set aside.

To make the Chocolate-Sour Cream Pound Cake: Sieve flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy and smooth then add sugar, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Continue to beat until the mixture is very light in colour and texture.

Add eggs very slowly, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until mixture is fluffy and pale ivory in colour. Add the vanilla and sour cream to the cooled cocoa mixture and stir to combine. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing after each addition only until incorporated.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it with the rubber spatula, working from the centre outward to create a slightly raised ridge around the rim. Carefully spoon the cream cheese filling over the batter, trying to contain it within the rim. The idea is to keep the filling from touching the pan so it will remain concealed when the cake is finished baking. Spoon the remaining batter over the filling and smooth the top.

Bake the cake until the top springs back when pressed lightly and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out free of batter, 60 – 70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 – 15 minutes before turning the cake out of the pan.

The cake would've been perfect if not for the crumbs.  As we ate, we left crumbs on the plate and crumbs all over the table - and on the floor!  God knows what went wrong.  Fortunately, the GPs, being people who focus on the big picture, didn't fuss over silly things like crumbs.  Instead, they made very nice comments about how wonderful the cake tasted and how great everything was.  Makes it impossible to ask for better friends.

A WEEK IN OZ

When Tammy suggested a trip to Tokyo I declined immediately.  I could see it already: Winter Blues. Heavy Clothing. Mall Hopping.  Not my idea of fun.  

Being the introvert that I am, I'd rather be at my aunt's place in NSW: hours away from the hustle and bustle of the city, fresh air, good food, free lodging, sleeping in, relax the mind.  A true break.

I guess it all sounded rather appealing so Tammy decided she'd forgo Tokyo and came along with me to Sydney.

The doing-close-to-nothing week flew by much too quickly.  Instead of hopping from mall to mall (as it usually happens during a holiday with Tammy) we took this vacation slow and easy, sleeping in late for two mornings in a row.  Just a little bit of sightseeing for Tammy, who is visiting Australia for the first time.

But most of our vacation time was spent in the Central Coast, where my aunt and uncle reside.

I love spending time with my aunt and uncle at home in Gosford. Each night I slowly fall asleep to an insect concerto, and awake every morning to the song of birds - and freshly squeezed orange juice!

Whenever I visit, my uncle would cook up a storm!  He used to be a restaurant chef.  Ooooh, the feasts he cooked up every evening!  Then there were all that fresh Australian seafood, and veggies straight from my aunt's own backyard!

I'm not a particularly good cook but my contributions are not to be undermined.  I helped water the vegetable patch, washed the veggies after my aunt had harvested them, laid the table while my uncle cooked, and most importantly, wiped out every last bit of the sumptuous spread that my uncle put on the table every night.

All this time, my poor friend took ill and spent many hours either in bed, or laid out in front of the TV.  She didn't do enough shopping while we were in Sydney so she was suffering from withdrawal symptoms (that's the way I see it).  She caught a cold during the 10-hour flight from HK to Sydney (her story). 

One afternoon my aunt and I baked Lemon Yogurt Muffins. By then Tammy was well enough to sit with us at the dining table and I bullied her into translating the recipe into Chinese for my aunt.

Tammy had been facing a hard time at work and was feeling depressed.  My aunt advocates that sunlight would chase away the blues so she and my uncle drove us to the beaches in Terrigal, sand dunes in Biribi Point to be greeted by sun, sand, sea and clear blue skies.  We even caught the Pelican Feeding at The Entrance.  

All in all, I had heaps of fun and was thoroughly spoilt!  Even though it's probably like my 5th visit to Australia, there are several "firsts" that happened on this trip: for the first time I didn't go about chasing down koalas and wombats or doing the Touristy Stuff; the first time I actually bought wine; the first time to visit  medical clinic in Australia - thanks to Tammy.  

I hope you recover soon, pal.

THE MOUSE AND HIS CHEESE

A gift from Susan, this timer travelled from NY to Singapore.

The Japanese have their own take on the Cake Salé.  Today I'm using a recipe by Takaaki Nishikawa (西川功晃).  Nishikawa is Consultant to Singapore's Bread Society and author of several books on the subject of breadmaking. Some say that it isn't easy to master Nishikawa's bread formulas because of the high level of hydration.

Nakashiwa's Cake Salé recipe consists ingredients such as sun-dried tomato, pickled carrot, pancetta and balsamic crouton. I stuck with the simple ham and cheese - just so I can get a direct comparison between this Cake Salé  and the one I made previously.

Cake Salé recipes usually calls for baking powder but Nishikawa uses baking soda and yeast as raising agents. The dough is allowed 40 minutes of proofing time before it goes into the oven, resulting in as a loaf that is sponge-like.

咸蛋糕 La Cake Salé

Adapted from a recipe in 美味44變: 麵包料理的搭配新技法 by 西川功晃 (Takaaki Nishikawa)

Makes two 16.5cm x 7.5cm (6.5" x 3") loaves. Foil loaf pans that measures 20.5cm x 11cm at the rim would also work.

3 eggs
150 grams all-purpose flour
10 grams baking soda
2 grams instant yeast
50 grams olive oil
50 grams milk
150 grams ham, diced
150 grams cheddar (half coarsely grated and half diced)

Place a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat your oven to180 degrees C. Generously brush loaf pans with butter.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then add the olive oil, milk and yeast and mix together using a spatula.

Sift the flour and baking soda together. Add into egg mixture.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour into lined loaf tin.

Leave to proof for 30 – 40 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 180 degrees C oven for 25 minutes.

I personally much prefer Cake Salé without the yeast.