Beehive Cake/Hong Kong Cake/Honeycomb cake

I've been wanting to post about this cake for a long time but have always hold back until now.

This cake is considered to be an outdated cake.It is known as Beehive/Honeycomb cake because of the texture of the cake that look like the beehive.It is also known as Hong Kong cake.Not sure why it is called like this.

When I was young,I made this cake a lot of times.It was the easiest cake that I can made as well as butter cake.

From time to time,I still craved for this old fashioned cake.So,two days ago,I made Hong Kong cake.

My daughters wouldn't love this cake cos it has got holes that made her goosebumps when she look at it.

The holes has got something to do with the baking soda as you all know it.The goodness of

this cake is it can either be baked or steamed as some preferred.

 I've got many recipes for this cake.Many years ago,I have one copy from the girl's brigade

club.

The pages of the book have been torned and can't be seen clearly anymore.It was the

best recipe that I've ever had.If only I could remember but I don't.

The recipe were in pounds and ounces.

And here is my old time favourite cake recipe taken from one of my books:

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup boiling hot water

2 heaping tbsp butter

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup plain flour

2 tsp bicarbonate soda sifted together with flour

4 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

Method:

Using medium heat,put the sugar in a wok and fry until melts and brown in colour.Pour in the hot water slowly.Add in the butter to mix.Turn off the fire and leave to cool.

Whip eggs until light and frothy.Stir in sweetened condensed milk and then flour.

Pour in the caramelized sugar.Mix well.

Pour batter into a lined baking sheet tin.

Baked in the pre-heated oven 170°C-180°C for 45 mins to 1 hour depending on your oven.

     

    

NOTE: This is an update post.There have been a bit of  mistakes in my previous post.I've given an alternative recipe previously and it is a bit confusing to some people,so now I've
delete the alternative recipe.I apologize for any mistakes that I've made previously.

Pumpkin Loaf with Tangzhong

I've been following Christines's Recipes for a while now.One of the recipe that I've copy through her post is Tangzhong Pumpkin loaf.You can follow her step by step
recipe here:http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2013/11/tangzhong-pumpkin-loaf.html .I think she made it so beautiful.So very eye catching indeed.

I hope you don't mind I shared your recipe here.If you do not wish me to,please tell me so that I can take it down.

Ingredients:

120 gm tangzhong

100 gm pumpkin puree

50 gm whisked egg

110 ml milk

40 gm honey

12 gm milk power

½ tsp salt

350 gm bread flour

2 tsp instant dried yeast

25 gm butter, melted

pumpkin seeds, optional, for garnish

Method:

1. Add all ingredients (except butter) into a breadmaker, the wet ingredients first, then followed by the dry ingredients: tangzhong, pumpkin puree, egg, milk, honey, milk powder, salt, flour and yeast. (Note: I used to make a small well in the flour, then add the yeast into it.)

2. Select the “dough” mode (refer to the manual of your breadmaker to select the kneading dough programme). When all ingredients come together, add the butter. Knead until the dough passes the window-pane test.

3. After kneading is finished, let the dough complete the 1st round of proofing in the machine, about 40 minutes, until it doubled in size.

4.  Transfer the dough onto a clean floured surface. Deflate and divide into 3 equal portions. Cover with cling wrap, let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.

5. Roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape. Fold 1/3 from top edge to the middle and press. Then fold 1/3 from bottom to the middle and press. Turn seal downward. Roll flat and stretch to about 30cm in length. With seal upward, roll into a cylinder. With seal facing down, place in the loaf tin. Complete the 2nd round of proofing, until it doubled in size.

6. Brush whisked egg on surface. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top. Bake in a pre-heated 180°C (356°F) oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack. Let cool completely

Mine turned out soft and fluffy as well although not as beautiful as Christine's one.Actually,it is yellow in colour,but the look of the pictures don't tell it all.Poor camera.

Pandan Chicken

This is the authentic dish of Thailand.
Many years ago I visited a friend's house.Her mother had made some delicious pandan chicken and she asked me to have lunch with them.It was the first pandan chicken that I had ever tasted.Yum! Yum!.Of late,when I was making these I quickly recall the days when I had  lunch with my friend and her family at her home.That was the only time I had eaten pandan chicken.

Now I've grown to like pandan chicken even more..

Ingredients:

300g bite-sized chicken

Seasonings:
2 shallots

2 garlics

2 lemon grass

1 tsp light soya sauce

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp fish sauce

1 ttbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp. corn flour

thick coconut milk

enough pandan leaves

cooking oil for deep-frying

Method:

Seasons the chicken with the seasonings above.Keep it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Take it out.Wrap each chicken pieces with the pandan leaf.Secured the leaf with a tooth-pick.

Dip-fried in hot oil until chicken is cooked through.


Serve with preferable sauce.

Green chicken Curry

Since I already found green chillies,I decided to cook green curry chicken today for lunch.It has been my "To do list" if ever I found green chillies in store.This is not what I get to eat everyday,but once in a while and this is my first time too.Chillies are always out of my menu.
So,here I am making green chicken curry at home and lunch with my kids and a take away for my other kid who is in school.A little black peppercorns added in to it would be nice,but I've added in black pepper powder instead.I've forgotten that I do have a bottle of peppercorn store inside the kitchen shelf.

INGREDIENTS A:

(Blended)

6 very long and big green chillies
Extra green chillies if preferred to look more green

2 stalk lemon grass
1 thumb size ginger
20g belacan/shrimp paste
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black pepper powder/peppercorns

2 tbsps. cooking oil

1 medium size chicken breast(cut small)
2 potatoes(peeled off skin,diced into cube)
1-1/2cups of water
200ml packet coconut milk
salt to taste

coriander or basil leaf for decorating

Method:

1.  Heat up oil,fry ingredients from A till fragrant.Put in the chicken and potatoes.

2.  Add the water in,then cover and simmer till the potatoes turned soft and the chickens are tender.

3.  Add in the coconut milk,follow by salt to taste,about 1 tsp.Bring to boil again for about 5 minutes and turn off the heat.

4.  Serve hot with rice.

Banana Bread Machine

I've been making banana bread for four days?That's four times!.

This may sound crazy but it's true,it's me, who do not want the bananas to go to waste.Four days ago,as I was strolling in the night market,usually on Thursday and Friday,I saw three bunch of bananas that were priced at a very low price.I bought it home but there was no way we could finish it all.Banana as we all know cannot last very long.Before it turns black why not make it into a banana bread or banana cake?

So,this explained why I keep on making banana bread.At first,I started off making a smaller one,then  a much bigger and moist one.The moist one is almost the same like the banana cake.

 At first I used the bread maker to do the mixing,but I noticed that the bread maker didn't do the mixing well.Patches of flour were seen at the bottom of the bread.For the rest of the bread making,I mixed the ingredients  in a separate bowl first,then transfer the batter into the bread maker and choose the bake setting.If you were to throw everything into the bread maker,make sure to use a spatula to mix it well so that no flour can be seen on the bread after you lift it up from the pan.



INGREDIENTS:

Small Loaf

2 large eggs
1/3 cup corn oil
1/8 cup milk
2 bananas,mashed
1-1/3 cups bread flour
2/3 cup sugar
1-1/4 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

METHOD:

Mix everything together in a mixing bowl until smooth.Using a spatula,scrape the batter into the pan of the bread maker.Choose the "Bake" setting and bake for 40 minutes.

Big Loaf

4 large eggs
2/3 cup corn oil
1/2 cup milk
6 ripe bananas(cos I wanted more bananas)
1-1/2 tbsps. of instant coffee
2-2/3 cups bread flour
1-1/3 cup sugar
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Use the same method as above.Bake for 55-60 minutes.

Chocolate and Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Cheese Cupcakes

225g cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Cupcakes

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsps. baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups water
2/3 cup veg oil
2 tbsps. white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

CREAMCHEESE

In a mixing bowl,throw in creamcheese,egg,sugar,and salt.

With a handheld mixer,cream until creamy and fluffy.Then add in the chocolate chips and quickly stir.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

In another bowl,sift flour, baking soda and cocoa powder.Add in the sugar,salt,water oil,vanilla and vinegar.Beat till smooth.

Fill the chocolate mixture into the paper cups half full.Put a level tablespoon of creamcheese into the centre of each cupcakes.

Bake in the preheated oven 180 degree celcius or 350 degree farenheit for 20 to 25 minutes.

When done,take out from the oven and let it cool down before eating.

Pulut Panggang

My daughter loves to eat pulut panggang.Whenever we passed by hawkers stalls,she'll ask me to buy.
I try to make my own pulut panggang because I've the recipe from the book by Agnes Chan.Making pulut panggang need to use the banana leaves and I've no problem with that since my next door neighbor grew bananas and the banana trees was planted right in front of our house.She told me to get some if I ever needed it.Thanks to her that now I can make my own pulut panggang.
Pulut panggang requires glutinous rice.
Pulut is the glutinous rice and panggang means grilled,hence the name "pulut panggang" (grilled glutinous rice.It is wrapped in banana leaves and then left to grill(panggang)You can either have a choice of leaving it plain or with fillings.Both are very fragrant and I like both.

So here is the recipe:

Glutinous rice:
300g glutinous rice,washed and soaked for 4 hrs and drained
1/2 coconut,squeezed-180ml coconut milk
1 tsp salt
2 pieces pandan leaves,knotted

Filling:
(A) pounded
6 shallots
4 pips garlics
6 dried chillies,soaked
1 stalked lemon grass,sliced
4 tbsps. dried prawns,soaked

(B)
1 tsp belacan powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder(kunyit)
1/2 white grated coconut
3 tbsp. oil

Seasoning

1 tsp ikan bilis(anchorvy)stock granules
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt to taste

16 pieces softened banana leaves(20cm x 15cm)
a stapler

Method:

1.Glutinous rice:Put all ingredients into a steaming tray and steam with high heat until cooked(about 45 minutes).Remove and fluff up the rice.Divide into 16 parts.
   
2.Filling:Heat up oil,saute pounded ingredients.belacan powder and kunyit powder until fragrant.Add coconut and seasoning.Mix well.Dish up.
  
3.Shape 1 part glutinous rice into a 10cm x 5cm rectangle on the banana leaf.Put 2 tsp filling into the  center.Roll up tightly .Staple both ends of the banana leaf.Trim to the same size.
  
4.Grill and serve.

 

Written and posted by: www.cocomintt.blogspot.com

Hainanese Chicken Rice

This time the chicken rice that I made is the hainanese chicken rice.This is the time of when I can't  think of" what's cooking for lunch or dinner"?.A simple steamed chicken rice or bak kuk teh is the best choice to make.Sometimes it's roasted chicken,like Kenny's Rogers.

I could have just roast the chicken,but no way!The weather are so hot out there.Hence,I steamed the chicken.

I've been to Melaka not long ago,and there along Jonker's Street I saw long lines of people queing out to buy chicken rice balls.I didn't get to eat,but I went to another shop to eat instead.I had to say it doesn't taste great.The rice were plain and tasteless other than the cute small balls.Were the long qued shop worth waiting for?Does it taste great?Time will tell when I visit Melaka again.Anyone knows?

Now the recipe for the chicken rice:

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken(1 1/2 kg size or slightly bigger)
2 slices ginger
1 stalk spring onion
2 shallots
Salt

3 cups Jasmine rice or any rice
3 tbsps. sesame oil
2 shallots,crushed
3 slices ginger,pounded
4'2 cups chicken stock from the soup
2 tbsps. chicken granules
1 tsp salt


Method:

1.  Prepare ready a pot of boiling water for boiling the chicken.

2.  Wash clean the chicken and pat dry.Rub salt all over the chicken.Stuff gingers and shallots into the cavity of the chicken.

3  .Immerse chicken into the pot of boiling water.Make sure the water is enough to cover the whole chicken.Bring to boil.Lower the fire.Boil until it is done.Let the chicken soak in the chicken stock for about 20-25 minutes.

4,  Take the chicken out and plunge the chicken into a basin of cold water.

5.Hang it up to drip the water.

Now cook the rice using the chicken stock soup.

1.  Heat up oil and fry the shallots and ginger till fragrant and slightly brown.Add in the jasmine rice,chicken granules and salt.Stir well to mix.

2.  Put into the rice cooker.Add the chicken stock soup.Drip some sesame oil for fragrant.Bring to cook.

3,  When the rice is cooked,switch off the cooker.Fluff up the rice.


Chilli Sauce:

10 red chillies
5 pips garlics
1/2 tsp sugar
some vinegar

Pound the chillies and garlics and add in sugar and some vinegar to mix.

Serve the chicken rice with the chilly sauce and sweet soy sauce.

Golden Chicken

These golden chickens are coated with custard flour instead of the usual all purpose flour.

I've kept the custard flour inside the kitchen cabinet for quite some time now.It is time to use it away before the expiry date.

After frying the chickens,it should look golden or yellow in colour,but I don't know why the picture don't seem to be.I snap it using my samsung handphone.Perhaps my phone camera are not good enough.

This custard coated chickens are also vey nice to eat.You can also use chicken wings or drumsticks.

 
Here are my golden chicken recipe:

12 bite size piece of chickens
2 cups custard flour
1 beaten eggs
1 tbsps salt
enough oil for deep-frying

Method:

1.  Dip chicken pieces with egg.
2.  Mix salt into the custard flour.
3.  Heat up cooking oil in a wok.
4.  Coat the chicken pieces with the custard flour.(can do it piece by piece)
5.  When you see smoke coming from the heated oil,it is ready to put the coated chicken in.
6.  Fry until it is cooked.Dish it out and serve with your desired sauce or preferably lemon     sauce.  

Cheese Bread Machine Bread

This is another bread using the PENSONIC BREAD MAKER.

This time I made Cheese Bread.If no milk can substitute with water.

Put everything in order according to your machine instructions,starting with the liquid first then adding in the butter after 20 minutes of kneading.


Milk -  130 g
Egg  -   1
Cream Cheese  -  100 g
High Protein Flour  -  350 g
Milk Powder  -  20 g
Sugar  -  50 g
Salt   - 4 g

yeast  -  4 g
Butter  60 g

Choose Basic setting
Medium size
Prefer colour light

Press start and let the machine do the work.

Yum! Yum! Enjoy your cheese bread.

Loh Ark-Braised Duck

This dish is often seen on Chinese new year and in most homes.Ducks is hardly counted in my list during the lunar new year but slowly I begun to add it to the list for the sack of my children and husband.I don't really like the taste of duck.Succulent it may be,but I found it to be very tough for my teeth.Therefore,I always skipped duck.Once in a year,sometimes on certain occasions,on my husband's side,I would get to see Lor Ark cooked by my mother in law and sometimes by my husband's sister in law.This year,is a bit special.I cooked my own
Lor Ark.

I gather bits by bits of the recipe after hearing how they cooked theirs and then altered it a bit to my own preferences.

I just can't rememember how long this recipe has been sitting in my drafts unposted.

Ingredients:

1 whole duck,clean and wipe dry
100 g galangal(cut in thin slices,but can be opted out)
100 g ginger(cut in thin slices)
2 cloves garlics
2 sticks of cinnamon
10 cloves
5 star anises
2 tbsps. five-spice-powder
50 grams white sugar or more
2 cups dark soya sauce
Adequate water to simmer the duck

6 hard-boiled eggs(add in at 20 mins interval)

Method:

1.   Rub some soya sauce and 5-spice-powder to the duck.Marinate at least 2 -4 hours preferred,so prepared earlier if you are going to make it for dinner.The longer,the tastier the duck is.

2.  In a big wok,saute the garlics,galangal,ginger,cloves,cinnamon and star anises until aromatic.Add in the sugar.Stir fry until the sugar is brown and caramelized.Add in some water and stir until the sugar dissolves.

3.  Add the marinated duck in.Gather all the marinating soya sauces and 5-spice-powder in the bowl and put in the wok.Braised under medium heat for 1 hour.Turn the duck every 15 minutes interval to ensure the duck is evenly cooked and colour.Cook until done and the sauce has thickened..

4.  Check to see if it really cooked before taking it out.

5.  When you are ready to eat,cut the meat out onto the plate and spoon the dark sweet sauce all over.It is very nice and tasty.Cut the eggs into half.

6.  Serve with rice and garlic ginger vinegar.