Ham Chim Peng (Chinese Five Spice Doughnut 咸煎饼)

今天终于下雨了！在这里可是难得一见的。那湿答答的路面，那清新的空气，那扑鼻而来只有雨独有的味道。。。是那么的想恋。我和儿子走在雨中一时忘了我们人在中东的实事，脚下贱踏的雨迹是那么的真实，心里知道这将很快的消失。

咸煎饼，小时候很喜欢的小吃，老爸喜欢买的夜宵。我想说。。。不难弄！要点是：Starter Dough 一定要发上八小时，醒面时一定要醒好，油一定要够烧，下锅煎之前一定要压扁面团。明天弄给集会的成品希望也是满意的才好不然一定被大姐头骂死咯。别遭踏了那来得不易的南乳！

Ham Chim Peng or Chinese Five Spice Doughnut is a street food I used to eat during my childhood days. I made this once sometime in Mar 2014 the taste was good as I love to taste the strong red fermented bean curd (Nam Yu) in the Ham Chim Peng. But...too much red fermented bean curd in the dough will turn the texture into light maroon and after deep fried the Ham Chim Peng its crust is really dark in colour, which is a bit unslightly. 

I modified a bit on my previous recipe, and must give thanks and credit to some of the friends who tasted the first batch of Ham Chim Peng and  for their sincere feedback, I tried a few rounds on perfecting the Ham Chim Peng and ...here it is the lovely texture, colour and taste. Thank you! You know who you are!

This recipe is with 1/4 tsp of baking soda. An ingredient I hardly use in my recipe.

yield: ~25 pieces

Ingredients for starter dough: 

150g plain flour (sifted)

100ml water

1 tsp yeast  

Ingredients for main dough:

150g bread flour (sifted)

150g plain flour (sifted)

60g sugar

10g red fermented bean curd (1 piece, mashed) 

160ml water

1 tsp yeast

1 tsp five spiced powder (I used 1 tsp in dough + another 2 tsp when rolling up)

1/4 tsp baking soda 

2 tsps oil

1.5 tsp salt 

some white sesame seeds

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in the starter together, knead to form a smooth dough. Cover and let it proof for about 8 hours. (is good to prepare the starter dough at night, leave it overnight for morning use)

2. In the mixing bowl, take 150g of the starter dough (tear into smaller pieces), and add all dry ingredients and gradually add water. Knead the dough to rough dough. Add oil and continue the kneading until the dough is smooth. (I used my KitchenAid varies between speed 2 to 4) Cover the dough with wet cloth and let it rest for 30 mins.

3. Flatten the dough into a large rectangular shape. Brush with a little water on the surface and sprinkle with another 2 tsp of five spiced powder. Roll it up to form a cylinder. Cut into 2cm thick sections.

4. Brush the surface with a bit of water, and coat with sesame seeds on the dough. Flatten the dough and set aside for about 20 mins, then flatten each dough again into thin circle. Deep fry in preheat oil till it turns golden brown. Serve warm.

Note: The deep frying oil has to be high enough or else dough fritters may not expand enough. 

I'm submitting this post to Best Recipes for Everyone March 2015 Event Theme: My Favourite Traditional Kuehorganized by Fion of XuanHom’s Mom and co-hosted by Joceline - Butter, Flour &Me. 

Sweet Potato Donuts 红薯甜甜圈

Recently true realization of the meaning of "if you help someone who is in difficult situation don't expect that person to be kind to you when he/she comes out from the shit". Of course, it pay off for us to see another true character of human being. I thank God for that. 

Today I started my day well with two free cups of chocolate milk from Bread Talk. Doing my usual round of attending to the plant in my garden make me feel refresh and free from any burden. I prefer to be alone in the home doing my own stuff most of the time, it was this way for the pass many years, this really rejuvenate my mind and soul rather than having coffee morning with people, this statement I think will make me "anti-social" in the eyes of many busybody. Life is so short, please let me live the way I want. 

Donuts is popular in my home, this time I added golden sweet potato in it instead of the pumpkin. The water contents in my sweet potato is less compared to my previous pumpkin donuts, so the flour I used is about ~280g. Homemade donuts is healthier choice compared to buying  from outside because we can use fresh cooking oil and lesser sugar in the donuts. I'm going to make another batch these few days! 

Verdict: This donuts remain soft until the third day, no heating up is requires but if compared to my super soft pumpkin donuts, I prefer the soft texture from the pumpkin donuts. The dough for this donuts is not as sticky as the pumpkin donuts. Water contents in the dough is crucial, in future may just use 250g of flour instead of 280g. 

Lovely puff up dough

Yield: 25 pieces
Ingredients:
280g bread flour (used 250g then slowly add the remaining flour when you find the dough is too wet)
5g dried instant yeast
50g sugar
100g cooked golden sweet potato (peeled, steamed and mashed)
50ml cold milk
2 egg yolks
30g butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon sugar
icing sugar for coating

Method:

1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, mashed sweet potato, egg yolks, salt, cinnamon sugar and milk in a bowl, use the electric mixer (dough hook) mix to combine. 

2. Add the butter and continue mixing until it form smooth dough.

3. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball. Cover and leave it to proof for about 45 mins or until it double in size.

4. Punch out the air in the dough. Knead and shape the dough into a ball, let the dough rest for 10 mins.

5. Work the dough on a floured surface and gently roll out to 1 cm thickness. Cut with a floured donuts cutter.

6. Cover the dough loosely with a wrapping cling and leave it to rise for about 30 mins. or until it double it size.

7. Deep fry the dough in medium hot oil till it is golden brown.

8. Coat the donuts with icing sugar.

I'm submitting this post to Best Recipes for Everyone March 2015 Event Theme: My Favourite Traditional Kuehorganized by Fion of XuanHom’s Mom and co-hosted by Joceline - Butter, Flour &Me. 

Chinese Roasted Pork Belly (Siu Yuk 脆皮烧肉）

Recently many things happened and my mind was too occupied to come back to this space doing what I love to do...writing my blog. 

God has a plan in everything, His priority never change... every times when I think of this issue, I felt so touch by how faithful God answer our prayers, this time is so tangible. He came and handled the incident for me, now I'm happy that I no longer holding grudge against the people involved in the incident. 

First time making Roasted Pork Belly in such a big bulk, 3 kg! It was for the second day of Chinese New Year gathering. I was so happy that the roasted pork belly turned out with a crispy crackling skin, the meat was tender and juicy! I'm using the recipe method that use the coarse sea salt to cover the skin at the first stage of roasting.

Roasted Pork Belly after baking for 45 mins with rock salt on top.

Ingredients:
3 kg pork belly, wash the meat and pat dry, cut into manageable strips (I divided it into six strips)

3 tbsp Coarse sea salt

2 tbsp Sugar

6 tbsp Five spice powder 

3 pieces of red fermented bean curd

a dash of peppers

more rock/coarse sea salt

Prepare marinade: Mix 3 tbsp coarse sea salt, sugar, five spice powder, red fermented bean curd, and peppers in a bowl.

Method:

1. Score the flesh part (not the skin) of the pork belly lightly in diagonal lines and rub in the marinade on the flesh.

2. Place the marinated side down on a container so it can sit and absorb the flavors.  

3. Use a meat skewer poke repeatedly on the skin( this has to be done properly), then rub more salt on the skin only. Dry the skin using kitchen tissue.

4. Marinate the pork belly uncovered overnight in the fridge so that the skin will dry completely. 

5. When ready to roast, pat dry any moisture left on the skin. Let the meat sit inside the aluminium foil as shown in the photos above and cover the skin with a layer of coarse sea salt. Place pork belly in the middle of the oven. 

6. Bake in preheated oven at 210C for 45 mins. Then remove the pork belly from the oven, remove the coarse sea salt layer from the skin. Use the meat skewer poke more holes on the skin, place the pork belly on the roasting rack with a tray below to catch the dripping oil. Bake at 210C for another 20~25 mins. Bubbles will appear on skin, control the roasting time so the meat will not over char. The pork belly will be with nice golden brown crispy skin.

7. Once cooked, remove pork from oven and leave to rest for 10 mins before chopping the pork belly into bite size.