Steamed (pork) Buns

Steamed (pork) bun is one of my favorite. It is difficult to find the delicious one abroad, or to be exact the one that tastes familiar to my tongue and remind me to home. This type of buns is not only sold at Asian shops but also at supermarkets. BUT, the taste is  not the same.

In our home country, there are also a lot of varieties, from texture, taste, and filling. Of course different quality. During my stay in the two countries: Indonesia and Singapore, I have experienced tasting different steamed buns. This is easy food and comforting food for me. It is easy to get also. When I spent my years as a student at NUS (National University of Singapore), I frequently made a trip from my lab to the nearest canteen downstairs for a piece of hot steamed bun or a glass of juice (without sugar).

Here, it is also easy to find steamed buns, but none of them, according to my very picky taste buds is as delicious as the ones back home. And since my children (and husband) love to eat, I am tempted to try making it. The first trial, a couple of weeks ago, is not very successfull. The texture of the buns was not good soft enough and the dough did not rise as much as I would like to see (I compared it to the dough that I usually prepare for sweet bread). The filling was minced pork, prepared with soy sauce, salt, sugar, pepper and some oyster sauce with cabbage. So, I tried it once again with some modification after I compared some recipes. This time with char siu filling.

The original recipe is taken from Christine's recipe. And here is my modification.

Steamed (pork) bun

Prepared 10 pieces of square baking paper around 6 x 6 cm.

Ingredients (for the buns)
200-220 grams flour (I used buns flour, you can find it in Asian store. If you use multi purpose flour, the result may be yellowish)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp instant dry yeast (check the packaging for the correct amount. The original recipe asks for 1/2 tsp but I checked the yeast I bought and I need around 3-4 grams for the flour I used)
80 - 110 ml water
90 - 100 ml warm milk (not more than 40Celcius because the heat can kill the yeast) *note: you can also use water instead of milk
a pinch of salt

For the fillings (cheating method)
150 gr pork meat (cut into small cubes, I used shoulder part for this)
1/3 - 1/2 bottle of char siu seasoning (I used the 1-step seasoning)
1/2 onion cut into small pieces
2-3 tsp water
1-2 tsp corn flour

How to (buns)
1. Mixed the warm milk, yeast and 1/2 tsp sugar. Let it rest until the buble rise, around 30 minutes.
2. Add 200 grams flour, vegetable oil, salt, and 80ml of the water to the yeast mixture. Knead the dough. If you see that the dough is quickly dry, you can add the rest of the water. The important thing is the dough should be kneaded into a smooth dough and does not stick to your hand or the wall of your mixer bowl.
3. Let the dough rest in the bowl, and cover the bowl either with wet clean cloth/napkin or with cling film. Let it rest around 1 hour until it rises at least twice the initial volume.
4. Remove the cling film and punch the dough in the middle.
5. Cut the dough into portions, around 35-40 grams or to your liking.
6. Shape each portion into a ball shape and with rolling pin, roll the dough. The edges should be thinner than the middle part. Fill the rolled dough with the filling and pinch the sides thightly to hold the filling. Put it on top of a piece of baking paper.
7. Prepare steamer and when it starts to boil, put the buns in the steamer and steam the buns for around 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving them.

How to (fillings - cheating method)
1. Cut the por meat and the onion.
2. Marinate the pork and onion with 1/3 - 1/2 bottle of the char siu seasoning for 30 minutes - 1 hour (while waiting for the dough to rise)
3. Heat the wok and cooked the marinated pork (without oil).
4. Mix the corn flour and water and add the mixture to the wok.
5. Cook until it is thickening.

I could not wrap my buns in pretty way. So, the results are not pretty enough. The first batch of the buns is not successfull enough because when I immediately open the steamer after 15 minutes the buns became smaller altough they have risen quite big. I am not sure whether it is because the skin is too thin, or because I immediately open the steamer. I did open the steamer without letting the buns rest in the steamer because I only have 1 steamer.

But, I noticed that the second and third batches are better in terms of texture and size. I am not sure also if this is the effect of letting the buns rest (while waiting for their turn to occupy the steamer) or because I did not open the steamer immediately, but turn off the fire for a couple of minutes before transferring the buns to the plate.

Anyway, husband and children are happy with the results of the second trial. 10 buns for us are not enough for stocks, though. Although there are only 2 adults and 2 toddlers of (almost) 2 and 4 years old, my children enjoy eating. So, next project is better filling and better buns, and probably the sweet versions (red bean it is).

Tempe (and Tahu) Bacem

Tempe and tahu (tofu) are good soul food for me. They are delicious and also healthy. Tempe and tahu are made from fermented soy bean. They are popular food in Indonesia and can be cooked in many ways.

Tempe and tahu bacem are basically boiled in spices until they are dry (no more liquid but not burned) and then fried. We usually eat them together with Gudeg, another favorite Indonesian dish for me.

A couple of weeks ago, I made tempe bacem for the family in my effort to introduce more non-meat food to the children. It was a hit with the children. Both Patrick and Timothy could not stop eating them.

Today, I am making it again, but without the tahu because I only have two blocks of tempe. My husband has bought 1 litre of coconut water last week because he silently wanted me to make the dish again.

So, here is the recipe taken from Sajian Sedap website.

Ingredients:
250 gram tempe, cut 4x6 cm or to your liking, but do not cut it in cubes.
1 block of tofu, cut similar to tempe
3 daun salam (similar to bay leave, you can find mostly in Asian store)
2 cm galangal or lengkuas (I used 1-2 tsp powder)
500 ml coconut water (I used 300 ml coconut water and the rest I used water)
1 1/2 tbs palm sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
5 cloves shallot
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp coriander seed
oil for frying

Method:

1. Boil everthing (except the oil) until it is dried.
2. Fry the tempe and tahu in hot oil until both sides are brown. Put aside on the kitchen towel to wipe the excess oil.
3. Serve with warm rice and sambal (chilli served in special way).

This dish is very delicious with Gudeg (a dish made from young jackfruit). I will post the recipe when I have time. I have not made gudeg for a long time now.

Cannot wait to see the children enjoying the tempe bacem tomorrow. You may ask, tomorrow? Why? Because I usually cook and do household chores at night after the children are sleeping because my husband and I are working parents.

But for now, enjoy the picture! I hope you like the dish and want to try to make the dish for your family.

Potato Cake

Everybody was sick these last two weeks. In the beginning, it was only Timothy. As usual, kids going to the day care at their early age will be prone to virus and bacteria. And they get sick easily and also the whole house is usually infected.

So the first week, we took turn to stay at home with him. After that, Patrick was sick also. So, there was a day when the kids stayed at home with me. Since Timothy and Patrick had almost no appetite, and we still had a lot of potatos, I decided to ask Patrick to make potato cake together. It was quite interesting for him to help me with the measuring. However, he got bored quickly and I ended up finishing the cake myself.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
5 eggs
180 gr sugar
1/2 tsp vanille
135 gr all-purpose flour
500 gr potato (boil the potato, drain the water and mash the potato)
2 tbsp margarine (melted)
100 gr grated cheese (I used more than 100 gram, around 175 gram in total)
25 gr raisin
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Method
1. Mix te eggs, sugar, and vanille until the mixture is smooth.
2. Add the flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix well the mixture.
3. Add a part of the egg-flour mixture and mix that into the mashed potato to get a good consistency of the potato mixture.
4. Add the potato mixture back to the egg-flour mixture and  mix it well.
5. Add 3/4 of the grated cheese and all the raisin.
6. Pour the mixture to the bread pan and put in the pre-heated oven at 180 degree Celcius for 45 minute.

This potato cake is easy to make and you do not need any expensive tool to make. That is why, I do not afraid to let Patrick involved in making this cake. As long as you mix it well, the cake will turn out good. Not like making Lapis Surabaya cake or Japanese Cheesecake. Those cakes need to be made with care.

We love to eat the cake warm. I let Patrick brought it to school as a snack. Timothy can finish a big portion, although he will do his ritual first: picking the raisins before eating the rest of the cake.

Enjoy the cake!

Sugar Cookies For Patrick's 4th Birthday

It is almost Christmas and I feel that (decorated) sugar cookies are appropriate treat for Patrick's friends at the daycare. So, we are doing the this project. First, looking for the recipe and cookie cutter. After that, start with the baking.

I am glad that I ended up with not-so-sweet cookie recipe but tastes good. I used the so-called A-merk (the so-called good brand) butter for the cookie. I avoid using not-known brand for butter, since I tasted the difference of the taste when I used certain random butter. Consequently, the cost of the ingredients is increased. But not significantly, fortunately.

Here is the recipe I used with some modification.

Ingredients:
750 gr. all purpose fluor (*I used this time only 700 gr)
475 gr. butter at room temperature
400 gr. fine granulated sugar (*if you want sweeter cookie, you can add the amount of sugar)
2 eggs at room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Mix the sugar, vanilla and butter using the mixer at low speed while adding the butter. Mix it until it looks creamy.
2. Add the egg one by one and mix again at low speed until the dough mixed well.
3. Mixed the flour and baking powder in another bowl.
4. Add the flour and baking powder mix into the mixer bowl in several parts and mix it until it mixed well using the low speed.
5. Roll the dough between two sheets of plastic foil until it reaches the desired thickness.
6. Let the dough rest in the refrigirator for at least 1 hour.
7. Cut the dough using cookie cutter and bake the cookies on the baking sheet in the (at least half an hour) pre-heated oven (180Celcius) for around 10 minutes.

A tips: keep the rolled dough between the two sheets in the refrigirator while you cut the cookie dough. Roll the left over dough between the two sheets again and keep it in the refrigirator while waiting for the batch before baked in the oven. This will minimize the mess.

Here are the cookies, fresh from the oven.

You can decorate the cookie if you like to. In this picture, I used te Dr. Oetker ready to use marzipan in three colours. It was only a simple decoration. But it has made Patrick's birthday a good one.
My husband helped me to wrap the cookies in individual plastic bag and tied the bag with colour ribbon.

The theme was Christmas because Patrick's birthday is 24th December. We shared the cookies with his day care friends during his birthday celebration at the day care which was also a good bye because Patrick would go to school. This cookie is crunchy and not too sweet. That is why I love it and will definitely make it again.

Home made Quiche with Italian Sausage

This is a very simple dish. Easy to make, and does not require a lot of preparation.
However, there is a min point of this dish, it is not quite filling for a dinner, if you are used to eating rice for dinner.

But, I like this dish, especially if I do not have idea what to make.
And you can vary the filling.

Here is the variant with spinach and Italian sausage.

Ingredients:
1 box of frozen puff pastry
3 eggs
100-150 gram grated cheese
150-200 gram spinach
150 ml (fresh) cream
150-200 ml milk (or adjust as needed)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3-4 Italian sausages, in slices
1 piece of butter
1 onion, cut

The steps

1. Let the frozen puff pastry at room temperature and set aside
2. Heat the butter and the onion until the onion is golden brown
3. Add the spinach, stir fry for a while
4. Add the sausages and spices. Stir that for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the milk and (fresh) cream. Note: you may want to dilute the cream with the milk first before pouring it into the pan.
6. When the spinach is well soaked and reduced in volume and the mixture is almost boiled, taste and add the salt/pepper as needed.
7. Remove the pan, and wait until it is a bit cool, then add the beaten eggs and half of the cheese.
8. Prepare and arrange the puff pastry on the pie mold.
9. Bake the puff pastry in the oven, around 180Celcius and for 5-10 minutes.
10. Take the pastry out and fill in the mold with the spinach mixture.
11. Cover with the rest of the grated cheese.
12. Put it back in the oven and bake it for around 30 minutes or until the mixture is cooked and the cheese is melted and golden brown.
13. Enjoy it.

And here is my little hero ready to eat it.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

I really wanted to try to make this one. Japanese cotton cheese cake. A cake you can simply buy anywhere in Singapore. You can find some stores selling it in malls. However, it is not easy to find here, in the Netherlands.

To be honest, I really miss the cake shops back home, in Asia.

So, I tried to make this one a few months ago. I just have had the chance to post it.
The first effort was a total loss case. I did not mix the egg whites correctly. The cake separated. The second one was better, but can be better. The key is not to overmix it but you have to mix it correctly. So, no overmix but also no undermix.

The recipe below was taken and quoted from Little Teochew's blog. She makes very beautiful Japanese Cotton Cheesecake and she gives very good tips. Follow her tips for a good and delicious cotton cheese cake.

Here are the ingredients:
1. 140g fine granulated sugar
2. 6 egg whites
3. 6 egg yolks
4. 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
5. 50g butter
6. 250g cream cheese
7. 100ml fresh milk
8. 60g cake flour (it is not easy to find cake flour in the supermarket here. My tip is: go to Asian shop, you will find the cake flour on one of the racks)
9. 20g corn flour
10. 1/4 tsp salt

Steps

1. Preheat the oven at 160°C. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, salt, egg yolks and mix well.

Tips: sieve the flour-cheese mixture before continuing to the next step to ensure a good and smooth cake result.



2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

3. Add the egg whites to the cheese mixture to and fold well. Pour into a 8-inch round springform cake pan or removable-bottom cake pan (lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper. The side lining baking paper should be 3-4 cm higher than the pan because the cake will rise during baking before settling to its final height). Wrap the base of your cake tin with aluminium foil, to prevent seepage.


Tips: Make sure that the cheese mixture and the egg whites are folded well. If the two do not form a well-mixed mixture, your cake will be separated to an upper sponge-cake like layer and an under pudding like layer.


4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hour 10 mins or until set and golden brown at 160°C.


Tips: Instead of baking the cake in water bath, I put 2-3 water containers under the cake in the oven. This will give the same effect, but more practical.

During the first 60 minutes, cover the cake with aluminium foil. Remove the aluminium foil around 10 minutes to the end of the baking time to make the cake top brown and "dryer".


5. Leave to cool in oven with door ajar, about 30mins to 1 hour. Sudden changes in temperature may cause the cake to cool too quickly and collapse.

And here is how my cake looks like. Fresh from the oven.

Nasi Pecel Sambal Tumpang

As a person who grew up in East Java, I love to eat vegetables with peanut-based sauce. There are different dishes using this peanut-based sauce. However, our son cannot (yet) eat peanut safely. We are still as carefull as possible avoiding certain food. The last he ate green Kiwi, we ended up camping in the hospital's emergency room (it was happy ending but tiring day, though, especially after a busy working day). However, gold Kiwi, is amazingly ok for him. Peanut is still a NO but pistache is ok.

Anyway, away from home town, I missed some of my home town local dishes. However, many of the dishes uses ingredients that are difficult to find here. And some dishes contains things that our son cannot eat (yet, note, we are still hopefull that he will be clear of all allergy one day), for example peanut. Nasi pecel is basically steamed rice served with boiled vegetables, fried tempe or fried tofu, some other extra things and served with peanut-based sauce. However, there is also nasi pecel served with sambal tumpang. This sauce (i.e. sambal) is not made from peanut but from tempe, which is basically fermented soy bean.

So, when a friend of us visited us, play with our son, I made this for our meal. Our son enjoyed the meal, he also did not refuse to eat the vegetables. But, anyway, eating vegetables and fruits has never been a big problem to him. He refuses now and then certain vegetables or fruits but when we stay persistent to try them again another day, usually he would give a try and although not always love the vegie/fruit he will not fight too hard to refuse.

The taste of the sauce is a nice compliment to the boiled vegetables since it also contains coconut milk. If you do not like coconut milk or avoid the fat content of it, you may want to try to replace it with soy milk instead. I have not tried it, but I did use soy milk or cow milk sometimes as a replacement of the coconut milk.

Here is my version of the sauce. Note that this is simplified version since the ingredients are not as easy to find as much stock in my kitchen as when I was back in East Java. You can find the more complete version in the internet.

Ingredients

6 tempe (fermented soy bean cake, *I used around 200 gr of tempeh for the sauce and I fried the other 200 gr as sliced fried tempe)

4 pieces of tempe semangit (which is basically very old tempe, almost going "bad", *I did not use this, since it is difficult to imitate here)

4 pieces white tofu (*I used 1 pieces of big firm white tofu, cut into cubes)

500 cc coconut milk (*I used only 200-250 cc coconut milk)

boiled vegetables (*I used kangkung/morning glory, taoge, long beans)

5 lime leaves (*I only used 2-3 leaves)

2 Indonesian bay/salam leaves

Spices, ground

5 cloves garlic (*I used 1 big red onion)

5 cloves shallot (*I did not have this on stock, so I skipped)

1 lemongrass, use the white part (not grounded but only crush it)

2 cm galangal/lengkuas (*I used 1 tsp galangal powder)

2 cm kempferia galangan/kencur (*I used 1 tsp powder)

250 gram bird eye chilli and red chilli (*I did not use it but add it separately)

1 tbsp dried shrimp/ebi

salt to taste

white pepper to taste

palm sugar/gula merah (*I used arond 2 tbsp)

How to make

1. Prepared the boiled vegetables and put aside

2. Cut the 200 gr tempe and fried it (you can put it first on the mixture of crushed coriander seeds, salt and pepper before frying), and put aside

3. Cut the tofu and fried it and put aside

4. Put the rest of the tempe (for the sauce), garlic and shallot in the food processor and crush it

5. Heat a pan and put in the crushed tempe, garlic and shallot mixture

6. Add the rest of the grounded spices

7. Add the coconut milk, adjust the consistency using a bit of water when necessary (the end result should be thick enough)

8. Cook until it boils

9. Serve steamed rice, with boiled vegetabes, fried tempe and tofu, and put the sauce on top of the dish.

Enjoy!