28 Aug 12 (Tue) - Steamed Osmanthus Cod Fish

Had a piece of cod fish fillet in the fridge and decided to try out this recipe from Cuisine Paradise by Ellena Guan. The three differences are that I didn't include broccoli florets, didn't marinate the cod fish with corn flour and added a few drops of oil before steaming the fish.

26 Aug 12 (Sun) - Steamed Egg Cake (鸡蛋糕) and Kiwifruit Sorbet

Thought I want to try out the Japanese Steamed Sweetcorn Bun recipe by Ellena of Cuisine Paradise this weekend but after yesterday's failed attempt at the Kiwifruit compote, I lost the zeal to try any new recipe. But I wanted to bake something so in the end, I decided to go back to the basic steamed egg cake recipe that my BIL's sister gave me.

Added the self-rising flour, sugar and egg and tried to whisk but it was so difficult to mix. It then occurred to me that I might have left out something so looked at the Japanese Steamed Sweetcorn Bun recipe and realised that I need to put water. Strange that I only have three ingredients on my initial list. Being kiasu and afraid that my cake wouldn't rise, I added about three tablespoons of cream soda instead of water to the batter.

Tried to whisk again and thought I would make an effort to whisk till the batter turns pale but it proved to be too much for my aching hand after 5 minutes. So after whisking for another 1-2 minutes, I gave up and poured the batter into 4 paper cups and put into the pot to steam on medium heat. Didn't time how long I steam the cakes and only off the heat when the satay stick came out clean after inserting into the cakes.

The cakes rose in a cute round shape and when I checked the bottom, they were not wet like all my previous attempts. Was so happy that I snapped a few photos of my creation and sent to my dear little big sis.

The cute, cute, round, round steamed egg cakes

Peeling off the paper liner The inside of the cake

The bottom is not wet! Yay! A close-up

Ingredients (Makes 4):
1 egg
60g castor sugar
60g self-rising flour
3 tbsp cream soda

Method:
1.  Heat up pot with water at gentle boil
2.  Mix all the ingredients together and beat till they turn pale yellow (about 8-10 minutes)
3.  Pour into paper cups
4.  Steam at medium heat for about 10 minutes then do the toothpick test
5.  If toothpick dosen't come out clean, steam for a few more minutes then do the test again
6.  Once toothpick comes out clean, off the heat, transfer the cakes to a wire rack and allow to cool

Then checked on the Kiwifruit sorbet that I made yesterday and it turned out well too. Not too hard and not too slushy with sweet and sour Kiwifruit taste. Yum!

Kiwifruit Sorbet

A close-up

25 Aug 12 (Sat) - Kiwifruit Compote and Chawamushi

Was browsing some posts on Cuisine Paradise by Ellena the other day on cooking with Kiwifruit. One particular post on Kiwifruit compote caught my attention and thought it would be easy enough to cook and eat with my yogurt. NTUC was having promotion on the Zespri Kiwifruit so bought two boxes of the green Kiwifruit at S$5.95.

Followed the recipe as closely as I can but instead of using castor sugar, I used normal white sugar and instead of using the zest of one whole lemon, I only used a little bit. The end result was not the same as the photos posted by Ellena. Hers was thick and jam-like while mine looked watery like sauce. Nevertheless, I packed the Kiwifruit compote into a jam bottle and put into the fridge after it cooled down.

Felt like eating chawamushi and also wanted to use the new chawamushi cup that I bought from Daiso some time back so cooked that using my usual chawamushi recipe. The end result was very, very good with silky smooth surface. Using the cup yields better result than using a bowl covers with foil.

Couldn't help thinking about my failed Kiwifuit compote and so decided to turn it into Kiwifruit sorbet instead. Basically the Kiwifruit compote recipe is similar to a sorbet recipe just that the former didn't include water. So blended the Kiwifruit compote that I made, added a few tablespoons of water to it and stirred till well combined before putting it into the freezer. Took it out after a couple of hours to churn using a fork and repeated the process for two more times before freezing overnight.

A Review: Hokkaido Cakes by Polar Puffs & Cakes

After trying the Hokkaido cake from Bakery Cuisine (BC) on Wednesday, I decided to try the ones from Polar Puffs & Cakes (Polar) today. As they only sell the cakes in box of six so I asked another colleague of mine to share half the cakes and cost. There are two flavours to choose from, strawberry and vanilla. Customers can either buy a box of one flavour or have a mixture of both. I chose vanilla flavour because I was told that is the more popular flavour.

Since I was sharing with my colleague therefore I asked the staff if they can give me another small box so that I could pack the cakes separately. The helpful staff offered to pack the cakes into boxes of three which was just what I wanted. After making payments, the cashier gave me a lucky draw form to fill up and told me to keep the receipt because the lucky draw will be based on a set of numbers on that receipt. The prize is a 4D3N Free & Easy Trip for two worth SGD3,800 to Hokkaido, Japan! Wish me loads of Good Luck!

The cakes from both BC and Polar were baked in squarish base paper cups with the top dusted with icing sugar. However, unlike the ones from BC, the cakes from Polar had flat tops. The texture of the cake was something similar to that of a chiffon cake with a very generous amount of vanilla cream in the centre. In fact, there was more cream than cake and a fair bit of cake was stuck to the box.

 

Overall, the cake and cream were very, very light to the point that one can actually consume a few at a time. No wonder Polar sells them in a minimum of six because it is possible to finish six at one go. So if you prefer more cream than cake, I would recommend the ones from Polar; if you prefer slightly more cake than cream, I would recommend the ones from BC. Personally, I prefer the ones from BC because of the cake texture and the taste of the custard flavoured cream.

Name: Polar Puffs & Cakes
Address: All outlets
Product: Hokkaido cakes (2 Flavours: Vanilla and Strawberry)
Price: $12 for six

A Review: Hokkaido Cakes by Bakery Cuisine

Finally decided to try the Hokkaido cake today. Went to Polar Puffs & Cakes to ask if they sell the cake individually and was told that they sell the cakes in a box of six at $12. So went over to Bakery Cuisine and ask if they sell the cake individually and the staff told me yes. They sell the cakes in box of six at $12 and also as a single cake at $2.50 each. There are three flavours to choose from, namely the soursop, hazelnut and custard. Asked for the custard flavour and the staff place the cake carefully in a plastic bag and tied it up with a plastic spoon laid nicely on top of the cake.

The cake was baked in a squarish base paper cup, the top of the cake which peaked and cracked with a bit of cream oozing out was dusted with icing sugar. I had to be careful while handling and eating the cake because there was some icing sugar stuck on the side of the paper cup. Took the first bite and fell in love. The cake was fluffy and light while the custard flavoured cream felt cool in the mouth. After I was done eating, I was already craving for more.

Name: Bakery Cuisine
Address: Tanjong Pagar Xchange
Product: Hokkaido cakes (3 Flavours: Soupsop, Hazelnut, Custard)
Price: $2.50 for one, $12 for six

A Review: Moo Moo Cakes by Bakery Cuisine

Passed by the Bakery Cuisine shop with my little big sis recently and we popped into the shop to try the new Moo Moo cake. The staff told us that the cake was made of fresh milk and fresh cream. Little big sis bought one for her family but I did not because one cake was about 8" in length and I didn’t think I will be able to finish it alone. Her girl and husband commented that the cake was soft and yummy.

Passed by the Bakery Cuisine located at the Tanjong Pagar Xchange today and bought the cake to try after getting a couple of colleagues to share it with me. The cake cost $10 and came in a box with a picture of a cute cow completed with a string for carrying. The cake was in the shape of a Swiss roll, off-white in colour with black patches, just like those seen on the milk cow. The texture of the cake was that of the Swiss roll but slightly more compact with a generous amount of fresh cream wrapped in the middle. The cream has very milky taste which complements the cake.

I took 1/4 of the cake and felt very full after that so I think just a 1" piece per person will be just nice to go with a cup of coffee or tea as tea break. Just a word of caution, the cake is not recommended for people who are lactose intolerant or people with weak stomach.

Name: Bakery Cuisine
Address: Tanjong Pagar Xchange
Product: Moo Moo cakes
Price: $10

11 Aug 12 (Sat) - Honeydew Flavour Konnyaku Jelly with Peaches and Kiwi Seeds

I was invited to a "Samseng" party organised by KLF's cell group and it was pot luck style so decided to bring jelly to the party. Had a couple of ideas in mind, one was to make lingonberry flavour with kiwi seeds and the other was to make honeydew flavour with peaches and kiwi seeds in blue color. In the end, I decided to go with the latter since the honeydew essence, the packet of kiwi seeds and the blue coloring were opened and used before. In addition, I thought blue jelly looks kind of cool and make a nice contrast to the yellow peaches.

Ingredients:

10g konnyaku jelly power
210g sugar
950ml water
1/2 tsp kiwi seeds
2 tsp honeydew flavouring
6 slices of canned peaches
a few drops of blue food coloring

Method:
1.  Soak kiwi seeds in water for 20 mins then drain away the water, remove any husks and set aside
2.  Cut the peaches into smaller pieces and put a couple of pieces into each jelly mould
3.  Mix the konnyaku jelly powder and sugar in a bowl
4.  Boil water in a pot and add kiwi seeds
5.  Add the konnyaku jelly powder and sugar mixture slowly into the water, stirring all the time until the powder and sugar are fully dissolved
6.  Add the honeydew flavouring and blue food coloring, stir till the color is well mixed then off the flame
7.  Pour the jelly solution into each mould
8.  Let the jelly cool down to room temperature and chill in fridge till the jelly is set

A Review: Matt’s The Chocolate Shop

Read about this shop in an article about Amoy Street in MyPapers this morning and went to check it out during lunchtime. It is along a row of shop-houses and I almost missed it if I had not remembered the unit number because it doesn’t have a very noticeable signboard.

Beyond the glass door was a narrow walkway with a couple of tables and chairs at the side that leads to a bigger shop space with a display unit lined with small and big boxes of cakes. The owner, a banker turned baker, was friendly and started introducing his chocolate cake which is the only product in his shop that has been in the area for only three weeks.

The big cake measures about 8½ “ and weighs about 1+kg which is roughly enough for 8-12 persons. The owner said that most of his friends commented that eating the big cake is more “shiok” because the centre of the cake is filled with chocolate fudge.

I bought a small cake that measures about 2½” which comes in a plastic box and the moment I removed the cover, the strong smell of chocolate hit my nostril. It took me a while to remove the cake from the box without ruining the topping so that I could take photos of the cake. It would have been easier if it had come in a normal cardboard box.

The texture of the cake was that of a brownie and the chocolate on top of it was very smooth. Both the cake and topping had very rich chocolaty taste. Highly recommended to people who love their chocolates.

Name: Matt’s The Chocolate Shop
Address: 44 Amoy Street
Tel: 6557 2274
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattsTheChocolateShop
Product: Chocolate cakes
Price: $48 (Big) and $4 (Small)

UPDATE: Shop has moved to 122 Tembeling Rd, Singapore 423621