Hong Kong Bun

I think this bun is called Hong Kong Bun in the states. In Hong Kong, it's called Cocktail Bun (literal translation). Until now, I had no idea why it had this name. I even asked my dad, and he had no idea either. I did a quick search on google, and came up with this from Wikipedia.

The cocktail bun is said to have been created in the 1950s in Hong Kong, when the proprietors of a bakery resisted the wasteful disposal of unsold but perfectly edible buns. The solution was to incorporate these buns into a new product to be sold fresh. The day-old buns were ground up, with sugar and coconut added in, to create a tasty filling mixture; fresh bread dough was wrapped around this mixture to make the first filled "cocktail bun".

Its name is said to have come from comparing the baker's mixture of hodgepodge of ingredients to a bartender's exotic mixture of alcoholic liquors, both formulating a "cocktail". The Chinese name is a literal translation of "cocktail", and is called a "chicken-tail bun".

How cool is that? I loved eating this bun when I was growing up in Hong Kong. When we moved to Hawaii, we found this place called Red Ruby that made wonderful Cocktail Buns. The filling was so buttery and coconut-y, it was such an indulgent bun! The bad part is the saleswoman (owner?) was so grumpy (I hope she's happier now in retirement!). She had a horrible attitude and would get so mad when you only wanted to buy one. Now the bakery is closed and I can't find a comparable version anywhere. Doesn't this seem like the theme of my blog? So here I am attempting to create my own at home. The results?! Not nearly as good as Red Ruby's, but not too bad for a first try. The bun is incredibly soft, but the filling is not nearly as indulgent. I probably need to add another pound of butter to create that filling. For now, it's a good substitute. Hope you enjoy it!!

Hong Kong Bun
adapted from Aunty Yochana

Bread:
500 g Bread Flour
8 g custard powder
20 g milk powder
1/2 tsp salt
100 g Sugar
10 g Instant Yeast
230 g water
75 g unsalted butter, softened
1 egg, beatened
toasted sesame seed

Filling:
250 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
250 g dessicated coconut, unsweetened
120 g plain flour
100 g milk powder
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

Topping:
50 gm. unsalted butter, softened
20 gm. sugar
45 gm. plain flour

1. Combine the bread flour, custard powder, milk powder, salt, sugar and instant yeast in a large bowl. Gradually add the water until a rough dough is formed. Knead the dough briefly in the bowl. Transfer to a floured surface and continue to knead until a smooth dough is formed. Gradually knead in the butter until fully incorporated.

2. Roll the dough into a a large ball and let it rest in a greased bowl until double in size, about 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the filling together and set aside.

4. Divide dough into 20 portions. Roll into balls and let it rest for 10 minutes.

5. Wrap with coconut filling and seal the ends tightly. Arrange onto tray and let it proof for another 45 minutes.

6. In the meantime, combine all the ingredients for the topping and set aside. Glaze proofed buns with beaten egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds and then pipe lines on top using the topping mixture.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or till golden brown.

Taiwanese Pineapple Cookie

Check out my cute plate!! heehee =P I am a huge huge fan of Hello Kitty!! I am a bit of a closet HK fan because as a woman in her 30's, not living in Japan, it's a bit hard to broadcast my love (I'm sorry, HK, I know you deserve so much more!!) I spend more money than I should on HK products, but I rationalize it by buying HK home items. I stand by my $60 HK bread mold that I absolutely need for a healthy and balance diet!! =P

Anyway, on to the yummy cookies on the lovely plate. I grew up eating these Taiwanese Pineapple Cookies. They are unlike any American cookie and taste more like a flaky biscuit with a pineapple jam filling. I found this recipe from Cafe of the East. Her cookies are so pretty because she uses molds to make them, but I can't get mine to come out of my mold in one piece. I end up just shaping them with my hands. Even though they're not the prettiest, they are very tasty. I ended up using the pineapple jam recipe from Table for two or more. I love that I can control the amount of sugar in the jam to my liking. One less thing to buy from the store!! =P

Taiwanese Pineapple Cookies
from Cafe of the East and Table for two or more

Pineapple Jam
adapted from Table for two or more

1 large pineapple
1/2 cup of sugar (see note)
1 cinnamon stick

1. Cut pineapples into chunks. Do not discard the core.

2. Put half the pineapple chunks into a blender, add 1/3 cup of water and puree. Pour 80% of the blended pineapple into a pan or a wok. Use a pan with a large surface so that the pineapple puree can evaporate quicker.

3. With the remaining blended pineapple in the blender, repeat blending process with the rest of the pineapple. You should not need any additional water.

4. Pour all of the pineapple puree in a pan with the cinnamon stick. Cook on medium heat until it's very pasty, like thick oatmeal.

5. Add in sugar, it'll turn watery again. Turn to lower medium heat, and cook until it is very pasty. Stir once in a while.

6. Increase the heat to high. Don't stir and let the base take on some color. It will caramelize the jam. Stir once in a while to check on the color. Stop when it almost reaches your preferred color. Some pans will continue to caramelize even when the heat is off. It should be golden brown color. The jam will thicken after it cools, so don't overcook.

Pastry:
240g plain flour, sifted
60g vanilla custard powder, sifted
pinch salt
50g icing sugar, sifted
180g ghee
1 egg yolk

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cream ghee and egg yolk briefly. Add sifted flour, salt, custard powder and icing sugar. Knead into a soft and pliable dough.

2. Divide dough into approximately 15 to 20g pieces and divide the Pineapple Filling into approximately 15g pieces, or adjust according to the size of your cookie cutter. Wrap each portion of the filling inside each piece of dough. Round into a ball shape. Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces and filling portions.

3. Use your cookie cutter to shape the wrapped dough pieces. Place the round dough inside the cookie cutter on an ungreased baking sheet. Press down with the heel of your palm to make the dough fit into the cookie cutter shape. Carefully remove the cookie cutter. Finish moulding the rest of the wrapped dough pieces.

4. Bake for about 18 minutes (also depending on the size of your shortbreads), or until the shortbreads are light golden brown. Cool on the tray for about 10 minutes as the shortbreads are very fragile at this stage. Then use a flat spatula to remove the shortbreads to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in airtight container.

Notes:

• *I halved the original recipe and it was just right for the amount of dough I had. Go to Wendy's website for additional tips for a successful jam.
• *The original recipe calls for one cup of sugar for one pineapple. I only used 1/2 cup of sugar because my pineapple was very sweet.  I made this once without adding any sugar at all. It all depends on the sweetness of your pineapple.

Chestnut cake

This is one of my favorite Asian cakes. I grew up eating this for birthdays and other special occasions in Hong Kong. When we moved to Hawaii, it was hard to find this cake. We finally found it at Panya Bakery, but it was ridiculously expensive. What to do but make your own?

I made this once in thepast, and that was in 2007!!! The reason is this is a pain in the ass to make!!! The hardest part is cooking and peeling the chestnuts. It takes hours and hours. I made this cake for my mom for Mother's day. I can't think of too many people that I'll make this cake for. Here's the recipe with some changes from the last time.

Chestnut Cake
adapted from Eupho Cafe

Honey Chiffon Cake
translated from Eupho Cafe

4 eggs
70g sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp milk
85g. cake flour
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1. Line an 8” pan with parchment paper.

2. Separate the egg yolks and the egg whites. Beat egg yolks, 20g of sugar, and honey until it’s light yellow. Mix in vegetable oil and milk until incorporated.

3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

4. Sift the cake flour. Fold the cake flour into the yolk mixture until just incorporated.

5. Add cream of tartar to egg whites, and beat until soft peaks. Then add 50g of sugar in increments, until stiff peaks are formed.

6. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Continue until all the egg whites are incorporated.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan. Hit the pan gently against the counter once to remove large bubbles. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Allow cake to cool in the pan upside down. When completely cool, take the cake out of the pan.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

1/2 cup cold water
2 tsp gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Pour the gelatin in the cold water and allow the gelatin to sit for approximately five minutes. After the gelatin has bloomed, melt the gelatin mixture in a microwave for approximately 20 to 30 seconds.

2. Pour the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in bowl of a mixer. Beat until the cream starts to thicken and add the gelatin mixture and beat until soft peaks form.

Chestnut cream filling
from Eupho Cafe
400g cooked chestnuts
3 TB unsalted butter
100g sugar

1. Smash chestnuts with a food processor. (may keep some small chunks for better texture) In a small pan, melt butter and sugar together, add in the chestnuts and mix well. Set aside and let cool. When it’s cool, scoop one cup of whipped cream into the butter and combine well.

Assembly

1. After the cake has cooled completely, cut the cake into three equal pieces. Spread about 1/3 of the chestnut cream onto the first layer and top with the second layer. Repeat with the second layer and finally top with the final layer.

2. Frost the cake with plain whipped cream and decorate with remaining chestnut cream. Enjoy!

Notes:

• *There are some difference between the one from Eupho Cafe and mine.  She made a chestnut flavored whipped cream, and also a chestnut flavored cake for a more intense chestnut flavor.  I was too lazy to shell that many chestnuts. heehee.

Baked Manapua (Baked Char siu bao)

My good friend gave birth to a beautiful baby girl a couple of days ago. Congrats, Mr & Mrs. O!!! Instead of bringing her flowers and balloons, I decided to make her some baked manapuas (it's her favorite dim sum treat). I remember after my sister gave birth, all she wanted was food, and she wanted it all the time. So I thought this was fitting.

This recipe came from a dim sum class that I took a couple of years ago from the Adult Education class at Kaimuki High School. Sad to say though, that the manapua recipe was the only thing I liked from the class.

This is a really good recipe for the dough and also for the char siu (roast pork) filling. The bread is nice and soft and the filling is very flavorful. I made this a few times already and everyone seems to like it a lot.

Baked Manapua
from Dim Sum class at Kaimuki High School

1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup warm water

1. Mix 2 cups of flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening until the flour resembles coarse meal.

2. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup warm water with the yeast and let it soften for 5 minutes.

3. Put the milk and the 1/3 cup of warm water together, then stir in the yeast mixture. Then add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix well.

4. Add the remaining 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cup of flour until dough forms into a sticky mass. Turn the dough out onto a well floured board. Knead 5 to 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.

5. Grease a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm draft free place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

6. Divide the dough into 16 portions. Flatten dough into a circle with fingers. Place a heaping spoon of filling onto the center. Gather the edges of the dough together and pinch firmly to seal in the filling. Put the bun, pinched side down on a piece of parchment paper and onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filing. Let the buns rise for 30 minutes. Brush buns with egg wash and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Char Siu Filling for manapua

1 cup water
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp garlic salt
1 lb char siu, chopped into small pieces
1/4 of a large onion, diced
2 stalks of green onion, chopped
pepper to taste

1. Mix water, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and garlic salt together in a bowl, set aside. In a pan, saute char siu and onion together for about 5 minutes. Re-stir the sauce mixture and add it to the char siu and onion. Continue stirring and cooking until sauce thickens. Turn off heat and add the green onion and pepper to taste.

Chinese rice dumpling

On the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar is Dragon boat festival. This year it fell on June 16th. To celebrate, we always eat rice dumpling (aka Jong) during this festival. This festival is to commemorate a Chinese scholar. He was loved by the people but the government didn't care for him because he didn't agree with them. He committed suicide by drowning in a river. When people heard about this, they attempted to save him. The couldn't find him, so they wrapped rice dumplings and threw them in river so that the fish would eat the dumplings and not his flesh. Since then, the Chinese people eat rice dumplings each year to celebrate this scholar.

This year, I decided to make the rice dumpling myself. I found a recipe from Table for 2 or more. Wendy even has step by step instructions to teach you how to wrap it.

Preparing for the ingredients takes a bit of time. You definitely need to plan ahead if you want to make this. Otherwise, the hardest part by far is wrapping the rice dumpling in the bamboo leaves!! I had a hard time getting that traditional pyramid shape. Overall, it was worth the effort because the rice dumpling is really delicious!!! My parents both agreed that they were good, and they are very picky! =) I halved Wendy's recipe, here it is.

Chinese rice dumpling
adapted from Table for 2 or more

for the rice:
1kg short grain glutinous rice
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 shallots , chopped
1/4 cup oil

1. Soak rice for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Drain well.

2. Fry shallot in oil until slightly golden and fragrant. Remove shallot from the oil. Add sugar and salt into the oil and stir until combined. Add glutinous rice and cook for two minutes.

for the beans:
400gm peeled mung beans
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar

1. Soak mung beans for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain well.

2. Mix beans with salt and sugar. Leave to marinate for 1 hour or more.

for the pork:
1 lb pork belly, no skin
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 heaped tsp 5 spice powder
good dash of pepper

1. Mix everything together and marinate for 2-3 days.

assembly:
12 pieces of salted egg yolk, halved
24 pieces of dried bamboo leaves, wash and soak in water to rehydrate
strand to tie dumpling.

For instructions on how to wrap the dumplings, go to Wendy's website. Good luck!

After they are wrapped, boil the dumplings in hot water for 2 hours. Remove string and leaves and enjoy!

This is the cross section of it!! Can you see the yummy beans? That's my favorite part. You can also see the salted egg yolk and the little piece of pork! yum!!