Category: Snacks, Desserts & Pancake

Black Sesame Paste

Black Sesame Paste

I’m enjoying my 2nd bowl of black sesame paste while sharing this recipe. Black sesame paste is a popular dessert among the chinese where you can buy a small bowl for about $3.50 or more for one scoop/one small bowl at most dessert stalls then realise you cannot have enough of it. Some stalls did not strain them properly resulting in a rough texture or they are too watery. If you ever had a home-made black sesame paste, probably you’ll never want to buy any pre-packed from grocery shops or dessert stalls anymore. Home-made gives you the most authentic, aromatic and flavor in every scoop that you’ll never forget =D

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Sesame is one of the oldest seeds known to man. Thought to have originated in India or Africa, the first written record of sesame dates back to 3,000 BC. It’s unclear when sesame first found its way to China. Some sources claim the Chinese were using sesame oil in their lamps as far back as 5,000 years ago, while others state sesame seeds were introduced into China about 2,000 years ago. It’s probably true that the ancients first relied on the sesame plant to provide oil, and only later discovered its value as a food source.

Image result for sesame seeds history

Sesame seeds were one of the first crops processed for oil as well as one of the earliest condiments. The addition of sesame seeds to baked goods can be traced back to ancient Egyptian times from an ancient tomb painting that depicts a baker adding the seeds to bread dough.

Image result for sesame seeds bread

Black sesame is well-known for remedy for grey hair , consisting a good source of hair nourishing vitamins and minerals such as copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, vitamin B1, amino acids, selenium, melanin, and dietary fiber. Sesame seeds rank highest in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols of nearly all nuts, seeds, legumes and grains, therefore protecting the heart by lowering the cholesterol and blood pressure levels. With the high amount of antioxidants and anti-aging benefits, you need not worry about getting old too soon.

It prevents cancer! Sesame seeds contain anti-cancer compounds including phytic acid, magnesium and phytosterols. And the phytosterol content of sesame (especially the black sesame seeds)  is the highest of any commonly consumed seeds and nuts.

Benefits of sesame seeds - Dr. Axe

There are just too many benefits of black sesame that it probably takes pages to list them all. So everybody says, eat more black sesame if you want black hair but obviously you need to turn these seeds into something delicious first right?

Previously i made a post on Black Sesame Chiffon recipe which makes use of black sesame powder to make this. The residue after straining can be used for baking cakes and cookies too, all you need to do is to dry them in the oven before keeping it in the fridge.

Image result for judy bakes black sesame chiffon

Let’s see how black sesame paste is made.

Black Sesame Paste

Ingredients:

  • 60 gm white sesame seeds
  • 60 gm black sesame seeds
  • 60 gm glutinous rice flour
  • 800ml + 250ml of water
  • 120g rock sugar (preferably to reduce to 100gm)
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Method

  1. Rinse sesame seeds over running water. Mix 250ml of water into the glutinous rice flour and set aside.
  2. Toast the sesame seeds in a pan till dry and fragrant. You will know it’s ready when it starts “popping”. Transfer to a bowl to cool.50579462-50ee-4cfe-99c1-a040dcbeaa7a
  3. Put the seeds into a blender and process till fine.
  4. Add water into the blender, only enough to make it into a paste. Continue to process at high speed until it becomes smooth. For my amazing blender it takes 30secs to 1 min.
  5. Next, sieve the sesame paste over your pot for a smoother texture. Remove the residue, blend with water again and repeat for the second time.
  6. Add the rest of water into the pot together with salt, oil and glutinous rice water.
  7. Cook till thicken and serve. The colour is a little light when cooked but it’ll darkens after a while. Store the rest in the fridge for a cool dessert or half the recipe if it’s too much portion.
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    ENJOY!!
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芋粿巧 (Orh Kueh Kiao)

芋粿巧 (Orh Kueh Kiao)

Orh Kueh Kiao is a taiwanese snack that is similar to our steam taro cake, the ingredient used are almost similar but however the method used to cook these two is very different.
The pre-cook state of our yam local cake is to steam them in a somewhat liquid form whereas for orh kueh kiao we shape them when in it’s dry form.  The steaming process can be a little troublesome but the end product can give u a sense of accomplishment.

Orh kueh kiao recipe uses glutinous rice flour which gives this snack a very Q and chewy texture. It can be eaten as a meal or as a snack which can be very nutritious and delicious. It can be eaten in 2 ways, to consume right after steaming or pan- fry in low fire after steaming to give the skin a little crisp and yet Q and chewy on the inside.

I’m always curious in exploring in different types of food recipes. When i first came upon this recipe i thought, how could i not eaten this in Taiwan before after so many trips to taiwan?! I’m so eager to find out how it taste like so let’s get to work!

Ingredients:

  • 230g glutinous rice flour
  • 70g rice flour
  • 130g yam cubed
  • 80g minced meat (marinate with a little salt)
  • 10g dried shrimp soaked and minced
  • 3 pieces dried chinese mushroom (soaked and chopped)
  • 2 tbsp fried shallots
  • 200g water
  • Canola oil (Any oil works as well)
  • Dumpling leaves (cut into size)

Seasonings

  • 2 tbsp dark soya sauce (Can be adjusted according to own’s preference)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp five spice powder
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper

I never had thought to input this as a recipe this was done randomly and i did not expect the taste and flavor to wow me so i did not take much picture on it, however i will make it up again next time. So if you have any questions, feel free to drop a message here =)

Method

(Stir-fry the ingredients – to give everything a boost of fragrant)

  1. Heat oil in pan with low medium heat. Fry mince meat until it turns white.
  2. Add in dried shrimps, fry till fragrant. Then add in mushrooms and yam pieces, give it a light fry. (Don’t worry about the yam not getting cooked, it will be during the steaming process later.)
  3. Now you can add in the all the seasonings, mix them well.
  4. Lastly, off the stove’s heat, add in the fried shallots and fry evenly.
  5. Take out to cool in a plate/bowl.

(The flour)

  1. Sift glutinous rice flour and rice flour in a bowl. Slowly add water and knead till dough comes together. There will still be some crumbly flour in your bowl.
  2. Add in the stir-fried ingredients into the flour mixture, knead until everything comes together into a shape-able state. The mixture will be dry, so do not worry about that.
  3. Randomly grab the dough according to your preferred size and shaped it in the shape of a cashew, then place it on the dumpling leaves. This portion shapes about 7-8 pieces depending on the size.
  4. Prepare your steamer with boiling water. Place the orh kuek kiao into the steamer and steam for 20 mins and you are done!

The darker version as I added a little more dark soya sauce to give it a little more colour.

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You can also try to pan fry lightly in this stage for a different texture.

When this was done, it smells so good, but i was hesitant to try because i couldn’t imagine the taste of it. So i let my hubs try the first bite and he says Mmmmm!!!! It’s good! He could describe the texture and how it taste in the mouth and so after i tried it the next day~ It was good and i love it! I prefer the pan fried version whereas hubs preferred the steamed version.

So it’s your turn now! Try it and tell me how you feel about this dish! =D

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Soft & Fluffy Pancakes (Egg separation method)

Soft & Fluffy Pancakes (Egg separation method)

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Pancakes – are “almost” everyone’s favorite, from the young to the old, especially when one loves cakes and desserts. Pancakes are easy to make, but making successful SOFT & FLUFFY pancakes is so hard to achieve. Most of the time pancakes that we make taste too floury therefore I never liked them and I love how MacDonald came up recipe that achieve those soft & fluffy pancakes with lots of butter together with the sweet and fragrant maple syrup.

If i am buying pancake mix off the shelves from supermarket, I would always recommend those that have buttermilk in the recipe. Buttermilk is one of the important ingredients that yield fluffy pancakes. Remembering I have some left over butter at home, I decided to give it a try again after reading through varies recipes.

Woke up at 7.30am. Since my braised meat is done overnight, I have ½ hr to prepare this for breakfast before I prepare work. Hands itchy me, cannot even “tahan” ½ free doing nothing in the morning =D I’m a little rushing for time, therefore I kind of burnt my pancakes a little.

This recipe that I have is more tedious than basic pancake recipes. It takes a little more time and effort, but the results to that is wonderful. I am using the egg separation method to create as much air as possible to achieve the fluffy texture.

 

Ingredients:

½ cup of milk (add in 1 tbsp of vinegar/lemon jucie and let it stand for about 5-10mins)
2 eggs separated (I use 60g eggs)
100g cake flour
½ tsp of baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
A dash of salt
1 tbsp sugar
Lemon/Orange zest (optional)

 

Methods:

  1. Mix the dry ingredients together, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use a whisk to mix them up evenly.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks into the milk.
  3. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, using a fork or whisk, gently mix them up. Do not over mix. It’s ok if there are some mini lumps of flour. I added in some lemon zest at this stage.
  4. Whisk the eggs whites till frothy ( I would suggest an electric mixer for this step), add sugar and continue whisking till SOFT peak.
  5. Using a spatula, fold in the egg whites into the flour mixture gently. We do not want to deflate the air that is made from whisking.
  6. Preheat a non-stick cooking pan over medium low heat. Spoon a good amount of batter into the pan and let it cook. You can flip when you see bubbles popping on the surface and the batter can be easily removed from the pan. Do the same of the other side.
  7. Remove and plate on plate. Spread some butter and honey on the pancake. You can garnish with fruits and berries, sifted icing sugar or nuts. It’s up to your creativity!

 

TIPS: While cooking the batter in pan, do not butter your pan if you want evenly browned pancakes.

 

*Feel free to share pictures of your pancakes using this recipe and #judybakes in Instagram or Facebook =)

Sweet Potato Odeh Odeh

Sweet Potato Odeh Odeh

Odeh Odeh is a traditional Malay and Peranakan Kueh that used to be found in neighborhood stalls or coffee shops. It is infused with Panda flavored boil rice balls, stuffed with gula melaka  and coated with grated coconut.

I have tried making traditional ones which are the pandan flavored ones, either with pandan paste or self made pandan juice. The traditional odeh odeh is made of glutinous rice flour which doesn’t seems to stay soft and chewy for too long after boiled. I’m not sure why the ones sold outside can manage to stay soft for the whole day, prolly some addictive or preservatives are being added.

Hence, i came across a recipe that uses sweet potato (that explains why mine is orange). With the combination of sweet potato, i find that these chewy little balls are able to stay soft for a longer time.

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Here is my recipe:

For the skin you will need:
150 gm sweet potato
150 gm glutinous rice flour
80 gm of warm water (more or less)
30 gm castor sugar
20 gm olive oil (You can use any cooking oil)

Filling  and coating ingredients
100 gm of Gula Melaka (coconut sugar)
5 pieces of Pandan leaves cut into 3 pieces
150 grams of freshly grated coconuts

 

Method

  1. Peel your sweet potato, cut into smaller pieces and steam till soft. Mash, add olive, mix well and set aside.
  2. Place the freshly grated coconut into a steaming plate, place the cut pandan leaves on top of grated coconut and steam for about 10-15 mins till fragrant. Remove and let it cool.
  3. Chop the Gula Melaka in small pieces. These will be the fillings for your odeh odeh later.
  4. In a large bowl, sift glutinous rice rice, add in your oiled mashed potato, sugar and mix well.
  5. Next add in warm water, 1/2 first mix well before adding more. In this stage, you will add the water according to the dough texture. (**Take note: Once you get a soft kneadable dough, stop adding water. The amount of water varies also becasue of the type of sweet potato used. Some sweet potato tends to be more dry while some has higher water content.)
  6. Divide your dough and roll into balls. Flatten with your palm and fill each dough with chopped gula melaka (coconut sugar) into it, roll back into ball.
  7. Bring a pot of water with some pandan leaves to boil. At the same time, get a bowl of iced water ready.
  8. Drop the balls into the pot of boiling water. Once it floats, take them out and gently place them in the bowl of ice water for about 2-3mins. The are pretty fragile when hot.
  9. Remove the balls from ice water, and let them roll in the bed of grated coconut =D
  10. Plate and Serve!