Baking has always been my cup of tea. And I would say that I love to bake breads and buns for my family and friends. With some leftover red bean paste in the refrigerator, I have decided to clear it up by making some of these beautiful red bean buns (or rolls). I am really happy  with how they turned out and within minutes they were all gone. They were delicious!
Making buns using Overnight Sponge Dough Method from âAlex Gohâs Baking Codeâ actually gives the buns a very soft, springy and fine texture which I am really impressed. The bun is soft like a pillow that you can eat it on its own or with your favorite filling. I truly enjoy eating this bun especially when it is fresh from the oven. The lovely aroma that filled the house makes it difficult to resist. This red bean bun is definitely one of the best buns I have made so far. For the shape, I was inspired by Happy Home Baking.
I am done with my confinement but am a little overwhelmed at the moment. Please enjoy this guest post by Beyond Kimchee, a fabulous Korean food blog that I recently discovered. Authored by Hyegyoung (aka Holly), a native of South Korea, Beyond Kimchee is a chronicle of Hollyâs recipes and the food she prepares for her two kids and husband. If you love Korean food, you ought to check it out as the step-by-step picture instructions on her site are absolutely awesome and makes learning Korean food so much more fun and easier! Welcome to Rasa Malaysia, Holly. (Please click on the image above to view the step-by-step cooking guide.)
It is so exciting to see more and more people trying Korean recipes in their homes these days. I was blown away to see how many Galbi or Kimchee recipes are on the web when I first thought of having my own Korean food blog about 6 months ago. Some recipes are very excellent and some, well… I had to raise my eyebrow. I must have been hibernating in the cave all these years while Korean Bulgogi Taco swiped the valley of California, or Kimchee stew had become an addictive to some of those K-pop lovers.
Korean food is earthy and somewhat rustic I would say. Thereâs no exotic ingredients and you donât need special tools or gadgets to create wonderful meals. Your knife and hands are your best friends in the kitchen. The biggest challenge I face every time I organize my recipes into my blog is converting a little bit of this into tablespoons, and a little bit of that into teaspoons. Most Korean home cooks donât use measuring cups or spoons. I bet that goes same to other Asian home cooks as well. We just trust our senses and finger tips, donât we?
I am thrilled to post as a guest blogger on Beeâs the famous âRasa Malaysiaâ. I have been a fan of her blog and thrilled for the opportunity to be part of it. The Recipe I am introducing is called â€Bean Sprout Beef Rice Bowl with Chive Sauceâ. Wow, what a long name! Letâs just call it âBean sprout riceâ. Thatâs what we call in Korea. This is quite common dish among Koreans and everyone loves it. It is basically part of Bibimbop family but you only need one vegetable, the bean sprouts. It is simple (regardless of the long list), easy, budget friendly, and most of all, itâs delicious!
Ground beef is seasoned in basic Bulgogi marinade. Bean sprouts are cooked in a little bit of water with dried anchovies and sea kelp reserving the broth afterward. Rice should be soaked in the water for 30 minutes and cooked later in the reserved bean sprout broth. Make the chive dressing with given ingredients and you are set to go.
May I give a serving suggestion how to eat this? Like Bibimbop you need to mix in everything in the large bowl. Bibimbop mixing is an important step!
I have to confess that after the photo shot of this dish I dumped everything into a bigger mixing bowl, drizzled more sesame oil and mixed all in until they get nicely incorporated. The taste? Well, all I can say is, Mmmmmmmmâ¦, Goooooood!
Enjoy!
P.S : Any questions on the recipes, ingredients, or just simply want to say, hiâŠ? âAsk, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto youâ
1 package(16oz) soy bean sprouts cleaned and preferably tails removed
5-6 dried large anchovies, head and black gills removed
2-3 dried sea kelp
1 1/2 C short grain white rice, preferably Korean or Japanese
1/2 lb ground beef
Chive Dressing
3-4 Tbsp chopped Asian chives or regular chives or green onion
2 Tbsp Korean chili flakes 1/2 green chili seeded and chopped
1/2 red chili seeded and chopped, optional
1 garlic finely minced
4-5 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
Ł Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds
dashes of black pepper
Soak the rice in the water for 30 minutes and drain. Set aside. Prepare the beef in the marinade and chill until ready to cook.
Meanwhile place bean sprouts in a pot with dried anchovies and sea kelp on the bottom with 1 cup of water. Cover with lid and cook over medium high heat until the steam comes out, reduce heat to low, continue to cook for another 6 minutes. Do not peak. You need to keep the pot covered. Drain the bean sprouts and reserve the broth from them. You will need 1 1/2 cup of the broth. If not enough, add water to fill in. Discard the anchovies and sea kelp. Set aside the bean sprouts covered.
Cook the rice in a rice cooker or heavy bottom pot with the reserved broth. Cook the beef in a pan until browned. No need oil.Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients.
Place cooked hot rice in a big individual bowl, top with beef and bean sprouts, and the chive dressing (about 1 1/2 Tbsp or more per person). Drizzle more sesame oil in you wish. Mix everything very well until they get nicely incorporated. Serve with some Kimchee as a side if you have.
My cookbook manuscript is due in the next few days and I am very happyâand relievedâthat I am almost done, well, at least the toughest part: cooking, shooting, writing, Recipe testing, and editing. To prep me for the writing part of my cookbook, I have read and researched many Chinese cookbooks in the past few months. One of my recent favorites is âStir-Frying to the SkyâsEdgeâ by Grace Young.
I have been a fan of Grace Young since I first read her award-winning cookbook âThe Breath of a Wokâ and then discovered âThe Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen.â Her deep knowledge and intense passion for Chinese woks (and stir-frying) are eminently admirable. To me, her investmentsâboth in time and dedicationâin these fundamentals of Chinese cooking is way beyond being a cookbook author; in fact, she has become a scholar in my eyes, the ones that I hold high respect and regard for. Even though I grew up eating Chinese food and watching my late mother cooking with a wok, my knowledge about these subjects was mostly taken for granted. Iâve never questioned the whyâs and howâs, until I read Graceâs books. Needless to say, I have personally learned so much about Chinese stir-frying and the wok from reading her booksâŠ
âStir-Frying to the SkyâsEdgeâ is a collection of authentic Chinese stir-fry recipes, shared by Grace and many Chinese home cooks and chefs from around the world. Coming from Malaysia, I am especially delighted to find a Malaysian-style stir-fried shrimp recipe in the cookbook. The chapters on woks, seasoning methods, and stir-frying are resourceful and insightful, especially for those who have just started to learn about Chinese cooking. Whatâs so special about the book is that itâs the first cookbook to explain in detail all the tips one needs to know to stir-fry with success, including the best oil for stir-frying, cooking in a newly seasoned wok, and more. The book is also chock-full of beautiful and colorful photographs of the recipes, prepared and styled by Grace. I have to confess that I have a serious case of prop envy when I look through her book. I only wish that Grace would live in Southern California so I could borrow her props.
Here is one of my favorite stir-fried recipes in the book: stir-fried squid with black bean sauce. I am on a special diet that doesnât allow me to consume squid now, but as soon as I can, I am definitely going to try this recipe.
To learn more about Grace Young and her work, please check out her site: graceyoung.com. If you wish to buy âStir-Frying to the Skyâs Edge,â please click here. To connect with Grace on Twitter, follow her at @stirfrygrace.
Stir-Fried Squid with BlackBeanSauce Recipe
Source: Stir-Frying to the Skyâs Edge, Grace Young
Serves 2 as a main dish with rice or 4 as part of a multicourse meal
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh cleaned squid
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1â2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed and mashed
1 tablespoon chopped scallion, white part only
1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic 3â4 cup thinly sliced onions
2 teaspoons finely shredded ginger
1â2 cup julienned red bell peppers
1â4 teaspoon salt
1â8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
12 snow peas, strings removed
MethodïŒ
1. Cut each squid body in half lengthwise. Using aăvery sharp knife, lightly score the inside of the bodies in a crisscross pattern. Cut the squid into 11â2-inchăsquares and the tentacles into 2-inch pieces.
2. In a 2-quart saucepan bring 1 quart water to a boilăcovered over high heat. Add the squid and blanch 10 seconds or until the squid turns opaque and curls. Drain well in a colander, shaking out all the excess water. Set the squid on paper towels and blot dry to remove excess moisture. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. In another small bowl combine the sesame oil, cornstarch, and the remaining 1 tablespoon broth.
3. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the peanut oil, add the fermented black beans, scallion, and garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds or until the aromatics are fragrant. Add the onions and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute or until the onions just wilt. Add the bell peppers, sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the bell pepper begins to soften. Add the rice wine and stir-fry 20 seconds or until just combined. Add the squid and snow peas to the wok, swirl in the soy sauce mixture, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the snow peas are bright green. Restir the cornstarch mixture, swirl it into the wok, and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the squid is just cooked.
Tau Hu Ky, or fried shrimp wrapped with bean curd skin is really a must-have appetizer for me whenever I go to Vietnamese restaurants. The reasons are really obvious:
1) I love bean curd items, specially bean curd skins;
2) I live to eat shrimp (check my recipe index and you’ll know what I mean);
3) Bean curd skins shrimp deep fried to oily golden glory, need I say far more?
I believe Tau Hu Ky is the Vietnamese adaptation of a similar Chinese appetizer éČèŸè çźć· or fried shrimp rolls which are commonly obtainable as dim sum.
Although I adore the Chinese version (come with a black vinegar dipping sauce), I also adore Vietnamese Tau Hu Ky. The primary difference may be the texture of the filling: Tau Hu Ky uses ground shrimp emulsion instead of chopped shrimp. Egg whites are added to the filling to make it fluffy and lightâŠ
Now, I am calling your attention to that little basil leaf on the plate! Thatâs my first ever herb garden in a pot. Straight from Home Depot, I hope this pretty plant will flourish in my hands. The idea of being able to pluck the leaves for garnishing and cooking is too exciting.Anyway, here could be the recipe for Tau Hu Ky, adapted from my Vietnamese Cha Tom hors dâoeuvres.
I have a good news to share about my Chinese recipes cookbook!!
The recipes development, cooking, food styling and photography are pretty much done, and I am almost ready for recipes testing involving youâmy loyal readers and fans. I will be needing your help and will announce it on Rasa Malaysia in the next few weeks, including a sneak preview of the food photography (they are very different from what you see here and all shot with my professional camera, Canon 5D Mark II)! I am very excited and I hope you are, too.
Anyway, I have been cooking up a storm and working very hard on the cookbook since April. It has been fun, challenging, and a great learning process. As a result of the recipes development, I have accumulated a lot of random ingredients in my refrigeratorâleftover items used in the recipes, which I have to get rid of. One of them is a can of red bean paste that had been sitting in the dark corner of my refrigerator for over a month! It kept well so I didnât want to just toss it away. I decided to clear the space finally and made it into red bean dumplings. I have to say that it was a great way to use up leftover red bean paste, for something sweet and pleasingâŠ
Red bean dumpling (çșąè±æ±€ć) is a common dessert in Chinese cuisine (the other is black sesame dumplings). The red bean paste is encased in sticky rice balls, boiled, and then served in ginger syrup. Itâs a wonderfully refreshing dessert that anyone can make at home. Traditionally, red bean paste is made from scratch, but the canned version is as good as it gets. You can find it at Chinese, Japanese, or Asian stores. If you like dumplings, do try out this red bean dumplings Recipe!
Red BeanDumplings Recipe (çºąè±æ±€ć)
Makes 10 dumplings
Ingredients:
4 oz glutinous rice flour (sticky rice flour)
100 ml water
3 oz canned red bean paste
Water, for boiling the dumplings
Ginger Syrup
3 cups water
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, lightly pounded with the back of a cleaver
Rock sugar to taste
Method:
Mix the glutinous rice flour with the water in a bowl until it forms a smooth paste and no longer sticks to your hand. Divide the dough and red bean past into 10 balls each. Gently roll the sticky rice balls and red bean paste into ball shape using your palm. To wrap the dumplings, flatten a sticky rice balls using your palm and place a red bean ball in the center. Fold the edges to seal tight. Gently roll the dumplings using your palms again. Make sure there is no leakage. Place the dumplings on a piece of parchment paper.
Prepare the ginger syrup by boiling the water. Add the ginger into the water and boil for 10-15 minutes with medium heat. Add rock sugar (to taste) and boil for another 5 minutes. Lower heat to simmer.
Heat up another pot of water and bring it to boil. Drop the dumplings into the boiling water. As soon as they float to the top, transfer them out and into the ginger syrup. Turn off the heat and serve the red bean dumplings immediately.
This is the popular Chinese restaurant dish featuring stir-fried green beans. It comes from the Szechuan region in western China, and like many Szechuan dishes, is highly seasoned. The secret to making Chinese green beans is a cooking technique called âdry-frying” (gan bian) â frying the green beans until the skin starts to “pucker” and turn brown. This makes them extra tender. You can prepare this dish using green beans (also called string beans or snap beans), haricots verts, or Chinese longbeans (pictured in the photo). Serves 4.
Ingredients ⹠1 lb green beans, haricots verts or Chinese longbeans ⹠1 tablespoon garlic, chopped ⹠1 tablespoon ginger, chopped ⹠2 scallions (spring onions, green onions), white parts only, finely chopped ⹠1/2 teaspoon chili paste ⹠1 tablespoon dark soy sauce ⹠1/2 teaspoon sugar ⹠1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste ⹠Pepper to taste, optional ‹ 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil for stir-frying, or as needed
