Bitter Gourd Soup 苦瓜排骨汤

May 2012, I am at Oregon, US now. Not come for travel, not come for work but I follow hubby for his 8 months relocation plan. Anyway, I just come for ~6months =)

Bitter guard soup is my first soup in my life. Kekek…I seldom cook at my home but here everyday I need to cook for a simple meal as consider quite expensive for us if everyday eat outside. I have no proper recipe on how to cook on the bitter guard soup..heheh…I just estimate the ingredients and follow my mummy’s step to have this soup =)

This is the dish that so far taste the best as my hubby always said my dishes only nice to see but taste no good L …yeah…finally….

Ingredients Used

- 1 bowl pork ribs (猪排骨)

- 1 bitter gourd (苦瓜一条)

- some carrots (红萝卜少许)

- 15 pitted red dates （红枣）

- some dried longan (actually the proper you can put honey dates) (龙眼肉)

- 1 tbsp wolfberries, soaked in water till puffy （杞子）

- sea salt (盐)

Steps

1. Wash and blanch pork ribs into boiling water for few minutes. This is to remove the scum so that it won’t make the soup too oily later.

2. Cut the bitter gourd into large chunks.

3. In a medium soup pot, add water and wait about half boil then add pork ribs, bitter gourd, red dates and carrots.

4. When the water comes to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 50 minutes.

5. 5 minutes before you turn off the flame, I only add the soaked wolf-berries and season with salt.

6. Bitter guard soup is ready.

Bitter gourd tips:

1.    Heard hubby mention that If wish to reduce the bitterness of the bitter gourd, you can rub some salt on the bitter gourd and rise off the salt with water before cooking. I did it too but when I taste the soup after simmering about 20 minutes, I still feel too bitter then I put 2 or 3 more of dried longan. 

All the ingredients, all the portion I just estimate

Add water into a pot and bring to half boil, add all the ingredients

After simmering for about 50 minutes, seasoning with salt

       Bitter gourd soup will help to improves acne problem. 

ff

Variety of HomeMade Sushi

Last weekend, my sis back from KL in conjunction with Deepavali celebration. Since long weekend so she suggested to made own sushi as she is one of the sushi lover as well as her “bear bear”. Of course she had her special “shi fu” just beside and guided her. I just sit beside and learn together. Actually is quite fun to made the sushi but got a lot of work preparation to come out those yummy sushi. Luckily, my family all comment taste very nice and said is up to the standard. Heheh….Maybe I can do it myself next time to make sure I had passed the sushi course…hahah…

All the necessary material like vineger, nori and etc

Sushi rice. "shi fu" said this is the most important for sushi
Made any type of sushi base on what you prefer

Various type of ingredient for the sushi later

Variety of sushi...Yummy yummy

Preparing for the sushi rice:

Ingredients: 500 ml Sushi Rice, 60 ml Rice Vinegar, 30 ml Sugar, 5 ml Salt

(Note: the amounts used in the vinegar mixture may vary depending on the individual sushi taste)

1. Wash the rice several times until the water runs fairly clear when draining. Let your wash rice strain for 30 minutes. Transfer the rice to rice cooker and add the measured water.

2. Cook the rice. While the rice is cooking, combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a separate bowl.
3.When the rice is done, let it stand for about 15 minutes.
4. Place the rice in the tub and slowly pour the vinegar mixture evenly over the rice. Use the wooden spatula in a slicing motion to thoroughly blend the rice and vinegar mixture. Be careful not to press the rice with the wooden spatula.
5. Keep the tub in a covered container maintaining its temperature around body temperature.
6. Sushi rice done and can start made the sushi base on your ingredient.

绿茶红豆蛋糕 -- GreenTea with Azuki Bean

Attracted by the Bread History Green Tea cake so decided to bake one for my special friend birthday. Finally I found a recipe from 酷可可 after I search few blogs for this recipe. A bit nervous as this is my first time bake a cake for friend’s birthday so the outlook of the cake was not that good but I got a good comment for the taste. Heheh…Maybe I can try to bake again and make some improvement for the cake decoration =)

Green Tea Cake that just out from oven and wait for cool completely
Slice into 3 layer horizontally. Hmm...this step i still need to improve as not really can cut it nicely =(

Hahah...overall my Green Tea with Azuki cake

Side view of the cake

Closer look -- I feel i put too much of the whipping cream Heheh...

Those material for the cake

Green Tea Azuki Bean Cake:

材料A：自发面粉120g（过筛），绿茶粉2大匙（过筛），幼砂糖70g，蛋黄5个，沙拉油60g，鲜奶3大匙
Material A: Self-raising flour 120g (sift), green tea powder 2 tablespoons (sift), caster sugar 70g, 5 egg yolk , salad oil 60g, milk 3 tablespoons
材料B：蛋白5个，幼砂糖60g，塔塔粉1/4小匙
Material B: 5 Egg white , caster sugar 60g, cream of tartar 1 / 4 tsp
装饰：打发鲜奶油适量 (300ml)，蜜红豆适量
Decoration: to pass the amount of fresh cream, red bean amount of honey
1. 蛋黄+70g幼砂糖打发至颜色变浅后，加入沙拉油，鲜奶，拌匀。
Yolk +70 g sugar whisk until the color become lighter, add salad oil, milk and mix well.
2. 将自发面粉，绿茶粉过筛后轻轻拌入蛋黄糊中，拌匀备用。
Add sifted self-raising flour and green tea powder into batter, gently stir in the batter until mix well and ready for later.
3. 蛋白打至起泡后分次加入60g幼砂糖，塔塔粉，打至企身
Whisk the egg white until see the egg white foam, fractionate add in the 60g caster sugar, cream of tartar and whisk until stiff and glossy
4. 将1/3的蛋白糊加入蛋黄糊中轻轻拌匀
Add 1 / 3 of the egg white into the batter and gently mix well.
5. 倒入剩余的蛋白糊，轻轻拌匀，小心不要将空气都压坏了。
Pour the remaining egg white paste, gently mix well.
6. 将面糊倒入已抹上油的8寸四方烤盘里，以180度烤约30-35分钟即可取出倒扣待凉。
Pour the batter into 8-inch pan, then bake 180 degrees about 30-35 minutes and wait the cake cool completely
7. 蛋糕横切成3片，涂上打发鲜奶油，撒上蜜红豆，盖上另一层蛋糕片，重复此动作直到蛋糕片用完。
Slice into 3 layers, coated with the whipping cream, sprinkle with honey red beans, covered with another layer of cake pieces, repeat this action until you run out of cake pieces.
8. 最后，在蛋糕表面再涂上一层打发鲜奶油后即可开始修边。
Finally, coated one more layer of whipping cream on the surface and start trimming.
9. 将切出来的蛋糕边边磨碎后撒在奶油上即可。

Grind the cake that cut out just now, sprinkle it on top of cream. Done!!

Mooncake -- 香橙罂粟仔冰皮月饼

中秋节快乐！！ With the Festival Mooncake is going to near, so I plan to make a mooncake for a try. I get a recipe from 酷可可.She really clever on cooking. She make few type of mooncake but since I’m just first time so I choose the easier one -- 香橙罂粟仔冰皮月饼. Hehe… Would like to take this opportunity to thanks her as I did seek advice from her. Thanks to her patient and kindness. =)

Actually this is my second try on this mooncake although this type of mooncake can be consider the most easy as it can be done without the egg beater and oven. Actually the taste was the same if compare to first time, just outlook improve some. Heheh…so, maybe you can have it a try before Festival Mooncake =)

Cake flour before become yummy mooncake

Green Tea Lotus paste
Mickey Face with Orange Poppy Seed mooncake, look nice??

With Green Tea Lotus filling mooncake
Read from 酷可可, I also add in the shredded meat (肉丝). Hmmmm….this favor, some peoples said nice as very special and not that sweet as the 肉丝 slightly salty but some peoples comment a bit weird like that…haha…nvm, is good try then

Ready to eat …heheh…

Recipe :-

材料A：糕粉100g，糖粉100g ( KOH Flour 100g, Icing sugar 100g)
材料B：白油40g，橙皮屑1大匙，淡奶2大匙，罂粟仔10g (White Oil 40g, Orange dander 1 tablespoon, evaporated milk 2 tablespoons, Poppy Seed 10g)
材料C：橙汁50ml，冷水100ml (Orange Juice 50ml, Cold water 100ml)
馅料：莲蓉适量(Lotus with suitable amount base on your mooncake mold)

1. 将材料A放入大碗，加入材料B拌匀
(Put the material A into big bowl, add material B and mix well)
2. 倒入材料C拌成软团，分13等份，每份约30g
(Pour material C and then mix it until become like a dough, sub it into 13 equal portion, each about 30g)
3. 将做法(2)包入馅料，搓圆后收紧。
(Take the (2) package into stuffing, rub it round shape and then tightened.
4. 将(3)放入撒上糕粉的月饼模，压紧，敲出，一直重复直到材料用完
(Get the (3) and put into the mooncake mold, press it tight and get it out, repeat until the material finish)
5. 将月饼放进冰箱冷藏即可
(Put the mooncake into refrigerator for around 2 hours)

My First Layer Cake

As per request of my colleagues, i decided to bake a cake for them as my farewell gift to show my appreciation for their excellent support, patience guidance and great teamwork. Therefore, i get a receipt from my sister in law as she did before and the taste was good.

Actually layer cake looks simple but hard to make. I failed for the first time =(
However, finally my layer cake success in my second time =)
Below is how my layer cake looks like...

Just out from oven and need to wait around 30mins then only can take it out.

First cut on the cake, so excited to see that my layer cake got the layer...hahah..

Finally, my layer cake...heheh...Overall get a very good comment from my colleagues