Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

songpyeon 송편

Songpyeon is a traditional rice cake made during the Korean autumn harvest festival, Chuseok 추석 which is also known as Hangawi 한가위.

It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar-the same day many Asian countries celebrate a Mid-Autumn Festival.

Families gathered enjoy time together and give thanks to their ancestors for the plentiful harvest.
These little rice cakes are commonly stuffed with sweet fillings.

The most traditional fillings include three types – Sesame, Beans and Chestnut

Song translates as pine tree and Pyeon means cake. 
The name songpyeon comes from the pine leaves because the cakes traditionally steamed on a bed of pine needles which gives them a distinctive taste and the fragrant smell of fresh pine trees.

Traditional Songpyeon steamed on a bed of pine needles

There are many options for colouring Songpyeon. Traditionally, Koreans often use natural colouring  from vegetable and fruit such as Mugwort for green colour or Raspberry for pink.

Recently, they use multiple different colours using coloured powders. You can also use store-bought food gel colouring if you want.

Natural Colouring Powder can be a bit pricey but efficient 

In this recipe, I will show you how to make homemade natural food colouring.
I prefer to make my own because it’s healthier and also fun to make.

There are a lot of ingredients that you can use as sources for natural food colouring.
I will use blueberries for purple, spinach for green, strawberries for pink and pumpkin for yellow.

You also can use other vegetable of fruit such as carrot juice for orange, Raspberry for deep pink or maybe steamed purple sweet potato for purple; the sky is the limit.

Dough that has been coloured

As for the fillings, the most traditional include three types – Sesame, Beans and Chestnut.
Sweetened bean and other fillings are quite popular, but sesame seed filling is always be my favourite.

For the roasted sesame, I highly recommend to use store-bought one rather than a homemade that you roast yourself; you really can tell the difference.
One of the brand that I love is this Japanese white roasted sesame seeds which has a stronger nutty flavour.

Japanese Roasted White Sesame Seeds and Soy Bean Powder (Kinako)

Other ingredient for the sesame filling is this roasted Soy Bean Powder or Kinako.
This will gives a more intense roasted flavour to the filling; but if you can’t find it, you can just omit it. 

I also will add some Maple Syrup or Honey to the sesame seeds. This syrup will give the filling a little bit of moisture, makes the sesame stick together so much easier to handle when stuffing the Songpyeon

Yummy Sesame Filling (don’t  forget to cover it with a cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out)

For the dough, the most difficult ingredient that you’ll have to find for making Songpyeon would be the rice flour which is called Mepssalgaru.

Mepssalgaru (Short Grain Rice Flour)

The flour is made from Short-Grain Rice that has been soaked overnight and ground. It’s really different from regular rice flour, glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour.
I found it also hard to find and not easy to make.

Short Grain Rice

In this recipe, I will show you how to make easy rice flour for the Songpyeon dough by combining regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour.

For the flour, I highly suggest to use Thailand brand for better results. Try to find the unbleached one coz bleached flour will produce a slightly bitter taste and unpleasant smell on your final cake.

And please note, it is very important to use really hot boiling water when making Songpyeon dough to create more chewy texture.

Rice Flour and Glutinous Rice Flour for Making Songpyeon Dough

Traditional way to shape these rice cakes is to make them into half-moon shape.
Actually, there are many ways to folding and shaping Songpyeon dough.

By using these fondant or clay tools and small shapes cutter you can create many beautiful and intricate design for your Songpyeon.

Bellow, I will show you how to make basic round shape for Songpyeon.
From this basic shape you can create all sort of different design; for example the traditional half-moon shape.

These following steps are important. If you do follow these steps, your Songpyeon will turned out pretty, it’s not gonna break or leaking.

You can decorate the half-moon shape Songpyeon with various beautiful flower shapes. It’s not necessary to buy a small shape cutter, you can actually create your own design manually by hand.

I like to make big flower shapes with these purple and pink dough or you can mimicking some fruit shapes if you want; that would be lovely.

So Pretty! 😘

Don’t be confused if you have left over dough, you can mix 2 or even 3 different colours and create a very unique Songpyeon.

Please note that the colour will be darker after steaming, so don’t worry too much if you see that your coloured dough is a bit pale.

Which one do you prefer? I really love all the design 🥲

For the steamer; here we use a layer of cotton steamer cloth for simplicity.
Don’t forget to sprinkle some granulated sugar on top of the cotton cloth so the Songpyeon won’t stick to it.

Granulated Sugar prevent from stickiness

If you use metal or plastic steamer, make sure that you cover the lid with a piece of cloth; so the water condensation during steaming won’t ruin the look of your Songpyeon.

Before steaming 😚

You know, an old Korean anecdote says that the person who makes beautifully-shaped Songpyeon will meet a good spouse or give birth to a beautiful baby 👶 .

Look! the colour becomes darker after steaming ☺️

After steaming, we need to rinse Songpyeon immediately with ice water in order to maintain their chewy texture.

And then, using your hands or small brush coat them lightly with sesame oil.

Fragant Sesame Oil

This oil will prevent from sticking to each other and also adds a fragrant aroma.

Adorable pumpkin Songpyeon from Chungcheong Province 🎃

As you can see, there are some rice cakes that shaped look like small pumpkin, which is so adorable.
They are actually popular at Chungcheong Province which is known for the pumpkin Songpyeon.

Any type of Songpyeon is a good one; in my opinion, these rice cakes are best eaten while it’s still warm but you can certainly enjoy them at room temperature.

Yummy…. these beautiful soft chewy texture with the fragrant sweet filling inside.

😳 I want…

Songpyeon not particularly sweet and addictive chewy bite, they are the one of Korean dessert that I really love.

Feel free to be creative with what you mix with the dough for more colours and what to put in for your fillings! 

추석잘보내세요 (chuseok jal bonaeseyo) , that’s how you say it in Korean 😍
Happy Chuseok everyone! 

It’s even better with Cheongju 청주😍 Korean traditional alcohol or clear rice wine

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, I hope you learn something.
Love you All and I’ll see you in the next recipe…. ❤️
Take care Everyone!

Songpyeon 송편 (Chuseok 추석 Korean Rice Cake)
Yield: 18-20 pieces
Active time: 2 hour
Total time: 2 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS
Natural Food Colouring:

  • Pink (150 g Strawberries)
  • Purple (150 g Blueberries)
  • Green (150 g Spinach, 120 g Water)
  • Yellow (150 g Pumpkin)
  • 1 tsp Vinegar, 1 tsp Salt and water (for Water Bath)

Sesame Filling (for 1 batch dough):

  • 35 g Roasted White Sesame Seeds
  • A pinch of Salt
  • 1 tbs Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tsp Soybean Powder (Kinako)
  • 1 tbs Maple Syrup or Honey


Chesnut/ Pine Nut Filling (for 1 batch dough):

  • 1/2 cup Cooked Chesnut/ Raw Pine Nut
  • A pinch of Salt
  • 1/2 tbs Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tbs Maple Syrup or Honey

Songpyeon Dough (1 batch):

  • 150 g Rice Flour
  • 75 g Glutinous Rice Flour
  • 1/4 + 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 180 g Hot Boiling Water

Coating

  • A Bowl of Ice Water
  • Sesame Oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Natural Food Colouring

  1. For the berries;
    Simply give them a quick rinse with cool running water, and then let the berries sit in the salt-vinegar-water bath for about 5-10 minutes (this process will help to remove pesticides, dirt and mold).
    Cut the strawberries into small pieces. Place them in a non-stick pan and cook over medium-high heat until it comes to a low boil.
    Once the strawberries soften and just start to break apart, gently press it with potato masher to release all the juices.
    Lower the heat, let it simmer for about 1 minute, then remove from the heat and strain. This concentrate juice will colour your songpyeon beautifully.
    *Don’t throw this precious strawberry skin. You can add to your yogurt or make some strawberry tea.
    Repeat the same process with the blueberries
  2. For the spinach
    Blanch the washed spinach over 120 g boiling water for about 1 minute.
    Place the blanched spinach with the water in food processor, blend it until smooth.
    Strain the juice back to the pan to remove the pulp; and continue cook the spinach juice until it reduce to 1/8 cup. Use the concentrate juice to colour your dough.
  3. For the pumpkin
    You can use either steamer or microwave to cook the pumpkin.
    Using microwave: cover the washed pumpkin with damp kitchen towel, and microwave on high heat for 5 minutes. 
    To make the pumpkin puree; remove the skin and sift the cooked pumpkin through the strainer. It will becomes really smooth and make it easier when mixing with the Songpyeon dough.

Sesame Filling

  1. Grind the roasted sesame seeds, salt, sugar and Kinako powder with a food processor (you can use mortar or pestle to do this).
    You don’t need to blend it until completely ground, just half way is fine.
  2. Add maple syrup or honey and blend it again for a few second. 
    Maple syrup or honey will give the filling a little bit of moisture, makes the sesame stick together so much easier to handle when stuffing the Songpyeon
  3. Cover the filling with a cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

Chesnut/ Pine Nut Filling
Simply grind the chestnut or pine nut with the rest ingredients and your filling is done. Cover the filling with a cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out.


Songpyeon Dough

  1. In a large bowl combine the rice four, glutinous rice flour and salt; mix well.
  2. Add 2 tablespoon hot boiling water at a time and mix (it is very important to use really hot boiling water to create more chewy texture).
    Remember that the dough is quite hot, so it’s a good idea to mix everything with a spoon first; and then once all the hot water is fully mixed, you can start kneading the dough with your hands
    The more you knead the dough, the more rice cake will chewier and taste good.
    *Please note that different brand of flour can produce slightly different results. Resist the urge to add too much water, remember that we will add some food colouring to the dough, we don’t want that the dough ends up too soft and hard to shape.
    As long as the dough comes together into a smooth ball, it’s good to go.
  3. Colour each portion of the dough as needed.
    You can test whether your dough is the right consistency by take some small piece of the dough and roll it between your palm, it should create a smooth ball. 
    If it breaks or you can see a lot of crack on the surface that means it might be too dry. Kindly adjust the amount of water or more juice 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the right consistency.
  4. Remember always cover the dough with a cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

Fill and Shaping
To fill and create the basic round shape, kindly follow YouTube video instructions or check out step by step pictures below:

Steaming
Layer a bamboo steamer with a layer of cotton steamer cloth and sprinkle some granulated sugar on top of the cotton cloth so the Songpyeon won’t stick to it.
*If you use metal or plastic steamer, make sure that you cover the lid with a piece of cloth; so the water condensation during steaming won’t ruin the look of your Songpyeon.
After finished with all the design, preheat the steamer. 
When the water starts to boil, cover and steam Songpyeon over high heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn off the heat, let the steamer rest for another 3 minutes.
Remove steamer from the heat.

Finishing & Coating
After steaming, quickly rinse cooked Songpyeon with ice water in order to maintain their chewy texture.
Then using your hands or small brush coat them lightly with sesame oil (this oil will prevent from sticking to each other and also adds a fragrant aroma).
Serve warm or at room temperature.


NOTES

  1. Songpyeon are best eaten on the day they it’s made.
  2. Storing – Place the left over Songpyeon in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 3 days or 2 weeks in the freezer.
    I don’t recommend to freeze them too long coz freezing them may change their texture.
  3. Reheating – Steam Songpyeon for about 5-10 minutes.
    DO NOT microwave Songpyeon, the skin will turned hard and lose their chewiness.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

low-sugar Open face apple pie

I have been baking since I was little.
Baking to me is a wonderful way to be able to share food and joy with other people.
These beautiful Apple Pie recipe was taught by my cousin’s helper when I was in fourteen “Thanks to her!”

After reading a unique cookbook “Naturally Sweet” from America’s Test Kitchen, I was inspired to use Sucanat as a sweetener in this recipe.

If you’ve never heard about Sucanat; it’s an unrefined sugar made from minimally processed sugar cane juice with no chemical.

Beautiful tan brown colour of Sucanat

Since it is less processed than granulated sugar, it retains additional vitamins and minerals from their natural molasses.
The granules are a tan-brown colour with a deep molasses-y flavour that far more flavourful than regular white sugar.

Sucanat sometimes never dissolved completely

And while granulated sugar dissolve quickly into batter, Sucanat took much longer to dissolve and sometimes never dissolved completely.
So don’t worry too much if at some point you still can see the sugar granules.

For the apple, Granny Smith apples are great for pies because their crisp texture holds well even after baking, they got soft but they are not break down into mush.

Peeled the apple, cored and cut it into thin slices

If you prefer to be sweeter, look for varieties such as Gala, Pink Lady or Honey crisp.

  Cut the apples into 1/4 inch thick

I like to squeeze some lemon juice on top of the apple slices.
This lemon juice not only prevent browning but also help balance the sweetness of the sugar and tartness of the Granny Smith apples.

You could bake an Apple Pie without Cinnamon Powder of course, but it’s convention that apples and Cinnamon go together, much like Peanut Butter and chocolate.

And to keep the cake from sticking to the pan, grease some butter to the pan and sprinkle with fine, dry breadcrumbs instead of flour. This breadcrumbs will add the beautiful crispness to the outer pie crust.

I suggest to distribute the batter in a few spots so it will be easier to spread evenly.

Arrange the apple slices on top of the batter in an overlapping pattern 45 degrees angle. 

I feel so relax when arranging these apples 😊

Make sure that you press the apples slice down so that half part of the slice is inside the batter.

If you use bigger apple, you can arrange it horizontally. I’m prefer to do it vertically so it looks prettier when I cut it into portions.

Lemon is another unsung flavouring for Apple Pie. Adding a teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest to your Apple-Pie filling is always a good idea.
That hit of citrusy acid also helps set off the flavour of apples.

These Apple Pie bake in 2 different temperatures;
First in the preheated 200°C oven for 10 minutes to get that nice brown pie crust and then reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue baking for another 35 minutes until the apples are tender.

Apple pie needs some time to cool down before cutting into it, you will want to wait at least 30 minutes before actually steal your first slice.

The outer crust is really crispy. Sucanat really gives the pies an earthy, molasses flavour and golden brown colour which is really tasty 😘.

Hm..mm it’s really good! 🤪

Another secret of an Open Face Apple Pie is that every bite is made smoother and velvety with the absence of a top layer of crust like in usual pies.

Serve slices of warm with a cup of tea or coffee or maybe cooled pie with a scoop of your favourite ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream.

No matter what you choose to top your Apple Pie with, the all-time classic dessert will not disappoint.
I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do, I hope you learn something!
Love you All 🥰


LOW SUGAR OPEN FACE APPLE PIE
Yield: 1 Rect. Fluted Pie Pan (25 x 10 X 2.5 CM) or 7-inch Round Pie Pan
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS

  • 2-3 Medium Apples
  • 1 tbs Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon Powder
  • 75 g Salted Butter
  • 60 g Sucanat (you can substitute it with 70 g Granulated Sugar)
  • 50 g Eggs
  • 100 g All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbs Sucanat (for sprinkle) or Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Grated Lemon Zest
  • Bread Crumb

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan with generous amount of butter, then sprinkle a small amount of bread crumbs. Tap the pan to spread the crumbs, twirled around all over the bottom and sides and excess thrown out.
  2. For the apple
    Peeled the apple, cored and cut it into thin slices (as shown in the video). Squeeze the lemon juice on top of the apple slices. Add the cinnamon powder, mix it really well.
  3. For the batter
    In a medium bowl, mix the butter and Sucanat for about 3 minutes until pale and fluffy (Sucanat took much longer to dissolve, don’t worry too much if at this stage you can still see the sugar granules).
    Add in the eggs and mix until all the eggs well incorporated with the butter mixture. Finally, pour in the flour and stir until just combined (do not over mix, stir until all the flour has disappeared).
  4. Place the batter in the prepared pan, spread it evenly (I suggest to distribute the batter in a few spots so it will be easier to spread).
  5. Arrange the apple slices on top of the batter vertically in an overlapping pattern, 45 degrees angle. Press the apples slice down so that half part of the slice is inside the batter.
    Sprinkle some Sucanat and grated lemon zest on top of the apple slices.
  6. Bake it in the preheated 200°C oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue baking for another 35 minutes.
  7. Allow the pie to cool down in the pan for 30 minutes before cutting.

NOTES

  1. Best serve on the day it’s made.
  2. To store; 4 days in the fridge (in an airtight container).
  3. To reheat; Set the pie on a parchment lined baking sheet and put it in a preheated 180°C oven for about 15 minutes.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

mendl’s “Courtesan au chocolat”

Hey Guys, today we will recreate a very whimsical Choux Pastry “Courtesan au Chocolat.”

I’m so in love with this vintage box

These pastry was featured in Wes Anderson’s movie “The Grand Budapest Hotel”.

Production still of a scene at the lovely bakery shop Mendl’s

I am just happy just to see them. These cream-filled pastry not only beautiful but it also looks regal and elegant.

If you’ve seen the movie, you no doubt are in love with these pretty pastries from Mendl’s Bakery, carefully crafted by the lovely Agatha.

Production still of Agatha putting on the finishing touch on the beautiful pastries of Mendl’s

In a brilliant promotional video for Wes Anderson’s new movie, there’s a tutorial that shows you how to make your own Courtesan au Chocolat.

Choux Pastry filled with a rich Chocolate Creme Patisserie, glaze with a creamy colourful icing glaze on top and decorate with an American Buttercream Frosting.
Very good recipe! Pretty sweet, but it was delicious!

And the fun part is how you interpret them and make them your own.
With a little bit twist and tweak from the original recipe; this recipe is not overly sweet, still delicious, happily coloured and playful decorated.

I always like to sift my Creme Patisserie to make sure there’s no lumpy at all

The Chocolate Creme Patisserie is the main component in this pastry.
I try to reduce the amount of the sugar to balance the sweetness of the icing glaze.
Make sure that you don’t overfill the medium and small size Choux Pastry because it will be too heavy and difficult when stacked.

Can’t help myself to lick it 😅

Some people are afraid of making Choux Pastry, because the amount of eggs added is variable. 

If you aren’t experienced in making Choux Pastry, it can be a little bit tricky.
You need to have enough practice to know how much eggs you should add to reach the desired consistency.
BUT no need to worry so much, trust me practice always makes perfect!

When I first learnt how to make Choux, I was told to incorporate the eggs by hand as I could have more control.
However, I would say adding the eggs by hands is only suitable for a small recipe as it can be really exhausting.
That said,if you are confident enough, feel free to use the machine right away!

Just be mindful that a tiny extra amount of egg can make the Choux too wet to pipe properly, and you might have to start all over again.

V Hanging Shape Test

To prevent the dough from being too runny, I like to have all the eggs whisked well in a bowl first before adding it into the dough.
And then I will add it a little at a time, mix in each addition until I get the right consistency.

What you’re looking for; is a dough that looks glossy, but still thick, can hold it’s shape and pipeable. 
You can do the V test to make sure it’s the right consistency; If you stir and scoop the dough with a rubber spatula and slowly lift the spatula straight up. The dough should form a V hanging shape, that’s what we are looking for!

And when you pipe the dough; remember to hold the pastry bag and tip upright when you’re piping, and you’re not doing it at an angle. 
This way your Choux Pastry will rise perfectly upwards, and not be lopsided.

Place the large and medium size on first pan, and the smallest size on a second pan as they will cook more quickly, and then bake one pan at a time.

And before you bake them; it is important to use a damp finger to flatten the apex or any points, so it will be easier when stacking them later.

Some recipes call for Choux Pastry to be baked at two different temperatures (high and low). If this works for you, go ahead. I find that the high temperature makes the shells expand too much, causing cracks.

I’m prefer to bake it at one constant temperature for perfect Choux Pastries, every single time. 

🥰

And since choux pastry relies on steam to expand while baking, it’s VERY important to not open the oven door until the choux pastry shells have set properly. 

This means you should never open the door during the first 25-30 minutes of baking (for standard-sized choux pastry; the time goes down for smaller shells and up for larger ones). 

Wait till the shells are golden colour before opening the door. This prevents steam from escaping too early, which will cause the shells to collapse.

As soon as they came out from the oven, using sharp knife prick each bottom of the shell to allow the steam to escape and dry out the shell faster; and let them cool completely on a cooling rack.

Because the glaze is quite thick,
I’m prefer to use my small spatula to apply the glaze on my Choux rather than dip into it

For the icing glaze, the idea is to aim for a thicker consistency, don’t be tempted to add too much milk, otherwise the glaze will slip right off your pastry balls.

Allow the icing to dry a bit before you decorate the balls with filigree of white icing glaze as desired.

Used left over white icing glaze as a glue; dye it with blue colour and add 1/2 tsp of the icing sugar to make it thicker.

It’s time to assembly our whimsical pastry ball! YAY…. 😋

I love the movie so much not only because the movie made me smile, but also because this pastry makes me happy 😊.

Decorate the joint space with the blue buttercream…

And the bottom part with white buttercream…I fell like Agatha 😚

Then place a single cocoa bean on the star as garnish ☺️

Oh.. it’s so beautiful and elegant pastry tower! 😘

Puffy Choux, rich Creme Patisserie, creamy sweet icing and… fluffy buttercream so flavourful!!

I was happy when I first saw it in the movie, happy when I was making it, and happy when I was finally able to taste it.

I hope you Guys are inspired as much as I am 🥰 LOVE YOU ALL! 

MENDL’S COURTESAN AU CHOCOLAT 
Yield: 6 towers
Active time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS
Creme Patisserie/ Pastry Creme:

  • 15 Corn Flour
  • 50 g Sugar
  • 10 g Cocoa Powder
  • 50 g Milk
  • 40 g Egg Yolks
  • 200 g Milk
  • 25 g Dark Chocolate (70 %)
  • 1 tbs Rum Liquor

Choux Pastry:

  • 100 g Water
  • 65 g Salted Butter
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 75 g All Purpose Flour
  • 2-3 Eggs (110-165 g)


Buttercream:

  • 80 g Shortening
  • 20 g Salted Butter
  • 20 g Condensed Milk
  • 1/2 tsp Rum Liqueur


Icing Glaze:

  • 230 g Icing Sugar
  • 2 ½ tbs Milk
  • 1/2 tbs Unsalted Butter
  • 1/4 tsp Rum Liqueur
  • Food Colouring (Purple, Mint green, Soft Pink)


Edible Glue:

  • Left over white icing glaze
  • Blue food colouring
  • 1/2 tsp Icing Sugar


INSTRUCTIONS
Creme Patisserie / Pastry Creme

  1. In a medium bowl combine the corn flour, sugar, cocoa powder and 50 grams of milk. Mix well, set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan heat the 200 grams of milk, add in the dark chocolate. Continue stirring until all the chocolate melted (make sure that you use a good quality of chocolate for a rich flavour).
  3. Once the chocolate melted, turn off the heat.
    Combine the egg yolk into the corn flour mixture, mix really well; and then slowly pour this mixture into the hot chocolate milk mixture. Whisking constantly to temper the egg mix.
  4. Back to the stove; on medium low heat continue cook while stirring until the mixture starts to thicken, allow the pastry cream to come to a boil.
    After you see the first bubbles break the surface, lower the heat and let it cook further for about 1 – 2 minutes so that the corn starch will cook well and you won’t be left with a starchy flavour.
  5. Take it off from the heat, add in the rum or Vanilla Extract; mix well.
    Your Pastry Cream should be nice and smooth (I always like to sift it to make sure there’s no lumpy at all).
  6. Once the Pastry Cream is cooked, spread it in a shallow pan; cover it with a cling wrap. Press the plastic down down, make sure the plastic touch the surface of the Pastry Creme to prevent a Pastry Creme skin from forming on top.
  7. Store it in the fridge for at least 1 hours.


Choux Pastry

  1. Sift the flour, set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, water and salt. Bring it to a simmer, turn off the heat.
  3. Pour in the sifted flour in one go, mix immediately. Make sure that you mix it really well and there are no lumps visible.
  4. Over medium low heat, continue cook the dough until it comes together and the dough leaving a thin film at the bottom of the saucepan
  5. Take it off from the heat and the next step is wait for the dough to cool down or until warm.
    Place the dough in a bowl and then flatten the dough along the sides of the bowl (this increases the surface area, so it cools down faster and more water evaporates as you do this).
  6. After your dough is cool enough, now we can start adding the eggs. The amount of eggs added is variable. 
    To prevent the dough from being too runny, I like to have all the eggs whisked well in a bowl first, before adding it into the dough.
  7. Add the eggs to the dough a little at a time, mix in each addition; until you get the right consistency.
    What you’re looking for; is a dough that looks glossy but still thick, can hold it’s shape and pipeable. 
    You can do the V test to make sure it’s the right consistency; If you stir and scoop the dough with a rubber spatula, and slowly lift the spatula, straight up. The dough should form a V hanging shape.
  8. Once the dough is ready, place the dough in a pipping bag with a 1.2 cm (#2A) round nozzle.
  9. Pipe the dough into large (5 cm diameter), medium (3.5 cm diameter) and small (2.5 cm diameter) size dollops on a pan lined with a parchment paper.
    Remember to hold the pastry bag and tip upright when you’re piping, and you’re not doing it at an angle. This way your Choux Pastry will rise perfectly upwards, and not be lopsided.
    Place the large and medium size on first pan, and the smallest size on a second pan as they will cook more quickly.
  10. Use a damp finger to flatten the apex or any points, so it will be easier when stacking them later.
  11. Bake them in the preheated 180°C oven (25 minutes for the Large and Medium size) and (20 minutes for the small size).
    Since choux pastry relies on steam to expand while baking, it’s VERY important to not open the oven door until the choux pastry shells have set properly. 
  12. As soon as they came out from the oven, using sharp knife prick each bottom of the shell to allow the steam to escape and dry out the shell faster. Let them cool completely on a cooling rack.


Buttercream

  1. In a medium bowl, mix the shortening, butter and condensed milk until well combined. Add in the rum and whisk together for about 5 minutes until it become really light and smooth
  2. Place half portion into the pipping bag with #17 star nozzle. Colour the rest with blue colour and place it into another piping bag with #7 round nozzle.


Icing Glaze

  1. Simply combine all the ingredients. The idea is to aim for a thicker consistency. Don’t be tempted to add too much milk, otherwise the glaze will slip right off your pastry balls.
  2. Divide the glaze into each colour portions; add food colouring for each portions (remember always cover the icing glaze to prevent from drying out):
    Light Purple: 90 grams
    Mint Green: 70 grams
    Soft Pink: 40 grams
    White: 60 grams (place in the pipping bag with #1 round nozzle)

Edible Glue
Combine the left over white icing glaze, a bit of blue food colouring and icing sugar; mix well. Place it in the pipping bag with #17 star nozzle.


ASSEMBLY

  1. Place the cooled cream patisserie in a pipping bag with a long round nozzle.
    Pipe into each size portions of a pastry ball (large 40 grams, medium 20 grams, small 5 grams).
  2. Using small spatula glaze the pastry ball with each colour of the icing glaze; light purple for the large, pale mint green for the medium and soft pink for the small size.
    Allow the icing to dry a bit; and then you can decorate the balls with filigree of white icing glaze as desired.
  3. To assemble
    Place the large purple ball at the bottom, pipe a dollop of the blue icing glaze on top of a purple ball. 
    Take a medium mint green ball and press it gently on top of the large one so it stick in place.
    Pipe the blue icing again as a glue; and finally place the smallest pink ball on top of a medium green ball.
    Decorate the joint space with the blue buttercream; and the bottom part with white buttercream.
    Make a white star buttercream on top and place a single cocoa bean on the star as garnish.


NOTE

  1. These pastry are best eaten the day you made them.
  2. You can store the left over Courtesan au Chocolat in the fridge for up to 2 days; however the glaze will become watery as they absorb the moisture in the fridge.

Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

ANGRY BIRDS MELONPAN (TANGZHONG METHOD)

Can you believe that this cute little things is edible?
YES, today we are making these cute Angry Bird Melonpan.
Melonpan are Japanese sweet buns covered with a thin layer of cookie dough; crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside.
I will use a Tangzhong method in this recipe, it creates an incredibly soft and stay fresh longer bread.

Look how adorable he is!

If you notice; Melonpan and Pineapple Bun from Hong Kong are very similar.
By comparison, the Japanese style is lighter in weight and taste, slightly drier and has a firmer outer layer (the cookie crust on top) which resists flaking; unlike its Hong Kong counterpart, whose top cookie crust tends to flake easily.
The Hong Kong version is also moister, and is generally soft on the outside and inside, with a stronger butter flavour.

With origins in Japan’s Yukone (or Yudane), Tangzhong is a yeast bread technique popularized across Asia.
For the Yudane method, boiling water is used to scald the flour instead of cooking over the fire.

Tangzhong mixture

They are both quite similar; it involves cooking a portion of the flour and liquid in the recipe into a thick slurry prior to adding the remaining ingredients, resulting in soft, fluffy bread.

Place the Melonpan with the cookie dough facing downwards

You will need half sphere mold to resembles the bird’s head.
I found that this silicone mold is the best option, the bread will release easily, you don’t have to worry that the crust will stick to the pan.

Look! the colour is beautiful and the shape is great. If you tap the top and hear the sound of the crust, you will know that it’s really crispy.

Make sure that you don’t over baked the details

And for the details, shortening based cookie dough is the easy and fast way to create the details. The dough is easy to work with, there’s no need to be chilled.

I’m prefer to bake the eyes and wings on top of the round shape of the sphere mould rather than a flat baking pan so the shape will stick perfectly to the head.

And if you notice, our lovely Angry Birds have a black circle around their eyes. I am using black food colouring mixed with Vodka, you can also use edible pen.

You can make various facial expressions for them. Some with close mouth and some open mouth 😂.

😳 I’m in love with the fat one!

Which one do you like? 🙄

They all look so adorable… I personally can’t bear to eat them 😓🤧😭

The top cookie crust is buttery and crispy with the soft and spongy Matcha bread on the inside.
I hope that you will enjoy the beauty of this Melonpan.
Love you All !! 💋

ANGRY BIRD MELONPAN
Yield: 5 Melonpan
Active time: 1 hours
Total time: 3½ hours

INGREDIENTS
Cookie Dough:
35 g Unsalted Butter
50 g Caster Sugar
35 g Eggs
120 g Cake Flour
1/4 +1/8 tsp Baking Powder (Double Acting)
1/4 tsp Matcha Powder
Mint Green & Yellow Food Colouring

Bread Dough:
Tangzhong: 40 g Milk + 8 g Bread Flour
135 g Bread Flour
20 g Caster Sugar
1/2 tsp Instant Yeast
1½ tsp Matcha Powder
A pinch Salt
25 g Eggs
50 g Milk
25 Unsalted Butter
Egg whites & Caster Sugar 

Details Dough:
30 g Shortening
40 g Caster Sugar
15 g Eggs
1 tsp Milk
75 g All-Purpose Flour
1/4 +1/8 tsp Baking Powder (Double Acting)
A pinch of Salt
Food Colouring (Black, Mint Green, Yellow, Turquoise,
Orange)

Sugar Glue
50 g Caster Sugar
25 g Water

INSTRUCTIONS
Cookie Dough

  1. Simply mix the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
  2. Add in the eggs and mix.
  3. Pour in the sifted dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, matcha powder) and mix.
    Before everything is well incorporated, add some mint green and yellow food colouring to create colour shades that looks like Angry Birds.
  4. Knead well until the colour is even (try not to over-mix the dough, we want to keep the flaky crust on top).
  5. Place the dough on the cling wrap, cover it and then store it in the fridge for about 1 hour.

Bread Dough

  1. Tangzhong Mixture
    In a small non-stick pan, combine the 40 g milk and 8 g bread flour. Mix really well until no lumps visible.
    Cook over medium heat, continue stirring. Once you see that the mixture start to thicken, lower the heat and continue cook until it become a thick paste (be careful not to burn it).
    Take it off from the heat and let it cool until warm for about 5-10 minutes, set aside.
  2. Then in a large bowl combine the 135 g bread flour, sugar and yeast. Mix well.
  3. Add in the matcha powder and salt (always add the salt last so it doesn’t come into direct contact with the yeast – salt can kill the yeast).
  4. Pour in the eggs, along with 50 g milk and the Tangzhong batter; mix until just combined.
  5. Cover and let it rest for about 15 minutes (this resting time is to give time for the gluten to form its own).
  6. After 15 minutes, add in the butter. It seems too many butter at first but after 1-2 minutes the butter is all mixed into the dough.
  7. Knead by stretching it
    In a bowl; lift the dough, toss and fold for about 5 minutes.
    Then cover it again (if your dough now isn’t smooth enough, cover it too), wait for about 10 minutes and continue stretching it for another 3 minutes (you can feel that the dough become really smooth).
  8. Place the dough into a clean grease bowl, cover it and let it rise until doubled in size for about 1-2 hours (proofing time depending on room temperature, it may take longer or may not take that long).

Shaping the cookie dough
Prepare 5 pieces (13 x 13 cm) of plain parchment paper and a piece with a 10 cm round shape as a guide.
Take cookie dough out of the fridge and divide it into 5 equal portions; roll each dough into a smooth ball.
To shape the dough; place 1 all of the cookie dough onto a 10 cm guide of parchment paper, cover with another parchment paper. Using flat surface press the dough gently into a 10 cm disk, turn it over and then cover the finished dough with a plastic wrap to prevent the dough dry.

Create the Melonpan

  1. After for about 1 hour, the bread dough has risen to doubled in size. Punch the dough, press out the air, divide the bread dough into 5 equal portions.
  2. To create the Melonpan
    Take 1 portion of the bread dough, press out the air. Pull around the edges, tuck underside.
    And then hold and roll the dough with your hands in C shape, give a little pressure until it create a smooth ball.
    Brush the top lightly with the egg white. Place a piece of a round 10 cm cookie dough to the top; make sure it’s in the centre. Adjust according to the shape, gently press to cover the entire outer edge of the bread dough.
  3. Dip and coat the cookie dough surface with the caster sugar and then gently place the Melonpan into a silicone mould with the cookie dough facing downwards.
  4. Cover the Melonpan with a kitchen towel and then let the dough rise for another 30-45 minutes until puffy and risen almost doubled in size.
  5. Bake them in the preheated 170°C oven for about 18-20 minutes
  6. Take it off from the oven, let it sit in the mould for about 5 minutes (to let the cookie crust firm up a bit) then gently remove it from the pan. Let it cool completely on a cooling rack.


Details Dough

  1. In a medium bowl, cream the shortening and sugar until pale and creamy.
  2. Pour in the eggs and milk, stir well (make sure that all that liquid incorporated into the butter and sugar).
  3. Add in the sifted dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt) and mix until well combined.
  4. Divide the dough and colour it as needed.
    50 g White for the eyes
    40 g Orange for the feet and mouth
    30 g Green for the wings
    15 g each Turquoise and Black for the inner part of the eyes
  5. Create the details (kindly follow video instructions)
  6. Bake them in the preheated 160°C oven for about 8-10 minutes (please pay attention, make sure that you don’t over baked the details.
  7. Take it off from the oven and let them cool completely on the pan.

Sugar Glue
In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar. Cook until bubbly and start to thicken.
Remove the mixture from the stove, but still keep it warm. This can be done by placing the small saucepan in a large saucepan filled with hot water.

Attach the details
If you notice, our lovely Angry bird have a black circle around their eyes. I am using black food colouring mixed with Vodka to draw the black line around the eyes, you can also use edible pen.
Attach all the details with some sugar glue.

NOTES

  1. Once the bread is cooled completely, individually wrap it in plastic to prevent it from drying.
    Place them in an airtight container or bag store in the fridge for up to 3 days, freeze for up to a month.
  2. To reheat
    Fridge; place at room temperature for 30 minutes and then bake it in the oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 5- 10 minutes until crispy on the outside.
    Freezer; defrost overnight in the refrigerator, take it out to room temperature for 30 minutes and then bake it in the oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 5- 10 minutes until crispy on the outside.

Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Chocolate babka (QUICK & EASY)

“Babka” A sweet, braided bread that has ribbons of chocolate running throughout it.
And while the original Babka texture is a bit dense like typically a cakey bread; my ideal Babka version is a soft and fluffy bread twisted with homemade chocolate filling inside which is not overly sweet.

Unlike the common method, this recipe no need to proof the dough twice or overnight; A stunning loaf, quick and easy, how wonderful is that?

For the filling, I highly recommend to use dutch cocoa powder simply because it will give you a darker, more bittersweet experience and also has a more intense chocolate flavour.

This chocolate filling is not too runny, has a beautiful consistency and quite manageable.
You can sprinkle some chocolate chips or even toasted chopped nuts on the top if you want, I just like it the way it is “Simply is the best!“.

Steps to create Babka fascinating shapes

It’s worth the effort and patience, especially when you make two loaves, like in this recipe. You can save the second loaf in the freezer or give it away to show off your hard work.

It always looks stunning, no matter how messy the shaping was. I like to have a nice bite in the middle because the chocolate is piling up there.

The bread texture is so soft and fluffy with a rich smooth chocolate filling inside. I’m sure no one is able to resist a warm piece of this chocolate Babka.

I hope that you enjoy my version of Babka, it always feels homey and comforting.
LOVE you All!!


CHOCOLATE BABKA
Yield: 2 Loafs 
Pan size: 17x8x6 cm
Active time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Filling

  • 20 g Dutch Cocoa Powder
  • 25 g All Purpose Flour
  • 50 g Caster Sugar
  • 90 g Milk
  • 12 g Unsalted Butter

Bread Dough

  • 110 g Bread Flour
  • 110 g All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Instant Yeast
  • 25 g Caster Sugar
  • 15 g Milk Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 30 g Ice Water
  • 65 g Cold Milk
  • 45 g Eggs
  • 35 g Unsalted Butter

Sugar Glaze

  • 20 g Caster Sugar
  • 15 g Water

INSTRUCTIONS
Chocolate Filling

  1. In a medium non-stick pan, sift in the cocoa and flour (don’t skip this sifting step else you might end up with a lumpy chocolate filling).
  2. Pour in the sugar and milk, whisk all together until they become really smooth.
  3. Add in the butter; cook over medium heat and keep stirring. 
    When the mixture starts to thicken lower the heat, continue stirring until the mixture resembles a chocolate jam (be careful not to burn it).
  4. Take it off from the heat, let the mixture cool completely.

Sugar Glaze
In a small pan combine the sugar and water stir until the sugar dissolved, let it simmer for about 2 minutes; take it off from the heat.

Prep the baking pan
Grease the bottom and sides of the pan with some butter, line it with a parchment paper and grease it again.

Bread Dough

  1. In a large bowl combine the both flour, instant yeast, sugar and milk powder,mix well.
  2. Add in the salt and mix (always add the salt last to make sure it doesn’t have direct contact with the yeast).
  3. Pour in the ice water, along with milk and eggs. Mix well, make sure everything is well incorporated.
  4. Add in the butter and mix until just combine.
  5. Cover and let it rest to let the gluten bonds and begin forming for about 15 minutes.
  6. Place the dough onto a work surface and start kneading the dough (you can use a stand mixer for this process)
    *The mixture is gonna be really wet and really sticky. If you are doing this by hand resist the urge to add any flour. The idea is just to push it around to stretch all of that gluten; this is where we are begin to develop the structure for the dough.
  7. After 15 minutes kneading, you see that the ball is coming together;
    To make sure whether the dough is ready, we can do the windowpane test; take a small ball of the dough and stretch it into a square. Keep on stretching until it becomes a thin film in the middle without breaking. The dough must be thin enough to pass light through it. If it is obtained without any tear, then your dough is properly kneaded.
  8. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each dough into a smooth ball; cover it and let the gluten rest for about 15 minutes.
  9. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  10. To create Babka shapes
    – Take 1 portion of the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a rectangular shape (30×20 cm).
    – Place half portion of the chocolate filling to the center of the dough, spread it evenly (spare for about 1 cm around the edges so the chocolate won’t get mess when you roll it).
    You can sprinkle some chocolate chips or even toasted chopped nuts on the top if you want
    – And to rolled up; starting from the short side closest to you just gently lift up the dough and then move forward rolling it up nice and tight.
    – Using bench scraper or knife; cut the dough in half length wise.
    – Position each half parallel to each other with the chocolate cut sides facing upwards. Then set the other halves on top in the opposite direction to form a cross; twist the halves together, keeping the cut sides facing up, and tuck the ends under. 
  11. Gently transfer the babka into the prepared pans; cover it with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and let the dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
  12. Bake them for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top (if you have a thermometer, you are looking for an internal temperature of about 200ºF/93ºC).
  13. After baking, brush the sugar glaze on top of the Babka immediately (we want to do that while it’s hot because it does help to absorb it). It not only makes the babka exterior shiny but helps keeps the bread from drying out.
  14. Take it out from the pan and let them cool completely on the cooling rack.


    NOTES
  1. If you have a very cold room, you can place a tray of a boiling water in the bottom of your switch off oven and put your Babka pan on the top rack, just to create warm humid environment for proofing the Babka.
  2. Store the cooled Babka, wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days or fridge for 4 days.
    You can reheat slices in the microwave for a few seconds or pop the whole loaf in the oven for a few minutes.
  3. Babka also freezes well; once cooled, wrap the loaf in a couple of layers of plastic wrap or in an airtight container; it can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
    Defrost at room temperature, still wrapped. Before serving, you can reheat it in a 160°C oven for about 10 minutes, until it’s warm and the chocolate is melty.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen · 2 Comments

Longevity peach buns “Shou tao bao”寿桃包


Longevity Peach Buns “Shou Tao Bao” 寿桃包 is a representation of Peaches of Immortality.
It is typically served to elders on their birthday as a cake or gift that symbolises long life and wishes of good health.


Traditionally, these buns are piled at least knee high on a tray.
I remember seeing this buns in my grandparents birthday when I was a kid; and I thought they were the cutest thing, I really loved the shape and their colour; And now when I grew up, I love eating and enjoy making them as well ☺️ .


The bun is really soft and fluffy but still a bit chewy with the creamy red bean paste filling inside; fragrant and not too sweet, just the way I like them.
In this recipe, I also will share a few tips to make this beautiful red bean paste. The method is not only faster but also produces a fragrant and flavourful filling.


And when it comes to beans; people will debates whether need or no need to soaked the beans overnight.

After testing, I found that the 1 hour soaked beans in the hot boiling water cooked just 5 minutes faster than the overnight soaked ones; So… why bother soak overnight?

Another differences is after cooking; 1 hour soaked beans absorb more water than the overnight soaked ones

ADDING SALT IN THE BEGINNING
We will add some salt to the beans soaking liquid. By adding salt at the beginning of cooking create more tender results.
A bit of salt is also used as a flavour enhancer, increase sweetness and umami; so instead of increasing the amount of sugar, add a pinch of salt to enhance the sweetness first.

DON’T THROW THE SOAKING LIQUID!
After soaked the beans in hot boiling water for 1 hour, there’s no need to rinse or change the water Coz the beans cooked in the soaking liquid were much more flavourful, had a prettier, darker colour, and retained their texture better.


Then using food processor or immersion blender; grind the cooked beans into a fine paste and add some sugar to it.
In general, the beans to sugar ratio for is 1 to 1 (an equal amount). This sugar will preserve the paste for a longer time.
I don’t like it too sweet; so in this recipe I have already reduced the sugar to suit my taste bud; kindly add or reduce the amount of sugar according to your taste.

This Red Bean Paste paste will continue to thicken as it cools
 

NO NEED TO REST THE BUNS DOUGH
Once the dough is ready, you can use it immediately. There’s no need to rest the dough because by proofed it twice will cause a lot of bumps or air bubbles on the surface, we don’t want that happened


And to create the pink shades of the buns, there’s no better way than these old school method; using a toothbrush and tea strainer.
It’s actually an old school method that I’ve learned when I was in primary school 😄.

FOR BEAUTIFUL EVEN COLOUR, DON’T RUSH THIS PART
Dip the toothbrush to the colouring mixture and then tap off the excess onto a kitchen towel; else it might drops and ruin the look of your buns.
Hold the strainer upside down 2 cm above the bun and then gently brush the toothbrush over the back of the strainer in a circular motion. 
You can repeat the same process a few times until you get the desire colour shades.

I highly recommend to brush each bun one by one for an even colour

Some people attach the leaf first before they brush the pink shades. I prefer the other way around; so the pink food colouring won’t stain the leaves.


What do you think; is it cute enough to mimicking the shape of the peach? 🥲


And when you proof them, make sure that you give some space in between the buns so they won’t stick one another after fermentation or steaming.
Please pay attention, proofing time depends on room temperature, it may take longer or may not take that long.


After fermentation, the proofed buns should feel lighter and rise about 50% of their original size
And if you gently press it with your finger, the dough will make indentation and be able to slowly bounce back into shape.


ONLY WELL-PROOFED BUNS ARE FLUFFY
Make sure that you don’t overproof the buns; over-proofed bun is likely to have a very open crumb structure.
Due to the development of excess CO2 during the proofing stage, the gluten ends up being over-stretched, and unable to hold up the internal structure of the buns.
You might just have a deflated buns with very coarse and crumbly texture.


CHOOSE THE RIGHT STEAMER
Bamboo steamer is the best choice in my opinion; because their lids don’t collect condensation
If you are using metal or plastic steamer, make sure that you cover the lid with a piece of cloth so the condensation during steaming won’t ruin the look of your buns.


DO NOT OPEN THE LID DIRECTLY AFTER STEAMING
After steaming, turn off the heat and do not open the lid immediately; make sure that you leave the lid on for another 3 minutes; the buns might deflate without the proper resting.


After 3 minutes…😱 fluffy peach, plump and beautiful birthday buns.

They are so lovely…😳😘


I hope these buns will light up faces and brings happiness and joy for your loved ones; Wishing them always be healthy and live a long life.

LONGEVITY PEACH BUNS
Yield: 5 buns
Active time: 2 hours
Total time: 5 hours

INGREDIENTS
Red Bean Paste:

  • 60 g Red Bean
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1000 ml Water
  • 40 g Granulated Sugar
  • 10 g Vegetable Oil
  • 5 g Glutinous Rice Flour
  • 2 tbs Water

Buns Dough:

  • 85 g Cold Milk
  • 1/2 tsp Instant yeast
  • 15 g Caster Sugar
  • 150 g All Purpose Flour
  • 4 g Vegetable Oil


Colouring

  • Food Colouring (pink and green)
  • Toothbrush
  • Tea Strainer

INSTRUCTIONS
Red Bean Paste

  1. Rinse the beans and transfer it to a large pot.
  2. Add in the salt and water – bring it to a boil; then take it off from the heat and let it rest for 1 hour.
  3. After 1 hour, don’t forget to take the lid off – put it back to the stove (no need to rinse or change the water) and continue cooking on medium low heat until the beans are tender and creamy.
    *The water will evaporate during cooking, adding more water as necessary to keep beans submerged.
  4. After for about 1 ½ hours, pick 1 bean and mash it with your fingers; if it’s mashed easily, it’s done.
  5. Transfer beans to a food processor along with their cooking liquid (you can use regular or immersion blender).
    If you find it too dry, kindly add 1-2 Tbsp of water as needed to help the spinning process.
    Run the food processor until the beans become a fine paste.
  6. Pour the fine paste into the non-stick pan.
    On medium-low heat, add in the sugar along with oil and glutinous rice flour that has been diluted with some water.
    Mix it really well and keep stirring for about 10-15 minutes until the mixture start comes together and doesn’t stick to the pan.
  7. Take it off from the heat (don’t worry if it’s still a bit loose, this paste will continue to thicken as it cools.
  8. Spread onto a flat baking sheet; cover it with a cling wrap to prevent from drying out, open a little gap so the steam can escape and let it cool completely.
    *Make sure the paste cool completely before you fill it into buns dough.


Buns Dough

  1. In large bowl, mix the cold milk along with instant yeast and sugar. Stir well until the sugar is completely dissolved and there’s no granules visible.
  2. Add in the flour and mix everything together, gather all small crumbs until it creates a dough ball.
  3. Pour in the vegetable oil.
    It seems too many oil at first; collect all the oil in the bowl, and then continue kneading on a work surface for about 1 minute.
  4. When you feel that the oil start to absorb completely; roll the dough into a long shape (moving the hand up and down as you roll to lengthen it).
    Then take left and right ends and fold it to the centre of the dough (repeat the same process 2 times). The dough gradually will become really smooth.
    *Do not overwork, this kneading process will only takes for about 3 minutes.
  5. Once the dough is ready, you can use it immediately. There’s no need to rest the dough because by proofed it twice will cause a lot of bumps or air bubbles on the surface, we don’t want that happened.


Fill & Shape

  1. Spare 20 grams of the dough for the peach leaves and divide the rest into 5 equal pieces (about 47 g each).
    *Please do remember always cover the buns with a plastic wrap to prevent from drying out.
  2. Take 1 portions of the dough, press into a thick disk.
    Using rolling pin, roll back and forth onto rectangular shape, fold into 2 equal pieces, turn it 90° angle and repeat the same process 2 times.
  3. Then roll the dough into a square shape, grab the dough with my left hand and rolling pin on the other hand.
    Using rolling pin roll up and back flatten the edges of the dough while turn the dough a little by little (middle part should be slightly thick).
  4. Place 1 portion of the red bean paste filling to the centre of the dough; gather the sides to enclose the bun and pinch to seal.
  5. To shape the buns into peaches
    – Flip the filled bun so the seam side is down and shape it to a smooth oval ball. 
    – Using your palms form a peak on the top.
    – To make the seam of the peach, gently press the bench scraper in to create a line along the arch; pinch the top, mimicking the shape of the peach
  6. Cover the filled buns with a plastic wrap and repeat this process with the rest of the dough and fillings.
  7. For the bun leaves
    Colour the 20 grams left over dough with green food colouring and divide it into 10 equal pieces (2 gr each).
    Take one portion of the green dough and shape it into a cone.
    Using bend scraper, flatten the cone. Form a line in the centre and create the leaf vein patterns tilts towards the cone.

Colour & Decorate

  1. To create the pink shades of the buns, simply mix some water with a few drops of pink food colouring.
    Dip the toothbrush to the colouring mixture; tap off the excess onto a kitchen towel.
    Hold the strainer upside down 2 cm above the bun; then gently brush the toothbrush over the back of the strainer in a circular motion (repeat the same process until you get the desire colour shades).
  2. Attach the leaves onto each peach bun with a dab of water (a pair for one bun) and place each bun onto a piece of parchment paper.


Proof & Steam

  1. Place the finished buns in the steamer; make sure that you give some space in between the buns so they won’t stick one another after fermentation or steaming.
    Cover and allow to rise for about 15-45 minutes.
    *Please pay attention, proofing time depends on room temperature, it may take longer or may not take that long (in the meantime you can start preheat your steamer).
  2. After fermentation, the proofed buns should feel lighter and rise about 50% of their original size.
    If you gently press it with your finger, the dough will make indentation and be able to slowly bounce back into shape.
  3. Over medium high heat; steam the buns for about 10-12 minutes.
    *If you are using metal or plastic steamer, make sure that you cover the lid with a piece of cloth so the condensation during steaming won’t ruin the look of your buns
  4. After 10 minutes, take the steamer off from the heat; do not open the lid and let it sit for another 3 minutes; serve.

NOTES

  1. If you’re not using the red bean paste right away, you can transfer the red bean paste in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
  2. Before freezing, divide the red bean paste into small portions so that you can be flexible on how much to use each time. When you’re ready to use, you can defrost in the fridge overnight.
  3. The buns can be stored in the fridge for 5 days, or frozen for a month.
  4. I highly recommend to reheat the buns in the steamer; place the frozen peach buns on a plate.
    Put the plate on top of the trivet in the steamer and let them steam over high heat for 10 minutes or until heated through.
  5. If you want to reheat in the microwave; place the steamed buns on a plate.
    Wet some paper towel, wring out excess water and place this on top of the steamed buns and microwave on high for 30 seconds; add the time as needed until heated through.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Kawaii Mini Burger


Today I’m gonna share with you my “Kawaii Mini Burger”.
These mini burgers will melt hearts and warm stomachs; they are so teeny-tiny, cute and absolutely delicious. 


The bun is entirely homemade, soft and fluffy; with juicy patty inside and all the delicious toppings and sauce… so Yummy!!
They are perfect to serve up at a party or just a snack for your love ones.

(18.5×26.5×3)cm Cupcake Pan

For the buns, you can make buns using ring moulds and they can be scaled to any size that you like, I found that this regular cupcake pan fits perfectly and easier to get.


To avoid over-proofing, I usually start adding the details when the buns has increase the volume 40-50 percent. If you see from the side, the top of the dough is more or less parallel with the top surface of the pan.


And while we adding the details the dough will continue to rise, so try to finish them as soon as possible.


You don’t want to over bake your lovely buns, if they are too dark they won’t look good on your burger.

Oh… look how cute they are!

And to keep everything from falling apart, I create my own DIY toothpick so it’s easier to “grab and eat”.


It’s not only make it even cuter, but also look more elegant and fancy

These custom toothpicks really take your food presentation to the next level.


You can shape the patty with your hands, I’m prefer to use ring mould, it really helps me to make my burgers look perfect like the ones you get in restaurants.


Some people use a lid from a jar as a mould. Just make sure that you find a lid that is slightly bigger than the size of your burger bun coz shrinkage happens throughout the cooking process.


And before you cook it, give a thumbprint indentation to the center of each patty, this will helps the patty hold it’s shape—rather than swelling.


The best way to tell when it’s done is by using a thermometer without splitting the middle.


Cook until a thermometer reads 160°F.


Besides tomato ketchup, one of the best condiment that I always used when making burger is this wasabi mayo.

I remember having this sauce in a morning burger when I was in Japan and I really love it so much!
You can use either wasabi powder or paste, for me it does taste pretty similar.
If you are a wasabi lover, I promise it will taste really great!

Wasabi Paste

All the ingredients is well prepared; the patties, sharp cheddar cheese, tomatoes, onions, some lettuce, the sauce…

Toppings and Sauce

And of course our adorable burger buns !


And before we start to stack them, do you know that are many ways to stack the burgers??
If you pay attention to the emojis, each of them arrange the burger in a different order.


Initially I also thought is this thing important?
Then I was really surprised that 2 burger with identical ingredients but different stack orders can result in 2 different taste.


After a few experiment and testing, I decide to use the “Burger King Whopper” stack method as it produce more stable and flavourful burger.


Ok back to our Whopper stack burger, so you will cut half of your tinny buns and stack all the toppings and sauce.


Look how beautiful this burger buns!

Soft beautiful bun

Please do remember the stack order (this will come out in the test! KIDDING 😅) :
1. The bottom of the bun
2. Juicy patty
3. A piece of sharp cheddar cheese
4. Tomato ketchup
5. Some grilled onion
6. A slice of tomato
7. A bunch of fresh lettuce
8. My beautiful wasabi sauce
9. The cute teddy bear head bun
10. And finally secure it with her pretty hair ribbon 

The Scrumptious Sweet Potato Fries

And of course, no burger is truly complete without having a side of scrumptious fries! 
These healthy baked sweet potatoes so tasty, they are caramelised on the outside and tender on the inside. I love it so much!

And as for the seasoning, you can keep it simple or even add more flavor with spices. 
A pinch of curry powder, garlic, and cayenne pepper would be a nice touch. It was the perfect combination of heat and sweet.


They are look not only delicious but also so sweet, I’m sure that everyone and specially kids will love it so much.


The bun is entirely homemade, soft and fluffy, while the burger patty is juicy and tender.


And how about some cold beer for adults?


I hope that you give them a try, they are really a lot of fun to put together.


You can create your own design with a different flavour; replace the beef with juicy grilled chicken patty, change the sauce with sweet and savoury teriyaki sauce;
Whatever you like! THE SKY’S THE LIMIT


I hope that you enjoy the recipe!! LOVE YOU ALL!!


KAWAII MINI BURGER
Yield: 6 burgers
Cupcake pan dimensions: (18.5×26.5×3)cm
Active time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS
BURGER BUNS ( 6 burgers, 55 grams each)

  • 200 g Bread Flour
  • 1 tsp Instant Yeast
  • 25 g Granulated Sugar
  • 8 Milk Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 120 Cold Water
  • 15 Unsalted Butter


SWEET POTATO FRIES

  • 750 g Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 Egg White (30 g)
  • 1 tsp Vegetable Oil
  • 1 tsp Curry Powder (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)


PATTIES (6 patties, about 55 grams each)

  • 250 g Beef (Ground Chuck)
  • 15 g Eggs
  • 25 g Bread Crumbs
  • 25 g Parmesan Cheese (grated)
  • 1 tsp Dried Parsley
  • 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper


TOPPINGS & ASSEMBLY

  • Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • Tomato Ketchup
  • 1 Onion (grilled)
  • 1 Tomato (thin slice)
  • Lettuce
  • Wasabi Sauce (3 tbs Mayonaise + 3 tsp Wasabi Paste)
  • DIY Toothpick

INSTRUCTIONS
BURGER BUNS

  1. Grease the pan with generous amount of butter; cupcake pan dimensions: (18.5×26.5×3)cm.
  2. In a large bowl combined the flour, instant yeast, sugar and milk powder; mix well.
    Add the salt and mix (adding the salt last to make sure that it doesn’t come into direct contact with the yeast; salt can kill the yeast).
  3. Pour ice water into the flour mixture (ice water slows down the fermentation so we have more time to decorate the buns).
    Don’t knead the dough at this time, just mix water and flour mixture until it forms a cohesive ball
  4. Cover and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.
    After 10 minutes you can feel that the dough become more stretchy and pliable.
  5. Place the dough on the work surface, add in the butter and start kneading the dough.
    The dough is really sticky at this point, that’s totally fine, don’t be tempted to add more flour to it; just continue kneading it until you get a smooth ball (it takes for about 10 minutes).
    *You will know whether the dough is ready by doing the windowpane test; if you can stretch the dough into a thin translucent membrane without breaking it that means the gluten is well developed and your dough is done.
  6. Weigh 6 portions of the dough, 55 grams each (there will be leftover dough for the details, some plain dough for the Bear’s ears, colour a bit with dark brown for the eyes, nose and mouth; and another pink for bear’s lovely cheek).
    Cover all the dough in a plastic wrap to prevent from drying out and let them rest for about 5 minutes.
  7. After 5 minutes, take 1 portion of the dough, flatten it with the palm of your hand to remove any air bubbles, pull all creases to the back; place it on a work surface and then roll and shape it into a smooth ball. Continue with the rest dough.
  8. Place the buns onto a greased cupcake pan, cover it with a kitchen towel and let them half proof for about 20-30 minutes. 
  9. In the meantime; Preheat the oven to 170°C.
  10. After 30 minutes, you will see that the dough noticeably puffy and increase the volume 40-50 percent. If you see from the sides, the top of the dough is more or less parallel with the top surface of the pan.
    Now you can start adding the detail (while we adding the details the dough will continue to rise, so try to finish them as soon as possible):
    – Roll some plain dough for the Bear’s ears and then the center of her face
    – Using some dark brown dough to create the inner part of the ears, her tiny nose, two little eyes and mouth.
    – A bit of pink dough for her shy cheek
  11. After finish with all the details, you can check whether the buns is fool proof; if you press the dough then the indentation slowly springs back half-way, that means the dough is well proved and ready to bake.
  12. Bake them in the preheated 170°C oven; turn on your alarm and check them out right after 10 minutes baking. Do not over bake, if they are too dark they won’t look good on your burger. Once it’s done, take it out from the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.


SWEET POTATO FRIES

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. If you leave the skin on, make sure that you wash and scrub them well before you cutting or cooking it; pat them dry.
  3. Cut the fries; I recommend a width between 1/4- and 1/2-inch.
  4. In a large bowl whisk the egg whites until foamy, add a bit of vegetable oil and coat the fries (this egg whites mixture acts as a binding agent so all the spices will stick well to the fries).
  5. Toss the sweet potatoes with the rest ingredients (salt, pepper and spices).
  6. Place the fries on parchment lined baking sheets (try not to overlap the fries for even baking). Bake them for 20 minutes.
    After 20 minutes, flip the fries; return to the oven and bake it for another 15-20 minutes.
  7. Serve immediately.
    *The browner they are, the crispier they will be, but if they get really dark, they will be a bit hard because of the natural sugars of the sweet potatoes caramelizing. Oven may vary, So watch carefully.

PATTIES

  1. Season ground beef with all the ingredients; mix really well and divide it into 6 patties. 
  2. Place 1 portion of ground beef inside the 7 cm diameter ring; press the meat down, make sure it spread evenly.
    *You can shape the patty with your hands, I’m prefer to use ring mould, it really helps me to make my burgers look perfect like the ones you get in restaurants (some people use a lid from a jar as a mould, just make sure that you find a lid that is slightly bigger than the size of your burger bun coz shrinkage happens throughout the cooking process).
  3. Before you cook it, give a thumbprint indentation to the center of each patty (this will helps the patty hold its shape—rather than swelling).
  4. Over medium heat, cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. The best way to tell when it’s done is by using a thermometer without splitting the middle; cook until a thermometer reads 160°F.
    *Don’t forget to fry your onion for toppings.

ASSEMBLY
Stack Orders :
1. The bottom of the bun
2. Juicy patty
3. A piece of sharp cheddar cheese
4. Tomato ketchup
5. Some grilled onion
6. A slice of tomato
7. A bunch of fresh lettuce
8. My beautiful wasabi sauce
9. The cute teddy bear head bun
10. And finally secure it with her pretty hair ribbon 

NOTES

  1. To store buns; in an airtight container 4 days in the fridge, 2 week in the freezer.
  2. To defrost the buns; pull the bag out of the freezer and leave it on the counter at room temperature (a single bun may need 15 to 20 minutes to defrost).
    Take out the buns from the bag and toast the buns in the preheated 180°C oven for 5-10 minutes, or just long enough to warm them through.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Princess Pandan Rose Mousse Cake


Hey Guys, how do you enjoy your afternoon tea?
My perfect afternoon tea is to have a cup of Cappucinno and a piece of my favorite buttercream layer cake.

A layered of soft cotton cake with rose mousse filling in between, covered and decorate with a silky smooth Italian Meringue Buttercream…here you will find a fanciful realm of enchanting sweet treats in these vintage style “Pandanus Rose Cake”.


I always fall in love with the vintage style buttercream cake with the piped ruffles and borders, it reminds me of my 1980’s birthday cake.

1.5cm – 2 cm Hot Water Bath 

This cake will be bake in a water bath. The benefit of water bath is that it will moderate the baking temperature and the cake texture will be very moist too.  

I love this Pandan Powder SO MUCH!

For the flavouring, you can use pandanus paste. I found this natural pandan powder is really great for baking. 


It’s adds natural green coloring and fresh pandanus aroma.


The cake is light and moist and not to sweet…


Paired with rose mouse filling inside so tasty and flavorful…


And this buttercream also so soft melts in your mouth…


For the mousse filling, I highly suggest to use this natural rose water rather than artificial one, you really can tell the difference.


I love to called it English Style Princess Birthday Cake ☺️ ! That enticing smell makes your mouth water.


Hm..mm this cake makes me so happy and I feel like a princess 👸


Enjoy your afternoon tea with this fluffy, fragrant Pandan Rose Layer Cake, I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did….

PANDAN ROSE MOUSSE CAKE
Yield: One 6 Inch Square Cake
Active time: 1 1/2 hours
Total time: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS
Rose Mousse Filling

  • 2/3 teaspoon Unflavoured Gelatine
  • 20 grams Water
  • 75 grams White Baking Chocolate (Compound or Couverture)
  • 30 grams Milk
  • 160 grams Heavy Cream
  • 5 grams Icing Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Beetroot Powder or Pink Food Colouring
  • 5 drops Pure Rose Water 


Pandan Sponge Cake

  • 85 grams All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon Double Acting Baking Powder
  • 60 grams Salted Butter
  • 60 grams Milk
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 100 grams Egg Yolks
  • 1 teaspoon Pandan Powder or Pandan Paste
  • 140 grams Egg Whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar or Lemon Juice
  • 60 grams Caster Sugar


Italian Meringue Buttercream

  • 160 grams Egg Whites
  • 300 grams Granulated Sugar
  • 180 grams Water
  • 150 grams Unsalted Butter
  • 420 grams Shortening
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • Green Food Colouring

INSTRUCTIONS
Rose Mousse Filling

  1. Bloom the gelatine by sprinkling it over cold water and let it stand for 5 minutes.
  2. Melt the white chocolate.
    Heat the bloomed gelatine and the milk in the microwave or on the stove (DO NOT BOIL).
  3. Add the hot milk into the melted chocolate, whisk vigorously to a smooth paste.
    Mix in the melted bloomed gelatine and whisk again until smooth.
  4. In another bowl, whip the heavy cream with the icing sugar until they reach medium firm peaks (don’t over whip it, else it will first turn grainy and then to butter).
  5. Take about 1/3 of the whipped cream to lighten the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the remaining cream.
  6. Add some beetroot powder and a few drops of rose water, mix until well combined. 
  7. Store in the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm up.


Pandan Sponge Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
    Line your pan with parchment paper (make sure you have enough parchment overhang to cover up the entire inside of the baking pan).
  2. Sift the flour and baking powder, set aside.
  3. For the Egg Yolk Batter
    Melt the butter until start to bubbly, take it off from the heat, add 2/3 of the flour mixture and keep stirring until smooth.
    Add the milk and vanilla extract, mix well
    Add the egg yolk and mix
    Pour in the last portion of flour mixture and mix until really smooth
    Add pandan powder, mix well; Set aside.
  4. For the Meringue
    In a large bowl (make sure your bowl is clean and grease free) whisk egg white until frothy, add the vinegar and continue to beat until foamy; gradually add in the sugar and whisk until firm peaks formed (the peak will hold and fold back slightly when you turn your whisk upside down).
  5. Add 1/3 of meringue to the egg yolk batter, mix well;
    And then pour the yolk batter to the rest meringue, fold gently in one circular motion until well incorporated.
  6. To Bake
    Pour the batter into a prepared pan (slowly and from about 30 cm high so that air bubbles burst as they flow out of bowl)
    Tap the pan against worktop 3-4 times to remove air bubbles.
    Wrap the bottom part of the pan with aluminium foil so that the water doesn’t get into the pan. 
    And for a Water Bath; place the cake pan within a larger pan and pour hot water into the outer pan until it comes up to a level of 1.5cm – 2 cm. 
    Place the whole thing in the oven and bake them in the preheated oven for 70 minutes.
  7. After 70 minutes, turn off the oven. Remove the water bath and return the cake into switched off oven to continue baking for another 10 minutes.
  8. Once it’s done, drop the pan at a height of 10 cm onto a table top (this will prevent cake from sinking). Unmould immediately, peel off the baking paper and re invert onto a rack to cool completely.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

  1. Place egg whites inside the stainless steel mixing bowl with the whisk attachment (make sure your bowl is clean and grease free).
  2. For the Sugar Syrup
    Pour the sugar and water in a large heavy bottom sauce pot; cook over high heat until the sugar dissolved and reaches 240°F.
    Always extra precautions while working with hot sugar syrups!
  3. For the Meringue
    As soon as the sugar mixture reached 240° F remove it from the heat; turn on the mixer to medium high speed to get the egg whites frothy and gaining volume.
    Once the egg whites are starting to get white in color, slowly and carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the whipping egg whites (try to avoid splashing the syrup onto the whisk attachment or you will be making spun sugar as it hits the sides of the metal bowl).
    Continue whipping until the mixture has cooled completely (mine takes for about 15 minutes) before you add the butter and shortening or you will have Butter soup!
  4. Once the meringue is cool to the touch, slowly add the butter and shortening, add in vanilla extract (the mixture will look as if it’s broken and curdled at first NO NEED to be panic this is natural, it will come back together eventually, just continue mixing until the mixture is smooth).
  5. Colour the buttercream with a bit of green food colouring.

ASSEMBLY THE CAKE

  1. Cut the cake into 3 even layers.
  2. Pour the mouse and buttercream into a pipping bag with a number 12 tip.
  3. Place the first layer on a cake board; pipe a double dam of buttercream all away around the cake (this dam is going to help the mousse filling from seeping out).
    Pipe the rose mousse in the center (you want to make sure that your filling is at the same height over your dam buttercream, so when you stack the layer it continues to stay even all the way up).
  4. Place the second layer, repeat the same process with the second layer.
  5. Place the last layer, cover it all with the buttercream. Decorate according to your preference.

NOTES

  1. For the cake; try to use room temperature egg whites, this will yield more volume.
  2. Over beating meringue may cause the cake to crack, while under beating will cause the cake to collapse or it may not rise much.
  3. Mousse made with whipped cream, so it must be kept refrigerated at all times. Store in an airtight container for up to 8 days.
  4. To store Italian Meringue Buttercream; 2 weeks in the fridge, 2 months in the freezer.
  5. To Defrost Buttercream
    Take it out several hours before you need it and let it get to room temperature.
    Then put it on the mixer on low speed and let it mix (it will look curdled at first, don’t be alarmed this is natural, it will come back together eventually). You can turn the speed up to medium high and it will mix out smooth.
  6. To store the final layer cake; Store in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to 3 days.

Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Doodle Icebox Cookies

Hi Guys, have you ever tried making icebox cookies? The cookie dough is shaped into a specific design, freeze until firm, then sliced and baked.

Yes you need to plan well for these and it is a little complicated task, but it’s a lot of fun making these! They also not overly sweet, hold their shape and bake up perfect every single time.

This shortening based cookie recipe is easy to make, it doesn’t require any dough chilling, easy to work with (as it’s melting point is higher than butter), so it doesn’t soften as quickly while you handle it.

I use superwhite powder from Sugarflair for white bright colour

You will need some food colouring to dye your cookie dough. Try to use natural dyes as much as possible such as cocoa powder for brown, beetroot for pink or matcha powder for green colour.

Make sure that you use a very sharp knife

And while this dough doesn’t technically have to be chilled, chilling it can make it easier to cut out more intricate shapes and transfer them to your baking sheet.

Slicing the first piece is always so exciting! I get a little nervous, too 😥.
Look at that awwwwww!!! 🤣😱🤗

Don’t forget to chill the cookies in the fridge for about 30 minutes before baking to maintain the details, and don’t forget rotating your pans halfway through baking.
When bake, leave at least 1-inch of spare in between the cookies, the dough won’t spread but will puff a bit.

Don’t throw the dough scraps, you can definitely reuse it. Roll and cut them with your favorite cookie cutter, I love to shape them with this tiny flower shape tart mould as a decoration.

The baking time will vary depending on the size, bake the cookies until the the bottom edges are just lightly browned. We don’t want overcooked the cookies as the colour detail is really crucial.
When take out from the oven,cool them on the baking sheets for 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

And for the details and outline, I choose royal icing coz it sets a little bit harder and it’s pretty simple.
Royal icing is all about consistency, so depending on how you want to decorate yours, for example, this cookies I will go with the thicker consistency for more of lining things out.

No. 1 round noozle

I suggest to use no. 1 round noozle for this delicate details and you can use small damp brush to correct the details.

Look how cute they are! 🥰

Arh…SUPER cute!

Around these holiday season, is there anything more iconic than these cute doodle icebox cookies?

You can make many people smile with these cookies!
They are perfect for casual gifts for your friends. Wrap them into a beautiful box or maybe in a homemade bag, like this.

The cookies are crispy on the outside, not overly sweet and not too hard in the inside.
Hmm.mmm so yummy !!!
These cookie may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

I hope that you enjoy the recipe and have some beautiful moments with your family in this lovely season!
💗 LOVE YOU ALL💞

DOODLE ICEBOX COOKIE
Yield: 24 pieces
Active time: 3 1/2 hours
Total time: 6 hours

🌿 Cookie Dough
170 g Shortening
200 g Granulated Sugar
50 g Whole Eggs
2 tbs Milk
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
380 g All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Double Acting Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Food Colouring (Pink, Turquoise, White, Brown)

🌿 Royal Icing
120 g Icing Sugar
3 tsp Milk
1 tsp Light Corn Syrup or Honey
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
Food Colouring (Black, Pink, Turquoise)

INSTRUCTIONS
🌿 Cookie Dough

  1. Cream the shortening and sugar together until well combined for about 3 minutes (there are gonna be much fluffier when you’re done).
  2. Add in the eggs, along with milk and extract. Mix until all that liquid is well incorporated into the butter and sugar.
  3. Add the sifted dry ingredients; the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well (the mixture will be a little bit crumbly at first, but keep mixing and it will come together just fine). Note: To get a flakey and snappy cookies, don’t overwork this mixture; you’re kind of just incorporating the flour.
  4. This cookie dough is ready to use (it doesn’t require any dough chilling), colour your cookie dough and to shape it ~ kindly follow instructions according to the video.
  5. Store the completed cookies in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
  6. Cut the frozen cookies for about 5 mm thick (make sure that you use a very sharp knife), place it on a baking try and then store them in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking (to maintain the details).
  7. Bake them in the preheated 160°C oven (baking time will vary depending on the size); and don’t forget rotating your pans halfway through baking.
    * Bake the cookies until the the bottom edges are just lightly browned (don’t overcooked the cookies as the colour detail is really crucial).
  8. When take out from the oven,cool them on the baking sheets for 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

🌿 Royal Icing

  1. Simply combine all the ingredients together. You do wanna work a little bit quickly with royal icing coz it will sets hard or else cover it with clingwrap.
    *Note: If it’s too runny, add some icing sugar and if it’s too thick, add the amount of milk 1/4 teaspoon at a time until you reach the desire consistency.
  2. Colour it, transfer to a piping bag and then draw the outline . Use a damp brush to correct the details.

🌿 Notes
Baked cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Make sure to let the icing fully harden before stacking the cookies. It also freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw to room temperature before serving.

Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Filled Buns)


Char Siu Bao 叉烧包 considered as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Dim Sum” in China. Compared to regular Chinese buns, Char Siu Bao has distinctly different fragrance and texture and also sweeter taste.


This steamed buns is one of the essential Dim Sum that really brings my childhood memories.
The Soft, fluffy steamed buns filled with Chinese BBQ pork (Char Siu Pork) and the slurry sweet and savoury Char Siu Sauce.


Unlike the other common recipe that needs 2-3 days, this recipe only takes less than 24 hours to make it.
The following diagram is a guide so you can get the idea how’s the process and what we need to prepare to make these beautiful buns.

Diagram the Process of Char Siu Bao Making

It’s very important to choose the right flour and leavening agent, otherwise the buns won’t rise well and white bright in colour

This recipe has been through so many trial and error. After some testing and tweaking, 
I found that the key to a snowy white buns is this unbleached cake flour,

Unbleached Cake Flour that I used in the recipe

a good brand of double acting baking powder,

Make sure that you use “Double Acting Baking Powder”

and also special leavening agent called Ammonium Bicarbonate that helps the buns crack to the tops.

Be careful when adding this type of leavening, make sure that you measure it correctly; too much Ammonia will cause an extremely intense unpleasant ammonium smell in the dough

This chemical compound releases a large amount of carbon dioxide gas when heated
forcing the dough to crack open

Some recipes state that it’s crucial to use natural sourdough; but when testing, I found that instant yeast is easier with similar results.

Slurry Char Siu Sauce for the Filling

The filling of these buns consist of Char Siu Pork and slurry Char Siu Sauce.
Some people called it a slurry, some people call it a sauce, but whatever you called it, it’s the star of the show; and it’s what makes Char Siu Bao, “Char Siu Bao”.

Look how beautiful this Char Siu Pork!

One of the things that makes Char Siu Pork so tasty is a rich Marinade Sauce.
You can use store bought but I found creating your own marinade sauce makes the pork richer, smokier and more aromatic.

Some people use either shoulder, butt or neck part; it really depends on personal preference.
I’m prefer pork belly because it was the best part, they are more juicy and less likely to dry out.

I use baking pan and cooling rack on top for roasting
Line baking pan with some grease proof paper to prevent the sugar residue stick to the pan

There are also a few ways to roasting the pork. I found the simple and easy way to cook your pork is to roast it in the oven. Just get creative – the air should be able to circulate underneath the pork.


The steamed foreskin is just soft and smooth, and slightly cracks to reveal the barbecue stuffing, sending out the smell of barbecue.


The filling is luscious, sweet and delicious; juicy and sweet bbq pork is wrapped in soft and pillowy Chinese steamed buns.


These looks really addictive with such a flavourful filling nestled in the soft, pillowy bun. You won’t be able to forget this feeling and will crave it all the time.
I hope that you enjoy the recipe!

CHAR SIU BAO
Yield: 6 pieces
Active time: 4 hours
Total time: 19-20 hours

INGREDIENTS
Mother Dough

  • 25 g Unbleached Cake Flour
  • 1/6 tsp Instant Yeast
  • 20 g Water


Barberque Pork

  • 250-300 g Pork Belly
  • 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
  • 2 tbs Ginger (Minced)
  • 4 tbs Green Onion (Chopped)
  • 300 ml Water
  • 2 tbs Rice Wine
  • 1½ tbs Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce

  • 5 Star Anise
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 2 Cardamom Pods
  • 6 Whole Cloves
  • 2 Liqorice Root
  • 1 Luo Han Guo (Monk Fruit)
  • 1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
  • 25 g Rock Sugar
  • 1/2 tbs Liquid from Red Bean Curd
  • 1½ tbs Red Miso Paste
  • 1/2 tsp Red Yeast Rice Powder or Paprika Powder
  • 1½ tbs Honey
  • Additional Light Soy Sauce for Marinate


Basting Sauce
Equal part honey and marinade sauce


Starter Dough

  • 24 g Mother Dough
  • 72 g Unbleached Cake Flour
  • 42 g Water


Slurry Sauce (for the filling)

  • 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
  • 1/4 Onion (Chopped)
  • 2 Scallion (Chopped)
  • 40 ml Water
  • 1/2 tbs Light Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 tsp Red Miso Paste
  • 3/4 tbs Sweet Soy Sauce
  • 1 ½ tbs Caster Sugar
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Sesame Oil
  • 1/2 tbs Corn Starch
  • 1/2 tbs Unbleached Cake Flour
  • 1/2 tbs Potato Starch
  • 30 ml Water


Final Dough

  • All Starter Dough (138 g)
  • 50 g Caster Sugar
  • 10 g Water
  • 1/5 tsp Ammonium Bicarbonate
  • 1/5 tsp Baking Soda
  • 80 g Unbleached Cake Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
  • 1⅔ tsp Double Acting Baking Powder
  • 6 g Shortening

INSTRUCTIONS
DAY 1 (7:00 p.m.)

Mother Dough

  1. Simply mix the Unbleached Cake Flour, instant yeast and water; stir until just combined.
  2. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap, store it at warm place (68-72°F/ 20-22°C), and then let the dough ferment for 12 hours.


Marinade Sauce

  1. Fry the ginger and green onion with some vegetable oil for about one to two minutes until they’re fragrant but definitely not burnt.
  2. Pour in the water along with rice wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and all the herbs and spices. Bring the mixture to boil, let it simmer until the mixture reduce to about half cup.
  3. Strain the mixture to remove all the herbs and spices; pour the liquid back into the saucepan.
  4. Add the rest ingredients into the liquid; ginger powder, rock sugar, liquid from red bean curd, red miso paste and red yeast rice powder.
    Cook over medium low heat until the sugar melted, once the sugar dissolved, turn off the heat, add in the honey, and stir until well combined.
  5. Pour the sauce into a jar or container and then store it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. 


Marinate the Pork

  1. Wash the pork, wipe off all the excess water with a paper towel, poke both sides of the pork with meat tenderizer (you can use either fork or a few skewers, that’s also works well). The holes will help the marinade sauce seep into the pork.
  2. Place the pork belly into a ziplog bag or a container, add 3 parts marinade sauce and 1 part light soy sauce.
    Seal the bag and do a little massage to make sure the marinade sauce is even and then store it in the fridge for at least 4 hours (max 12 hours).

DAY 2 (7:00 a.m.)
Starter Dough
After 12 hours, our mother dough is ready, you can see so many small bubbles and smell a bit sour.
Please note that for 1 batch of the recipe, we only use 24 g of the mother dough, you can throw the rest.

  1. Add the flour and water to the 24 g of the mother dough, mix until it forms a dough ball.
  2. Grease the bowl with a little bit of vegetable oil, place the dough inside the bowl, Cover with a cling wrap and then store it back to the warm place (68-72°F/ 20-22°C) for about 6-8 hours.


Roast the Pork

  1. Preheat the oven to 130°C .
  2. Line baking pan with some grease proof paper (to prevent the sugar residue stick to the pan), place a cooling rack on top of the baking pan.
    Just get creative – the air should be able to circulate underneath the pork.
  3. Place the pork on a roasting tray and then roast it for 1 hour
    Keep flipping and basting every in 15 minutes (the basting sauce was simply equal parts honey and Marinade Sauce).
  4. Once it’s done, brush the pork one more time with vegetable oil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting


Slurry Sauce (For the Filling)

  1. To begin, we have to make the scallion oil;
    In a pan combine vegetable oil, onion and scallion on medium heat; fry for about one to two minutes until fragrant and then take out the onion and scallion.
    Don’t throw the delicious scallion and onion, you can add later to your dishes.
  2. Pour in some water into the scallion oil along with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, red miso paste, sweet soy sauce, sugar, salt and sesame oil (let it simmer for 1 minute).
  3. To thicken the sauce; in a small bowl combine corn starch, cake flour, potato flour and water (make sure that you mix it really well before you pour it to the mixture ).
    Pour thickening into the simmering mixture, continue stirring until the mixture is thicken and a bit translucent.
    Take it off from the heat, pour the mixture into a bowl, cover it with a cling wrap and then keep it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up (preferably 2 hours).


Combine the Filling
The ratio for the filling is equal part Char Siu Pork and slurry Char Siu Sauce.
After 2 hours in the fridge the consistency of slurry Char Siu Sauce turned similar to jelly.
Thinly slice the pork and remove the tough skin (you can keep some for your delicious Char Siu Rice). Coarsely chop the rest, combine it with slurry sauce and mix it really well.
Cover with a cling wrap and store this pork filling in the fridge while waiting for the final dough.


DAY 2 (1:00 P.M.)
Final Dough
After for about 6 hours you can see the starter dough has a lot of bubbles and it’s doubling in size.
This bubbly sponge texture is carbon dioxide produced by the yeast which makes the buns very soft.

  1. Add the sugar and water into the starter dough; mix well.
    After a couple minutes of mixing, the sugar will ‘melt’ into the dough and it should be more liquid-y.
  2. Add baking soda and Ammonium Bicarbonate (this chemical compound releases a large amount of carbon dioxide gas when heated forcing the dough to crack open).
    Please note: Be careful when adding this type of leavening, make sure that you measure it correctly. 1/5 tsp is about less than ¼ tsp (too much Ammonia will cause an extremely intense unpleasant ammonium smell in the dough).
    Mix for about 1-2 minutes (it’s really important that ammonium and baking soda is completely mixed with the dough); “Take your time, don’t rush this part”.
  3. Add the sifted Unbleached Cake Flour, Cream of Tartar and Baking Powder; mix well.
    Gather all small crumb, be careful not to over-knead the dough, you’re just looking for the dough to come together and stop sticking.
  4. Finally, add in the shortening and knead until just combined
  5. Cover the dough with a cling wrap for about 5 minutes to relax the gluten and don’t forget to preheat your steamer. 

Wrapping the Bao

  1. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces (it’s about 50 g each).
  2. Take 1 portion of the dough, press into a thick disc.
    Grab the dough with your left hand and rolling pin on the other hand, using rolling pin roll up and back, flatten the edges of the dough while turn the dough a little by little (flatten the edges of the dough to a 10 cm circle); the center part should be slightly thick.
  3. Add about 30 gr of the pork filling to the center of the dough.
  4. Pinch one side of the dough and then pleat the dough around the filling in a circular motion while using your left hand thumb lightly pressing the filling downwards.
    Once you get to the end, press with force and pinch at the top of the bun to make sure everything is well sealed “kindly watch the video for more details“.
  5. Place each buns onto an individual greaseproof paper (always cover the buns with a plastic wrap to prevent the skin from dying out).


Steaming
Place the buns into the preheated steamer;
Over high heat, steam the buns immediately for about 10-12 minutes.
Take it off from the heat and serve immediately.

NOTES

  1. I highly recommend to use bamboo steamer because it doesn’t collect condensation, so you never have to worry about water dripping onto your buns.
    If you’re using metal or plastic steamers, I suggest to cover the lid with a piece of cloth, to absorb the condensation during steaming; otherwise the dropping water could affect the look of your buns.
  2. Char Siu Bao crave high heat, NEVER ever open the steamer lid during the steaming process else it won’t rise perfectly.
  3. Some people claims that add vinegar to the steaming water will make buns whiter,
    I personally didn’t find that method is useful.
  4. The best taste and texture of Char Siu Bao, serve them straight out of the baskets while they’re steaming hot.
    If there are any left, put them in an airtight container/bag and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or 1 month in the freezer.
  5. To reheat; Steam for 5-10 minutes or microwave for 1-2 minute.