Bread Rolls with Pork Floss and Spring Onion / 肉松葱花面包卷

Starch gelatinization is a process that breaks down the intermolecular bonds of starch molecules in the presence of water and heat, allowing the hydrogen bonding sites (the hydroxyl hydrogen and oxygen) to engage more water. Starch begins to gelatinize between 60C and 70C, the exact temperature depends on the specific starch. For example, different starches exhibit different granular densities, which affect the ease with which these granules can absorb water.

#Dough:	#Filling:
282 g All-purpose flour 15 g Milk powder 10 g Fresh yeast 6 g Salt 30 g Sugar 60 g Egg 65 ml Warm water 75 g Water Roux Starter through starch gelatinization 45 g Butter, softened and cubed	5 tbsp Pork floss 2 tbsp Chopped onions 1 tbsp Seaweed crumbs 1 tbsp Sesame seeds 2 tbsp Mayonnaise light

1. Add all dough ingredients, except butter, in a mixing bowl fixed with a dough hook and beat at slow speed for 1 minute. Switch to the medium speed, and continue to beat for 3 minutes until a dough forms. Cut in butter gradually and mix for approx. 5 minutes until gluten is fully developed, i. e. elastic, smooth, non-sticky and leaves from sides of mixing bowl.
   
   
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently punch down the dough to expel the air. Let rest for 15 minutes. Roll and shape the dough into 30cmx40cm rectangle to fit the baking tray. Cover and let rise in warm place for 40 minutes.
   
   
3. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Combine pork floss and seaweed crumbs. Use the tines of a fork to prick the top of dough, then brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with chopped onions and sesame seeds and bake for about 15 minutes.
   
   
4. Gently invert the bread on a parchment paper. Thinly spread with mayonnaise and cut a few slits at one edge of the bread. Be careful to cut the slits half-way through the bread only. This increases the flexibility of bread roll-up. Sprinkle with the pork floss mixture and roll up while still warm. Cut the bread into the sections to your desired length after 30 minutes. Spread the cutting sides with some mayonnaise and pork floss.

The pork that wasn't

It pains me that the recipe that inspired this blog was by my favourite cook, Nigella Lawson. Love her as I do, she led me a merry dance with her 24-hour slow-cooked aromatic pork shoulder. (Nigella Bites, p. 211)

I did everything she told me to and the meat came out a bone-dry, tough chewy lump of sadness. What did I do wrong?

Stir-fried Eggplants with Chillies

A little while ago, when I saw this spicy eggplant stir-fry from one of my favourite foodie blogs: The Little Teochew, who has a large selection of delicious recipes. I knew I would love a vegetable dish like this too. So I have decided giving it a try last weekend. Since there are just dried chillies and cherry tomatoes in my pantry, I have changed the recipe a little bit, but the eggplant dish still tasted very delicious with some steamed white rice.

500 g Eggplants 7 Cherry tomatoes 3 clove Garlic 2 Shallots

3 Dried chillies Salt and sugar to taste Oil for frying Chopped spring onions and shallot fritters for garnish (optional)

1. Finely chop the garlic cloves, shallots and chillies. Place them in a bowl. Dice the tomatoes and add into the garlic mixture. Set aside. Cut the eggplants into thick strips. Heat some oil in a frying pot. Lower the eggplant strips into the hot oil and fry they have turned light golden. Remove and drain off excess oil.
   
   
2. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet, stir-fry the tomato mixture until aromatic. Return the fried eggplant into the skillet, seasoning with salt and sugar to taste, and then stir all the ingredients until combined. Dish up and garnish it with chopped spring onions and crisp fried shallots if desired. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Stir-fried Beech Mushrooms with Salted Egg Yolks

Beech mushroom, or Shimeji (Hypsizygus tessellatus or Hypsizygus marmoreus) is a common variety of mushroom available in most markets in Japan. It has a small cap with crowded, round spots, and usually grows in clusters. Firm textured, this mushroom is considered one of the most "gourmet" of the Oyster-like mushrooms. Recently, this mushroom has been attributed to having anti-cancer properties.

• 40 g Beech mushrooms, dried
  
  
• 2-3 Salted egg yolks, cooked
  
  
• 2 tbsp Egg
  
  
• 2-3 tbsp Cornstarch
  
  
• 1/2 tsp Salt
  
  
• 2 tsp Sugar
  
  
• Oil for frying

1. Rinse the beech mushrooms and boil them in a pot of salted water for about 3-5 minutes. Remove, drain and place them in a bowl. Add in egg and cornstarch. Stir until combined.
   
   
   
2. Heat up a skillet with enough oil until very hot. Fry the beech mushrooms until golden. Remove and drain on the kitchen paper. Leave a little of frying oil in the skillet, add in salted egg yolks, and season with salt and sugar. Crumble the egg yolks in the skillet, then return the fried beech mushrooms to the skillet, tossing until well blended.

Last, but not the least, I want to thank Shubha@munchcrunchandsuch giving me this fabulous award.

Semolina Mango Quark Cake

Quark is a fresh cheese of East European origin. It is soft, white and un-aged similar to fromage frais. It is not the same thing as cream cheese or cottage cheese. Quark is often used in sandwiches, salads, and cheesecake in Germany.


Recipe source: Frießinger Mühle

4 Egg yolks 50 g Butter 500 g Magerquarkangiesrecipes 100 g Semolina 1/3 tsp Baking powder 1/4 tsp Baking soda

100 g Sugar Juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon 300-350 g Canned mango, drained 4 Egg whites 30 g Almond, chopped (optional)

1. Beat sugar and butter until you until you've got a smooth mixture. Beat in egg yolks until creamy and smooth. Add in quark and lemon juice and stir until well-combined.
   
   
2. Mix semolina, baking powder and baking soda and add to the butter-quark mixture. Whip the egg whites until they are stiff. Fold into the batter. Carefully add in mango.
   
   
3. Spread the batter into an 8-9 inch greased baking tin and sprinkle almonds on top. Bake at 190C/375F for about 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Nutella Swiss Roll

This Swiss roll consists of a tray of pumpkin chiffon, which is rolled up and spread with Nutella. You can't really go wrong with Nutella.

Nutella is like peanut butter, except better. It is a chocolate-hazelnut spread great for bread, fruit, crackers, and or Anything!

It was first created in 1940 by the Ferrero company, now famous for their Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

The hazelnuts were used originally as a filler because during Nutella’s first production, cocoa was difficult to come by. Nutella was first manufactured in loaves, which then could be sliced and spread on bread to make sandwiches. The spread was first called “Supecrema gianduja,” but then it was named Nutella in 1964.

60 g German #405 flourangiesrecipesr 60 g Finely ground almondangiesrecipes 2 g Baking powder 20 g Caramel syrupangiesrecipes 70 g Milk 70 g Safflower oil 120 g Pumpkin pureeangiesrecipes, roasted and pureed

4 Eggs 60 g Caster sugar Pinch of salt 1/3 tsp Lemon juice 80 g Nutella angiesrecipes

1. Line a 30x40-cm baking tray with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Sift flour, ground almond and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, whip together the caramelized sugar syrup, milk, and safflower oil until the mixture is emulsified Add in pumpkin puree and flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Add in egg yolks and fold until smooth.
   
   
2. Beat egg whites with salt and lemon juice over low speed until frothy and foamy. Gradually add in sugar, increase speed and beat until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold 1/3 of egg white mixture into flour mixture to lighten it and then carefully fold in remaining whites.
   
   
3. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tray and spread the surface even. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove, cool briefly, and invert the cake onto a new parchment paper. Carefully peel off the baking paper and trim the edges of cake. Spread the surface with nutella and roll it up. Chill for about 1 hour and slice.

Pumpkin Sesame Fritters with Maple Syrup

This is a super easy yet yummy recipe for making pumpkin sesame fritters as an afternoon snack along with a pot of hot Oolong tea or a glass of sparkling wine.

Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C.

References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was changed by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion." American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin."

• 200 g Pumpkin pureeangiesrecipes
  
  
• 50 g All-purpose flour
  
  
• 1 tbsp Maple syrupangiesrecipes (or honey)
  
  
• Black and white sesame

1. Mix pumpkin puree with flour and maple syrup to make a soft ball.
   
   
2. Divide it into 10 portions, and shape each of them into a ball. Using the palm of your hand, press each piece into a flat pancake and coat with sesames.
   
   
3. Deep fry in hot oil over the medium heat until toasty brown. Serve hot.
   
   

Here I want to thank Palidor@Crazy Asian Gal sharing this award with me.