Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:
(A) Dough
250g bread flour (sifted)
150g lukewarm water
100g raisins
20g butter (room temperature)
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

(B) Paste for crosses
2 tbsp plain flour (sifted)
1/8 tsp castor sugar
20g plain water

(C)  Glaze
1 1/2 tbsp castor sugar
1 tbsp plain water
1 tsp gelatine powder

Methods:

1. In a mixing bowl, add bread flour, lukewarm water, instant yeast, castor sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg powder, use a spoon to slightly stir it until it form a sticky dough.
2. Use the dough hook of the stand mixer to beat the dough at medium-low speed for about 5 minutes.  Add butter and raisins and continue to beat using high speed for about 7 minutes until the dough is smooth and leaves the side of the mixing bowl.
3. Transfer the dough out to a lightly floured surface.  Shape round and let it proof until about double in size.  Cover with a wet towel during proofing.
4. After first proofing, punch the dough, lightly knead for 1 to 2 minutes and divide into 12 pieces of about 50-60 grams each.  Take one dough, shape round and transfer it to a lightly greased baking loaf. Repeat until all the dough is done.  Cover with a wet towel  and let it proof until double in size.
5. In a bowl put all the ingredients for crosses and stir until well mixed.  Transfer to a piping bag and set aside.
6. When proofing is done, pipe across the pastry on top of the proofed buns.  Bake in the preheated oven of 190 degree Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
7. While the bread is baking, mix the ingredients for glaze together, stir the mixture over a pot of boiling water until both gelatine and castor sugar have dissolved. Set aside for cooling.  Brush the glaze on top of the buns when the buns are baked.

I prepare these Hot Cross Buns 2 days before Good Friday.

This recipe is adapted from Food Bloggers and Foodies United by Sifu Kenneth Goh.

Kuih Momo

Kuih Momo, or commonly known as Kuih Makmur or Ghee Cookies are the favorite of many.  I too love this cookies but the bought ones never satisfy my taste buds.  Instead of 'melt-in-the-mouth' the textures are more to biscuits.  In regards to taste, I prefer it to be milky-ghee taste.  With my fussy taste buds I can't buy one that meets my requirement, so I need to bake it myself.  This is one recipe which meets all my taste bud's requirement, so I am sharing with all my readers out there....

Ingredients:
150g ghee
200g plain flour (sifted)
150g milk powder
pinches of salt
Adequate icing sugar for rolling the baked cookies

Methods:

1. Stir fry the flour in a pan for about 5 minutes under medium heat.  Cool and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl with ghee, add in plain flour, milk powder and salt.  Use your hand to lightly knead until the dough is well combined.  Let it rest/chill for half an hour in the refrigerator.  If you can handle the soft dough, this step is optional.
3. After resting/chilling, pinch the dough and shape into round balls.  The sizes of the balls depends on your preference.
4. Put the balls in a lined baking tray.  Repeat until all is done.  If the dough is too soft, chill again.
5. Bake in a preheated oven of 160 degree Celsius for 8 to 10 minutes.  When it is out of the oven, roll the cookies in a bowl of icing sugar.  You have to be careful as the balls are very hot and fragile.  Transfer the sugar dusted balls to paper baking liners and leave it for complete cooling.  When cooled store them in air tight container.

I've made these yummylicious cookies for CNY and it doesn't last long.  I baked another batch to satisfy my cravings.

This recipe is adapted from Kenneth Goh of "Food Bloggers and Foodies United."

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder (sifted)
1/2 tsp baking soda (sifted)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk

Methods:

1. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  
2. Stir in buttermilk and knead dough gently.
3. Roll out to 1/2" thickness.  Cut with a biscuit cutter and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
4. Bake in a preheated oven of 200 degree Celsius for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Tips: 

1. Cooled biscuits can be freeze in resealable plastic freezer bags.  To use, heat in a preheated oven of 170 degree Celsius for 15-20 minutes.
2. Serve this biscuits with spread of butter and your favorite jam.  

This recipe is adapted from 'Taste of Home' by Vera Reid, Laramie, Wyoming.

Sweet Potato Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:
280g plain flour (sifted)
1 tsp baking powder (sifted)
200g mashed purple sweet potato
113g unsalted butter (room temperature)
125g granulated sugar
125g light brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
Icing Sugar (for rolling and dusting cookies)

Methods:

1. In a bowl add plain flour and baking powder, and whisk to mix.
2. In a stand mixer, add butter and mashed sweet potato and mix using the paddle attachment, using medium speed until smooth and creamy.  Add in both sugars, salt and mix until combined.  Scrap the side of the mixing bowl halfway to make sure it gets everything.  Add in egg and continue to mix for another 2 minutes on speed.
3. Turn the speed to low, add in flour mixture and let it mix until combined.  The dough is very sticky at this point.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.  (I leave mine overnight).
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the cookie dough and roll it into a ball.  Generously roll it in icing sugar, place it on the baking sheet, leaving some space in between, and repeat with the rest, making sure that the size of the dough is consistent so that they bake evenly.
5. Bake in a preheated oven of 160 degree Celsius for about 20 minutes (baking time depends on individual oven).  The cookies appear soft when pull out from the oven, but they will toughen up a bit as they cool down.  The inside is still soft and gooey.
6. When cool store the cookies in an airtight container.  This cookies are best stored for a week.

Recipe adapted from "what to cook today" with slight amendments.

Homemade Pork Belly Char Siu/Chinese BBQ Pork

This is not my first homemade Char Siu recipe.  I always enjoyed trying out from other sources.  This is another successful Char Siu recipe using pork belly which I happily adapted.  I will continue to make this yummylicious Pork Belly Char Siu in my home kitchen to enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 slab pork belly (clean, remove skin, cut into 3 strips and pat dry with paper towel)

Marinade:

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp sweet dark soy sauce

1 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tbsp plum sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp hua tiaw cooking wine

1/2 tsp grounded white pepper

Methods:

1. In a bowl mix all the marinade ingredients and marinate the pork belly overnight.
2. Arrange the marinated pork belly with the marinade in the convention oven.  
3. Set the temperature to 190 degree Celsius and bake for about 1 hour, turning over after 30 minutes.  I use a skewer to test to make sure that the meat is soft and properly cooked.  To get the slight charred of the meat I let it baked for another 2 to 3 minutes.  
4. Off the heat, dish the meat onto a plate and let it rest for a while before slicing it.
5. Serve with your favorite vegetables on the side.

This recipe is adapted from "My Kitchen Snippets".  I adjusted the amount of recipes used as I am cooking a lesser portion as compared to the original recipe.

Pumpkin Waffles

Waffles can be served any time of the day - breakfast, tea time or as snacks and I even have them for lunch.  Let me share with you this recipe which uses pumpkin, which is my family's favorite food.  This recipe has a soft texture and can be easily warm up using an Oven Toaster.  I can eat it plain as the sweetness is "just nice" without additional drizzles of maple syrup or honey.  

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups plain flour (sifted)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (sifted)
1 tsp cinnamon powder (sifted)
1/4 tsp ginger powder (sifted)
1/8 tsp nutmeg powder (sifted)
1 cup buttermilk (I mix 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice)
1 cup pumpkin (cooked and mashed)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsp melted butter

Methods:

1. Combine plain flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, ginger powder and nutmeg powder in a bowl and stir to mix.
2. In another bowl combine buttermilk, pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs and melted butter and whisk to combine.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
4. Preheat waffle maker until hot, brush lightly some cooking oil and pour a ladle of mixture on both sides (I did not level the mixture), cover with the top portion of the waffle maker and let it cook. Cook for a longer time than the usual regular waffles.  Repeat until all is done.
5. Serve either hot or at room temperature; and eat it plain or drizzle any of your favorite syrup.

I adapted this recipe from juliasalbum.com