Christmas and New Year!

I welcomed the new year with a cold....

Since Christmas, I had been busy with cleaning and cooking, getting ready for Shogatsu (New Year Celebration).  Of course, before that, I got a little busy with Christmas celebration.  Although, we don't really make that a big celebration, we still managed to bake a cake and roast ducks. :p

The preparation for the cake was rather tedious...since I decided to make Mont Blanc.  A chestnut cream cake which I absolutely love while staying in Kobe, Japan.  I had been craving for this cake for a while no.  Where I am at now, there is no way for me to even buy Mont Blanc.  That is what I get for staying in a small town....hahaha!!!

Anyway, I finally made my husband to look up the recipe for maron cream so that I can make it myself.  I attempted making it before Christmas, just so, I can experiment with it a little.  The cream didn't turn out the way I like, or I should say it didn't turn out the way it was sold in cake shops in Kobe.  Hahaha.....

But for the second try, which was the one I made for Christmas, it actually turned out quite well.  I wouldn't go as far as saying that it was like the ones I had in Kobe, but it was close enough to satisfy my cravings for a while....hehehe!!!

With maron cream at hand, I baked genoise (sponge cake), whipped up some cream and sweetened a few chestnuts, and I was ready to dress my cake.

Here is the end result:

Kaya Puffs

Today, I decided to make a delicacy from my country, kaya puffs.  This was my first attempt making this scrumptious pastry.  It is semi circle pastry centered with caramelized coconut custard.

One bite, the soft and crusty pie-like pastry crumbles and melts in your mouth before the sweet and nutty flavor of the custard permeates the taste buds.  Well, at least this is how it was supposed to be like.

I set out to make this wonderful pastry full of confidence.  I have the recipe in hand and all the ingredients ready....it shouldn't be that hard.  So, I knead and roll the dough to my desired shape and then came the wrapping.  From the picture in the recipe book, the edges of the pastry was pinched into a pattern.  Now, since it was my first time....I didn't get that same look when I pinched and folded the edges.

Ahh....it actually look hideous.  But I baked them anyway.  To my surprise, it turn out better than I expected.  So, I will be sharing this with some friends tomorrow. ;p

Kaya

Lately, I have been having cravings for kaya (caramelized coconut custard).  So, yesterday, I finally put my feet down and cracked my knuckles and got all the ingredients I needed to make KAYA.

Of course, I didn't know the recipe, so using the usual custard recipe, I manipulated it in order to make kaya.  Hahaha!!!  But then I started having second thoughts, so, I rushed to the computer to search for kaya recipe.  Haaa.....

I realized that most recipes used whole eggs, whereas I was using egg yolks (since I based it on custard recipe).  Anyway, after mixing three egg yolks with corn starch, I decided to add three additional whole eggs.  And since I had quite a lot of eggs now, I used the entire can of coconut milk (400 ml) I bought from the oriental store.  Right before I added the sugar, I suddenly remembered something my mom did---adding caramel into the mixture.  So, behaving like a mad scientist, I decided to add half of the 150 ml of sugar into the mixture and another half I melted it into caramel.

Then, thinking I was brilliant, I added the steaming hot caramel into my silky smooth custard.  An explosion like reaction occurred, followed by waff of steam.  By the time everything seemed to settle, I noticed my silky smooth custard looked like curdled custard.  I think my soul left me momentarily....

But I didn't want to give up my KAYA.  I refused to think my KAYA didn't make it.  I tried to resuscitate to its silky self using a sieve and a rubber spatula.  Through the sieve, I vigorously pushed all the curdled custard.  But at last, I only managed to make KAYA into rough looking custard.  It tasted good though.

Oh well, I guessed some life came back after all, but it was not in its top shape.  I will try better next time.

My ebook Change

I recently published an ebook titled Change in Kindle.  This was my first attempt publishing it.

The more I read my work, the more I think it has a feel of manga.  Hahaha!!!  Probably influence from reading too many manga.  I hate to admit it, but, I really think it can turn into a manga.  If my drawing is more consistent, I would probably try to draw it out.  Hahaha!!

Anyway, check it out in Amazon's Kindle.  Just type the key words, Change York Choo, that should do it.  Otherwise, try the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Change-ebook/dp/B004D4ZQQW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292893575&sr=8-1

I am excited with this book, in fact, I am currently working on a sequel which I hope to include more mystery and action to it.

Enjoy!

Uni

Uni or sea urchin is one of my favorite food.  I usually order this when eating sushi (mostly while in Japan.)  It is difficult to get good fresh uni here in Spokane.  Anyway, just recently we found a place in California that sells bottled uni.  Maruhide is the company that has been in uni business for over 30 years.  And we purchased 10 bottles from them just a few weeks ago.  Mmmm...mmmm....it was so good.

For those who had not tried uni, it has a creamy taste.  Sweet and tasty.  I like in as a sushi and on top of a bowl of sushi rice.  Hahaha...just thinking about it is making me salivate like Pavlov's dog.

I guessed it can't be helped.  I will have it tonight for dinner---uni don.

Huat Kuih

My Amah (grandma) always made huat kuih when we pray for our ancestors among other food.  Huat kuih, a steam cake flavored with brown sugar was one of my favorite.  My grandma always made sure she saved a portion of the cake for me to take home.  That is one of the sweetest memories I had growing up in Malaysia.

Yesterday, I suddenly felt like eating huat kuih.  I haven't had it for so long, it was making me drool just thinking of the sweet fragrant of the chewy cake.  I dug out the stack of recipes I had been compiling in pieces of papers.  I had been meaning to organize it, but of course I had told myself I will do that later.

Anyway, I finally found the recipe for huat kuih scribbled on a piece of scrap paper.  I was just glad I didn't loose it.  It was the recipe my grandma had used given by my aunt a few years back.

Immediately I set to work together with my daughter, measuring the ingredients and melting the coconut sugar to substitute for the brown sugar.  When I finally mixed all the ingredients together, the batter was somewhat like pancake batter.  I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be like that.  I regretted not watching or even learning from my grandma.  I guess when I was a kid, I was only interested in eating not the actual work itself.

Anyway, since I had already come this far.  I decided to continue to the very end. When the timer on the alarm beep signaling the completion of the steaming.  I rushed to see how the cake looked like.  To my satisfaction, it bloomed like morning glory greeting the morning sun, like it was supposed to be.  I was feeling rather proud.

However, it was still too hot for trying.  So, I am going to be patient and wait till the next morning before eating it.

Yesterday

Yesterday was a busy day.  I made gyoza for dinner.  The most tedious part about making gyoza was the cutting.  I always cut the vegetable myself rather than using a food processor.  Although, it didn't take a too long to cut the napa cabbage (I used napa instead of cabbage this time) into small pieces like before.  I guess my knife skill has improved slightly.  Hahaha...

In the meantime, I heat up some water to make hourensou shoyu (just spinach with soy).  The kids actually like spinach this way.

After adding green onions (it should be nira, but difficult to get where I am at), I had to salt it to remove the water from the vegetable.  I leave the vegetables to sweat for an hour or two, while I prepare other things.  I had some chicken breast out since I was planning on making general tso chicken for today.  After I marinate the chicken cubes into a ginger/garlic/soy sauce, I got ready to cut up gobo that had been sitting next to the sink for a while now.

I wanted to make the ingredient that goes into chirashizushi, so I started shredding them with the knife.  Then, I had to cut the carrots and takenoko so that I can stew them in a soy/sake/sake base sauce.

By the time I got back to the sweating vegetables it was almost dinner time.  I still haven't squeezed out the water or wrapped them up.  Not to mention the shrimp that I had to mince finely to add in.

Of course right when I was ready to wrap, my son complained that he was sleepy.  But the timing was really bad, so, I stopped working on the gyoza to give him a bath.  Maybe that will wake him up.  And it did.  I continued with the gyoza, realizing I had forgotten two ingredients, ginger juice and garlic.  I usually like to add in when I am using frozen shrimp.  So, by the time I finished the wrapping and ready to cook it was 7 pm, way behind my usual dinner time.  (I always try to have dinner around 6 or at least 6:30).

Oh well, when we actually sat down to eat it was 7:30 pm.  At least, everyone enjoyed the meal.  And that is what it is all about.  :)

Seriously, I was so busy, I didn't even get a chance to catch up with manga. Hahaha....