Glutinous Rice Balls with Red Bean Paste

Whenever mom or dad goes to the chinese bakery for some bread, they would also pick up a few glutinous rice balls -- the "no mai chee". Just thinking about the chewy texture when you bite into it and the peanut and sugar filling falling off he sides of your mouth. And don't forget the coconut flakes. Makes my mouth water...oops.

As I searched through the internet, I found a recipe that used red bean paste instead of the peanut/sugar filling. I know Dickens enjoys the red bean dessert (hung dao sa), so, I decided to give a try.

Glutinous Rice Balls with Red Bean Paste Centre

Rice ball layer

• 1 1/4 cup of glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of milk (or coconut milk -- this would probably make it taste better)
• shredded sweetened coconut for rolling rice ball

Red Bean Paste

• 1/2 red beans (washed and soaked for 3 hours)
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• rock sugar to taste -- you should taste for your preferred sweetness

Method
To make the rice ball layer, mix well rice flour, sugar and milk. You will make a wet paste like dough. Using a flat plate (makes the steaming time shorter), brush some vegetable oil unto the plate to prevent the dough from sticking when it is done. Pour batter into the plate. And steam for about 30 minutes. To check if it done, use chopsticks and poke the dough, if the dough does not stick to the chopstick then it has fully cooked thru. Test a few areas to make sure.

Set aside and let cool before using.

Red Bean paste
Boil the red beans until soft and grainy/sand like in the water. This means that the red bean has broken up and the bean has incorporated much into the water. Then add the rock sugar. Boil until the sugar has dissolved completely and let cool. Water should have reduced enough to form a thick porridge consistency. Cooking time should about 1 hour. But only use as a rough guideline. Time can vary depending if you soaked the beans. I didn't so, the cooking time was 1.5 hours to soften and for beans to break.

Set aside and let cool before using.

Rice dough preparation
Roll the dough into a long roll then rip into 12 equal pieces. Then roll one into your hand into a ball then using your thumb to start making a round disk by pinching the middle and working your way outwards. Dough should resemble a flat circle. Place the red bean past in the centre and then fold the sides up to enclose the filling. Final shape should be a ball. Roll the ball into the coconut flakes and then place in paper muffin cups.

For a new twist to this chinese dessert, use cookie cutter shapes. After the ball has rolled in the coconut flakes, press the ball into the cookie cutter (I like the heart) and you get heart shape glutinous rice dessert.

Guarantee to sweet anyone's heart.

Refreshing "Ice"Tea

The forecast called for high temps for today. I decided to make a popular Singapore treat that quenches the thirst and have tons of health benefits for you. It is a Chrysanthemum Tea Slushie. Ok, maybe not that popular in slushie form. I was intending on making the flower tea into jello but my ratio of tea to gelatin was way off. The jello never set after being in the fridge over night. So, I used my head -- which sometimes works, and put it in the freezer. Every hour, I would use a fork to scrape the ice and the eventually, I got my chrysanthemum tea ice.

Chrysanthemum ICED Tea

1.5 L of water
handful of dried chrysanthemum flowers (rinsed)
1 piece of rock sugar the size of half your palm -- but you can adjust the sweetness to your preference
1 tbsp of honey

1. Bring water to a boil
2. Add flowers and bring to a boil
3. Steep for 1 hour.
4. Use a strainer and pour tea into another container -- square cake pans would work
5. Let cool completely before putting in freezer.
6. After freezing for 1.5 hour, use a fork and scrape. Put it back in the freezer. Repeat every hour until all liquid has become ice.
7. Scoop and serve.

DIM SUM Lesson 1 - the Siu Mai

Last night, I decided to make dinner a little more extraordinary. DIM SUM. What? Dim sum is usually a morning or brunch thing but for dinner? Of course, this extends the meaning of ALL DAY BREAKFAST we are all accustom to. So why not with dim sum?

My menu:

Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai*
Glutinous rice with lap cheong, shiitake mushrooms and chinese parsley
Vegetable Chow Mein noodles

*see recipe and photo

Once again, I found the siu mai recipe online but I had to modify it because I knew what taste and texture I was looking for in a siu mai. The seasoning can be adjusted if you like a more robust flavour otherwise, the current measurements give an adequate taste for your tastebuds.

TIP - to make meat softer to the bite, add some water to the meat and mix well. It should be close to a paste than pieces of ground meat.

Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai (Shao Mai)
Makes 25 pieces
1/2 package wonton wrappers, round**
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound shrimp, deveined and finely chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
1/3 cup of water

Garnish: Orange roe or 1 small quarter of a carrot, minced or some green peas
**If all you have on hand is square wonton wrappers, stack about 10 together at a time, place a round cookie cutter or drinking glass on top as a guide, and slice into square with a small knife.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the pork, shrimp, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, salt, pepper and water. Spoon a heaping teaspoon into the center of a wonton wrapper. Lightly brush the sides of the wrapper with egg wash. Squeeze the sides up until the wrapper forms a cup, tucking in the sides and leaving the filling exposed on top. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers. Garnish with orange roe/chopped carrots or 2 peas.
Line a large bamboo steamer with parchment paper. Fit steamer in a wok and fill water until 1/2-inch below bottom of the steamer. Steam for 12 to 15 minutes, until filling is firm to the touch. Serve hot. Optional condiments: soy sauce, chili sauce, chili oil.
For better texture, use a fattier type of ground pork.

Welcome to my New Blog

Welcome..welcome to my newly created blog just for those who enjoy reading about food and recipes. I have named this blog as Cooking Adventures - DIM (which stands for Do-It-Myself) because I wanted a blog dedicated to what I love to write and do -- trying new recipes or sharing a tastey experience.

If only Blogs can incorporate a "smell" button then you will not only see my success and failures but also give your nose a sniffing addiction or NOT. However, I will try to keep this as a joyful experience as much as I can.