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Niña
​nin-ya

NIÑA ​ANINIAS

SHOP. COOK. EAT.
REPEAT.

Hot Bun - Char Siu Bao / Siopao I

8/1/2011

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Siopao is from the Chinese influence in my country. It's pretty much the same as Hong Kong hot buns. Obviously, we have to tweak it to our palate, which is also influenced by the Spaniards, thus the name, Sio-pao Asado :)

I always love siopao and buy it whenever I have the chance. So when I heard my cousins and sis-in-law proudly made one, I got inspired to try it myself.

It wasn't easy, I did made lots of booboos but I now know where I made my mistakes.

Tip 1: Make sure the meat you use is lean (this is my booboo). First, the fat will make your mixture oily. Second, when the fat disintegrates, there will not be enough meat to soak up the sauce, hence the end result will be on the salty side (another booboo).
Tip 2: 5 cups of all purpose flour is the starting point. You must add some more until you reach the right texture. You'll know when it is no longer sticky and it holds its shape. This is important so the crimps will stay as is until you steam your siopao. This is my other booboo, I was too impatient to wait for the right texture. So, when I crimped the sides, it merged instead of holding shape. The end result of my siopao became a smooth one instead of having the twisted rydges on top.
Tip 3: You can have your meat, pork, beef or chicken... can even use shrimp (though I haven't tried shrimp yet)
Tip 4: Make sure your yeast proof properly. Warm water means blood temperature. Not too hot and not too cold. If you can't put your finger in the water, then it's too hot.
Tip 5: Rest your dough in the oven (make sure it's not on). Place a hot water in a separate bowl next to it. This will help the dough rise faster.

Ingredients:
Dough:
2 cups warm water
2 1/2 tbsp sugar (to be added to the yeast)
2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar (to be added to the flour)
1 1/4 tbsp baking powder
6 tbsp lard

Filling:
910 grams meat, chopped into small pieces
3 tbsp lard
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp sugar
2.5 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce

Sauce:
1 beef broth cube
2 tbsp corn starch diluted in a 4 tblsps of cold water
1/4 cup diced onions
2 cloves diced garlic
Fresh ground black pepper
4 tbsps brown sugar
2 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt

Filling Procedure:
Heat the shortening in a pan. Saute the garlic and onions. Add the meat and cook until the colour turns light brown. 

Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce and sugar. Mix well and simmer for 30 minutes. Put in the corn starch diluted in cold water.

Continue cooking until the mixture becomes thick. Set aside to cool. 

Dough Procedure:
Proof your yeast by, adding yeast and sugar to your warm water in a bowl. Mix well. Rest for 10 to 15 minutes. The yeast mixture must bubble on top resembling a foam on a beer.

In another mixing bowl, put in the flour, baking powder, lard, sugar and the yeast mixture.

Knead the combined mixture until the texture of the dough becomes fine and less sticky. Cover your bowl with a wet towel and let it rest for at least an hour, to rise.

Knead the dough again then cut it into individual slices. Makes 20 individual slices.

Sauce Procedure:
Place 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Boil and add the beef cube, stir until fully dissolved.

Add onions, garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, ground black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Make sure to trap the steam by covering the saucepan. Add extra water if needed.

Add the constarch mixture, cook and stir until sauce becomes thick. Strain the liquid to get rid of the onion and other bits.

Transfer your sauce to a serving container.

Assemble and cook your Siopao:
Flatten the dough until a round shape is formed, first with your hand, then with a rolling pin.

Put the asado filling in the middle of the dough and wrap by pulling and crimping the sides together. Gather on top and twist it around.

Place the siopao on individually cut wax paper and cook them in a steamer for 15 minutes.

Serve hot with your home made sauce and enjoy!
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Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies

7/29/2011

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Baking cookies is something I'm never into. There's always something out of the box, which tastes good, so why make it harder for me... but hey... whatever rocks my kids boat... I'd give a try.

And so I brave it... I baked cookies with the help of my sous chefs... It was fun... it won't be the last time, they already have flavours in mind, to as normal as raisin, oatmeal cookies, almond and chocolate cookies, to as bizarre as cheese cookies.

Tip 1: After you drop the dough onto your mat, flatten just a little bit, not too much because it'll spread too thin when it bakes
Tip 2: If you don't have cup cake flour, replace it with 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Tip 3: Make sure you don't burn the underside of your cookies... either by taking it out early or lowering the temperature, you'll have to try and test your first batch. Even if you take it out early, it'll still continue cooking.

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose floor
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs or 3 small eggs
1 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups Semi-sweet Chocolate Morsels

Procedure:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F

Combine all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking  powder and baking soda in medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until well mixed. Gradually add the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Stir in morsels.

Using an ice cream scooper, drop dough (approx 1/4 cup) onto your baking sheets, 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, transfer to wire racks and completely cool.

Forget about your diet and dig in!

This is my first attempt ... hopefully the next one will be baked to perfection...

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My One and Only Roasted Chicken

10/27/2010

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FV27-14-1010

Original Recipe: Bon Appetit
September 1999

I love Roast Chicken. What's not to like? The aroma in the kitchen that whiffs out all over the house is hunger-inducing. Along the way, you hear the chicken fat burning at the bottom of the pan, which by the way will be your tasty gravy.

Once roasting is done, you take it off the pan and start carving, it's when your mouth starts to water because your eyes are already devouring it!

I'm yet to find a way to make the skin really crispy but that's just the icing on the cake. Crispy or not, this baby is tasty!

Tip 1: Truss the chicken to ensure it remains moist all throughout
Tip 2: Buy a meat thermometer, very useful for all types of roasting
Tip 3: Stick to 60 minutes and stick to the temperature. Even after you take the bird out of the oven, it will continue to cook so don't worry about it.
Tip 4: If you want to baste your chicken now and again, it's up to you. I'm lazy so I left it as is.
Tip 5: You don't have to broil your chicken, I did mine coz I was hoping to crispy up the skin more. It didn't really help so you can relax and skip that part. It looked good in the picture though :P

This took me an hour and half... I think I've improved a lot!

Ingredients:
1 kilo whole chicken
2 teaspoons minced thyme
1 lemon, quartered
5 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Gravy:
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons all purpose flour

Serves 4-6
455 Calories per Serving

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix 2nd to 5th ingredients in a bowl. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place chicken in roasting pan and rub all but 1 tablespoon of garlic-thyme oil all over. Place lemon in the cavity and truss chicken.

Rain the salt over the chicken to create a uniform coating that will crisp up and add flavour to the skin (1 tbsp approximately)

Roast chicken 20 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Roast chicken
about an hour or until your thermometer registers 180°F when you insert into thickest part of inner thigh.

Transfer chicken to serving platter, tent with aluminum foil to keep warm while you prepare your gravy.

Gravy
Pour pan juices into measuring cup. Over high heat, add wine to pan and bring to a boil. Scrap up any browned bits sticking onto the pan.

Pour the wine mixture into measuring cup and add chicken broth to measure 1 1/2 cups. Return the mixture to pan (don't clean the pan!), mix flour into reserved 1 tbsp garlic-thyme oil. Whisk into broth mixture. Boil mixture until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pour into a sauceboat!

Serve your chicken with green salad, gravy and dijon mustard as sauce selection, roast some potatoes and you're good to go!

Start with fork and knife and finish off with your fingers... this dish is not for the delicate, prim and proper peeps out there. :)

Happy Eating!
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Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

10/19/2010

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FV26-13-1010

I went to our nearby bowling alley and ate green salad with balsamic vinaigrette... fell in love with it and vowed I'll copy it somehow. It's on the tangy side and I love tangy... especially on those days of the month when I crave like a pregnant woman.

It's still a working progress and I will definitely welcome your suggestions and versions...

INGREDIENTS:
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic clove, peeled and crushed through a garlic press
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon extract
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Green Salad, 4-5 cups
Asparagus, poached
Arugula leaves
Baby spinach
Pine nuts, toasted
Parmesan cheese, shaved

209 Calories per Serving

In a small bowl, mix together dressing ingredients almost emulsifying the whole mixture.

Before serving, place all the leaves in a salad bowl and pour one tablespoon of vinaigrette dressing at a time. Using your hands, mix and toss leaves. This ensures leaves are just lightly coated and not soaking wet.

Take a handful of salad and place it on a plate. Sprinkle with pine nuts and topped with asparagus and shaved parmesan.

If you want your salad drenched in dressing goodness, then add some more on your plate :)

Serve this as a side dish or entree and enjoy!
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Home-baked Ensaymada

10/1/2010

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FV014-01-1010

This bread was soooo controversial that I have to share the story. It is cringe-worthy... I gotta poke fun at myself from time to time.

I tried one test batch as a preparation for my birthday. The plan was, I'll make couple of improved versions and have hubby bring it to his department.

On my birthday, I woke up at 3AM to start the process. It is a long process indeed. I need enough time to bake the bread, prep to work and drop off Alex to school.

Surely enough, my hard labour paid, I was able to do everything that morning. Even managed to be creative enough and seal each bread into a hotdog sandwich pack heating the opening so it'll stick together.

On my way home after a really, really, really long, painful and toxic day at work,,, I called hubby to double check our schedule for the night,,, dinner with the kids at PF Changs new branch at Mall of the Emirates.

In our conversation, I checked on who got the ensaymadas and whether they re-heated it in the microwave to make sure it's hot and soft,,, to my horror! My loving hubby didn't mention it, didn't even remember that it should be done so.

Unfortunately, I was also PMS-ing. So you can imagine my emotional roller coaster in addition to work's emotional baggage which is not at all an exaggeration.

That minute error that hubby made was on that day, huge to me. Let just say, I cried my heart out to my sister. At the back of my head, I know it's not a big deal,,, but I just feel so embarrassed, hurt and all the weirdest feeling one can think of. I know that I was exaggerating and it's my hormones that's wreaking havoc to my mood but I just can't help it.

It also didn't help when he said, "I'm sorry. Don't cry,,, it's just bread and they love it even it's not hot" Whoa! Just bread! I worked hard for that "just bread" from 3 in the morning! The water works begun, stomping and really just the craziest reaction one might ever expect from anyone!

Now that things have calmed down, I look back at my birthday and cringe, but also smile because my hubby is really forgiving. I lashed at him until the morning after! Ignored his present. Scowl the whole time at dinner. I was just a horrible person. I don't think I'll even be able to stand "me" if I have another version of me then. Thank goodness God only create one of us each...

I told you, it's cringe worthy! You're probably thinking, what a loser :P

So going to the recipe, here it goes:
Tip 1: Patience is required, it is a long process
Tip 2: Spread just the right amount of sugar, butter and cheese as filling. Don't be tempted to go overboard, otherwise, you're filling will overflow, break the dough and ruin your creation.
Tip 3: Re-heat it before serving... (love you daddy!)

INGREDIENTS
5 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
¾ cup butter, melted
extra 1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 pieces whole eggs
2 ¼ tsp active yeast
1 cup fresh milk, warm
3-4 single-pack slices of sandwich cheese (Kraft individual pack cheese is common)

Serves 20

Combine warm milk, yeast, and ½ cup sugar and stir until yeast and sugar dissolves in milk. Set aside to let yeast activate (approximately 10-15 minutes)

In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients starting from the flour, sugar, and salt then mix thoroughly.

Add the eggs, 1/2  cup butter, and activated yeast mixture to the mixed dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly distributed and a dough is formed. Use spatula to mix thoroughly then hands ones it's coming together.

Knead the dough on a flat surface until texture becomes fine. Maybe 5-10 but don't over knead it to avoid overworking the dough.

Put the dough back on the mixing bowl and cover the top with cloth. Allow the dough to rise for 2 hours.

Put the dough back on the flat surface and flatten. Punch the dough lightly to release the air inside.

Using a dough slicer, divide the dough into four pieces.

Roll each piece until shape becomes cylindrical.

Cut the cylindrical dough into individual serving pieces (1 serving piece should weigh at least 60 grams).

Put the sliced individual serving piece in a flat surface and flatten using a rolling pin.

Combine ¼ cup melted butter with ¼ cup white sugar. Using a brush, paint the mixture on the flattened dough. Make sure to paint only the center part of the flat dough.

Sprinkle some cheese over the painted area then seal the dough by folding opposite directions and rolling it until a long cylindrical shape is formed (about 12 inches in length).

Form the spiral Ensaymada shape by crossing the two opposite ends of the dough. The first end should be placed under dough while the other end should be inserted in the middle.

Place the dough in a baking tray with wax paper, apply melted butter on coil, cover with cloth and set aside to rise for another 45 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Remove cloth on top of the tray and if you prefer, apply egg glaze before baking the dough for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the baked Ensaymada from the oven. Using the remaining melted butter and sugar mixture, apply on top of the baked ensaymada and sprinkle additional cheese or if you wish, criss cross thin strips of cheese on top. Put it back in the oven just to briefly melt the cheese on top. 

Serve hot. Share and Enjoy!

I'll post more pics soon, missed taking photos of the portioning and filling stage...
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    Fave Recipes

    I'm No Chef but I love food like it's no one's business.

    I didn't know anything about cooking... frying an egg used to be a nightmare.. until I was forced to learn more... I had my first born... that's when my gastronomic journey started...

    Join me in my food quest.
    Laugh at my embarrassing moments.
    Share my triumphs.

    And if you're brave enough ... cook with me (ooooh scary!), virtually that is, and have the most enjoyable time!

    Welcome aboard
    fellow foodies!

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