Kong Hei Fatt Choy

Wishing all our Family & Friends
A Very Happy Chinese New Year !


GONG XI FA CAI !


Lovely macarons for the New Year's Eve Reunion Dinner !

Fresh Mint Vodka Ice Cream with Choc Chunks

A few years ago, 2 years to be exact, I tried this ice cream and we found it to be nice but it didn't wow us enough for a repeat performance. It was put on the back burner.

Because my mint plants were going crazy, I thought I will give this ice cream another go. Much more mint leaves were used and left to infuse with the milk overnight. This gave it more punch. Love the flavour and aroma from the mint and vanilla beans. Definite wow factor !



Ingredients
1 cup fresh mint leaves
375ml low fat milk (light blue top)
100gm sugar
1-2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
250ml cream
2 large eggs

3 Tbsp vodka

25gm eating chocolate, coarsely chopped

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Homemade Golden Syrup

If you are somewhere in this world where golden syrup is not readily available, this homemade version is a good substitute. Of course in terms of fragrance, you can't beat the commercial ones.

I made this especially to make mooncake but with the price of a tin of golden syrup being so expensive nowadays, I have been using this for any baking or cooking that calls for golden syrup in lieu of the store ones.

It is not labour intensive even though it requires 45 minutes cooking, as once the caramel is done, the syrup is left alone to boil quietly. I did admit I stuffed up as I extended the time to 1 hour and the next day after cooling, the syrup was admittedly very hard. But no matter, I did another half a recipe, halved the cooking time, poured the 'hard' syrup in and the golden syrup came out as good as !



Ingredients
200g sugar
50g water

1 kg sugar
600g boiling water
2 slice lemon

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Chocolate, Rum & Vodka Ice Cream

When asked to choose an ice cream flavour, I dare say chocolate would have to be top of the list for almost everyone. We like to add alcohol to ours as it lends flavour and prevents the ice cream from turning to rock in the freezer. Good way to use up all the duty free liquor hiding in the cupboard.

Rum is a good addition to chocolate. When you open the container, the first thing that hits you is the nice aroma of rum. I prefer to use whole eggs instead of just egg yolk as I hate having to think up ways to use up the leftover egg white. We feel we can enjoy this ice cream without too much guilt as it uses low fat milk and less cream than normal. The texture haven't been compromised. We find it is just as rich and creamy.



Ingredients:
375ml (1½ cup) low fat milk (light blue top)
15g cocoa powder
100-120g sugar
2 large eggs
pinch salt
250ml (1 cup)cream

2 Tbsp rum
1 Tbsp vodka

25g Cadbury chocolate, roughly chopped

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Homemade Low Fat Greek Yoghurt

Since I had no trouble making yoghurt out of Easiyo sachets, I had assumed I would have no trouble making it from scratch. How wrong I was !! It took me 3 months of trial and error before I succeeded. At first I blamed the cold weather. It was afterall the start of winter when I began trialling this. Just as I was about to give up, I got my first container of the most perfect thick and custard-like yoghurt. Ever since then I had not made a dud batch.

I use the Easiyo yoghurt maker which makes the incubation process much easier. All it takes is only 5 minutes preparation time. I find this greek yoghurt has hardly any whey. It makes the most delicious yoghurt ice cream.



Ingredients
600ml low fat milk (light blue top)
2 Tbsp low fat milk powder
1 Tbsp whole milk powder
2 Tbsp low fat greek yoghurt starter (frozen)

Method
1. Pour the milk into the yoghurt container. Heat milk in the microwave for 3 minutes (650W) until you see little bubbles on the side. Stick a clean finger in to test, it should be hot but not hot enough to burn your finger.

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Thousand Layers Spiral Mooncake

My last trial of this mooncake was back in 2006. Yes, it took me a good 2 years to get over the 'trauma' and give this another go. Not a mooncake for the fainthearted to attempt. What is tedious is sealing the dough without destroying the spiral pattern. But the end result is very rewarding. The pastry is very very crispy, crunchy and light.

Apparently the secret to getting the mooncake to bloom like a snail shell....'dunking it in very hot oil 3 times'.

The traditional filling for this is yam but there is nothing to stop you from putting your own spin into this by using a lotus or bean paste or whatever takes your fancy. Hence I am not putting a recipe here for the filling. Mr Redneck likes his with a savoury mung bean filling.

Makes 6 mooncakes

Ingredients
Water dough
75g plain flour
20g shortening
10g (fine) sugar
35g water + 2-3 drops white vinegar

Oil Dough
65g plain flour
40g shortening

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Homemade Tau Fu Fa ~ Soy Bean Custard

Tau Fu Fa is a very popular chinese dessert eaten hot or cold. It is made from coagulated soya bean milk, served with a sugar syrup. And of course being soy, it has tons of nutritional value.

After many attempts at trying to reduce the gypsum content, I believe I have perfected the texture. The tau fu fa was so silky smooth that it just slides down the throat. So soft, it felt like almost like swallowing air.


I had to try and reduce the amount of gypsum to a bare minimum as I get the dreaded backache the following day. This is my favourite dessert so can't help but devour the lot in one day. Happy to report that the following recipe does not give me a backache and hence can eat as much as I like.

Makes : 1 Litre soy custard

Ingredients
1 Litre boiling fresh soy milk

Setting solution
1 Tbsp corn flour
½ level tsp gypsum powder (calcium sulphate)
¼ cup (63 ml) cold water

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Soy Milk ~ Tau Cheong Sui

With the price of soy milk at over $2.50 a litre in the shops, it is a saving to make your own. My cost per litre was only 40 cents. It is very easy. All you need is a blender, sieve and a muslin cloth.

Once you get the hang of making this, you are but a step away from making your own tau fu fah (soy bean custard/pudding) and even tofu.

Makes 1 litre

Ingredients
120gm soya beans or soy granules*
900ml cold water

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Peach Yoghurt Ice Cream

A refreshing and healthy low fat indulgence. When the peaches were in season, there was a glut from my tree so I ended up removing the skin and stones and freezing the fruit. At first I wasn't too sure how the ice cream would taste using frozen peaches but I have to say it turned out much nicer than when fresh peaches were used.


Makes 1 litre

Ingredients
400gm peaches (weight after skin and stone removed)
100gm sugar
100ml cream
500gm low fat yoghurt
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp vodka
2 Tbsp sultanas (optional)

Method
1. Add sugar to peaches and set aside for 1 hour.

2. At this stage there will be a fair bit of liquid in the peaches and sugar mix (especially if using frozen peaches). Boil the mixture until thick and syrupy. Leave to cool.

3. Add all the ingredients (except sultanas) into a blender. Blend at high speed.

4. Add the sultanas. Place in the fridge for a few hours or leave overnight to let the flavour develop.

5. Churn in ice cream maker.

6. Scoop to an airtight container and freeze for a few hours.

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Strawberry Yoghurt Ice Cream

Another healthy way of using up my home grown strawberries. By freezing all the surplus, I get to enjoy the fruit all year round.

The texture of yoghurt ice cream is not creamy as it is not in a true sense an ice cream. It has a slight tang but is nevertheless a very tempting icy dessert.


Adding strawberry jam in between the layers of ice cream makes it extra delicious. We like raisins so have thrown in a handful.

Ingredients
400gm fresh or frozen strawberry, hulled and clean
100gm sugar
100ml cream
500gm low fat yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
3 Tbsp vodka

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Preserved Peaches in Light Sugar Syrup

There was an abundance of peaches from my peach tree this year. Thought it was about time I tried my hand at preserving as Redneck will eat preserved peaches but not fresh ones !


I chose to preserve it in a light syrup as the Red Haven peach is quite a sweet fruit. The peaches are lovely eaten as is or with ice cream.


Makes 8 jars

peaches

Syrup
400g sugar
8 cups water

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Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

A lot of people have this notion that ice cream making is tedious. That was my thinking too before I was convinced otherwise by my mate cwl.

Homemade ice cream is made up of four main very basic ingredients.....milk, eggs, sugar and cream. How healthy or fattening your ice cream is depends on type of milk and how much cream and sugar you add in.


This may not be the creamiest of ice cream but at least it is a healthier version and can be enjoyed with far less guilt. The fragrance from the vanilla beans was just divine.

I would like to thank my sil Cathryn who loaned me her ice cream maker, setting the wheels in motion to my journey into the icy world. The ice cream machine I have bought is cheap and basic but does a good enough job.

Makes about 1 Litre

Ingredients
375ml low fat milk (light blue top)
100g sugar
1-2 vanilla bean
2 eggs
250 ml cream
2 Tbsp vodka

25g rum n raisin chocolate, chopped

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Russian Fudge

A fudge that is rich and creamy. If you have a sweet tooth, you will like this treat. I normally double the recipe. Great as a Christmas gift.


Makes about 36 pieces

INGREDIENTS
3½ cup white sugar
125g butter
3 Tbsp golden syrup
125ml milk
½ tsp salt
200g sweetened condensed milk (½ a standard can)
2 tsp vanilla essence

Method
1. Place all ingredients except the vanilla in a medium-heavy saucepan.

2. Warm over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 15-20 minutes until it reaches the soft-ball stage* (120C)

4. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla

5. Beat (I use a electric mixer) until the fudge is creamy and thick and has lost its gloss.

6. Pour into a greased 20cm cake tin (I use a tray).

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Golden Raisins soaked in Gin

There is a belief that eating these gin soaked raisins can help relieve migraine, gout and some joint pain such as arthritis. Some may think it is all cock and bull or one of those fish wives tales. The first I heard about this was from kwa kwa at Ik. Needless to say I was sceptical but a quick search on the net did prove that there was such a thing.

We are eating these not because we have arthritis but more as a preventative measure for any future aches and pains and besides the raisins are really tasty with our after dinner nuts.


Ingredients
golden raisins
gin

Method
1. Place the raisins in a glass jar. Pour enough gin to completely cover the raisins. Cover with a lid.

2. Give it a stir or shake every 1-2 days.
3. Soak for 2 weeks, adding more gin if necessary.
4. Drain out any excess gin and place gin soaked raisins in a jar with a lid. I keep mine in the fridge.
5. Eat 7 to 9 raisins daily.

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Yeh Chi Tong ~ Coconut Sweets

Yeh Chi Tong is a lolly with a very rich flavour.

Makes 185 g

Ingredients
100g gula melaka
75g mak ngah tong (maltose)
2 tsp sugar
125ml thick coconut milk

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Honey Candied Walnuts

These walnuts are delicious and super easy to make.. Even though they are fried they do not have that greasy or oily taste. Walnut is very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids with a lot of other health benefits which includes reducing blood cholestrol.

Redneck ate these decades ago when we were in Hong Kong. It must have made an impression because he still remembers eating it.

Ingredients
250g walnut halves
3/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce

castor sugar for coating

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Sago Pudding with Gula Melaka

I saw a picture of this dessert from irenechin's blog and wanted to try it at once. It looked so inviting and refreshing. A very simple and easy dessert to make as it only involves boiling the sago and putting it into moulds.

Makes : 7 small containers
Ingredients
200g Sago
Water, enough to cover sago

200g Gula Melaka
150ml Water
Coconut Milk to serve

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Vanilla Yoghurt

Cool and refreshing Vanilla Yoghurt laced with Strawberry Vodka conserve served with Pepino fruit sticks. Low calorie and very healthy.

Peach Sorbet

This was a good way to use up my peaches. The sorbet is so refreshing especially during the hot summer.



Ingredients
1 tbsp gelatine
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh peaches (puree)

Method
1. Sprinkle gelative over 1/2 cup cold water in a pan.
2. Stand for 10 minutes.
3. Add boiling water and stir over low heat until gelatine is dissolved.
4. Add sugar and stir without boiling until sugar is dissolved.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Add remaining cold water and peaches.
7. Freeze for at least 2 hours.
8. Once it sets remove from freezer and blend. Freeze again.

Note : You can substitute peaches with any seasonal fruits. Adjust the sugar according to the sweetness or tartness of your fruit.

Tip : My peaches were very sweet. I found the first lot I made was too sweet so made another lot with no sugar and mix the two together. Just right with 1/2 cup sugar

Redneck says……
Much healthier than ice-cream.

Recipe : kitchen @ kitchencaper.