Thai Cooking Class @ ChiangMai 招牌传统泰国菜肴 (Pt 1)

Green Curry, Tom Yum Koong (Hot & sour prawn soup) and Brown Rice
绿咖喱鸡,冬阴功(酸辣海鲜汤)

One of the popular activities while in Chiang Mai is to learn how to cook Thai food. There are many cooking courses around, either cook in town or cook at farm.

The course started with a Thai welcome snack (Meang Kum), we learnt the right way how to eat it.

Firstly, fold the betel leaf as a cup (with glossy side out). Put all ingredients in the betel leaf cup, then top with the sweet syrup.

Eat the whole betel leaf cup in one bite, chew it slowly, and you will touch all flavors at one time.

Visiting an organic kitchen garden and local market tour to see and taste the spices, vegetables and herbs you will be using during the class can be a fun and unique experience.

Organic Herb/Kitchen Garden

Lemongrass 柠檬香茅 (1)

Lemongrass 柠檬香茅 (2)

Can you differentiate these two lemongrass (柠檬香茅) ?
Yup, the first one is commonly found in our surrounding (white colour). The second one is a bit purple colour.


The usage of the two are different. First one is widely used as herb for cooking or drinks, and the second one is commonly used for insects / mosquitoes repellent.

Local Market

Fresh Mushroom 新鲜的草蘑菇

Egg Plant 茄子

Spices 香料

Various Thai Rice 各种泰国米

 After the market tour, we go back to our cooking class.

Cooking Area

One Person, One Wok

For a half-day course, you will pick one noodle or rice from 'Stir Fried' menu, one soup, one curry paste and curry.

Ingredients for Pad Thai (kuey teow)

Ingredients for Stir Fried Hot Basil with Chicken (Pad Kra Proaw)

Oyster & Fish Sauce  蚝油&鱼露
(Commonly used in stir fried)

Ingredients for Stir Fried Noodle in Chinese Style (Pad See Uw)



Pad Thai (Fried Kuey Teow / Flat Noodle)



Hot Basil Stir Fried

Thai Desserts & Fruits @ Chiang Mai

Look Choop / Luk Chup Candy (Dessert)

Fresh Orange + Passion Fruits Juice

Bees also enjoying fresh juice

Fruit Stalls everywhere

Mixed Fruits

Pure Passion Fruit Juice

Thai Bananas - nice for BBQ & Fried too

Waffle

Refreshing Herbs & Fruit Juices

Finding Nemo ~ Cartoon Fish Cake

Thai Durian Mooncake

Make Your Own Favorite Sponge Cake With Just 5 Ingredients (简单的海綿蛋糕食谱)

~ 5 ingredients ~

There are many methods to make the layered cake, to make the cake base simpler, just using the plain sponge mix flour. This method also very suitable to those beginner. Try to practice making this sponge cake, once you can make a perfect sponge cake, then you can use it for your favorite layered cake or even tiramisu.

You may substitute the water portion with milk or other juices to create your own favorite.

The preparation for this cake is less than 15 minutes.

~ Utensils ~

Here is the recipe for the sponge cake:

Ingredients:

1. Sponge Mix Flour (Plain)           330 gm
2. Eggs (size A or biggest)             5  (around 300 gm without shell)
3. Water                                         70 ml
4. Flavor Essence / Paste              1 teaspoon
5. Vegetable or Light Olive Oil       75 ml

Steps:

1. No need to grease the tin, just line the bottom of a 9” round cake tin with baking paper. Preheat oven with 175’C.
2. Beat the eggs at low speed for 1 minute. Then add in the flour, water and essence. Continue to beat the mixture at high speed until light and creamy (around 8-10 minutes, the volume is almost double).
3. Turn to low speed and add in the oil. Beat for another 1 minute.
4. Pour the mixture to the tin and transfer to preheated oven immediately, bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
5. Invert the cake tin to cool slightly before removing cake and placing it on a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To make the layered cake, cut the cake layer with serrated knife.

Here is the sponge cake, smooth and spongy, try to use you finger to press the cake, it will bounce back immediately.

You will never fail with this simple recipe. Happy baking!

Homemade Coffee Tiramisu (咖啡提拉米苏)



Sponge Coffee Tiramisu (咖啡提拉米苏)

 Recently I got a chance to see the whole process of making tiramisu from a friend. Thank you Joey Wong for sharing.

"Tiramisu, [tiɾamiˈsu], literally "pick me up", is a popular Italian dessert. "

意大利語中意思是「带我走！」，故譯作提拉米蘇更爲適切。

「带我走」（pick-me-up)之说指涉配方中含咖啡因的浓缩咖啡与可可共振带来的轻量兴奋作用。


This tiramisu is using sponge cake instead of lady-fingers (biscuits).


Here are some photos taken during the process.

Prepare a Sponge Cake

Cut into desired layers

Double boil gelatine and sugar

In a separate bowl, double boil eggs

Pour the gelatine and eggs into beated cream cheese with coffee flavor syrup

Beat until creamy

Whipping Cream

Transfer mixture to a bowl

Whisk cream until thicken (soft peak), then add in a little cream cheese mixture

Pour whisked cream into cream cheese mixture

Mixed well tiramisu filling

Place a sponge layer then follow by tiramisu filling

Level the surface before adding another layer

Final layer of sponge cake

Top with tiramisu filling and smooth the surface

Ready to chill in refrigerator until set

Use a hair dryer to heat up the cake ring a bit for easy removal

Removed from cake ring

Ready to serve

Mickey Mouse Hoen Kwe Jelly (米老鼠绿豆粉 Jelly)

Mickey Mouse Jelly
ミッキーマウス
미키 마우스

Hoen Kwe flour (印尼绿豆粉) is a pre-mixed pudding flour from Indonesia.
Substitution : Green Peas flour from China

Hoen Kwe Flour (Green Bean Flour)

Malaysians and Indonesians use this flour to make their authentic “Kuih-muih” (pudding/desserts).

Mickey Mouse Mould

Ingredients
·        85g Hoen Kwe flour
·        1 tbsp instant jelly powder
·        325ml coconut milk {squeezed from 1 coconut}
·        675ml water (or added with pandan juice)
·        130g sugar
·        1/2 tsp salt
·        A little green colouring (optional)

Method:

1.      Put all the ingredients into a pot and mix well.


2.      Using medium heat, use a hand whisk to stir and cook mixture until it has thickened (not boiling stage).


3.      Pour the mixture into mould and leave to cool until set. Chill in the refrigerator.

Note:
Total coconut milk and water is 1,000 ml.
After cooked, the mixture is usually yield between 800 to 900 ml.
Adjust proportionately if your mould size is different.

My 2 nephews

Enjoying the jelly

A Cake Story : 戚风蛋糕, 七疯(风)/气疯蛋糕

Chiffon cake and sponge cake are from the same family (due to almost the same ingredients and methods, they are “abang dan adik”(good buddy)). 

Chiffon cake in Mandarin is called “戚风”蛋糕 (qi feng dan gao).

[Google translator/pronunciation : http://translate.google.com.my/?hl=en&tab=wT#auto|zh-CN|chiffon%20cake]

For those beginer, if you fail in making your first chiffon / sponge cake, don’t give up, try it again.

If you have tried “7” times then only success, you can then call the cake “七疯“ or “七风” 蛋糕 (same pronunciation, but meaning ‘crazy for 7 times’ or ‘7 wind’/’VII typhoon’) 

But if you have tried many many times still not success, then you really “气疯” 了 (also same pronunciation, but meaning ‘really mad/angry’). Hehehe...

Happy Trying!

Orange Chocolate Chips Sponge Cake for tomorrow [Chinese] Hungry Ghost Festival.

Chinese Crispy Roast Pork Recipe (Siew Yoke) 脆皮燒肉

Chinese Crispy Roast Pork Recipe (Siew Yoke)   脆皮燒肉食谱
Recipe For those who want to try. Happy trying!


Ingredients:
·        Pork belly (with SKIN)             1 kg    (帶皮五花肉/三層肉)
·        Coarse salt                             1 tbsp
·        White Vinegar                         2 tbsp

Marinade:

·        Pepper                                   1 tbsp
·        Salt                                       1 tsp
·        Minced garlic                          2 tbsp *
·        Red fermented beancurd         2 pcs *
·        Chinese Five-spice powder      2 tsp *
·        Sugar                                    2 tsp *
·        MSG                                      1/2 tsp *
·        Lime juice                              1 tbsp *


Note: * = optional items. For marinade, you may plus or minus the measurement depend on your taste. If you prefer, you may put all.

1)   Preparation: Clean the pork, dab its water with kitchen paper towel and set it aside.

2)   Combine the marinade ingredients. Apply the marinade evenly on the meat portion only.  


3)   Turn the skin side up, wipe off any marinade on skin and dab with coarse salt on the skin surface. Marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator with the container uncover.

4)   Roasting Process: Preheat oven at 180 to 200’C for 10 minutes. Have both the upper and lower heating elements on.

5)   Mix the vinegar with salt and set it aside. Get ready a brush.


6)   Wipe off the coarse salt on the skin. Roast the pork with meat side up for 20 – 30 minutes (or medium done). Have a pan below to catch the dripping fat during roasting. Placed a piece of aluminium foil in the pan for easy cleaning later, and you may save the fat drippings from the roast pork for roasting potatoes for another meal.


7)   Take out the pork and prick the entire skin with a sharp metal skewer or fork, the more holes, the crispier. Wipe off the ‘water’ on skin with paper towel. Then brush the skin with vinegar and salt mixture.


8)   Put back to oven with skin side up, use upper heating element only (and turn ON the FAN if your oven do have this function) and increase oven temperature by another 20’C after 10 minutes.


9)   You will start hearing the ‘crackling’ sound (if the oven is hot enough, usually after 10 – 15 minutes the oven temperature was increased).


10)Keep an eye on the oven until the whole skin done. [Thicker and harder skin]


11)If you prefer, you can roast it until the skin is blackened or burnt (Don’t worry). Remove from oven and scrape off the blackened part with (serrated) steak knife.


12)Return to oven and continue roasting for another 10 minutes or more. [Thinner and dry skin]


Note: The oven temperature and timing are very much depend on individual oven. Even the same brand of oven may be different. Jot down the temperature and timing for the first roasting process, so that next time you can adjust and control it better.


Suggestion:
Most ideal to be served with rice or as an accompaniment snack with beer or white wine.

You may roast extra portion and keep it for fry rice, fry meehoon, lor mai kai (glutinous rice) or Braised Roast Pork with Kai Choy (green stems/mustard).

Cheers!