May 1, 2021

Anko Red Beans Paste Tsubuan

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

1 hour

Total Time

2 hours

Ingredients

200g azuki beans - washed and drained
150 to 200g sugar (use more or less depending on your taste)
a dash of salt
water, as much as necessary

Instructions

1. Place azuki beans into a cooking pot and add about 800ml water (3 to 4 times the azuki weight). Cook over high heat and bring it to a boil.
2. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 min. After 5min turn off the heat and cover, let it rest for 15 to 20 min. Then drain well.
3. Transfer the cooked azuki beans into a clean cooking pot. Add 600ml water, cook over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, skim off scum. Then cover and cook for about 30 min over medium-low heat. Check regularly that the water level is high enough to cover the beans.
4. After 30 min, check if azuki is ready. If not soft enough, cook another 10 min. Once ok, remove from the heat. Cover and let it rest for 30 min.
5. After 30 min, turn the heat to medium-high heat. Again check that you have just enough water to cover the azuki (adjust by adding or removing water as needed). Just before it boils, add sugar (first 150g then add more if any till 200g) and a dash of salt.
6. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat, while stirring occasionally. Let almost all the water evaporate. Transfer to a plate!
7. If you don't use it all, wrap the leftover and freeze. Usually I freeze it in separate 100g portion.

December 12, 2020

Chocolate Mochi

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Total Time

1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients

100g glutinous rice flour
70g white sugar
120ml water
100ml milk
60g chocolate (i use milk chocolate) - cut into small pieces
cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Instructions

1. Spread some cocoa powder onto a plate and set it aside.
2. In a bowl, add glutinous rice flour, sugar and mix well.
3. Add milk and water, then mix well. Transfer to a cooking pot.
4. Cook over medium heat. Mix gently with a silicone spatula. Once it starts to be thick, add chocolate and mix constantly until completely incorporated.
5. Cook until it all comes together, silky and smooth. Spread some cocoa powder onto the workspace and place the mochi on it. Spread more cocoa powder over the mochi.
6. Coat mochi with cocoa powder on all sides. Shape it to an about 2cm thickness. Cut into bite sizes, dust with more cocoa powder on all sides and place mochi on the plate you prepared.
7. Cover with saran wrap and chill in the fridge before eating.

May 23, 2020

Strawberry Tiramisu

Serving Size

25 x 18 cm

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the strawberry puree

200g Strawberry - cut into small pieces
30g white sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

For the base cake

2 eggs
40g white sugar
40g plain flour/cake flour (T45)
10g unsalted butter
10ml milk

For the strawberry cream

250ml heavy creem
40g white sugar
250g mascarpone cheese
50g white sugar
350g strawberry - cut into small cubes

For the topping

30g white chocolate - shaved

Instructions

Making the base cake
1. Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom and sides of a jelly-roll pan.
2. Sift flour into a medium bowl and set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 190C degree.
3. Beat eggs with sugar in a medium bowl until creamy (about 3 min) with an electric hand mixer.
4. Add the sifted flour and mix gently using spatula or a egg wisk until moistened.
5. In a small cup, add butter and milk and microwave for about 15 sec at 600W, take a small amount of the mixture from #4 and add it into the butter mixture.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan, Flatten the surface with the spatula. Tap gently the bottom of the pan to punch out the air. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven, immediately loosen the edges of the cake from the pan gently. Flip the cake upside down. Peel off the parchment paper you just used for baking (I actually use printing paper sheets). Cover and let the cake cool completely.
Making strawberry syrup
In a small cooking pan, add strawberry, sugar and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat and cook until strawberries are softened. Set aside.
Making the cream layer
8. Combine sugar (40g) and heavy cream in a bowl and whip until soft-peak with a electric hand mixer. Set aside. In an another bowl, add mascarpone and sugar (50g). Whip until soft and smooth. Add gradually whipped cream into a mascarpone and mix well.
9. Add the strawberry (450g) and mix together.
Finalize the Tiramisu
10. Place the sponge cake at the bottom of the serving plate you are going to use. Then spread the strawberry syrup onto the cake evenly. Pour the cream mixture from #8 over the sponge cake. Sprinkle shaved white chocolate over the cream.
11. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before serving.

May 21, 2020

Oreo Churros

Persons

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour

Ingredients

6 oreos cookies
70g all purpose flour (T55) - sifted
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 tsp fine salt
15g unsalted butter
230ml water
1 tbsp milk

Instructions

1. Remove the cream layer inside the oreo cookies, process the cookies to a fine crumb in a food processor.
2. In a small bowl, sift the flour and then add the oreo fine crumbs from #1 and mix. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, add water, milk, salt, butter and sugar. Heat until the butter is melted and the mixture start boiling (remove from the heat just before it boils). Add the flour mix from #2 and mix them to combine evenly using a wooden spoon. The dough will lump and pull away from the saucepan easily.
4. Spoon the dough into a pastry piping bag fitted with a star tip. Add enough oil to a saucepan and heat to about 180°C over medium heat.
5. Squeeze the dough into the hot oil and cut it to release into the oil with scissors. Fry the churros on each side.
6. Transfer them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain, roll in sugar all sides to coat. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
7. Enjoy!

January 23, 2020

Coffee Kohakuto

Prep Time

30 minutes

Total Time

30 minutes

Ingredients

50ml espresso coffee
50ml water
1.3g agar agar
100g white sugar

Instructions

1. Have a container ready (high temperature proof) and coat with oil lightly, using a paper towel.
2. In a small cooking pot, add water and agar powder. Melt the powder over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Heat and stir until the agar powder melts completely. It usually takes about 1 to 2 mins.
3. Add the sugar. Melt the sugar, stirring constantly to prevent burning with a spatula. It will be very foamy and bubbly. Keep on stirring for about 2 to 3 min.
4. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the espresso. Mix well.
5. Transfer into a prepared container through the sieve.
6. Chill in the fridge until it has set. It should be firm enough to cut.
7. Remove from the fridge and cut into small pieces, using the knife or even with your hand (about 2 to 3 cm dices) and place them on a baking sheet. You can also coat the pieces with sugar to make them sweeter.
8. Let the candies sit there for 2 to 3 days (it may even take up to 5 days, as it depends on so many factors : climate, season,...). Eventually their surface should dry out completely. The candies will be crystallized with a jewelry finish. They are crunchy outside, but inside texture is like jelly.
9. You can keep your “kohakutou” in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.

January 5, 2020

Mille Crepe Cake

Persons

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients

100g plain flour/cake flour (T45)
20g wheat starch (If you don't have any, then increase plain flour to 120g)
2 eggs
24g white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
400g milk
30g unsalted butter - melted
320g heavy cream/whipping cream (more than 35% fat is preferable)
60g white sugar
10g cremfix (whipped cream stabilizer) - better use this if your cream is less than 35% fat

Instructions

1. In a bowl whisk together eggs, sugar and salt using a hand mixer.
2. Pour the milk into the egg mixture slowly, gradually and mix well.
3. Add the sifted flour and mix well until the batter is integrated.
4. Strain the crepe mixture through a fine sieve. Add the melted butter and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about 30min to 1h or even overnight.

Cooking the crepes :

5. Set a big size non-stick frying pan on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, brush oil and remove excess with a paper towel (a thin application, only the first time is fine). Pour enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan and swirl it to coat evenly.
6. Once the batter is dry and the edges start to brown, flip the crepe with your hand. Let it cook on the other side for a few seconds. Then transfer to a plate to cool down. Set aside. This is the "big" size crepe. You need only one.
7. Now heat a 16~17cm non-stick pan on medium heat (a different size of pan will yield different number of crepes and need different amount of batter per crepe). Once the pan is hot, reduce the heat to low, brush with oil and remove the excess with a paper towel (a thin application, only the first time is fine).
8. Make small sizes crepes with the batter.
9. Once cooled completely, use a 15cm round plate or cake bottom as a guide and cut off crepe in excess. Note: This is just for the small crepes! Don't cut the big size one.

Putting it all together :

10. Whip chilled Whipping Cream (320g) for a few second, add granulated sugar (60g), and beat until stiff peaks form.
NOTE : if your cream is less than 35% fat, then I recommend you to add whipped cream stabilizer (I used "cremfix" here). In that case, mix cream stabilizer to the sugar ahead of this step. Add when your cream is getting a soft peak.
11. Now spread a good amount of cream evenly over one "small" crepe. Cover with another "small" crepe and repeat until all have been used. Finally cover with the "big" size crepe.
12. Let it chill in the fridge for a few hours until it has set. Dust with some powdered sugar over the cake to decorate.
_NOTE : _ I recommend non-melting powdered sugar if you can get it!