New York Cheesecake

This is the most delicious cheesecake I ever made and the recipe is from Martha Stewart.

For the Cake

• 3 1/2 pounds (seven 8-ounce packages) cream cheese Philadelphia, room temperature 
• 2 1/4 cups sugar 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
• 5 large eggs, room temperature

Chow Mein

Easy recipe for chow mein with black soy sauce.

Bean Curd Skin Rolls

 

Fondant Potatoes

I actually tried 3 times and on the 3rd time I got the hang of it. The first time somehow the potatoes were not cooked thoroughly. The second time I cooked it longer, but the water didn't go away. That's because I cut the potatoes too high. So I figured that you should cut the potatoes a bit more thin, so that the water can evaporate and so that it's easier to cook the potatoes.

And now I've mastered it. This is how I make potato fondant.

Vegetarian Chicken

Vegetarian chicken can be used as an addition to ramen noodles. Flavour it with some dark soy sauce and you’re good to go. 

Ingredients:

- 2 packs of dried bean curd (Cock brand)

- Pepper 

- 2 table spoons of salt

- 1 table spoon of sugar

- Mushroom flavour

- 5 rice bowls of water

- 2 table spoons of light soy sauce

Vegetarian Wheat Gluten

Vegetarian wheat gluten or 齋鹵味 (lo mei) is a delicacy in Hong Kong. It looks like meat and even meat lovers like to eat this. But it definitely is vegetarian because it is made out of high gluten flour.

This is how you make it and there is no recipe!

1) First you make the dough

- high gluten flour
- self raising flour
- water
- salt

2) Then you fry them

3) You cook them in your favourite sauce

Soy Sauce:

Curry Sauce:

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

Burnt Butter Sage Ravioli

This is a dish I discovered when visiting Sicily. I went to an Italian restaurant and saw vegetarian ravioli with sage butter sauce. I had no idea what "sage" was. Was it some kind of vegetable added to butter? The waitress said it was a herb. I was thinking, why would I eat ravioli with a butter sauce with only a herb in it? Butter sauce is not a real sauce...

But I was so wrong. This was one of the most important discoveries in my foodie life. Sage and butter are in a perfect relationship with each other. Especially when you burn the butter with the sage leaves. You will taste the nutty flavour of the butter, in concert with the aroma of the crispy sage leaves. Try this recipe yourself!

Ingredients:
- Ravioli (sauteed mushrooms with some cream)
- Butter
- Sage leaves
- Parmezan cheese
- Pinenuts

Vegetarian Steamed Bun (Baozi)

This is how you make steamed buns. You can fill it with whatever you like.

Ingredients:
- 150 g sugar + 8 g vanilla sugar
- 300 g flour + 700 g flour
- 11 g dry yeast
- 2 tea spoons baking powder
- 300 ml warm water + 200 ml warm water
- a splash of vegetable oil

1) Bao/Mian Zhong

First we make the "Bao/Mian Zhong".

With 11 g dry yeast, 300 ml warm water and 300 g flour we create the Bao Zhong.
Just mix them together and leave it on a warm place to ferment for an hour or two.

2) Bao/Mian Tun

Next we make the "Bao/Mian Tun".

Sieve the 700 g flour and add 2 tea spoons of baking powder and 150 g of sugar and 8 g of vanilla sugar. Add 200 ml of warm water and also add the "Bao Zhong".

Knead it for about 5 minutes. Then add vegetable oil and knead it again for 5 minutes. Then leave it in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

3) Steaming

Then we add the vegetarian mixture into the dough and steam it for 10 minutes.

Vietnamese Loempia

Here is a nice idea: Vietnamese Loempia.

Truffle Pasta

This is my own recipe: Truffle Pasta with White Wine Cream Sauce.

Ingredients:
- Pepper and Salt
- Dragon
- Truffle Paste
- White Wine
- Cream
- Mascarpone
- Pasta
- Zucchini (Spinach)
- Parmezan
- Mushrooms

First pan fry the mushrooms with butter until brown. The key here is not to stir too much, you need to create a brown coat on the mushrooms. Add pepper, salt and dragon.Then blush it with white wine. Let the alcohol disappear and then add cream, mascarpone and truffle paste. Make sure to get the right consistency of the sauce. Add the pasta and it's done.

Buttered Prawn

Prawns can go very well with eggs and this is another way to cook this.

Ingredients:
- Salted egg yolk
- Butter
- Prawns
- Self raising flour batter
- Chapelure

Chocolate truffle

 Chocolate truffles are easy to make.

 

Just mix the following together to make ganache.

1 dl cream (boiled)
200 g chocolate
50 g butter
Optional: a bit of espresso

Let it cool for an hour in the fridge.
Create balls out of it.
Coat with cacao powder.

Miserable

The first time I made this it was a disaster. I made many mistakes including mixing cold butter with hot egg yolk and underbaking the biscuit. But I learned from my mistakes and I'm now an expert in making this fine Belgian dessert.

Miserable Recipe:

1) Biscuit 

- 100 ml egg white
- 40 g sugar
- 200 ml almond powder
- 200 g powdered sugar
- 40 g flour

Mix almond powder, powdered sugar and flour. Mix the egg white with the sugar until it becomes stiff. Gently fold the two mixtures together and bake at 180 °C for 20-30 minutes.

2) Butter Cream

- 100 ml water
- 100 g sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 250 g butter
- vanille aroma

Cook the water and sugar until it boils to a sirup. Mix the sirup into the egg yolks and mix it until it is at room temperature. Keep mixing and add the butter to it while mixing. Mix this for 10 minutes to add air into the mixture. You can add vanille aroma to it.

3) Miserable

Add the butter cream between the two biscuits and it's done!

Vegetarian Green Curry

This is the first time I made green curry and it is pretty sweet.

One comment though: only add lime juice, not the whole lime or it will taste a bit bitter. But it is very good still, especially when I've never made it.

Ingredients for green curry paste:
- Green peppers
- Ginger
- Koriander
- Koriander seeds
- Chili Oil
- Coconut milk
- Milk
- Lemon balm
- Lime juice
- Salt & Pepper
- Cumin

Ingredients for vegetables:
- Broccoli
- Green pepper
- Carrot
- Zucchini
- Egg plant
- Pumpkin

Croissant

I wanted to try making croissants and used this recipe from Foodwishes.

This is the result:

Makes 12 to 16 Croissants:

This recipe was adapted from one by Bruno Albouze, from The Real Deal (which he is)

For the dough:

1 cup warm water (about 100 F.)

1 packet active dry yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

3 teaspoons kosher salt (1 3/4 teaspoons if using fine salt)

3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour

6 tablespoons room temp butter for the dough

For the croissants:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted European-style butter for the slab

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water for the egg wash

Steamed Silken Tofu

Ginger and soy sauce can be so good when combined. Try this steamed tofu dish. Easy and quick to make!

You need:
- light soy sauce
- dark soy sauce
- oyster sauce
- sesame oil
- pepper
- shitake mushrooms
- ginger
- silken tofu

Pancake

Pancakes are very easy to make.

You need:
245 g flour
65 gr sugar
660 gr milk
4 eggs
1 vanille
1 table spoon oil
70 g clarified butter
pinch of salt

Just mix everything together and that's it.

Oreo Parfait

Roger Vandamme is my favourite chef for desserts and he teaches you here how to make a perfect parfait!

I will make it with Oreo cookies.

Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 150 g sugar
- 100 g Oreo cookies
- 700 g cream

Mix the eggs and the sugar. Heat it up till 85 °C while mixing, then turn off the heat. Continue mixing till it cools down and turns into a thick mixture. Whip the cream and add it. Make sure the cream is cold. Also add the crushed Oreo cookies. That's it!

You can also add some milk powder in it.
Ice cream makers use it combat the effects of too much water in their ice cream base. Milk is almost 90 percent water, and heavy cream is about 60 percent water. You need water to freeze your ice cream, but too much water will freeze into itty-bitty ice cream crystals… and your ice cream will be icy and grainy, not smooth and creamy. Skim milk powder absorbs excess water and givers a milkier, creamier flavor.

Hong Kong Style Pancake

This HK style pancake is very easy to make and it uses leftover vegetables to make it.

Ingredients:

- leftover vegetable fibre from juicing (apples, carrots, celery)
- tapioca flour
- rice flour
- soy sauce
- pepper and salt
- thyme
- parsley
- water

Just mix everything and then pan fry it.


Of course, there is also the traditional way of making this and it involves special techniques.

For the dough:
2 cups bread or all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup hot water
- adjust with more flour or water to form a smooth, but sticky dough
For the oil mixture:
3 tablespoon veg oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour

Tapioca Coconut Milk Taro Dessert

This is a surprisingly easy dessert to make and it is delicious!

Ingredients:

Tapioca pearls:

• ½ cup (60g) tapioca pearls
• 2.5 cup water

Taro:

• 1 cup (160g) fresh large taro, cubed 
• water to boil it

Coconut Milk Mixture:

• 1 cup milk
• 1.5 cup coconut milk
• ½ cup (100g) sugar

First make the coconut milk mixture by adding the milk, coconut milk and sugar. Then bring to a boil and immediately cool it back down.

Then cook the tapioca pearls with the 2.5 cup of boiling water for about 5-10 minutes until they are almost translucent. Remove it from the heat. If you see a small white dot in the pearls, just let it sit for 5-10 minutes covered with a lid. Then rinse it with cold water and a strainer.

Then boil the taro cubes with water until soft. Strain the water.

Then finally mix all the ingredients and let it sit in the fridge for 1 hour.
The end result should be a pretty pure, liquid dessert.