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Posts Tagged ‘egg-free’

  1. Bao de Bing, Bao de Beng!

    February 16, 2012 by admin

    The evolution, which is still ongoing, of this recipe travels the globe. It started out as a Kenyan recipe for a sweetened, yeast-risen rice pancake tinged with cardamom. We were enjoying that for a while. Then one day, I ran out of rice flour and threw in a bunch of glutinous rice flour. Chewier and nicer — toddler smiles all around. The next day, I adjusted some of the dry ingredients and along the way, accidentally left out the cardamom. The result? Something definitely Chinese in texture and flavor and even bigger toddler smiles

     

    DH and I figured out the flavor was very bao-like (i.e. similar to the bread flavor and, oddly enough, somewhat similar to the mouth-feel of a bao, a steamed (or sometimes baked), slightly sweetened, yeast-risen bun of Chinese origin that’s often filled with barbecue pork, chicken, veggies, red bean paste, or some other kind of filling. So as the “beng” (or “bing” in Mandarin — “beng” being Cantonese) in the name indicates, this is a round, flat pancake-like shape that somehow captures the bao flavor. Go figure.

     

    And for those who want to know, “de,” in addition to aiding my reference to pop culture, is a reference to a particle of speech in Mandarin (a version is also used in written Cantonese) that indicates possession. It’s added after the noun doing the possessing. So “bao de bing” means bao’s bing (or bao’s beng), which just means the bun’s pancake/cookie/flatbread — which is exactly what this is! :)

     

    YIELD

     

    Not sure, as toddler (and cook) kept eating them as they were coming off the skillet (which also explains why there are no photos. We ate them all!) Enough to feed about 4 people as a snack, I suppose.

     

    INGREDIENTS

     

    1 packet or 1 T of yeast plus 1/4 c warm water plus pinch sugar
    2 c glutinous rice flour
    1 c rice flour
    1/2 c sugar
    1/4 c corn starch (substitute arrowroot starch if corn-allergic)
    pinch salt
    1/4 coconut cream/milk (substitute other milk, e.g. unsweetened soy milk, if coconut-allergic)
    warm water
    oil

     

    DIRECTIONS

     

    In a small bowl, combine yeast, pinch of sugar, and 1/4 c water. Set aside. It should begin to bubble in 10 minutes or so; wait till it almost doubles in bulk, which takes several minutes. If it doesn’t, discard and repeat with new yeast, sugar, water.

     

    In large bowl, add remaining dry ingredients and mix. Add yeast mixture, coconut cream/milk and mix. Add enough water to make batter very thin (thinner than pancake batter). Cover loosely and let rise in a warm, non-drafty area till about double in bulk, or about an hour. Do not over-rise.

     

    Heat a heavy, skillet over medium low. Lightly film with oil using a pastry brush. Pour 1/8 c to 1/4 c batter, depending on how large you want your pancake beng. When bubbles appear (takes less than a minute), flip and cook on other side till done. Aim for a pale color, like a crepe, though some slight light golden marks are OK, too. Do not overcook or else results will be slightly bitter. Lightly film pan with oil using pastry brush and repeat till all batter is cooked.

     

    SOURCE

     

    Self

     

    NOTES

     

    •  Cooking longer at a low temperature (but not too long, as beng will burn and turn bitter) can result in a crispy edge, which provides a nice contrast to the soft, chewy interior and brings the sweetness of the batter into sharper focus. Of course, this would not be a crepe in the classic sense, but it’s fun to eat, nevertheless.
    • My eventual goal is to turn this into a crepe, but I still have to locate some key ingredients and an 8″-inch cast iron pan to do that. I was able to cook a decent crepe w/this batter as-is, and visually and texturally, the crepes really do resemble French wheat/egg/milk-based crepes. But the flavor is definitely Chinese. Made as crepes, these wrappers would do nicely w/Asian-style fillings, such as a hom sui gok filling, barbecue pork, or some other sweet-savory filling. For that, I’d probably reduce the sugar slightly. If we’re talking about a more delicately-flavored, savory filling, say something with shrimp or fish, I’d reduce sugar even more (maybe 1/4 c to 1/3 c), maybe add two pinches of salt.

    Category basics, breads, Recipes, snacks | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  2. Neat Bread

    January 27, 2012 by admin

    img_3374

    This rustic loaf offers a thin, chewy, golden crust full of a rye/wheat-like taste, which is neat considering it’s gluten-free. The interior is moist, soft, and dotted with flaxseed — a nice contrast with the thin, chewy, rustic crust. And it smells wonderful in a heady, bread-y kind of way. :)

    21-01-12_1419

     

    Bakers will recognize the preheated-pot baking method, which captures the steam necessary for creating the artisan-style crust, as a technique from Jim Lahey of New York’s Sullivan Street Bakery that was popularized by Mark Bittman.

     

    Unfortunately, most of the photos are of bread half-eaten. We often dig right in and forget about taking photos. Then at some point, someone (usually me) blurts out (with bread stuffed in the mouth), “Bwrey! Woh nod to tok a photo!” (Translation: Hey! We need to take a photo!) I’ve posted photos of Neat Bread (look for the flaxseed) and also a version of Neat Bread that does not involve flaxseed. Both have a similar crust and interior structure.

    21-01-12_1813

     

    YIELD

    About 6 servings of bread

     

    INGREDIENTS

    2 T ground flaxseed plus 6 T warm or hot water

    1 t dry active yeast plus pinch sugar plus 1/4 c warm water

    1 1/4 c Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix

    1 1/4 c rice flour

    1/4 c glutinous rice flour

    1/2 c tapioca starch

    2 T sugar

    2 t xanthan gum

    1 1/8 t unbleached sea salt, freshly and finely ground

    scant 1 1/4  c to 2 c warm water (roughly speaking)

     

    DIRECTIONS

    In small bowl, proof yeast by adding yeast, pinch sugar, and 1/4 c warm water and mixing. If it bubbles in about 10 min., the yeast is alike and kicking. Wait till it almost doubles in bulk. If it doesn’t ever bubble, discard and repeat with a fresh t of yeast. Set aside.

     
    In another small bowl, mix flaxseed and 6 T warm or hot water. Set aside 5 min to 10 min.

     
    In a large bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients. Add flaxseed mixture and yeast mixture. Gradually add just enough of remaining warm water to make a sticky, thick dough. Mix with chopsticks or fork; do not use hands, as dough will be too sticky. The resulting dough will seem like a conventional wheat dough that needs maybe 1 c more flour, or it will seem like a too thick conventional wheat muffin batter. Aim for a doughy batter (or batter-like dough) that falls off your chopsticks in a satisfying clump, that doesn’t cling too hard to your implement, but that doesn’t slide off too easily either.

     
    Oil a medium size bowl large enough to accommodate roughly twice the volume of the dough. Using an oiled rubber spatula, transfer batter to bowl. Use spatula to smooth/style top of dough however you like (opt). Loosely cover bowl with cloth, lid, or plastic wrap. Let rise undisturbed in a draft-free place till roughly double in bulk.

     
    Preheat oven about 450 F. About 30 minutes before baking, place into preheated oven a large cast iron pot with lid on.

     
    Remove pot from oven. Remove lid. With bowl in hand, slide dough into pot, using an oiled rubber spatula to push dough along if necessary. (Don’t worry if it’s misshapen; odd shapes often look better.) Quickly put lid back on and return covered pot to oven. You want to do this as quickly as possible to avoid losing too much heat from the  pot interior. Be careful. Pot is HOT!

     
    Cook 30 min. Remove lid and cook until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

     
    Remove from oven. Transfer loaf to cooling rack. Cool completely or till slightly warm before eating. Do NOT slice while still hot/very warm; doing so will cause bread interior to be undercooked.

     

    NOTES

    • For a nice artisan like touch, sprinkle corn meal or rice flour on top of the dough just before slipping it into the hot pot.

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    • If dough flips over lands upside down into pot, consider quickly smoothing top of dough with a wet rubber spatula, then sprinkling a bit of rice flour on top of dough. Dough that lands upside down into the pot cooks just as well as dough that lands right side up, but trust me, the crust looks funky in a not-so-nice way if you don’t alter it with a rubber spatula.

      •  

    • Different method: Instead of using the oiled bowl method, spread parchment paper on work surface. Sprinkle rice flour onto paper. Turn risen dough onto paper. Sprinkle with rice flour. Gathering the corners of the parchment paper, flip dough into pot. Cook as instructed.

      •  

    • One popular alternative  way of getting the dough into the pot is to let the dough rise on a piece of parchment paper, then place the parchment paper (with dough on top) into the pot. This is ideal, since it doesn’t disturb the dough like the two methods do and end up reducing the rise. However, I’m not a fan of this method since, (A) my parchment paper is tested for safety at up to 425 F degrees — and I cook my bread at at least 450 F, and (B) parchment paper is coated with silicone and chemicals, and I necessarily trust these things next to food being cooked at high temperatures. i.e., I’m concerned those chemicials might do some nasty degrading onto my food at such high temperatures. I haven’t read anything to support this concern; however, I haven’t read anything that allays my fears either.

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    • I use a 5 quart Le Creuset enamel covered, cast iron pot.

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    • If your loaf is overly moist on the inside, try reducing the amount of water added. Aim for a thicker (but still overly sticky) dough.

       

    •  To avoid burning myself, I use a sturdy wooden spatula to remove the bread from the pot.I’m working on removing the xanthan gum, as I would prefer to simplify the recipe. Xanthan gum is not sold on the island where I live.

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    • I plan to offer a substitute for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix, but right now that’s one of the few gluten-free flours I can find in Saipan. I plan to put together a mix of sorghum, millet, and maybe garbanzo flour, potato or arrowroot starch, and more tapioca starch. But first I have to order that stuff online and wait for it to arrive, which could take weeks or more than a month. Will post once I figure it out.

     

     

    SOURCE

    Self

     

    Category baked goods, breads, Recipes, side dish, starch | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  3. Caramelized Shrimp with Garlic and Shallots

    January 20, 2012 by admin

    This is a great recipe for home cooks who are short on time but happen to have frozen, deveined shrimp on hand. Get a pot cooking with rice, boil some greens in water seasoned with salt and oil (or peel and slice up fresh cucumbers and serve raw), cook this shrimp dish, and viola! Instant balanced meal.

    The distinctive combination of caramelized sugar, fish sauce, and shallots as well as the use of raw herbs to finish the dish alerts you of this dish’s Vietnamese heritage. The cooking technique is clearly Chinese.

     

    INGREDIENTS

    • 2/3 lb raw medium or large shrimp
    • oil for high heat cooking (e.g. corn, canola)
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1 shallot
    • 1 1/2 T brown sugar
    • 3/4 T to 1 T Vietnamese-style fish sauce
    • cilantro

     

    DIRECTIONS

    Finely chop garlic and shallot. Wash cilantro and leave whole or chop into whatever length you want.

    If your shrimp has not been deveined: Leaving shells on the raw shrimp, devein by laying shrimp down on cutting board, making a shallow cut through the shell on the back, removing only the black vein, and rinse. Drain shrimp in colander and pat dry with paper towels.

    Heat wok or frying pan over high heat. Add oil and swirl or spread with silcone brush; you just need enough to coat the pan. Add garlic and shallot and stir fry 1 minute. Add shrimp and sugar and stir fry 1 minute. Add fish sauce and stir fry 1 minute. Turn off heat. Transfer to plate. Garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.

     

    NOTES

    • Don’t overcook! This is the golden rule for cooking shrimp. The result should be shrimp that resists slightly when your teeth bite into it (al dente?), but should then helplessly give way to succulent flesh, bouncy and full of juice. If your shrimp tastes grainy or slightly tough, it’s overcooked. That’s OK! Just try again next time.
    • Use a good quality Vietnamese style fish sauce. (I use Tra Chang brand — look for the scale weighing fish on the label.) A good Vietnamese fish sauce will be balanced in flavor,  not hit you over the head with smell or salt, and will only contain fish, salt, and sugar as ingredients — nothing else. Reduce amount of fish sauce if you only have access to fish sauces intended for Thai or Pilipino markets (e.g. Squid, Tilapios); these brands are generally saltier and more brash and loud in flavor. (Vietnamese-style fish sauces sold in the U.S. are exported from Thailand, but they are *not* Thai style.)
    • If possible, use shrimp with their shells on. The flavor on the shells is quite nice. If you go this route, I suggest deveining (while leaving the shells on) or — better yet — buying a bag of shell-on, deveined shrimp. So far I’ve had good luck finding good quality shrimp without preservatives other than salt (ingredients should read: shrimp, salt) at Costco. For quality reasons, I choose shrimp from America (including locally raised here in Saipan) or Thailand.
    • Most people remove the shells from  the shrimp at the dinner table, but I prefer to  eat the shrimp, shells and all. More calcium, I say, not to mention a wonderful crunchy contrast to the succulent shrimp meat inside. :)
    • Best if cooked with unpeeled shrimp. You can use peeled shrimp, but appearance will be pale and bland looking. Shells give the dish the distinctive and appetizing orange shrimp color.
    • Don’t reduce the sugar and fish sauce. You can do it, of course, and the results likely will be acceptable. But using less sugar and fish sauce mean the flavors won’t “pop.”

     

    SOURCE

    Adapted from the recipe of the same name by Mai Pham’s awesome cookbook, Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table.

     

    Category main dish, Recipes | Tags: ,,,,,, | No Comments

  4. Sweet Potatoes Stewed with Cardamom and Coconut Milk

    January 19, 2012 by admin

    When our neighbors give us fresh purple yams from their farm, this recipe is what instantly comes to mind. Served over rice, this is one of the easiest and fastest meals possible. I do not recommend using the sweet, deep, and water-heavy yam for this recipe. Instead, look for a sweet potato that is more starchy, contains less water, and ideally has a complex flavor. I’ve had really good luck with purple, starchy yams.

     

    INGREDIENTS

    • 5 c starchy sweet potatoes/yams
    • 1/2 t freshly ground green cardamom seeds (pod coverings removed and discarded)
    • about 1 c coconut milk, canned or fresh (more if using freshly made)
    • 1 cup or so of water
    • 2 T good quality maple syrup, preferably Grade B

     

    DIRECTIONS

    Remove inner seeds from green cardamom pods. Discard pod shells. Using a mortar and pestle, pulverize cardamom seeds. Peel sweet potatoes/yams and cut into roughly 1″ cubes.

    In a large pot, add sweet potatoes/yams, cardamom, maple syrup, and coconut milk. Add enough water to almost submerge sweet potato cubes. Mix gently. Cover. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a low simmer. Simmer till sweet potatoes are cooked through, soft enough to eat, but not falling apart, about 30 min.

    Serve warm over rice.

     

    YIELD

    5 servings

     

    NOTES

    Flavor develops, mellows, and becomes more complex if stored overnight in fridge. However, some of the al dente consistency may be lost.

    Sugar in equal parts may be substituted for good quality Grade B maple syrup, but flavor will not be as complex. Using unbleached sugar keeps this dish vegan.

    For the life of me, I can’t keep straight the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, so I use those terms interchangeably.

     

    EQUIPMENT

    mortar and pestle

    knife and cutting board

    peeler

    large pot with lid

    can opener (if using canned coconut milk)

     

    SOURCE

    Adapted from a Kenyan dish featured in Jeff Smith’s The Frugal Gourmet

     

    Category main dish, Recipes, side dish, starch | Tags: ,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  5. Lemon Craze

    December 16, 2011 by brett

    This is my son’s favorite cake. It’s a simple lemon cake that I sometimes serve decorated with lemon frosting or garnished with streaks of sweet-tart lemon filling, though I always prefer it unadorned. I adapted it from the ever popular Crazy Cake (a.k.a. Wacky Cake, Oil and Vinegar Cake) that everyone grew up making and eating in the U.S. My brother, whose sixth grade teacher taught the class to cook, made this cake for me growing up. It’s he who inspired in me a lifelong love of baking.

     

    YIELD

    5″x7″ cake

     

    INGREDIENTS

    3/4 c Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour Mix
    3/4 c rice flour
    1/2 c sugar
    1 t baking soda
    1/2 t salt
    1/4 c mild tasting oil (e.g. canola)
    1/2 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
    1/2 c water

     

    DIRECTIONS

    Oil 7″ x 5″Pryex pan and dust with rice flour. Cut lemons and squeeze out 1/2 c of juice into a medium bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add oil, water, and *then* lemon juice. Mix quickly but thoroughly. Quickly pour batter into pan, using rubber spatula to remove all the batter. Carefully but quickly put in oven without disturbing batter. Bake till done and lightly golden brown on top, about 45 min.

     

    NOTES

    • Increase temperature to 350 F if using a metal pan.
    • Have all utensils, pans, etc. on hand before adding the lemon juice, as the juice, upon contact with the baking soda, will cause the bubbling action necessary for the cake to rise. The air bubbles being created by mixing acidic (lemon juice) with basic (baking soda) are what makes the cake rise, and you want to capture those bubbles in the oven, so to speak. Fumbling around for a rubber spatula to get the rest of the batter out while the lemon juice and baking soda are interacting will only allow the batter to bubble up and go flat before you get the cake into the oven. Your cake will not rise much as a result. You want to get the cake into the oven while the bubbling action is going on! On the other hand, you don’t want to put the cake batter in too soon; doing so will result in a cake that rises quickly then falls. Just mix quickly but thoroughly and that should get you to the right point of acid/basic interaction.
    • Replace some of the water with lemon juice for a zippier, more lemony cake. Replacing all of the water with lemon juice should be reserved for only the most hard core of lemon fans.
    • This could probably be doubled for a 9″x9″ pan. (I don’t have a 9″x9″ pan, so I can’t test this.)

     

    SOURCE

    Self

     

    Category baked goods, dessert, Recipes | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments