Playing with my dough

I had been trying to make bread for the longest time already, but because i don't have a bread maker, neither do i have a strong power mixer, so i didn't attempt to do again because the bread i do is always only soft immediately after baking but by the next day, it would be hard already. I have been searching and searching for bread recipe that doesn't require machine, fully handmade, but in vain. Till recently, sifu wanted to teach a fully handmade bread over the radio program, so i was able to acquire the recipe 1st hand since i had been helping with the English translation of the recipe all this while.

Last tuesday, i took a day off to visit my precious girl, after visiting, as i have not make any arrangement for any other activity, i decided to give the recipe a go even before it is put up in the DJ's kitchen recipe blog. (The recipe was put up on the same Tuesday evening after the recipe was taught over the radio program).

After much kneading, swinging and banging with the dough, i finally got my bread (fully handmade). Although the bread is not super soft like those selling in bakery, basically i'm quite satisfied with the result. At least it didn't go down the rubbish chute the next day. Infact, everything was finished up by the next morning by just 2 of us. Well, and at least i enjoyed the whole process of playing with my dough and i came out with the following design:

The interior texture

Ham roll with cheese flower design bread

Ham roll with cheese "pork rib" (supposed to represent) design bread


My greatest creation, pig's head design bread.

haha! isn't this cute? But the true fact is, it's empty inside, hehe!

My Newly Acquire Mooncake Mould

This is a continuation of my previous post. In my last post, i only show the exterior of the mooncake that i have make because it's not suitable for eating yet. 3 days later, i cutted the mooncake and took a quick snap of the interior before it was being wallop up. It's a pity that i brought ready make lotus paste and i found it too sweet. Perhaps, next time i should attempt to do the lotus paste myself or otherwise, should look for another supplier. According to my baking friend who bought my mooncake ingredients for me, there's another version of the lotus paste which is reduce sugar but it cost more and he's didn't get for me that since i didn't specifically said so. Reduce sugar means reduce raw material yet it cost more, why? haha, i guess that's when less is more and more is less.

This is my newly acquire cartoon character mooncake mould. There's Doraemon, Garfied, Mickey Mouse (same design as my previous post one but i measured, it's actually slightly bigger), Winnie The Pooh, 2 Hello Kitty (1 head only and another full body) which is my favourite. Some one asked me, why i like Hello Kitty, my reply - because it would not argue with me as it doesn't have a mouth. Well, so does that means i don't like Doraemon? Well not, although Doraemon only got mouth but no ears, i still like it because there will be time when you only want to listen to someone talking instead of you talking, isn't it? Basically, at my age, i shouldn't be so crazy over this sort of things, but some how or the other, when come to this, i didn't seems to grow up and i still wake up early on saturday and sunday to watch the morning cartoon and children's program showed on local channel.

Back to my newly acquired mooncake mould. This didn't come easy. Another baking friend of mine from Malaysia have specially went to Kuala Lumpur to search for it. I just happened to over heard sifu mentioning, and i immediately requested for one set. When this baking friend reach the shop, there's not much balance - only 4 sets. She herself got 1 set, sifu 1 set, another of sifu's student 1 set and so kind of sifu to have reserve the last set for me. Inorder not to create any commotion (haha, as if we would fight over it), i rushed down to sifu's house 1st thing when the mould arrived. Every body was laughing why am i in such a hurry. Haha!

In order to test out the new mould, sifu have specially prepared 2 sets of pastry for testing out. 1 set is the traditional pastry and the other set is the chocolate pastry.

The above 2 picture is the traditional pastry with chocolate lotus paste fillings.

You may have noticed, there's 2 character which is not among my set of mould. Actually it belongs to someone else and we were too eager to check out how it look, so we tested out. These 2 does not belong to the 6 in 1 mould. It's 2 standalone separate one. My ealier Mickey Mouse one is also a standalone one. Now i have 2 mickey mouse. 1 among the 6 in 1 and another standalone.


These 2 pictures is chocolate pastry with chocolate fillings. So rich that u would thought you are eating chocolate bar.

Surprisingly, it turn out that my camera captured the chocolate pastry one better than the traditional pastry one.

Originally i bought extra moooncake ingredients because i'm anticipating someone's present for this season. However........

I have not tested my new mould yet because i'm in no mood of making anything. My long awaited ........ is postpone again.

Making moon cakes

These are some of the cooking that i make some time back. Because i don't have time to upload the pictures plus busy playing games in facebook, therefore i drag till now then post up and it seems quite meaningless to post now. So just a short one before i head to my main purpose of this post.






This is coconut huat kueh with pork floss stuffing. Because the huat kueh is quite small, so i can't stuff in a lot of pork floss fillings. Basically still quite nice. Something different from the original one.








This is orange peel and raisins muffins. This was make for a quick snack as i wanted to finish the orange peel and raisin left over before it expires. I began to realise that i always buy ingredients which i intended to use but after that didn't use due to laziness and busyness. I think i should really stop this bad habit. But what to do, sometimes when i visit phoon huat that sells bakery item, i couldn't help but would buy because i always thinks that i may need it. Why must phoon huat be so far away from my house? If only it is just right beside my house, i wouldn't have to do this and develop this bad habit.













This is chocolate brownies again. I found this brownies so delicious that i couldn't help making again. Plus hubby's craving for it, therefore i make again and bring some for my colleague to try, and all said very yummy. This was also make quite sometime ago and i have stop making any stuff after this till last saturday.

Last saturday, i make traditional mooncakes in my sifu's house. Well, i do know how to make mooncake before this. It's just that it's rather inconvenient for me to get the ingredients needed and i have stopped making till saturday. Well, it's not so much of the making mooncakes that attract me but rather the atmosphere in Sifu's house, the laughters and company that makes times passed so fast that before you could realised, it's another day gone.


This is mini traditional mooncake with flower design - the mould belongs to Sifu.

This is mini Mickey Mouse Face traditional mooncakes - I got my baking friend to get the mould from Malaysia.

A close up

These are the bigger one.

These are the mini one.

All are with white lotus paste with salted egg yolk.

This 2 are the one that i like best. By the way, these mooncakes (except the bigger one with the fish design) are make with push out plastic mould type which my baking friend bought for me from Malaysia. Infact i just got a call from Sifu that this baking friend managed to get another set with 6 interchangeable design for me too. I have to wait patiently (hopefully not too long) for her to bring to sifu's house so that i can get it from her.

These are the real traditional one - make with wooden mould and black bean paste. Well actually the ingredients which my friend bought for me for this mooncake session is actually white lotus paste, salted egg yolk and roasted melon seeds. But the mooncake above is a mixed up during Sifu's other class. When conducting class, sifu use black bean paste. At the end of the session, while i was away in the supermarket getting kitchen paper towel, the large mooncakes which originally make by me was being swap accidentally and mine was being taken away by one of the 2 students there. No choice, just my luck.

As i can't eat these mooncake till tommorrow, (waiting for the pastry to be soften after 3 days - the purpose is for the oil to be return back to the pastry), so there's no cut up mooncake in this post. By time when i cut, hopefully i can remember to snap pictures.

Nothing seems to go right for me

Lots of stuff happened recently. But then nothing seems to go right for me. Wanted to move to a new environment - sold my flat but didn't get a good price. Thought i could make do with a smaller flat but then the asking cash over valuation is too high and i'm like always fighting like in the stock market - the highest bid got it. Finally settle for a not so fantastic (because low level and not near MRT) same size flat because the cash over value is within my reach. Thought nevermind, at least i'm pepared with a new environment and how big is the country only, it may be a little inconvenient but at least i can have the serene of the surroundings. Thought problem solved - but then next come the housing loan problem. As i'm no longer eligible for the subsidised loan rate, i have to approach the commercial institute instead. Thought with my callibre, it shouldn't be a problem a get a loan, but then to my surprise, even though i'm going to be the sole finance of the property for all the future instalment, but because the house is under 2 names, so whichever party that has a bad credit record, it does affect the application. All the hussle is still going on. I always joke that maybe i have to move under the bridge one of these day - and now it does seems like it's going to be true. Can someone please tell me where's the widest/broadest bridge? But then i really need a permanent proper address inorder to receive someone back. Sigh! so living under the bridge is also beyond my means. And this someone, can you please "jia you"? Can you please be good so as to be able to reunite with me again? Every looking forward have always ended with disappointment. WHY DOESN'T THINGS GO THE WAY I WANT IT TO BE?

Have been pondering

Have been pondering:

Is the road really brighter at the end of the tunnel?

Does hard work really always pays off?

Is it true that if you did not harm anyone and you would be safe from harm?

Does GOD/SKY really have eyes?

I think i would not be able to know the answer unless i have really reach the end of life. Sigh!

Sharing here some pictures of the recent solar eclipse which i got thru' email. It was taken by some astrophile all over the world about the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia into near-darkness after dawn, as millions gathered to watch the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon today.

I manage to convert it into a slide show, but i especially like this picture:

And here's the slide show that i do with the available pictures:

As i step into.......

Gosh! As i step nearer to half a decade, look back and it seems like i have not achieve anything. Except lots of regrets..........

No birthday bash, lunch at koufu foodcourt, dinner at a nearby coffee shop. Played bejewelled blitz on facebook the whole day thru'.

But i do appreciate some great friends for making my day less boring thou. Got lots of smses of birthday wishes, birthday wishes from baking/cooking group, birthday wishes from some commercial advertisement and that's about all except great appreciation to STsn for her surprise birthday gift via post. Buddy! you really make my day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MYSELF

Thursday eveing - went to sifu house to pick up this.

From the box, you could clearly tell that it's a cake inside, but what type of cake is it?



It's actually dark chocolate mousse cake. This is specially hand made by sifu for my birthday.
The top layer is super yummy creme brulee, with a outer layer of super soft sponge cake, the base is also sponge cake. The center is dark chocolate mousse. Look at how well made this cake is - from outside, you could see that there's 3 layers, yellow -creme brulee, center dark brown color - dark chocolate mousse, and the lighter brown color is the sponge cake outer layer.

The interior.

Although i'm not much a fan of mousse, but this cake is super yummy.

After assembling the candle,

5.....4.....3......2......1

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MYSELF