Golden Pillow Curry Chicken Bread

I first had the Golden Pillow 金枕头 ..hmm...more than 10 years ago with my husband and my sis. We ordered online for home delivery. It claimed for 3 person share but it wasn't enough at all. Since then, I haven't had it again after we have tried...cos maybe we forgot?...it was nothing fancy then just that we were amazed by the bread wrapping up the curry chicken. Think it's best to cook our own curry chicken to eat with bread. 

Since I have learnt how to bake bread and buns now, I want to try different types so that my family can enjoy them. The memory rekindled with my baking friend Veronica from Peng Kitchen, who recently baked this golden pillow from scratch. After I get her advice, I decided to give it a kick...

I am very happy with the result using the basic straight dough recipe I googled online HERE.

You can use your own favorite bread dough recipe to make it too. I wrap the bread dough over the wrapped curry chicken instead to have a nice round shape.

CURRY CHICKEN BREAD

Ingredients:-

• 340g bread flour
• 50g sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp yeast
• 210g milk
• 40g butter
• Curry chicken (precooked beforehand)
• Aluminium Foil

 Method:

Curry Chicken

1. Make the aluminum foil into a bowl and fill in with curry chicken. 
2. Wrap it up slowly and be careful not to tear any part of the foil to prevent spilling.
3. You can wrap another layer of foil if needed.
4. Set aside

Bread Dough

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a mixer and using a dough hook mix till well combined.
2. Add milk till dough is formed.
3. Add softened butter and knead for 15 minutes or till dough is not sticky and pass window pane test.
4. Fold the dough into a ball and place it in a greased container,cling wrap it and proof for 45 minutes or till it doubles its size.
5. Remove and divide them into 3 doughs (around 180gm). Mould each into a ball again and let them rest for 15 minutes.
6. Roll out big enough to wrap the curry chicken foil.
7. Place the wrapped curry chicken on the flattened dough and wrap it up like a pillow. Pinch the edges tightly.
8. Place shaped dough onto lined baking tins,cling wrap and proof for 45 minutes.
9. Eggwash after 2nd proofing.
10. Bake in a pre heated oven for 12-15 minutes at 160°C.
11. Remove from baking tin immediately and cool on rack.

Steamed Egg Tofu with Prawns & Shiitake Mushroom

In my previous post, I have posted how to make homemade egg tofu .

Today, I have prepared this dish for lunch. Tofu itself is plain in taste, it needs sauce to compliment each other. Surprisingly, my kids love it and they finished the whole plate.

Steamed Egg Tofu in Homemade Sauce

Ingredients:

Homemade Egg Tofu (Recipe can be found here)

8  Prawns

2 Shiitake Mushroom

1 Broccoli (small)
1 tsp minced Garlic

Homemade Sauce

• 1 tbsp Light Sauce
• 1.5 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 tsp Hua Tiao Jiu (Chinese Rice Wine)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 80ml water
• Potato Starch Mixture (to thicken the sauce) 

Method

1. Remove all the shells, heads and tails of the prawns, slit and devein. Set aside.

2. Wash and slice the shiitake mushrooms. Set aside

3. Cut the broccoli and cook them in a pot of boiling water. Strain and set aside. 

4. Mix all wet ingredients in a bowl except the potato starch mixture

5. Steam the tofu and serve on a plate. 

6. Sauteed the garlic, add in the mushroom and prawns. Stir fry to almost cook.

7. Add in the wet mixture and bring to a boil.

8. Add in the potato starch mixture to thicken the sauce. Switch off the fire. Can also use corn flour to make the starch mixture.

9. Plating the broccoli, prawns onto the plate of tofu. Spoon the mushroom and sauce over them. Serve while hot.

Enjoy!

Homemade Egg Tofu

I must thank my parents for being readily available to answer to my culinary questions. At any instant if I want to cook a dish but have some questions or obstacles, I can just call them for help.

One Saturday afternoon, I went to visit my parents at their stall. Their neighbor gave them two packs of soya bean as he was clearing up his stall to go back. Mum asked me to bring home to make tofu as they are unsweetened. It was quite a big pack and I have never make so much before. So I ask dad for advice and he told me that will need at least 8-9 eggs.

Immediately after I reached home, I started to prepare the tofu...

Depending on how versatile we want our tofu to be, here I am making plain egg tofu. Of course, you can add in some seasoning too to become a savory tofu.

HOMEMADE EGG TOFU (Plain)

Ingredients: 

1 regular size about 450ml Unsweetened Soya Bean
    (I bought from Mr Bean which is just nice)
4 eggs (1 use 55-60gm size) (if smaller ones please use 6 eggs)

Method:

1. Beat eggs and add in soya bean and mix till incorporated.
2. Strain the mixture and pour into a heat proof dish. 
3. Using a toothpick to prick burst the bubbles. 
4. Cover with aluminum foil 
5. Steam over boiling water on medium low flame for about 15-20 min or until cooked. Check by inserting the toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. 

You can also line a 6" square tray with plastic sheet. Once cool, can cut into cubes for deep frying coated with cornflour. 


PS: This yields very soft tofu. If you want, can add in some seasoning into the mixture before steaming. Add in your preferred toppings and serve while hot.

Mother-In-Law's Birthday

Supposedly we had planned to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday on her actual day (2nd week in September) but hubby was called up last minute on the day before for midnight work. We had to cancel our plan (to bring her out for dinner) and brought forward the celebration at home instead. We also decided to bake a strawberry cake for her ...hubby went around to get the strawberries while I bake the cake.

I used a basic sponge cake recipe, bake them in 3 pieces of 5.5" aluminum foil so that I don't have to do the level cutting for the layering. I was hesitating if a 6" cake is enough for our BIG family...

My first attempt on such frosting, trying my best to get the even frosting layers but definitely need more improvements. The frosting looks thick right but not really after all. After singing and cutting the birthday cake, the creaming was just nice for us. This is the first time ever that my hubby gave me a BIG THUMPS UP and he had two slices of it instead...which is rare. LOL... It is also the first time that we finished the whole cake with no leftovers...usually there would be some leftover in our previous birthday cakes whether store bought or home baked.

Happy Day!

Lemon Honey Chiffon Cake

Recently has a craving for chiffons but I don't have coconut milk in my pantry to bake pandan chiffon. So I went through my baking book and found this recipe using olive oil, honey and lemon which I think is healthy and soothing to the throat too.

The recipe calls for 8" chiffon tin but I decided to bake in my mini chiffon tins which I love most. First, it's baked in a shorter time, then because it's mini, the recipe can yield about 5-6 tins and it's presentable and cuter to share with friends/neighbours as a whole chiffon.

I have also learnt to unmould by hand instead of using knife to scrape through the tins. It is so so easy to do it. Try it and you will love it.

I love this recipe! With the refreshing lemon and honey aroma, this chiffon is moist & light too. Using less sugar and olive oil, this is definitely a healthy choice for the family. It gives out a lemon aroma during baking, once cooled, I keep in my tupperware. When I open the cover, I can smell the lemony aroma.

Adapted from Carol's The First Book of Baking for Beginners

Original recipe uses 8" Chiffon Tin (I use 6 mini chiffon tins instead, but can make do with 5 though)

Lemon Honey Chiffon Cake

Ingredient A:

5 Egg Yolk 

30 gm Honey

50 gm Olive Oil 

120gm Cake Flour

Lemon Zest (from 1 whole lemon) 

50ml Lemon Juice (extract from lemon)

2 tsp Cold Water

Ingredient B:

6 Egg White

1 tsp Lemon Juice

60gm Castor Sugar

Method:

1.  Preheat oven at 160degree celcius.
2. Sift the flour and set aside.
3. Beat the egg yolk with honey in a mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add in the olive oil to incorporate well and add in the lemon zest. Mix well.
5. Transfer to a mixing bowl if you only has one mixer. For the above steps, I use hand whisk.
6. Add in half the sifted flour, mix, then half lemon juice, mix again and add in 1 tsp of the cold water and mix well. Repeat again with the other half  and mix into a smooth batter. 
7. Whisk the egg white until bubbly, add in the lemon juice and sugar slowly in 2-3 portions. Whisk until stiff peak.
8. Scoop up 1/3 of the egg white and mix into the batter until incorporated.
9. Add in the rest of the egg white and mix well. 
10. Pour into the chiffon tin and smoothen the top. Give the tin a few light knock to release the air bubbles trap inside.   
11. Bake in oven for 50min. (I bake abt 30-35 min using the mini chiffon tins). Again, different oven works differently. 
12. Once baked, immediately turn over to cool over the bottles. I don't have one so lifted up my cooling rack and use my chiffon tin to cool. 
13. Unmould the cake only after it is completely cooled.

Happy Baking!

Do comment or share if you use this recipe. Thank you!