PORK BUNS

Who would not be tempted by those soft buns, crunchy sweet top and savoury hot fillings baked to perfection....and with just one bite--- ahhhh heaven! 

Nah! it's just a bread. But a delicious one though. It's sooo good that my kid will finish 3 orders in just one seating and will request for more. This bun is one of their favourites among the bread filled buns but it goes top of the list.  Plus, they will ONLY order that much if it's from their favourite resto. With the Circuit Breaker - Stay at Home situation when dine in is impossible and take out / delivery is a challenge not to mention hygienecally risky, I am challenged and forced to bake one. Proud to say it's a success! Gone in few seconds, even their Dad just had a piece.... he almost missed out!

Here we go---

PORK BUN

Makes about 580 grams of bread dough

about 19 buns at 30g each

ooohhlalala, look at that! Yummy!!!

INGREDIENTS

BREAD

2 c Bread Flour (or all -purpose flour)

1 tsp instant yeast

1/2 c + 2 tbsp fresh milk

1 tbsp + 1 tsp white sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, add flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Then pour milk, add egg. Then  turn the mixer to medium speed and run until the ingredients combined and form rough ball.

Then add the softened  butter and continue mixing until you get a bottom clean bowl this will take at least 15 minutes or so of mixing.

Stop the mixer, scoop the dough and form into a smooth big ball and return to the bowl to proof for at least an hour or until the dough double its size. 

My dough ready for proofing

( I usually make my dough rise to the top of the bowl, that way i am secured that the dough has properly risen ;-)

When done, ready to use.

FILLING

Can be done ahead of time, just place it in the fridge.

1 head garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 tbsp oil

2 c pork belly, chopped into small cubes

1 1/2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee  light soya sauce + 1/2 tbsp any dark soya sauce (you can just use 1 tbsp SILVERSWAN soy sauce)

1 tbsp hoisin sauce (Lee Kum Kee)

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 c water for the meat

1/2 c water to be mix with 1 tbsp cornstarch

Spring onions (optional, to be mixed with the filling before you place the meat into the dough so you can see the greens inside)

Place oil in a pan and sauté garlic and onion.

Then add pork belly and cook to brown.

In a bowl, add soya sauce, hoisin, oyster and 1/2 c water. Stir to combine.

Then pour over the meat, stir and cover the pan and let it simmer until pork is tender, about 10-15 minutes. (use low heat this time to prevent the filling from burning)

When done, pour the water-cornstarch mixture.

Cook filing until very thick.

Remove from heat and let it cool before use.

Before placing the filling into the dough, add the spring onions. 

Look at that greens, an added appetizing color in your filling. I made a mistake by placing it right away after cooking so the greens were cooked before i placed it inside the dough so i lost the green color  So from the finished product you cant see any greens anymore.  ;-(
So lesson learned, place greens right before you actually fill the bun.

TOPPING

1/4 c unsalted butter (about 50-60g butter))

1/2 c powdered sugar

1 tbsp cornstach

1/2 c flour (all-purpose flour)

1 egg

2 tbsp water

Cream butter and Sugar until light and fluffy.

Add flour , cornstarch, egg and water and whisk until combined and in smooth paste texture.

Place in a piping bag.

Ready to use.

ASSEMBLY

When dough is ready, divide it into 30g each making about 19 small dough balls.

Grab one small dough, flatten it with roller, then scoop about 1 tbsp of filling and place it at the center of the dough. Gather the edges and seal the sides.

Place the bun seal down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Repeat this with the rest of the small doughs.

Once done, let the filled doughs rest for another 40 minutes or until its size doubles.

When done and before baking, cover the bun with filling. Circling the top by swirling it around the bun going down about halfway each bun.

Piping the topping using Wilton #5 Tip But you can also pipe without piping tip, just make a small hole on your tip of the piping bag you are using.

Pre-heat oven to 350º F or 175º C.

Bake buns for about 15-20 minutes until slightly brown, 

DO NOT OVERBAKE...

BEEF WELLINGTON

If Daniel Boulud is famous for his Salmon Coulibiac, Gordon Ramsay is popular for Beef Wellington.  He even called it the "Complete Indulgence. His dish is a signature of forming, searing, flavouring of beef fillet before wrapping it in parma ham. It's a creation of perfection.

Other variation of this dish is made of beef fillet steak wrapped with pâté de foie gras and duxelles, then further wrapped in Parma Ham and finish it up with puff pastry skin before baking.

BUT as years passed by and as many inspirations arise both from Michelin Chefs and home grown chefs, places and cultures, each dish creation is unique and have organically developed  for universal acceptance.

Today's exploration is  an easy dish of Beef Wellington using minced beef as this is the most accepted meat form especially for picky eaters, without using the complexities of pâté de foie gras and duxelles and additional parma ham. But you can explore using the aforementioned ingredients of course! So here we go...

BEEF WELLINGTON
what you need--

500 g minced beef

2 links lemon and pepper sausage ( fresh smokey  sausage is recommended)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

½ tbsp Italian Seasoning

½ tbsp dried parsley

I pc garlic minced

1 large onion minced

2 pcs puff pastry

3 boiled eggs

1 raw egg (separated) egg white for brushing the sides, eggyolks for brushing the top of the pastry before baking.

Mix all the ingredients except the eggs.

Place the pastry on a lined baking tray. Brush the sides with egg whites.

Place ½ of the beef mixture at the center of the pastry like a log.

Add 3 boiled eggs in the middle of the log.

Cover the egg with another half of the beef mixture.

Then cover the log with the second pastry and seal the sides.

Brush the whole of pastry with slightly beaten egg yolks.

Bake at 180° C for 45 minutes.

Reduce heat to 160°C and bake for another 30 minutes.

When done, ready to serve.

You can serve it with Gravy and your favourite vegetables on the side.

GRAVY

Dried meat dishes require dippings or sauces, that's an imperative for me, no matter how tasty the meat dish is, I need some sauce!

Gravy is the common and the easiest sauce to make especially when you have some drippings from grilled or baked meat, but the downside is-- the salt control. Usually it's salty and if you're unlucky the after taste of burnt herbs lingers. But if all goes well, the drippings are perfect starter for gravy as it's full of flavour, grilled herbs and spices and complete seasoning of fats. But what if you don't have drippings and the off the shelf ready mix is not available BUT you needed one? .... don't panic here's how...

GRAVY

what you need---

Basic Ingredient of Gravy is:

Unsalted Butter

Flour

Water

Salt & Pepper

But then we want some flavouring on our gravy and not just a  plain

thick sauce so we complicate it a bit ;-)

¼ c unsalted butter

3 tbsp all-purpose flour (in flour constraint, any flour will do)

2 1/2 c water 

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp dried parsley

1/2 cube knorr chicken

1/2 cube knorr pork (beef will also do)

Melt butter in a pan, then add flour and whisk to cook.

Then add water, seasoning, cubes and soy sauce.

Mix to combine and simmer to thickness.

Ready to use.

Note: Gravy thickens as it cools.

          You can use milk, sherry, red wine, champagne  to replace the water.

          You can add more spices, herbs and vegetables, then mash and drain.

          

SUKIYAKI

Hot Pot, Steamboat, Shabu-shabu, Sukiyaki are some of the dishes eaten while slowly cooking the ingredients in a broth/sauce. The common denominators of these dishes are, soup/broth, vegetables, meat/seafood. However you like to serve it -- with rice or noodles  or accompanied with dipping sauces... one thing is for sure its delectable, deee---licious and hot!

Kids developed the liking to soupy dishes and hot pot is one of them. Among the popular hot pots, Japanese steamboat stands out. With our global situation where all of us are on "stay at home", our cravings for dine outs are getting stronger and our only solution is replicate it!

Today's lunch request is "SUKIYAKI".  I replied what? How am i going to do that? Super delicious broth is very difficult to prepare not to mention it's very tedious. BUT, not for Sukiyaki.  This Nabemono dish is easy to prepare as long as you have the ingredients available. So here it is---

SUKIYAKI 
Ingredients good for 2 servings for 4 people.

3 small chines cabbage
60 g glass noodles
2 medium carrots
1 tube egg tofu
1 pack Enoki Mushroom
Spring Onions or Negi
1 pack Beef Sukiyaki
Sesame Oil for drizzling before serving


Clean and Slice the vegetables.
Soak Glass noodle in water to soften.
Set aside.



                                                                           Sukiyaki Sauce:

1 c Mirin
1/2 c Lee Kum Kee Superior Light Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sugar
3 c water (you can use 1 c sake instead if you prefer)
Bring to a rolling boil and set aside.















Now, brown the beef in a pot with a bit of oil. The same pot that you will use for the steamboat, or the hot pot cooker.  

Then remove and set aside the beef.  Using the same pot, pour a bit of stock/ broth and stir to loosen the sticking beef if any.











Then arrange your ingredients and pour the remaining stock into the pot just enough to cover the ingredients halfway of the pot. Bring to boil, then drizzle some sesame oil before eating ;-)

First bowl drizzled with Sesame Oil before serving

Second Bowl

Serve with steaming Japanese Rice topped with black Sesame Seeds

PORK RIBS with PAPRIKA TOMATO SAUCE

Ribs are one of our favourites especially when everyone is in the mood for longer meal time and "hands on dining" and  the sight of kids licking their fingers is heartwarming rather than dismay. 

Ribs are almost perfect  in anything but more are accustomed to grill, barbecue or stewed where the sauce and the flavour is sticking to that meaty bone encouraging one to dispose of such cutleries and prefer casual eating with bare hands over fine dining.

This dish is another exploration of mayo and ketchup tandem bringing a finger licking goodness of Ribs!


PORK RIBS with PAPRIKA TOMATO SAUCE

1 kl pork ribs

Onion chopped

Garlic minced

Less than a 1/3 c of tomato catsup

2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbsp vinegar

1/8 c Japanese mayonnaise or any mayonnaise

½ tbsp smoke paprika or sweet paprika powder

2 tsp light soya sauce

2 tsp tamari soy sauce/ regular soy sauce

½ tbsp brown sugar

2 c water
salt (optional) to taste before serving

Mix all the wet ingredients and whisk.

Place the ribs in a pot add onion and garlic.

Pour the sauce and with a high heat bring to a boil.

Then  lower heat to low and simmer for about an hour with occasional stirring.

Add salt if preferred.

Serve hot with rice or bread.

Before Cooking

After an hour of simmering.

TABLEA CREAM FILLING

I was cleaning my stash of "treasured garbage" ;-) and came across a magazine dated a decade ago. I remember I bought this piece from a magazine rack of National Bookstore while strolling around Ayala-Makati. I tested few of the recipes with a tweak for the lack of ingredients or that some the ingredients are not for my liking so i have to substitute or twist it and oh well, it always came out perfect and delicious, fortunately!

So today, this is the first time i am using this filling and it's soooo good and worth sharing --- but warn you, patience and strength will surely pay off ;-)

TABLEA CREAM FILLING

This can fill about 10 (50g ) ensaymada with a tablespoonful each.

3  tablets (Batangas Cocoa Tablea), finely chopped

1 c fresh milk

4 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoon butter

1/2 c condensed milk

4 eggyolks

Place  tablea, milk, cornstarch, butter and condensed milk in a pan.

Bring to a rolling boil with constant stirring about 8-10 minutes until pudding texture.

Take out from heat and with continuous whisking add eggyolks. 

Continuously whisking until creamy. Return to heat with constant stirring until the mixture can be scoop out with a whisk.

Note: The cream is stiff as it cools.

Set aside to cool while preparing your well proofed Ensaymada dough for filling.

Flatten the dough and scoop about a tablespoonful and place it on the center of the dough..
Bring the sides together and seal.
Form the dough into ball and place it into a mamon liner with seal at the bottom.
Rest for about an hour.
Then bake for about 7 minutes @ 175 degrees C.

Assembly:
Remove  Ensaymadas from liners, spread butter mixture on top then finish with fresh grated cheddar cheese. Serve with your favourite hot or cold beverage ;-).

Salmon Coulibiac

Coulibiac is a popular Russian Pirog ( a dough filled with either sweet or savoury ) dish served during festivities. Quite intriguing the first time i heard about it... I even asked the waiter --  Couli what? and while looking at it, the methodology is working on my mind and the thought of pastry dough discouraged me to make one, until i found the solution, TING!  This might be a little overwhelming, but with few alternatives we can enjoy gourmet food at the comfort of our homes. Try it!

I'm not going to scare you with the dough (I will try my own dough one of these days) but for now-- let's make it a little easy-peasy...

SALMON COULIBIAC
what you need: 

about 1/2  kg slab of salmon belly (boneless and skinless) 
Cooked Rice Pilaf , rice, vege or your favourite quinoa
Salt and pepper
2 square sheets of puff pastry
eggyolk for brushing

Assembly:

1. Frozen salmon slab, dash with salt and pepper
Take out your puff pastry and thaw halfway just enough to fold it.

2. Lay flat the pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment (for easy cleaning and assembling)

3. Place rice at the center the size of the salmon slab.
Lay the slab on top the rice (skin side on top).
Then  cover the layers with another puff pastry.
Bring the two pastry sheets together, either fold or crimp to seal the sides.

4. Turn the pastry side-up, this time the rice side should be on top.
Then place the pastry in  your baking tray and into the freezer for about an hour to settle the pastry.

5. While freezing the pastry, pre-heat oven to 180 degrees with fan.
When oven is ready, take out the pastry, brush the top with slightly beaten eggyolk .
Bake for 20 minutes or until top of pasty turns brown.

6. When done, remove from oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving and slicing.

Note:  You can make this ahead, even a day before your party or dinner or lunch to save time, after all this has to be frozen before baking.

You can use blached vegetables instead or rice pilaff.  Best is blanched spinach, asparagus or broccoli.

RAISINS RICE PILAF

Recently, we fancied colourful rice to go with our roasted, baked or bbq dishes. The flavour and aroma of the rice complements the dish being served. It's appetizing and the kids loved it. 

Flavoured rice is not just a perfect pair to meat dishes. It is the preferred filling for baked savoury puffs, because it's dry and its flavour adds up to the taste of the meat, poultry or fish being baked. Pilaff is one of our favourite and when used as a filling, we call it a one whole pocketed meal! 
So here we go--

RAISINS RICE PILAF
Ingredients:

2 c basmati rice
1 head garlic minced
1 small onion diced
2 cinnamon quills
5 pcs cardamon
6 pcs cloves
Dash of turmeric powder
1/2 chicken cube
EVOO
1/4 water

1 small pack of raisins (you can use cranberries too)

Method:
In a small wok, pour about 2 tbsp of EVOO. 
Pan fry cardamon and cloves to release its flavour for about a minute.
Then add garlic and onion and sauté.
Drop quills and chicken cube and add 1/4 c water.
Add a dash of turmeric.
Quickly simmer and set aside.

When done, pour the spice mixture into the washed basmati rice in a rice cooker, mix to incorporate.
Add the raisins and appropriate amount of  water and stir.
Cook according to rice cooker setting.
When done, open the rice cooker and mix the rice to incorporate the spices that have settled. 

Serve with your favourite meat or seafood dishes.

Enjoy!