Pan-fried Meatballs with Cabbage, Carrot and Mushroom

We can make meatballs in different variations, some plain while others with added ingredients like mash potatoes, mushroom, cabbage, carrot and others. All these ingredients will change the flavour and taste of the meatballs. No matter what we add to the minced meat, the meatballs will end up delicious. Here, for the first time, I tried adding mushrooms, cabbage and carrots and the meatballs were simply delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 pc Shiitake mushroom
• 100 g minced pork
• 50 g carrots
• 50 g cabbage
• 50 g onions
• 1 stalk green onion
• 1 stalk coriander (may add more for a more distinct taste)
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Cooking oil

Method:

• Soak Shiitake mushroom. When it has softened, dice it finely.

• Dice onions, carrot and cabbage.

• Cut green onions into small pieces and chop coriander finely.

• Heat up pan with some oil.

• When it has been heated up, add mushroom and saute them till fragrant.

• Add carrots, cabbage and onion and fry till they are soft and cooked. Let them cool down.

• Add the carrots, cabbage, onion, green onion and coriander to the minced pork.

• Add flour.

• Season with light soy sauce, pepper and salt.

• Mix them up well.

• Heat a pan with some oil.

• Spoon the mixture onto your palm and shape it into a ball. Then flatten the ball.

• Place the flattened ball onto the pan.

• Pan fry them till both sides are golden brown.

• Remove and serve.

Spicy Tofu

 Tofu is a common source of plant-based protein. Thus, it is commonly found in vegetarian dishes. There are different varieties of tofu according to its softness and texture. The softest ones are usually steamed and drizzled with garlic oil, green onions and light soy sauce to form a dish. Or, they are cut into cubes to be cooked in soup. The harder ones are usually cut or sliced and stir fried with vegetables. They can also be deep fried and cooked into a dish on its own like what I have done.

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of semi-hard tofu
• 1 onion, slice into rings
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp chili paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1-1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Cooking oil for deep frying
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Method:

• Slice the 2 pieces of tofu into 2 horizontally. Then cut them into triangles.

• Heat up a kuali with cooking oil.

• Deep fry the triangles till they are golden brown.

• Drain and remove them from the kuali into a bowl and set it aside.

• Remove the cooking oil from the kuali leaving about 1 tbsp of oil behind.

• Add onion rings to the kuali. Fry them till they are transparent. Remove and set them aside them.

• Add garlic to the kuali. Fry them till they are fragrant.

• Add chili paste and continue frying till the chili is fragrant.

• Add water to the kuali. Then add the seasonings - light and dark soy sauce and salt.

• Let the sauces boil. Once the sauces start to boil, return the deep fried tofu to the kuali.

• Braise the tofu till they are softer and the sauces have reduced.

• Return the onion to the kuali and fry them till they are mixed with the tofu.

• Dish up.

• Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on the tofu.

• Serve.

Chocolate-filled Mushroom-shaped Buns

  

 

The Chocolate-filled Mushroom-shaped Buns were a fad once upon a time. Many bakers found the shape, especially the pattern on the buns which are similar to those of the dried Shiitake mushroom so fascinating that they baked them. However, I did them a bit differently by filling the buns with chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

• For the dough:
• 325 g bread flour
• 150 g warm milk
• 30 g sugar
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 40 g butter

• Chocolate chips (2 tsp per dough ball)

• For topping
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp rice flour
• 3 tbsp water

Method:

• Activate the yeast:
• Add warm milk to a cup.
• Add sugar to the warm milk and stir to dissolve the sugar.
• Sprinkle the yeast onto the milk and stir to mix them up.
• Let them sit for 10 minutes till bubbles have been formed.

• Add bread flour, salt and egg to the bowl of a mixer.

• Add the yeast mixture to the bowl.

• Knead till a dough ball is formed.

• Add butter and continue to knead till window pane is achieved.

• Grease a clean bowl. Transfer the dough ball into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap.

• When the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and punch it down to degas.

• Divide the dough into smaller pieces according to the number of buns that you would like to have.

• Shape each piece into round dough balls.

• Take 1 dough ball and flatten it.

• Spoon 2 tsp of chocolate chips onto the flattened dough.

• Take the edge of the flattened dough and seal it.

• Roll till the dough is round and smooth.

• Place it into a cupcake liner.

• Place it into muffin tin.

• Repeat till all the dough balls have filled, shaped, put into cupcake liners and into the muffin tin.

• Mix cocoa powder, rice flour and water into a smooth paste. Spread the paste onto each dough ball.

• Let them proof till double in size. (When this happens, the cocoa paste will crack and form the pattern of a Shiitake mushroom.)

• Bake them in pre-heated oven at 175 deg C for 25 minutes.

• Remove the buns from the muffin tin onto a metal rack.

• Let them cool down completely.