Wholemeal Bread - Yudane Method

The Yudane Method is a Japanese method for making bread that is very soft and fluffy. It involves pouring boiling water onto flour (at a ratio of 1 to 1) and mixed, resulting in a thick, sticky and glue-like paste. This paste is then refrigerated for 3-12 hours before being added to the dough. The purpose of mixing hot water and flour is to gelatinise the starch in the flour; water is absorbed by the starch in the flour making it swell up. Thus, hydration of the dough increases, resulting in a springier texture that stays fresh and soft longer than in conventionally baked bread. Usually the paste used is 10-25 % of the total flour weight in a recipe.

Ingredients:

• Making the yudane:
• 80 g bread flour
• 80 g boiling water

• Bread Dough
• 425 g bread flour
• 100 g wholemeal flour, hydrated with 100 g water
• 200 g water
• 40 g sugar
• 7 g yeast
• 7 g salt
• 50 g butter

Method:

• Add bread flour and boiling water in a bowl.
• Mixed them into a paste.
• Cover the bowl.
• Let the paste sit for 3 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.

• Prepare the baking pan:
• Size - 9 inch x 5 inch x 4 inch
•  Grease and line it with parchment paper
• Add water, sugar and yeast into the bowl of a mixer.
• Once the water is frothy, add bread flour, hydrated wholemeal flour, salt and all of the yudane to the bowl.
• Knead till the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and forms a ball.
• Add butter and continue kneading till window pane is achieved.
• Grease a bowl and transfer the dough to it. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap.
• Let the dough rise till double in size.
• Once it has doubled, punch down the dough to release the air in it. Round up the dough again.
• Shape the dough and place it into the prepared pan.
• Let the dough rise till it reaches the brim of the pan.
• Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 175 degrees for about 35 minutes.
• Once baked remove the bread from the pan and let it cool down on a metal rack.
• Slice and enjoy.

Steamed Tofu on Egg with Fish or Shrimp

On most days I have tofu, eggs, fish and prawns in my refrigerator. I just have to get creative and make delicious dishes out of them. One of such dishes is steamed tofu on egg with slices of fish or shrimps on it. I was able to savour three different tastes in one bite - taste of the egg, tofu and fish/prawn. I had added fried garlic on the fish version. For the prawn version, the coriander made the dish very aromatic. Besides fried garlic, we can sprinkle green onions, fried shallots, parsley or coriander on top of the dishes.

Ingredients:

• 2 tube of egg tofu or plain tofu
• Fish slices or shrimps, the number depending on the number of tofu cylinders.
• For marinating fish slices or prawns:
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 egg and 1.5 times of water
• For seasoning the egg:
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil for greasing the plate for steaming
• Topping
• fried onions, or 
• chopped parsley, or
• chopped coriander, or
• chopped green onions or
• fried shallots, or
• bird's eye chili

Instructions:

• Fillet the fish (snapper, grouper or threadfin) and slice it thinly or peel and de-vein the shrimps. (I left the tail on the shrimps.)

• Marinate the fish or shrimps with soy sauce, salt, pepper and sesame oil for at least 30 minutes.

• Beat egg into a bowl. Add water and seasonings. Sieve.

• Grease a steaming plate with sesame oil.

• Arrange the tofu cylinders on the plate.

• Slowly pour the egg onto the plate of tofu.

• Arrange the fish slices or shrimps on top of the tofu.

• Boil water in the steamer.

• Once the water has boiled, transfer the plate to the steamer.

• Steam the tofu with fish slices/shrimps over low heat (we want a silky egg layer).

• Remove the plate from the steamer once the fish/shrimps and egg are cooked. (Should not take more than 5 minutes. Otherwise the fish/shrimps will be overcooked.)

• Sprinkle the following on top:
• fried onions, or 
• chopped parsley, or
• chopped coriander, or
• chopped green onions or
• fried shallots, or
• bird's eye chili.

• Drizzle some soy sauce on top if the dish is not salty enough.

• Serve with rice.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a no-bake Italian dessert. It is made of layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers followed by cream, the number of layers depending on the amount of the ladyfingers and cream and finally, a dusting of cocoa powder on top. Most recipes incorporate egg yolks in the cream and alcohol in the coffee and cream. However, I have made the version without egg yolks nor alcohol.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp instant coffee powder
• 350 ml hot water
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 250 g mascarpone cheese
• 80 g castor sugar
• 24 pieces lady fingers

Tool:

• Glass baking dish 18 cm x 12 cm

Instructions:

• Dissolve instant coffee powder in hot water and set it aside to cool down.

• Whip heavy cream until stiff peak is achieved. Set it aside.

• Beat mascarpone cheese and sugar till sugar dissolves.

• Combine whipped cream with mascarpone cheese till they are well incorporated.

• Dip ladyfingers into coffee and line them at the bottom of the glass baking dish. (Do not soak the ladyfingers; a quick dip will do.)

• Layer cheese mixture over them.

• Line another layer of ladyfingers on the cream.

• Then, layer cheese mixture over them.

• Dust a generous amount of cocoa powder on the cream.

• Chill the tiramisu for at least 4 hours before serving.

• Enjoy.