Ham and bean soup (slow cooker)

We were invited to Christmas Eve dinner and were fortunate enough to take away some leftover ham. I'd been eating this ham for days and other than having it as a cheese toastie, didn't know what else to do with it. I could of course make fried rice, but I'm not a fan of wok cooking especially in this heat. So here is inspiration that I obtained from various food bloggers - obviously it's a common sentiment! Unfortunately though, these food bloggers are all in the Northern Hemisphere where it's really cold now, so a warm soup sounds like a good idea. I decided to slow cook this up but serve it cold. Although the blogger claimed to have cooked up the soup in 15 minutes, I spent an hour and the carrots, celery and potatoes were cooked and still had a bite but were not meltingly soft. I decided to slow cook for an extra hour and it was perfect!

Sources
(1) Ham and potato soup https://cafedelites.com/ham-potato-soup/ (uses a roux base)
(2) Ham and bean soup https://cafedelites.com/ham-bean-soup/ (clear soup)

Ingredients
4 medium carrots, diced
4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 red onion, diced
4 medium potatoes, diced
2 to 3 bay leafs
1 tsp black pepper corns, crushed
1 can of beans
1 litre of chicken stock
200g ham, diced

Method
1) Saute the soffritto (i.e. onion, carrots, celery) until fragrant in a bit of oil. Add in the potato and ham and briefly saute.
2) Pour in the chicken stock, and add the bay leaf and pepper corns. Bring to a boil and skim off the scum.
3) Slow cook for 1 to 2 hours until the vegs have softened to your liking.
4) Serve hot or keep in the fridge overnight and serve cold the next day.

No-bake Chocolate mousse ripple cheesecake

I have been looking at marbling effects in cakes recently. After my last less than successful cheesecake zebra effect, I decided to try again. Given the hot weather, I didn't feel like slaving in front of a beater and hot oven, so settled for these recipes that call for gelatine. I shortlisted two recipes: one uses matcha (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WSoP6X7_Z8&app=desktop - has video) and another uses chocolate (https://tasty.co/recipe/chocolate-ripple-cheesecake - has video). Both create a very uniform ripple or monochromatic effect. However, the matcha one is only for a 6 inch cake and uses a cake base which I'm reluctant to spend the time baking. The choc one uses a 9 inch pan but uses 4 blocks of cream cheese, which is way too much (and fatty!) for 2 people to finish.

I decided to upsize the matcha cheesecake to a 8 or 9" (using maths) but to use cocoa powder and a biscuit base instead. So here is my amalgamation of these two recipes and also borrowing from the base from Nigella's no-bake cherry cheesecake.

Ingredients (for 8" pan)
Base
125g sweet biscuits (about 24 biscuits e.g. oreo with cream removed, ginger snap, digestives, milk biscuits)
75g softened or melted butter
Mousse filling
6 sheets gelatine, cut into smaller pieces and soaked in cold water
approx tbsp cocoa powder
380g milk
210g sugar
520g double cream
2 boxes of 250g cream cheese (room temp)

Bowl 1: 5 tsp + 180g mouse
Bowl 2: 4 tsp + 240g mousse
Bowl 3: 3 tsp + 300g mousse
Bowl 4:  1.5 tsp + 300g mousse
Bowl 5: 360g mousse or remainder

Method
1) Crush the biscuits either in a food processor or in a bag and then bashed with a rolling pin. Add the softened to melted butter and incorporate well.
2) Grease a biscuit tin. Pour crushed biscuits into the tin and flatten the bottom with a flat surface. Push the mixture up the sides. Place in the fridge to harden while working on the filling.
3) Prepare 4 bowls. Pour in cocoa powder and 2 to 3 tsp of water. Proportions above.
4) Microwave the milk until hot but do not boil. Remove gelatine sheets and squeeze out extra water. Add to the scalded milk. Mix to dissolve.
5) Add the sugar and stir until incorporated.
6) In Bowl 5, cube the cheese cheese. Pour part of the milk mixture and mix well. Add the remaining milk mixture and mix until incorporated. If required, sieve the mixture to remove lumps.
7) Beat the double cream (I used Bowl 4) until the surface is textured.
8) Add beaten double cream to the milk-cheese mixture in Bowl 5 and fold in.
9) In separate bowls, mix the paste for each bowl. Pour in the mousse into each bowl (use a kitchen scale) and fold in to incorporate. Bowl 5 has the remainder.
10) Remove the cake pan from the fridge. Starting with Bowl 5, pour in the centre from a height so that it forms a nice circle shape and spreads to the sides. Next, carefully pour Bowl 4 (second greatest volume of mousse and lightest colour) in the centre from a height. Repeat with Bowls 3, 2, 1 in that order (decreasing volumes of mousse and increasing darkness in colour).
11) Cover and leave to cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours or best overnight.
12) To unmould, run a spatula around the edge and test with a finger to ensure that it has detached from the ring. Also use a hairdryer to heat up the rim would help.
13) Serve with more whipped cream. Keep the uncut cake in the fridge or it will melt.
Recipe feedback - updates incorporated above
I made several mistakes.
1. I way under-estimated the gelatine and it turned out too watery so when I poured it on, the colours all blended into each other.
2. Trying to save a bowl for washing up, I decided to beat the cream cheese, sugar, and lastly the double cream all in the processor. Not beating the double cream separately and then folding in the cream cheese seemed to make a difference because once I added in the milk, all hell broke loose when it all became a sloppy messy. (The chocolate ripple recipe beat everything together but on deeper inspection, now I realise that recipe has no milk.)

Try 1 - Colors merged

Try 1 - All messed up inside

Try 1 - Cross section. The white is more distinct because I waited 5 minutes before pouring the first brown but didn't wait thereafter.

3. The colours were not distinct enough and I had to top up each colour with additional cocoa. This made it all lumpy. Even though I used a sieve when pouring in, each color was still speckled.
4. I only used 1 carton of cream cheese which made for a very short 1.5inch cake. I have doubled to 2 boxes of cream cheese.

Updated: A much simpler recipe: https://simmetra.blogspot.com/2019/09/no-bake-chocolate-mousse-gradient.html

IP Easy Nasi Biryani

Wanted a really simple recipe that I could also cook in my IP. Found this one which is easy and tastes good enough since I don't have a discerning palate.

https://ministryofcurry.com/chicken-biryani-instant-pot/

Ingredients
8 to 12 pieces of chicken drumstick

Marinade 
2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp ginger grated
1 tbsp ginger grated
½ tsp tumeric
2 tbsp lemon juice
¾ cup yoghurt
1/4
2 tsp salt

Into the pot
1 bay leaf
Caramelised onion chutney
3 cups of basmati rice
3 cups water
2 to 3 tbsp of caramelised chutney

Garnish
½ cup Sultanas
½ cup cashews

Method
1) Marinate the chicken for min 20 minutes, or best overnight. Wash and then soak the rice for 20 minutes.
2) Press Saute. Drain the chicken and into the pot and briefly fry. Remove chicken and set aside. Pour in the marinade and deglaze the pot.
3) Add the onions at the bottom layer followed by chicken on top.
4) Drain the rice and layer on top, be careful to avoid spilling the rice onto the bottom of the pot. Add the bay leaf and water. Switch on Manual and set 10 minutes.
5) When the alarm beeps, let it release for 5 minutes and then Quick Release. If the top of the rice is not fully cooked, fluff up the rice and mix it into the rest of the rice and let it rest a further 5 minutes.
6) To serve, dig deep into the pot to take some chicken pieces and followed by rice. Garnish the rice with sultanas and cashews if desired.

Recipe feedback

- The recipe uses only garam masala and that was enough spices for me. 

- The use of basmati makes all the difference! The grains were separate and didn't stick to the bottom. The quick release also ensured that the rice didn't cake on the bottom of the pot and burn.

- She caramelised the onions from scratch. I used a store bought chutney!

- She cooked twice. First time 4 minutes for the meat and then release. Next, 6 minutes after adding the rice on top and then release. I couldn't be bothered and I don't think it affected the rice was over cooked. In fact, the rice was perfect.

Found a more 'authentic' recipe although it's not by an Indian. It's by a Japanese blogger who lives in Australia but what I like is that because it's for the Australian context, the ingredients are easily available here. Might try it next time.

https://www.recipetineats.com/biryani/

Updated: A more complicated recipe here https://simmetra.blogspot.com/2019/01/ip-nasi-chicken-biryani.html

Chocolate zebra cheesecake (Baked)

Method adapted from here: http://www.notquitenigella.com/2010/04/27/zebra-cheesecake/
The method remains largely the same as the usual cheese cake but the difference if pouring it into the pan. Unfortunately my lines aren't as regular as hers and I couldn't remove the bubbles because I couldn't use a spatula to slash the batter. It's a very messy job and towards the end, I got quite bored!

Ingredients
250g cream cheese, room temp
250ml milk
65g butter, room temp
7 eggs, separated
58g cake flour
23g corn flour
133g sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa
3 tbsp hot water

Method
1) Prepare the cake pan but buttering the sides and bottom. Add the parchment paper to the bottom. Take a roasting tray that the pan can just fit into. Place a thin towel at the bottom so that the pan doesn't slip around. Set aside.
2) In a smaller bowl, mix the cocoa with the hot water until a smooth paste forms.
3) In a saucepan on a very low fire, melt the cubed cream cheese. Add the butter and melt. Mix these together and they will look as if they've split. Pour on the milk and blend into a smooth mixture. If necessary, sieve to get rid of lumps.
4) Beat the yolks with half the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the cream cheese mixture and whisk until smooth.
5) Sift the flours and salt. Sift them onto the cream cheese mixture and use the whisk to fold in. Ensure no lumps.
6) In a very clean bowl, beat the egg whites until opaque and foamy. Add the sugar in three batches and beat on low so that only small bubbles are created. Periodically scrape down the bowl. Once all the sugar has been added, add the lemon juice. Turn up to high and beat until just after soft peaks but just before stiff peaks.
7) Take a third of the meringue and put it in the yolk mixture. Mix until no white remains. take the second third and this time, very gently fold in with a whisk. Pour this mixture back into the remaining third of the meringue. Very carefully fold in until no whites remain but be careful not to burst all the foam.
8) Pour half of the batter into the bowl with the cocoa paste. Use a spatula to fold until mixed.
9) Alternating the batter, pour into the centre of the pan. I've now learnt that I should pour at least ¼ of the batter at a time otherwise it will take forever! As you get closer to the centre, start pouring less and less each time. This was a messy process and some bloggers have poured the batter into piping bags which seem to make the job far less messy.
10) Drop the pan on the table top a few times to dispel the bigger bubbles. Use a skewer to trace around to burst the bubbles but try not to mix up the colours.
11) Bake at 160 deg C for 30 minutes, 140 deg C for 43 minutes, and then switch off. Leave it in the oven for 25 minutes with the door closed.

Rising nicely at 160 deg C

Continuing to rise at 140 deg C (even though some blogger said you needed the higher temps to rise!)

 12) Remove from the oven and take away the water bath. Place pan back in the oven with the door ajar for 25 minutes to dry out the bottom. Finally, take it out of the oven and let the pan cool on a wire rack until completely cool. Cover and rest in the fridge, preferably overnight.

Final 25 minutes in the oven with door ajar

Cooling on a wire rack. Shrunk from the sides and a few small cracks!

Next morning. No waist but the top shrank inwards slightly. 0.5cm uncooked bottom.. Cracks closed.

Recipe feedback:

- Very good temp control this time at 160 and 140 (slightly about the dial readings on my oven). To achieve 140, I turned it down to 0 and the temp took 5 minutes to drop the 20 degrees.) Didn't affect anything as the cake still continued to rise in the centre. No cracks observed then. Cracks only appeared after the last 25 minutes with door ajar.

- Very very slight uncooked at the bottom, about 0.5cm which could be due to the addition of chocolate. This uncooked bit had no eggy taste. Overall, somehow adding the chocolate gave the cake so much more taste! 

- Finally no waist but it slanted in at an angle! The cracks mostly disappeared the next day after resting in the fridge. Maybe I should remove the water bath once the oven is switched off, instead of waiting the further 25 minutes in the closed door oven?

- I think I will keep the timings and these temps.

Update: This blogger says that after baking, run a knife around the rim of the cake to dislodge it so that it doesn't form a waist. Could this tip be the solution to all my woes?
https://www.anncoojournal.com/recipe/cranberry-cheesecake/
So now I have to (i) drop the cake to prevent shrinking (ii) run a knife around the rim so that it doesn't form a waist or form a crack from sticking to the edge (iii) remove the water bath which I'm thinking also prevents the waist. But should I do these just after turning off the oven or just before the final 25 minutes with the door ajar?

Coffee swiss roll

I decided to try a different method this time, the modified genoise method. I always wanted a cake that was a bit more moist so I was looking for something with oil in it. I decided to try Yochana's method because it had 5 eggs as I found that 4 eggs yielded too little volume for my pan even though it fitted what was described. The unique thing about her method not found elsewhere is that she adds the oil after beating the egg and sugar, so the oil is not beaten at all. Another change is this method is associated with the western swiss roll, I decided to roll it when hot as most western recipes suggest. I found this roll a lot more sturdy and cake-like compared to the Asian swiss rolls, so it makes sense to roll it when warm to form the 'muscle memory' and minimise cracking. I realised that I could even be quite heavy handed and roll it more tightly and also shape it into a rounder roll!

This recipe is quite heavily adapted from Yochana because I noticed quite a few people mentioned cracks. When I tried the recipe, I had flipped it to remove the bottom parchment and found that the bottom was still wet after the full 10 minutes even though the top was at the point of burning! I had to add another 6 minutes. So the next time, I will reduce the cooking temp as other recipes recommend. The adjustments have been incorporated within.

Ingredients
5 eggs, at room temperature
90g sugar (do not reduce this amount)
100g plain flour
60g corn oil or melted butter (I use oil)
1 tbsp instant coffee
1 tbsp hot water

Filling
150ml double cream
¼ cup icing sugar (do not reduce this amount)
1 tbsp instant coffee
1 tbsp hot water

Method
1. Take out the eggs and bring them to room temperature. Add the coffee to the hot water and dissolve. Set aside until it cools to room temperature.
2. Prepare the pan by lining it with parchment.
3. Beat the eggs with sugar until pale and foamy, until the ribbon stage. It should triple in volume.
4. Add the 1 tbsp of the coffee mixture and mix until incorporated.
5. Add the oil in batches and also mix until incorporated.
6. Fold in sifted flour.
7. Pour into the prepared pan. Use a spatula to flatten and ensure that it fills the corners of the pan. Drop from a height to dispel big bubbles.
8. Bake at 180 deg C for 18 to 20 minutes until the top springs back when touched.
9. Once out of the oven, immediately take the cake out of the tin and let it cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
10. Place a clean baking paper on another larger baking tray. Invert the cake onto the baking tray and remove the backing of the cake. Let it cool further.

The crust. Wrinkly (wonder why?) but the skin is dry enough and doesn't peel off and adhere to the baking paper or cling film the next day. About 0.5cm thicker than the matcha swiss roll. The difference 1 egg makes!

11. Once cool enough to handle, roll the cake up as tight as you can (but be careful not to crack the cake!) using the baking paper to assist. Cover with a cloth and leave to cool completely.
12. While waiting for the cake to cool, beat the double cream with the icing sugar until stiff peaks. Add the coffee and beat on low until just incorporated. Leave covered in the fridge.
13. When the cake is completely cool, unroll it. Cut off 1.5 cm at a diagonal on one of the short ends. This will help the cake to form a nice seam. Spread on the coffee cream with an offset spatula. Re-roll the cake. Make sure that it is resting on the seam.
14. Wrap the cake in the baking paper and then wrap over with cling film. Let it cool and rest in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, or best overnight.

Skin didn't peel off

Note to self regarding the lobang: Spread the cream to the short end where the rolling begins!

Recipe feedback
The roll was so moist the next morning! The oil makes all the difference. I read elsewhere that oil works better than butter because although butter is more fragrant, it makes the roll denser.

Sources:
1. Yochana: https://auntyyochana.blogspot.com/2006/10/coffee-swiss-roll.html
- 5 eggs (in 10*14") baked 200 deg C for 8 - 10 mins
- no milk but uses oil
- Beat whole eggs but seems to hv many comments about cracking

2. Coffee swiss roll http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/2018/06/cottony-soft-coffee-chiffon-Swiss-roll.html
- Extra fluffy and thick cake
- Milk and oil
- Separately beat 3 to 4 yolks and 4 to 5 egg whites (in 10*14")
- 180 deg C for 17 mins

3. Mocha swiss roll: https://www.landolakes.com/recipe/19013/mocha-chocolate-cake-roll/
- coffee and cocoa
- no oil but uses water
- Separately beat 4 egg white + 2 yolks (in 10*15")
- Bake 175 deg C for 10 to 15 mins

Matcha panna cotta

Am trying to use up my matcha and this is the final dessert that I will be doing with matcha this time around. Am using gelatine sheets for the first time and I must say that it's easier to use than powder. With powder, there are always lumps but not so with gelatine sheets. Matcha however was a pain to use and without a chasen to whisk the matcha, it was a real pain to ensure no lumps while also ensuring that everything is blended into the water. Somehow a whisk just doesn't work as well, even though I've used my trusty tiny sauce whisk.

Interesting tit bit from JOC is that 2 sheets roughly equals 5g of powder and used to soft set 1 cup or 250ml of liquid.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/cherry-blossom-milk-pudding/

However from other sources, I know that cream and milk need more gelatine powder to set it. As such, my recipe is adapted from these 3 recipes below based on my preferences and the volume of my ramekins but the basic method and ingredients remain the same.

https://www.thelittleepicurean.com/2014/05/matcha-green-tea-panna-cotta.html
https://cookingwithdog.com/recipe/matcha-panna-cotta/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-pudding/

Ingredients (makes 4 ramekins)
2 tbsp matcha powder
300 ml of milk
300 ml of cream
50g (1/4C) + 2 tbsp sugar
4 gelatine sheets
2 tbsp hot water
4 tbsp anko (3 tbsp - 40g)

Method
1) Sift the green tea powder. Prepare the ramekins by spraying non-stick spray on the sides.
2) Cut gelatine sheets into smaller strips. Soak gelatine strips in cold water for 5 to 7 mins (instructions from the packet). Fish out of the water and squeeze out additional water. Put into the 2 tbsp of hot water and stir until dissolved.
3) In a pot, bring the milk and cream to just under a boil. You should see small bubbles forming at the side of the pot. Do not boil.
4) Remove from the heat and add the sugar and stir until melted.
5) Add the dissolved gelatine and whisk until incorporated.
6) Make the matcha paste. Add 5 tbsp of the warm liquid to the match and blend until a paste forms.
7) Place the paste into a sieve and using a spoon or spatula, slowly blend the paste into the milk-cream mixture. Whisk to ensure that everything is incorporated.

8) Optional: transfer to a pouring jug to facilitate pouring. Otherwise, pour into the ramekins. Cover with cling film and leave to set in the fridge for 4 hours or best, overnight.
9) Unmould with a plastic knife if desired. Serve with a tbsp of anko each.

Matcha swiss roll with tsubuan anko filling

After doing extensive research on swiss rolls and the different methods, I settled on a recipe that was matcha with red bean filling and which most matched my pan size, so there would be very little adjustments.

I settled on CWD and used some of the tips from other recipes. I like this recipe because it's very easy to remember.
https://cookingwithdog.com/recipe/matcha-roll-cake/

Ingredients
4 eggs, separated when out of the fridge and left to come to room temp
40g sugar
40g cake flour
1 tbsp matcha powder

Filling
120 ml heavy cream (full cream)
1 tbsp sugar (I omitted this as the anko is already very sweet)
120g anko (I used tinned anko because I read from Kitchen Tigress that the tinned version uses Hokkaido beans which is far more fragrant than beans from China. Saves me work, why not? I didn't bother draining the beans unlike her though.)
80g sweetened beans (substitute with fresh fruit; I omitted this)
Powdered sugar to dust

Method
1) Line the tin on the bottom and sides. My tin ie 24.5*34.5 cm.
2) Sift the flour and matcha twice. Sift onto a parchment paper (which you can save for later when you invert the cake)
3) Clean a bowl and the beaters with vinegar. Separate the eggs.
4) Using the beaters, beat the egg white until foamy. Add ⅓ of the sugar. Beat on medium until incorporated and add the next ⅓ of the sugar. Increase the speed and beat until stiff peaks.
5) Using the same unwashed beaters, in another bowl where the yolks are, add the remaining sugar and beat until pale and foamy. Remember to beat the yolks after the whites otherwise the whites will not rise.
6) Add the flour and matcha mixture to the yolk in two batches and use a whisk to fold in until all the flour is wet.
7) Add the meringue in 2 batches. The first batch will loosen up the batter so you don't have to be too careful but be more careful and use the whisk to fold in the second batch. Pour the batter into the bowl with the remaining meringue. Using a spatula, carefully fold in the batter so as not to break the foam.
8) Pour into the prepared tin. Use a scraper to spread the batter to the sides and corners and create a nice flat surface. Drop the pan on the table top several times to knock out big air bubbles.
9) Bake at 170 deg C for 25 mins. Produces a 2cm tall cake.
10) Remove from the oven and drop pan on the table top to prevent shrinkage. Invert the cake onto a parchment (from the sifted flours) and gently peel off the back. I decided that the bottom looked nicer than my crust so inverted it back again.

The crust or top of my cake. Not very flat because I didn't use a spatula to flatten!

Cover with another parchment and the pan to let cool. Some bloggers cooled on a wire rack but it didn't really make a difference to me.

11) While cooling, make the filling. Whip the double cream to stiff peaks and fold in the anko. Leave in the fridge while waiting for the cake to cool.
12) Once the cake is cool enough to handle, at one short edge, cut diagonally 45 degrees to make a nice seam. I didn't wait until the cake was completely cool, just cool enough not to melt the cream.
13) Spread the anko cream but leave 1cm from the diagonally cut edge as when you roll, the cream gets pushed to the ends.

The bottom of the cake becomes the outside. Pockmarked face because my pan has a braille-like raised surface supposedly for airflow!

14) Using the parchment to help, roll from the uncut short edge. Place the roll seam side down. Transfer to a clean parchment and use a spatula or ruler or knife to tuck the parchment tightly into the roll. Cover with the parchment and a plastic film. Leave in the fridge to cool from between 3 hours to 3 days. (Tigress recommends 3 days so that the cream's moisture melds with the cake)

Recipe feedback
- Initially once cool, the cake seemed very dry since there is no oil and matcha-based pastries always seem to be dense and dry. It wasn't very spongey too, maybe because I over-beat the egg whites until they became watery and 'crumbly'. Also, perhaps 25 minutes baking time was too long. I will have to re-attempt this another time.
- Cak wasn't too sweet. Excluding the sugar in the cream helped because the anko is very sweet.
- Cake is 2 cm tall.
- After leaving to chill in the fridge overnight, it really seemed much less dry as the moisture from the cream had permeated into the cake.
- Updated: Cake was eaten on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th day. It was moistest on the second day, so-so on Day 3 but by Day 4, it had dried out. As such, not a good idea to follow Kitchen Tigress's advice to keep to Day 3 because my pastries last more than a day in my house, so I'll be eating very dry cake from Day 4 onwards.

Swiss roll comparisons

I have finally bought a pan. Unfortunately in Aust, I can only find a slice pan and not a jelly roll pan which is the correct pan. The slice pan is 24.5*34.5, which is the largest slice pan I can find but a jelly roll pan is typically 25*35. I didn't think 0.5cm on each side would make too much of a difference as long as the heigh of the pan is tall enough. My slice pan is 2.5cm tall, am hoping this would be sufficient for the additional volume.

Bearing the volume of the cakes in mind, here are the recipes that I've short listed.

1) JOC Matcha (has video)
https://www.justonecookbook.com/matcha-swiss-roll/
- Genoise (whole eggs, less common method - moist texture) vs biscuit (aka chiffon method, most common - fluffier texture)
- Matcha cream filling
- 4 eggs in 38 by 25 cm jelly roll pan
- Hand whisk egg yolks.
- Sift flour 3 times.
- 190 deg C for 12-13 mins
- Don't over-bake or too dry and cracks during rolling
- Remove paper from bottom when hot. Cover with parchment and flip so that curst is inside.
- Roll when hot in parchment for 'muscle memory'. Cover in towel. Re-roll when cold but I noticed the cake stuck to the parchment.

2) Not quite Nigella
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2015/03/17/matcha-swiss-roll/
- Mascapone filling
- 4 egg whites, 2 egg yolks in a swiss roll tin (no dimensions given)
- Modified genoise method. Beat in whites to soft peaks then beat in yolks one at a time. Fold in sifted flour.
- 200 deg C for 10 mins.
- While hot, inverted onto parchment that has powdered sugar sifted on it. Remove parchment from the bottom and roll up before leaving to cool i.e. crust is on the outside. No wonder she had to sift so much matcha over the sugar to cover it!

3) Christines
https://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/06/green-tea-matcha-swiss-roll.html?m=1
- Cream filling
- 6 egg whites, 9 yolks in 31.5*23 cm baking tray (altho she recommends 2 trays so that it's thinner and easier to roll)
- Lots of oil; 2 types of oil; plain and corn flour unlike everyone else who uses cake flour; hot water instead of milk as some recipes use
- 220 deg C for 10 to 15 mins
- Cool cake before removing parchment. After removing parchment, scores the cake so it's easier to roll. Spread on the cream and roll. Crust is outside.

4) CWD Matcha (has video) - Tested here
https://cookingwithdog.com/recipe/matcha-roll-cake/
- Red bean filling
- 4 eggs in 26 by 36cm pan
- Uses beater to beat egg whites then same unwashed beater to beat egg yolks till pale and fluffy and doubled in volume.
- Sifts flour 3 times.
- 170 deg C for 25 mins
- Drop pan to prevent shrinkage once out of oven. Place on a flat surface to cool and cover to prevent drying out
- Uses Kraft paper which is supposed to be easier to remove. Remove paper from bottom after just a few minutes of cooling.
- Flip again so the crust is on the inside to spread on cream. Roll when cool.
- Use ruler on to tuck the paper under the roll to tighten it

5) Rasa Malaysia Matcha
https://rasamalaysia.com/matcha-roll-green-tea-swiss-roll/2/
- Red bean filling
- 3 eggs in 10 (25.4cm) by 12" (30.48) pan
- Uses a beater.
- Fold melted butter in last (like madeleines?)
- 230 deg C for 10 mins
- Cool 10 minutes before removing the parchment. Roll while warm.

6) Kitchen Tigress Matcha (has video)
https://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2015/02/matcha-green-tea-azuki-red-bean-roll.html
- Red bean filling; different brands of Hokkaido red bean paste superior to China red bean
- 3 eggs, oil
- 80g egg white (?) in 12 (30.48cm) by 9" (22.86cm) pan
- Uses beater to beat yolks.
- 170 deg C for 20 mins
- Shield top of pan. Has pan of water on lower shelf
- Drop pan to prevent shrinkage
- Cool on rack. Remove paper when cool. Roll when cool.
- Skinless bottom is outside of cake and crust is the inside of the cake.

7) Ochikeron Matcha (has video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzugYxNMD4Y
- Real strawberry filling
- Modified genoise method. Beat eggs whole.
- 3 eggs in 9 inch square brownie pan
- Uses beater throughout, even to beat in the flour.
- 180 deg C for 12 mins
- Drop pan to prevent shrinkage
- Roll when cool.
- Use paper to tuck the roll in

8) Bake for Happy Kids Real strawberry filling (has video)
http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/2017/10/strawberry-chiffon-Swiss-roll.html
- Real strawberry filling. Standard and easiest to roll.
- 4 to 5 eggs in 35*25cm pan (140g egg white, 60g yolk)
- Hand whisk yolks
- 180 deg C for 15 mins
- Better to slightly over-bake than under-bake.
- Cool on rack. Remove parchment after 5 mins cooling only.
- Outside of cake is crust.
- Roll when cool.

9) BHK Strawberry jam (has video)
http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/2018/07/Asian-basic-strawberry-jam-chiffon-Swiss-roll.html
- Thin cake and spreadable filling but harder to roll
- about 4 to 5 eggs in 35*25cm pan (175g egg white, 75g yolk)
- skinless bottom is outside of cake
- 180 deg C for 15-16 mins. Do not overbake or its too dry and hard to roll.
- Skinless outside of cake. Crust is inside.
- Remove cake to wire rack to cool for 5 mins. Remove parchment from bottom.
- Roll when cool

10) BHK Coffee (has video)
http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/2018/06/cottony-soft-coffee-chiffon-Swiss-roll.html
- cake is 20% more volume than real strawberry filling. Hardest to roll
- Extra thick fluffy cake with cream filling
- about 4 to 5 eggs in 35*25cm pan (175g egg white, 75g yolk)
- 180 deg C for 17 mins. Don't over bake or it cracks when rolling. Underbaking means the skin is not dry and hard to handle.

- Remove to rack to cool for 5 mins then remove parchment.

- Choose whichever side to be the outside, either crust or skinless bottom.

11) Kitchen 101 Pandan swiss roll (has video)
https://mykitchen101en.com/pandan-swiss-roll-cake/
- 3 eggs in 10*14" (25 by 36cm) pan
- After beating whites, beats yolks on low speed.
- 190 deg C for 18 to 20 mins.
- Has pan of water on lower shelf.
- Drop pan to prevent shrinkage.
- Transfer cake to wire rack to cool. Remove paper when cool.
- Roll when cool. Make shallow cuts in the cake to help with the rolling.
- Crust is outside

12) Woks of life Vanilla
https://thewoksoflife.com/2015/02/chinese-swiss-roll/
- uses heavy cream but no oil
- Sift flours twice
- 3 eggs in 13*9" (33.02*22.86cm) pan
- Hand whisk yolks
- 350 deg F (or 175 deg C) for 15 mins in middle rack
- Roll when cool
- Use rolling pin to help roll

13) Garnish and glaze - Western pink velvet
https://www.garnishandglaze.com/pink-velvet-swiss-roll/
- cream cheese filling
- 4 eggs in a 15*10*1" (38*25.4*2.54cm) pan
- Modified genoise method. Beat whole eggs, buttermilk, vinegar before beating in dry ingredients
- buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, only plain flour, baking powder
- 175 deg C (or 160 for dark pan) for 12 - 15 mins
- Invert while hot onto a tea towel. Remove parchment and roll up cake to cool on a wire rack.
- Crust is on the outside.

Gula melaka tau suan

This was the original recipe but this recipe comes from Domestic Goddess Wanna whom I rely heavily on for chiffons. Her chiffons have never failed and neither did this recipe. The beauty of the recipe is not needing to steam the beans beforehand. Also made the beans a lot less broken up after boiling!

http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/2016/04/tao-suan-with-you-tiao-豆爽油条-split-mung-soup-with-chinese-cruller/

My ingredients are double of hers and of course, the addition of gula melaka.

Ingredients 
500g mung beans, washed
6 tbsp sugar + 2 tbsp sugar
½ block gula melaka, chopped
3 litres water
3 knotted pandan leaves
4 heaped tbsp tapioca starch
6 tbsp water or more to make into a slurry

Method
1) Wash the mung bean and soak in water for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes are up, drain.
2) In a non-stick pan, fry the mung bean to dry up the water. Add the 6 tbsp of sugar. Fry until caramelised and the beans will turn a darker colour.
3) In a separate pot, boil the water with pandan leaves for 10 minutes.
4) Add the beans to the water and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes until it reaches your desired level of doneness. I like it still whole but with a few burst beans.
5) Switch off the fire. Create the slurry and dribble it in, stirring the bean mixture vigorously so that huge lumps of starch don't form. Once it's reached your desired consistency, stop adding the slurry.
6) Serve immediately with crullers.

Crunchy matcha madeleines

This recipe is slightly different in terms of method than the previous choc chip madeleines which was adapted from the Roti&Rice guest post in JOC. The previous recipe did not have milk and beat the eggs and sugar, i.e. creaming the eggs and sugar like you would a cake. This recipe is based on the JOC's matcha madeleine recipe. This recipe has milk and weirdly, the dry (flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar) are mixed together while the wet (egg and milk) are beaten together. The two are then combined like a muffin, without too much mixing. I doubt the addition of matcha powder should make much of a difference. The effect in this recipe is less fluffy than even the previous. I've noted down the instructions here for the original matcha recipe but in future, I will use the method recommended for the R&R guest post and also what I used for my earl grey madeleine recipe which also had milk and used Sally's Baking Addiction's method.

Ingredients (makes 20 or 24)
113g butter, melted and brought to room temp + 2 tbsp melted butter for coating (28g)
⅔ C sugar (133g; can be reduced to 130g)
1 C flour (120g)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp matcha powder
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp milk, at room temp
2 large eggs, at room temp

Method
1. In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and matcha. Add the salt and sugar and use a whisk to combine.
2. In another bowl, whisk the egg and milk until light and fluffy.
3. Mix the dry and the wet but mix until just blended. Do not over-beat.
4. Add half the melted butter and blend and then add the remainder. Do not over-blend.
5. Cover and allow to chill for up to an hour. (The JOC recipe recommends 3 hours but I only did 2 hr and it was already a bad idea. As Sally explained, the butter congealed and make the batter really stick and hard to work with.)
6. Brush each mould with the melted butter. Using a tbsp measure, measure out ¾ tbsp of the batter for each mould (it should fill ⅔ full) to make 24, or 1 tbsp of batter to make 20 maddys.
7. Bake at 190 deg C for 11 to 13 mins until the top springs back.
8. Allow to cool in the pan for 3 mins before releasing using a fork and onto a wire rack to cool. Serve immediately while hot. Consume within 24 hours optimally but keep in an air tight box.

Recipe feedback
This recipe made adjustments like the muffin-like mixing and chilling for 3 hours. This also uses a lot higher temp for the same duration of time, yet it didn't come out dry. The result was that the madeleine wasn't very fluffy and hardly had the signature bumps! However, it was very moist yet the outside was crispy. Matcha can cause the cake to become very dry and I wonder if that was the point of using the muffin method. In future, I may attempt the same muffin method but perhaps chill for only 1 hr as Sally recommended.

Chocolate chip madeleines

Tried a different recipe this time with more egg (i.e. fat) and no milk. The texture is totally different, more spongey cake-like compared to kueh bulu texture. This is also denser as there is more flour.

Source: https://www.justonecookbook.com/lavender-madeleines-guest-post-by-roti-n-rice/

Ingredients (makes 24)
1½  cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup chopped choc chips
4 large eggs - room temp
⅔ cup (124g) sugar
2 tsp vanilla
8 tbsp butter, melted (130g) - bring to room temp
2 tbsp melted butter (28g) for brushing the pan

Signature hump

Method
1) Sift flour, salt, and baking power together. Set aside.
2) Whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
3) Add flour and fold.
4) Add melted butter a little at a time and fold in.
5) Chop up the choc chips and fold in ¾ of the chips. Leave the rest for topping.
6) Cover and leave in the fridge to chill for 30 to 60 mins.
7) Brush the moulds with melted butter.
8) Fill each mould with a heaped tbsp of batter.
9) Bake at 190 deg C for 11 to 13 mins (it took me 15 mins because of the chips) until the top springs back when touched.
10) Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove using a fork and let them cool on a wire rack.

Recipe feedback
Interestingly, same amount of sugar as the previous recipe but yet it doesn't taste overly sweet, even after adding in the choc chips.

Earl grey madeleines

After the last post on comparisons, I decided to try JOCs but adapted with Sally because it used normal flour but proportionately the least amount of flour and egg, and replaced with milk. It also did not use a mixer, which is good for me. Although I have a hand beater, I don't relish the washing up. I followed Sally's recipe and tips and decided to use only ½ tsp of baking powder as she did for 18 madeleines. That didn't produce the signature hump and next time I need to double the amount as I did with all the other ingredients since I have 24 madeleines. The pastry is also sweeter than I'm used to but the sugar was important for making it crispy. So the recipe below has been adjusted for  ingredient proportions and also doubled for next time because I have 2 pans (with 12 moulds each).

Sources:
1) Proportions: https://www.justonecookbook.com/cherry-blossom-madeleines/
2) Tips: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2018/01/17/madeleines/ 

Ingredients (makes 20 to 24)
114g (8 tbsp) melted butter, room temp
⅔ cup (124g) sugar
1 cup (120g) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp earl gray leaves, crushed
1 tbsp milk, room temp
2 eggs, room temp
2 tbsp (28g) melted butter (for brushing the tin moulds)

Method
1) Bring out the eggs and milk and let them come to room temp. Melt the butter and allow to cool down to room temp. 
2) Combine the sugar and egg and whisk until pale and fluffy.
3) Sieve the flour and baking powder. Sift into the egg mixture and fold carefully to avoid knocking out the air. I used the whisk to fold the flour in. 
4) Add in the ground earl gray tea and fold in.
5) Add the milk and carefully blend.
6) Add in half of the melted butter and blend, and continue adding slowly and blending carefully.
7) Cover with cling film and put in the fridge to rest for between 30 to 60 minutes. No longer than 60 minutes otherwise the melted butter will harden.
8) While waiting for it to chill, preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Brush the moulds with plenty of melted butter. Dusting with a sifting of flour is not necessary as it can get claggy.
9) Fill each mould about ⅔ full, with 1 level tbsp of batter (using the measuring spoon) to get 20 maddys, or fill ¾ tbsp to get 24 maddys. No need to smoothen out the top as it will spread out and flatten, instead, try to create a peak.
10) Bake at 177 deg C (no higher as it can burn on the outside but leave the inside raw). Baking time is 13 minutes, although watch carefully in the last 2 minutes or it can burn.
11) Use a fork to release each and leave to cool on a cooking rack. Alternatively, invert the entire madeleine tin over the cooling rack.
12) Leave to cool slightly for 3 minutes and eat immediately while the edges are still crispy. It looses its crispiness after 10 minutes (!). Best eaten with 24 hours. Store the cooled remainder in an airtight box at room temp for up to 4 days.

Recipe feedback
This recipe was a bit on the sweet side, I could probably reduce up to 20g of sugar and get away with it. I couldn't taste the tea because it hadn't been 'activated'. Not sure what I can do about this next time, it would be hard to boil tea in 1 tbsp of milk.

On day 2, the texture of madeleines reminded me of kueh bulu. That's the best description of this recipe, slightly biscuity and yet cakey. Can't really call it sponge, at most saviordi biscuits?

Madeleine recipe comparison

So excited. Finally bought a madeleine pan (2 actually) after thinking and thinking. These are cheap, heavy guage gold color but only $8 each. Probably not great quality but compared with the $22 for carbon steel ones, these probably aren't worse off. Here are 3 recipe comparisons. The technique is similar, uses melted butter and chills the batter. The difference is whether the pan is dusted with flour or not.

1. Christine's - lemon zest (she says that they're also called Palmiers but I don't think they're the same?)
https://en.christinesrecipes.com/2013/05/madeleines-recipe.html
- uses cake flour and baking powder
- uses mixer
- chill for an hour
- fill each mould ¾ full
- bake 180 deg C, 9 minutes in upper third of oven

2. JOC - Cherry blossom
https://www.justonecookbook.com/cherry-blossom-madeleines/
- based on Julia Child's recipe
- uses normal flour, baking powder, and milk
- hand whisk
- chill batter for an hour or overnight
- pour 1 tbsp of batter using measuring spoon
- recommends metal pans
- dust mould with flour
- bake 190 deg C for 11 - 13 mins
- Adjusted recipe tested here: http://simmetra.blogspot.com/2018/08/earl-grey-madeleines.html

4. Roti and rice
https://www.justonecookbook.com/lavender-madeleines-guest-post-by-roti-n-rice/
- Same as above but no milk
- chill 30 mins
- uses mixer
- Bake 190 deg C for 12-12 mins till springs back
- Adjusted recipe tested here: http://simmetra.blogspot.com/2018/09/chocolate-chip-madeleines.html

3. Sally's Baking Addiction
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2018/01/17/madeleines/
- normal flour with baking powder
- uses mixer
- chill 30 to 60 mins only
- brushing pan with melted butter makes it most crispy compared to non-stick spray or oil + dusting with flour (claggy)
- 1 heaping tbsp using basic spoon
- max temp 177 deg C or it burns but leaves inside uncooked, for 12 mins

Tau suan

The difficulty with this recipe is getting the proportions right. After much experimentation, the ratio that works for me is: 1 rice cup of mung bean, 3 to 3.5 cups of water (depending on the beans, some 'drink' up more water), 3 heaped tablespoons of tapioca starch.

Ingredients
3 pandan leaves, knotted
1 cup of mung bean, washed and drained
3.5 cups of water
3 tbsp of tapioca starch
about 6 tbsp of water (enough to make a slurry)
2.5 cups of sugar (to taste)

Method
1) In the steaming water, add the knotted pandan leaves.
2) Steam the mung beans for 5 to 6 minutes. Note that the water should be clean (ie no mung bean - I made the mistake of using the same water that I washed the mung bean in!) otherwise it will overflow when it comes to the boil.
3) Remove the steaming basket and add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Continue boiling until the fragrance of the pandan comes out (about 10 minutes in total).
4) Add back the mung bean and cook till desired softness.
5) Turn off the heat and make the slurry. Drizzle in and stir the constantly until the desired thickness.

6) Serve with crueller.

Eaten the way it should, with 油条

Mung bean with gula melaka: https://simmetra.blogspot.com/2018/10/gula-melaka-tau-suan.html

IP Ayam pongteh (chicken in bean sauce)

This is a nonya dish but I know nonyas will probably object at its lack of authenticity. Never mind because it tastes fantastic! The fact that my IP could cook frozen chicken was even more fantastic!

Original recipe here: http://mykitchen101en.com/nyonya-chicken-pongteh-bean-paste-potatoes-chicken-stew/

I hardly adapted other than not deep frying the potatoes and replacing the palm sugar with sweet potato which gives it a natural sweetness and added sweetness when it melts into the sauce.

Ingredients
1 kg chicken pieces (I used thigh fillet which I cubed)
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
8 dried shitake (rehydrated and save the soaking water)
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsbp chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp bean paste (mashed tau cheo)
3 garlic cloves, whole but smashed
1 small onion or a few shallots, sliced
1 bay leaf

Method
1) In the Instant Pot, press the saute function. Pour oil and let it warm up. Saute the the onions until translucent. Add the tau cheo and stir fry until fragrant. Add the garlic and stir fry briefly.
2) Add the potatoes and stir fry. Add the chicken pieces and briefly stir fry.
3) Add the cooking wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot.
4) Add the remaining ingredients including the mushroom soaking water. Top up with water if necessary, it should at least submerge the chicken halfway.
5) Clamp on the lid and set the Poultry function to 10 minutes. (If using frozen chicken, increase the time to 20 minutes. The chicken also has to be mostly submerged or will not cook properly). After it beeps, wait around 5 to 10 minutes and allow it to naturally release.
6) If desired, remove the chicken and use the Saute function to reduce the sauce.
7) Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Notes: This recipe can also be served with belly pork.
http://themeatmen.sg/babi-pongteh/

Rosemary cheese drop scones

Combined recipes from here and here. The difference between American biscuits and scones seem to be that the biscuits often don't contain egg or butter, and are roughly shaped compared to scones which tend to be nice rounds.

Here's the recipe for scones (i.e. no egg or oil) but I've added rosemary and buttermilk. These are best served hot from the oven and they are soft and chewy.

Ingredients (makes 16)
2 C flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ⅓ C milk
2 tsp acid (I used lime juice)
1 C shredded cheese

Method
1) Prepare 2 cookie sheets by lining with parchment. Add the acid to the milk to make buttermilk and set aside.
2) Combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
3) Slowly add the buttermilk and mix. Don't overwork the dough but just mix until no dry spots remain.
4) Using a ⅓ C scoop, dollop on the cookie trays.
5) Bake at 220 deg C for 14 to 15 minutes, checking after 12 minutes. I switched and turned trays halfway to get even baking.

Slow cooker Coq Au Vin

I have always wanted to cook with red wine but the few times that I've tried it with beef didn't taste so great. Eventually I found out that I had been missing a key step - I need to boil off the alcohol otherwise it leaves a bitter taste! Decided to re-try coq au vin which surprisingly, pairs chicken with red wine. I'd always been taught that red wine goes with red meats and white wine goes with white meats but I guess chicken is poultry which is 'neutral'.

Here's a great writeup of Julia Child (the doyen of American cooking) with her interpretation of the recipe and it works quite well!

https://leitesculinaria.com/5399/recipes-julia-child-coq-au-vin.html

I've tweaked it for our tastes so I cannot claim this to be either authentic Julia Childs or French. Original recipe includes tomato paste, thyme, and bacon which I didn't have on hand.

Ingredients
1.2 kg of chicken drumsticks
3 bay leaves
2 glasses of red wine
1l of chicken stock
1 tbsp onion chutney
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, peeled and cubed

Method
1) Marinate the chicken in the red wine for at least 4 hours or best, overnight.
2) Drain the chicken. In the slow cooker pot, brown the chicken drumsticks.
3) Add the onion chutney and bay leaves. Pour back the red wine marinade. Bring to a boil so that the red wine evaporates.
4) Add in the chicken stock and ensure that the chicken is immersed. Add the potatoes and carrots.
5) Slow cook for 6 to 8 hours. Let it rest for ½ hour in the residual heat before serving. If you wish, add a tbsp of flour to thicken the sauce at the end.
6) Goes best with buttered bread or buttered brioche to mop up the juices.

Bak kwa (take 2)

I attempted to make BW couple of years ago but it just didn't taste right. Tried this time but with 1kg of minced pork. Not quite there but it will do.

Adapted from:
http://www.malaysianchinesekitchen.com/bak-kwa-chinese-pork-jerky/ (ingredients)
http://mykitchen101en.com/homemade-bak-kwa-chinese-pork-jerky/ (method)

Ingredients
1 kg of minced pork (makes about 32 big 'regular' bak kwa rectangles, which I further cut into 4)
⅔ cup sugar + 1 tbsp
2 tbsp cooking wine
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
½ tsp five spice powder

Method
1) Mix the ingredients. Using your hand or a stiff cooking implement (e.g. wooden spatula), mix well in 1 direction until it comes together and is slightly gluey and paler in colour.

2) Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 4 hrs or overnight.
3) Take out a baking sheet or sheet pan (mine was 17" by 12".) Line with foil followed by parchment.
4) Place the meat and using a offset spatula, distribute it. Cover the top with cling film and using a rolling pin, press as flat as possible, at least 3mm thin or thinner if you can. My sheet pan was not large enough so I might need to transfer say 200g to another third sheet.

5) Bake at 120 deg C for 15 minutes. It would have shrunk and oozed oil. Slice up and flip over. Increase the temp to 220 deg C and bake on one side for 8 minutes before flipping and repeating.

6) Prior to serving, grill it for best effect.

Recipe feedback
Compared to the previous recipe, this one tastes ok but there's a strong piggy smell. It really helps to microwave 30s on each side before serving which makes it seem more like the caramelised taste of bak kwa and it has to be consumed hot. Texture however seems wrong, as the minced meat texture is quite obvious (lumpy) but it does make the bak kwa more tender. On balance, I think next time I'll use this recipe but the old method of baking at 150 deg C for 1 hour which dries it out better instead of having 2 sets of temperatures.

Hot water dumpling dough

I have been making bao dough and also dumpling dough but never thought twice about using cold versus boiling or hot water, until I read omnivorescookbook. https://omnivorescookbook.com/steamed-dumplings/

She's given a very compelling reason about the temperature of water and the effect on the different types of dough, so I thought I'd give it a try. And it really does work! My dough as so stretchy and easy to work with. I could roll it super transparent thin at the edges and it crimped beautifully and still didn't break!

Ingredients (for about 700g of meat with 300g of veg filling - I used only 2.5 cups which allows for about 500g meat + 200g veg filling.)
3 cups of flour
1 cup boiling water
¼ cup room temp water
1 tsbp of oil

Method
1) Create a well in the flour. Using chopsticks, stir to incorporate the flour from the sides of the well as your pour the boiling water into the centre of the well. Gather as much dough as possible.
2) Pour in the oil and continue to mix (she didn't do this but I find that oil really helps the elasticity and workability of the dough)
2) Pour the room temp water slowly along the sides of the bowl until the dough comes together in a shaggy mess. You may not need to use all the water or you might need more. The aim is to get all the dry bits of flour moistened and the dough should leave the bowl clean.
3) Invert onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour and give it a good kneading for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth. Form a ball.

Steamed

4) Oil the bowl and place the dough inside to rest. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or cling film and leave to rest for 30 to 60 mins while you dice the vegs and combine with the marinated meat filling.

Pan fried with crispy bottoms

5) Roll out with thinner edges and for 4" discs, use about 1.5 tbsp filling; 3" discs need about slightly under 1 tbsp of filling. Crimp.
6) Follow the recipe as you would when making steamed or gyoza dumplings.

The leftover dough was rolled into spring onion pancake which uses the same hot water dough

Leftover dough becomes spring onion pancake

Oven 'fried' har cheong gai

Try 2
Decided to try a different recipe.
Recipe adapted from here: https://spicenpans.com/prawn-paste-wings/
- Key thing about this method is the use of corn flour and baking powder in the marinade.
- Coated in flour and left there to rest for 15 minutes.
- Air fry on a wire rack 15 minutes at 160 deg C to cook then flip and air fry further 5 minutes at 200 deg C.

Seeing some of my observations from Try 1, I decided to coat with tapioca starch. This recipe is also different to the DWG recipe which I tried here which used baking power and soda in the coating rather than the chicken marinade. I must say that it made no difference to the crunch factor whether it's used in the coating or in the marinade as the main differentiator was the tapioca flour.

Still pastey looking because of the dry flour but very tasty!

Ingredients (for 1.2 kg chicken wings, jointed)
2 tbsp prawn paste
0.5 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp cooking wine
2.5 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
2.5 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup tapioca starch

Method
1) Marinade with all the ingredients except the tapioca starch. Marinate for minute 20 minutes but best overnight.
2) Meanwhile, prepare the cookie sheet by lining with alum foil. Generously coat with oil.
3) Coat lightly with tapioca starch and place bone side up on the lined cookie sheet.
4) Leave to rest for 15 minutes. Spritz with oil.
5) Bake at 160 deg C for 15 minutes. Turn over to skin side and spritz chicken with oil. Turn up to 200 deg C and bake for a further 5 minutes.
6) Dislodge from alum foil and serve immediately.

Recipe feedback
- The original recipe was for 1 kg but I used 1.2kg of chicken and it was still a bit on the salty side! I wouldn't reduce anything though because the proportions are just right.
- This recipe has everything: rice wine, oyster sauce, sugar, and sesame seed oil and it tastes the best amongst all the recipes.
- 1 future try might be corn instead of tapioca flour with the baking powder and baking soda inside.

Try 1
I have tried tweaking this recipe and the oven baked chicken technique several times in the past: panko version which worked but course isn't traditional enough, and the original recipe which was modified from air frying technique. In terms of taste, neither recipe tasted authentic enough for my liking. I didn't know if it was the oyster sauce or the cooking wine or the proportions of either which were wrong.

After experimenting several different techniques and recipes and doing a side-by-side test, I think this recipe works the best. The key elements are:
1) Use egg wash to coat. I used to omit this step as I didn't bother blotting the chicken so I thought it would be wet enough but it turns out that the egg's protein is needed to set the starch and 'glue' it onto the chicken.
2) Must coat with tapioca starch and nothing else. Flour is too dense and produces a dense uncooked batter.
3) The wire rack doesn't help. It helps with even baking and airflow but because the oil drains away, it doesn't 'fry' in its own oil. It become air dried rather than 'fried'.
4) Cooking in a metal cookie sheet or flat pan and not a deeper dish or pyrex.
5) Lining with aluminium foil and lots of oil rather than non-stick baking paper. This affects the heat transfer and causes the heat to reflect back onto the chicken to fry it. I didn't even have to turn the chicken halfway!
6) Spritzing the surface of the chicken with oil.
7) 2 different oven temperatures: one for searing and one for cooking.

Ingredients
1.2 kg chicken wings, jointed
1 tbsp level prawn paste
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
dash of pepper
3 eggs
1 cup tapioca starch

Method
1) Marinate the chicken for at least and hour or even overnight.
2) Prepare a sheet pan by lining with aluminium oil. Spray generously with oil. If you can, send this into the oven as it is preheating.
3) Beat the eggs and dump the chicken (drain away as much marinade as possible) into the egg. Coat well.
4) In a ziplock bag, empty half the tapioca starch. Working with 2 to 3 chicken pieces at a time, shake the bag and dredge them to ensure even coating. Place on the oven tray (if the oil was heated, be very careful as it might splatter!). Repeat with the leftover starch until you run out of chicken pieces.
5) Carefully spray the surface of the chicken with oil. Try to ensure that all the areas are coated or you end up with baked flour that is white! Edible but not pretty.
6) Bake at 220 deg C for 10 minutes to cook, crisp and set the batter. Turn down to 180 deg C to cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes until done. You can turn the tray (not the chicken pieces) if you want to ensure more even browning but I didn't bother.
7) Serve immediately. At least dislodge the chicken while the fat is still hot otherwise the batter will stick to the foil and you end up bald chicken and sad bits of crispy batter and skin on the foil that are wasted.