Brownie cheesecake slice

Whether you call it brownie cheesecake or cheesecake brownie, it's the same thing. I felt like baking cheesecake but also like brownies and decided why not do both together? Surprisingly, I couldn't find many recipes that use only 1 box (8oz) of cream cheese and an 8" square pan (or equivalent 7 by 9"). I found quite a few that used a 9" square pan or 9 by 13" rectangular pan but I certainly wasn't about to run out to buy one!

Recipe from: https://www.creationsbykara.com/cheesecake-brownies/

Ingredients (makes 16)
Brownie
½ C butter, melted and cooled
1 C sugar (can reduce to ¾ C)
½ C cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
¾ C flour
¼ tsp salt
½ C chocolate chips

Cheesecake
One 8 Oz cream cheese packet, softened at room temp
¼ C sugar
1 egg
¼ tsp vanilla

Method
1. Line a 8 inch square pan with parchment. Set aside. Preheat oven to 175 deg C.
Brownie
2. Pour the melted butter into a big bowl. Add the sugar and cocoa and whisk until combined.
3. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
4. Sift in the flour. Fold in the flour with the chocolate chips.
5. Reserve ⅓ C of batter and pour the rest into the lined tin. Use an offset spatula and flatten out, ensuring to reach into the corners.
Cheesecake
6. Beat the cream cheese with the sugar until no more lumps remain. You can use a beater but I simply use a spatula.
7. Add in the egg and vanilla. It will look like it split, but be patient and it will become smooth.
8. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the brownie. Be careful not to mix the two batters but just flatten out.
9. Dollop on the reserved brownie and swirl in using a butter knife or handle of a spoon.
10. Bake at 175 deg C fo 37 minutes (any time before 35 to 40 minutes according to the recipe. At 37 minutes, my cheesecake topping had just set and the brownie was just starting to crackle.
11. Place the entire cake tin on a rack to cool for 10 minutes in order to stabilise. Then, remove the cake by the parchment and onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing up.
12. Serve fridge cold or microwave for 20 seconds till just warm.

Fresh out of the oven

13. Store in an airtight container outside for 2 days, then the remainder in the fridge for a few more days. Wrap tightly and freezes well for up to 2 months.

Recipe feedback
The cake was baked for 37 minutes which means that everything was just set. The cheesecake was still squidy. However, the brownie didn't have the signature crispy top that I like with freshly baked brownies. I still prefer brownies with peanut butter which make it very moorish but still has the crispy top when it first emerges from the oven.

Red fermented beancurd chicken (slow cooker method)

I bought red fermented beancurd some time ago and have no idea what to do with it. I used it for roast pork once and it was great but then what do I do with the rest of the bottle? Here's a recipe that looks interesting and not too far removed from the tastes that I'm used to.

Original source: http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/2014/02/chicken-with-fermented-red-bean-紅腐乳-curd-and-black-fungus-姜丝云耳鸡/

I ran out of black fungus so substituted for shitake mushroom but in future, I will use both black fungus and shitake. I also added tau kee and tau pok because I like it!

Ingredients
1.5kg drumsticks
1 thumb sized ginger, sliced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
8 dried shitake, rehydrated (reserve the water)
2 tbsp sesame oil
2.5 cubes of fermented beancurd, mashed plus juice from the jar
4 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
2 dashes of white pepper
Corn flour slurry if using
½ packet tau pok
½ packet tau kee (soaked)
1-2 cups water

Method
1. Marinade chicken with the soya sauces, wine, pepper, and sesame seed oil.
2. Briefly fry the chicken until browned. Remove and set aside to fry the aromatics.
3. Return the chicken to the pan, add the oyster sauce and shitake. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove the scum and slow cook 1 to 2 hours.
4. In the last half hour, add the tau kee and tau pok.

Red bean porridge with gula melaka glutinous rice balls

This is an adaptation of the Korean red bean porridge, 팥죽. I've read some versions that use salt but I'm not a fan of something salty.

Ingredients
300g red bean paste (I used canned)
10 knotted pandan leaves
10 cups water
¼ cup lotus seeds
100g glutinous rice
5 to 6 tbsp water (use more if necessary)
300g gula melaka

Method
1. Knot the pandan leaves and add to the water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the lotus sees by soaking in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes until softened. Remove the internal bud of the lotus seed which is bitter. Add to the boiling water.
3. Add the red bean paste to the water and stir until combined. Continue to simmer on low.
4. In a separate bowl, add the flour and put in a tbsp spoon of water at a time until the flour barely comes together. You may need more than 6 tbsp if the flour is really too dry (depending on how you've stored the flour and ambient humidity too). Once you are able to gather most of the dry flour, stop and start to knead. It should all come together, if not, wet your hands and continue to knead. Knead for approximately 5 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
5. Pinch off little bits of dough to make balls.
6. Cut the gula melaka into cubes. Make a hole in the middle of each dumpling and insert the cubes. Close up the ball and ensure that each seam is well sealed otherwise they will burst during cooking.
7. The balls can be cooked in the soup (makes the soup more starchy) or in a separate pot of boiling water, depending on personal preference. To cook the balls, ensure that the liquid is at a rolling boil. Add the balls. They will sink. Use a spatula to stir so that they don't get stuck to the bottom. When they float, give them another 2 to 3 minutes and they're ready. If they were cooked in water, ladle them out with a sieve and add to the red bean soup.