IP Korean Sauna eggs

Korean sauna eggs 찜질방 달걀 are different to Japanese onsen eggs because they are more like roasted eggs. There are several recipes on the web but I've adapted this from Amy+Jacky who did extensive testing, and the 'regular' recipe by Beyond Kimchee and SparklestoSprinkles who recommend the 2-2-2 recipe (2 tsp of salt, 2 cups of water, IP for 2 hours).

1. Eggs must be room temp.

2. Lay eggs on the bottom of the IP in a single layer. Trivet isn't required. Ensure eggs fit in a single layer, do not stack. (fits around 8 to 10 eggs)

3. Add 2 cups of water and 2 tsp of salt. (Amy+Jacky claim that salt doesn't make a difference although their own experiment shows that it improves the brown colour).

4. Seal the pot and cook on Manual at High Pressure for minimum of 2 hours. Ideal texture and taste will be 3 to 3.5 hours. At 3.5 hours, the egg yolk becomes like salted egg. Anything longer is a waste of time (see Amy+Jacky's experiment)

5. Use quick release. Transfer immediately to ice water and let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. 

6. Peel. This should be really easy! Serve hot or cold. If keeping in the fridge for more than a day, recommend to store in airtight container and do not peel the eggs.

Lady Grey bundt cake

This week was a simple cake. Tried this recipe from aprettylifeinthesuburbs which used Lady Grey tea despite calling the recipe Earl Grey. I've converted the measurements to metric because I no longer trust cups and tsp measurements which can go horribly wrong! Converted using King Arthur Baking.

Ingredients

½ C butter (softened)

1 C sugar (198g)

2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla

2 C (240g) flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 C milk (236ml, 227g)

2 teabags of chosen tea (I used Lady Grey)

Icing sugar to dust

Method

1. Prepare a Bundt tin with goop and dusted with flour.

2. Heat 1 cup of milk and steep teabags for 10 minutes. Let cool and discard teabags.

3. Cream butter and sugar. 

4. Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.

5. Add vanilla and mix well.

6. In a separate bowl, combine flour with baking powder. 

7. To the creamed butter, add ⅓ flour followed by ½ tea milk and repeat until all combined.

8. Pour/spoon into Bundt and push the batter away from the centre funnel to the rim to avoid peaking.

9. Bake at 177 deg C (350 deg F) for 40 to 45 mins until skewer inserted comes out clean.

10. Put pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cooling lack onto the pan and tightly clamp it on. Invert and allow cake to completely cool on the cooling rack.

11. Dust with icing sugar if using.

Dark chocolate pear and walnut bundt

I have been craving a pear and walnut chocolate cake, don't ask me why. The caveat was that I needed to use my bundt so after looking around, I settled on this recipe by Sugar Love & Spices for Ciambella dark choc, walnut and pear cake. (no video - I wish there was because I don't know if I'm doing it wrong!)

Ingredients

100g milk

60g dark chocolate, chopped

125g sugar

3 eggs

120g butter, room temp

135g flour

30g cocoa

Pinch of salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

Pinch of cardomon (optional but I had it)

4g (1 tsp) baking powder

70g walnut, toasted and chopped

1 pear, peeled and cubed

Method

1. Prepare the bundt tin by oiling and flouring or covering with goop. I took the extra step of sifting on cocoa powder.

1. In a small pot, heat the milk and sugar until dissolved. 

2. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until dissolved. Do not let the mixture boil. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk to incorporate.

4. In a bowl, mix the dry powered ingredients: flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, cardomon, and baking powder. Mix well and set aside.

5. In a KA bowl, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Scrape down.

6. Drizzle in the chocolate mixture at the side of the bowl slowly. Beat. The mixture will be clumpy and appear to seize up, do not panic.

7. Add the flour mixture 3 or 4 tbsp at a time and beat in at Speed 2. Once the flour has been mixed in, turn up to between Speed 4 to 6 but do not overbeat.

8. Fold in the chopped walnut and pear. The batter will be quite thick, like muffin mixture.

9. Spoon in the mixture and make sure to push the batter to the sides rather than near the funnel (otherwise the cake tends to peak in the centre). Bang the ban on a (protected) countertop to dispel air bubbles.

10. Bake for 180 deg C for 35 to 45 minutes. (mine took 34 because the oven temp was quite constant today but even then it was probably a bit over-cooked. 32 might have been enough)

11. Let the cake cool in the tin for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Then, put a serving plate tightly over the cake tin and invert. The cake should slide out easily if you prepared the tin correctly!

12. Store outside the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe feedback

- This yields a smaller cake than the previous chocolate bundt. It is not sweet but feels very dry even fresh out of the oven.

- The liquid goop (microwaved till runny) dusted with cocoa was a good idea in terms of looks.

- The batter was more muffin-like so it was very holey compared to the previous cake. However, nothing a dusting of powdered sugar can't solve!

- The cake tastes best the next day when it's less crusty and dry straight out of the oven. It stayed moist up to 2 days after, kept at room temp. I put a cup of water in with the cake in the airtight box and it really helped the cake stay moist!

IP One-pot Macaroni and cheese (not baked)

Comparison recipes using one pot and not baked mac and cheese:

Centrecutcook (includes video)

- evaporated milk, cheddar and cream cheese, other cheese optional, butter

- no roux

- 4 minutes and quick release. If package cooking time is less than 6 minutes, then pressure cook only 3 minutes.

- Add bacon or sausages etc.

Damn Delicious

- Double cream, cheddar and parmesan

- no roux

- 6 minutes and quick release

- Add veg.

Amy and Jack (includes video, tried below)

- Evaporated milk, egg, butter, cheddar

- 4 mins and gradual release (intermediate between quick and not natural release). 

- To derive cooking time: take package time/2 - 1 on high pressure with gradual release.

- no roux but uses keep warm to cook the egg and melt cheeses

I decided to mainly A+J which is the most complicated recipe but also looks the most delicious, but adding ideas from the rest!

Ingredients

454g macaroni or similar pasta

1 l (4 C) water

4 tbsp butter

397g sharp cheddar, grated (not package)

170g cream cheese

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp onion or garlic powder

355ml evaporated milk (I substituted with double cream and milk)

4 tbsp butter

Optionals: 1 cup frozen veg and 1 cup cooked bacon

Method

1. Pour macaroni and water into the pot. Add salt to the water.

2. Seal and cook for 4 minutes (or follow formula above based on package) on high pressure.

3. In the mean time, mix the cream, milk, mustard and onion or garlic powders, and 1 tsp hot sauce if using.

3. Unseal and gradual release. Turn on the keep warm. There should be no more than ¾ water left, drain any excuess.

4. Add the butter and mix well.

5. Pour in the egg mixture and mix well. If adding frozen veg or cooked sausages and bacon, add it now.

6. Add in the cheeses, ⅓ at a time and stir until fully melted. 

7. Check for seasoning and top up if necessary. Serve immediately. 

Mocha bundt with walnuts

This is the base recipe by King Arthur which I adapted because I wanted to use up my walnuts. No KA needed.

Ingredients

Cake

1 C (227g) coffee

227g butter, room temp

¾ C (64g) cocoa (dutch processed or natural)

2 C (397g) sugar

¾ tsp baking powder

⅓ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

2 C (240g) flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temp

½ C (113g) sour cream or yoghurt, room temp

Glaze

⅓ C (113g) chocolate chopped or semi-sweet chips [weight measurements seem wrong, double check]

¼ C (57g) heavy or whipping cream [weight measurements seem wrong, double check]

½ C toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Straight out of the tin

Drizzle on granache

After painting with granache in poor light

After painting with granache in good light

After cutting off the broken bits

Method

1. Prepare a bundt pan with goop.

2. Put coffee, butter and cocoa in a pan and whisk until butter melts. Alternatively, use a microwave. Set aside to cool.

3. Put sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour and mix well. 

4. Toss the walnuts in the flour mixture to coat well.

5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, sour cream/yoghurt. 

7. Pour in the chocolate batter and mix well. 

8. Spoon batter into the prepared bundt pan to prevent air bubbles. Lightly tap on the countertop to dispel air bubbles. Fill the bundt to about ⅔ way or about 1¼ inch from the top. Use a spatula to spread the batter so that sides are higher than center. DO NOT OVERFILL. Pour the excess into cupcake liners.

9. Place on lower oven rack. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes at 175 deg C (I needed the full 55 minutes because the oven went down to 180 then down to 150) until long toothpick comes out clean, start checking about 8 minutes before total time. (Check dark pans around 40 mins). Leave in tin for 10 minutes before the inverting out onto a baking rack. Allow to cool completely.

10. Make the glaze. Heat up cream in pan on medium heat or in microwave bowl. Cream should be bubbling along the edge. DO NOT BOIL.

11. Pour the cream over the chocolate (in a heatsafe bowl) and let sit. DO NOT TOUCH. Then after 5 minutes, use a metal spoon only, stir from the edges to the middle until chocolate melts. Cool for 15 minutes to thicken to pouring consistency. 

12. Put the cake rack over a pan to catch dripping chocolate. Spoon the granache over the cake and let it drip down the sides. 

Recipe feedback: 

- The sugar seems like A LOT but it's necessary because of the chocolate, coffee, and sour cream. Do not reduce by more than 20 g.

- The goop was very obvious with the floury streaks. It looked better after I painted it with granache using a pastry brush.

- The fins were very crunchy straight out of the tin. A bit dry in fact but the rest of the cake was ok, very moist.

- Do not keep in the fridge overnight, it becomes dry and hard.

- The glaze weight measurements seem wrong, may need double checking. In the end I used ⅔ C choc chips and ½ C double cream otherwise there is insufficient cream to melt the choc.

Chocolate comparison recipes

Here are a list of comparison recipes for Bundt pans, to celebrate my new 10 cup or 2.6l bundt! I've chosen those that use the KA rather than the mix wet with dry method that muffins often use, because I want a moist cake rather than a light fluffy one. Bundt care from Williams Sonoma.

Goop recipe for lining the pan: Food Network goop

Walnut, chocolate, and pear

Sugar love spices: 10 - 12 cup bundt (tried here)

- Flour, baking powder, cocoa, milk, butter, dark choc block.

Giallozafferano: 9 inch round

- cake flour, powdered yeast, dark choc chips, oil, milk, lemon juice

Walnut and chocolate

Green Thumb Foodie: 9 inch round (not bundt)

- Flour, baking powder, cocoa, veg oil, milk

Alpine Ella: 8 inch square (not bundt)

- Flour, baking soda and baking powder, buttermilk, coffee, cocoa, veg oil 

- sour cream only if making frosting

Wholesome Pastisserie: 8 inch round (not bundt)

- Flour, baking powder, coffee, cocoa, butter and olive oil

- Choc block and heavy cream only if making granache

Mocha

RecipeTinEats easy choc fudge cake: 9 inch round (not bundt)

- Flour, coffee, Cocoa, baking powder, boiling water

- Choc and heavy cream only if making granache

Chocolate bundt

Baker by nature: 10 to 12 C bundt

- Flour, baking powder, Cocoa, coffee, butter and oil, brown sugar, sour cream

- Choc block and heavy cream if making granache

Two peas and their pod: 10 to 12 C bundt

- Flour, Cocoa, baking soda, sour cream or yoghurt, butter

- Choc block, heavy cream, and corn syrup only if making granache

Fool proof living: 10 inch bundt (aka 10 - 12 C)

- Flour, cocoa, baking soda, sour cream, butter

- Choc block, heavy cream, honey, and nuts for glaze

Williams Sonoma: 10 C bundt

- Flour, cocoa, semisweet chocolate, sour cream, baking soda, boiling water, butter, brown sugar

- Choc block, butter, heavy cream for granache

Mocha bundt

King Arthur: 10 to 12 C bundt (tried here) - no KA

- Flour, Cocoa, coffee, baking power and baking soda, sugar, sour cream or yoghurt

- Choc block and heavy cream only if  making granache

A pretty life in the suburbs: 10 C bundt (my exact model) - similar to above but uses mixer

- Flour, coffee, cocoa, baking powder + baking soda, oil, yoghurt

- No glaze

IP Korean ginseng chicken

Love this chicken and so easy to make.

Sources: Burning Kitchen, Maangchi, and Korean Bapseng all have slightly different versions of making 삼계탕.

Ingredients

1 small whole chicken (under 2kg)

6 garlic cloves

3 to 4 red dates

2 stalks spring onion

3 slices ginger

3 tbsp glutinous rice, soaked for 1 hour and then drained

1 ginseng, preferably fresh

1 litre chicken stock (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste or dipping sauce

Method

1. Prepare the chicken but adding the ginseng and glutinous rice to the cavity. Use toothpicks to secure the cavity. Alternatively, tie the legs together across the cavity. Alternatively, cut a slit in the backslide and slip one drumstick into the slit across the cavity (see Bapseng video).

2. Any leftover glutinous rice and placed into a separate stock bag.

3. Place the chicken into the pot breast side down and the remaining ingredients to the pot. Pour the chicken stock in and top up with water if necessary until the chicken is ⅔ covered.

4. Seal the pot and bring to pressure, 40 mins with natural release. Alternatively, boil on the stove top for 40 to 60 minutes on medium heat or 4 hrs on bare simmer, turning halfway.

5. Serve with salt and pepper added to soup for taste. For the chicken meat, serve with salt and pepper or make the dipping sauce (see Maangchi).

Traditional char siu bao (Sponge method)

I saw this video by Kat Kwa and got really excited. I have been attempted bao-making since 2015 (my very first attempt) and it's never been really successful. With the earlier recipes, I focused on getting the technique and ingredients (e.g., adding milk or wheat flour) correct. However, as long as I continued to use flour (or even cake flour), it always failed. The skin was tough and chewy, or very dense. 

The first breakthrough came when I changed to pao flour where the texture was fluffy, and I had even more success when I changed to KA to beat and also used the bao packet's own recipe. However while I got a satisfactory bao (not char siu bao) texture, the issue was that shape was wrong as the buns were always too flat. Some recipes have suggested that this spread may happen because the dough has been over-proved or because the filling was too wet.

For char siu bao, the main issues were getting the right pillowly texture and to get it to split open on top and 'smile'. Desperate, I even tried to compare the different recipes and methods. For char siu baos, the main 'trick' seemed to be using shortening (or lard) as opposed to oil and a little bit of baking powder. I even saw one blogger cut across the top of the bao to get it to 'smile' but that's definitely the wrong approach.

The main difference from Kat Kwa's recipe is that she not only uses shortening and baking powder, her proofing is all upfront rather than along the way. She only allows short resting periods to let the dough relax once she starts working with it. In terms of looks, she still closes it tight using the traditional bao wrapping technique rather than tries to get it to split open and 'smile' like what dim sum restaurants do. In fact, she even crimps the bao skin very tightly closed to ensure no leakage.

I decided to try her recipe but augmented to pork because I don't have char siu on hand (400g mince pork, 1 egg, salt and pepper, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 tbsp potato starch, 1 chopped spring onion). More importantly, I wanted to focus on the getting the correct texture and shape first.

Ingredients (makes 12) and methods

Yeast dough

150g bao flour

1 tsp yeast

½ tsp sugar

125 ml warm water

1. Mix sugar with water until dissolved. 

2. Add the bao flour and mix. Batter will be very sticky. Cover and allow to proof for 2 hours in a warm place.

Filling and sauce

350g char siu, diced

3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 spring onion, chopped

3 shallots, flattened

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp dark soya sauce

1 tbsp light soya sauce

3 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp pepper

1 tbsp tapioca starch

1 tbsp corn starch

125 ml water

Method

1. Prepare everything by chopping, toasting, etc. Fry aromatics in a little oil.

2. Pour in the ingredients for the sauce. 

3. Once the sauce gets sticky, add the cubed char siu. Fold in. The whole mixture will be very gloupy and sticky.

Bao dough

40g (2 ½ tbsp) sugar

150g bao flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp water

1 tbsp lard or veg shortening or cooking oil

1. Once the yeast dough has finished proofing, add the sugar and mix well until dissolved.

2. Add the lard and 3 tbsp of water. Combine well. It will be difficult to do at first but persist. It will be very sticky and wet at this stage.

3. Finally, add the flour and baking powder. The dough will start off claggy but continue to beat. The dough will start to stretch and 'clean' the side of the bowl. At the end you will have a clean bowl.

4. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.

5. Roll out into a rectangle, then fold. Roll out again and then roll up into a log (see video). Cut into 12 equal pieces and cover under a damp cloth.

6. With each piece, gently tug and tuck until a smooth ball forms. (see video) Cover with damp cloth.

7. Take out one at a time to work on. Using a round rolling pin, rotate the dough as you flatten the edges, leaving the centre unrolled (and thicker than the edges). Roll out all the dough in a similar manner and cover with cloth.

8. Taking one out to work on, flatten the edges between the thumb and index. Cup one hand and drape the dough on top. Fill the centre with approx 1 chinese soup tbsp of balled up filling, and then gently press the filling down into the cupped hand (watch video). 

9. Pleat to close the bun and ensure tightly sealed. (watch video). After each bao has been filled, place into a bamboo steamer. Once all the steamer has been filled, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

10. Meanwhile, bring a wok of water to a rolling boil. After resting the buns, steam on high heat for 12 to 15 minutes.

11. At the end of the cooking time, switch off the flame and open the lid to leave it slightly ajar for the steam to escape.

12. Remove from steamer and serve. For the uneaten ones, allow to air dry (so bottoms don't get soggy).

Feedback: This recipe is a success!

- I used lard but the porky smell was very obvious when working the dough. After steaming, there was also a strong porky smell but it was hard to say if it came from the bun or the meat.

- The texture is soft and fluffy! However, the pleats didn't stay because the dough is very stretchy. I decided to change my usual wrapping style to momo style and that seemed to produce more pronounced pleats.

- I took the time to roll the dough ball to make the skin smooth before flattening and filling, and it shows. The skin looks less dimpled and rippled than normal.

- I kept the filling very dry and balled it up and the bao didn't spread and flatten! It helped that all the proofing was done at the beginning so it becomes harder to over-proof.

Blender Basque burnt cheesecake

This is a new recipe with different timings and ingredients from the original one attempted in 2022. Source from NoRecipes (has video). I've been doing it wrong all this time! I have been trying to cook till it set, apparently that's wrong! It was meant to be severely undercooked inside and have the colour outside so half the baking time. The fridge is the magic element that sets the cake. The method is also a lot easier and faster. It uses a blender or food processor, doesn't require bringing things to room temp, and doesn't require lots of patient hand blending!

Fresh out of oven

Deflated slightly after cooling

After 1 night

Ingredients (fits 6 inch round pan but I'm using 7" so it's very short with 1 block of cheese. Recipe also has upsize suggestions for bigger pans)

1 block (226g) Philly cream cheese

1 C (237ml) double cream

2 eggs

100g sugar

15g cake flour

½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 230 deg C.

2. Line a 6 or 7 inch round pan with parchment.

3. Add all the cold ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside for 20 minutes for the bubbles to settle.

4. Pour into prepared cake tin. Run a skewer through it to burst big bubbles and tap several times on the counter.

5. Bake to 25, max 26 minutes (for 6" pan, start watching from 22 mins). The top should be just caramalised (not burnt). The centre has significant jiggle. (See video to understand consistency)

6. Leave it to cool completely on baking rack and fridge min 5 hours or overnight, storing in a Ziplock bag.

7. Cut with knife warmed in hot water to make clean cuts.

Feedback: 

I have been doing it all wrong! I really need to underbake it and it will still be totally molten liquid. Then, let the fridge do its job and firm it up and set it. This way, it doesn't harder in the fridge but remains silky fudgey rather than a hard cheesecake.

However this is only half the height of the original recipe. After beating, the batter will be too full for the can tin.

The above recipe uses is for a 6" pan for 1 block of cream cheese but I used a 7". Here's one for a 8" pan using 3 blocks of Philly.

Update: I doubled the proportions and used the same 7" pan.

Took 23 to 24 minutes (watched like a hawk from 20 mins) to ensure top is brown but not burnt. Because it's so thick, it then needs to further baking at lower temp of 140 deg C for 30 minutes. Leave in oven but open door ¾ way to leave it to cool slowly for about an hour, then transfer and cool on cooling rack until completely cool. Store in fridge for 4 hours or best overnight to completely chill and harden.

Just after baking

Straight out of the oven

Update

Tried this at 230 deg C for 20 minutes (already started to burn!) then switch off oven. Open door to bring temp down rapidly (hence the crack) then 150 deg C for 30 minutes. Then switch off oven and leave door ajar for 20 to 30 minutes to gradually cool down.

Straight out of oven (after 20 minutes cooling in the oven with oven off)

Cake came out quite cooked with minimal jiggle.

Crack from the rapid cooling initially. Very slight jiggle. Will be fine eating at room temp but hard if straight from the fridge.

Next time I might try only 20 minutes at 150 deg C.

Airfried Roasted chickpeas

I have never been a fan of legumes but have recently met a vegan colleague. I asked her what to do with chickpeas and blackbeans, as I didn't relish eating hummus (made from chickpeas) perpetually. She told me to roast them. 

I came across this airfry recipe and was hooked. Straight out of the oven, they reminded me of kachang putih! Unfortunately once I put them in a salad, they deflated. Still tasted nutty but the crispiness was gone. I don't think there's any way to over come that. However this recipe gave me a instant memory of my childhood and compared to other recipes, it's super easy too.

Love and lemons: https://www.loveandlemons.com/roasted-chickpeas/

My method is slightly adapted based on what I read in other recipes.

1. Drain a can of chickpeas well. Spread it out in a single layer (e.g. on a baking sheet). Allow to air dry for about an hour, turning if possible (but be careful as chickpeas can disintegrate).

2. Pat dry with kitchen towel. Toss through 1 tbsp of olive oil and salt. Add in any other desired dry power (e.g. spices or herbs).

3. Air fry in a single layer for 18 minutes.

4. These are GREAT straight out of the oven. If putting a salad, add them last (although it didn't make a difference to me once I tossed the salad).