How to make Donuts

 

Who doesn't like Donuts? 

I grew up in the Philippines with Dunkin and Mister Donut shops in the corner  where I used to buy donuts particulary the bavarian flavored ones at least once a week. They were really nice and creamy. But today I won't be doing the fancy donuts...(a beginner in donut making, it's only fair to start with  the easy ones.) hehe

Been busy searching the net for the easy and yet yummy tasting donuts and I came across with a donut secret recipe, the blogger's father discover how to make his donuts taste so yummy. For his recipe please click here.

And another variation of cinnamon donut making in taste.com.au where I visit quite frequently for cooking recipes.

The secret recipe here is the mashed potato. You can taste it in the donuts. It's really nice. In this recipe I didn't let the dough rise like the other recipe suggested. Only because I can and I can't wait to taste my donuts.;-) I've only rested the dough for 15 minutes before frying. They will rise once they hit the hot oil.


Ingredients:
1 packet of yeast (approx. 8g.)
3/4  cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup mashed potato (potato can be microwaved until soft then mashed.)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon oil (vegetable oil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
oil for frying
1-2 tsp cinnamon, mixed with sugar for coating

Procedure:

• Add the yeast to 3/4 cup warm milk (warm the milk in the microwave, remember not to over heat.) Add a teaspoon of sugar and mixed. Cover with a cling wrap and sit for about 10minutes or until bubbly.
• In a bowl mix together sifted flour, salt, sugar and mashed potato. Mix with a fork until crumbly in texture. Pour in the wet mixture of yeast and milk, add 2 tablespoon of oil and mix. Stand for maybe 10 minutes then mix, adding flour when needed.
• Knead the dough for about 10minutes or until the dough is no longer sticky but not too dry. Be cautious in adding flour.
• Roll the dough, about 1 inch thick. Cut with a donut cutter or like me, I just cut it with one of my plastic cup then used the cap of cinnamon powder to cut a hole in the donuts. Works fine with me. Rest for about 15 minutes.
• Heat about 2-3cups of oil in the frying pan. Make sure your donut can float when it's cooked. Check if oil is hot enough or too hot by dropping a piece of the dough. If the dough is browning too fast your oil is too hot reduce the fire for best result. You want your donuts to be light golden brown and cooked through. Cook 2 to 3 donuts in batches for approximately 1 and half minute per batches. Drain on paper towels.
• Toss one donut at a time in a sugar/cinnamon mixture until well coated.

How to make "Toasted Siopao"

Toasted Siopao is not the same steamed  one we can usually buy from the bakery or restaurant. Toasted Siopao is basically a bun with siopao fillings and just like any ordinary bread we bake this in the oven. It originated in Bicol Region but we can find them in some bakeries in Manila now, that's how famous it is. I love this and it's one of my favorite food in Bicol aside from Bicol express and laing.

You can try this and tell me how it turns out. I have only tried this once but I am planning on little changes next time. Using the basic ingredients it did not quite reach my expectation with a toasted siopao but it's still very good that even my partner's brother loves them and told me I can bake it and sell it to the town. Ha! He's just very appreciative of what I make and so He loves to come over to know what I've cooked for the day. I can't wait to make this again. The only reason I don't cook that much is my partner complaining He's getting fatter with all my cooking.

So Let's start cooking.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm milk1/3 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
5 tbsp sugar


 For the Filling:
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (lamb or pork meat, depends on your liking)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
3 pcs salted egg, quartered ( I used regular chicken egg)
2 tbsp cooking oil
4 tsp hoisin sauce
4 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup green peas
 2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in water
salt and ground black pepper , to taste


Egg wash:
Whisk one egg and a Tbsp of milk together.



Procedure:

• Combine warm milk, water, 2 Tbsp sugar in a bowl. Stir in yeast, cover with a clean tea towel or cling wrap and leave for about 10minutes until bubbly. (Don't over heat the milk or it'll kill the yeast.)
• In another bowl combine the dry ingredients, sugar, flour and salt. Then add to the yeast mixture.
• Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it's not sticky. Add flour as needed. Place and cover in an oiled bowl and leave for 1 to 1 1/2 hour to rise.
• While waiting for the dought to rise, prepare the filling. Heat oil in the pan. Saute garlic, onion. Toss in shredded chicken and  peas.
• In a small bowl combine water and cornstarch. Add in hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Mix together and pour into the chicken. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Punch the rised dough to let the air out and cut into maybe 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then cover with cloth and set aside for 10minutes.
• After 10-15 minutes, preheat oven to 170 0r 180 degrees C.
• Flatten each roll to form a circle. Place a scoop of filling and add a slice of egg, gather the edges over the filling, then pinch the edges to seal and secure the bun.
• Place the buns into the baking tray. (In the photo above I place the bun upside down and it creates a smooth top, you can do it the other way around to create a new look too). Cover with cloth and leave to rest for 15-30 minutes. (I couldn't wait so I just waited 15minutes)
• Brush the top with the egg wash.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly toasted. 

Try my Sweet potato muffin too.

"Lo mein" A yummy noodles in Macau.

Mein or mian is simply the Chinese word for noodles. Lo Mein means "tossed noodles."

This is a very simple, affordable and super delicious Lo Mein I have ever tasted in Macau. I think I just paid 20MOP or US 3$. The small restaurant is located in one of the small streets in Macau along with old buildings near Rua de Sacadura, refered by a friend who is working nearby. We go there and we had two order for each along with few pieces of vegetable spring rolls which is also very yummy, tasty fried chicken legs and wings plus the famous drink in some of Macau's restaurants, the malted soy milk.

The waiters didn't speak or understand english so aside from my broke cantonese we did some sign language to order food. Very simple food but it's something I will always remember about Macau.






http://letstalkaboutfoodandkitchen.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/sweet-potato-and-carrot-muffin.html

Sweet potato and Carrot muffin

One day I was bored and decided to cook something. I've googled several types of muffin recipes  and the Sweet potato muffin caught my attention. And why not try a new variation and give it a little twist and see what happens. Here's how to make Sweet potato and carrot muffin.

Preparation time: (10mins)  Cooking time :(20-25mins)

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed sweet potato, (peeled,cut into cubes and microwave for about 5 minutes or until soft to mash)
1/2 cup grated carrot
200g caster sugar
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup vegetable oil
80ml water
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
75g pecans or crushed walnut

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 180 degress C. Grease muffin tins or line with paper muffin cases.
• In one bowl mixed together sugar, oil, eggs, water, sweet potato and grated carrot.
• In another bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda nad cinnamon.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, add the nuts. Fold gently until just moistened. (Remember not to over mix the muffin or it won't rise as high as you expect them to be and also when you over mix the batter, the gluten begins to activate in the flour. This will cause your muffins to "tunnel" (large air holes), and be tough.) You want your muffins to be moist and soft not hard as a rock.

• Fill the muffin tins just 3/4 full. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick, it is  cooked when it comes out clean. Don't over bake. Let it cool for 5 minutes before taking the muffins out from the tin.

For another yummy recipe try making Toasted siopao.





http://filipinolifeoverseas.blogspot.com.au/
http://allabouthomeandgardening.blogspot.com.au/

Passion for food and cooking

Who likes to cook? Or who wants to eat someone's home cookings?

My father is a a good cook and always get an invites from his friends and relatives from other town to cook for an occasion either fiesta, birthdays or weddings. But he's more famous in Fiesta's or weddings. My mother on the other hand can cook but we prefer my father's food, but being an OFW I guess she has improved a bit, (but still when she comes home and cook my siblings still add salt in it so it'd taste nicer.) My brothers can cook well too, just from their everyday life at home.
My sister on the other hand, just like my mother seems to be avoiding the kitchen. Maybe because someone else is doing it for her, either her husband or one of my brothers.

My cooking skills has improved when I went to work abroad. Some of my friends abroad are real good cook and I am always happy to watching them cook. In Hong Kong I have to cook everyday for my chinese employer who likes to have 3-5 course meal for dinner. Chinese cooking is easy, more of sauteing, stirfries, steaming and soup. Been to different families with very different cultures. And one thing I really enjoyed is learning their way of cooking, their style and technique.
Learning that when you say food it doesn't always involve "rice". Yes, In the Philippines, my home country, when they say food, it'd mean eating rice. So serving them just pasta dishes or vegetable salad for lunch or dinner, you'll get a questioning look from them. (This is it?)

I remember a girl who traveled with her American boyfriend in Hong Kong for a holiday when I asked if they've eaten dinner, she replied that they haven't and He reminded her that they already had Spaghetti bolognese, chicken and pizza from Pizza Hut. It was very funny so I explained to him that eating food without rice is not a complete meal for most of us Filipino. He laughed and scold himself that He will have to remember that.
So when we first leave our country to work overseas, adapting to new food is never easy. I often heard them say that eating noodles, pasta , salads  or anything without rice usually make them feel hungry very fast.

In my next blogs I will be sharing you some of the food I love. Some of them I have cooked for the very first time and some I have learned from the countries I've stayed and lived.

So I hope you enjoy reading my blog.
Please feel free to comment.

That's it for now.
Cheers!





http://letstalkaboutfoodandkitchen.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/sweet-potato-and-carrot-muffin.html