Black Grapes Crumble Muffin 黑葡萄瑪芬

After busy making mooncakes in a roll during the whole season, its time to make something comforting for the kids and myself.  Muffins always my favourite breakfast and tea treat. And my latest favourite of all is the black grapes muffin, which I discovered and started using it a few years ago. Black grape is a perfect substitute which is high in vitamin C and also provide such beautiful food colouring in your baking too.  Hope you guys will love it too  !

Ingredients for muffins :
2-1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tspn  baking powder
4 TB  sugar
1/2 tspn  salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup thick cream
1 cup  milk
1/4 cup  corn oil
1-1/2 cup  seedless black grapes

Method :
(1) combine all ingredients and mix well, lastly stir in grapes.
(2) spoon batter evenly into 12 greased muffin tins then top with crumble pieces and bake at preheated oven 180'C for 20-25mins.

Ingredients for Crumble Topping :
40gm butter
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tspn  cinnamon powder

Method :
(1) cream butter & sugar till fluffy.
(2) fold in flour and mix to form a soft dough.
(3) add in chopped walnuts and mix combine.
(4) wrap dough with a plastic sheet and keep chilled for 15 

I love especially the crust. It tastes fantastic with extra butter on it.  I bet you can't stop at one ! Have fun.

Hong Kong Style Pan Fried Vermicelli In Gravy 香港式米粉

I tried this dish at least 3 times somewhere at a road side stall around Kahang, Johor. It was actually cooked by a Vietnamese lady whom married to the local guy. I have fallen in love with it eversince my first bite..... wakaka.... So finally, I decided to replicate it and this is my first attempt. Not bad at all ! My only comment is I need more gravy. Otherwise, it is perfect !

Ingredients :
4 pcs  rice vermicelli (preferably individual packing)
Cooking oil for frying

Method :  soak rice vermicelli for 3 minutes or just about to turn soft then drain (depends on thickness). Preheat frying pan with 3 tablespoon cooking oil then pan fry soaked vermicelli till brown & crispy. Add in cooking oil after each cooking.

Ingredients for prawns gravy :
3 cups  water
10 pcs  fresh water prawns, trimmed
1 small fish cake, cut small (optional)
salt & pepper to taste (I used 1/3 tspn salt)
1/3 tspn  vegetables granules
1 egg, roughly beaten
2 TB  chopped garlic
some Chinese cabbaage, cut small (as desired)
*thickening : 3 TB  water mixed with 1 TB  tapioca starch

Method :
(1) preheat frying pan or wok with 3 TB cooking oil, then stir in garlic and saute till fragrant (lightly brown).
(2) add in prawns & any other meat, cook till the prawns turned red.
(3) now, add in water, salt & pepper and vegetables granules, and bring it to boil over high heat.
(4) finally, stir in cabbage & thickening, let to cook for about a minute over medium heat or till the gravy became slightly thicken.
(5) off the heat, add in egg and let to stand for 2 minutes before stirring the gravy.
(6) now, pour gravy over to the serving plate with fried vermicelli and serve hot.

Of course, you need to cut the fried vermicelli into bite size, which is preferably !

It's best to serve these fried vermicelli immediately after adding in the boiling hot gravy cause the soup will be soaked up by the vermicelli very fast.  I have to say this is quite an addictive dish.  I will definitely make another batch soon. Just can't get enough of it ! >o< Hope you guys will love it too.

Five Spice Mooncake Biscuit With Red Bean Paste 五香粉口味公仔饼

Now I am totally in love with my new mooncake gadget. It works so well in any way. So, I decided to try out another batch with different flavour. I love cinnamon but I tried that before, so I'm gonna try one batch with five spice instead. Honestly, I still think cinnamon is more addictive.

The transformation after moulding. It looks really sharp. Isn't it !

Ingredients : (yeild :  28 pcs small mooncakes)
250ml    golden syrup
110ml    peanut cooking oil
1 tspn    alkaline (lye) water
430gm   all purpose flour
1/4 tspn   baking soda
2 tspn   five spice powder 五香粉

*Egg glazing ;  1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tspn  milk
*Fillings  :  850gm  red bean paste 
* 1/2 cup   cooked glutinous rice flour / tung fun (for coating)

Method :
(1)  combine syrup, cooking oil and lye water, beat well then set aside to rest for an hour.
(2)  now,  combine flour, 5 spice powder and baking soda till everything is well cooperated then stir in the wet ingredients till a sticky dough is formed. Again cover dough and let to rest for another an hour before used. But still best leave to rest overnight.
(3)  next, weight red bean paste /mung bean paste into 30gm each and round them, into 28 pcs.
(4)  when dough is ready, weight them into 30gm each, into 28 pcs.
(5)  now, wrap red bean paste/mung bean paste with dough then nicely sealed.
(6)  then coat wrapped dough with tung fun and mould it with mooncake gadget for shaping.
(7)  arrange all mini mooncakes to a greased baking tray lined with parchment paper.

**Note :  Overnight dough works better, which is highly recommended.

And the transformation after the first 10 minutes of baking session. Shape is well maintained.

8)  now,  bake at preheated oven 170'C for 10 minutes then leave aside to cool while baking the following tray till everything is completed.
(9)  later then brush all baked mooncakes with egg glazing and again throw back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes at 160'C till brown & shinny.
(10) finally, leave to cool completely before storage. Best to consume two(2) days after.

Everything turns out looking fantastic ! Looks really really sharp too.

Please check out the link here for my personal mooncake collection.