Shiroi Koibito (White Lovers / Black Lovers)

This is a famous biscuit in Japan & Korea. It is exceptionally sweet so next time, I think I'll cut down on the sugar in this recipe. The problem with making this biscuit is that you've got to get a mould for the biscuit otherwise it will turn out ugly like mine. I tried cutting out a microwave container lid but this is the best I got (see photo)

Shiroi Koibito

Ingredients:
100gm sugar
90gm butter
2 eggs
85gm cake flour
white chocolate / milk chocolate

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Add sifted cake flour into the mixture.
4. Line baking tray and spread mixture to cover the hole in the template on the baking paper.
   
5. Bake at 180 degrees Celcius for about 10-15 mins, or until the sides become slightly brown.
6. Melt chocolate over double boiler.
7. Using a butter knife, spread the chocolate over one piece of biscuit and sandwich with another biscuit on top.
   

Mochi

The process of making mochi is extremely sticky and it is even more so when it comes to washing up - unless you do it properly and use lots of cornflour. My first attempt at doing it sometime last year was disastrous and I thought I'll never ever do it again. But having promised mum that I'll make it for her to try, I gathered up my courage to do it a few weeks ago and as it worked then, I thought I'll do it again.

Mochi

Ingredients:
Pandan Paste (will be covered in another post)
Red Bean Paste (will be covered in another post)

Mochi Skin:
100gm glutinous rice flour
180ml water
50gm sugar
Generous amount of cornflour

Method:

1. Combine the glutinous rice flour sugar together.
2. Pour in water and mix until sugar dissolves.
3. Pour into a microwave container for 30mins, then take it out to mix before returning it into the microwave again.
4. Repeat step 3 again thrice. The total time that the mixture stays in the microwave is about 2 mins, or until it looks almost translucent.
5. Generously dust your hands and workbench with cornflour before pouring out the microwaved contents onto the table.
6. Roll out rounds of red bean or green bean paste.
7. Take about 1/2 tablespoon of mochi skin, using your fingertips, flatten the piece of dough and place a ball of filling into the mochi.
8. Wrap mochi.

Note:

• The mochi skin dough is very very sticky, so generously dust your hands and workbench with cornflour. I cannot stress this enough.

Mooncake Festival

I haven't had as much time as I had originally hoped to update my blog. My original aim was to update it every day, then having failed that, I thought every week will suffice. But now, it seems that I am hardly even managing once a fortnight.


Well the mooncake festival is celebrated on the fifteenth of the eighth month in the chinese lunar calendar. There are several stories underlying the mooncakes but the most famous of all is according to chinese history, at around 1368AD. The Chinese distributed mooncakes with secret messages hidden between them and circulated around to all the Chinese. Inside, the messages revealed the Chinese' plan to overthrow their oppressors, the Mongols on the date that we now know as the mid-autumn festival.


Traditionally, mooncakes were baked. But ever-increasing new varieties have evolved and now, there are baked ones, deep-fried ones, snow-skin, savoury, and jelly ones.

White Sugar Cake

Yippee,
I finally got a camera to snap all my cooking so I can start baking again. A dumbass decided to drop the camera into a pond, so leaving me without a camera and a mobile phone. Hence the delay. I made several things (hum chim paeng, glutinous rice doughnut and several episodes of mochi and bak thong goa) but pity there wasn't a camera so it will have to wait until I make them again.

This cake is called "Pak Thong Goa" or directly translated as White Sugar Cake. There are several methods of doing this, from using wine rice cake to using yeast. The Vietnamese uses coconut as substitute for the 180ml of water in Ingredient B, and I think they call it "cow cake". That is what my friend tells me anyway. After her suggestion of using coconut milk, I would suggest to others who decides to make the Vietnamese version, to limit the sugar down to 140gm sugar as the coconut milk enhances the sweetness of sugar.

Pak Thong Goa

Ingredients:
A:
200gm rice flour
1 tsp dry yeast
230ml warm water
2 tsp sugar

B:
180ml warm water
160gm sugar

Method:

1. Mix all of ingredient A together and stir until sugar has dissolved. Leave overnight in a warm, dark place (an oven / microwave will do).
2. The mixture should have lots of bubbles on the next day.
3. Mix all of ingredients B into A and pour into a paper-lined pan. Leave aside for 2-3 hours.
4. Steam the mixture for 25 - 35 mins on high, opening the lid of the steamer every 10 mins or so to let the steam escape.

Note:

• Be cautious when opening the lid of the steamer as the steam can cause burns. It is advisable to be wearing oven mittens when you open it.