Fried Red Bean Puffs

I think I need to go to Hong Kong..

Fried Red Bean Puffs

15 – 17 puffs

Ingredients:

– 300g glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour) (separated)

– ½ cup cold water

– 1 cup water

– 100g Chinese brown sugar in pieces or light brown sugar

– 220g smooth red bean paste

– vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

In a baking sheet, lined with a few layers of paper towels. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, add 100g glutinous rice flour. Slowly pour in ½ cup cold water. Stir and mix with one hand until the dough comes together. If it is too dry, add little more water. If it is too wet, add little more flour. Pinch the dough into about 1-inch irregular pieces.
In a medium pot, add 1 cup water and the brown sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-low heat. Cook until the sugar has melted. Add the dough pieces and cook through, about 3 – 5 minutes. Turn the heat off. Add 150g rice flour. Stir together with a wooden spatula.
On a lightly floured (rice flour) working surface, place the hot dough over. Add another 40g of rice flour. Carefully knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is sticky, add little more flour. Divide the dough into 2 parts.
Roll 1 part of dough into ¼-inch thick with a rolling pin. Use a 3½-inch round cutter to cut out rounds. Repeat with the other part of dough. Gather the scrapes and roll it into ¼-inch thick dough again. Continue to cut out rounds. Make 15 – 17 rounds in total.
Place about 1 tablespoon red bean paste in the center of each round. Fold the dough over to make half-moon shape. Press the edges firmly to seal.
In a wok or medium pot, add enough vegetable oil to reach 1-inch deep. Heat the oil to 350˚F (160˚C). Fry the puffs in patches until golden brown, turning them often for even cooking. Transfer the finished puffs to the prepared baking sheet. Let them drain and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips:

Glutinous rice flour can be found in Chinese supermarkets or Amazon.
Chinese brown sugar in pieces can be found in Chinese supermarkets. Learn a bit more here.
I made my own red bean paste. For a short cut, you can buy pre-made one from store or Amazon. It won’t be as good, but easier.
If the dough gets hard and dry during the kneading process, add a little bit of warm water to soften it.
The ¼-inch wrappers seem very thick. But once they are fried, they will be thinner.
To make the wrappers easier to wrap, roll the red bean paste into half-moon shape.
When enjoying the puffs, make sure they are cool enough to eat. I burnt my tongue while doing a taste test. Ouch!
The puffs will not taste as good when they are cooled. Reheat them in microwave for 15 seconds. They will be warm again, but soften with a chewy texture.

Hong Kong Egg Waffles

Hong Kong Egg Waffle (Adapted from La Cuisine De Veronica)

3 batches

Ingredients:

– 5 ounces cake flour

– 1 ounce potato starch or tapioca starch

– ½ ounce plus ¼ teaspoon custard powder

– ¼ ounce baking powder

– 5 ounces sugar

– 2 large eggs

– 140 milliliter water

– 2 tablespoons evaporated milk

– 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, sieve together the flour, potato starch, custard powder, and baking powder.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until blended. Add evaporated milk and water. Whisk until completely blended and foamy.
Pour about ½ cup of egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until the liquid has been absorbed. Add 1 more cup and whisk again until absorbed. While whisking, slowly add the rest of the egg mixture. Whisk until smooth. Add vegetable oil and whisk until blended. Let the mixture rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set it next to the stove.
Preheat both molds over medium heat until very warm. Turn the heat to medium-low. Spray the inside of the molds with cooking spray. Lay one mold on top of the prepared baking sheet. Pour batter into the mold until about 90% full. Place the other unfilled mold over the filled mold. Lift and keep in above the baking sheet. To spread the batter evenly on the bottom mold, tilt gently. By keeping both molds together, flip the whole thing upside down. Tilt the mold again. Return the molds to the stove over medium-low heat. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until golden brown, flip over and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the waffle with tongs and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Tips:

Nordic Ware makes egg waffle pan. The size is not exactly the same as the traditional Hong Kong ones, but close enough. You maybe able to find a traditional one on Ebay.
Potato starch or tapioca starch can be found in most grocery stores in the flour isle. I use Bob’s Red Mill.
Custard powder can be found on Amazon or some grocery stores. I have seen them in Bristol Farms.
Use good fresh eggs. Better eggs give better flavors for the waffles.
The waffles should be very easy to remove when cooked.
Cooling part is essential. It lets the crust to crisp up.

Hong Kong Waffles

Hong Kong Street Waffle (Adapted from Christine’s Recipes)

2 servings (4 waffles)

Ingredients:

– 1 ¼ cup cake flour

– ½ cup milk or reduced fat milk

– ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted) plus 3 – 4 tablespoons (for finished waffle)

– 2 eggs (beaten)

– 5 – 8 tablespoons peanut butter

– 3 ½ tablespoon sugar

– 4 – 6 teaspoons sweetened condensed milk

– ½ teaspoon baking powder

– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

– water

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the beaten eggs with 1 ½ tablespoon sugar. Add the milk and vanilla extract, and mix well. Sift in the flour and baking powder and combine together. Add the melted butter and mix well. If the batter is too thick, add little bit water in the batter. The batter should be thin enough to drip down a spoon continuously. Set aside and let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
Preheat the waffle maker. When the maker is ready, add ½ cup batter. Cook until the waffle is golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Spread butter, 1 – 2 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 ½ teaspoons sweetened condensed milk on each waffle. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar. Fold the waffle in half and enjoy.
Tips:

You can definitely switch to the regular topping, like strawberry, banana, maple syrup and chocolate syrup for an American classic waffle.

Hong Kong Mango Pudding

No, it’s not a pudding. It’s kind of like panna cotta IMHO.

INGREDIENTS

4 envelopes Gelatine unflavored gelatin powder
5 cups cold water
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3 mangoes (or 2 large mangoes)
Evaporated milk, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the mangoes into small pieces and puree. You will 859-900 gr of mango puree.
2. In a bowl, combine gelatin powder and 1 cup cold water. Let it dissolve for 10 minutes.
3. In a pot, combine 4 cups water and sugar and cook under low heat.
4. Add the gelatin mixture. Keep whisking and don’t let it boil.
5. Add the mango puree and heavy cream to the mixture. Let it cook for another 2 minutes until completely dissolved.
6. Pour into jelly mold and refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hours.
7. Serve with evaporated milk.

Hong Kong Breakfast Noodles

INGREDIENTS
Ingredients:
7 ounces bean sprouts
salt
6½ ounces dried egg noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
2 ginger slices (peeled and smashed)
1 medium shallot (peeled and cut into quarters)
3 green onions (cut into 1½-inch pieces)
1 teaspoon ginger (minced)
1 green onion (finely chopped)
sesame seeds

Sauce:
¼ cup, plus 3 tablespoons water
¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the bean sprouts, remove the roots and leaves with fingers or scissors. Rinse the sprouts under water and drain. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the dried egg noodles. With a pair of chopsticks, loosen the noodles while cooking. As soon as the noodles have separated and softened, drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Mix well.
4. In a large pan or wok over high heat, warm the pan and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add 2 ginger slices and cook for a minute. Add the shallot and green onion pieces. Stir and cook for another minute. Add the bean sprouts and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a fine mesh sieve and drain. Remove the ginger slices and shallot.
5. In the same pan or wok, quickly clean with paper towel. Over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the minced ginger and cook until fragrant. Add the noodles. Stir for a minute and add half of the sauce. Mix well and cook until the sauce has been absorbed mostly. Add the bean sprouts and stir to mix well. Taste and adjust with a few more tablespoons of sauce if needed. The finished noodles should not be completely dried. There should be a little sauce at the bottom of the pan. Transfer the noodles to serving plates. Top with the finely chopped green onion and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Notes
Dried egg noodles can be bought from Chinese supermarkets, like 99 Ranch Market (https://www.99ranch.com) or from Amazon (https://amzn.com/B00B5HMH4E).
Dark soy sauce is very different from regular soy sauce. It is darker and sweeter. You can also get it from Chinese supermarkets or Amazon (https://amzn.com/B0001EJ4CU).
If you like spicy food, you can serve the noodles with Sriracha sauce.
These noodles make great leftovers.