Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Kimchi Fried Rice)

All the korean dramas I watch these days in the middle of the night always make me crave for some korean cuisine. I love korean food. They are so exquisite, healthy, and delicious. Here is something simple you can whip up within 15 mins tops. I tweaked the recipe so this is not authentic kimchi fried rice but nevertheless, it still taste awesome.

serves 4-5 people


Ingredients 
3 cups of cooked rice (cold preferably)
1 cup chopped kimchi
¼ cup kimchi juice
¼ cup water
2-3 tablespoons gochujang (red pepper paste)
3 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 green onion*, chopped
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds*
1 sheet of kim* (seaweed), roasted and shredded
1 teaspoon garlic
1 cup meat* (ham, thin sliced pork/chicken/beef, your call)

*optional

Directions
Heat up a pan. Add the vegetable oil.
Add garlic and fry then add kimchi and stir fry for 1 minute.
Add meat if you're having it.
Add rice, kimchi juice, water, and gochujang. Stir all the ingredients together for about 7 minutes with a wooden spoon. Mix it real good. Using cold rice/leftover rice makes it easier to mix because hot rice will stick together, making it difficult to mix well.
Add sesame oil and remove from the heat.
Sprinkle with chopped green onion, roasted gim, and sesame seeds.*
Serve right away.


Adapted from: http://www.maangchi.com

M&Ms & Oreo Cookie Bar

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large egg
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
 2 cup all-purpose flour
16 Oreo Cookies
3packets M&M’s

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line an 14″x10″ baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter.

Allow the butter to sit for 1 minute before whisking in the egg. Then whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Add the flour and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan.
Layer the Oreos, and then pour the remaining batter evenly over the cookies. Use a spatula to spread the batter, if needed. Evenly sprinkle the M&Ms over the top and lightly press them down with your finger.
Bake for approximately 20 to 22 minutes. The top should be set and edges slightly firm. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow the bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

One Pot Meal: Chinese Sausage Rice

Ingredients
2 rice cups uncooked rice
3/4 Knorr chicken stock cube - mashed
1 onion - diced
3 lap cheong (Chinese sausages) - sliced
6 mushrooms (shitake/dried chinese mushrooms)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp white pepper powder
Water
1 egg (optional)

Directions
Place everything except the egg into a rice cooker, add enough water to cook rice and cook.
Crack an egg over cooked rice and mix. Cover rice cooker and leave to stand for a further 5 mins for the egg to cook.

PS. Do not add more water than usual amount needed to cook the rice.

Chocolate Croissants (Pains Au Chocolat)

Ingredients

1 piece of croissant dough
1/2 cup (100 g) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Directions
Remove 1 piece of dough from the fridge, unwrap it and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 18″ x 5″ rectangle

Cut the dough horizontally in half. Then cut the dough vertically into fourths, making 8 rectangles.
 
  















 
Sprinkle 1 tbsp of semisweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) in a line down a short edge of each rectangle.
Starting at the short edge, roll up into logs.


Place seam side down onto a lined cookie tray, 2″ apart.

Bake
Cover loosely with cling film and leave to rise in a cool place for around 2-3 hours ( if you’re making these the night before, you can actually shape them and leave them to rise in the fridge overnight instead).
Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (22o degrees C) . Brush the chocolate croissants with beaten egg using a pastry brush and put into the oven. Immediately lower the temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and bake for a further 8-10 minutes until well browned and puffy.
Let cool on a wire rack

Credits: www.topwithcinammon.com

Danish Cinnamon-Raisin Croissant Rolls

Ingredients
1 piece of croissant dough (1/4 of the whole recipe), the step-by-step tutorial for the dough can be found here
1/3 cup sugar mixed with 1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins


Directions
Remove 1 piece of dough from the fridge, unwrap it and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 10″ x 8″ rectangle. Sprinkle evenly with a the cinnamon sugar mixture. Then sprinkle on the raisins.

 
 
Starting at the short edge, roll the dough up into a log.



Cut into 1″ pieces, using a piece of thread / unflavoured floss or a sharp knife.



Place, cut side down, 2″ apart, onto a lined cookie sheet.


Bake
Cover loosely with cling film and leave to rise in a cool place for around 2-3 hours ( if you’re making these the night before, you can actually shape them and leave them to rise in the fridge overnight instead).
Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (22o degrees C) . Brush the chocolate croissants with beaten egg using a pastry brush and put into the oven. Immediately lower the temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and bake for a further 3-6 minutes until well browned and puffy.
Let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy your 2 to I-literally-don’t-know-how-long-these-took-to-make-any-more day labour of love.

Credits: http://www.topwithcinnamon.com

Croissant (Plain Dough)

This is the recipe for the plain croissant dough which is equally yummy as the ones with fillings. But if you'd like to try making flavored croissants, please check out my recipes for chocolate and cinnamon-raisin croissants as well. They're basically add ons as they also use this recipe.


Ingredients

4 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons warm water

2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoon butter, melted

2 cups cold milk

5 cups flour, plus more for working

2 cups (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter

1 large egg, beaten 

Instructions

In a small bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and a pinch of the sugar in the warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.

To mix the dough by hand, In a large bowl, combine the remaining sugar, the salt, melted butter, milk, the yeast mixture and 1/2 cup of the flour, and mix with a wooden spoon until blended. Gradually add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix just until the dough comes together in a sticky ball.

To mix the dough by stand mixer, In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining sugar, the salt, melted butter, milk and the yeast mixture and mix on medium speed until combined. Gradually add the flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix just until the dough comes together in a stick ball.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to a large baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until chilled, about 40 minutes.
While the dough is chilling make the butter package. I found it was easiest to place all four sticks of butter together in a gallon size ziplock bag. Then using a rolling pin, beat the butter on a work surface to flatten it. Continue to gently beat the butter with the rolling pin to shape the butter into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle. This part was really kind of hard, but just keep working it. Once the butter is in the shape of a rectangle place it back in the fridge to stiffen up again. Don't worry if your butter is not in a perfect rectangle. It's still going to work.

Now it is time to laminate the dough, which just means fold the dough with the butter to create layers. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. With a short side facing you, place the butter in the middle of the dough. Fold the ends up like a letter. Fold over the upper half to cover the butter and press the edges together to seal. Then fold over the remaining lower half and press the edges together to seal. Turn dough again so the short side is facing you, and use the rolling pin to press down equally on the dough to help flatten it. Roll dough into a 15 x 10 inch rectangle. Then fold the dough like a letter again, with a short side facing you, fold the bottom third up, then fold the top third down. Use your hands to pull the dough into a rectangle shape. You should now have a roughly 11 x 6 inch rectangle. This completes the first turn. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 45 minutes.

Return the chilled dough to the lightly floured work surface with a folded side to your left and repeat the process to make 3 more turns, rolling, folding and chilling the dough each time, for a total of 4 turns. After the final turn, refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight (I chilled mine overnight). 

To form the croissants, cut the dough in half and place one half in the fridge while working with the other half. Roll out one half of the pastry on a lightly floured work surface into a 9-by-18-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut the dough in half lengthwise, and then cut the dough into triangles. Cut a small vertical slit right into the middle of the straight end, and using both hands, roll croissant up pushing the sides out to either side. Place on a baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart, cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours. The croissants will not double in size like other yeast doughs do. After one hour position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 215 ºC.

Lightly brush the tops of the pastries with the egg mixture. Bake the pastries, 1 sheet at a time, until golden brown, 15-18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool on the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Makes 25-32 croissants.

To freeze the croissants before baking, complete the steps through step 8. Once all the croissants have been rolled place them on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Cover the baking sheets and freeze for about 2 hours. Remove the pans and place the croissants in a freezer safe bag and seal. Immediately place back in the freezer and freeze for up to 6 months. To bake, allow the croissants to thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake as directed. 

Credits: www.halfbakedharvest.com

Earl Gray Tea Pound Cake

Ingredients

130 gr Cake flour

1/3 tsp Baking powder

7 gr Earl grey tea leaves, crushed (approx. 3 sachets)
120 gr Unsalted butter, at room temperature
100 gr Caster sugar
2 Eggs, separated
2 tbsp Milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 170C. Lightly grease and line a 18cm x 8cm loaf pan with baking paper.

Sift flour and tea leaves into a bowl. Set aside.

Cream the butter with 50g of sugar until light and fluffy. add in the egg yolks one at a time, follow by milk. Beat well with each addition.

Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture till all combined. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat egg white until soft peak forms, add the remaining 50g of sugar gradually and continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and form firm peaks.

With a spatula, fold 1/3 of egg white into butter mixture until just combined; and fold in with the remaining egg white.

Scrape the batter into cake pan. Make a dent lengthwise in the centre.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake turns out clean. Let the cake cool on the wire rack.