Cooking Monster: February 2014

Pavlova

February 20, 2014

Ingredients
Meringue
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup castor sugar
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Topping
300 ml whipping cream
2 tbsp castor sugar
1 cup chopped kiwis
1 cup slice strawberries
1 cup blueberries
Chocolate syrup
1/4 cup icing sugar

Instructions
1) Preheat oven to 140'C. Draw a 7-inch circle on a sheet of aluminium foil lined on a baking tray

2) Make sure the utensils including the mixing bowl for the meringue are clean from water, grease and eggshells
3) Beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Gradually add in the sugar while continuing mixing until you get stiff peaks

4) Gently fold in the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla essence into the meringue until thoroughly mixed

5) Gently spread the meringue onto the circle on the foil. Spread it higher on the edges so that it forms a small well in the middle

6) Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. After that, switch off the oven and let the meringue cool inside the oven for 1 hour with the door ajar. The meringue will deflate and crack a little

7) In the meantime, whip the cream and sugar until it thickens

8) Peel off the foil before decorating. I didn't and it made it harder to cut into slices without making a mess later

9) Spread the whipped cream and top off with the mixed fruits. Drizzle chocolate syrup and followed by the powdered sugar

10) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the cream and fruits set

Cakes

Japanese Cheesecake

February 12, 2014

Ingredients

250g Cream Cheese (for baking)

110ml fresh milk

50g butter

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup cake flour

1.5 tbsp cornstarch

6 egg yolks

6 egg white

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp castor sugar

Important: Do not use Omega eggs. I learned the hard way that Omega eggs can't be used to make a meringue.

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 160'C. Grease and line an 8 inch cake tin with baking paper on the inside and wrap with a few layers of aluminium foil on the outside

2) Melt the cream cheese, butter and milk by using a double boiler for about 10 minutes until smooth and has no lumps

3) Stir in lemon juice, cake flour, cornstarch and egg yolks into the melted mixture. Sift the batter once or twice to remove and lumps

4) Using a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar at low speed until foamy. Add in sugar and whisk at medium speed until stiff peaks are form. You'll know if you turn the bowl over and the meringue doesn't move

5) Add 2 big dollops into the batter first and fold (do not beat) until mixed through. Then add the batter into the remaining meringue, continue folding until meringue and batter are mixed well

6) Pour into the cake tin. Place tin into a prepared water bath (Water bath: A bigger cake or roasting pan filled with one inch of hot water). The aluminium is used to prevent water from seeping in too much into the batter when baking

7) Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. After than, turn of the oven but leave the cake to cool inside for 30 minutes with the door ajar. I stuck a rolling pin in between the door and the oven

This was my first time baking it and I left it in the oven for only 10 minutes to cool. I think that's why the cake shrunk too much on the sides.

8) Let the cake cool down to room temperature before refrigerating for 3-6 hours. If it seems like water has seeped into the cake, just place a few layers of kitchen towel under the cake while refrigerating. This helps to absorb the excess water

Chicken

Karaage Chicken (Japanese Deep-Fried)

February 02, 2014

Ingredients

Chicken

300g chicken thigh, sliced to bite sizes (Breast is fine but dark meat is preferred)

2.5 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce

1/2 tsp finely grated ginger

1 pinch of sugar (A substitute for Sake, as used in the traditional recipes)

1/2 potato starch

Vegetable oil for deep frying

2-3 drops of sesame oil

Spicy Mayo

1.5 tbsp Kewpie (Japanese) mayo

1.5 tsp regular Sriracha sauce

Instructions

1) Heat up oil for deep frying in a large wok or deep fryer

2) Mix the sliced chicken, grated garlic, soy sauce and sugar in a bowl. Marinade for about 10 minutes

3) After 10 minutes, drain any excess soy sauce, and toss in a plate of potato starch until well-covered

4) Fry in batches for about 7-10 minutes until golden brown. Take out, drain and deep fry again for another 2-3 minutes until crispy (Double Frying). Set aside

5) Mix the Kewpie and Sriracha in a small bowl