White Bread Loaf

中文菜谱：白面包吐司

Haven’t baked any loaf lately since summer is here.  One day, out of nowhere, I had a sudden strong desire for a piece of soft and warm and fluffy freshly baked bread.   O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients：

350 g bread flour
1 teaspoon yeast
40g sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
150g whole milk
35g melted butter

Directions：

Microwave the milk for about 15 seconds.  Add 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast.  Whisk and allow them to sit for 5 to 8 minutes.

In the stand mixer mixing bowl, add bread flour, sugar and salt.  Whisk the dry ingredients together and then add milk and yeast mixture along with an egg. 

Start stand mixer and set speed at 2.  Knead for a couple minutes.  Everything should come together at this point.  Add butter while kneading.

Continue to knead at speed 2 until the dough can pass window panel test.  There is no time set here.  All you need to do is to check from time to time.

Cover the bowl with lid.  The dough will rise double in size in about 50 to 60 minutes depending on the room temperature.

Transfer the dough to a large dusted wooden board .  Punch down and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Equally divide the dough into 4 pieces.  With a rolling pin , roll each piece thin and flat.

Roll them up

Place them side by side in a loaf pan with lid

Wait until they double in size again.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F/190C

Cover the loaf pan with its lid.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

Unmold it as soon as it comes out for oven.  Cool on a cooling rack

Now it is time to enjoy!

The warm doughy scent when the bread is baking is so comforting that I think I can stay in the kitchen the whole day O(∩_∩)O~  

My favorite way to eat freshly baked loaf is to tear it apart with fingers and then enjoy it piece by piece.  Forget the bread knife.  This is I think the best way to enjoy this soft and fluffy bread. 

Venison Ravioli

中文：鹿肉RAVIOLI

A friend of mine loves to hunt and I get some amazing game meat from her now and then.  How wonderful is that? O(∩_∩)O~ 

I made spicy venison chili and spicy skewed venison before.  So I decide to make some Asian fusion style venison ravioli this time.

 Deep fried ravioli go really great with grated parmesan cheese and hot sauce.

I deep fry half of the ravioli and boil the other half.  That is how we always eat them back home in southern China.

Dough ingredients：

2 cups semolina flour
2/3 to 3/4 cup liquid (egg + water)
salt
egg wash (to glue dough sheets together)
 

For the fillings：

1 pound ground venison
1 large egg
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 to 2 tablespoon rice cooking wine
4 to 5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 to 4 teaspoons corn starch
3 to 4 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
finely grated ginger
chicken stock (preferably homemade)
salt to taste

Directions：

Add semolina flour, egg, water and salt to a bowl.  Mix with hands until all ingredients come together.  Transfer to a well dusted large wooden board and knead until the dough becomes stretchy and elastic. 

Cover with greased plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Now let’s start with venison fillings.

Add venison, egg, onion, oyster sauce, rice cooking wine, soy sauce, corn starch, sesame oil, ground white pepper, sugar, ginger and salt to a medium/ large bowl.  With a pair of chopsticks in one hand, bowl in the other, whisk towards one direction like crazy.  Yes, that is right; whisk like crazy and the chopsticks are the best tool for the job here.

Gradually add chicken stock while whisking.  Add no more than a couple tablespoons each time.  Keep whisking and the meat will absorb any extra liquid.  Add chicken stock to the meat is a well known trick to make fillings juicy and tender in China.

With a large rolling pin , roll the dough into a large thin dough sheet and then run it through Kitchenaid pasta attachment several times until the sheet becomes smooth.  For the final time, dial the thickness to 5.

Dust ravioli mold with some flour

Place one layer of dough sheet on top the mold.  Gently press the pasta sheet into the depressions of the mold.  Spoon venison fillings into pasta pockets; brush the pasta edge with egg wash. 

Cover with another layer of pasta sheet.  Gently press down with fingers to get rid of extra air that might have been trapped in the pockets.

With a dual wheel pastry cutter , roll and cut between pasta pockets.

Deep fry them until golden brown.

Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately.

I love dipping them into hot sauce.

Venison is very lean.  But it can be very tender and juicy too.

Actually I only deep fry half of the ravioli.  I boil the other half, and serve them with chicken stock, chili oil sauce, sesame oil, chopped green onion, chopped pickled daikon and crushed toasted peanuts, just the way we like back home in Southern China.

It is absolutely perfect for breakfast and lunch. O(∩_∩)O~

Steamed Buns with Pork and Vegetable

中文：荠菜猪肉包

Shepherd’s purse might be considered as weed here in America.  But it is a very popular spring vegetable in Asian countries.  They sprout and grow fast when the spring is in the air.  Shepherd’s purse tastes a lot like arugula.  They are both earthy, refreshing but shepherd’s purse has a unique aromatic smell which makes it popular in Asia.

You can find the frozen shepherd’s purse in Asian grocery store.  The fresh ones are rarely seen on the market here.

Ingredients for steamed buns:

3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons oil
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Ingredients for pork and vegetable filling：

1 package of frozen shepherd’s purse, thawed
2 cups freshly ground pork
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon rice cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
a few drops of sesame oil
salt to taste
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup 

Directions：

Microwave the milk on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  The milk shall be warm but not too hot to touch.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.  Let them sit for 5 to 8 minutes.

Add milk and yeast, along with bread flour, sugar, oil and salt to a stand mixer bowl.  Put on the dough hook and then set the stand mixer to knead the dough at speed 2.

Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.  It takes about 10 minutes.

Cover it up with plastic wrap.  Proof for 40 to 50 minutes under room temperature; and then transfer the dough to a well-dusted wooden board.  Knead gently to get rid of big air bubbles.

In the meantime, I prepare pork and vegetable filling.

I grind my own pork with a meat grinder.  It is fresher and tastes a lot better.

Drain the thawed shepherd’s purse. Squeeze a little bit if necessary.  Finely chop the shepherd’s purse. 

In a large bowl, add ground pork, soy sauce, salt, sugar, ground white pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil and chicken stock.  Whisk hard with a pair of chopsticks  or a wooden spoon until everything comes together.

Add chopped shepherd’s purse.  Mix well again.

Equally divide the dough into 30 to 40 pieces.  If you prefer bigger size steamed buns, divide into 20 pieces.

Press down the dough with palm.  With a small rolling pin, roll the dough edge thin.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of pork filling to the center.

Wrap it up.  Repeat the process until all are done.

Cut parchment paper into small squares.  Line the bamboo steamers with parchment paper.  Add the buns on top of each piece of parchment paper. 

Cover and proof for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Steamed the buns over high heat for 12 to 16 minutes; when done, wait for a couple minutes before uncovering the steamed buns.

Serve immediately.  

Dipping into vinegar and chili sauce is also a popular way to enjoy them.  O(∩_∩)O~

Cool any extra steamed buns on a cooling rack; store in Ziploc bags; seal and freeze. 

Steam the frozen buns on high heat for 6 to 8 minutes and they are as good as freshly made!

Spinach Noodles

中文： 菠菜面条

Spinach is a popular choice when it comes to natural colorful noodles.  I love using spinach in my noodles or spaghettis.  The color is always vibrant and beautiful.  And the best part is that there is food coloring involved!  It is totally natural. O(∩_∩)O~  

Ingredients：

2 cups bread flour
1/2  to 2/3 cup spinach puree*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oil

*for spinach puree:
1 bag frozen spinach (12 oz), thawed
1 to 1 1/2 cups of water

Directions：

In a vitamix, add thawed spinach and water.  Blend at high speed until the spinach juice is really smooth.  I use vitamix because it does such a good job.  It is fine to use a regular blender too.  Just blend it a little longer. 

Measure the needed amount spinach puree.  Divide the rest into 3 to 4 Ziploc bags and freeze.  When you want to make spinach noodles again, just take out 1 bag and thaw.  How convenient is that! 

In a medium bowl, whisk together bread flour, spinach puree, oil and salt.  When everything starts to come together, knead with hands until the dough is smooth.

The dough might a little firm to knead.  That is ok. 

Wrap it up with plastic wrap.  Allow it to rest for a couple hours, or overnight.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough as flat as you can.

And then feed it through the pasta roller for KitchenAid stand mixer for several times.  At the one last time, set the thickness to 3.

I also make egg noodle dough sheets.  Don’t they look pretty already?

Remove the roller, and put on the spaghetti cutter .

Run the thin dough sheet through pasta cutter.

They are getting prettier.

Now you have freshly homemade spinach noodles!  You can cook them right away; or you can just freeze them for later use like I do.

Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Shank and Tendon

中文： 清汤牛肉牛筋面

I enjoy making all kinds of soup from scratch at home.  They are great right off the stove.  Sometimes I use them as the soup base for Asian hot pot.  Most times I use them to use noodle soup and rice noodle soup.

The picture above is beef rice noodle soup.  And the picture below is beef noodle soup.  Can you tell the difference? O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients for beef soup:

2 to 3 pounds of beef shank
1 1/2 to 2 pounds of beef tendon
2 to 3 star anises
2 to 3 tablespoon rice cooking wine
1 small piece of ginger root, smashed with knife
4 to 5 dried chili peppers , cut into small pieces
8 to 10 black peppercorns
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 black cardamom pot
2 to 3 cloves
1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 to 3 pieces of dried rhizome/ dried ginger slices
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4teaspoon ground white pepper
chopped cilantro
a few drops of sesame oil
chili oil sauce
water for stewing
salt to taste

Ingredients for noodle：

1 cup of bread flour
1/4 cup of water
a pinch of salt

Directions：

Soak both beef tendon and shank in cold water for at least an hour.  Change the water twice in between.

Here are the spices for beef soup: star anises, dried peppers, black peppercorns, dried rhizome/ dried ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, black cardamom pot, bay leaves and cloves.  Wrap them with a piece of coffee filter paper.

Tie it up

In a 5.75 quart Staub cast iron pot, add water, beef tendon and shank, rice cooking wine, spice bag and ginger root.

Heat the cast iron pot over high heat.  When the soup comes to boil, remove the white gray bubbles on the top with a spoon.

Cover with lid and reduce to simmer for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Beef tendon might need longer time to cook.

In the last 15 minutes cooking, add salt, sugar and ground white pepper to taste.

Now we have a pot of wonderful beef soup.

When the soup is being stewed, I make the noodle.

In a medium bowl, add bread flour, water and salt.  Whisk with a pair of chopsticks or a wood spoon.  When everything starts to come together, transfer the dough to a dusted wooden board. 

Knead with hands until the dough is smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Flatten the ball of dough with a large rolling pin.  And then feed it through the pasta roller for KitchenAid stand mixer for several times.  At the one last time, set the thickness to 3.

Remove the roller, and put on the spaghetti cutter. 

Run the thin dough sheet through pasta cutter.

I do enjoy this moment.

What to do next is pretty easy and simple because most of the hard work is done by now.

Cook the fresh noodle in a large pot of boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds.  Drain well and add it a medium bowl, along with beef soup, sliced beef shank and tendon, a couple teaspoons of chili oil sauce, chopped cilantro and sesame oil.

The beef tendon and shank are sliced hot so they are kind of impossible to slice thinly.

The next morning, I made another bowl of beef rice noodle soup exactly the same way.  I allow the beef shank and tenon to completely chill in the refrigerator before slicing them.  Now they look much better in the soup. O(∩_∩)O~

Time to enjoy!