Ingredient: all-purpose flour

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki
Print Recipe
This easy-to-make savory pancake is a crowd favorite. Aside from a few key ingredients, the choice of what to throw in is very much up to you! This recipe is not vegan but is meat-free. The layering of umami-rich ingredients throughout this recipe pretty much means you're not going to miss the meat. You can always dial it up with your favorite proteins including pork belly if you like.
Servings Prep Time
4 pancakes 1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 pancakes 1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Okonomiyaki
Print Recipe
This easy-to-make savory pancake is a crowd favorite. Aside from a few key ingredients, the choice of what to throw in is very much up to you! This recipe is not vegan but is meat-free. The layering of umami-rich ingredients throughout this recipe pretty much means you're not going to miss the meat. You can always dial it up with your favorite proteins including pork belly if you like.
Servings Prep Time
4 pancakes 1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 pancakes 1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
Batter
Filling
Toppings
Dashi
Servings: pancakes
Instructions
Dashi
  1. In a medium pot, bring konbu to a slow boil (about 10-15 minutes). Remove konbu, add katsuobushi and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let katsuobushi steep for about 10-15 minutes. The katsuobushi will also sink to the bottom in the process. Strain the stock and it’s ready for use. Any unused stock may be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.
Batter + Filling
  1. Whisk dry ingredients together until blended. Add eggs and dashi and stir until just mixed.
  2. Add in cabbage, beni shoga, mushrooms and tenkasu.
Cooking + Serving
  1. Heat pan up and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Put in a rounded cup of batter mix and using the edge of a spatula, gently spread the mound out to form a pancake. Avoid using the back of the spatula to press down. You want the cake to be somewhat loose and not too dense. Lower the heat to medium low, cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip the pancake, cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium to medium high and cook uncovered for 2 minutes on each side to crisp up each side. The pancake should be golden brown when done.
  2. To serve, generously drizzle okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. Top with sliced green onion, katsuobushi and aonori (green seaweed flakes) if desired.

Mooncakes Recipe: How to make basic “doll” Chinese mooncakes

Mooncakes are normally filled with a sweet center like lotus nut paste, red bean paste or assorted nuts and candied melon. The prized ones even contain salted duck yolk for a nice salty-sweet balance.

finished-mooncakes

My daughter, alongside many other children, generally prefer their mooncakes without filling. There’s something about the dense filling that’s not appealing to young palates. I was the same way when I was a kid.

This recipe is for basic mooncakes. In our household, we sometimes call them “doll” mooncakes, an acknowledgement of the young eaters. These beauties are soft yet slightly chewy. (They are not light and airy in the traditional sense of the word “cake.”)  You could also use cute animal molds for this recipe; in fact, many Asian bakeries do, and the kids’ love it.

The sweet component of this recipe is the golden syrup. I’ve chosen to make it from scratch, which involves bringing sugar syrup to a rich brown color (or a “soft crack” stage at 285 ⁰F  – for all you confectioners out there!), and then “loosening” the syrup by adding water to bring it to a pourable consistency similar to honey. If you’d rather not work with high-temperature sugar, you could simply buy premade golden syrup at your favorite grocery store. I should mention I have not tested this recipe with store-bought golden syrup.

I hope you enjoy making these treats. Put your own spin into it and make the mooncake tradition your own. If you have kids, get them to help you mold the mooncakes; they’ll love seeing a ball of dough “magically” transform into a pretty cake with intricate design.

Please take pictures and show me how yours turn out!

mooncake-ingredients

Mooncakes (basic "doll" mooncakes)
Print Recipe
Mooncakes are baked goodies. When it comes to baking, it's best to stick with weight measurements for more consistent results. However, I've also provided the approximate volumetric equivalents. I've chosen to go the way of metric measurements (grams) for better accuracy with some of the small amounts of ingredients.
Servings Prep Time
18 pieces 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour
Servings Prep Time
18 pieces 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour
Mooncakes (basic "doll" mooncakes)
Print Recipe
Mooncakes are baked goodies. When it comes to baking, it's best to stick with weight measurements for more consistent results. However, I've also provided the approximate volumetric equivalents. I've chosen to go the way of metric measurements (grams) for better accuracy with some of the small amounts of ingredients.
Servings Prep Time
18 pieces 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour
Servings Prep Time
18 pieces 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour
Ingredients
Servings: pieces
Instructions
  1. Golden Syrup: The first 3 ingredients listed are all you need to make your own golden syrup. A candy thermometer is not a requirement but helpful if you have it. If you're comfortable working with high-temperature sugar, you could do this by sight. Or you could simply buy premade golden syrup like Lyle's Golden Syrup at your favorite grocery store. They run around $5 - $6 (ish) for an 11 oz bottle. I have not tested this recipe with store-bought syrup.
  2. Put water, sugar and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. Continue on a slow boil while monitoring the temperature of the syrup. Bring the temperature up to 285 ⁰F (the syrup will be a rich brown color), then very slowly add water to the pot to gradually bring the temperature back down to 235 ⁰F. Allow syrup to cool completely before using.
  3. CAUTION: Because the syrup is considerably above the boiling point of water (212 ⁰F), much of the added water will immediately flash and possibly cause burns. Be extremely careful. Be sure to trickle the water into the pot very slowly. You could cut back on the flashing by adding hot or off-the-boil water.
  4. Dough: Lye water is an alkaline solution, usually found in Asian markets as potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate solution.
  5. Put oil, golden syrup, vanilla and alkaline solution in a bowl. Whisk the mixture until well-mixed (emulsified). Fold the flour into the liquid mixture. As the dough starts to form, use your hands to mix in the rest of the flour.
  6. You should get a soft but workable dough once the flour has been incorporated. Avoid overworking the dough. Cover the dough and let rest for an hour in the refrigerator.
  7. Preheat convection oven to 375 ⁰F.
  8. Divide the dough out into 30 g (1 ounce) portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
  9. Dust the mooncake mold with flour, then insert a dough ball. Place the mold upright, then press down, and release the molded cake. (I use a 50 g mold purchased on ebay.)
  10. Arrange cakes in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mist top of cakes with water (to avoid cracking). Bake for 6 minutes, then remove from the oven. Brush the cakes with egg wash, return to the oven and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown.
  11. Do not overbake. The cakes will be very soft when they’re hot off the oven. They will stiffen (but still remain soft) as they cool.
  12. Cool the cakes and store in an air-tight container. The cakes are best served after they’ve rested for 24 hours.

Recipe: Kuih Kodok (Banana Fritters)

These easy-to-make banana fritters are a street-side favorite in Malaysia. Slightly overripe bananas are ideal for this recipe – they inject maximum flavor and natural sweetness. The use of tapioca flour ramps up the crispy factor.

Kuih Kodok Ingredients
Kuih Kodok Ingredients

Click here for the story about this street food favorite.

Kuih Kodok (Banana Fritters)
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Kuih Kodok (Banana Fritters)
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: pieces
Instructions
  1. Combine all dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder and sugar) in a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to properly mix the dry ingredients.
  2. Using the back of the fork, mash the bananas and add to the flour mixture. Mix with a spoon and add water to loosen the consistency.
  3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan on medium to medium high heat. Using a tablespoon, gently drop batter into oil. Fry until golden brown, drain, and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes

Use a portion scoop to drop the batter into the hot oil for easier dispensing, and more even portioning. I use portion scoop #30, which has a 1-7/8” scoop diameter.