Classic Hong Kong Paper-Wrapped Sponge Cake (muffin cup version)

If you've ever been to any Chinese bakeries, you probably have seen these around.  They're the softest and the "spongiest" cake that you can have, and you can have it for breakfast.  It is one of the most classic Hong Kong bakery items that I loved when I was little and now I can make them for my kids.

Traditionally, they're baked in a tin mold with parchment paper inserts, hence the name "Paper-Wrapped Sponge Cake".  However, I make mine using silicone muffin cups and they're just as good.

Here's a picture of how they usually look.

Photo credit: nasilemaklover.blogspot.com

Here's how mine look using muffin cups.

Ingredients

Cake flour  - 1 1/3 cup
Corn flour/starch – 3 tablespoons
Sugar – 1 cup
10 Eggs
Butter – ½ cup

Cooking Steps  

1. Separate egg yolk and egg white.
2. Put muffin liner in muffin pan.
3. Beat egg white in mixer, adding sugar in 3 separate times.  Beat on high until egg white reaches peak.  See picture below.

Photo credit: www.popsugar.com

1. Add in egg yolk, stir lightly.
2. Sift flour and corn flour/starch, mix lightly into egg mixture.
3. Add melted butter.
4. Bake 350 F for 25 mins.

The inside will be super soft and moist!

Beef Fried Rice Noodles (classic Cantonese dish)

This is my husband's favorite dish to order at Chinese restaurants.  It is almost a dish that can determine how "quality" a restaurant is.   I've always wanted to create this on my own so I can make this for my husband and kids.

It's not surprising that people usually use woks or frying pans to fry noodles.  However, unless you have super arm strength and super big restaurant size woks, you end up with unevenly cooked and soggy noodles.

Here's what I discovered as the best pan to fry noodles: A GRIDDLE!!!

Using a griddle to fry noodles ensure everything cooks evenly and all the ingredients get mixed well. You can also cook a large quantity at a time.

Ingredients:
-Beef
-Julianne carrots
-Green onions (cut to about 2 inches, same length as carrots)
-Bean sprouts
-Pre-cooked rice noodles (see image below)



Marinate:
-Marinate beef with soy, sugar, sesame oil, and corn starch.

Noodle Sauce: Dark soy sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce.  Mix until desired taste.

Cooking Steps:
1. In griddle, add oil.  Put in carrots and green onions, stir fry until cooked.  Set aside.
2. Add beef into griddle and brown it.  Stir fry until half done, should be just a minute or so.  Set aside.
3. Add rice noodle into griddle.  Carefully separate noodles with chopsticks or tongs.  It taken out from fridge, leave it on counter until room temperate or microwave for 1 minute for easy separation.
4. Add bean sprouts to noodles.  Mix well.  Sprouts are cooked when it became transparent.
5. Add beef, carrots and green onions back to griddle.  Mix all ingredients well.
6. Add noodle sauce to griddle and mix well with the ingredients.
7. Stir fried until some noodles are crispy and sauce is absorbed completely.
8. Done!

Steamed Pork Loaf

Ingredients:
-Ground pork
-Shiitake mushrooms
-1 salted duck egg

Marinate: soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, splash of rice wine, corn starch

Cooking steps:
1. Marinate ground pork.
2. Cut shiitake mushrooms into small pieces and add to pork.
3. Break apart salted duck egg and add to pork, make sure to mix evenly.
4. Put mixture in plate, flatten mixture to form a "meat cake"
5. Boil water in wok with steamer rack in place. Once water is boiled, place pork in work, close lid.
6. Steam for 40 minutes.

You will enjoy super tender and juicy pork loaf with tons of flavor from the mushrooms and duck egg!

Stuffed Tofu with Fish Paste

Ingredients
-Fish paste (can be bought in Chinese grocery store's freezer aisle)
-Fried tofu see picture below)


-Corn starch (2 tablespoons)
-Lee Kam Kee garlic and black bean sauce (2 tablespoons)
-1 egg
-White pepper (1 teaspoon)

Marinate: Marinate fish cake with soy sauce, white pepper, and sugar.  Add diced green onions and mix well.  Add an egg into fish cake for binding.  Add corn starch.

Steps to cook
1. Cut fried tofu in halves.
2. Prepare some additional corn starch in small bowl for next steps.
3. Before stuffing, coat the top of tofu with a little cornstarch, this will help the fish paste to stick to the tofu.  Then, use a small spoon to put fish paste onto the tofu.  Make sure not to stuff too much or it won't cook through.
4.  After stuffing all the tofu, coat a little corn starch onto fish paste side.  This will help the fish paste not to stick to the pan when frying.
5. In a non-stick pan, heat up wok in medium heat, put tofu in pan fish paste side down.  Pan fry for a few minutes until golden brown,  Do not flip over or the tofu will be burnt and tastes bitter.  Remove tofu from pan.
6. Add garlic and black bean sauce in wok, then add the tofu back in, stir fry in sauce for a few minutes, add a little water, cover and cook for a few more minutes.  The fish is done when it's firm.
7.  You can add other veggies like celery or peppers with the dish to add color and flavor.

Fish Cake Stir Fry

Ingredients:

-Tub of frozen fish paste from Chinese market (see picture below)

-Yellow peppers (or any bell peppers)

-2 stalks of celery

-2 stalks of green onions

-1 egg

-Corn starch

-Garlic black bean paste (optional)

Marinate: Marinate fish cake with soy sauce, white pepper, and sugar.  Add diced green onions and mix well.  Add an egg into fish cake for binding.  Add corn starch.

Cooking steps:

1. Dice celery and yellow pepper.  

2. Heat up frying pan on high, stir fry pepper and celery for a few minutes.  Add salt and sugar, stir fry for another 5 minutes or so until soft.  Remove from pan and put aside.

3. Use a non-stick pan, heat up oil on medium high.  Scoop fish cake mixture with a large spoon, press again edge of bowl to compact the fish cake.  Slowly drop fish cake into pan. Cook until fish cake are brown on both sides.  Fish cake is cooked when it's firm. 

4.  Add pepper and celery to the pan with the fish cake.  Stir fry for a few more minutes then you're done.  

5. Optional: Add a tablespoon of garlic black bean sauce for extra taste.

Salt Pepper Smelt

This is easy and yummy, my boys absolutely love them because you can eat the whole thing, including the bones!

Ingredients: 
Smelt
Salt
Sugar
White Pepper
Cornstarch

Cooking Steps:
1. Pat dry smelt with paper towel.  Prepare a bowl of cornstarch on the side.
2. Sprinkle very little salt, sugar, white pepper on fish.
3. Heat up frying pan on high heat, add enough oil for shallow fry.
4. Dip smelt in cornstarch, make sure fully cover both sides.  Put into frying pan and fry until golden color.  Make sure you dip one at a time.
5. Put fried smelt in a plate lined with 2 paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

Enjoy the golden, crunchy goodness!