Tau Yu Bak (Pork braised in soy sauce)

Tau Yu Bak is a favourite among many local Chinese.  It goes well sandwiched with mantou.  Some like it very soft but some like it with bite.  Hence, cooking time depends very much on how you like the meat done.  This dish is best done with pork belly (with some fats layer)

Ingredients:

2-3 long strips of pork belly (cut to about 3 inches in length)

10 pips of garlic (smashed with side of knife, skin on)

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

5 tbsp dark soy sauce

3-4 tbsp light soy sauce

3 star anise

3 small cinnamon sticks

1 tsp brown sugar

2 hard boiled eggs (pre-cooked)

15g oil

Method:

	Cover	Time	Temp°C	Speed
1)  season pork belly overnight with garlic, black pepper, salt, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce
2)  Heat oil to varoma before frying cinnamon stick and star anise	Yes	2mins	V	1 Reverse
3)  Add pork pieces from the hole in the lid as it stirs, then pour all the marinating sauce in, followed by 1 tsp brown sugar and the 2 hard boiled eggs.	Yes	30 – 45 mins depends on desired softness	100	1 Reverse

Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup is very nutritious and easy to cook with Thermomix.  It is very rich in carotenoids and is known for keeping our immune system strong and healthy.  It is a powerful antioxidant , also high in fibre and potassium.  With is natural sweetness and smooth texture, it is well loved by both young and old.  You can cook it with both skin and seeds on.

Ingredients:

300 g pumpkin (cut in chunk size)

100 g carrots (cut in chunk size)

1 pc potato (cut in chunk size)

750 g water

10 g oil

30 g cashew nuts

½ tsp salt or 1 tsp meat stock

Method:

	Cover	Time	Temp°C	Speed
1)  Place pumpkin, carrots, potato, water and oil in TM bowl to cook	Yes	20 mins	V	2
2)  Add in cashew nuts and salt.  Blend for a smooth texture.  Serve with black pepper.	Yes	1min		10

Kaya Spread

Kaya is a favourite local bread spread, it goes well with toasted bread and butter.  The main ingredients for kaya are coconut milk, eggs and sugar. Making your own kaya is easy and delicious as you are using pure fresh ingredients with no preservatives and colouring.  This kaya recipe has been tested a number of times and is the best so far.

Ingredients:

3 eggs (large size) and 1 egg yolk, beat well and strained

130 g sugar

190 g coconut milk/cream

10 pcs pandan leaves

Method:

	Cover	Time	Temp°C	Speed
1)  Turn speed dial to 10, then put 9 pcs of pandan leaves through the MC hole to grind till all done.  Squeeze out the juice from the powdered leaves and add to the beaten/strained eggs
2)  Heat the sugar.  Add the coconut milk at the last 30 secs through the MC hole	No	5mins	V	2
3)  Put in the butterfly, add in the eggs mixture and the last pc of pandan leaf (cut into 4 smaller pcs) and cook it	No	20 mins	80	2 Reverse
4)  Continue to cook	No	10mins	100	2 Reverse
5) Cool it and its ready to be spread on your homemade bread

Note:   MC above = Measuring Cup

*Kaya must be stored in the refrigerator.

Mantou (Steamed Bun)

Mantou is well loved by many Asians. I am sharing my mantou recipe here so that you can easily make your own whenever you need them.  For those who are not familiar with mantou, you can eat it on its own, dip it in sauces or in creamy soup, slice it lengthwise and fill it with meat like a sandwich.

Ingredients:

130 g water

1 tsp yeast

15 g sugar

15 g oil

250 top flour*

Pinch of Salt

*Not high protein / multi-purpose flour

Method:

	Cover	Time	Temp (°C)	Speed
1)  Add water, yeast, sugar and oil into TM bowl	Yes	40sec	37	3
2)  Add flour and salt to mix	Yes	20sec	-	3-6
3)  Knead the mixture	Yes	2min	-	Knead function
4)  Roll, cut and shape into pieces, place them on oiled Varoma dish and tray.  Leave it to rise for 30 mins	-	-	-	-
5)  Add 500g water to boil	Yes	15mins	V	3
6)  When temperature reached V, remove measuring cup and put on Varoma dish to steam	Varoma dish with mantou	Balance of at least 10 mins	V	3

Chicken Stock (Dry)

Instead of buying chicken stock from the supermarket, we can make our own chicken stock which is all natural and without any chemical additives or preservatives.  This can be used to season soup and sauces.

Ingredients:

300 g chicken breast meat (cut into pieces)

300 g mixed vegetables (celery, carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes) cut into chunky pieces

4 sprigs fresh mixed herbs (sage, rosemary - leaves only)

200 g sea salt, coarse

30 g red wine

1 bay leaf

Method:

	Cover	Time	Temp (°C)	Speed
1)  Add meat pieces to mince.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.	Yes	10sec	-	7
2)  Add all vegetables and herbs to chop.	Yes	10sec	-	5
3)  Add minced meat, sea salt, red wine and bay leaf to cook.	Simmering basket	30min	V	2
4)  Blend cooked mixture Transfer into a jar and leave to cool down.	Yes	1min	-	10

Note: Stock can be kept fresh in the fridge for a few months.

Usage: Use 1 tsp (approx 1 cube) per 500g water to make 500g liquid stock

Beef Rendang

Cooking Beef Rendang was beyond what I could do before I bought my Thermomix as it entails making your own rempah which is time consuming and messy.  Now with Thermomix it is such a breeze.  I want to share this recipe with all my friends and people who are interested.  This recipe can be cooked with chicken, mutton, beef or pork.

 

Ingredients (for rempah*):

8 pips garlic
5 stks lemon grass
6 candle nuts (buah keras) 
15 shallots

1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp fennel seed
15 pcs dry chillies
25 g ginger
25 g galangal (blue ginger)
25 g tumeric or 5g tumeric powder
100 g oil
1 tsp salt

 

*Extra rempah can be prepared, frozen, and then used for future cooking.

Ingredients (for beef):

800 g beef cut at bite size

250 g coconut milk

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 bowl fried coconut (200g fresh grated coconut – fry in pan without oil until brown)

Method:

	Cover	Time	Temp (°C)	Speed
1)  Roast cumin seeds and fennel seeds	No	3min 30sec	V	1
2)  Grind dry chillies, lemon grass, shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, candle nuts and turmeric (in between, stop 2 or 3 times to scrape down for more even grinding)	Yes	2min	-	10
3)  Add 100g oil and 1 tsp salt to cook paste	Simmering basket	25~30min	V	1
4)  Add beef, coconut milk, 3 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tsp salt Add fried coconut in last 10 mins	Simmering basket	50mins	V (dry) 100 (gravy)	Stir Reverse

Thermomix is finally in Singapore!

This much talked about super kitchen machine is finally here for us to enjoy! With its easy cooking and healthy eating concept, this ultimate kitchen machine is all we need in the kitchen.

A German product, Thermomix can steam, cook, fry, blend, chop, grind, knead, weighs and even washes by itself. It replaces over 10 appliances and is the only machine you will need besides the oven.

I was introduced to Thermomix last October and immediately fell in love with it. Having been aware of all the chemicals used in preservatives, additives and colourings, I was reluctant to buy food that had too many ingredients that were unpronounceable or named with letters and numbers.

With Thermomix I can now easily cook my own healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. All I need now is only to buy raw materials.

This blog was set up to share the tried and tasted recipes of the food I have cooked with this Thermomix machine. I invite you to join me on this culinary adventure!

If you need more information about the machine or would like to see a live demonstration, please email me at meier.thermomix@yahoo.com.sg

THERMOMIX - GERMAN QUALITY & TECHNOLOGY