Recipe: Microwave Bread

Huh, microwave bread?!?!? The zany idea to use a microwave in the process of making this bread was inspired by Yakitate Japan! episode 36. This unusual bread has the texture of sponge cake. It is nice and soft and if baked correctly, has a crusty exterior. A microwave is used to speed up the dough's fermentation by heating the liquid molecules in the dough to warm the dough itself, and also acts as a proofer for the dough to rise in. This way, the dough is able to ferment quickly since the dough itself is warm and because it proofs in a humid environment (which the yeast love!). Thus, this bread takes very little time to make, approximately 40 minutes to 1 hour in total. Makes 1 small round loaf.

Ingredients:
1 tsp yeast
1/8 c water combined with 1/8 c milk
1 tsp sugar
1 c bread flour
1/4 c warm milk
1 tbsp maple syrup, honey, mollases or malt syrup (maltose)
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp melted salted butter
Sesame seeds

Procedure: Add sugar to combined water and milk and bloom yeast. In a bowl, combine bloomed yeast with wet ingredients. Add flour in increments and mix until a moist dough is formed. Put a container with water together with an oven safe baking dish in the microwave. Microwave 5 minutes on high. In the meantime, knead dough then form into a ball. Quickly spray the oven safe baking dish with non-stick spray and put dough in it. Microwave 40 seconds on high. Let dough rise in the microwave for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 392 F. Quickly remove baking dish with dough then reheat container with water in the microwave. Spray risen dough lightly with water then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let rise again in microwave while waiting for oven to preheat. Place an oven safe container with hot water in the oven. Take dough out of the microwave then spray lightly again with water. Bake until crust is golden brown. Done!

Recipe: Melon Tapioca Sweet Bread Buns

This is quite an unusual bread which draws inspiration from the famous Melon Pan in Japan. What sets this apart from other filled breads is the addition of tapioca pearls to the melon filling ... quite unusual indeed. The sweet bread is a basic Chinese baked bun recipe from Martin Yan.

For Bread:
1/4 c water (105 F)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
2 c all purpose flour
2 c bread flour
1 c + 1 tbsp warm milk
1/3 c warm water
1/2 c + 2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
eggwash

For Cookie dough:
1 + 1/4 c. flour
1 pinch baking powder
2/3 c. butter , softened
10 Tbs. sugar
1 egg (can use just the white)

For Filling:
Melon Pulp
Cream
Milk
1 egg yolk
Sugar
Corn Syrup
Vanilla
Flour slurry
Tapioca pearls (the mini variety)


Procedure:

Mix all bread ingredients and knead. Let rise 2 hours. Mix all Cookie Dough ingredients. Spread into a thin square on plastic wrap and freeze. To make filling, add cream and milk in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Beat egg yolk with sugar. Temper with heated liquid and add to the rest of the cream and milk. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Add tapioca pearls. Cook stirring constantly until tapioca pearls are soft. Thicken with flour slurry then mix in melon pulp. Let cool until filling is fairly stiff.

Roll out bread dough. Cut out circles then fill each with filling. Form into balls and let rise at least 1 hour. Take out cookie dough and cut into thin strips. Brush risen dough balls with egg wash and place cookie dough strips on each in a criss cross pattern. Brush again with egg wash then sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake at 350 degreees F until lightly brown. Do not overbake! Done!

Recipe: Blue Marlin in Garlic Soy-Butter Sauce

Ingredients:
Blue Marlin steaks or fillets (or any white fish)
Garlic, coursely minced
Butter
Soy sauce (not Kikkoman!)
Lemon juice

Procedure: Season fish lightly with salt and pepper. Fry lightly in butter until almost cooked. Remove from pan. Melt butter and some regular vegetable oil and add garlic. Fry garlic until crisp then add soy sauce and lemon juice. Swirl until combined then drizzle over fish. Done!

Recipe: Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables

Ingredients:
1 c rice vinegar
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
Daikon radish
Carrots
Cucumber
Red pepper

Procedure. Combine vinegar and sugar in a sauce pan. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Cut vegetables in wide julliened sticks. Place in a glass jar and pour vinegar solution over them. Let stand and cool to room temperature then place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Done!

Recipe: Vietnamese Grilled Pork

Ingredients:
Nuoc Cham (Traditional Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)
Pork Chops, pounded slightly

Procedure: Marinate pork chops in Nuoc Cham. Add more garlic, patis, lime and sugar if desired. Marinate for at least 4 hours. Grill in barbecue or cast iron grill pan. Serve with pickled vegetables. Done!


*For Nuoc Cham:
5 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons water
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup lime or lemon juice (about 3 limes or 2 lemons)
1 large clove garlic, crushed, peeled, and sliced or minced
1 or more bird's eye or Thai chilies, seeded, and sliced or minced
1 shallot, peeled, thinly sliced, rinsed, and drained (optional)

Recipe: Butterflied Panko Shrimp

If you don't really want to go through the painful process of making tempura, panko shrimp comes pretty close to it with far less hassle. Serve with tempura sauce or tartar sauce.

Ingredients:
Shrimp, butterflied
Egg
Panko

Procedure: Beat egg. Coat shrimp with egg then coat with panko. Breaded shrimp may be frozen for future frying. Fry shrimp until golden brown. Done!

4A Ends

Wow, time just flies. I've just finished my 4A term, which means that after one more study term and before graduation. This term was pretty good, though I probable did bad in one of my 400 level econ courses. Oh well. I had a great time with my housemates, Sara Santos, Ed Ho and Mike Demko. They were easy to get along with ane were all very personable. Though part of me is sad that the term is over, the other part looks forward to the upcoming work term and my final semester as a university student. Time sure flies.