Name: Ice Cream Waffle Cone
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 egg white; 15g white sugar; 15g brown sugar; 10g glucose; 12g hazelnut oil; 1tsp milk; 0.3g salt; 0.1~0.2g baking soda; 35g plain flour or cake flour (T45) - sifted

May 1, 2021

Ice Cream Waffle Cone

Serving Size

5 to 8 cones

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

25 minutes

Ingredients

1 egg white
15g white sugar
15g brown sugar
10g glucose
12g hazelnut oil
1tsp milk
0.3g salt
0.1~0.2g baking soda
35g plain flour or cake flour (T45) - sifted

Instructions

1. In a bowl, add egg white and mix lightly with a egg whisk. Add white sugar, brown sugar and mix.
2. Add hazelnut oil, mix. Add milk and then mix.
3. Add glucose syrup and mix. Then add salt and baking soda. Mix. Add sifted flour in a few times and mix. Let it sit for about 10 min.
4. Heat your pan and brush with oil on both sides. Once the pan is hot, decrease the heat to low. Pour 1 to 2 tbsp batter on the pan, cook the cone until nicely browned on both sides, flipping occasionaly.
5. Immediately move to your countertop to shape the cone. Form into a cone while it's hot, squeezing the end to seal. Repeat for the next.
6. Enjoy with ice cream!

May 1, 2021

Anko Red Beans Paste Tsubuan

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

1 hour

Total Time

2 hours

Ingredients

200g azuki beans - washed and drained
150 to 200g sugar (use more or less depending on your taste)
a dash of salt
water, as much as necessary

Instructions

1. Place azuki beans into a cooking pot and add about 800ml water (3 to 4 times the azuki weight). Cook over high heat and bring it to a boil.
2. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 min. After 5min turn off the heat and cover, let it rest for 15 to 20 min. Then drain well.
3. Transfer the cooked azuki beans into a clean cooking pot. Add 600ml water, cook over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, skim off scum. Then cover and cook for about 30 min over medium-low heat. Check regularly that the water level is high enough to cover the beans.
4. After 30 min, check if azuki is ready. If not soft enough, cook another 10 min. Once ok, remove from the heat. Cover and let it rest for 30 min.
5. After 30 min, turn the heat to medium-high heat. Again check that you have just enough water to cover the azuki (adjust by adding or removing water as needed). Just before it boils, add sugar (first 150g then add more if any till 200g) and a dash of salt.
6. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat, while stirring occasionally. Let almost all the water evaporate. Transfer to a plate!
7. If you don't use it all, wrap the leftover and freeze. Usually I freeze it in separate 100g portion.

April 3, 2021

Face Mask – easy and quick to make, less fog, no pattern

I tried to make masks of several styles and now I think this one is the best. Also it is very easy and quick to make. Then if you wear glasses, it will definitely fog much less. Here I show “Size M”. For the other sizes, please check the bottom of this page.

Draw the pattern as shown on your usual printing paper. Cut it. Then place it over the fabric and cut the fabric.

Fold both cuts in half and iron press them in the center.

Put them together face to face matching the center point. Then sew with 0.7cm seam allowance (the green dotted line).

Turn the mask and do the same for the opposite edge. Sew with 0.7cm seam allowance (the black dotted line).

Now both edges are done.

Turn the right sides out, and iron press along the top and bottom edges. Make sure to leave a gap of about 1mm so that “liner” does not show when looking from the front side.

Fold along the center line and cut off the corners. The green arrows show you where to cut, along the white lines. They are also drawn on the patterns for the other sizes at the end of this post.

Unfold and sew the top edge (with 7mm seam allowance) and bottom edge (with 1 to 2 mm seam allowance) as shown. As per the green dotted line.

If you have “nose wires”, it is time to use them now.

Insert a “nose wire” from the side in the space left by the 0.7mm allowance along the top edge, as shown with the green arrow. Feed it inside the space and place it at the center.

Once the nose wire is placed in the center, sew the sides at each end (the green lines, indicated by the arrows) with small stitches (i do #1). It will prevent the nose wire from moving.

Fold 4cm from the bottom and iron press.

Fold 5cm from the top and iron press.

Turn the mask to the other side and sew top and bottom with 1 to 2 mm seam allowance (along the green dotted line).

Turn to the other side again, fold out the top and bottom as shown. Mark 4 points on the right side of the outside mask, on the first fold line. Where red dots are indicated by the green arrows. Use a water soluble sewing pencil.

Now mark 4 other spots 1cm from the edge (top side) and 2cm from the edge (bottom side). This time they are on the liner fabric edge, as shown (the red dots below).

Match the marks together and clip the fabric in position.

Cut off the parts (right and left) outlined in green. Be careful not to cut into the front layer of the outer mask. The picture below shows the mask after cutting.

The below shows the result.

Then fold right and left outer mask to reach the liner (until green line). Then iron press :

Fold again to the place where you marked the spots and clip together (both sides).

Sew along the green line on both sides with 1 to 2 mm allowance. We’re almost done…

View from the other side :

Insert the elastic rope on both sides.

Tie up the rope taking your size into account :

Then move the rope loop so as to hide the knot inside the outer mask side fold :

Done :)

You can easily draw the pattern on a piece of paper using the following guidelines for the other sizes :

March 28, 2021

Homemade Easy Ramen

Persons

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

30 minutes

Ingredients

For the soup base

25g weipa or chinese chicken stock powder
2 1/2 tsp hondashi powder
5 tsp kosher salt
3 garlic cloves - grated
2 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/4 tsp [kobucha japanese kelp tea|https://amzn.to/314Gtoh (optional)|]
---------------------------------------
Ingredients (for 1 person) :
5g weipa or chinese chicken stock powder
1/2 tsp hondashi powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 garlic cloves - grated
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp kobucha japanese kelp tea (optional)
Ramen noodles for 1 person

Instructions

1. In a cooking bowl, add all the soup base ingredients and mix well.
2. Add some soup base in a serving bowl. Set aside.
3. Cook your ramen according to the package instructions.
4. Pour soup stock or boiled water into a serving bowl and mix to dissolve the soup base.
5. Add ramen and your favorite topping. Today I top with char siu, scallion and sesame.
Enjoy :)

March 28, 2021

Taiwanese Castella Cake

Serving Size

15x15cm mold

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time

2 hours

Ingredients

55g vegetable oil (I use colza)
5g unsalted butter
70g plain/cake flour (T45)
4 eggs
70g sugar
60ml whole milk
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Prepare a mold (15x15cm square), insert parchment paper. (Paper must be higher than the mold, by 3 to 5cm). Cover the bottom of the mold with 2 aluminium layers. Set aside.
2. In a cooking bowl, add the oil and unsalted butter. Microwave 2 min at 600w to reach about 80℃. Add the flour, using a cooking sieve and mix well with an egg whisk. Set aside.
3. In a small cup, pour the milk and add the vanilla extract. Mix and microwave 20 sec at 600w to reach about 40℃. Then add it to the cake mixture in one go. Mix well.
4. Add egg yolks in 3 to 4 times. Mix lightly at each addition. Set aside.
5. In an another bowl, add white egg and whisk with an electric hand mixer. Once it starts getting harder, start adding the sugar in 3 to 4 times. Whisk until medium peaks form.
6. Add 1/3 of the egg white to the egg yolk mixture, mix well. Add another third, mix gently together. Finally add all the remaining white egg. Mix with a rubber spatula until egg whites and yolks are well combined.
7. Transfer into the prepared mold and flatten the surface with a rubber spatula. Remove bubbles using a chopstick.
8. In a oven-safe pan, over a folded cloth, place the cake mold. Add warm water (about 40℃), 2 to 3cm deep, and bake in a preheated oven (without fan) at 150C° for 1h ~ 1h 10mn.
9. Drop from about 10cm height to prevent deflating. Unmold and transfer onto a wire rack. Gently remove the parchment paper.
10 Cut in half the cake and slice to serve! You can also sandwich whipped cream in it and fruits to enjoy :)

February 6, 2021

Genmai Baguette with Roasted Rice

Serving Size

2 medium size baguettes

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

15 minutes

Wait Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the 'genmai' :

50g white or brown short grain rice
2 tbsp water

For the baguette :

200ml water
250g bread flour (T65)
5g fine salt
2g malt powder (optional)
2g dry yeast (i use saf)

Instructions

1. Making Genmai Wash the rice and drain it. In a frying-pan (no oil), add the rice and cook for 1~2 minutes over medium heat. Then add water (2tbsp). Keep cooking until nicely browned. Once it turns brown, then reduce the heat to low. Set aside.
2. In a cooking bowl, add flour, salt, malt powder (optional), yeast and the genmai you just made in #1. Mix well. Add water and mix with a spatula until it comes together. Cover with saran wrap and leave 15 minutes.
3. After 15 min, mix about 1 min with a spatula. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
4. After 15 min, mix a few times (about 20 sec). Finally cover and let rise in a warm place for a few hours or until it doubles in size.
5. Dust the work surface with a bit of flour, then put the dough on it. Split it in 2 halves. Cover and let them rest 10~15 min.
6. With the first half, using your hand, stretch the dough into a small (approximately) rectangular shape. Fold both sides length-wise over the centreline. Then fold again in the same way making sure you close the seam well (along the centreline). With the seam side down, roll the dough into a 30~35 cm long slender loaf. You can hold it vertically to help stretch it and take shape too.
7. Transfer the baguette to a floured cloth, seam side down to rest. When bough baguette doughs are done, lift up the cloth between the 2 baguettes into a pleat. It will help the dough hold its shape. Let it rise for about 40min (or more) in a warm place or until it about doubles in size (the volume increase actually depends on the temperature).
8. Pre-heat the oven to 240℃ degree.
9. Once the baguettes have risen, gently transfer them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (seam side down). Slash cut each baguette 3 or 4 times (at a 45 degree angle) along its length, using a baker's lame, razor blade or a very sharp knife.
10. Mist lightly with water and put the baguette into the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and let it cool down on a wire rack.