Molecular Cooking - Spherification

Chez Mmmmh!
There are 2 "classes". This is actually Italian cuisine class. They are making Tortellini.


At "Backstage", where molecular cooking class is.


The Chef starts the class by explaning some theories. On the table, are the items we will be using later. Chef Sergio introduces us to the different scientific ingredients.

Basic Spherification


Measuring 2.5 grams of Calcic for 500g of water - for the bath.


The bath is ready, and now measuring for the mint syrup + water


Mix the mint syrup water with algin. Let it settle for 1 hour or so. This is important to let out all air in the mix.


After 1 hour, use small pipette(what is the name in english?) or syringe to produce droplets.


Prepare also a simple chocolate mousse and use the siphon to make the mousse "airy".




Et voila!! Mousse au chocolat aux perles de menthe! :D


Another basic spherification using tomato juice.



The different sizes of spoon determine the different time to let the sphere "rest" inside the calcic bath. 1-2-3-4 minutes.





Practice makes perfect sphere :D


After the estimated time in the calcic bath, spoon out the sphere and put it rest in a normal water in order to "wash away" the calcic taste.
See the blob on the absorbant paper towel? That is an example of failed sphere LOL It will have the shape of Barbapapa LOL


My sphere!!!

Reverse spherification using olive juice.
As said before, the bath for reverse specification is algin, and and Xantane is used in the olive juice as thickener.




Olive spheres in olive oil.

Great thing about reverse spherification is not only it makes the sphere more stable, but also you can have different taste at the outside than the inside. For example, you can put the olive spheres in spicy olive oil. So that when you put the sphere in our mouth, you will first taste the spicy oil, then when you broke the jelly membrane, you get the natural olive taste, and they made a nice combination in your mouth :D

Chocolate Cheesecake

For my birthday this year I made baked cheesecake for the first time and brought to the office.
And it's a success!
I don't have the pictures taken because the cake is gone within minutes! But here is the recipe. I would surely make it again soon :D

Ingredients:

Base :- 250 g biscuits (speculoos) crushed
- 125 g butter (melted)

Garniture (Basic) :- 500 g cream cheese
- 170 g sugar
- 2 tablespoon corn flour (maizena) + 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolk
- 200 ml fresh cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla


- 170g cooking chocolate/dessert chocolate (melted)

Preparation :

1) Preheat the oven at 180°C. Line the baking pan (23 diameters) with baking paper and butter, or just with butter.

2) Mix the biscuits crumbs and melted butter. Line the base of the mould with the mix. Put in the fridge.

3) Add all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat until the mixture is smooth. Then add in the melted chocolate.
Pour into the mould with base.

4) If you have detachable mould, then wrap the outside of the mould with aluminium paper.
Put the mould into a bigger pan/baking pan, and add hot water (bain marie)

Put the oven temperature to 150 C.
Bake the cake 45-50 mins, not more than that.

Let it cool and over the cake with big plate or baking paper.

It's ready to be served!

Agar-Agar Santan Pandan

Wah! So long time I didn't put up my kitchen venture on the net....
This is my latest test in the kitchen... It's the Agar-Agar Santan Pandan.
I have never make anything with Pandan before mainly because it is no easy to get Pandan leaves or pandan essence where I live. Last week, I was shopping at the KY supermarket in Brussels, lo and behold!! I found packs of pandan leaves at the fridge side. There are about 15 big pandan leaves and cost for about 1,70 Euro! What a deal!

One of my favorite Malaysian dessert is agar-agar (lengkong). This is a very easy to eat dessert and especially in hot climate country, this dessert is refreshing. After so many recipes on the internet, I finally settled for the one from TryMasak.com.
On this website, it is called Agar-Agar Batik. I think it is for the look made by the coconut milk and eggs.

The receipe uses cups. But I just use approximate measurement. Hehehehe...

For the pandan jus, I use about 50ml. For the coconut milk, I used 200ml think coconut milk. For the agar-agar, I use 2 packets of agar-agar powder (total of 24g).

Here's the result :D
The ideal agar-agar santan would have an equal part of the transparent and with coconut milk. This is usually perfected with the correct amount of coconut milk, and how much stirring done. But I am happy that it turns out yummy and nice.

Ketupat and Kuah Kacang

Yay!! I got the motivation to cook. And I chose Ketupat (Packed rice) and Kuah Kacang (Peanut Sauce)!

As for the Ketupat, I used the shortcut, where I used the instant from Malaysia. This is the mini version. This is like one of the best invention of Malaysian food. Traditionally these packed rice are made with woven case from coconut leaves.



This is the instant packaging.



So this is the before and after picture:



You can eat ketupat with the peanut sauce, or with rendang (curry thick sauce) or with lodeh (vegies in coconut sauce). Simplest version is with peanut sauce.

So here is my version. I looked up recipes for Peanut Sauce and there are so many version. I took the common ingredients that these recipes have and make my own. I would say this is the quick n go version hihihi...



Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Chili Paste (I used Sambal Oelek)
1 lemongrass
Oil
Tamarind juice
Palm sugar
Sugar
Salt
Coconut milk
Chopped peanuts

1. Heat oil, and chili paste
2. Add lemongrass
3. Get the tamarind as a size of a golf ball, and dilute in a cup of boiling water, Pour into the chili
4. Add in palm sugar till everything diluted
5. Add a bit of coconut milk
6. Add salt and sugar to taste
7. Add peanuts
8. Add tamarind water and coconut milk till the taste and look is like you want (yes I know I am cooking based on LOL)
Cook till boil.

Here are some of the asian ingredients which you can get at asian stores.

Tamarind


Palm sugar

1 Syawal

What's cooking you ask? :)

Last Saturday I spent the day cleaning, groceries and cooking... yes!! cooking!!
It is always not easy to start myself to cook. But when you got the pan heated up..I'm on for it baby!!

This time there's something new. Spring is long gone, but spring rolls are here :)
To tell you the truth, it has been a long time since I make spring rolls. In fact, I can't remember making them in my own kitchen. It would probably with my mom ages ago.
Anyway, after much googling, finally I got some idea as to what would be the filling for the rolls.

I chose mix of beansprouts, carrots and clear noodles.. that's it!



As for the pastry, you can get a normal spring rolls pastry in any asian stores.

Time to roll up those pastries





Deep fried the rolls.. and there you go.. served with any kind of sauce.



Easy, yummy, filling and fun! You can never fail with these spring rolls

On another note:
I cooked something else, at the same time for the Eid.
It's not so elaborate like last year's
http://frenchfoodie.blogspot.com/2008/10/hari-raya-is-makan-time.html

For this year, it's ketupat (packed cube rice), beef rendang and peanut sauce (clockwise)



SELAMAT HARI RAYA! MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN

Bubur Jagung (Sweet Corn Porridge)

Heya! Another day and another porridge...

This time it is another Malaysian dessert which is the sweet corn porridge.
Easy to make and yummy too.
This time I added sago or tapioca pearls.

The ingredients are: sweet cream corn in a can, coconut milk, sugar, salt and tapioca pearls.

Thirty minutes and there you have it :)
Enjoy!

Bubur Kacang Hijau (Mungo Bean Porridge)

Time for a Malaysian treat!

My sister recently made this porridge and I had the urge to eat it too.
Bubur Kacang Hijau is one of oh-so-many Malaysian comfort foods. Bubur means Porridge, Kacang Hijau means Green beans.

This porridge can be served hot, cold or you can even freeze it to make a nice ice cream. This version is the simplest one. You can add other things into it such as sago pearl, durian or jackfruit.

It is very easy to make, and this took me about 1 hour max.
So here is the recipe:

Bubur Kacang Hijau

Ingredients:
250g Mungo Green beans
3/4 can of coconut milk
palm sugar
sugar
water for boiling the beans
pinch of salt



Method:
Boil green beans in water. Put a lot of water because the water ran out fast.
Make sure that green beans are thoroughly cooked. It is OK if you overcooked them slightly. To know this, the bean's skin starts to parted from the bean itself.

Add in palm sugar, coconut milk and sugar and pinch of salt.
Add all these bit by bit and depending on your preferences.
For example, add coconut milk until you get the right amount of "sauce". It should not be too soupy, nor too "dry"
Add sugar a bit then taste it. Depending how sweet you want it to be.

Here is my version, served hot. Yum!!!