Japanese Chicken Karaage 炸鸡块 ～深夜食堂

I have a kid's taste, I am especially love fried chicken ^_^...

The other day i saw a blogger (sorry, i could not recalled which blogger) recommend this Japanese drama 深夜食堂 (like to listen their song too) and the story was taken from 深夜食堂comic books. I was quickly watched it using smartphone, and i especially like to watch when they sharing Japanese simple cooking recipe at the end of every show. I learnt this Chicken Karaage from this drama..

They share a tip to get crispy and crunchy chicken is to deep fry chicken for two times (Recipe shared by Just One Cookbook Nami also mentioned the same tip). Enjoy this fried chicken with shredded cabbage and Japanese manyonnaise, simply yummy!

I feel if i just deep fry using the usual corn flour or potato flour only, it will taste a little bit hard, so instead i added with some self raising flour and iced cold water to have more crunchy bite.

Japanese Chicken Karaage
(recipe source: inspired from深夜食堂, re-created by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

3 debone chicken thighs (with skin on), cut into small equal bite size pieces

Seasonings
1tbsp Japanese soy sauce
2tsp Mirin
1/2tsp +1/4tsp salt or to taste
1tsp grated ginger
1tsp grated shallot

For deep frying
5tbsp potato flour 风车粉
3tbsp self raising flour
3tbsp iced cold water
Oil for deep frying

Garnishing- Japanese mayonnaise, tomato wedges, cabbage thinly shredded (soak in iced cold water for crispiness)

Method
1. Marinate chicken with all seasonings, keep inside the fridge for 1hr.
2. Add in potato flour, self raising flour and iced cold water, mix well.
3. Heat oil in a wok over medium high heat (to test oil readiness for deep frying is by putting chopstick in the oil and when you see bubbles around the tip).
4. Deep fry the chicken pieces in few small batches, fry for about 2mins. Drain on a wire rack.
5. Continue to deep fry till finished. Return the fried chicken to the hot oil and deep fry again.
6. Serve the fried chicken with shredded cabbage and tomato, and drizzle with Japanese mayonnaise.

Bento lunch for my children- Chicken Karaage and red Sotong shaped sausage (also a recipe from this movie but they using red sausages, i could not find this type of sausage here)

My lunch, love it!

I am going to cook more recipes from this movie..

I will be again away for a short "tumpang trip" , see you all next week....

Wish all my Malaysian readers have a "Happy Merdeka" and Happy holidays..

Black Forest Cake 黑森林蛋糕



I would said Black Forest cake is an old fashion and classic Birthday cake. When we were young, usually we had Black Forest cake for Birthday.
I made three Black Forest cakes in a row on last week, made for my niece and nephew who all Birthday falls in the same week and same month..I realized that most of my family members' Birthday is falls in month of August....Nowadays, i try to make Birthday cake for my family members..

I just found a good basic sponge cake recipe, check recipe here..

Thanks to Angie as she taught me first to using a knife to slit a bit of the cake then you can easily slice cake using cake leveler..

Also Thanks to Angie's tip to using normal quality of chocolate to make chocolate shavings, less cocoa content so it can withstand in normal room temperature..

spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on a non-stick paper

start to shave when chocolated started to firm up.

Start to decorate a Black Forest Cake...
you can either use canned pitted cherries or fresh cherries..

For Birthday girl, i frosted with rosette pattern but still black forest cake.



Ordinary Black Forest cake pattern for Birthday boys..

Black Forest Cake
(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

1 basic cocoa sponge cake (7"), slice into 3 equal pieces, refer recipe here
1 can of pitted cherries or fresh cherries, to lay in between layers

For decorating the cake
Some fresh cherries
Chocolate rice
Chocolate shavings

200g non-dairy whipping cream, follow to this recipe to make whipped cream

Method
1. Place one piece of sponge cake on a cake disc (at a revolving decorating cake stand for easy frosting)
2. Spread evenly a layer of whipped cream, top with pitted cherries.
3. Continue to place second piece of sponge, spread evenly a layer of whipped cream, top with pitted cherries.
4. Top with last piece of sponge cake, frost the whole cake with whipped cream.
5. Decorate with fresh cherries, chocolate rice and chocolate shavings

Ready to ship to Birthday boy and girl..hehehe..

Basic Chocolate Sponge Cake

I was so happy finally found a good sponge cake base that can be use as a cake base for Birthday cake. This recipe is even more easier to make if compare to the earlier sponge cake recipe that i used.
And the tip that i learnt from this recipe is to make sure you beat egg white till stiff peaks (十分发 / 硬性发泡) since we use a normal cake tin without tube/insert like chiffon cake tin. Also make sure you do not use a cake tin that is non-stick.


 

A simple basic sponge cake using chiffon cake method..

Basic Chocolate Sponge Cake
(recipe source: adapted from 妙手烘培)
*make a 7” round cake (with removable bottom cake pan)


4 egg yolks (large)
20g caster sugar
50g corn oil
60g milk
15g cocoa powder
1/2tsp chocolate emulco,optional
75g cake flour

4 egg white (large)
1/4tsp lemon juices or 1/4tsp cream of Tartar
60g caster sugar

Method
1. Lightly whisk egg yolk with sugar.

2. Add in corn oil, stir to combine.

3. Add in milk, stir to combine,then add in cocoa powder, mix well.

4. Add in cake flour, mix well, set aside.

5. Add lemon juices into egg white, beat till foamy.
6. Gradually add in sugar, beat till stiff peaks (十分发 / 硬性发泡)

7. Take 1/3 portion of egg white mixture and use hand whisk to mix with egg yolk mixture till light.

8. Fold the balance of egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture using a spatula, combine well.

9. Pour batter into the pan (do not need to line with baking paper and do not use a non-stick pan), bake at pre-heated oven at 140c for 25mins (at lower rack), then increase to 170C and continue to bake for 25mins. Remove cake from oven and cool on a wire rack (don't need to invert the cake). Once cake is slightly cool down(10-15mins), remove cake from cake tin (use a think and flat spatula to run around the side and bottom of the cake pan) and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

*if you want to make a normal vanilla sponge cake, replace chocolate emulco with vanilla essence, and omit cocoa powder and add back 15g of cake flour to become 90g cake flour.

To make whipped cream from non-dairy whipping cream 植物性奶油

This is how i made the whipped cream using non-dairy whipping cream 植物性奶油. Whipped cream made from non-dairy whipping cream is suitable to make frosting for Birthday cake using sponge cake base (light and spongy cake) and that need to store inside the fridge. This cream will not turn hard after storing inside the fridge unlike buttercream.





To make whipped cream from non dairy whipping cream
(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

1. Remove non dairy whipping cream from freezer (store in the freezer for all the time).

2. Weight the dairy whipping cream and place in a mixing bowl, let stand at room temperature for 5-10mins.

3. Beat over high speed (hand mixer at speed 4) for 1min, it started become creamy. **do not need to place over a bowl of ice cold water..

4. Continue to beat over high speed for another 2-3mins, it will become soft peaks.

5. Continue to beat over high speed for another 2-3mins, it will become stiff peaks.

6. Store in the fridge before you decorate the cake.

Here are three brands of non-dairy cream that i have seen in the bakery ingredient shop. They always store this non-dairy cream in a freezer..Thus, if you have leftover cream, store in the freezer for all time.

A day trip to Fraser's Hill

I could not remembered how long my last visit to Fraser's Hill , i think easily 15 years ago. Since my children never been there before, so I brought them to visit this place during last week Raya and school holidays.Also try to escape from the hot and humid weather at my place to this slightly cooling place.The journey from my place to Fraser's Hill took us about 2 and 1/2hours..We were welcome by sizzling rain when we reached at top of this hill.

we stopped by this dam when on the way up to the hill..

narrow, winding route and one way up to the hill

I like to see all buidlings that left by former British colonial..

We had brunch at this old coffee shop..

More nice buidlings

A lonely dog...

The famous clock tower

Golf club

Post Office

bench for you to relax and enjoy the cool weather here..

nice flowers

we also have boating at Allan's water

we also stopped by a nursery nearby Allan's water..

cactus

tomatoes

huge cabbage

strawberry baby and flowers

we did not returned with empty hands, my daughter asked me to buy this strawberry plants for her, bought two pots with RM 5/pot