recipes using leftover egg yolks: cantonese egg tarts

What to do with leftover egg yolks? This was the question on my mind since the weekend. I made meringue buttercream on Saturday and ended up with 10 egg yolks leftover.  I made lemon curd earlier this month with my leftover egg yolks (would post the recipe soon). Since my egg tart craving last week wasn't satisfied by those sold at the foodcourt, I decided to modify the recipe to substitue egg yolks for whole eggs in this recipe.

Cantonese egg tart (recipe from Christine's recipes) makes about 12 egg tarts
Tart cases:

200g plain flour
25g cake flour
125g soften butter
55g icing sugar
dash of vanilla essence
1 egg whisked (1 used 2 egg yolks)
1) Pre-heat oven at 200 deg C
2) Beat soften butter together with icing sugar till creamy
3) Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix well
4) Sieve the cake and plain flour together.
5) Add the flour in 2 batches into the beaten butter
6) Form into a dough and roll out to about 2 cm thick.

6) Cut into circles smaller than the tart mould and shape pastry on the mould.

Egg custard:
150g boiling water
70g caster sugar
2 eggs (I used 4 egg yolks)
75g evaporated milk
 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1) Add the sugar to boiling water and stir till dissolved
2) Add the evaporated milk and mix well
3) Add whisked egg and vanilla essence and mix well
4) Transfer to a jug for easy pouring into the tart cases
5) Fill the tart cases about 75% full

6) Bake the tarts at 200 deg C for 10 mins till slightly brown
7) Lower the temperature till 180 deg C and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes (watch carefully) till custard is cooked (when a toothpick can stand in the custard)

8) Cool and serve on cupcake cases

The colour of the egg custard is more vibrant using the egg yolk recipes vs the whole egg recipe. The tart cases are also more crumbly using only egg yolks. I love egg tarts and this is one recipe that I always use for egg tarts. For this post, I have used photos from both whole egg and egg yolk only recipes. Serve the egg tarts with hot tea or coffee for a lovely tea or breakfast.

Steamed Pumpkin Kueh

Hello! It's been almost one month since my last post. Didn't realise it's been so long. I have been busy and a little lazy :)

I have tried a few new recipes these last weeks and will try to put them up as soon as possible. Today I am sharing a recipe that is true to my Hokkien heritage...steamed pumpkin kueh. Met a friend last week and she mentioned she loves steamed pumpkin kueh so Di, this is for you. I will save some for you when you get back from your trip.

Steamed Pumpkin Kueh (makes a 8 inch round)
600g skinned pumpkin (I used butternut squash instead)
100g yunnan ham (I used turkey bacon, diced)
50g dried shrimp
6 dried chinese mushrooms (soaked and diced)
salt
pepper
11/3 cups water
1 cup rice flour

1) Grate the pumpkin and set aside
2) Heat up a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan and stir fry the dried shrimp, mushroom and ham till fragrant.

3) Add the grated pumpkin and toss to mix

4) Add the water to the rice flour and stir well. Pour the flour mixture into the pan and stir over medium heat till it thickens.

5) Oil a 8 inch baking tray and pour in the mixture into the tray. Steamed over high heat for an hour. Make sure you replenish the steamer with plenty of hot water to keep the steamer from going dry.

6) Let the pumpkin kueh cool and harden before slicing.

 7) Serve with some coriander leaves, sliced chilli and sesame seeds.

I am all ready for my brunch. Will update with a photo of the sliced kueh after I have tasted it :)

Mother's Day recipe: Colourful fried vemicelli (meatless)

Happy Labour Day! What are your plans for this long weekend? How about cooking or baking together as a family. It's a wonderful activity for family bonding.

It's about one week to Mothers' Day (10 May). Have you decided how you will celebrate with your Mum? You may want to make use of this weekend to try out recipes for Mothers' Day. I'm sure your mum will appreciate your homemade cakes or dishes.

My mum will be celebrating Mothers' Day in the hospital this year due to knee replacement surgery so my family will be celebrating this weekend together with my dad's birthday.

Today I am sharing with you a fried bee hoon recipe that has no meat. Sometimes it's good to go meatless. If your mum has cholesterol problem, you may omit the omelette.

Colourful fried vemicelli (bee hoon)- serves 2
 100g vemicelli (bee hoon), soaked
half red and yellow capsicum
1 carrot
2 dried shitake mushroom, soaked (reserve the water for cooking)
1 small onion
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
white pepper
1 egg
salt

1) Cut the capsicum, carrot, onion and mushroom into strips.
2) Beat the egg with 1 tsp water, a dash of salt and pepper.
3) Heat a non-stick frying pan with 1/2 tbsp oil.
4) Pour in the beaten egg when the pan is hot. When the egg is almost cooked, fold into half and remove from pan. Cut into strips.

5) Heat up the rest of the oil. Fry the garlic and onion till fragrant.
6) Add in the carrot and mix well
7) Add in the mushrooms and mix well
8) Add in the oyster sauce, soya sauce and white pepper and mix well
9) Add in the capsicum and mix well

10) Add in the soaked bee hoon and 2-3 tbsp of the mushroom water. Using a spatula and a pair of chopsticks, stir fry the bee hoon and the vegetables for 3 minutes. Taste the bee hoon and adjust seasoning if needed.
11) Dish up the fried bee hoon and garnish with the fried egg. You may garnish with cilantro and red chilli if desired.

I have only used one colour of capsicum in my cooking above and as you can see from the pictures, they were taken on 2 separate days.

Something to try for Meatless Mondays?

Have a lovely long weekend!

Easy 3 ingredient dessert: Steamed milk custard (original flavour)

Last Thursday, I went to Ah Chew's in Bugis for dessert. I had steamed milk custard, one of my favourite Hong Kong desserts. I was first introduced to the dessert about 10 years back by a Hong Konger. I love the creamy milk taste and always had steamed milk custard at Australian Dairy Company whenever I visit Hong Kong.

I was still thinking about the steamed milk custard after I got home. I have not tried making my own before as I thought I needed little bowls with covers similar to that for Chawamushi (Japanese steamed egg). My sis who was with me thought we could just use bowls or ramkeins. I tried making it for after dinner dessert that evening and was so surprised that it was so easy. It takes just 3 ingredients and about 10 minutes! I have made this dessert 3 times since Thursday.

Steamed milk custard (makes 2 rice bowls sizes)

350ml milk

half tbsp rock sugar cubes

2 egg whites

1) Heat 300ml of milk with the rock sugar. Stir the milk till the sugar melts. Leave the mixture to cool.

2) Whisk the egg whites with 50ml of milk.

3) Pour (2) into (1).

4) Sieve the mixture to remove any lumps

5) Divide the sieved mixture into 2 bowls

6) Steam the mixture for 6-7 minutes.

7) Serve either warm or cold. 

The recipe is very easy right? Do have a try. You may grate some ginger and squeeze the juice and serve it with the custard.

You may heat the milk and sugar with some lemongrass for a lemongrass steamed milk custard.

PS: You may use caster sugar in place of rock sugar