Friday, April 06, 2018

MATCHA MOCHI CAKE

It's been a while since I last made this simple MOCHI cake.  Right before bed time, I whisked 5 large organic eggs, 1 C organic cane sugar, 1/4 C Milk, 2 Tbsp Organic Avocado Oil, 2 C Glutenous Rice - MOCHI flour shifted with 2 Tbsp Aluminum free Baking Powder, 2 Tbsp Organic MATCHA Tea Powder.
1 glass baking dish buttered and floured.
Preheat oven to 425'F
Mix all ingredients
Pour batter in.
Bake until fluffy and tester comes out dry.
About 30 min
Ready for everyone to enjoy in the morning.
The texture can be gooey to dry fine cake like crumb depending on the baking time and how fluffy you beat up the eggs and sugar.  For cake like fine crumb, beat eggs and sugar until fluffy, pale, and when shifted MOCHI flour with baking powder is folded in, it is fluffy thick batter.


Thursday, February 15, 2018

African Violets Pups Story by Polly

I really can't believe it's 2018, and tomorrow is Chinese New Year!!  First time in a long lunar years that the Chinese New Year is at the middle of the month.   And it also means, the spring has arrived.  And it is true.  If you looked at your garden, plants are blossoming here and there.  I have so many postings that I want to do, but with my current schedule, looks like it is on the back burner.
But I want to take this free time to post something related to my African Violets that I have been able to successfully propagate from its original plant.  The original plant was given to me from a retired co-worker.  When I got it, there were two flowers on it.  Then, it disappeared.  I had no idea how to grow them.  I think in one of the posting, I posted their progress in rooting from a cutting.  Well, those cuttings are now 1 year and a half years old.  Each one has been growing well and healthy.  By a lucky chance, I found out my African Violets love the bounded tall cups as their medium to grow in.  I tried originally with ceramic container, but they did not do much, except to just grow some new leaves and die.  So, here is my picture journal of my African Violets.  The leaf cutting would grow a healthy bunch of root after a couple months.  As long as the leaf looks green and firm, when planted, it will grow into a healthy Violet plant.
1.  Poked a bunch of holes in aluminum foil or plastic wrap to go over a cupful of water.
2.  Leave it under office's ceiling light.
 3.  After a few weeks... 2 months?  *Change water often.  Don't let the green algae to form.
4.  When the root looks strong and leaves looks healthy, transplant them into a pot with Soil for African Violets.  I added a bit more of Perlite to keep the soil light.
5.  Keep the soil moist and leave the new plant under the office ceiling light.
6.  Do not water until the soil feel quite dry but not dried up.
After two to three months, if the leaf survive, you will eventually see a tiny leaf growing at the bottom of the stem.
The new leaves eventually form into new Violet plant.  The healthy plant leaves are shiny, especially the cutting that rooted that you planted in.  It will feel very firm and strong.
 As the new crown starts to form, the cutting will eventually diminish in itself.  Eventually, it will exhaust itself and wither. 

Based on my observation, the plants in clay pot grew the slowest.  All the other ones in tall plastic cups thrived.  The mother plant is to the right with large crown.   I took two healthy plants home (the ones in two tall blue cups.) along with their mother to take care.
 Constant temp and light.  And yes, as you have read it in many other expert African Violet growers' site, it is true, the African Violet needs a lot of light.  I fed them African Violet liquid drops when I water them.  I started to do that in the spring of 2017.  It started to flower when the daylight became longer.
 These are the new pups that became strong and grew large crown. They eventually flowered in late spring of 2017.  (Sorry for the lack of real vocab to describe.  As you can tell, I am an amateur.)
 The ones at the office started to bloom, too.
 It is very interesting to observe their growth. 
 This is the original mother Violet.  I decided to take it home and replant it into a Taller TACO Bell cup I had. But the diameter at the top is no different than what it was in originally.  See how beautiful those flowers are.    I took the expert's advice and pinch or snip off the expended flowers to keep them continue growing flowers.  Since last spring, it continues to flower.
 Beautiful.  I wish I know their name / type.  But I don't.
  
At a close macro shot, you can see this shiny sparkles on their petals.
Well. That's all the time I have.  Wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year.  KAI HWA FU' GWEI
meaning-May your fortune be like flower blossom... something like that.

Wednesday, January 03, 2018

Polly's KUROMAME ANMITSU Wannabe

I get inspired while watching a TV show involving food.  There is a funny TV series on NetFlix called KANTARO and this is one of the wannabe. Just by looking at the actor's facial expression of deliciousness when he take a bite of the food you want to try it yourself.  This is the KUROMAME ANMITSU that I want to try it myself.   If you grew up in Japan you know what ANMITSU is.  The most memorable item in the bowl has always been the red cherry although that is not the main component of the dessert in ANMITSU.  But every 'kid' in our heart remember the red cherry the most.
Clean Agar Agar and Soak Agar Agar.  Normally the KANTEN (Jello) is clear type.  I chose to mix MATCHA - heaping 1 tsp of Green Tea powder in mine.  I added some liquid that agar agar is being dissolved over the heat to mix with Matcha.  Then, added it back to Kanten mixture (agar agar)
1 Agar Agar stick = 2 tsp powdered agar agar + 2 C water/500 ml
I purchased agar agar thread.  My apology, but I can't remember how I measured mine.  I will have to find my notes, but depending on how much you want to make, dissolve 1 agar agar stick in 2 C water over heat.
Or, even better, follow this site's instruction:  https://www.japancentre.com/en/recipes/1424-matcha-anmitsu-gelatin-dessert
Or https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/agar-agar-kanten/
4 g of Agar Agar thread + 250 ml, so double it to 8 g of Agar Agar thread for 500 ml of water
and definitely is the site that I followed for its advised recipe.  https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/agar-agar-kanten/
Clean and soak red beans overnight or beans of your choice.  I used red beans and used slow cooker to cook them over night.  I think it took two days to prevent them from getting mushy and hold its shape.
Transfer dissolved KANTEN - Jello into a dish - preferably a square or rectangular glass baking dish - 8x8 inches.
After KANTEN is solidified, slice them into cubes.
Chill KANTEN in the refrigerator and prepare the syrup.
1 to 1 ratio of Brown Sugar (I did not have black sugar), white sugar, and water.   Boil till thick but not like candy
Assemble all your goodies in a bowl.  Serve with syrup.
The green tea - MATCHA KANTEN was a perfect choice for me.  It complimented the sweet syrup and brought all other flavors in.