My Photo Journal of Ella Dinning Room and Bar in Sacramento

I had a great opportunity to visit Ella Dinning Room and Bar in Sacramento the other week.  http://www.elladiningroomandbar.com/
Not that the place is untouchable, it is just a place I kind of would feel out of place visiting by myself.  There are many restaurants I visit including Bouchon in Yountville with no problem, but I am not quite certain what's about Ella, I feel ... well, the opportunity came for a bunch of convention attendees to be invited to attend evening cocktails.  We got the entire place to ourselves.  Here is my photo journal.

 Friendly chefs

 Look up and open the windows!!

 The best part of it all...we were guessing... lemony creamy custard?   on top of crushed graham crackers?

 The chocolate cup was very good, but we loved the lemon cup the best.

Making Hwa Juwen with Vermicelli and Pork

This is another one of my adventure last summer.   Time really flies.  I was not able to finish the blog after starting it. Although this did not turn out like the ones I made a few moons ago, it still tasted good.  What is an adventure, if everything turn out perfectly.

I have made this before the Hwa Juwen - the 'flower' roll with vermicelli (reconstituted Chinese bean thread).  It is one of my favorite.  Normally, you would not see this much vermicelli mixed in it.  But since this is mine, I did what I like.

Premix reconstituted bean thread noodle (shred cut with kitchen scissors) with stir fried ground pork and some shredded carrots for color. 

Add some salt and white pepper for taste.

Prepare the BAO dough.

Roll out the dough, fill the dough.  Slice the dough and roll the dough.

The BAO dough called for the milk powder, but it turned out that dry powder milk did not add any value to the final product as far as some people claim that it Whitens the dough and having too much rice vermicelli  as I have done didn't help either.  I should just fill it with just enough for the look and stir fry a side dish to go along with it.  (I think I was being lazy.)

Prepare the basic BAO dough.
Let it rise to double.
Roll out and fill with reconstituted bean thread vermicelli stir fried with ground pork and some shredded carrots.   You could add chopped green onions or chopped curly parsley, etc.

Roll up the dough.

*DO NOT slice through to the bottom - make three or four slice cut but not sliced down at the bottom.

On top of a pot with boiling water, in steamer basket, place the filled Hwa Juwen on top of a cut parchment paper-preferably organic.

 

Steam at high heat for 25 to 30 min.  

*Tester:  Open the steamer's cover slightly and Quickly without burning yourself, remove one of the Hwa 

Juwen to taste.  Quickly return the steamer's cover.

If the dough does not feel sticky and the texture well formed and the pork is cooked.  Power off.  Remove the lid. Remove the steamer baskets off the steamer pot onto a drying rack

Testing BAO Basic Dough #3

We have been testing various formula for making Chinese BAO.  We are convinced that those fluffy "white" BAO served at dim sum restaurants or at any Asian markets are using bleached unhealthy flour.  So, forget the white and let's get used to the homemade.

This dough recipe is for a several types of Chinese BAO types.
Basic dough: 

Flour - 3 C

Sugar - 2 Tbsp

Yeast - 1-1/2 tsp

Water - 1-1/4 C

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Combine everything except oil.   Combine with chop sticks until water is absorbed; then add oil.
Knead until smooth.  

Cover and proof for 25 to 30 min.  Place in oiled plastic bag and tightly close the bag and leave in refrigerator for 2 hours for low temp proofing method.  

For Preferment Method - For 'ZON ZONG FASHIAO FA' - Divide the dough into two, and place each in oiled plastic bag, refrigerate for 4 hours or more in plastic bag.

1.  Then for 'ZON ZONG MIEAN TWUAN':  'MIEAN ZONG' - 1 portion

Water - 1-1/4 C  - add only 1-1/8 C first and reserve 1/8 C and use it only if needed.

Sugar 2 Tbsp

Flour 3 C

Yeast - 1/2 tsp

Mix sugar and yeast into water. 
Hand shred MIEAN ZONG and add pieces into the mixture.
Add flour, then mix with chopsticks.  
Start kneading the dough until smooth.  

Cover and place in warm place for about 10 to 15 min.
Take 1/3 of the dough can be used for cold MIEAN ZONG.

Use the rest to make various type of pastries that requires ZON ZONG MIEAN TUWAN.  

FAST Rising Method to make Huwa Jiuwen, Milky SHIAO MANTOU; Xou Tao, NAI HUWAN BAO

Flour - 3 C

Sugar -2 to 5 Tbsp

Yeast - 1-1/2 tsp

Baking powder - 1 to 2 tsp

Water - 1-1/4 C 

Oil - 1 to 2 Tbsp per recipe

Mix sugar, yeast with water, then add flour and baking powder.

Mix till water disappears and shredded dough forms.  

Start kneading the dough and add water if needed to form soft dough and smooth.  

Cover and rest 5 to 20 min.  

The dough is ready for use.  

 Results?  I am not 100% satisfied with this formula for the BAO dough.  But it's a keeper to test out further and add improvements to it.