How To: Bánh Bao (Vietnamese Steamed Pork Buns)

Hi Nibblers!

         I have been craving all things buns this month. With my parents away on yet another holiday, it meant that I was now free to roam the kitchen and do experiment with whatever I pleased.
          Buns have been the talk of the town lately with more 'Bao' establishments popping up all over Sydney. Each restaurant bringing together it's own flare and showcasing some of the best flavour combinations. But in all its hype and glory, it's had me thinking about the classic 'Bao.' The one that I remember eating for breakkie all those years ago. The one that kept my tummy satisfied and my brain fuelled for the start of the day. So, I thought I would take up the challenge and give these buns a go. And boy, was it worth it! They were extremely easy to make and with a bit of patience, you can have a whole week's worth of snacks sorted. Or simply pop the un-steamed buns into the freezer and keep them for when you need to woo your guests.

How To: Bánh Bao (Vietnamese Steamed Pork Buns)
           Makes 15 Banh Baos

What you'll need:

Mince ready to go!

For the bun dough
- 660g of all purpose flour + about 50g for dusting of the bench
- 150g granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
- 3/4 Tbs. salt
For the filling (You can make this the day before and leave overnight to ensure all the flavours infuse together)
- 4 hard boiled eggs (quartered)
- 2 Chinese sausages (thinly sliced)
- 500g pork mince (or any mince you prefer)
- 250g water chestnuts (diced)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2 medium sized onions (diced)
- 4 Tbs. soy sauce
- 2 Tbs. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 Tbs. oyster sauce
For steaming of buns
- 1 Tbs. vinegar - optional - used to help the buns stay white
- 4-5L of water (Depending on your steamer, fill water half way up the pot)

How To:
1. Marinate filling by combining pork mince, water chestnuts, garlic cloves, onion, soy sauce,sesame oil, salt and oyster sauce until well combined then set aside
2. In a heat proof bowl, heat milk and sugar for 30-45seconds and mix until most of the sugar dissolves then set aside
3. Pop flour, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and mix together
4. Create a well in the centre of the bowl of flour then add milk/sugar and oil then mix until it forms a dough
Note: If you feel the dough is too dry, add a tsp. of milk until it desired texture
5. Knead bun dough for 20 minutes until dough feels smooth and the dough indents when you press your finger into it
6. Roll dough into a 35-45cm long and 5cm diameter log (may be a bit hard due to the consistency of the dough but try and it as close as possible to that)

A rough idea of the dough log

7. Wrap the dough in cling wrap then set aside in a warm area (i.e. microwave or oven) with a wet tea towel to cover and leave for an hour
Note: While waiting for the dough to settle, prepare baking paper squares that will help the Bao(s) from sticking to the steamer. Do this by cutting 15 10x10cm squares from baking paper then set aside
8. After resting for an hour the dough should now be quite smooth and pliable. Cut the log into 15 roughly even pieces. That's about 2-3cm in height for each cylinder piece and cover with wet tea towel to prevent the pieces from drying

Ready to evolve into Baos!

9. Lightly dust clean working space with some flour and roll out first dough piece until you have a circle with a diameter of about 10cm and a thickness of 5mm
10. Spoon about 2 heaped Tbs. of your minced filling and place it in the centre of your circle


11. Add 1-2 slices of the Chinese sausage on top of the mince

12. Add an egg quarter on top of the Chinese sausage to finish the tower
13. While holding one side of the circle with one hand, pull the remaining sides of the circle outwards and upwards gathering it all with your starting side and into the centre
14. Firmly press the gathered sides together then twist clockwise one and push down to secure and form the bun and pop onto a baking paper square prepared earlier
15. Repeat steps 9-14 until all buns have been assembled

In the steamer! - Excuse my uneven squares

Note: Bao(s) can be kept in a sealed bag or container in the freezer for up to a month. Simply pop your steamed Bao(s) into the freezer leave to thaw and heat when ready to consume!
16. To steam the buns, fill your steamer pot until half full and add vinegar. Bring to the boil

I'm ready for steaming!

17. Once boiled, reduce heat to medium/low then add level with un-steamed buns and cover with lid
18. Steam buns for 15-20 minutes or until bun skin is slightly sticky to touch and bun skin is all one even colour without any dull areas
19. Remove buns from heat, leave to cool for 5 minutes then enjoy!

           I know it does seem a bit overwhelming but, once you've actually made these buns once you'll know how easy they actually are! I hope you love this recipe and do leave a comment if you try these out. I'm so happy with how they turned out and definitely want to explore for Vietnamese dishes in the future. As always, free free to leave any request down below.

Until next time,
Nibble Away,
              Jo

How To: Red Velvet Coconut Chop Chip Cookies

Hi Nibblers,

         It's been a busy month. There's been a few changes here and there with life. It hasn't all been easy to adapt but in the month that has passed, I've made a few batches of some of the most amazing red velvet cookies ever. I'm so happy with how they turned out. A light crunch on the outside and soft, gooey insides. I've had great feedback with these cookies which encouraged me to make another batch so I could take pictures for you all! Here goes!

How To: Red Velvet Coconut Choc Chip Cookies
Yields approx. 40 medium sized cookies             Cooking time: approx 1hr 20 minutes (with cooling)

What you'll need:
- 250g unsalted butter (softened to room temp)
- 2 eggs
- 4 tsp. vanilla essence
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 400g flour (sifted)

Red Cookie Dough

- 40g cocoa powder (sifted)
- 200g brown sugar
- 50g white sugar
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. red food colouring (or until desired colour - I used gel)
- 2/3 cups desiccated coconut
- 1/3 cup dark choc chips (plus approx. extra 20g for decoration - optional)
- 1/3 cup white choc chips (plus approx. extra 20g for decoration - optional)

Cookie balls

How To: 
1. Beat butter until smooth and creamy
2. Add white and brown sugar and beat until well incorporated
3. Add vanilla, eggs, milk and red food colouring
4. Mix in baking soda, flour and cocoa
5. Add desiccated coconut and choc chips and stir until mixed
6. Pop cookie dough into the fridge for at least an hour
        Note:  This step is essential if you want soft,  pillowy, risen cookies. It allows the cookie dough to be easier to work with and less sticky
7. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 350 degrees Farenheit
8. Roll about 2 Tbs. of cookie dough into a ball and place onto lined baking tray about 5cm apart from one another
9. Pop into the oven for 10-11 minutes
10. Take cookies out of the oven and using a spatula press down on the warm cookies to create a lovely cracked cookie effect
11. Decorate cookies with white and dark choc chips (great for visual and taste purposes)
12. Allow cookies to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack then devour!
        Note:  Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Cookie dough and cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed (for eating) or baked frozen (but need an extra 2 minutes in the oven)

         This recipe has definitely taken me out of my cupcake comfort zone. But, I'm so glad with how every batch has turned out. They're so easy to make and perfect for any party. Kevin is a happy camper. He's been asking me to make cookies for years and now I've finally delivered. Hope you all love this recipe! Let me know if you give this a go in the comment section below.

Nibble Away,
               Jo

How To: Bánh Bột Lọc (Vietnamese Clear Pork and Shrimp Dumplings)

Hi Nibblers!

            I am so excited to be sharing this recipe with you! It's one of my all time favourite Vietnamese dishes and one I crave with the strongest intensity. I had one of my urges for Bánh Bột Lọc recently when my parents were away on holidays which meant I was in charge of all things to do with food. My tummy was grumbling. I started researching. I started looking at pictures. I couldn't take it anymore. The lust was just too much. I woke up the next day, gathered the ingredients from the shop and away I went. It was the best decision I ever made. They tasted exactly like I wanted them to and it was super easy to do. I made Mum a dish as soon as she came from the airport and now she can't stop asking for it. And with Mother's Day today, this is the perfect recipe to celebrate.

How To: Bánh Bột Lọc (Vietnamese Clear Pork and Shrimp Dumplings)

Yields approx. 50 dumplings
What you'll need:

Shrimp and Pork ready to go!

For the filling

- 500g diced pork shoulder
- 500g shrimp, shell left on (head and tail cut off)
- 1 1/2 Tbs. cooking caramel (creates a nicer golden brown colour)
- 4 Tbs. brown sugar
- 4 Tbs. fish sauce
- 2 Tbs. oil
For dumpling dough (adapted from 'The Spices of Life' blog - Her blog really helped me with this recipe)
- 400g tapioca starch
- 2 Tbs. oil
- 315 mL boiling water or 1 and 1/4 cup
- 1 tsp. salt

P.S I didn't dice my pork finely
enough! Cut it small so it's
easier to fill

For spring onion/scallion oil
- 10 sprigs of scallion/spring onion finely sliced
- 1/2 canola oil
For fish sauce dipping sauce
- 1 cup of fish sauce
- 1L of water
- 260g sugar

How To:
Start with the fish sauce:
1. Mix sugar, fish sauce and water in a saucepan on low to medium heat until boil and well combined
2. Remove from heat and set aside until needed
Make the filing:
1. Heat oil and sugar on medium to high heat, constantly stirring to create a caramel sauce

Before the sugar caramelises

2. Add diced pork and shrimp and stir to evenly distribute heat
3. Add fish sauce and stir until well combined
4. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally then set aside until needed
For scallion oil:

Scallion Oil

1. Heat oil in a frypan on medium to high heat for about 2 minutes until evenly heated
2. Add scallion to oil and stir until coated through then set aside
For the dumpling dough:
1. Mix tapioca starch, water, oil and salt and knead in bowl until dough comes away from the bowl and no longer sticks to sides of the bowl
2. Divide the batter into 8 equal parts and place 7 in a bag or lidded container to stop the dough from drying out
3. Roll dough into a log shape with a diameter of 2 cm

Caramelised sugar

4. Cut log into even 2cm x 2cm logs and place into bag or lidded container to stop dough from drying
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all dough is cut
6. Taking a small log, roll out until you have a circle with a diameter of approximately 5cm and thickness of 3mm
7. Add about a tsp. of pork and shrimp filling to centre of the circle
8.  Fold edges together and firmly press to create a semi circle shape then set aside in bag or lidded container until needed
9. Repeat steps 6 - 8 until all dough is used up
         Note:  If you have any left over filling, it'll go perfectly with a bed of rice
                    Dumplings can be frozen until needed so if you know you will be short on time but have a party coming up, this is the perfect recipe. No need to thaw them before you cook them. All other components (fish sauce and scallion oil can also be frozen until needed)

Dumpling log

Fill them up 

Dumpling thickness

Assemble time:
1. When you're ready to cook dumplings, fill a bowl with cold water ready for cooked dumplings to bathe in before garnishing (This will stop the dough from hardening)
2. Fill a pot with water and leave on high heat until water boils
3. Reduce heat to low and add desired raw dumplings
4. Cook dumplings for about 5 minutes in which dumplings will start to float to the top of pot or until dumplings become transparent and soft
5. Scoop cooked dumplings using a strainer and place into cold water for 30 seconds
6. Place dumplings into a bowl and add a few Tbs. of scallion oil and toss until well coated

Ready to be bathed!

In the bath

7. Add desired fish sauce and add some chilli slices and/or fried onions to garnish and consume!

           This recipe may seem a tad overwhelming with the number of components and steps but I can assure you, it's all worth the effort. They're delicious and can definitely please a crowd. It'll also make you think twice about wanting to buy these in the shop because you can make a whole bunch of dumplings for a fraction of the price!
   
                I hope you all enjoyed this recipe and had a lovely Mother's day with your Mum / family! Leave a comment below if you give this one a go or if you have any other questions.

Nibble Away,
              Jo

How To: Chocolate, Peanut Pretzel Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

Hi Nibblers!

           This cupcake is the ultimate cupcake when you're craving the decadence of chocolate but also want to chill with a bag of potato chips. The salt from the pretzel really breaks down the Nutella frosting and chocolate cake batter and enhances the flavours. You're not left feeling like you're on a sugar high after consuming these cupcakes. I also love how the base not only adds texture but it just gives the classic cupcake a great twist. I made these for my friends a few weeks ago and it garnered some awesome feedback. The only thing is, I couldn't pin down a shorter name for this recipe because there's so many different components I wanted to list! And with Mother's Day just around the corner, these could be your best bet with satisfying all of Mum's cravings. So, headaches over what to name these cupcakes aside, here's the recipe:

What you'll need:
Yields 12-14 medium sized cupcakes
For base:
- 150g roughly crushed pretzels
- 6 Tbs. peanut butter
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 1 tsp. sugar
For middle cake zone:
- 1 cup or 180g self-raising flour (plain flour will work just
remember to add a pinch of salt)
- 2 tsp. of baking powder
- 1/2 cup or 80g of cocoa powder
- 50g butter (softened to room temperature)
- 3/4 cup or 120g of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup or 250ml of milk
- 3/4 tsp. Vanilla Essence
For Nutella Frosting:
- 250g unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 100g icing sugar (sifted)
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
- 350g or approx. 1 and 1/2 cup of Nutella

How To:
For base:

Pretzel base ready to go!

1. Line cupcake tin with patty pan liners the set aside
2. Add milk, sugar and peanut butter in microwave safe bowl and mix
3. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds or in a pot under low heat, stirring constantly until it turns into a smooth paste
4. Combine with crushed pretzels until well coated
5. Add 2 Tbs of pretzel crumb to each patty pan 
6. Firmly press pretzel crumb into the patty pan creating a straight base for your cupcake then set aside
For cake component:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius

2. Sift together flour, baking powder and cocoa in a medium mixing bowl then set aside

3. Beat together the softened butter, vanilla essence and white sugar in a large mixing bowl until well combined and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes)
4. Add eggs in one at a time and mix 

5. Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients and 1/2 of the milk into the butter/sugar mixture and mix

6. Repeat step 5 until all ingredients are all combined

7. Add batter into pretzel base patty pan filling it up 3/4 of the pan

8. Pop into the oven for 15 - 18 minutes checking with a skewer at the end to see if it's cooked

        While waiting for cupcakes to cook, start making the Nutella frosting

9. Rest the cupcakes for approx. 30 minutes or until cool before decorating

For Nutella Frosting:

1. Beat butter until butter changes from its original yellow colour to an off white colour (beat on a high speed for at least 5 minutes)

2. Add vanilla essence and milk and beat until well combined

3. Add sifted icing sugar and mix

4. Add Nutella and beat for 5 minutes until well incorporated

           If you want a thicker consistency, add more icing sugar

           For a more softer, smoother frosting, add  Tbs of milk

           If you ever have leftover frosting, pop it into an airtight container and freeze until needed. Can hold up to at least 2 months in the freezer or up to two weeks in the fridge

Then it's assemble time! Frost cupcakes as desired and enjoy :)

       Hope you liked this recipe and give it a go! Be sure to leave a comment below if you do give it a try or have any other requests. Hope you all have a lovely week and give your Mumma some extra loving this week to celebrate!

OM NOM NOM

Nibble Away,

           Jo

How To: Mango Cake with Caramel Latte Frosting

Happy Easter Nibblers!

       I have an excess of mangoes at home at the moment. I knew I wanted to make a mango cake but, could not decide on which type of sponge or frosting. I was in a tickle for days. But then, I was out looking at the easter eggs range and those Caramello eggs just caught my eyes. So I decided to put the two together and make a cake out of it. I loved how moist this cake was and the sweetness that the mango brought to the cake. Add the caramel latte frosting and it is a match made in heaven.

How To: Mango Cake with Caramel Latte Frosting
What you'll need:
Makes 3 layer 20cm cake
The Cake:
- 2 medium mango
- 200g unsalted butter softened
- 200g sugar
- 310g self raising flour
- 250mL of milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 eggs 
Caramel Latte Frosting
- 300g softened butter
- 5 tsp. instant coffee mixed with 1Tbs. warm water
- 100g icing sugar (sifted)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 3 drops of green food colouring
- Caramello eggs to decorate
Caramel Sauce
- 50g of sugar
- 40g unsalted butter 
- 1/4 cup thickened cream

How To:
For Caramel Component

Mango slices

Tin lined with mango

1. Heat sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly
2. Mix until the sugar melts into a brown- amber liquid and then immediately add butter then stir
3. Stir until butter is completely melted (Takes 2-4 minutes)
4. Pour thickened cream into the caramel, stirring continuously
5. Leave to boil for a minute
6. Remove from heat and sieve the caramel through a sift to ensure a smooth consistency
7. Set aside until needed

For Cake Component
1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celcius / 320 degrees Farenheit
2. Peel mango and slice into 0.5cm slices, should get about 10 slices each mango
3. Grease three 20cm circular cake tins and line two cake tins with mango slices, making sure theres no spaces then set aside
4. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy
5. Add egg in one at a time
6. Combine vanilla extract 
7. Add flour and milk alternatively until well combined
8. Divide cake batter into the three greased cake tins

Baked Mango Sponges

9. Pop into the oven and bake for 25- 30 minutes until cooked then leave to cool
Caramel Latte Frosting
1. Beat butter until yellow butter turns to a pale, white colour (Takes approx. 10 minutes)
2. Add vanilla extract and milk and beat until well combined
3. Add icing sugar and coffee mixture and 5 Tbs. of the caramel sauce and mix for at least 5 minutes until well combined
When all components are ready, it's assemble time!
1. Place one mango sponge on a cake board
2. Add about 1/2 cup of the caramel latte frosting on top the the mango layer and spread an even layer on top of the mango
3. Add the other mango sponge directly on top of the first layer and add same amount of frosting to second layer
4. Add last sponge on top 
5. Using  a large round tip and piping bag, pipe along each layer to fill the gaps and make the edges of the cake more uniform
6. Add green food colouring to remaining frosting and using a large closed star tip, pipe around the top layer of the cake to act as the grass
7. Decorate with Caramello eggs and serve!

Cake layers

         I hope you're all having a lovely Easter break with family and friends. Be sure to leave me a comment if you do give this one a go!

Nibble Away,
   
                  Jo

How To: Easter Eggs with Chocolate Fruit Filling

Hi Nibblers!

        Easter is just around the corner and easter eggs are flocking supermarket shelves like there's no tomorrow. That chocolate rush paired with the whiff of freshly baked hot cross buns is what gets me going through those stressful grocery trips. My stomach is grumbling just thinking about it.
        In light of rediscovering my love for grocery shopping, I decided to combine my love for chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. This recipe entails an egg with chocolate fruit filling inside. Perfect Easter hand-made gift and one to share with your loved ones.

How To: Easter Eggs with Chocolate Fruit Filling

What you'll need:
Makes approx. 4 medium sized eggs or 20 small eggs
- 50g room temperature butter
- 2 eggs
- 250mL of milk
- 180g of self-raising flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 100g sugar
- 50g cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp. vanilla essence
- 400g of dark chocolate (melted)
- 1 Tbs. apricot jam
- 1 1/2 cups of mixed dried fruits finely chopped
- Plastic egg moulds (I bought mine at the Arts & Craft shop)

How To:

Medium Egg moulds 

Chocolate fruit filling
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Grease cake tin (I used a 20cm circular tin)
3. Beat melted butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
4. Add eggs to mixture and beat until well combined
5. Slowly add milk, vanilla, baking powder, cocoa powder and flour to mixture and beat until well combined
6. Pop into the oven for 35-45 minutes until cooked (use the skewer trick)
7. Set aside and leave to cool until needed
8. Roughly crumb cooled cake into a bowl
9. Add chopped fruits and apricot jam to crumbed cake and mix until cake sticks together like a dough then set aside until assembling time
For egg shell

Chopped fruit for filling

1. Melt chocolate until smooth and runny (either a double boiler or microwave, whichever you prefer)
2. Using a pastry brush or clean brush, brush a layer of melted chocolate into egg moulds
3. Place in freezer for five minutes until set
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until egg shells have 4 layers of chocolate then leave in freezer until needed (make sure to keep the leftover chocolate so you can seal your egg halves together)
Assembling Eggs
1. Un-mould eggs from mould on some greaseproof paper as to minimise damage of the shells (Be patient, the eggs will come out as they begin to come to room temperature)
2. Scoop in a Tbs. for small egg shells or approx. 5 Tbs for medium sized eggs or until filled
3. Using the leftover melted chocolate brush along the egg shell halves
4. Combine two halves together to make one full egg
5. Place in the fridge for 5 minutes to set and then consume!
       Note: If you do have any melted chocolate or filling leftover, just combine the two and firmly pack in any tin and you'll have a decadent chocolate fruit slice to enjoy

         You're all probably overwhelmed by this stage but trust me, this recipe is super easy. It may be a a tad tedious but, all your effort will be worth it. It's a lovely surprise inside and filling!
         I hope you enjoyed this recipe and give it a try. Be sure to leave a comment below if you do!

Nibble Away,
              Jo

How To: Chippy Sandwich

Hey Nibblers!

       Not long to go until Valentine's Day. This tutorial is based on one of my all time favourite things. My parents rarely allowed potato chips in the house so whenever we did have them in the house, I made it my mission to butter some bread and pop a bunch of potato chips in. The crunch of the chips against the smooth butter was enough to make any day an awesome one.
       Now that I'm in my 20s, I think the 'Chippy Sandwich' needs an upgrade. This sandwich is simple and so versatile. Change the chip flavour or filling to your special one's favourite and voila! you have got this person hooked.

How To: Chippy Sandwich
Yields one awesome sandwich

What you'll need:
- 2 slices of bread
- Strip of bacon (Cut into 4 sections to match the length of the sandwich slice)
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbs. of butter
- 1 small bag of BBQ chips (I used Samson's crinkle cut) - 'BBQ' sauce
- 1 small bag of Doritos (I used Nacho Cheese) - 'cheese' layer

How To:
1. Fry bacon bits in a fry pan for about 5 minutes each side on a low to medium heat to ensure perfect crisp bacon then set aside on a paper towel for the oil to soak
2. Fry egg in the same pan until cooked then set aside
3. Toast bread
4. Butter each slice of toasted bread
5. Place bacon on top of one slice
6. Add 'cheese' layer by stacking on the Doritos
7. Add fried egg to the stack
8. Whack on the 'BBQ' sauce layer
9. Close the sandwich
10. Consume!

         Hope you are all having a lovely week and that this tutorial brings all the boys/ ladies to the yard. It would definitely bring me to some yards. If you do give this a go make sure to tag me in your instagram post, I would love to see them. OR better yet, leave a comment in the section below.

Nibble Away,

            Jo