Chinese steamed bao

May 6, 2015 12:22 pm / 3 Comments /

Chinese steamed bao

I have been dying to try these in the steam oven after reading Dan Lepard’s excellent article in Good Food here.  Actually I have been crazy about these new ‘fashionable’ type of steamed bao after eating them in a few restaurants recently.  There are a few recipes around but I thought I would convert Dan’s recipe as it sounds the most authentic and also cook a version of his pork filling in the combi oven here :).

I have taken the bao recipe straight from the article but changed the cooking method.  SO much easier than a bamboo basket over a wok.  To be honest it would be a nightmare to cook these at home without a steam oven.  Remember, cooking in a steam oven gives you accurate temperature control. The recipe made 16, slightly larger than usual bao.  You could seriously only fit 6 into a large bamboo steamer basket so that’s a lot of stacking, checking water levels and three woks; too hard!

The texture was so light and fluffy, better than the ones I have eaten in restaurants.  I used one large solid steamer tray and one small but probably two large would be ideal as they were touching slightly after the final rise.  If you have a narrow depth steam oven then use three trays.

A little bit of effort with the three resting times but worth it, they were absolutely delicious 🙂

Ingredients:

300ml warm water, about 25°C
20g castor sugar
50g rice or potato starch (available in Asian supermarkets)
one 7g sachet dry yeast
450g white bread flour
flour and oil to finish

Method:

  1. Put the warm water in a mixing bowl, whisk in the sugar, rice starch and yeast until dissolved then add the flour and mix to a dough. Cover and leave for 10 minutes then lightly knead the dough until smooth.
  2. Grease the bowl with a little oil so it will be easier to remove the dough each time.
  3. Repeat this cover-leave-and-knead routine twice more, then divide the dough into 16 small pieces. Roll these firmly into neat balls, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
  4. Roll each ball into a disc about 1cm thick with a little flour, brush the top of each disc with oil then fold in half. Cover two large solid trays with non-stick parchment and place them over the tray, spaced without touching.  Dust with flour, cover loosely and leave until doubled.  This took the longest time, about 30 minutes.  They need to be as thick as you want to serve them as they don’t puff up anymore in the cooking process.
  5. Place the risen bao in the steam oven and Steam @ 100°C for 12 minutes.  It is no problem if you have multiple trays, that is the beauty of a steam oven!  Either serve immediately, or cool, bag and freeze for later. To reheat, steam @ 100°C again for 1 minutes.  They were perfect, no problem to reheat which is what I will be doing when cooking them again for a party.

Serve with my version of the Chinese pulled pork here, hoi sin sauce, cucumber strips and spring onion.  Yum, yum & yum!

Steam oven Chinese bao

 

Posted in: Bread, Dumplings, Entrees, Main Courses, Party Food, Steam Oven

Spicy Sri Lankan fish

April 6, 2015 3:42 pm / Leave a Comment /

Spicy Sri Lankan fish

One of the great things about the steam oven is that you can very easily make delicious, spicy fish dishes like this with very little effort.  Have a look at some other fish recipes I have done in the ‘Fish category’. Some, like this and the Thai fish skewers here only take 5 minutes to cook plus the time to mix the marinade together.  Such impressive, easy dishes to cook and prepare.

This recipe is cooked in banana leaves or baking paper.  This way the spices will remain as a paste on the fish fillet without being diluted by the steam from the cooking process.  Plus you also get a delicious sauce!  You can also cook this in a conventional oven if you wish.  But, it is easier to steam it whilst you are cooking your rice and beans so the whole meal is cooked together.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

4 firm, white fish fillets of your choice eg Blue eye
pinch salt
juice half a lime or lemon
1 tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp ginger, sliced
¼ tsp each ground cinnamon & cloves
4 branches of fresh curry leaves
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground chilli powder
1 tbsp. oil
Banana leaves or baking paper to wrap

Method:

  1. Place all the ingredients except the fish, curry leaves and banana leaves into a food processor or mortar & pestle and grind to a smooth paste.
  2. Lay the fish onto individual banana leaves large enough to wrap each individually.  Season with a little salt and pepper.
  3. Spread the paste all over the fish with a little under as well, place a branch of curry leaves over the top and wrap securely into a little parcel.  Repeat for each fillet.
  4. Set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the flavours to infuse.  Don’t leave it longer, the fish will start to cook.
  5. Steam @ 100°C for 5-7 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish fillet.  It should be just cooked, moist and juicy.

Serve on the plate in the leaves for people to open themselves or remove, leaving the curry leaves on for a garnish.  Try to have the ‘parcels’ opening at the top if you wish to serve them like this.

Serve with plain steamed rice here and vegetables of your choice.

Posted in: Fish, Gluten free, Healthy eating, Steam Oven

Taste of Sydney 2015

March 13, 2015 6:08 pm / Leave a Comment /

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When I received an invitation to Taste of Sydney 2015 from Laura at Hausmann I was excited.  So excited that I cancelled my previous engagement, emailed her back immediately telling her I would love to attend!

There is always something special about getting a supplier invitation and this one wouldn’t be shabby; the major sponsor of Taste of Sydney this year is Electrolux.  In the past, whilst working in the major appliance industry I attended some lovely Electrolux functions.  (See my disclaimer in the T&C’s here.  I have not been paid to attend this event, or write this post.)

Electrolux had chef, Massimo Mele from La Scala on Jersey restaurant as one of the chefs cooking in the Taste Theatre today.  Electrolux made the first pyro combi steam oven on the Australian market which was inspired by them working with professional chefs.  Makes sense when you read my article on cleaning your combi steam oven here as yes, they do get super dirty, especially if you are roasting meat which is one of the treats of cooking in a combi steamer.  The added moisture makes meat and chicken a lot more tender than ordinary roasting.  Electrolux installed the pyro combi steam oven model EVEP618BB into the Taste Theatre.  This model has three steam functions plus steam on demand;  Steam cooking (Maxi steam), bread baking, steam reheat which combined with a radiant element reheats at 130°C and steam on demand.  This function allows you to inject a shot of steam into the oven cavity while you are cooking.  The specs tell me that it does allow for 100% steam which I assume is Maxi steam. This oven allows you to cook almost anything that you wish but it is not a full on steam oven so you cannot adjust the percentage of steam yourself nor can you see or adjust the percentage of steam that is used in the pre set functions.  I spoke to Daniel from Electrolux and learnt that this is a new and different type of steam oven.  Not an evaporative steam oven or a steam injected steam oven.  They call it a ‘Steam assisted oven’.  Hopefully one day I can get to do some cooking in their ovens and get to know and fully understand their range.

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Unfortunately Massimo didn’t cook in the combi steam oven today, instead he cooked a delicious octopus on the induction cooktop.  Perfectly cooked as on the induction you have the ability to simmer at really low temperatures so the octopus just fell apart when he ‘cut’ it with a spoon!  I did speak with him after the event and he told me that it would also be possible to cook it at 80°C in the liquid in a steam oven.  I haven’t cooked octopus in the steam oven yet but am now inspired by his recipe today so I am going to try it!  Hopefully I can do this after I return from my next OS trip and I will link it to this post for you all to try at home too.

There is always something special about a Taste of Sydney food event.  Every year it gets bigger and better and the standard of suppliers, food & wine producers, restaurants, demonstrations, and activities are constantly improved on the previous year which makes for a top-class-foodie day out!

Go this weekend and check it out, I am sure you will enjoy yourself, see lots of new products and have some wonderful things to eat and drink 🙂

Posted in: Appliances, Food events

Combi steamer pulled pork

March 2, 2015 9:37 am / 4 Comments /

Combi steamer pulled pork

There are a few pulled pork recipes around but not for a combi!  I wanted those smokey, mustard flavours that go so well with pork but I also wanted that caramelised crust and juicy meat.

The combi is fantastic at giving you all the cooking techniques; you just need to add a little of the flavours yourself and marinade it overnight.

I have removed the rind for this dish but if you wish to serve some crackling on the side then place the skin which has been scored onto a plate, without covering and let it dry out in the refrigerator overnight.  Next day, before serving rub with a little salt and bake alone in a hot oven @ 200°C until crisp and bubbling.  If you are cooking roast potatoes then add the crackling at the same time but in a separate dish.

Ingredients:

Piece of rolled pork shoulder 1.7-2kg
1 tbsp. smoked ground paprika
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. Olive oil
large pinch salt

Method:

  1. Remove the string from the pork and trim off the rind leaving a thin layer of fat.  See above if you wish to cook crackling.
  2. Mix all the other ingredients together to form a thick paste.
  3. Spread all over the pork, cover and marinade overnight.
  4. Cook on Combination Mode 110°C + 80% steam for 3-3½ hours.  Turn over half way through the cooking time.
  5. Shred with a fork to tear into pieces to serve.
  6. Strain the cooking liquid into a separate bowl and add a little to taste to the pork.
  7. Delicious served in fresh bread rolls with more mustard and coleslaw.  I served this as a plated main course with Roasted pumpkin and curry leaf salad here.
Posted in: Combi Steamer, Gluten free, Main Courses, Pork

Roasted pumpkin & curry leaf salad

February 25, 2015 5:47 pm / Leave a Comment /

Roasted pumpkin & curry leaf salad

Adam Liaw cooked a dish like this on his show on SBS TV so I thought I would use the same combination of flavours and turn it into a salad.  I guess we can call it an Indian salad with the addition of the curry leaves.  It would certainly be delicious served as part of a shared table with Indian inspired curries or roasted meats.

Roast the pumpkin in a hot oven and let it come to room temperature before adjusting the dressing and adding the leaves.  You can also add some other green vegetables if you wish.  Remember to steam those quickly to retain the nutrients.  You can find the steaming timing here for vegetables.

You could steam the pumpkin too but the flavour is better roasted.  I have done other salads with steamed pumpkin which you can find in the salad category.

Ingredients:

Large chunk of pumpkin, diced into medium size pieces
Handful shallots, peeled
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 bulb of garlic, broken into cloves and left whole
2 tbsp. Olive oil
4 branches of fresh curry leaves, removed from the stalk
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp sherry vinegar
Handful of baby spinach to serve
½ tin chickpeas, rinsed
¼ cup pumpkin seeds

Extra sherry vinegar and oil to taste

Method:

  1. Toss everything together except leaves, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and extra vinegar & oil in a large bowl.
  2. Place a large piece of baking paper on a flat oven tray and pile on the vegetables.
  3. Roast @ 200°C Fan forced for 45 minutes.
  4. Remove to cool to room temperature.
  5. Mix in leaves, chickpeas, seeds and other steamed vegetables if you are using them.
  6. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more sherry vinegar and oil to dress the salad if necessary.

 

Posted in: Indian, Salads, Traditional Ovens, Vegetarian

Barramundi with Syrian red pepper crust

January 25, 2015 11:37 am / Leave a Comment /

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The great thing about a combi is that it will bake as well as steam.  One thing I love to do is use something that I have made in one form and transform it into something else.  That’s always a good way to do menu planning so there is no waste.  Don’t forget about that delicious dip you made last week which you can find the recipe for here, turn it into a mouth watering main course.

The baking effect with the steam actually ‘bakes and infuses’ this flavour into the fish.  It doesn’t have a lot of texture but if you like you can sprinkle some extra toasted walnuts over the top before you serve.  I haven’t done this in the picture but it would be delicious.  A perfect Summer meal that only needs a side salad.

Ingredients:

Thick barramundi or other white fish fillets, cut into serving size portions
½ cup Syrian red pepper, walnut and pomegranate dip
¼ cup extra toasted walnuts
Fresh parsley or coriander to garnish

Method:

  1. Cut fillets into thick, serving size pieces
  2. Preheat oven on Fan Plus 170°C
  3. Place fillets on a stainless steel tray lined with baking paper.
  4. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.
  5. Spread with a generous layer of dip.
  6. Let sit to come to room temperature for about 5 minutes.
  7. Place in combi steam oven.
  8. Select Combination Bake and cook 170°C + 90% moisture for 5-8 minutes or until cooked.  The timing will depend on the size and thickness of your fillets.  Mine were only 5 minutes.  Try to have all the fillets the same thickness, turn under tail sections if necessary.
  9. Serve with roughly chopped toasted walnuts and a parsley or coriander garnish.
Posted in: Combi Steamer, Fish, Gluten free

Syrian red pepper, walnut & pomegranate dip

January 23, 2015 10:09 am / Leave a Comment /

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I found this interesting dip recipe somewhere before Christmas, which is originally from Cyril Miletto for Gastronomy.  I have changed the method slightly.

Loving everything with pomegranates at the moment – this was delicious served as part of our Boxing Day party with fresh vegetables, and warm Turkish bread.

It makes quite a lot and will last for a week (if you’re lucky), covered in the fridge.

Ingredients:

3 red capsicums
100ml extra virgin olive oil (I used a little less)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g walnuts, toasted
1 lemon, zested
1 tbsp. lemon juice
80ml pomegranate molasses
1½ tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper

Method:

  1. Halve capsicums removing the centre core, flatten with your hands so the skin is all exposed.  Place, skin-side up, on a grill which is covered with baking paper and grill @ 200°C until blackened.
  2. Remove and place into a plastic bag, twist and set aside to cool.
  3. Toast the walnuts and set aside.
  4. Place the oil into a heavy pan and add the onion & garlic.  Lower the heat to medium and cook until golden.
  5. Add the ground cumin, cook stirring for 2 minutes.
  6. Peel capsicums, removing all blackened skin.  Do not rinse.
  7. Process all ingredients in a food processor until almost smooth.
  8. Taste and season adding a few grinds of pepper.
  9. Place into a covered container until ready to serve.

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Posted in: Party Food

Spicy chicken & quinoa salad

January 9, 2015 10:15 am / Leave a Comment /

Spicy chicken & quinoa salad

It’s been hot here in Sydney this week.  I have probably mentioned this before but I tend to use the steam oven more in Summer and the combi more in Winter.  It is so easy to create a new salad like this one, just by combining a few ingredients that you have in the fridge.

After a massive New Year’s Eve dinner party I am not really feeling like cooking much at the moment, but that is the beauty of a steam oven; you can produce a fantastic dinner without really trying too hard!

Feel free to change the ingredients to use what you have on hand, just remember to keep the Asian theme.  Green beans, broccoli and red capsicum would work.

I cooked everything in this recipe in the same stainless steel steamer tray at different times as you can see below.  I also managed to cook some rhubarb as well with the pumpkin.

Ingredients:  Serves 4-6

1 cup tri coloured quinoa
1 large chicken breast, kept whole, but cut to flatten to similar thickness
2 cups chicken stock
juice and rind 1 lemon
1 cup steamed pumpkin, cubed
1 bunch asparagus, cut into thirds
handful fresh mint
handful fresh Vietnamese mint
few cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup dressing from mango salad here
1 birdseye chilli, seeds removed and diced finely
¼ cup macadamia nuts, toasted

Method:

  1. Wash quinoa, place in solid tray and add stock.
  2. Set steam oven to 20 minutes @ 100°C.
  3. When the steam oven has 7 minutes to go, add the chicken breast on top of the quinoa and the diced pumpkin scattered around the chicken.
  4. Now when there is 2 minutes to go, add the asparagus.
  5. Remove, put the asparagus into a bowl of iced water and stir through the lemon rind and juice.
  6. Set aside for everything to cool.  If you want to cook more pumpkin than is needed then use another dish.
  7. Sprinkle the chicken breast with a little sea salt.
  8. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces then stir through with all the other ingredients once everything is room temperature.
  9. Drizzle over the dressing which has been mixed with the fresh chilli and top with toasted nuts.
Posted in: Chicken, Gluten free, Healthy eating, Salads, Steam Oven

Steam oven cheesecake

December 11, 2014 12:58 pm / 6 Comments /

Steam oven cheesecake

This is a cheesecake, totally cooked in the steam oven with Christmas flavours. Decorated with some fresh cherries this is a lovely festive dessert you can serve as part of a buffet or instead of a traditional steamed Christmas pudding here.

I have had lots of interest in the pudding over the last few weeks.  Everyone with a steam oven realises now just how much easier it is to cook a pudding without the hassle of boiling it on the stove top.  No excuse not to make your own!

I love a traditional, baked Italian ricotta cheesecake but in this recipe I have combined the different cheeses to make a smoother, creamy texture.  The steam oven works a treat for something like this which needs a moist oven environment and won’t dry out the biscuit base.  This can be a problem when baking a cheesecake in a traditional oven.  It also gives it a gorgeous texture.

Make sure you cover it really well with foil so it doesn’t get wet.  Of course, you can alter the fruit and nut selection or leave them out completely.  We do however love the texture of the nuts in this 🙂

Ingredients:  Serves 10-12

1½ cups sweet biscuit crumbs
100g butter, melted
½ tsp cinnamon

Filling:
250g cream cheese, at room temperature (a must)
250g smooth ricotta (in a tub)
¾ cup castor sugar
2 tbsp. cornflour
1/3 cup cream
3 eggs
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder
¾ cup sultanas soaked in ¼ cup brandy for 30 minutes
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

Method:

  1. Combine biscuit crumbs, cinnamon and butter and press into base of a lined 23cm springform tin.  See my tip here.  Don’t be tempted to use the whole packet of biscuits. Chill.
  2. Beat softened cream cheese, ricotta and cream together until smooth.  Do not over beat.
  3. Add sugar, lemon juice, eggs, cornflour and baking powder.  Mix well.
  4. Fold in sultanas and nuts and pour into prepared base.
  5. Cover tightly with foil.
  6. Steam @ 100°C for 55 minutes.  It should be just set around the edges and soft in the centre.
  7. Uncover and cool.  It will firm up on cooling.
  8. Chill until required.   Overnight is probably best.
  9. Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to serving.  Top with fresh, pitted cherries and serve berry coulis to drizzle.  You can make this by heating half a cup of raspberries, ¼ cup water with 1-2 tablespoon of caster sugar and a dash of liquor or squeeze of lemon until dissolved.  Push through a fine sieve to remove the pips.

 

 

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Desserts, Dinner parties, Party Food, Steam Oven

Kale & salmon salad

November 13, 2014 9:51 am / Leave a Comment /

Kale & salmon salad

Had to join the health food craze and do a kale salad as it is really delicious with a Dijon mustard dressing and a bit of citrus.  A perfect excuse and another reason to have perfectly cooked salmon from the steam oven 🙂

You can alter the ingredients to what you have on hand.  I have used the baby kale leaves that you can buy now but if you use the large leaves, cut out the centre stem, wash well and slice thinly.

Of course, you can also substitute the lentils for cooked brown rice or quinoa.  This is really one of those delicious salads that is perfect for entertaining.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

2 pieces of salmon, skin and bones removed or 4 small pieces for individual serves
1 bag or bunch of kale, trimmed and sliced
2 blood oranges, rind removed from one and segmented
1 yellow capsicum, thinly sliced
1x 400g can lentils
large handful of green beans
½ cup roughly chopped dill
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Dressing:
3 tbsp. grape seed oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp honey
pinch salt and pepper

Method:

  1. Depending on the size of your salmon, steam @ 95°C for 2-5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.
  2. Put the green beans into the solid steamer tray, add the washed lentils and cook @ 100°C for 2 minutes.  Remove beans and drain any water from lentils.  Add the rind of one blood orange and stir through. Although the lentils are cooked they will absorb the flavours more if warmed.
  3. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jar, taste and set aside.
  4. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a 140°C oven for about 10 minutes, they are so much nicer than straight from the packet.
  5. Mix most of the dressing through the salad, reserving a little for the top.
  6. Combine all the salad ingredients onto a large platter or individual plates depending on how you are serving.
  7. Flake or place the salmon on top, garnish with more dill, sprinkle over the seeds and serve.

Note:  This would be a delicious salad to serve for Christmas with its gorgeous colours!

 

 

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Fish, Gluten free, Healthy eating, Salads, Steam Oven