Winter Plum Blossom Flower Flaky Mooncake

I know Mooncake festival is over in some part of the world but being in US, it's our turn to celebrate ; ))
Made these today with thr remaining lotus paste, I must say I prefer this over the snowskin ones.

Snowskin Mooncakes

Being far from home makes me miss my family more especially during festive season. And this year I decided to make some mooncakes to ease the longing....
What You Need:
150 koh fun (which I can't find in where I stay, I dry fry 150g glutinous rice flour instead)
150g icing sugar
50g shortening
2 drops pandan paste
180ml ice water

Filling:
600g lotus paste
melon seeds (optional)

What to Do:

1. Divide lotus paste into 30g balls and set aside
   
2. Fry glutionous rice flour for about 5mins. Set aside
   
3. Sieve icing sugar and glutinous rice flour into a big bowl
4. Add pandan paste into water (to get a even colour)
5. Add shortening to the flour mixture, mix well. Add water a bit at a time. Stop when you manage to form a soft dough.
6. Divide dough into 25g ball. Flat it
   
7. Place lotus paste ball onto the dough and cover it with dough
8. Flour the mooncake mold and gently push the unformed mooncake (from 7) into mold
9. Press mold firmly and push mooncake out...

A good mooncake is said to have a ratio of 40% skin weight and 60% filling weight...I think a good mooncake is made with LOVE ; )) What do you think?

Sweet Bacon Jerky (Bak Kwa Style)

Pardon the picture, I have to shoot this with my little guy clinging on to my pants.
This is oily, fatty, sinful but VERY GOOD!!!! Yes, Sinfully Good ; )) Thanks for sharing S!
Plus it is so easy to do compared to Bak Kwa, I am going to make this for Chinese New Year from now on....

What You Need:
1 lb (abt 495g) thick cut, rindless bacon( cut into halves, lengthwise)
6-8 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
100g sugar
4 tbsp honey
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp Huatiao wine or any rice wine
3/4 cup water

What To Do:
1. Mix all the ingredients (except bacon) in a microwave proof bowl.
2. Microwave for 1 min and stir till sugar dissolved. Let it cool completely
3. Add bacon into the mixture, make sure it is fully submerged. Marinate overnight or more than 12 hrs
4. Bake them at 365F for 10 mins
5. Switch oven to Broil (500F) and broil till brown abt 8 mins
6. Cool and enjoy!!

Note: Stay close once you switch to Broil as it burns easily..

Steamed Pumpkin Cake

What you need:

300g rice flour
1tbsp corn flour
450g shredded pumpkin
1 chicken thigh, cut into strips
About 7 dried mushroom, soaked and slice thinly
About 50g dried shrimp, soaked and chopped
About 6 shallots, sliced
2 stalk spring onion, sliced
Some red chillies (I use 1/4 red pepper)
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white pepper
Some sesame seeds
1 cup of oil
1L water (I used the mushroom and shrimp water)

What to do:

1. Add 750ml of water to the rice & corn flour, stir till smooth. Set aside
   
2. Fry shallots in oil till brown, dish up & set aside
3. Use half of the shallot oil, fry dried shrimp till fragrant, add mushroom & chicken for about 5 mins. Add soy sauce.Dish up and set aside
4. Use the balance shallot oil to fry the pumpkin till soft, add salt and pepper
5. Add the flour mixture and stir well.
6. Add 2/3 of the chicken mixture from Step 3. Mix well
7. Pour mixture into a 9 inch aluminium tray and add the remaining meat on top. Use a spoon to press the meat mixture gently
8. Steam for about 1 hr or until firm
9. Garnish with spring onion, red chillies, sesame seeds & fried shallots
   

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

It's Halloween next Saturday and Hub & I decided to carve some pumpkins since we are celebrating with our baby boy this year...
I decided to make use of the whole pumpkin....from the shell to the seeds ; ))
First remove all the fiber and flesh from the seeds...
Wash it under running tap....line them on trays to dry over night,
Add about 1 tbsp of oil per tray and about 2 tbsp of Old Bay Seasoning...
Or Sea Salt, stir them evenly and pop them into the oven....300F for about 20 mins
There you go, Roasted Old Bay Seasoning Pumpkin Seeds
And Roasted Sea Salt Pumpkin Seeds....Happy Halloween : ))