#122_Pani Popo or Coconut Cream Buns

Pani Popo....

not only rhymes with pan de coco
but also it is in the same ball park.

Pani Popo is a Polynesian bread baked in coconut cream,
or in other words, pani popo swims in coconut cream
while the Filipino pan de coco is filled with coconut candy or bocayo.

My sister Melinda learned how to make this bread
from her father-in-law in New Zealand,
then she showed me how to make it
when she came to visit me here 10 years ago.

It is really easy to make except for making the dough,
but the taste is, ohh, superb!
If you like pan de coco, you'll like pani popo.

Two months ago I made a whole pan
of this bread, click here, for a family from Tonga.
They love it so much that they went to a
Polynesian bakery, to get some more, obviously.
The father didn't like what they bought from the bakery!
Just recently, he begged his wife to call and ask me
if I would make some for their party.
Needless to say this bread is Polynesian-approved.

You can use any bread recipe that you may already have,
but here are my suggestions:
These are all bread machine recipes

Pan de Sal recipe #20, click here
Potato Dinner Rolls recipe #63, click here
Reduced Eggs Ensaymada recipe #114, click here
Basic Sweet Dough Recipe #178, click here

Procedure:

1) After the dough cycle is finished, let the dough rise either in the bread machine bucket or in a bowl, until doubled in size.
2) Punch down dough and divide it into 3 equal portions, then cut each portion into 12 pieces. Shape them into balls.

3) Arrange the shaped dough in 3 well-greased baking pans measuring 9x13.

4) Let rise (again) until the doughs have doubled in size.

5) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the above picture, I used the reduced egg ensaymada dough recipe
in a bigger pan measuring 11 1/2" x 15 1/2" x 2"
with 24 pieces of dough balls.
Make sure the pan is at least 2 inches deep
so the cream will not splash out while it is baking.

The doughs might look like they
are swimming in coconut cream, but
don't be alarmed because as the bread bakes
the coconut cream thickens
and some of the cream will be absorbed by the bread.


The Cream Mixture

5) Mix 1 1/2 cans (3 cups) coconut cream and 3/4 cup sugar, stirring well until sugar is dissolved.

6) Pour this mixture into the 3 pans just before baking.
7) Bake for 20-25 minutes.

The thickened coconut cream in the
baking pan can be used for dipping the bread.


Enjoy!!!

UPDATES: 6-30-09

The perfect proportion for coconut cream and sugar is:
For 1 cup coconut cream, use 1/4 cup white sugar.
But you can use more or less according to your personal
preference.

I received a couple of e-mails inquiring about the coconut cream, if it is okay to use coconut milk. I took a picture of the coconut cream that I like to use personally. You can use any brand you like as long as it is coconut cream ( this is thicker).

I had used coconut milk in the past but the sauce was too thin.

Another update:
When I was in Texas visiting our family there, I can't find the ingredients to make the bread such as the vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer and the right kind of coconut cream. So, I settled with the frozen dough and coconut milk. The outcome wasn't as good as the kind I make using the dough recipes I listed above.

Vital Wheat Gluten

Vital Wheat Gluten at Wal-Mart

I had recieved several inquiries via e-mail from readers
where to find vital wheat gluten, an ingredient
I use in most of my yeast bread recipes, such as the
Pan de Sal, click here,
Reduced Eggs Ensaymada, here,
and Basic Sweet Dough here.
and other bread recipes.
Usually regular grocery stores don't carry them, so
I buy them at our local baking supply store
and are made here in Utah.

Yesterday as I was in one Wal-Mart store,
I spotted the Vital Wheat Gluten on their shelves at the baking aisle.
I thought I'd take a picture to post it here so my readers
would know what to look for.
I'm just hoping Wal-Mart will not sue me over this.

#121_Roast Beef

Rump Roast

Roast beef is one of the dishes we enjoyed at our last
Easter Sunday dinner, click here.


To prepare rump roast for roasting,
first, rinse the meat and pat dry with paper towel.
Then drizzle with canola oil or olive oil
and rub it all over the meat.

Rub some seasonings on all sides of the meat.

You can use any seasonings or spices you like.

You can even use just salt and pepper.

Here's my favorite rub:

I like to use a mixture of different spices like this one.
onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, mustard powder and
two different kinds of steak seasonings.


Place the prepared meat in dripper pan or a roasting pan,
fat side up. Do not add any water in the pan.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and bake it for 15 minutes.
Turn the temperature down to 325 degrees, and continue to bake.

For well done roast, cook it for 30 minutes per pound
or insert a meat thermometer in the center of roast.
When it's temperature reaches 170 degrees,
take it out of the oven and let it rest for
about 20 minutes before carving or slicing it.

These slices of roast are going in the crockpot.

At this point the roast should be ready to be served but,
here's something I do that makes the roast extra tender and very flavorful.
I put the sliced roast in a crock pot on low heat.
I sprinkle some salt and add some broth.
Or you can dissolve bouillon cube in about 1/4 cup of hot water.
I let the roast continue to cook for about 1 hour
or until we are ready to devour it.
This is usually served with gravy but since
I made potato casserole instead of mashed potato,
I didn't make the gravy.

#120_ Inasal or Chicken B-B-Q, Pinoy Style

 Inasal
Pinoy Style Chicken Barbeque

Whenever I make this BBQ chicken, I just eyeball the ingredients for the marinade. I don't really have the exact measurements. So what I will be posting here is just a guideline, in a way you can't really go wrong with the marinade.

For Western Style BBQ click here.

Clean chicken thoroughly by rubbing them with salt or baking soda, then rinse them with cold water.
Pat dry with paper towel and put them in a glass bowl or glass baking pan.
Marinate chicken for several hours with the marinade recipe below..

Here's a recipe for the marinade.

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tbp worcestershire sauce
1 head garlic, crushed
1/4 cup anatto oil
1 cup 7-up, not diet
freshly cracked whole black peppers
2 pieces bay leaves

Mix everything together then take out about 1/3 cup and set it aside in a sauce pan. Marinate chicken (or pork) for several hours or overnight. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Cover the pan with aluminum foil then bake in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for about half an hour. Finish cooking the chicken on the grill basting with the basting sauce below.

This is the reserved 1/3 cup marinade

Basting Sauce

To the reserved marinade, add some chopped shallots, (this is optional) then bring it to a boil. Take it off the heat and strain, discarding the garlic and shallots. To the clear juice, add about 2 tablespoons of honey. Use this to baste the chicken on the grill.

For the recipe for Anatto Oil click the link below:
http://pinoyamericanrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/01/pancit-sotanghon-chinese-vermicelli.html

#119_ Paksiw na Lechon

This is a recipe inspired by Dennis of
Mga Luto ni Dennis, click here,
where he used left over lechon and store-bought lechon sauce.
I was drooling while reading his recipe like I was nag-lilihi!

I had everything to make the recipe except for the lechon,
so I used the next best thing which I already have in the
freezer... left over roast pork (picnic cut) and sliced it up.

Here is what I came up with:

1) I heated 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2) Sauteed some sliced onions for 1 minute and added the roast pork and bay leaves. Sauteed it for about 3 minutes or so.
3) Added some vinegar, crushed garlic, whole black pepper, all purpose sauce (I didn't have lechon sauce)
4) Simmered for about 10 minutes.


It is a little bit dry but it is delicious. The sauce is really mild. Next time I will add some broth to make it a little saucy.

Actually my friend, Aida has a very good recipe of the sauce she makes from scratch. She adds dried lily in with the sauce which makes it extra delish, in fact it is the first food I dig into whenever I get invited to have dinner at her house.

NOTES:
1) You can add some broth if you want saucy paksiw.

2) Sorry, for not providing measurements of the ingredients. I just eyeballed everything in this recipe....it is what I call "free-style" cooking.

3) This post might sound ironic because of the swine flu pandemic. However, some doctors who come on national tv say that people acquire the virus from "people-to-people" contact and not from consuming pork.

Super good Pork Paksiw
made by Aida for Christmas dinner 2009


Addendum:
here's my latest version of Paksiw na Lechon with the addition of liver paste.
Click here to get the recipe.

#118_Red Beans Ensaymada

Bean Paste-Filled Ensaymada Bun

There were two blogs that inspired me to make this
version of ensaymada:
Firs, I saw burnt lumpia's post on ensaymada, click here,
where he filled the dough with cheese.
Well, I don't like cheese that much, that's why I don't put cheese
on my ensaymada, but the idea is good and is new to me
as I never had cheese-filled ensaymada before.
Second, I saw cafenilson's post (here) on bean paste buns....
I love the bean paste in sesame balls (bochi),
and her bean paste buns look so delicious that I want to try to them.
Then a thought came, why not combine the two ideas.

Red Bean Paste

I bought this pouch of bean paste at a Korean store.
They are pre-made red bean fillings for bochi or sesame balls,
just snip off one corner of the pouch and ready to go.

I used the dough for the Reduced Eggs Ensaymada recipe#114,
but you can also use richer Ensaymada recipe #113 as well.
They are both soft as long as you follow the
whole procedure of proofing and rising.

Divide dough equally into 24 pieces.
Roll each dough out into approximately
10 inches long by 3 inches wide
and fill each one with the bean paste.
If you have a mini rolling pin like the one pictured here,
it makes it easier to roll out these little doughs.

Roll the filled dough tight and pinch the seams really good
so they won't open up during the rising process.

Coil each filled dough like you do ensaymada
and follow the rest of procedure
as directed on the ensaymada recipes.

Top the baked ensaymada with softened butter,
sprinkle with sugar and grated cheese.

I find the bean paste to be too sweet,
so I prefer mine without the toppings.

NOTES:
1) A friend of mine suggested these for variations:
For fillings, use mung bean paste or ube halaya

2) If you want to make your own red bean paste, go to cafenilson for the link.

#117_Potatoes 'N Cream

Potatoes 'N Cream

This is one of the dishes that I made for our
Easter dinner this year.
I better post the recipe before Easter comes again.
It is easy to make and yet a very elegant way
to prepare a potato dish and
goes really well with any kind of meat
such as roasts, b-b-q, steaks, etc.
It is so creamy and so flavorful that you will not miss the gravy.

Ingredients:
6 large potatoes, peeled and sliced long like french fries
1/2 pint heavy cream (not whipped)
1/2 can evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 stick butter, cubed
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups grated cheese

Procedure:
Put potatoes in a greased baking dish
Add in milk, cream and seasonings (salt and pepper)
Spread chopped onion on top
Dot with butter
Cover dish with aluminum foil
Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 1 hour
Take out the foil and spread the grated cheese on top
Return to oven uncovered and bake for another 5 minutes

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
Most of the time I use 5 pounds of potatoes for our family
in a 10"x15"x2" baking dish increase the cream to
1 pint and evaporated milk to 1 can.
Put more cheese on top.

Very creamy and really good!!

#116_Jambalaya Chicken on Three CheeseTortellini or Four Cheese Ravioli

Quick and Easy Cajun-Italian Sauce on Pasta

This is a very versatile sauce that complements most pastas,

but my favorites are the Four Cheese Ravioli

and Three Cheese Tortellini.

The reason this is fast and easy dish to do is that I used pre-cooked chicken, actually, rotisserie chicken from Costco. Of course if using fresh chicken, you need to saute it longer and simmer longer. I even used the heat-n-serve kind of sausage. So actual cooking time is under 30 minutes.

Here's the recipe for the Jambalaya Sauce:

( this recipe is recycled from Jambalaya on Pasta, recipe #69. I changed the recipe around a little to use Buitoni product).

2-3 tbps. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 pieces chicken breast, pre-cooked, sliced in chunks

1 package breakfast sausage, sliced

2 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 15 0z. can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce or (2 @ 8 0z.)
1 small carrots, sliced thin

1/2 of green bell pepper

1/2 of red bell pepper

2 ribs of celery, sliced

Chopped spinach

1 pkg. Four Cheese Ravioli or Three Cheese Tortellini

Directions:

1) Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2) In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, saute until onions are translucent.

3) Add the sausage, the cooked chicken, the Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. Saute for a couple of minutes.

4) Stir in the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce and simmer for about 2-3 minutes.

5) Add in the carrots and celery and continue to simmer for 1 minute.

6) Add in the red and green bell peppers and spinach. Stir well.

7) Transfer the drained pasta to a serving platter or bowl and pour sauce over pasta.
Or mix pasta with the sauce and transfer to a serving platter.

SERVE HOT. BON APPETIT!!

NOTE:

1) If you can make your own cajun seasoning it is better so you can adjust the salt. I find the store-bought ones have plenty of salt in them.

2) You can add pork loins and shrimps to be more Jambalaya-ish

3) If using fresh chicken, you need to saute it longer and simmer longer until the chicken is tender.

#115_Roast beef Fajitas in Lettuce Cups

Roast Beef in Lettuce Cups

Some restaurants call this Lettuce Wrap where

they bring everything to your table

and you have to assemble them yourself.
I saw Rachel Ray made this in her show and she called it
Lettuce Cups.
I think I like the sound of that better.
Whatever you call it, this is an excellent idea to have a healthy sandwich specially
when you have been over eating carbs like I have.
With the left over roast beef from Easter sitting in the freezer,
I prepared this meal in a less than 30 minutes.

You can put anything you like in your fajitas, but the basic ingredients
are lettuce, onions, red and green peppers, steak or chicken
or a combination of steak and chicken.

The Meat Fillings

Thaw out the roast beef if it has been frozen,
then slice the meat into strips. Set aside.
Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the sliced onion and saute until they are wilted.
Add in the roast beef, sliced green peppers and sliced red bell peppers.
Season with salt and pepper.
Saute this mixture for about 8 minutes and
you have a fabulous meat filling for fajitas.

You can customized your fajitas by putting some
guacamole, shredded cheese, tomatoes or salsa
on top of the meat fillings.

I like my fajitas simple....
I made it by spreading some mayo on the lettuce,
put some meat mixture on the lettuce and
topped it with slices of avocado.

Rolled it up and secured the lettuce with a toothpick.
Simple but really delicious!!

*****

My husband prefers his fajitas with flour tortillas

Heat up the tortilla in the microwave for about 1 minute
and spread some mayo on it.
Line a piece of lettuce on the tortilla
and put some of the meat fillings on it.

Roll up the tortillas and secure them with toothpicks.
My husband prefers his with just meat fillings...nothing else.
no cheese, no avocados, no tomatoes.
Whatever makes him happy!!!

#114_Reduced Eggs Ensaymada

This is a Reduced-Eggs Ensaymada recipe

using only 4 whole eggs and takes 3 risings
(If this recipe is a little complicated for you, you can use the
Basic Sweet dough recipe #178, click here.)


For the Sponge:
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp quick rising yeast or instant
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup bread flour

1) Warm the milk in a bowl in microwave.

2) Stir sugar in the milk and sprinkle yeast over the mixture. Use a whisk to dissolve the yeast.
3) Let this mixture sit for a few minutes until it becomes foamy about 10 to 15 minutes.
4) Mix in the flour and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon.
5) Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise for about 20 minutes or until bubbly. This will be a sticky, wet dough but should not be runny.
This mixture is called sponge and will be mixed in with the dough.

The Dough
3/4 cup milk, very warm
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
the sponge
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large large eggs, slightly beaten (1 cup)
4 1/2 to 5 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dough enhancer (my secret ingredient)
1 tsp vital wheat gluten (another secret ingredient)

1) Put everything in the bread machine pan or bucket starting with the warm milk making sure the paddles are in place.

2) Use the dough cycle and let the machine do the stirring and kneading.
3) When the cycle is finished, take the dough out and place it in a well-greased bowl and cover with a plastic wrap to rise until doubled in bulk.
This is the SECOND RISING.

Option: Instead of transferring the dough into a bowl, you can leave the dough in the bread machine bucket or pan, put the lid down and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk.

The Traditional Coiled Ensaymada

How to coil the dough:

1) Lightly punch the dough down and take it out onto a floured surface.

2) Divide the dough into half then cut the half into 12 pieces.
3) Do the same thing with the other half of dough, cutting it into 12 pieces, so you have 24 pieces all together.
4) Roll dough into ropes about 8 inches long, fat on one end and tapered on the other end. Take the fat end with your forefinger and thumb and coil dough around tucking the tapered end under.

Braided Ensaymada

5) For braided ensaymada, divide dough into 48 pieces. Twist together 2 ropes. Hold the twisted dough with your forefinger and thumb, and coil the rest of dough around, tucking the tapered end under.

6) Place coiled dough in greased molds.

(Sorry, I did not get to take pictures while braiding the doughs. Burnt Lumpia, a blog, gives a very good illustrations on how to braid the doughs. Click here for the link).


This recipe makes 24 braided pieces using the ensaymada moulds with base measuring
2 1/4 inches in diameter.

If you're using ensaymada molds, grease each mold with shortening, then place the molds on a cookie sheet.

If using cookie sheets without the molds, line the sheets with parchment papers.

The 3rd Rising

This is an important process in order
to achieve a flavorful pillow-soft, but not airy rolls

The picture above is recycled from ensaymada recipe #113.

1) Place the molds with coiled doughs in cookie sheets.
2) Turn the oven on for just 1 minute or until the temperature reaches 8o degrees and then turn it off. (Make sure the temperature is not hotter than 80 degrees).
3) Place the cookie sheet with the ensaymadas below the middle rack, then shut the oven door. Let the dough rise until they are soft and springy to the touch, about 20-30 minutes.

4) Or boil some water in a pot and place this pot right on the oven floor.
5) With the oven door shut, let the dough rise for about 30 minutes or longer.
6) When dough has doubled in size, soft and spongy or springy to the touch, take the pan and pot out and turn the oven on to 350 degrees to pre-heat.
7) Bake the ensaymadas for 18-20 minutes.

You can leave them plain or slather them with butter

then sprinkle sugar and grated cheese on top.
They are good for meriendas or for breakfast.

Notes from MaMely
1) You can use this recipe for almost any kind or shape you want such as for dinner rolls, croissant rolls, Parker house rolls, etc.

2) If you want to let the dough rise overnight in the fridge, here's some tips:
a) use regular yeast, not instant as the dough might rise too fast if you use the instant kind.
b) after the dough cycle if finished, take the dough out and place it in a well greased bowl, turning it upside down to coat the other side of dough with grease or oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight,(about 8 hours). The next day take out dough and let it stand for about 1 hour then proceed to the rest of the procedure, i.e. punch dough down, shape, etc.

3) Store this kind of breads in plastic bread bags or in air tight containers to keep them soft for days. Microwave old rolls for 10-15 seconds to make them oven-fresh.
Do not store them in paper bags as they will get hard. French breads and baguettes kind of breads are stored in paper sacks to keep their nice crusts.

Important bread-making tips from KAF bakers

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/100-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-recipe

• Don't bother heating the orange juice to lukewarm; you can use it straight out of the fridge. The orange juice won't add its own flavor to the bread, but will mellow any potential bitterness in the whole wheat.
• If you're kneading bread by hand, it's tempting to keep adding flour till the dough is no longer sticky. Resist the temptation! The more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be.
• The amount of liquid you use to make the "perfect" dough will vary with the seasons. Flour is like a sponge; it absorbs water during the humid days of summer, and dries out during the winter. Your goal should be making the dough as it's described (e.g., cohesive, soft but not sticky), rather than sticking religiously to the amount of liquid.
• When making yeast bread, let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., "Let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk." Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking (how you kneaded the dough; what kind of yeast you used) that it's impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.