Snownfire

I first had this cake when my cousin bought it for my 32nd birthday. It was from a bakery chain called Nguyễn Sơn. The flavour combination of coconut and caramel left such an impression on me that I had to recreate it. Finally got the recipe right after a few tries.

Recipe makes one 9-inch cake + 1 small (6-inch) cake or some test ramekins.

Gateau - basic sponge sheet 8-inch

2 egg yolks + 25l milk + 20g melted butter + 1/4 tsp vanilla 2 egg whites + 40g sugar - whip to hard peak 44g plain flour + 11g corn starch (making 55g cake flour) 1/4 tsp baking flour

Whip egg whites and sugar to hard peak.

Fold dry ingredients into whipped egg white then fold yolk mixture. Pour into 8-inch mould and bake 180C for 15 minutes - if double the recipe to make more sheet, may need to increase baking time, bake until top slightly golden and fork/toothpick/.. comes out clean.

Let cool before cutting into 1.5cm tall sheet.

Line 9-inch cake ring and place cake sheet at the bottom in the middle.

Coconut mousse

3 egg yolks 150ml milk 60g sugar 120g roasted desiccated coconut 250ml whipping cream 3.5 gelatine leaves Original recipe: 400ml cream + 200ml milk + 12g gelatine powder (5 sheets)

Roast desiccated coconut at 140C, 5-7 minutes and mix often until evenly golden.

Heat milk until just boiled, off heat, add slowly into egg + sugar mixture until well combined. Back into the pan and low heat, mix until finger wipe on spatula leaves a stripe.

Add bloomed gelatine into (2) and mix to melt completely, let cool to 45-50C.

Whip cream until soft peaks (under better than overwhip).

Fold (3) gelatine mixture and (1) coconut into (4) whipped cream.

Pour into the mould and let set for 2 hours.

Caramel mousse

100g sugar + 40g butter + 30ml boiling water 300ml whipping cream 3 gelatine leaves Original recipe: 400ml cream + 10g gelatine powder (4.3 leaves)

Add 2 tbsp of water then 100g sugar (in that order) into a saucepan on low heat. Let sugar melt completely without stirring before increasing heat to medium. Watch carefully as the sugar caramelise - turn off heat when sugar is golden brown as it will continue to caramelise and darken. Carefully add butter then boiling water and mix thoroughly.

*can add a bit of glucose/corn syrup or a bit of lemon juice to prevent crystallisation of sugar.

Wait 2 minutes then add bloomed gelatine into (1) and melt completely. Let cool slightly to 50C.

Whip cream until soft peaks.

Fold (2) into (3) then pour into the mould and let set for 2 hours.

Caramel jelly

75g sugar + 50ml boiling water More water to make up 150ml in total 3 gelatine leaves Alternatively: 50g sugar -> 120ml water + 2 leaves gelatine

Caramelise the sugar as above. Carefully add water at the end. Add more water to make 150ml in total.

Add bloomed gelatine and melt completely.

Let cool to 50C and pour a thin layer on top of cake. Turn cake around to coat evenly.

Coral tuile decoration

80g oil + 32g warm water + 10g plain flour + 1 tsp icing sugar

Mix above thoroughly until no lump.

Heat a non-stick pan on high until ++ hot; pour mixture in enough to coat the pan thinly (it will splash everywhere).

When the tuile starts to turn golden, lower the heat and may need to move the pan around to brown evenly.

Use a spatula to transfer the sheet onto kitchen towel (to drain oil).

Once tuile hardens, break to desired shape.

Salad

Cucumber tomato salad - 3 cucumber (salted) + 5-6 cherry tomato + minced garlic - 1 tsp sugar + 1 tsp soy sauce - 2 tsp sesame oil + 2 tsp crispy prawn chili - 3 tsp vinegar

Oi muchim - 3 skin-on chopped Persian cucumbers, salted - 1 minced garlic clove + 1 tsp sesame seeds - 1 tsp sugar - 1 tsp fish sauce - 1 tsp sesame oil - 2 tsp gochugaru - 2 tsp rice vinegar

Nộm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGYCxwY1_4Y&t=482s - Use 80-90ml - Mix 1/2 lime into vinegar or just use vinegar - 1 sugar : 1 vinegar/lime : 1/2 tbsp salt (the salt is optional)

Meat

Korean fried chicken https://www.koreanbapsang.com/dakgangjeong-sweet-crispy-chicken/ - For 500g chicken - 1 tbsp soy sauce - 1 tbsp gochujang - 2 tbsp vinegar - 2 tbsp mirin + 2 tbsp honey (or 3 tbsp rice syrup) + 1-2 tbsp brown sugar - 1 tsp minced garlic + 1 tsp grated ginger

Zing wing https://seonkyounglongest.com/asian-zing-wings/#tasty-recipes-26686-jump-target - 12 dried chicken wings + 1/4 tsp salt/pepper + 1tbsp baking powder, baked 200C 20' + 20' or air fry - 2-3 cloves garlic + 3 ginger slices - 1 tsp soy sauce - 1 tbsp rice vinegar + 1 tbsp mirin + 1 tbsp sriracha + 2 tbsp honey

Sweet sour pork ribs - Sườn xào chua ngọt - 1 fish sauce : 1.5 sugar : 1.5 rice vinegar : 3-4 water

Noodle

Egg noodle soup https://www.recipetineats.com/chinese-noodle-soup/ - 3 cups stock - 2 garlic cloves + 1.5cm ginger piece - 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce + 1 1/2 tbsp cooking wine - 1 tsp sesame oil - 2 tsp sugar

Korean miso carbonara https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs6J1UHISix/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== - 1 udon block + 100g pork belly - Minced garlic - 1 tbsp miso paste + 1 tbsp gochujang - 1 tbsp soy sauce - 1 tsp sesame oil - 1 tsp gochugaru - Egg mixture at the end: 2 yolks, 30g parmesan, black pepper

Marinade

Galbi marinade https://seonkyounglongest.com/galbi-korean-bbq/#tasty-recipes-26756-jump-target - 1.5kg short ribs - 1 cup Korean ultimate stock (water, onion, spring onion, kelp, anchovy, peppercorn, garlic) - 3/4 cup soy sauce (reduced from 1 cup) - 1 cup brown sugar - 1/4 cup mirin - 1/4 cup sake/soju/vodka - 2 tbsp sesame oil - 1 tsp black pepper + 2 tbsp minced garlic - 1/2 fresh kiwi grated

Galbi marinade 2 https://seonkyounglongest.com/best-galbi/#tasty-recipes-32310-jump-target - 1.5kg short ribs - 1/2 cup soy sauce + 2 tbsp fish sauce - 1/4 cup mirin + 1/4 cup honey + 2 tbsp sugar - 2 tbsp maesilaek - 1 tbsp sesame oil - 1 tsp black pepper + 3 tbsp garlic + 1/2 onion - 1/4 kiwi grated

I made this for zô's bday this year. One of the best matcha cake I've ever made / eaten. Thumbs up for this recipe!

Matcha sponge Almond powder 80g Cake flour 20g (17g plain flour + 3g corn starch) Matcha powder 3g Egg white 125g (3-4 egg whites) Granulated sugar 45g - Preheat at 190C - Sift almond powder, cake flour and matcha powder together - Whip egg white, adding sugar in 3 goes, until soft peaks form - Add flour mix into egg white - fold with spatula (I found this step quite difficult, I wonder if it would make a difference to: 1. adding the flour into a small amount of meringue - whipped egg white - then whisk, then 2. add back to the rest of meringue then fold) - Spread 2cm thin onto a 25x25 pan (or 2/3 of a shallow cake pan) - Change oven temperature to 180C, bake for 13 minutes - Cut the sponge with a circular mould

Matcha mousse White chocolate chips / chopped white chocolate bar 50g Milk 175g / 175ml Sugar 30g Gelatine leaf 5g (3 leaves) Matcha powder 10g Double cream (35%) 230g - I personally find double cream difficult to work with so next time I'll use whipping cream - Soak the gelatine leaves in water - Place milk and sugar in a small pot and boil - Once it starts to boil, put gelatin in and dissolve - Add milk/gelatine mixture bit by bit into matcha powder, mix well / use a small whisk - Strain above into a bowl of chocolate and mix well (I found that I had to put this back to the stove for a little bit so that the chocolate dissolves completely - Chill the mixture to 35C then combine with whipped cream (soft peaks) - Pour onto the matcha sponge

Matcha cream Double cream (35%) 65g - this I cannot substitute with whipping cream because it involves heating Milk 65g / 65ml Egg yolk 50g (3-4 yolks) Granulated sugar 10g Matcha powder 8g White chocolate chips / chopped white chocolate bar 65g Gelatine leaf 2g (1 + 1/4 leaves) - Soak the gelatine leaves in water - Whisk egg yolks and sugar over a gentle water bath until creamy and pale - be careful not to overheat and cook the egg - Put cream and milk in a pan, heat until boils then slowly add into whisked egg yolk - Return the egg/milk/cream mixture to the stove, heat until 80C then add and dissolve gelatine leaves - Add hot milk slowly into matcha powder, whisk / mix vigorously to dissolve the matcha - Filter the mixture into white chocolate (again I had to reheat slightly) - Chill to 30C then pour onto the mousse

Let chill for at least 2 (ideally > 4 hours) then remove from the mould

Ingredients: 2 cups plain flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger

1 cup granulated sugar 1 1/4 cup oil 4 large eggs

3 cups FINELY grated peeled carrot 1 cup coarsed chopped walnuts

Method: - Preheat oven to 175C. - Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger in a medium bowl. - Whisk sugar and oil in a large bowl until well blended. Whisk in 1 gg at a time. - Add flour mixture until blended. - Stir in carrot, walnut. - Divide batter into 2 9-inch cake pan OR 24 cupcake moulds OR 1 cake sheet (to make a square 2-layerd cake)

Maple cream cheese frosting 225g cream cheese, softened 115g unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup icing sugar, sifted 1/4 cup maple syrup

Method: - Cream butter just enough to be smooth - Add cream cheese and mix until smooth - do not over-mix - Add icing sugar, whisk until combined - Add maple syrup and mix just until combined - Leave in the fridge to harden before use - Cut pistachio and sprinkle on cake

This is ideal as finger food for parties.

Crostini: - Slice baguette at an angle to 0.8 - 1cm thick - Brush with extra virgin olive oil - Air fry at 185C for 3-4 minutes

Smoked salmon - Cream cheese + creme fraiche ratio 1:1 - Cut beetroot into small cubes, slice smoked salmon into 4cm square - Top crostini with cream cheese + salmon + beetroot + dill

Houmous - Houmous + parsley + balsamic vinegar + nuts

Aioli shrimp - Mix aioli and mayo, parsley - Aioli + shrimp + cucumber slice

Egg salad - Boil egg, remove egg yolk, cube egg white - Cube apple - Mix egg, apple and mayo (half normal mayo, half japanese mayo) - Spoon this onto crostini

Ingredients: 4 pieces of chicken thigh 2 tsp garlic, finely chopped 1/2 onion, chopped 4 stalks of celery, chopped 3 pieces of hotdog, sliced 3/4 cup carrot, diced 1 chicken cube 6-8 cups water

1 1/2 cup macaroni 1/2 piece cabbage 1/2 can evaporated milk Salt and pepper to taste

Method: - Boil 3 cups of chicken, add chicken and do a rolling boil for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let the chicken sit for 10-15 minutes. - Remove chicken thighs and let cool. Shred chicken. - Heat oil, saute garlic, onion, celery and carrot until just cooked. Add shredded chicken and hotdog and stir to cook. - Add chicken stock, and more boiled water enough cover the rest of the ingredients. Add chicken cube. Boil for 15 minutes.

To serve: I cook the macaroni, cabbage and evaporated milk separately in small batches so that the main soup can be kept for longer.

- Separate part of the soup into a small pot enough for the servings needed. Add more water if needed. - Add macaroni (1/4-1/3 cup / person), cook for 5-6 minutes. - Add cabbage (1/2 cup / person). - Add evaporated milk (1/8 cup / person). - Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer into a serving bowl.

Ingredients: 2 corn 3 tbsp olive oil (or any oil; I use 1 tbsp olive oil with truffle + 2 tbsp vegetable oil) 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp garlic granules 1 tsp paprika or peri peri salt or shichimi (japanese 7 spice)

Garnish: butter, corianter, lime juice

Method: - Split each corn into 4 pieces length wise - the easiest way is to place the corn firmly on a flat surface, ensure knife is sharp and placed exactly in the middle of the cob. Use a heavy load or just hand to hit the knife down the centre. - Mix seasoning and oil well. Brush or spoon onto corn quarters. - Cook in air fryer 195 degree C, 8-10 minutes. - Garnish (optional): brush butter onto cooked corn ribs, sprikle coriander. Add a few drops of lime juice before eating.

Ingredients: 3 large VERY ripe bananas 115g unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar - ALREADY reduced from original 145g 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup (130g)

1/4 cup (35g) plain flour + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 cup (20g) dark cocoa powder + 3/4 cup (130g) chocolate chips

Method: - Heat oven to 175C. - Melt butter in the microwave. Mash bananas into melted butter until mostly smooth. Whisk in brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt until thoroughly combined. - Add 1 cup of the flour, stirring until disappears. - Pour about half of the batter into a second bowl. - To the 1st bowl, add 1/4 cup of flour and ground cinnamon. - To the 2nd bowl, add dark cocoa powder and chocolate chips. - Butter and coat a 9x5 loaf pan. - Spoon the 2 batters in checkerboard pattern. Use a thin butter knife / chopstick to make a few figure of 8s to marble. - Bake in oven preheated to 175C for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Alternatively, scoop into muffin pan - bake 175C for 20 minutes.

Ingredients: 80g pork fat 500g ground pork (8-10% fat)

1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tbsp corn/potato starch 3 tbsp cold water 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp oil

1/2 cup young rice flake

Method: - Cut pork fat into cubes and refrigerate - Mix seasoning ingredients and mix with ground pork well; add this mixture into large freezer bag, press thinly into sheet and place in freezer. Alternatively, spread mixture onto baking sheet with cling film top and bottom, then freeze. At least 2 hours until mixture if cold but can still be broken into pieces. - In a food processor, pulse in 30s until pork fat is smooth. Add ground pork and pulse in 30s until smooth and sticky. My food processor is small so I have to do this in batches. Avoid mixture heating up at all times. - Mix young rice (if dehydrated, can rehydrate first) into pork mixture. - Wet hand with cold water and shape mixture into patties (8cm diameter, 1-2cm thick) - Steam patties for 10 minutes then fry for 1-2 minutes until golden. - Following steaming, patties can be frozen (with parchment paper in between to avoid sticking). If cook from frozen, air fry for 6 minutes at 190 degrees then fry on the pan for 1-2 minutes until golden.

Nguyên liệu: 80g mỡ lợn 500g thịt lợn xay (8-10% mỡ)

1/2 tsp đường 1/2 tsp muối 1/2 tsp bột nổi 1/2 tbsp tinh bột ngô 3 tbsp nước lạnh 1 tbsp nước mắm 1 tbsp dầu

1/2 cup (120ml) cốm

Cách làm: - Cắt mỡ lợn nhỏ và để lạnh - Trộn gia vị và thêm vào thịt lợn xay, trộn đến khi đều. Cho thịt lợn xay đã trộn gia vị vào túi để đông, dàn mỏng và để đông 2 tiếng. Một cách khác là dàn mỏng trên khay nướng, giữa 2 lớp bóng kính, để đông 2 tiếng. - Dùng máy xay, xay 30 giây một đến khi mỡ lợn nhuyễn và dính. Thêm từng mảng thịt lợn xay đã để đông vào xay 30 giây một. Tránh để hộn hợp bị nóng lên. - Thêm cốm (nếu cốm khô, có thể hấp trước) vào hỗn hợp. - Làm ướt tay, nặn chả đường kính 8cm, dày 1-2cm. - Hấp 10 phút, rán 1-2 phút đến khi mặt chả ngả vàng. - Sau khi hấp, chả có thể để đông để ăn dần. Nếu từ đông đá, dùng nckd làm nóng 6 phút ở 190 độ C, rồi rán trên chảo 1-2 phút đến khi mặt chả ngả vàng.

I love love this recipe - it is my go-to when I'm lazy, want a quick pasta dinner but still want Asian flavours. As with all other of seonkyoung's recipe, it is simple and well-balanced The only change I made to this is I reduced the amount of fish sauce - I think it's too salty for me because I don't cook/eat a lot of pasta.

Ingredients: 2 portions of pasta (spaghetti/linguine) 12 peeled deveined shrimps, pat dry - I use quality frozen vannamei shrimps, defrosted in advanced or blanched in hot water 2 tsp cornstarch * I added tofu - fried or frozen fish tofu; also I added some salad leaves (spinach, arugula) at the end

Sauce: 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp fish sauce 1 tbsp sake 1 tbsp honey / maesilek - quite curious the difference maesilek makes to this dish 1 tbsp gochugaru (korean pepper flakes) - alternatively, maybe add 2 tsp of sriracha 1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp unsalted butter 4 cloves of garlic, minced Sesame oil and seed to garnish

Method: - Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente - Mix shrimps with cornstarch and salt/pepper - Mix all sauce ingredients - Heat a large skillet over high heat, add a bit of oil. Add shrimps and spread evenly, sear each side, total 1 minute. Do not overcook shrimps. - * If use cooked tofu, add at this point - Add butter, garlic, mix well until butter bubbles (but no change in colour) - Add 3tbsp of sauce (more later if needed), toss shrimps quickly; add cooked pasta, mix until sauce coats pasta evenly - * Turn off heat, add salad leaves here if you want - Add a splash of sesame oil; garnish with sesame seeds

* With pasta, I tend to boil until still slightly hard, then turn off heat, let it sit in hot water until the rest of the sauce is done. Add cooked pasta directly (using tongs or chopsticks if you're Asian like me) - no draining/rinsing. You can use pasta water in the sauce if needed.

I got this recipe from my friend Soni - the original recipe was probably from food.com (linked). This was indeed a quick and tasty dinner, perfect for post-work dinner. It is also an easy recipe to sneak some veg into week night meals. The original recipe called for asparagus and bok choy but really you can use any hard-ish veg. I used tender stem broccoli.

https://www.food.com/recipe/miso-salmon-with-bok-choy-and-asparagus-536104

Ingredients  For 4 salmon fillets; Or alternatively, for 2 more-saucy salmon fillets 12 asparagus spears, tough ends removed 4 bunches baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise or 6 tender stem broccoli or 10 broccoli florets, halved

2 tbsp white miso 2 tsp sesame oil 2 tsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tbsp + 1 tsp mirin 2 tsp ginger - grated 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds with sauce, 1 tbsp to sprinkle

Method: - Preheat oven to 230C (450F) - Mix sauce ingredients together - Dunk salmon fillets in sauce, place on lined sheet pan - Spread veg on sheet pan, try to make it 1 layer; brush sauce on top - Roast for 10 minutes (12 minutes if you want salmon slightly well done) - Carefully take salmon out, place on hot frying pan to sear skin until crispier (careful not to burn though since the sauce has miso) - I added this step because I don’t eat fish skin unless it’s crispy

Vietnamese sweet and sour ribs - Sườn xào chua ngọt

500g pork spare ribs - chopped 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 tomatoes - chopped

Sauce ratio - I usually need to double this (i.e. 2 tbsp fish sauce,...) 1 fish sauce 1.5 sugar 1.5 white vinegar 3-4 water

Method: - Blanch ribs, clean - Shallow fry briefly until slightly golden - Add minced garlic and 1/2 tsp of salt (gia vị) and saute at high heat - Add sauce, cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 30 minutes - Add tomatoes, simmer for another 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened

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12345 ribs - Chinese I first saw this recipe on @stirandstyle instagram - only later realised it is a very common recipe in Chinese cooking. Different recipes do mix up the ratio, some have 3 sugar, some 4... I probably prefer less sugar. I personally have not tried making this, but I can imagine it to be a flavour that I like. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEdbYhNDYup/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Sauce ratio: 1 shaoxing wine 2 white vinegar 3 white sugar 4 soy sauce (2 light and 2 dark) 5 water

For 500g of pork spare ribs - probably use tbsp. Otherwise, mix a large batch of sauce and keep left over in the fridge for other dishes.

Method: - Add a little bit of oil and a few slices of ginger, fry. Add chopped pork ribs, brown both sides - Add sauce until 80% covered, simmer for 30 minutes, stir half way - Open lid, and cook until sauce is thick and shiny. When sauce is thicker, watch carefully to avoid burn.

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Caramelised pork ribs - @iankewks https://www.instagram.com/p/CLr2bhpDv87/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Apparently you can also use this for beef ribs - I’m sure it is true also for 12345 recipe.

500g spare ribs - chopped to 4-5cm length 2 tbsp rock sugar (or normal sugar) 2 tbsp oil 3 slices of ginger 1 star anise 3 scallion

Sauce: 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing) 3 tbsp black vinegar

This bread is so pretty I almost did not want to eat it - but then it also tastes so goood <3

Bread note:

- I only use bread flour (higher protein content than plain flour) - not sure why I never succeed with plain flour ? I didn’t knead enough - anyway, I find it so difficult to knead into a nice strong dough ball with plain flour so I don’t bother trying anymore - I use a bread machine (too lazy/weak to knead haha) but you can also use stand mixer with dough attachment, or your handsss - Use cooking matcha - it is lower quality than actual matcha but the colour is so much more vibrant - Measure your wet ingredients by total amount (eggs vary in size)

Bread measurements: - 2g salt = 1/2 tsp - 3g yeast = 1tsp - 7.5g milk powder = 1 tbsp

Bread - 415 bread flour - 5g instant yeast - 15g milk powder - 65g sugar - 4g salt - 1 egg (50g) + 55g milk + 165g water = total 270g (adjust according to your egg size) - 45g unsalted butter, cubed

Matcha streusel - 105g unsalted butter (room temperature) - 40g caster sugar - 30g egg - 50g cake flour (40g plain flour + 10g corn starch) - 70g milk powder - 5g matcha powder

Instructions: - Measure bread flour, make 3 holes in the flour and add yeast, sugar and salt into each, mix - Add milk powder, mix - Measure wet ingredients, mix into flour mixture, knead for about  10′ - Rest 20 minutes in the fridge - Further knead until membrane test comes out thin but jagged edge - Add butter gradually add knead until smooth edge

- 1st proof: Form a nice tense ball, place in a oil-lined bowl to proof until double in size - about 1 hour in the UK but maybe quicker if somewhere warmer - 2nd proof: Punch to release air, divide into 8 portions, roll into balls and cover for 25-30 minutes

Make matcha streusel: - Add sugar into room temperature butter, mix until smooth; add egg in 2 batches, mix well each time until no runny liquid - Add sifted flour & milk powder, mix - Add sifted matcha powder, mix

- Roll each ball into a rectangle 15x20cm, spread filling evenly, roll tightly - Cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes - Gently roll each roll to about 30cm length, cut in the middle then cross braid into a wreath - 3rd proof: cover, place into warm oven (either with just light on, or place a bowl of hot water together with the dough - 45 minutes, or until 1.5 size

- Preheat oven to 190C - Brush with egg wash (left over egg from streusel + 1tbsp milk), sprinkle with almond flakes - Bake for 12-14 minutes until the top is just golden

I have wanted to make this for so long - swiss roll cake in general, but especially matcha roll cake. When I finally tried it, I quickly realised it’s more difficult than I thought. My downfall were:

1. Changing up the cream filling recipe and ended up with a filling that is too runny for example. 2. Not having enough batter for the pan.

But finally succeeded after 2 tries. This is a great recipe - the only thing is I mix milk into matcha first so it doesn’t clump. I also increase the amount of batter for my pan size (35x25?)

Ingredients: - 5 eggs (55-65g with shell) - 80g sugar - 75g cake flour (60g plain flour + 15g corn starch) - 70g oil - 70g milk - 7.5g matcha powder (a bit more than 1 tbsp) - Vinegar 1 tsp (optional - I didn’t use this)

- 250g heavy cream / whipping cream (I use half of each) - 30g sugar (2 tbsp sugar) - 5g matcha powder (a bit less than 2 tsp)

Instructions: - Preheat oven to 170C - Mix milk slowly into matcha powder (very important not the other way round) until well dissolved into a paste - Add oil, mix - Add cake flour, hand whisk - Add egg yolk one at a time, hand whisk - Whisk egg whites (make sure bowl and whisk are clean) - when large bubbles appear, add sugar in 1/3 every 30s or so - whisk until just under firm peaks - Add a little bit of meringue into flour mixture to lighten - then add this back into meringue and fold - Pour into lined Swiss roll tray from high centre, tap - bake 23-25 minutes - Tap baked cake sheet, remove flaky top, let cool completely

- Add 1.5tbsp of cream into matcha powder and dissolve - Whisk cream until 50%, add paste, whisk slowly until soft peak, refrigerate

- Cut sides of cake sheet - can do the slanted cut if desired - Spread filling thicker towards beginning, thinner towards the end - Roll

This is my new favourite channel/chef - his cooking is very no-nonsense which I like.

This recipe is a little bit salty so I already reduced the amount of soy sauce a bit.

Ingredients: - 1kg beef brisket (or beef shin / any cut with tendon/fat) - 1/2 onion or 2 shallots (diced) - 2 whole garlic cloves (minced) - 3-4 slices of ginger - 3 bay leaves - 3 star anise - 3/4 cup soy sauce (180mls) - 1/4 cup brown sugar (4tbsp) - 1/4 cup Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing) (60mls) - 2 cups water / chicken broth - Cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp corn stach + 30ml water) - Sesame oil

It’s too difficult/expensive to find thinly sliced pork from Japanese store. So I just cook pork and eggplant separately (not as a roll). The sauce is delicious so it still taste great.

The only thing is unrolled eggplant absorb a lot of oil so I needed to use a bit more sesame oil compared to the original recipe.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/ginger-pork-rolls-with-eggplant/

2 japanese eggplant - or 1 giant aubergine

200g thinly sliced pork

2tbsp corn starch

Sauce:

- 1/2 tsp grated ginger

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp mirin

- 1 tbsp sake (or water)

- 1 tsp sugar

For cooking:

- 1 tbsp sesame oil

For garnish:

- 4 shiso leaves (perilla leaves)

Instructions:

- Peel eggplant then cut into sticks; remove moisture with paper towel

- Wrap eggplant sticks with thinly sliced pork (or just slice pork into bite size piece)

- Coat the rolls with cornstarch / sprinkle over separate pork & eggplant

- Fry on medium heat, when golden brown, cover the pan with a lid and cook until eggplant tender (2-3 minutes)

- Combine all sauce ingredient then pour into the pan

- Garnish with shiso leaves on top - I don’t like eggplant skin so I skip that step from the recipe

I watched the instagram video below and then modified the seasoning & add chả trứng. Dipping sauce as in the video was way too salty.

Grilled pork video:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIBjxV4jlwc/

Pickled daikon and carrot video:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cach+lam+do+chua

Grilled pork - I prefer shoulder steak rather than pork chop for this dish - Finely chop / use food processor for herbs, massage into steak, keep in the fridge for at least 1 hr - Grill or use oven (190C, 20 minutes then sear on a pan)

Marinate: - 3 tbsp minced shallot - 2 tbsp minced garlic - 2 tbsp lemongrass - 1 tbsp demerara sugar (or brown sugar) - 1 tbsp honey - 2 tbsp soy sauce - 3 tbsp fish sauce

Chả trứng: - Mix ingredients together (egg yolk & annato seed oil separately) - Pour into bowl, cover with cling film - Steam with lid closed for 20 minutes - Brush egg yolk mixture onto surface, steam for another 4-5 minutes

- 150g minced pork - 4 eggs & 1 egg white - 1 tsp salt / gia vị - 3 tbsp fish sauce - Black pepper - 1 egg yolk + annato seed oil

Pickled daikon and carrot: - Julienned daikon and carrot (use mandoline) - Sugar : Vinegar : Water with ratio 1:1:1

Dipping sauce / drizzle onto rice - 2 tbsp sugar - 2 tbsp lime juice - 2 warm water - 3 fish sauce - 1 bird’s eye chili