Multi Grain Pancakes with Strawberries and Honey

中文菜谱： 杂粮小煎饼

I have been a really huge fan of multi grains lately.  Last weekend I turned our regular pancakes into a healthier version of multi grain pancakes.  They are so good that we might have a new weekend morning regular! O(∩_∩)O~  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of multi grain flour
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk (different grains might need different amount of liquid; adjust accordingly)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
fresh strawberries
honey / maple syrup

Directions:

I love buying different grains, rice and beans from Wholefoods and finely grind them into multi grain flour with my beloved vitamix and its dry cup. 

Store any extra flour in air-tight glass jar.

Shift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

In a medium bowl or cup, add eggs, buttermilk and oil.  Whisk together.

Add shifted flour to the egg milk mixture.  Whisk just until the dry flour is gone.  Don’t over mix because the more you whisk, the more gluten will form, and the chewier your pancakes will get.

Heat the griddle  to 350. 

Add batter.  We are using a non-stick griddle so I skip oil spray.  If you use a cast iron griddle or stainless steel pan, oil spray will be a life saver! O(∩_∩)O~ 

Let them cook on one side until you see a lot of bubbles, flip the pancakes.  It takes about more or less than one minute.

Both sides are golden brown.  That how you know they are ready.

Top with fresh strawberries

And honey or maple syrup; doesn’t that look great? O(∩_∩)O~

Sweet Black Rice Congee

中文：黑糯米红枣桂圆糊

Congee is a traditional comfort food very popular in Southern China.  It can be sweet or savory.  It is usually thin, sometimes runny but always loaded with rich flavors.   For the homemade version, you can cook it any way you like; add any ingredients you like; and enjoy it any way you like. O(∩_∩)O~

I make sweet black rice congee with some very traditional Chinese ingredients like sweet black rice, dried jujubes, red beans and dried longan fruits.

For sweet black rice flour blend：

1 1/2 cup sweet black rice
1/2 cup sweet brown rice
1/2 cup red beans
8 to 10 large dried jujubes
1/4 cup dried longan fruits

Aside from different colors, sweet black rice has a firmer and tougher texture than the regular sweet rice.

I use sweet brown rice because it contains more fiber and nutrition than the regular one. 

Red beans are also a good source of dietary fiber and they also help to regulate cholesterol level.

Dried jujubes can be served as snacks, cooked in soups, congees, or many other Chinese dishes.

Dried longan fruits have more intense tropical fruity flavor than the fresh ones.  Sometimes I snack on them.  They can be used in desserts, sweet and savory Chinese dishes too.

Add all the ingredients to a Vitamix dry cup

Cover tightly with its lid.

Grind at low speed first and then tune up to high speed.

In less than 30 seconds, all the ingredients are milled to fine powder.

Store extra flour in glass jars

Now I can make sweet congee.

For the sweet black rice congee：

2 cups of water
1/3 to 1/2 cups of sweet black rice flour blend
2 to 3 tablespoon brown sugar (use more if you have a sweet tooth)

Directions：

In a small stock pot, add water.  Heat over high heat until the water boils.  Add sweet black rice flour blend while whisking.  When the water boils again, reduce the heat to medium low.  Add brown sugar.  Continue to cook for 5 to 6 minutes.  Stir from time to time to prevent burning on the bottom.

Cover the pot with its lid. Turn off the heat and allow the congee to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.  It is necessary because sweet black rice’s tough texture. 

And now it is time to enjoy sweet black rice congee! O(∩_∩)O~

Multi Grain Savory Chinese Crepe

中文菜谱：杂粮煎饼果子

I made Chinese savory crepe before, and it was really popular.   This time I decided to try using homemade multi grain flour to make a healthier version.  It turns out to be pretty fantastic too!  O(∩_∩)O~ 

The ingredients and method are pretty similar to what I posted here last time:

Crepe Ingredients (makes 7-8):

1 cup multi grain flour
1 cup + 2-3 tablespoons whole milk ( a little bit more or less depending on what kinds of multi grain flour you are using)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

I usually buy my multi grains from wholefoods store.  I have a preference for the ones high in fiber.  I normally buy about 10 different barleys, grains and beans.  I mix them together in a big jar or bag and store in refrigerator.

You will need a vitamix dry cup  to mill the grains.  The regular cup is intended for smoothies, not this.

Ready to go

Blend at low speed first and then increase to high speed.

In less than 30 seconds, I have a batch of beautiful multi grain flour.

Store the extra in a glass jar .

Just like cooking French crepe, you will need a large cast iron skillet and a crepe spreader.  I use a 12 inches cast iron skillet which is perfect for making crepes. I found it in a local cookware store years ago.  What a pity they don’t make them the same way anymore.

Mix flour, milk, egg and salt in a blender until the batter is smooth.

Cover and allow the batter to sit for a couple hours before using.  Unlike regular flour, multi grain flour needs more time to absorb the water.

Heat the cast iron skillet over medium low heat.

Spray the pan with oil and then wipe it with paper towel.

Add 3 to 4 tablespoons batter. Spread it thinly and evenly with crepe spreader.

Add an egg, spread it out too.  Top with white sesame seeds, chopped green onion and cilantro.

Flip the whole crepe with a spatula.

Brush with fermented tofu sauce.  I like to use silicone brushes because I can just toss them into the dish washer when I am done.  How convenient is that!

Brush with sweet bean sauce and siracha chili sauce. There is no rule of how much of what should be added.  You can add the seasoning just to your own taste.

Add a crispy cracker to the center.  Fold the crepe edges towards its center.

It is done!

I invite my husband to post the picture for me.  After the first couple shots, I took a quick look at my camera settings.  When I looked up again, there was one more dent on the crepe and he was trying to chew as silently as he could not to get caught…….

Well, that shows how good the crepe is!  Nobody can resist its charm! O(∩_∩)O~

Steamed Buns with Pork and Vegetable

中文：荠菜猪肉包

Shepherd’s purse might be considered as weed here in America.  But it is a very popular spring vegetable in Asian countries.  They sprout and grow fast when the spring is in the air.  Shepherd’s purse tastes a lot like arugula.  They are both earthy, refreshing but shepherd’s purse has a unique aromatic smell which makes it popular in Asia.

You can find the frozen shepherd’s purse in Asian grocery store.  The fresh ones are rarely seen on the market here.

Ingredients for steamed buns:

3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons oil
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Ingredients for pork and vegetable filling：

1 package of frozen shepherd’s purse, thawed
2 cups freshly ground pork
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon rice cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
a few drops of sesame oil
salt to taste
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup 

Directions：

Microwave the milk on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  The milk shall be warm but not too hot to touch.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.  Let them sit for 5 to 8 minutes.

Add milk and yeast, along with bread flour, sugar, oil and salt to a stand mixer bowl.  Put on the dough hook and then set the stand mixer to knead the dough at speed 2.

Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.  It takes about 10 minutes.

Cover it up with plastic wrap.  Proof for 40 to 50 minutes under room temperature; and then transfer the dough to a well-dusted wooden board.  Knead gently to get rid of big air bubbles.

In the meantime, I prepare pork and vegetable filling.

I grind my own pork with a meat grinder.  It is fresher and tastes a lot better.

Drain the thawed shepherd’s purse. Squeeze a little bit if necessary.  Finely chop the shepherd’s purse. 

In a large bowl, add ground pork, soy sauce, salt, sugar, ground white pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil and chicken stock.  Whisk hard with a pair of chopsticks  or a wooden spoon until everything comes together.

Add chopped shepherd’s purse.  Mix well again.

Equally divide the dough into 30 to 40 pieces.  If you prefer bigger size steamed buns, divide into 20 pieces.

Press down the dough with palm.  With a small rolling pin, roll the dough edge thin.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of pork filling to the center.

Wrap it up.  Repeat the process until all are done.

Cut parchment paper into small squares.  Line the bamboo steamers with parchment paper.  Add the buns on top of each piece of parchment paper. 

Cover and proof for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Steamed the buns over high heat for 12 to 16 minutes; when done, wait for a couple minutes before uncovering the steamed buns.

Serve immediately.  

Dipping into vinegar and chili sauce is also a popular way to enjoy them.  O(∩_∩)O~

Cool any extra steamed buns on a cooling rack; store in Ziploc bags; seal and freeze. 

Steam the frozen buns on high heat for 6 to 8 minutes and they are as good as freshly made!

Spinach Noodles

中文： 菠菜面条

Spinach is a popular choice when it comes to natural colorful noodles.  I love using spinach in my noodles or spaghettis.  The color is always vibrant and beautiful.  And the best part is that there is food coloring involved!  It is totally natural. O(∩_∩)O~  

Ingredients：

2 cups bread flour
1/2  to 2/3 cup spinach puree*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oil

*for spinach puree:
1 bag frozen spinach (12 oz), thawed
1 to 1 1/2 cups of water

Directions：

In a vitamix, add thawed spinach and water.  Blend at high speed until the spinach juice is really smooth.  I use vitamix because it does such a good job.  It is fine to use a regular blender too.  Just blend it a little longer. 

Measure the needed amount spinach puree.  Divide the rest into 3 to 4 Ziploc bags and freeze.  When you want to make spinach noodles again, just take out 1 bag and thaw.  How convenient is that! 

In a medium bowl, whisk together bread flour, spinach puree, oil and salt.  When everything starts to come together, knead with hands until the dough is smooth.

The dough might a little firm to knead.  That is ok. 

Wrap it up with plastic wrap.  Allow it to rest for a couple hours, or overnight.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough as flat as you can.

And then feed it through the pasta roller for KitchenAid stand mixer for several times.  At the one last time, set the thickness to 3.

I also make egg noodle dough sheets.  Don’t they look pretty already?

Remove the roller, and put on the spaghetti cutter .

Run the thin dough sheet through pasta cutter.

They are getting prettier.

Now you have freshly homemade spinach noodles!  You can cook them right away; or you can just freeze them for later use like I do.