Quarantine Baking Round 1: Hokkaido Milk Rolls (World's Best Dinner Roll)

You might not be familiar with Hokkaido Milk Bread, but I promise you, make it once, and it will instantly become a favorite. Sweet, airy, fluffy, and springy, this bread is highly versatile and can easily be adapted for a variety of uses. This recipe is for a pull apart dinner roll, but you can easily make a stuffed bun or full loaf. It is a very simple recipe with one little secret that makes the bread so light and fluffy: tangzhong.

So what exactly is tangzhong? In practice, it is the miracle to make any bread lighter and fluffier. Dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, brioche, challah....if they are dry and chewy, try a tangzhong. This is a Japanese technique where you cook a small portion of flour and water before adding it to a yeast bread. Doing this pre-gelatinizes the flour starches, allowing them to absorb far more water. It also holds on to that water better throughout the entire process of mixing, kneading, and baking. Your bread will not only be softer but rise higher and stay fresh longer.

Before we get into how to make a tangzhong and the Hokkaido Milk Rolls, go ahead and pull 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter to soften and one large egg to come to room temperature. I always forget to do that until it's too late.

For the Tangzhong:

2 Tablespoons Bread or AP Flour

2 Tablespoons water

4 Tablespoons whole milk

For the Bread Dough:

2.5 Cups Bread or AP Flour

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

3/4 Teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 Cup whole milk

1/4 Cup granulated white sugar 

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 whole egg, room temperature

For the Egg Wash:

1 Whole Egg

2 tablespoons whole milk, beaten

For the topping 

1/4 Cup unsalted butter

2 Cloves garlic (savory)

or

1/4 cup Honey (sweet)

1 tablespoon high quality flake sea salt 

1. In a small sauce pan mix the ingredients for the tangzhong. Whisk together over low heat until it forms a sticky paste. This will happen very quickly, 30 seconds to 2 minutes at the most. Remove to a separate dish to cool.

2. Bloom the yeast by warming the milk slightly to 95-105 degrees and stirring in the yeast. Allow the yeast mixture to sit for 10 minutes, until frothy.

3. Whisk together the remaining dry ingredients (2.5 cups flour, Sea Salt, White Sugar) in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment.

4. Add tangzhong, milk & yeast slurry, and egg. Start at low, scrapping sides as needed. As soon as dough begins to come together increase to medium-low. Add the softened butter in thirds, mix until incorporated.

5. After butter has been incorporated continue mixing on medium-low for 5-7 minutes, or until smooth. Move the dough to a clean work surface. The dough may be sticky, and that's okay. Work into a tight boule by pulling dough from the top and tucking it under while slowly turning the dough. It should look like a tight ball when done. Place in a lightly greased bowl under a damp kitchen towel at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until roughly doubled.

6. After your dough has risen lightly, punch it down and move to a lightly floured surface. Divide into 9 portions (each should weigh 72-78grams) and form 9 individual tight boules as you did in step 5. Place in a lightly greased 9x9 pan in 3 rows of 3. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for another 1-2 hours at room temperature. 

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush rolls with egg wash. Bake for 28-30 minutes.

8. Make either savory topping (garlic and butter) or sweet topping (honey and butter) by combining both in a small pan over low heat.

9. Remove buns from oven, top with butter mixture, and sprinkle with flake salt.

Alternate Style 1:

In step six, after punching down, just place entire dough into a well greased loaf pan to form a single loaf. Follow all other directions as written.

Alternate Style 2:

In step six, after dividing dough and forming boule, press down the center to form a well. Fill the well with two tablespoons of filling. You can do savory (such as BBQ Pork or Curry) or sweet (such as dark chocolate or red bean paste). Follow the remaining steps, but be sure to use the sweet or savory topping to match the filling. 

Best Bites Round 1: Singapore

2019 was a busy year for us. Through the course of the year we hit 8 countries, Maui, and the New England coast. Over the next few weeks I'm going to highlight some of the best individual dishes from the many places we traveled in 2019. First up: the island city state of Singapore.

Pancake. Bacon. Flight. Magic. Bearded Bella (8 Craig Rd, Singapore 089668)

First, I must admit I'm very partial to the Duxton Hill area in general. Cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and bars fill the charming terrace houses of this most quaint neighborhood in Singapore. But only one cafe has a bacon flight. Bearded Bella, the quirky and lively little cafe less than a block from the former Tiger Balm Headquarters, has the hands-down most interesting way to start your day. Maple infused pancakes, spicy butter, and onion jam all work brilliantly with the trio of bacon slices. On this particular day there was a traditional bacon back, a maple glazed, and the most singularly amazing slice of bacon I've tried in years: Paprika spiced.

Black Pepper Live Mud Crab New Ubin Seafood Chimes (30 Victoria St, #02-01B/C Singapore 187996)

Chili Crab is often listed as the "Must Try" dish of Singapore, but I would say this crab preparation pioneered by Long Beach Seafood in 1959 is actually the superior preparation. While available at many restaurants around the city, the setting of a Convent converted into an eclectic high-end restaurant center makes New Ubin my personal choice. The wok fried crab is less saucy than chili crab, and much less sweet, with the black pepper and oyster sauces coming through beautifully. Just make sure to order Man Tou Buns to sop up all that sauce.

Beef Katsu Sando The Feather Blade (90 Club St, Singapore 069458)

The Feather Blade is a restaurant that absolutely knows what it is. One entree. Four sides. Occasionally a special. No muss, no fuss, just stunning meat done to perfection. But it is one of those specials that I want to talk about. Seared USDA Prime flat iron, breaded and fried in beef drippings, then pressed in buttery brioche that is lathered in an umami bomb Katsu sauce. While this is a dish intended for sharing, I recommend ordering one as an appetizer and one as dessert.

Twice-Cooked Angus Short Ribs Xiao Ya Tou (6, #01-01 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089592)

Xiao Ya Tou, the little imp of Duxton Hill, is a modern Asian restaurant that revels in the quirky and naughty reputation this area of Singapore has worked hard to shed. The vintage menu art alone makes a stop worthwhile, but the menu is one of the best in the city top to bottom. Narrowing down a best bite from Xiao Ya Tou from the eight dishes we tried was pretty difficult, but the succulent short ribs just kept calling us back again and again. Go with a crew, order the entire menu, you won't be disappointed.

All The Roast Meats Foong Kee Coffee Shop (6 Keong Saik Rd., Singapore 089114)

                                         

For our last dish we cross the street out of Duxton Hill onto Keong Saik road to find a roast meats window nestled between two ancient brothels. Cheap white plastic tables overflowing with those lucky enough to find a seat, Foong Kee is famous for its char siew, but the roast pork belly and duck are also out of this world good. This stall has stayed relevant from the days when Keong Saik was considered a slum to today for one simple reason, it has the best roast meats in Singapore. 

Recipe: Korean Beef Bowl in the Instant Pot

So in my quest to get the most out of my Instant Pot, I picked up the Ekovana Stackable Steamer inner pans. Naturally my first thought was to make a rice dish. I wanted to try a dish that would give amazing flavor while highlighting the rice on its own. So, in comes this quick and easy take on a Korean classic. A minimum of prep, maybe 5 minutes of total work, and 14 minutes total in the Instant Pot. Serve on its own for a tasty dinner or paired with banchan, the traditional Korean side dishes (see below for a few examples).

Special Equipment:
1 Instant Pot
1 Stainless steel long legged trivet
1 Stainless steel steamer pan with lid (the one with holes)

Ingredients:

- 1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1.5 pounds lean ground beef (Pork also works wonderfully)
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 6 Cardamom pods
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon White pepper
- 1 teaspoon Gochujang (for mild) 2 Tablespoons for HOT (If your store doesn't carry this amazing chili paste, you can substitute sambal Oelek, but I urge you to find some. It's so worth it!)
- 1 Asian pear, diced (You can substitute 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce in a pinch.)
- 1/4 cup Joseon Ganjang (Or dark soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 large egg per plate (fried)
- Sriracha (optional garnish)
- toasted sesame seeds (garnish)
- diced scallions (garnish)

For the Rice:

When cooking rice in the Instant Pot, weighing out the ingredients is the only way to have perfect rice every time. Also, pay specific attention to the type of rice a recipe calls for. There are many varieties of rice, and each has its own culinary uses and cooks differently. Using a rice other than the type specified could lead to a total culinary disaster.

- 1 pound Calrose Rice (rinsed)
- 1 pound filtered water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Steps:

1. Set Instant Pot to sauté and allow to heat 1 minute.
2. Add olive oil, wait 30 seconds, then add cardamom and cinnamon. Toast until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add onion and meat. Using a wooden spoon, break the meat up as much as you can, no more than 1 minute.
4. Add ginger, garlic, fish sauce, salt, pepper, gochujang. Mix.
5. Add in pear and Joseon Ganjang (or applesauce and Soy Sauce) and sesame oil. Mix.
6. Place trivet over meat.
7. Place rice and water in steamer pan. Top with butter. Place lid, and set on top of trivet.
8. Lock lid, set pressure valve, and cook on high for 4 minutes. Allow to naturally release for 10 minutes before opening valve to release remaining pressure.
9. Remove lid and carefully lift insert from Instant Pot. Add Rice vinegar, fluff rice, and divide into bowls. Top with beef.
10. Garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, fried egg, and Sriracha.

Banchan (side dishes):

Banchan, the traditional Korean side dishes, run the gamut of flavors from sweet to salty to extra extra spicy. Here are some quick and easy ones, but I also recommend Kimchee (obviously), marinated soybean sprouts, radish kimchee, braised potatoes, and stir fried eggplant.

Oi Muchim (Spicy Cucumber salad)

Ingredients

- 1 hothouse cucumber
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon plum vinegar (you can substitute white distilled vinegar)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Using a mandolin, slice cucumber as thin as possible. Toss with salt, and set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Drain any liquid. Combine with remaining ingredients, and chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

Hoban Bokkeum (stir fried zucchini)

Ingredients 

- 1 medium zucchini
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices.
2. Add fish sauce.
3. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add zucchini, fish sauce, and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook for another minute or two, stirring, until the zucchini is softened and turns translucent. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Tonight's Episode: Eating Local in a Tourist Trap (Fiji Edition)

Fiji. Four simple letters that combine to immediately transport your mind to Paradise. Clear waters, warm beaches, epic sunsets.....Fiji. So you book your flight, enjoy your 11 hour nap, and arrive at Nadi International Airport. At this point, unless you stayed where we did (post to come) you will likely end up at Denarau Island. Either you will stay on Denarau Island for one of its eight large resorts or, if you are the more adventurous type, you will be boarding a boat for one of the many smaller island resorts. Either way you will quickly see that the Marina (and island at large) is one large tourist trap ready to separate you from your money as fast as possible. But if you walk quickly past the souvenir shops and Hard Rock Cafe to the back corner of the shopping center, you will find a warm and authentic welcome at Nadina Authentic Fijian Restaurant.

In our week on the Fijian main island of Veti Levu we dined at Nadina 3 times. This entailed a 45 minute drive each way through the rural expanse of the West coast, and was so worth it every time. Our first trip was to visit Denarau's shops, our second and third trips were in spite of them. Nadina's food, and people, kept calling us back.

Now before I dive into the food, I need to talk about the family at Nadina. I don't mean blood relations, I mean the amazingly warm and loving employees who immediately make you feel at home. While the entire staff was amazing, you will remember Aggie, in particular, for the rest of your life. A striking woman with a larger than life personality, who puts you at ease with her warm demeanor and makes you feel at home with her teasing manner. At our last meal before heading to the airport, we exchanged contact info, hugs, and tears with this woman who we thought was just here to feed our bellies, not our hearts.

Local rum, with more local rum, and a third local rum. And some juice. 

Ok, on to the food! Nadina focuses on locally grown and foraged ingredients and techniques. The signature Kovu ($38-65 Fijian dollars) is probably the dish you think of when you think of South Pacific cooking. Fresh meat, seasoned with coconut and spices, wrapped in banana leaves....don't be put off by the 40 minute cooking time. It is worth it for these delicious packets of fresh and bright flavors. There are multiple proteins to choose from, but my favorite was the walu (fish). The slaw side dish was also incredible with cabbage, local pumpkin, other veg, and a squeeze of bush lemon juice. It was one of my favorite things I ate the entire trip.

The Fijian curries ($30-37 FJD) are also exemplary and a favorite of the Girl. The prawn and coconut curry in particular is a stand out, with its mild-in-heat but heavy-in-spicing flavor. Another standout on the menu is the Kokoda. Best understood as the Fijian equivalent of ceviche, and available in appetizer and entree sizes ($19-40 FJD), Kokoda is deep water walu fish cured in bush lemon juice and miti (Fiji's coconut based condiment that makes kokoda creamy as opposed to the vinegar bite of ceviche). The Kokoda at Nadina is so good that I stopped eating the version at the resort for fear of ruining the flavor for me.

The final dish I want to talk about are not only the single best tasting dish of the entire trip, but one of the top 10 best dishes of my entire life: RouRou Balls ($30 FJD). RouRou balls are actually a vegetarian dish that starts with taro leaves torn into small pieces and cooked down for more than an hour before being combined with onion and garlic. The balls are lightly breaded and shallow fried before then being simmered in coconut cream. Earthy, fragrant, garlicky, and sweet from the coconut, the rourou balls are almost a tropical play on a Swedish meatball and so singularly delicious.

Walking out of Nadina for the last time was far more difficult than leaving the lush resort. The incredible food and real comforting warmth of everyone made each visit uniquely special, and the memories of each meal will linger far longer than even the best Fijian sunset. I just hope one day soon I will hear Aggie say "Bula" before welcoming me home again.

Recipe: Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto

So in my last recipe, I gave you the keys to cooking a traditional style risotto with a far more forgiving base than the traditional Arborio rice. That recipe still took all the time and effort of a risotto, but it reduced the likelihood of dinner being ruined through inattention. But what if you still want that umptious traditional rice risotto without all that endless stirring and ladling in of stock? That's where the Instant Pot swoops in to save dinner.

Utilizing the Instant Pot's sauté and pressure cooking functions, you can achieve nearly flawless risotto with a minimum of effort. So put that wooden spoon back in the drawer, and pour yourself a glass of wine (just save a cup for the risotto), and let technology do most of the work for you.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided into 2-2 tablespoon quantities

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc

1 quart seafood stock

1 pound medium shrimp, deveined and peeled (You can use uncooked shrimp if you wish but pre cooked work just fine and is one less step)

1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek 

3 stalks thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/4 shredded parmesan

2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives

Preparation

1. Set Instant Pot to sauté  add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once heated add shallots, carrot, and celery. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 

2. Add rice and garlic, and stir to coat before adding wine. Cook 1 minute

3. Add Seafood stock and thyme. Close lid and set to High Pressure on manual for 9 minutes.

4. After starting the Instant Pot, heat a large non-stick pan on medium heat with the remaining olive oil. Season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and fenugreek. Add to pan and warm the shrimp, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the peas to the shrimp, cook 1 minute.

5. Once the Instant Pot has finished cooking, open the pressure valve for rapid release. Add the shrimp, peas, chives, and grated parmesan. Remove woody thyme stems. Serve with shredded parmesan and a cheese crostini.