Yesterday was a hectic day and this bread is one of the reasons. Last Sunday, I saw some beautiful red beans so I bought some; that same day while watching a late night movie minutes before midnight I decided to make red bean paste for tomorrow and I proceeded to wash and soak the beans so they will be ready for tomorrow.
I made the red bean paste yesterday, smooth but with some chunks left for character including the bean skins. It was a 2 hour process; boiling, mashing by hand and sweetening. I love the texture of homemade bean paste and its sophisticated sweetness. I also like to make a small amount so we can have it fresh; what was left will be used for various rolls, pastries and sweets in the coming days.
My homemade red bean paste.
With the bean paste made, I suddenly thought of making a bread that would go well with it. For me, there is no better bread but a mantou, its slight blandness will make the red bean paste shine while providing the perfect texture. Just thinking of kneading dough by hand is somewhat tiring so I made a convenient schedule, make the dough at night, retard it and cook it tomorrow.
I thought I can have a good rest until night time but suddenly, dad requested if I can make my sticky rice dish that he loved and said he had all of the ingredients needed bought. How can I refuse? It is only one of the few times dad requested something from me and it’s me requesting something from him often like his wonderful fruit preserves and sweets. To add more, I decided to make some rice dumplings/zongzi (粽子) from the sticky rice I have which will be treated differently. So from the afternoon until midnight; I kneaded the dough, cut the meat and vegetable to their appropriate sizes, marinated and cooked them, prepared the rice and did all the things that need to be prepared in advance. If I haven’t done those, this day will be even more stressful. Thanks to the fridge!
Today is as hectic as if not more than yesterday, I cooked the sticky rice, made 2 rice dumplings, and made this bread! It was so exhausting but every effort I made was rewarded with very good food! We really had a feast today! Dad invited his friend and they really enjoyed what I made. They said now that I'm 21, I can really pull off some exceptional dishes without getting help. Seeing them enjoy the food I made is even more rewarding than enjoying the food itself, especially coming from my dad.
A well made mantou is already good but when deep fried like what is done in dim sum restaurants something magical happens and dipped in condensed milk, you cannot ask for more. It also goes great with savory dishes, in fact this was inspired by a bread in a Chinese restaurant served with red braised pork. The crust is thin and extremely crunchy. This can be described as a gigantic fried mantou. It is also not overly airy, it's fluffy and substantial just how we like it.
The flour I used was unbleached so it has a yellowish tinge to it.
Honestly, it's so soft, it's difficult to cut.
It's better to pull shreds from the crumb.
It really goes well with black or lightly sweetened coffee!
You choose, classic style with condensed milk...
Or with red bean paste....
My favorite... Combine the two!
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My sticky rice dish that dad requested...
Kiampung, a sticky rice dish with meat and vegetables commonly found in Hokkien households and in Chinatown. There are many versions of this dish but mine is my dad's favorite.
Some rice dumplings made with almost the same ingredients as an experiment. I used banana leaves and nylon string to wrap because that's what I only have on hand. With a different leaf and string (a thick natural fiber one is ideal) wrapping the tetrahedral zongzi (locally called as machang) is a pain so wrapping is "just seal it" style. The bamboo leaves used are only available in Chinatown which is 2 hours away from us given there is no heavy traffic jam. For a misshaped zongzi with a different aroma because of the different leaf, it came out pretty good.
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Those flowers in the first picture have a special place in my heart and they are blooming right now. With those flowers, many friendships were formed back when I was a child. There are 3 varieties that I know; red, yellow, and white. The red variety has the most flowers now; the yellow variety still has many buds that haven't bloomed; the white one still doesn't have any sign of flowers. These are called Santan, very common here and most yards now are covered with red and yellow flowers.
As you can see, each cluster is composed of many tiny flowers. Each flower has a stalk that you can pull; pull them halfway and you can link each flower to another flower, this is what girls usually do forming garlands and bracelets; pull them all the way and a tiny drop of liquid (they say it's the nectar) oozes out that you can sip and the taste is lightly sweet and this is what I do back then (we sometimes even strip whole shrubs of their flowers) and we think that the yellow variety produces the best tasting one. Every afternoon, kids flock the shrubs to do what I mentioned above sharing what they made/picked with the other kids while playing outdoor/team games (Ah! Those were the days!) nurturing friendships that we still remember to this day. Ask any kid of this generation and they probably wouldn't know what I'm talking about! :P The games and fun that they know today are iPad and Apps.
I wish you could see that stalk with the precious nectar!
Yes, technology might have taken some "fun" from this generation but I'm thankful for it and happy that I lived in this time. Ingredients are easier to source, recipes and food from around the world are easier to find broadening my mind and palate, and I am able to share some good stuff and see those of others no matter where in the world we are.
It's a tiring but happy day! When you finish a day weary and smiling, you appreciate rest much better!
Thank you very much!