Korean Pancakes

This post will be a review on Ottogi Korean Pancake mix.

Recently.. on one of those weekly grocery runs with my parents, I came across this pancake mix! I love Korean pancakes. The ones where they add seafood, bell peppers, mushrooms or a combination of everything.




All you have to do with this mix is add water! Mix mix mix and throw in anything you would like in your pancake. For me, I added a batch with kimchi and a batch with mushrooms and onions. I loved both. The one thing I disliked about this mix is the oily-ness of it. I am not sure if it is the mix itself or the way I pan fried it.. The pancakes came out on the oily side and not as crunchy as the ones I get at Korean restaurants.



Taste: 3.5 stars out of 5 (the mix has a good flavor but slightly over oily)
Texture: 3 stars out of 5 (chewy)

Tofu Cheesecake

Uh oh. I made this tofu cheesecake way back in March.. and I forgot which recipe I used. I am 60% sure I used the following recipe. And I am not sure which website I got it from.. I might've translated it from an Asian blog though. However, I tweaked it so much that I don't think it resembles the original anymore. So Here's my "original" tofu cheesecake recipe!

Tofu Cheesecake
-makes one 8" round

For the graham cracker crust:
17 graham crackers
5tbsp butter

1. Finely crush the crackers
2. Melt butter and mix with the graham crumbs
3. Put in mold and press firmly
4. Bake in oven at around 300F for 5 mins or until toasty (You can also skip this step and just put it in the fridge)

For the tofu cheese part:
80g cream cheese
130g whipping cream
220-225g silken tofu, drained (*the silkier the better!)
50g sugar
6g gelatin
50g/ 3tbsp cold water


^failed. At this stage, I think the mixture should be flow-y and lava like..

1. Beat cream to 60% firm (a frozen yogurt/ ice cream- like texture)
2. Mesh and beat tofu
3. Put gelatin in cold water. Mix and put on double boiler until gelatin is dissolved
4. Beat cream cheese with sugar
5. Add tofu 1/3 at a time into cream cheese/ sugar mixture
6. Add gelatin 1/3 at a time into tofu/ cream cheese mixture
7. Mix/ fold with cream
8. Pour into mold
9. Fridge for at least 6 hours before un- molding

This recipe attempt didn't work too well for me. My "cheesecake" turned out lumpy and tasted like a giant glob of whipped cream.. with a hint of soybean-yness and chunks of jello-y stuff! Important note to self: I need to take extra caution when I work with gelatin next time. My gelatin solidified before I incorporated it into the tofu/ cream cheese.. And I mindlessly beat it in the the cream cheese mixture thinking it will magically incorporated. Big no-no! Next time, I should keep the gelatin on the double boiler so it doesn't solidify too early.

Aside from the strange texture of the tofu cheesecake, I am pleasantly pleased with the crust I made. At first, I did try to convert the exact measurement I got from the website.. But I got lazy and just eyeballed everything. It turned out great. I think I ended up using less butter( : Slightly healthier?



Taste: 3.5 stars out of 5 (I didn't mind the whippped cream taste/texture too much)
Texture: 2.5 stars out of 5 (other than the chunks of jello in the cake, I think the texture was ok.. just some fluffy whipped cream)

I am determined to get this tofu cheesecake right next time! Keep an eye out( :

Grissini (bread sticks)

Grissini
recipe from LA Times
- makes 4 dozen breadsticks

1/2 cup warm water
1 package (7g) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt



1. In a large bowl, combine the water with the yeast, sugar and one-half cup of the all-purpose flour. Set aside for 10 minutes, until bubbly.
2. Stir in the remaining all-purpose flour, wheat flour, olive oil and salt and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Wash out the bowl and coat it with a thin layer of olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into four pieces on a floured surface. Roll out each piece into a rectangle, 4 by 12 inches. Cut the dough lengthwise into one-third-inch-wide strips. Place the strips about one-half-inch apart on a greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough. Allow the grissini to rise until puffed, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Bake the grissini, in batches, on the top shelf of the oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool on a rack and continue until all the grissini are baked. Cool, then store in a sealed bag, being careful not to break them.

Note: Grissini are easy to flavor: Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary to the dough. Or add freshly cracked black pepper, thyme, caraway or other spices or herbs. Or sprinkle the grissini with sea salt or other specialty salt just before baking.



I had a super duper load of fun giving EACH grissini a different flavor! (And I am super duper glad that they turned out delicious!) My choice of toppings included sea salt, pepper, chili powder, toasted onion flakes, cheese& jalapeno flakes/mix and shredded cheddar(personal favorite). I did make a few plain just so I can truly taste how the originals are. Good good good! These are great snacks and YES! Sprinkle them with cheese.. please! It adds a niceeee crunch and an attractive appearance to them : D

I also tried twisting them but those came out on the thick side.. and therefore not as crisp and crunchy as the flat ones.

Taste: 5 stars out of 5 (I love my toppings!)
Texture: 4 stars out of 5 (Perfect the day baked, not as crisp overnight)



ENJOY~~~

Homemade Pocky

Pocky
recipe from Not Quite Nigella
-makes 65 pockys

105g/3.7 oz strong baker’s/bread flour
80g/2.82oz plain all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
13g/0.46oz icing sugar sifted (I only used 10g)
6g/0.21oz dried yeast
65ml/2.20 fl oz milk, lukewarm (I opted for soymilk)
16g/0.56oz tahini (omitted)
25g/0.88oz honey
zest of 1/2 mandarin or 1/4 orange
25g/0.88oz butter at room temperature



1. Combine the yeast and lukewarm milk in a small bowl and stir to combine. Fit a dough hook in an electric mixer and mix the dry ingredients on a low speed.

2. In another bowl, mix the honey and tahini together. Add this mix and the milk and yeast mix to the dry ingredients. Mix together on medium speed to form a dough. Add zest and butter and 60ml water and continue mixing until the dough is firm and elastic. I needed to add a bit more flour to make the dough come together after the addition of the butter as it was a little too wet.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 180c/350F. Divide the dough into two and knead the dough until smooth then roll it out into a rectangle. Roll it out to 4mm thick (1/4 inch). With a ruler and a sharp knife, cut 5mmx15cms strips and carefully transfer these onto a lightly greased baking tray or greaseproof paper lined baking tray.
5. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes (watch it, it may take a bit longer or shorter). You want it golden brown, not light yellow as it will not “snap” properly.



I was really excited about the idea of making my own POCKY! I love pocky! It is definitely one of my favorite childhood snacks. I can snack on it all day if I can. I was especially excited about making them since they are a little pricey for the amount you get in the market (around US$2-3). I can save tons if I can make my own!

This recipe was "a little" disappointing. They didn't turn out like the pocky you get at the market. However, it might just be the reason that I omitted tahini and substituted milk with soymilk. I also found the dough hard to work with. It was hard to get them to be skinny and thin.. hence the big fat not-so-crunchy outcome.

The biscuit part of the pocky didn't turn out too well. But I did enjoy the chocolate/nuts coating part. I shall try this recipe when I get ahold of tahini and I definitely want to try a white chocolate and toasted coconut flakes coat! Oh, and I highly recommend halving the recipe when you are trying it out the first time. This recipe makes an enormous amount of pocky.

Taste: 2 stars out of 5 (bland, slight sweetness, not the biscuit-y taste I want)
Texture: 1 stars out of 5 (too thick, chewy, not crisp and crunchy)