Hobnob Shares Six Piquant Recipes

We have all had lazy weekends where we just don’t feel like heading out. But weekends are meant to be celebrated, right? As the magazine that reads you closely, we have paired up with Hobnob Cafe to bring to you six easy to prepare dishes that combine to make the most delightful three-course meal. This will definitely help turn those lazy weekends to days to cherish.

CRYSTAL SHRIMP DUMPLING

Ingredients

  • 50 g wheat starch
  • 50 g tapioca starch
  • 1/2 g salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 160 ml boiling water
  • 5g Corn Starch
  • Almond butter
  • 500g Shrimp
  • Chicken broth
  • ½ g White pepper
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 2 tps Sesame oil
  • ½ g Salt

Method
For Dough

Mix the wheat starch, tapioca starch and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the boiling water into the mixing bowl. Stir the mixture vigorously until it looks like snowflakes. Add the oil. Knead the dough until soft and pliable. Cover it and let it relax for 5 minutes. Put it on a wok surface and roll it into long strips. Cut dough into small portions, 15-20g each. Roll out the dough, wrap the shrimp filling with the wrapper.

For Filling

Clean and devein the shrimps. Marinate with salt for 5 minutes and wash thoroughly under running water. Chop the shrimp coarsely. Chop the garlic cloves into small pieces. Mix the shrimps, and the seasoning together until it becomes sticky.
Place the dumplings in the bamboo steamer. Steam for 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

CRYSTAL CHICKEN DUMPLING

Ingredients

  • 50 g wheat starch
  • 50 g tapioca starch
  • 1/2 g salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 160 ml boiling water
  • 5g Corn Starch
  • Almond butter
  • 500g Chicken
  • Chicken broth
  • ½ g White pepper
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 2 tps Sesame oil
  • ½ g Salt

Method

For Dough

Mix the wheat starch, tapioca starch and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the boiling water into the mixing bowl. Stir the mixture vigorously until it looks like snowflakes. Add the oil. Knead the dough until soft and pliable. Cover it and let it relax for 5 minutes. Put it on a wok surface and roll it into long strips. Cut dough into small portions, 15-20g each. Roll out the dough, wrap the shrimp filling with the wrapper.

For Filling

Clean the chicken. Marinate with salt for 5 minutes and wash thoroughly under running water. Chop the garlic cloves into small pieces. Mix the shrimps, garlic, minced chicken and the seasoning together until it becomes sticky.
Place the dumplings in the bamboo steamer. Steam for 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

FRIED BEEF ROLL NOODLE

Ingredients

  • 9 ounces ground beef
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 3 tsp chicken broth
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Chinese rice wine
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  • 4 fresh rice noodle rolls

Method

Combine the ground beef, egg, chicken broth, cornstarch, oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, green onions and cilantro. Set aside. Carefully unroll the rice noodle rolls. Trim each in a rectangle approximately 6 inches by 7 inches. Divide the filling among the rolls, then re-roll the noodles. Put the rolls on a plate in a large bamboo steamer, cover and steam for 5 minutes. Serve the rolls cut into pieces and drizzled with light soy sauce or oyster sauce.

HOBNOB SPICY CURRY RAMEN

Ingredients

  • 200g chicken breast
  • 1 Egg
  • 100g Sweet Corn
  • Ramen Noodles
  • 4 cups Chicken stock
  • Black Pepper
  • Red chilli
  • Olive Oil
  • 2tsp Fish sauce
  • Basil leaf
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • Ginger
  • 1½ tsp Brown sugar
  • Dry chilli
  • Spring onion
  • Coriander leaf

Method

Put a pot of water on to boil for the noodles

Cook the beef or chicken

Slice the chicken into 3/4 inch. Heat the oil in a pan large enough to hold the stock until it just shimmers. Fry the chicken until just done and remove.

Medium boiled eggs

Gently lower the eggs into the boiling water (the water for the noodles) and cook for 6 1/2 minutes. After 6 1/2 minutes place the eggs in a bowl of ice water to cool. You want them to cool quickly to stop the yolks from hardening. Once they have cooled slice each egg in half lengthwise. Be careful. The yolks still have a bit of runny texture.

Make the broth

Chop the cubes into small pieces. Deglaze the pan with a bit of chicken stock then add about another cup of stock. Add the chopped cubes into the stock and bring to a boil. These things don’t dissolve very well so you will have to chase them with a spatula. Once the cubes have dissolved add the remaining stock and simmer for about 4-5 minutes. While the stock simmers cook the ramen noodles. Drain the noodles.

To serve

Divide the noodles across two bowls. Arrange the chicken on top of the noodles and pour half the broth into each bowl. Add the eggs, submerging slightly to warm them through. Top with green onion and enjoy!

HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

Ingredients

  • Whole chicken
  • ¼ cup kosher salt(60 g), divided
  • 4 inch pieces fresh ginger, peeled and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices
  • 1 bunch fresh scallion
  • 1 gal cold water(3.7 L), plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil

Hainanese Rice

  • ¼ cup sesame oil(60 mL)
  • 2 tablespoons chicken fat, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups long grain rice(400 g), rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups reserved chicken poaching broth(480 mL)

Chili Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons sambal
  • 2 tablespoons sriracha
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons reserved chicken poaching broth

Method

Clean the chicken, rub all over with a handful of kosher salt. Pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken generously with salt. Stuff the chicken cavity with the ginger slices and scallions.

Place the chicken in a large stockpot, cover with cold water by 1 inch, and season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot, reserving the poaching liquid for later, and transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop the cooking process and to keep the chicken skin springy. Discard the ginger and green onion. After it’s cooled, rub all over with sesame oil.

In a large wok or skillet, heat ¼ cup (60 ml) of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved chopped chicken fat, the garlic, ginger, and salt, and fry until aromatic, about 10 minutes. Reserve ¼ of the fried garlic mixture, then add the rice to the remaining fried garlic and stir to coat. Cook for 3 minutes.

Chili sauce:

Combine the sambal, Sriracha, sugar, garlic, ginger, lime juice, and chicken broth in a small bowl and stir to incorporate.

Serve the sliced chicken with the rice, dipping sauces, sliced cucumbers, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

SALTED CARAMEL FUDGE CAKE

Ingredients

  • Chocolate Sponge
  • butter, for greasing
  • 125g of caster sugar
  • 100g of soft brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste or powder
  • 240ml of vegetable oil
  • 200g of self-raising flour
  • 75g of cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 pinch of sea salt
  • 2 tbsp of natural yoghurt, plain

Salted Caramel Filling

  • 250g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 500g of icing sugar
  • 3 tbsp of caramel sauce
  • 1 pinch of sea salt

Chocolate Fudge Topping

  • 200g of dark chocolate, good-quality
  • 125ml of double cream
  • 2 tbsp of caramel sauce
  • sprinkles, or chopped fudge pieces

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter two cake tins and line the bottom. Mix the caster sugar, soft brown sugar, eggs and vanilla together for about four minutes until creamy. Slowly add the vegetable oil and mix again well. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and stir together well. Add a pinch of salt and stir in the plain yoghurt, mix well. Divide the mixture equally and bake for 30 minutes, checking after 25 minutes. Once cooked, take the sponges out of the oven and leave to cool.
To make the filling, beat the butter until soft and a little fluffy. Carefully add the icing sugar a little at a time and keep mixing until the whole amount is added in. Add the caramel sauce and a pinch of sea salt and mix in well.

Once the sponges are completely cool, carefully slice them in half across into four sponges. Put the first layer directly onto a serving plate or cake stand and spread one-third of the buttercream over the sponge almost to the edge. Repeat until you have three layers and then place the final sponge on top.

Melt the chocolate, take off the heat and stir in the cream and the caramel. Leave to cool, before spreading the fudge topping over the top layer of the cake. Enjoy!