Recipe - Ginger Powder

Hello there,

Today I will be sharing with you how to make your own ginger powder. There are lots of benefits in making fresh ginger into powder form. For me, one of it is extending the use of ginger. If you're anything like me, my ginger usually dries out before me being able to use all of it. I really hate it when this happens. When ginger is in powder form, they usually last for months as long as they don't come into contact with moisture. You can also learn the various uses for powdered ginger here.

Without further ado, let's jump to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Any amount of ginger root (1” ginger root makes about 1 teaspoon of powder)

Tools:

Non-stick pan

Pestle and mortar

Food processor

Knife

Vegetable peeler

Sieve

Bowl

Method:

01.   Wash the ginger root(s) and peel using a vegetable peeler or knife.

02.   Cut into small pieces and pound with a pestle and mortar into a paste.

03.   Warm the pan using the lowest heat possible on the stove. Heat the ginger paste in the warm pan (without any oil).

I used a food processor instead of a pestle and mortar which results in an uneven size of ginger mince. This hinders the drying process substantially so I recommend using a pestle and mortar as in step 2.

04.   Stir the paste continuously until the turns into dry ginger granules.

Dried ginger granules..

05.   Wash and dry the food processor and/or pestle and mortar completely.

06.   Process the dried ginger into powder using the food processor.

07.   Sieve the powder. If there are remaining ginger granules, grind them with pestle and mortar. Sieve again. Repeat this process until all the ginger granules turn into fine powder.

08.   Store ginger powder in a dry container and store in a cool, dry place.

Before and after

Notes:

01.   Ginger naturally has water in them which is why it is always better to use a pestle and mortar to make a paste rather than a blender. The additional water required with the use of a blender will make the drying process much longer. It also hinders the drying process by making the ginger clump together.

02.   It is very IMPORTANT that all utensils that come in contact with the dried ginger granules are ABSOLUTELY dry. Same goes with the container used to store the powder. This ensures the longevity of the powder.

03.   The best way to make the ginger paste with a pestle and mortar because using a food processor produces uneven sized minced ginger. Uneven size makes it difficult to dry all of the ginger around the same time.

04.   The best way to make ginger powder is using the food processor. While it can be done with a pestle and mortar, it is almost impossible to grind the ginger fibers completely. With a food processor, every bit of the ginger can be utilized into fine powder. 

5. During the pan-drying process, there are 3 ways to know if the ginger is completely dry. First is that ginger will turn a lighter color. Second, the ginger will not stick to your kitchen ladle. Third, dried ginger will crumble and you will feel no residual moisture when you rub it between your fingers.


I hope you give it a try. If you do, do tell me how it went in the comments section. You can also take a picture and tag me in Instagram (username: phylliciarobert). Thanks!

Love,
Phy

Recipe: Easy Pie Crust Recipe

Hello there!

Today I will be sharing with you an uber easy pie crust recipe. No rolling pin needed! It's almost impossible to mess up. Without further ado, let's jump right into it.

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon of butter
1/4 cup of plain flour

(Pie crust)
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 an egg, beaten





Method:

01. Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

02. Spread the butter all over the interior of your baking pan. Then dust 1/4 cup of flour over the same surface.

03.Make sure the whole surface of the interior is covered. Discard the excess flour.

04. Mix the 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt and sugar together in a bowl.

05. Add the milk, egg and vegetable oil into the dry ingredients and incorporate everything together.




06. Transfer the dough into the baking pan and press the dough to it's sides and bottom.




07. Poke holes all over the dough using a fork.

08. Bake for 15 minutes at the pre-heated temperature. It will be half-baked and ready to use as your pie recipe requires.


Note

01. It is important to mix the dry ingredients FIRST before adding in the wet ingredients. This ensures the even distribution of sugar and salt throughout the dough.

02. The best baking pan size is a 9". However you can always double the recipe for a bigger pan. You can also do as I did and just line the pan half-way with dough as in the photo below.




So there you go. Do give this recipe a try. It's so delicious!

Good luck and see you in the next post. Cheers!


Love,
Phy


P/S: If you do give it a try, please take a picture and upload it on Instagram. Don't forget to tag me (phylliciarobert).

Recipe: Japanese-inspired Crispy Baked Chicken

Hello there!

Today I will be sharing with you a recipe that I was inspired to make one morning. It is baked thus a whole lot healthier than the normal, deep-fried chicken wings yet just as crispy and delicious.

Ingredients:

6 chicken wings

Marinade
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Shoyu sauce
1 tsp chilli powder (optional).

Wet Mixture
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 whole egg.

Dry Mixture
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of corn starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
2 small-sized sheet of ready-to-eat seaweed (finely chopped)

Garnish
Chilli flakes
1 small-sized sheet of ready-to-eat seaweed (chopped)

Method:

01. Marinade the chicken wings for about 30 minutes to an hour.

02. Pre-heat oven at 230 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

03. Mix all the wet ingredients together.

04. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a container with a lid.

05. Line baking tray with foil. Moderately oil the foil's surface.

06. Dip the marinated chicken wings into the wet ingredients then into the dry ingredients. Put in only a few pieces at a time.

07. Put the lid on the container and shake. This ensures that your hands stay clean and that the wings will be evenly coated with the dry mixture.

08. Take out the chicken wings and lay them on the baking tray. Once all the wings are done, let them rest on the tray between 5 to 10 minutes.

09. Brush or drizzle a little oil on the chicken wings. Bake between 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the wings over at the first 20 minutes mark.

10. After the wings are baked take out of the oven, sprinkle with chilli flakes and chopped seaweed. Serve.

Notes:

- Cut each of your wings into 3 separate pieces (instead of just 2) so that each piece can lie flat on the baking tray.

- The key to crispy wings lie in the corn starch. Hence, do not ommit this item.

- Ratio of all-purpose flour and corn starch MUST be 2:1.

- If your chicken just came out of the freezer, you can thaw it quickly by pan-frying it in a bit of oil or steaming it for about 5 minutes or so. If you do this, you need to reduce the baking time to between 30 to 35 minutes.

Hope you will give this recipe a try. Do tell me how it turned out or take a picture and upload it on Instagram. Don't forget to tag me (phylliciarobert). Good luck!


Love,
Phy