Life is Great

Gooey Cinnamon Cake
Recipe adapted from Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, here republished with permission by David Lebovitz.

Cookie Base:


• 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) flour
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminium-free)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 8 tablespoons (115 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
  
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
  
• 1/4 cup (60 millilitres) full fat whole milk

Soft Gooey Layer:


• 1/4 cup (60 millilitres) honey
  
• 1/4 cup (60 millilitres) full fat whole milk
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  
• 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 180 grams sugar
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
  
• 1 1/4 (155 grams) cups flour

Cinnamon Topping:


• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all four sides. Spray the foil in the pan with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

To make the cookie base, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Beat the 8 tablespoons (115 grams) of butter and the 3/4 cup (150 grams) of sugar in the bowl of stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or by hand, until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and the milk and mix in, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients, until fully incorporated. Put the mixture in the cake pan in dollops (it’s too thick to spread if you add it all in the same place), and spread it into an even layer with an offset spatula.

(You don’t need to clean the bowl; you can reuse it for the next step.)

To make the soft gooey layer, in a small bowl, whisk together the honey with the milk and vanilla. Beat the 12 tablespoons (170 grams) of butter with the 180 grams of sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add one-third of the 1 1/4 cup (155 grams) flour, then half of the milk/honey mixture. Add another one-third of the flour, then the rest of the milk/corn syrup mixture. Then stir in the remaining flour. Dollop the batter over the unbaked cookie layer and spread evenly.

Mix together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle it evenly over the cake.

Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until the cake feels slightly damp, but gently set in the center (mine was removed at 26 minutes for the extra gooey texture. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. When cool, lift out the cake using the overhang of the foil, and cut the cake into 1-inch wide slices.

Chinese Crispy Roast Pork Belly (Siu Yuk 烧肉)
Recipe adapted from Chef Sing of Hungry Mario.

• 2 kilograms pork belly, skin on (get the thickest, most even slab from the butcher)
  
• kosher salt
  
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Spice oil mix:


• 1 cube Nam Yue (red fermented bean curd)
  
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Shao Xing rice wine
  
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  
• 3 teaspoons Chinese five spice
  
• 3 pinches kosher salt
  
• 1 pinch freshly ground white pepper

Trim the underside of the pork belly if thickness is not even. Place on a flat tray or sheet pan, cover with cling wrap and freeze for about 20-30 minutes.

Remove pork belly from freezer and check that the skin is semi-frozen. With a thin, sharp knife, score the skin in long strips, about 5 mm apart. Score just deep enough to reach the first fat layer but refrain from cutting through the fat. Move the tray and scored meat to the sink. Keeping the meat slightly slanted with the help of the tray, generously splash the skin with vinegar and rub in between the scoring. Drain all the vinegar off and let stand, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the all the spice oil ingredients together. Place a foil covered tray on the oven floor and a wire rack in the middle. Preheat oven to 220°C, convection fan (if available) on.

Pat dry the skin with kitchen towels. Repeat the vinegar rub process again, this time also adding the kosher salt. Pat dry and remove the excess salt. Flip the belly slab over and lightly score the underside, criss-cross about 2 cm square apart. Pat dry and apply the spice oil mix on the underside and four sides of the pork belly slab. Flip the meat over, leaving the skin side clean. Season skin with salt and pepper to taste. To prevent the meat from curling, pierce through the slab with an oven-safe metal skewer. Place the meat into the oven directly on the prepared wire rack. Roast for 20 minutes.

Turn down the temperature to 180°C and roast for another 20 minutes.

Turn the oven to grill and increase the temperature back to 220°C. Keep the oven door shut for the next 20 minutes. Some parts of the crackling may be slightly burnt, these bits can be scraped off later. After 20 minutes, remove the roast and rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Meat keeps well covered in the fridge for a week. Only slice the portion required for serving to keep it moist. To get crispy crackling from leftovers, place the sliced meat skin side down on a hot cast iron pan for 3-4 minutes.

ABC Soup

Recipe is completely based on estimation of how my parents made the soup, in Malay we say "agak-agak". Adjust accordingly to your own preferences.

• 500-600 grams pork ribs (I like soft bones mixed with some hard ribs)
  
• 1 large carrot, sliced diagonally
  
• 1 large boiling or russet potato, peeled and halved
  
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and halved
  
• 1 tomato, skin on
  
• 1 teaspoon white peppercorn (optional)
  
• 1.5 liters water
  
• salt to taste
  

In a medium pot or wok, bring about 1 liter of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables accordingly. As this soup is slow cooked, I like to cut them large so they don't disintegrate and cloud the soup at the end. At the end of 2 hours, the onion will peel its layers easily and potato soft enough to be eaten with a spoon, so go easy on the knife work.

Blanch pork ribs in the boiling water for about 2 minutes, then rinse with cold water, and set aside. (Blanching any longer will dilute the pork flavor, so I prefer to skim off any remaining scum from the soup as it begins cooking.) In the pot of your choice (I use a cast iron pot, you can use any pot suitable for slow cooking), place the blanched pork ribs and the rest of the ingredients (except salt). Add water and bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for at least 1 1/2 hours. For best results, cook on the lowest simmering heat possible for up to 2 hours. Season to taste with salt.

Serve warm as is or with the rest of your meal. When keeping leftover soup, remove the tomato (if not eaten). Soup keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 days.