Corn, of the Popped Variety

I'm not a huge fan of popcorn. I don't buy it at the movies, because I think it's always just slightly warm, and the freezing air conditioning in cinemas the cools the whole tub of popcorn before the movie even starts. And I believe that popcorn must be eaten fresh and hot, when the caramel is still slightly soft.


Now, but this popcorn - it's the real good stuff. Freshly popped. Nice, warm and crunchy. Just sweet enough so it's not cloying, with a sprinkling of salt to add an extra something to your taste buds. Lightly coated with butter to make it even more tempting to gobble up the whole bowl.

(Random point: Hmm my fingers look really dark here. And short. And stubby...)

And, it takes less than 10 minutes to whip up. (But it also disappears in 10 minutes.)

I think I've found the perfect homemade snack for homework sessions. Heck, it's so good and easy to make, I might actually pop my own corn for the movies!

Homemade Popcorn
Adapted from Joy the Baker

1/2 cup popcorn
1/8 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
Knob of butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust according to your own taste)

1. Heat oil and butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Make sure that it’s a pan that you can easily lift and shake in the air. Yea… you’ll also want to have two pot holders on hand.
2. Once the oil is hot, pour in the popcorn, sprinkle sugar on top and cover.
3. It will take a few minutes for the first pops, but once the popcorn starts popping, shake continuously until the popcorn is popped. This means that, once the popcorn really starts going, you’ll want to grab the pot with your pot holders, securing the lid, and shake the pot above the flame of the stove for a few seconds, return to the heat, and repeat this process several times throughout the popping process. This will prevent the popcorn from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl and salt lightly. Mix with a big spoon. The sugar will still be hot, and the popcorn may be sticky. Don’t burn your hands on hot sugar. The popcorn will dry as it cools. Makes 8-10 cups.

Ice Cream Dorayaki

Wow. It's been three weeks since I've updated My Buttery Fingers! Although it's summer, I haven't been baking much. Here are some excuses: It's too hot. I have too much school work to do - EE, university applications, homework, revision and more revision. And work experience (for me, that's two weeks at a lab. It's really fun though!)

I might have not been in the mood to bake, but I was definitely in the mood for ice cream. More ice cream, I should say - but that's the only thing I've been churning out, so I apologise for the bombardment of posts about ice cream on my blog! But again, everyone screams for ice cream...right?


But this post isn't just about ice cream. It's about a twist on Dorayaki, a Japanese snack which is basically two pancakes sandwiched with a slather of red bean paste (anko). Here, its been transformed to an ice cream sandwich of some sorts - I've made Dorayaki filled with Matcha (green tea) and Red Bean Ice Cream.

Matcha ice cream is already a family favourite after making it a few times last summer. It's really refreshing, and the subtle bitter aftertaste is a great match with the creamy base, making it popular with the adults too.

Red bean, however, was a new attempt. And I was glad I made that attempt, because the ice cream is SO GOOD. I understand that beans in ice cream may not be something everyone would like, but please please please let me tell you about it: it's creamy, it has a great texture with the soft beans contrasting with the smooth, red bean infused ice cream base, and the rich milky flavour is just the perfect match with the mild sweetness of the red beans.


The fluffy and fragrant little pancakes are also great with the ice cream. I think the final product looks really cute! Maybe I'll try making mini ones next time. These can be made ahead so they are ready when you are craving for a refreshing afternoon snack or dessert - just wrap them individually in cling film and store in the freezer. I'm sure that other Japanese ice cream flavours would be a great pairing too - black sugar, tofu or black sesame.

But of course, the ice creams are also wonderful eaten on its own. A quote from FoodWishes.com:
"Stop Screaming for Ice Cream and Start Making Some." Enjoy! :D


Matcha (green tea) Ice Cream
Adapted from Ice Cream Book, by Junko Fukuda (original recipe in Chinese)

3tbsp Matcha powder
150ml Milk
2 Egg yolks
70g + 3tbsp sugar (measure separately)
120ml Whipping cream

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tbsp of sugar with the matcha powder until smooth.
2. In a separate large bowl, whisk together 70g sugar and the egg yolks until pale yellow.
3. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until just about to boil.
4. Mix the yolks and the milk, adding the milk in small portions (so you don't end up with scrambled eggs!)
5. Pour the rest of the mixture (the custard) back into the pan. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens - it should coat the back of a wooden spoon.
6. Take a few tbsp of the custard and mix it with the matcha-sugar mixture. Dissolve it into the rest of the custard base. Strain the custard.
7. Place the bowl over an ice bath to cool, stirring occasionally. Chill the mixture until thoroughly cold.
8. Mix the cream into the cold ice cream mixture.
9. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream maker, for around 20 minutes (time may differ according to your machine).
10. Transfer to an air tight container and chill until ice cream sets.

Red Bean Ice Cream
Adapted from Ice Cream Book, by Junko Fukuda (original recipe in Chinese)

100ml Milk
2 Egg yolks
55g sugar
150g Red bean paste (anko) (tsubushian - the type that still has some whole beans in it)
150ml Whipping cream

1. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and egg yolks until pale yellow.
2. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until just about to boil.
3. Mix the yolks and the milk, adding the milk in small portions (so you don't end up with scrambled eggs!)
4. Pour the rest of the mixture (the custard) back into the pan. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens - it should coat the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Strain the custard. Place the red bean paste in a large bowl, and mix in the custard.
7. Place the bowl over an ice bath to cool, stirring occasionally. Chill the mixture until thoroughly cold.
8. Mix the cream into the cold ice cream mixture.
9. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream maker, for around 20 minutes (time may differ according to your machine).
10. Transfer to an air tight container and chill until ice cream sets.

Ice Cream Dorayaki
Adapted from Ice Cream Book, by Junko Fukuda (original recipe in Chinese)

Makes 10 pancakes/5 sanwiches
2 eggs
80g sugar
1tbsp honey
2tbsp water
100g cake flour
1/2tsp baking powder
Oil for greasing pan (something mild like vegetable oil, NOT butter - it think it's too rich)
Ice cream of your choice

1. Beat eggs and sugar together until pale in colour. Mix in the honey and water.
2. Sift in the flour and baking powder, mix together gently until no lumps remain.
3. Chill mixture for one hour.
4. Before frying the pancakes, mix the batter thoughrougly again. Have a wet cotton towel ready. Heat a non stick frying pan over medium heat and brush on a thin layer of oil. Remove the pan from heat and place on the wet towel to cool down the pan.
5. Using a ladle or measuring cup, pour in some batter to form a 10cm circle. Put on a lid, and cook the pancake over extreme low heat.
6. When bubbles appear on the pancake, flip it and cook until slightly brown. Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with rest of the batter.
7. Leave the ice cream to soften for a bit. Sandwich the ice cream in between two pancakes of similar size and shape, shaping it with your hand to even out the ice cream. Freeze again to harden the ice cream.
8. If not consuming immediately, wrap each dorayaki individually in plastic wrap and store in freezer.