This is one of the recipe that as soon as I saw on the Wall Street Journal on a lazy Saturday morning I said “I am making this!”. This recipe got stuck on my mind and I would not rest until I tried it…and of course I had to do it my way…it was not hard since I had all the ingredients handy.

I used an Asian version for the dough, and somehow followed the instructions for the filling. I omitted the sugar syrup because I thought it would be too sweet with the Nutella and chocolate chips in the filling, which by the way, I added a very generous amount, but hey, feel free to add the sugar syrup if you enjoy a sweeter version of this treat. If you want the original recipe look it here.

Overall the recipe is pretty simple and easy if you are familiar with bread baking…and yes, the result is delicious, the combination of Nutella and chocolate chips is just a dream…gooey, moist…as noted in the article, you will have Nutella in each and every bite of this bread. Therefore when eating this bread, you will find your fingers coated with Nutella/chocolate…yum!

One more thing…I only used half of the dough for the babka, the remaining half I made it into rolls.

Ingredients:

Bread dough with Water Roux or Tangzhong

Water Roux
15 g bread flour
75 g water

Dough
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, complete with water to make a final 2/3 cup
2 ½ cups bread flour
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter

Filling

Nutella
¼ cup chocolate chips

Method:

Water roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form.

Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

In the bread machine bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter.

Turn the machine to knead mode until it forms soft dough. If the dough is too wet or too dry, add more flour or water accordingly. The dough should be soft and almost sticky.

Add the butter and let it knead until the butter incorporates to the dough. At this stage, the dough will be very sticky, do not add more flour as the butter will incorporate totally in the dough.

Remove the dough and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let the dough proof until double of its original size.

Knock back the dough and split into 2 balls and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Using a rolling pin flatten one of the ball and roll into a rectangular (sort of) shape of approximately 13 x 9 inches. Spread Nutella (generously) and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Roll the dough tightly like a Swiss roll and lay the seam side down. Cut into half and again each half to a half. With the second ball I just made rolls…

Lay two segments and for an “X”, and twist each end once. Repeat with the remaining two segments. Transfer them to a mini loaf pan, tucking the end underneath.

Cover the pans with plastic wrap until loaves double in volume. Bake in a pre-heated oven to 350F for 20 minutes.

Remove and let it cool on a wire rack.

If you enjoy this Asian inspired recipe for babka, you might want to check on this other Asian inspired bread such as Chocolate Marble Bread or Cinnamon Rolls in a Cup.

Did you know that babka is rumored to have its origins in Poland? And it was a cake? Many other versions of babka have emerged from cake to yeasted bread.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [dot] Me and have a great week!

After purchasing many of the tangerines, known as cutie I found myself with too many tangerines in the fridge. So I decided to make a cake using the fresh squeezed juice from the tangerines. You can substitute with orange juice or even lemon juice.

In order to keep the cake light, I used sour cream frosting and garnished with honey caviar. The cake turned out awesome, the slightly citrus flavor of the tangerine, the tartness of the sour cream and the sweetness of the honey caviar were just a perfect and delicate balance in my palate.

Oh! Be aware that this recipe is for a small cake, 6 inches cake size…

Ingredients:

Chiffon Cake

2 eggs, separated
51 g cake flour
5 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoon canola oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Sour Cream Frosting

1 cup sour cream
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 325F.

Cover a 6 inch round pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, baking powder together, whisk to make sure all the ingredients are combined thoroughly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. With the mixer running, slowly rain in the remaining 2 tablespoon sugar. Continue to beat the whites until stiff peaks form when the beater is lifted. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow add the vegetable oil slowly and then the vanilla extract. Continue beating until the mixture turns slightly thick. Pour the egg yolks into the dry ingredients, mix gently and add the tangerine juice and Grand Marnier. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until completely smooth.

Fold the beaten whites into the rest of the batter by gently spooning one-third at the time. Fold in the white slowly and carefully using a spatula. Be very gentle as you fold in the whites so you not deflate them. Gently fold in the remaining third of the whites.
Spoon or gently pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 325F and then 3 minutes at 300F, and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Remove from heat and invert the pan over an inverted cup. Set the pan aside in a quiet place until cooled completely, approximately 1 hour.

Sour Cream Frosting

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients.

Assembly:

Cover the cake with the sour cream frosting. Refrigerate for approximately 2 hours.

Garnish with honey caviar.

Serve cold

If you enjoy this simple recipe for tangerine chiffon cake you might want to check on Chiffon Cake with Lemon Curd or Chocolate Chiffon Mini Cupcake.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [dot] Me and have a great week!

First of all…Happy Memorial Day!

I love the simplicity of this chicken…while the chicken is baking you can prepare the salad to go with it…
You can dip the pieces of chicken in any sauce if you desire, but I can assure you, very little is needed since the pieces of chicken are packed with flavor…

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
¼ cup cilantro finely chopped (or parsley)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch

Approximately 2 cups of panko
1 egg plus 2 tablespoon of water

Method:

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a bowl place the chicken, garlic, cilantro (or parsley), salt and pepper. Mix well and add flour. Mix gently until all the pieces of chicken are evenly coated with flour.

Place the egg and water in a deep plate, beat with a fork as you a making an omelet. On the second deep plate add the panko.

Dip the pieces of chicken, one by one into the egg and then on the panko. Set all the pieces aside until they are all coated with panko.

Spray a baking sheet (or silicone mate) with olive oil and gently place the chicken on the sheet. Lightly spray the pieces of chicken.

Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for 25 minute at 400F.

Serve hot.

If you enjoy this recipe you might want to check on Simple Panko Crusted Chicken Cutlets which the chicken cutlets are pan fried.

Did you know that “panko” is a Japanese term for “bread crumbs”? Panko is the Japanese version of bread crumbs and they are lighter, crispier and crunchier then the conventional bread crumbs. Panko are more like flakes then crumbs.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [dot] Me and have a great week!

This is very typical Asian sweet, it can be served as dessert or as snack. It is soupy and contain mainly green beans, barley and little balls of glutinous flour know as mochi.

This is one of the food that I love and amazes me that my husband enjoys it… very much…I say that because this is so “Asian”…even many Asian people do not care for it, let alone people that was never exposed to it…

I must admit that the concept of sweet bean soup with mochi. Mochi? Yes, this gooey sticky little balls floating in a not so appealing murky, brownish, greenish color soup…and served iced, cold or warm? Yes, it might be troublesome for some people to accept hehehe! That is why I was so surprised that my husband embraced this dessert/snack so fast and often asks me to make it.

I have been cooking this for a while and it is perfect at any season of the year…I serve it cold/iced during summer and warm during winter. I often have the little mochi balls in the freezer…so when need I boiled them for a few minutes and it is ready to go.

In this particular recipe I added barley and use coconut sugar to sweeten the green bean soup, but you are free to use whatever kind of grains and sugar.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup dry green beans (mung beans)
1/3 cup barley
Coconut sugar to taste

Fresh made or frozen mochi balls.

Method:

Wash the green beans and soak in water overnight. Do the same with the barley.

Place the bean and the barley in a thermo cooker and follow the instruction, making sure that the beans are fully cooked and soft. In case you do not have a thermo cooker please do the following:

In a big pot add the green bean and barley with water, about 1 ½ in above the bean. Cook until the beans have soften.

Add more water and coconut sugar to your taste. You can adjust the thickness of the soup according to your taste.

Cook the mochi balls accordingly, drain and put in the bean soup, or if you want to serve them cold, rinse the mocha balls with cold water and then add to the bean soup.

I hope you are dare enough to try this simple recipe for Green Bean Soup with Mochi…and hey, you might find out that you like this.

If you enjoy this recipe using glutinous flour you might want to try this Asian inspired Brazilian snack, Mochi Cheese Balls.

Did you know that the bean sprouts that you often see in Asian groceries are germinated from mung beans? Moreover, the starch extracted from these beans is used to make the bean thread or glass noodles, which are popular in Asian cuisine

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful day!

I had a wonderful week in one of my favorite place…Cancun, as a matter of fact we go to the same place at least once a year…especially when I feel the need to unwind…

After spending so many days without any cooking I had to start slowly…to avoid any “shock”. This is a very simple recipe for a chicken marinate…the flavor of the white miso is delicate and not overwhelming. This marinate sure brings the grilled chicken to a different level. It is easy and works great when served with a side of green salad.

If you do not have your grill set, you can always pan fry on the stove.

Ingredients:

4 to 6 deboned and skinless chicken thigh
1 tablespoon white miso diluted in 2 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
½ tablespoon chili oil
1 tablespoon cooking wine

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together except for the chicken and make a sauce.

Cover the chicken thighs with the sauce and set in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Place in a grill until fully cooked. Serve hot or warm.

If you enjoy this simple recipe for Miso Marinated Chicken, you might want to check on Miso Marinated Scallops or Speedy Miso Salmon.

Did you know that miso is produced by the fermentation of soy? Moreover, it can be a product of fermentation of rice, wheat, hemp, buckwheat, barley or as well as the combination of many grains.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [Dot] Me and have a great week!

This is one of my husband favorite dishes…he claims that he could eat this curry everyday…I still have to test this statement.
Actually it is very simple and yes, it is very tasty, but I could not see myself eating this everyday…
This time I served with udon noodles, but you can serve over rice, pasta…in another words, any kind of carbs.
In this recipe I added extra curry powder for flavor and spiciness enhancement. You can use only the curry cubes if you wish, especially if you are serving to kids.

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, cut in big chunks
6 small red potatoes, cut into quarters
5 carrots, cut in big chunks
2 zucchinis, cut in big chunks
8 oz crimini mushroom cut in half
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
4 cubes of curry
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ½ to 3 cup water
1 small onion, cut into big chunks

Method:

Sauteé the onion in the olive oil, once the onion start to soften, add the curry powder, continue to cook until a nice fragrance comes out. Add the chicken breast, and brown the chicken. Once the chicken pieces are slightly browned, add the water and let it boil under high heat.
Add the potatoes, cook for a couple of minutes. Add the carrot, until slightly soft, then the mushroom and finally the zucchini. Make sure that you do not overcook the zucchini. Once the vegetables are at the consistency of your liking add the curry cubes. Stir gently so the cubes are all dissolved in the broth. Boil for a minute or two and it is ready to serve.

If you like udon, you might want to check on stir fry udon noodles.

Did you know that curry is a leave? It is confusing since that the curry that we know is a combination of spices and herbs , which may include curry leaves and its mixture varies by countries and regions.

Okay, so here are some more pictures from our vacation in Beijing…Ming Dynasty Tombs and the Great Wall.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

I recently started to add chia seeds to our morning oatmeal…and decided to make a loaf of Asian bread with chia seeds.
I used the water roux method for the bread dough, therefore the crumb of the bread is soft and cottony, and the texture of this bread will not change for a few days.

This is simple since I did all the kneading of the dough in the Zojirushi bread machineand just let it proof out and molded into the Pullman loaf pan.

Ingredients:

Water roux or Tangzhong
75 ml of water
15 g of bread flour

Dough

4 teaspoons chia seeds in 1/3 cup of water for at least 15 minutes

2 ¼ cups bread flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk
1½ tablespoon butter
1½ teaspoon dry yeast
1 large egg and complete to 100 ml with water

Method:

Water roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65oC (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

In the bread machine bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter.

Turn the machine to knead mode until it forms soft dough. Add the butter and let it knead until the butter incorporates to the dough.

Remove the dough and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let both dough proof until the dough double to its original size.

Knock back the dough and split into 4 balls and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball and shape like a Swiss roll, flat again and roll it again like a Swiss roll.

Place the Swiss rolls into the Pullman pan and let it rise until almost 90% to reach the rim of the pan. Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350 for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool.

If you enjoy the Chia Seed Sandwich Bread you might to check on the Asian Style Sandwich Bread or Red Bean Buns.

Did you know that chia seed is from the mint family? The chia seed is rich in omega-3-fatty acids, the healthy fat found in fish.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

This is a simple and easy dish, it is delicious especially paired with white rice…no need to mention that it makes a great lunch next day. Every time I make this dish, I end up having more than one bowl of rice. I used pork chop in this dish and the frozen French beans from Trader Joe’s. You can always use fresh beans or chicken if you do not care for pork. Just make sure that the beans are not over cooked.

Ingredients:

1 lb of pork chop, cut in thin strips
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 cup string bean, frozen of fresh
5-6 oz of dry tofu cut in strips
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Marinate the pork strips with garlic, ½ tablespoon of olive oil, cornstarch, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Let it sit for a few minutes.

In a wok, add the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil, pan fry the pork strips. Make sure that the pork in thoroughly cooked.

Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan add the tofu strips and a couple of tablespoons of water, cook until the tofu is somehow soft.

Stir in the pre-cooked beans and cook for a minute or so, and add the pork. Add more salt and pepper to  taste. Serve hot with rice.

If you enjoy this pork strips with tofu, you might want to check on the Baked Tofu Salad.

Did you know that tofu is a product made from coagulation of soy milk? Similar to the production of cheese depending of the amount of water extracted tofu can be found in many different textures.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!