Long cheng bread

 

This is a delicious, warm sweet bread that is great with coffee or tea.  I learned how to make this bread from my sister in law Ntxawm Cheng.  Thank you Ntxawm Cheng!!!! It's a simple process.  She taught me how to make a huge batch.  But this version below is one that I slightly modified to make half the batch (about 30 loaves depending on how big you make them). 

I don't know what the real name of this bread is.  But it kind of tastes like the bread that I ate once in California, so I'm just nicknaming this that bread!

Hmong Long Cheng sweet bread

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 can evaporated milk
  • 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 lb sugar (this is about 25% of a 4lb sugar bag)
  • 5 packages of vanilla sugar
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 and 1/2 can water (use the coconut milk can)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 5 packages instant yeast
  • 5 lb bread flour (save at least 2 cups for dusting)
     
  • 1 large rectangle aluminum pan
  • 2 large aluminum baking sheets
  • parchment paper
     
  1. In a really large aluminum pan, mix evaporated skim milk, condensed milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, coconut milk, water, baking powder, and yeast.  You'll get a slushy consistency.  I used my hands to do the mixing but if you want, you can use a whisk.  By using my hands, I'm able to feel if the sugar has been dissolved.
     
  2. Add the bread flour to the mixture and continue mixing until incorporated.  The mixture will resemble a really thick pancake batter and will be very sticky.
     
  3. In an oven, heat to 170 degrees.  If you have a warm feature in your oven, keep it at 170 degrees.  Cover the aluminum pan with foil and let the dough rise in the oven for about 1 hour.
     
  4. The dough will double its original size.  Remove from oven and place the pan on a solid surface.
     
  5. Dust your hands in flour and take a baseball size piece of dough.  Roll it into a hot dog bun shape and place onto the parchment paper 1 inch apart.  You can also roll it into a circle if you wish. Try different shapes!
     
  6. You can use two baking sheets to cut the cooking time in half.  Just remember, the bottom one will cook faster so you will have to keep an eye on it.
     
  7. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the bottom turns slightly brown.  The top may not be brown, but as it cools it gets brown. Remove and cool on a rack.

Variations:

  • Add some pandan custard to the inside when you are rolling the dough into pieces.
  • You can also try taro, vanilla custard, nutella, etc ... be creative!
  • You can also try to slice the top to make cool shapes like X's or other. Get creative!

Tips:

  • Personally, I like my buns soft so I try not to let the bottom part brown too much.  Once you take it out of the oven, it still continues to cook a little.  You will notice that the top will start to brown more even after it's out of the oven.
     
  • If you want to freeze the buns for later use, don't cook them all the way brown.  Use a tong to lift up the bottom to see how solid the bun is.  If it's flimsy, it's not cooked.  If it's firm but not brown, remove from oven. Let it cool first before putting into a bag or freezer.  If it's hot and you freeze it in a bag, condensation will build up and you will have a slimy bun hehe.

Good luck!  Please leave me a comment if you have any questions.  I'll be back to post more step by step pictures.  A lot of people have been asking me for this recipe so I am posting it here for you to try! I love to share, so sharing it is!

Here's a video if you want to see me in action!

 

Green papaya salad

I love eating green papaya salad especially in the summer! It is light and refreshing.  It's a little sweet, sour, and spicy! You can make it with a few key ingredients!  This is a recipe that I created through experimentation and trial/error.  Hope you like it. This is a very popular salad that Hmong people love to eat especially at Hmong soccer tournaments and Hmong New Year celebrations.  Green papaya salad originated from Laos/Thailand. 

Green Papaya Salad Recipe Ingredients:

  • 2 cups shredded green papaya
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3 thai chili pepper (add more or less pepper to suit your taste)
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste
  • 1/4 tsp crab paste
  • 2 tbsp salted crab
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar crushed + 1 tbsp water (melt for 30 seconds in a microwave)
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce (three crabs brand)
  • 1/4 cup tamarind paste water
  • 1/2 lime (this also equals about 1 tbsp, add more lime if you like it more sour)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp crushed peanuts
  • 5-7 cherry tomatoes sliced

Preparation

  • Peel the green skin off the papaya with a peeler. Use the asian shredding peeler to get thin shreds. Or if you don't have one, chop the papaya all around and then use a knife to slice it into strips (doing it the old fashioned way makes the salad crisp).
  • Melt the crushed palm sugar with 1 tbsp water in a microwave for 30 seconds
  • To make the tamarind paste water, take a block of tamarind and add equal amount of hot water.  Let is soak for about 10-15 minutes and then squeeze out the juice.  You can use it just like this or put it through a sieve to remove the seeds.

Putting it all together

  1. In a mortar, smash/grind the thai chili pepper.
  2. Add the garlic clove and smash.
  3. Add the shrimp paste, crab paste. Mix.
  4. Add the salted crab and smash lightly to remove the juices from the crab.
  5. Add the fish sauce, sugar syrup, tamarind paste water. Mix.
  6. Add the tomatoes and smash lightly to bruise the tomatoes.
  7. Put the shredded green papaya in a large bowl.
  8. Add the sauce and crushed peanuts to the papaya and toss to coat the papaya.
  9. Serve

Adjust the ingredient measurements to suit your taste! 

Kicking it up a notch:

  • Add some long green beans
  • Add some shredded carrots
  • Add some dry small shrimp
  • Add some khaub poob noodles
  • Eat it with some pork rinds
  • Add padek (mud fish) to give it a pungent kick
  • Anything you like!!!!!

You can buy the ingredients at most asian grocery stores.  Just ask the clerk to help you find them.

Leave me a comment if you try this recipe!

 

Chinese sponge cake

chinese sponge cake hmong food

This recipe is very easy to make! I love eating these any time of the year! They are soft, moist, and delicious! Reminds me of my childhood.

Ingredients:

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
  • 1/4 cup fine sugar (see instructions below to make your own)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Steps

  1. Beat the 3 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg. 
  2. Add the oil and beat.
  3. Add the cake flour and mix. Add the vanilla extract.
  4. In a mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. Then add sugar.
  5. Continue to whisk until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
  6. Fold the egg whites into the batter until combined.
  7. Pour into paper lined cup cake pan.
  8. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes (or until top is golden brown).
  9. Cool on a rack and serve!

Making your own fine sugar

  • Put sugar in a food processor and process it until it is powdery soft. 
  • You don't want to end up with powdered sugar, but you want the consistency to be soft and fine.

Soft sweet milk bread

This bread is soft, sweet, and delicious! This bread was inspired from my experience eating soft sweet japanese bread. I used a chinese method to make the flour paste. This helps the bread be soft!

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups bread flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 packages of instant yeast
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup bread flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 stick butter, softened and cut up in slices

Step 1

  1. Add 1 cup water and 1/3 cup of bread flour to a sauce pan. Mix on medium heat until it forms a thick paste.
  2. Remove and set aside to cool

Step 2

  1. In a mixer, mix 5 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together.
  2. Mix wet ingredients together: 1 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 eggs, the flour paste from step 1.
  3. Make a well in the mixer and add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
  4. Using the bread/kneading hook, knead until smooth.
  5. Add the softened butter one at a time.
  6. Knead for 20 minutes or until the dough is elastic and smooth.
  7. Set in a dry place and let it rise until double in size.

Step 3

  • Shape the dough into any shape you like.
  • Mix 1 egg white with 2 tbsp of water.
  • Brush onto the buns before baking.
  • Bake for 10-13 minutes on 350 degree oven OR until the top is golden brown.
  • Do not overbake, it will make your bread hard.
  • Remove and let cool.
  • Enjoy!

How to make beef larb the Hmong way

This is a video I recorded using my iPhone 4S.  We went to a family gathering (spirit calling ceremony) for some relatives and my hubby was tasked to make some beef larb.  I decided to make a video of this because some people may be interested in learning about how Hmong make their larb.  My hubby is the one in the orange shirt in the video :-)  This dish shown here can feed up to 100 people.  Hmong family gatherings are usually very large and there is always a ton of food and goodies!

Hope you enjoy the video. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or comment on Youtube.  Please subscribe to our youtube channel!

youtube.com/hmongfood