Cooked Glutinous Rice Flour aka Gao Fen (糕粉）

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INTRODUCTION

Gao Fen or cooked glutinous rice flour is a very important ingredient in Chinese pastry recipes.. It was used in many Chinese cakes or pastry that have sticky or gluey, interior fillings. In addition, it was also  used as some form of flour to prevent sticking during the preparation of Chinese biscuits.. I have been exposed to this unique ingredient since very young as my late parents used this in the preparation of traditional Chinese delicacies.

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Cooked glutinous rice flour can be used for the preparation of: Snow skin Moon cake (冰皮榴莲月饼)

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Sugar Puff, Sun Biscuit And Pong Piah (太阳饼， 碰饼）

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Old School Of Moon cake With A New Look–Orange Snow Cake (橘皮云片雪花糕）

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Winter Melon Puff or Wife Biscuit or Sweet Heart Cake (老婆饼）

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Chinese Horseshoe Biscuits, Ma Ti Su, Beh Teh Soh, Heong Paeng (马蹄酥， 香饼）

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Re-Creating My Homesick Snack–Citrus Zested Kite Moon cake (风吹饼，风筝饼, 烘吹饼)

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This item can be easily obtained from the bakery shop in Asian countries and it is cheap and economical. However, most overseas bakery shop did not carry such item especially in USA, UK or Australia etc.. Last year, readers have a difficulty to obtain this item for the preparation of snow skin moon cake and that sparks my desire to share this recipe with readers..

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This is not the best batch of Gao Fen and the stickiness definitely cannot be compared with the store bought. However, I have tested the homemade Gao Fen for the preparation of snow skin moon cake, it did work satisfactorily. For local readers where you have assess to store bought Gao Fen, I will advise you to buy from the stores. For those overseas readers, I hope that this recipe will help you  to curb your cravings of snow skin moon cakes and other Chinese pastries or biscuits.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

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  • 100% raw glutinous rice flour
  • 10% plain flour (optional)

* Please take note that it is the ratio and you can use any quantity of glutinous rice flour you desired. For example, if you used 500 grams of glutinous rice flour, you will need to add 50 grams of plain flour .

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

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  • Sift the glutinous rice flour and plain flour into a steamer tray. Make some holes in the middle. Cover the tray with clingy wrap. Steamed at high heat for about 45 minutes until cooked. Sift the  cooked flour again and stored in a dry containers when completely cooled.

Note:

  • Cooked glutinous rice flour will show some lumps and smell different from the raw glutinous rice flour. It is not that floury and smooth to touch. It can be slightly sandy and once it touches water, it will become sticky.

CONCLUSION

Once again, homemade Gao Fen is not as ideal as store bought Gao Fen, prepared this only when you have no other choices. At least it will still help other readers who totally do not have assess such ingredients. More moon cake ingredients will be lined out soon. Bookmark this recipe just in case you may need it one day.

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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Homemade Red Bean Paste (家居自制红豆沙馅）

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INTRODUCTION

Moon cake festival is 3 months away and I believed it is time for me to share recipes of moon cake fillings.. To start of, I will share the basic recipe of red bean paste which can be used not only in moon cake but also as fillings for steamed buns etc..

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If I tell you homemade red bean paste is healthy, I think i am telling you a lie and it can classified as healthy if and only if you do not compared with those sold in the counter.. In order to get what it looked like those that was sold in the counter, you will need to have quite a high fat content.. Lots of oil is needed to make it smooth as silk .. As for the sweetness, you do have the ability to adjust.

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However, there seems to be still something lacking when compared homemade red bean paste with store bought red bean paste. One is the flavour. While the flavour is very rich with red bean aroma  but it is slightly different than those sold in the stores.. Most will believe something has been  added to the store red bean paste and none seems to know what it is ..

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Another is the colour of the red bean paste. Traditional red bean paste are very dark until the shade of black.. But it seems it is not possible to attain that shade of black with normal red beans.. It puzzled me too as the childhood red bean paste is black rather than red… I do hope some readers can shed some light with me.. Is there any possibility that the black bean was used instead of red beans.. May be I will try again in the next attempt.

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All quantities listed here are for your reference and it very much depends on  your personal taste buds. What I am sharing is more of a method of preparation. As for sugar and oil, you will need to gradually add until it suits your taste bud.

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I have also use the homemade red bean paste to prepare some flower buns and also moon cake.. I am happy that it works well on both bakes. For the flower buns, it taste just nice with a dough but for the moon cake, it is still slightly sweeter though definitely not as sweet as what is sold commercially.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

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  • 500 grams of red beans
  • 200 grams of brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons of maltose
  • 4 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour (optional)
  • 250 grams of lard or peanut oil

* As for oil and sugar, it is advisable that you add gradually along the preparation. You may need more or less depending on your desired texture and smoothness.

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

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  • Clean the red bean and put about 1 litre of water together with the washed red bean in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook the red bean for 30 minutes or until the red bean is soft. Drain away the additional water if any. Transfer the cooked red bean to a food processor, blend until as fine as you can. You may took a while to blend the cooked red bean as it can be rather sticky, therefore, pause and stir is required.  Add the brown sugar, maltose and 50 grams of lard or peanut oil and continue to blend until as smooth as possible.  Additions of this will facilitate the blending.  (Remember you can gradually add the brown sugar until your desired sweetness).

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  • In  a wok, heat up the remaining lard or peanut oil, add the blended red bean paste, followed by the glutinous rice flour. Stir fry under medium heat until aroma start to emit, sugar melted and the oil is well mixed with the red bean paste. Take some to taste if this is your desired sweetness and texture, otherwise, adjust by adding more oil and sugar now.  Once done, cooled completely before store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

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CONCLUSION

For me, it is a good attempt though I have wished that the sugar and fats are much less than stated in the recipe. I did try but it is not tasty and smooth at all. Therefore, I hate to say that delicious homemade red bean paste may not be the healthiest. However, it is still much healthier than those sold in the store as no preservatives were added, less sugar can be used and most important of all, you know what is inside the red bean paste.

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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Kung Pao Chicken aka Gong Bao Ji Ding (宫保鸡丁）

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INTRODUCTION

Gongbaojiding or Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁 或 宫爆鸡丁） is another famous Szechuan dish that is commonly served in China or Overseas’ restaurants. It is a very well known dish that was well liked by most Asians and also westerners.  Unlike lazijiding (辣子鸡丁），the dish are less spicy and it was served together with the nuts. 

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Being in China many years, this dish is not uncommon to me  and it is another one of my must order dishes when I frequented Szechuan cuisine restaurant.. The reason is simple, I like the nuts being served.

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In China, the nuts used are usually peanuts which is more economical. However, In overseas, most restaurants served the dish with cashew nuts possibly because it is more classy and in fact, with cashew nuts, the dish was charged at a much higher price premium.

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Hmmm, it is very interesting to read about the background of this famous cuisine written in Wikipedia and I never know that there is such a history or politica associated with this famous dish. As per Wikipedia:

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“Kung Pao chicken, (Chinese: 宫保鸡丁), also transcribed as Gong Bao or Kung Po, is a spicy stir-fry dish made with chicken,peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers. The classic dish in Szechuan cuisine originated in the Sichuan Province of south-westernChina and includes Sichuan peppercorns. Although the dish is found throughout China, there are regional variations that are typically less spicy than the Sichuan serving. Kung Pao chicken is also a staple of westernized Chinese cuisine. The dish is believed to be named after Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a late Qing Dynasty official, and governor of Sichuan Province. His title was Gongbao (Kung-pao; Chinese: 宫保; pinyin: Gōngbǎo; Wade–Giles: Kung1-pao; literally: “Palace Guardian”).[1] The name “Kung Pao” chicken is derived from this title. During the Cultural Revolution, the dish’s name became politically incorrect because of its association with Ding. The dish was renamed “Fast-fried chicken cubes” (Hongbao Jiding) or “chicken cubes with seared chiles” (Hula Jiding) until its political rehabilitation in the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping’s reforms” (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Pao_chicken)

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: 4-5 adult servings

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  • 300 grams of chicken drumstick , cut into cubes
  • 100 grams of roasted cashew nuts or peanuts
  • 2 Chinese leeks or 3 spring onions cut into small pieces
  • 10 dried chilli , cut into small pieces
  • 2 cm of ginger, sliced into small pieces
  • 3 cloves of garlics, cut into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon of Sichuan pepper corn

Chicken marinating ingredients/sauce ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine
  • 1 tablespoon of corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce
  • 1 teaspoon of white pepper

Sauce ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine
  • 1 tablespoon of corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of black vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon of water

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

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  • Cut the chicken drumsticks into cubes and marinate with the above marinating ingredients (Chinese cooking wine, corn starch, dark soya sauce, and white pepper) for at least 1/2 hour.

  • In a bowl, put all the sauce ingredients, stir until well mixed. Set aside for later use.

  • Heat a wok with 4-5 tablespoons of oil under high heat.

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  • Stir fry the marinated chicken cubes until it turn beige in colour or when the exterior is cooked. This will took about 3-4 minutes. Drain and keep 1-2 tablespoons of hot oil in the wok, sauté the garlic, Chinese leek or spring onion, ginger, dried chilli , sichuan pepper corn until fragrant. Add in the stir fried chicken, followed by sauce ingredients. Give it a quick stir for 2-3 minutes. Prior to dishing up, add in the cashew nuts or peanut. Stir until well mixed and best served hot with a bowl of steaming white rice.

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CONCLUSION

Definitely not a difficult recipe to prepare and my kids love  the dish. Well, for kid’s purposes, I have reduced the usage of chilli and Szechuan peppercorn significantly, and they love the tangy, sweet and aromatic taste of the chicken. As for me, I loved the nut that was served in the dish.

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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Chinese Chilli Chicken aka Lazijiding (辣子鸡丁）

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INTRODUCTION

This is an unique recipe.. This recipe is not suitable for your family if your family cannot take spicy food. It is also not suitable if you are having dinner in a rush…However,  I called this dish a “family bonding” dish.. a dish that you need to spend time together to have the meal and it should not be a fast dinner..

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This is a famous recipe in China and not my invention. This is also different from the infamous  gongbao chicken 宫保鸡丁 where there are nuts in it.  It is a Szechuan cuisine where most of its cuisines are famous for the spiciness.. In Szechuan, it is especially important to eat spicy food to “drive away” moisture in the body since Szechuan is located in a basin whereby the weather is very misty.

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The uniqueness of the dish is that the chilli used is almost the same quantity as the meat and the diced meat were buried in the dried chilli.. The meat are tasty and the diner will have to pick out the meats from pool of dried chillies. Diners usually take their sweet time to dine in the restaurant and is ideal for those who are entertaining clients or friends where they eat this as snack together will Chinese wine and bear.

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I first tried this dish about 20 years ago when I visited Chongqing in China.. I can remember this dish well because of the above mentioned unique characteristics.. I remembered my lips were almost swollen after finishing the entire bowl… Ha-ha . However, the taste really linger in my mouth and whenever I saw this dish being served in the restaurant, I will have the urge to order the dish.  Since my kids were only holiday 2 weeks ago, I have decided to prepare this dish for our dinner.

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“Chicken with chillies (辣子鸡, pinyin: Là Zǐ Jī; literally “Spicy chicken”) is a well-known Sichuan-style Chinese dish. It consists of marinated, deep-fried pieces of chicken that are then stir-fried with garlic, ginger, and chilli peppers. The chicken and chillies are served together and diners use chopsticks to pick out the pieces of chicken, leaving the chillies in the bowl. Chicken with chillies originated near Geleshan Park in Chongqing” (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_with_chilies)

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: 4-6 adults

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  • 400 grams of chicken drumsticks , deboned and diced into about 2 cm cubes
  • 30 grams of dried chilli, cut into about 2 cm in length
  • 2 stalks of Chinese leeks, cut into small pieces
  • 2 sprigs of Spring onion, cut into big chunks
  • 3 cm of ginger, sliced into thick pieces
  • 1 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorn (hua jiao)
  • 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds (optional)
  • 3-4 cloves of garlics (sliced)

Chicken marinating

  • 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine
  • 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of white pepper

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

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  • Marinate the chicken using the above chicken marinating ingredients (Chinese cooking wine, dark soya sauce, white pepper, sugar) for at least one hour. Drain the chicken into a bowl. Keep all the marinating ingredients for later use. Otherwise, you will have to re-prepare the sauce ingredients again using the same recipe.

  • Heat up about 2 cups of hot oil in a wok, when the oil is about 70% hot, stir fry the chicken for about 4-5 minutes or until the chicken exterior turn whitish. The timing will very much depends on the size of your chicken cubes. Do not overcook the chicken as the chicken will continue to cook in the next step. Drain the chicken.

Note:

  • Because this is chicken drumstick meat, I did not marinate with egg white or corn flour. If you are using chicken breast, you may need to put some egg whites and corn flour together with the marinating. That will prevent the meat from over cooked and become too hard.

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  • Use the same oil to stir fry the chilli until crispy. In this step, reduce the heat to low. The most it will take is only 1-2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

  • Pour away the excess oil and leave about 1-2 tablespoons of oil in the wok. Add the Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic, Chinese leek and spring onion. Sauté until fragrant, add the chilli and the chicken cubes and give it a quick stir. Add in the marinating juices earlier and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the juice dries up. Dish up and sprinkle with tossed sesame seeds before serving. Best served as a side dish in a standard Chinese meal.

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CONCLUSION

Don’t be frightened by the spiciness. Of course, for home cooked, house chefs can control the amount of chilli used. If you want to have a fast meal and less spicy, do not cut the chilli like what I did, use the whole chilli and you will have less chilli and more meat..It is also easier for you to pick the chilli away.  For me, I enjoy this meal with my wife when my kids were not at home.. It took me about 45 minutes to finish our dinner, chatting and picking the meat from the pool of chillies.. Do give it a try for this famous Chinese cuisines..

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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Thai Red Rubies Dessert (Tub Tim Grob, Thapthim krop, ทับทิมกรอบ, 椰香红宝石)

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INTRODUCTION

My kids went holiday to home town and their aunties brought them to a Thai restaurant..They ordered the Thai red ruby dessert and obviously very impressed with that.. They told their aunties that it is very nice and wanted to ask their father to do it… My sister in law messaged me and asked me if I am able to do this dessert.. I told them, no problem as it is a rather simple recipe..

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When they are back home few days ago, I have decided to lay my hand to do the dessert.. I prepared early in the morning and when they woke up from the bed, they are so happy to see the dessert is ready.. It is also a joy to see them “wow here and there” seeing the food that they liked.. ha-ha.

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I am sure this is not an unfamiliar dessert to most readers. Initially, I thought that it is very difficult to prepare when I first tasted it many years ago in the Thai restaurant. The dessert looked very complicated since it is a piece of water chestnuts wrapped in some transparent tapioca dough. Initially, I thought that I have to make a red dough and wrap the small white water chestnuts one by one…

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But I was wrong, totally wrong, all my speculations were wrong.. After viewing one video in the internet, i found that the process is much easier . Water chestnut was cut, coloured and “coated” by using tapioca flour rather tapioca flour dough.. Well, I did not follow exactly that recipe since this is a very simple flexible recipe and error tolerances are very high.. Therefore, for readers, I will share the methods and feel free to add or minus quantities of the ingredients as stated in the recipe.

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“Thapthim krop (Thai: ทับทิมกรอบ, pronounced [tʰáp.tʰīm krɔ̀ːp]) is one of the most famous Thai desserts, which is made of cubes of water chestnuts in syrup coated with red food coloring. This dessert is known as “pomegranate seeds” or “rubies” because of its appearance.[2] It is usually eaten with coconut milk and ice cubes.”

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: About 8-10 adult servings

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Water Chestnuts Coating

  • 500 grams of water chestnuts, de-skinned
  • 250 grams of tapioca flour
  • About 1 tablespoon of red colouring

Coconut milk syrup

  • 600 grams or ml  of thick coconut milk
  • 600 grams or ml of plain water
  • 150 grams of castor sugar
  • 10 pandan leaves, tie into knot
  • Pinches of salt

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

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  • Put all the coconut milk syrup ingredients in a pot and bring to boil under medium to high heat. Constant stirring is required to avoid lumps being formed. Once done, take out the pandan leaves and let it cool completely. If preferred, chill in the fridge.  If it is too sweet, you can add more water but remember that water chestnut will be tasteless.

  • Put the red colouring and add additional a few tablespoons of water. Cut the water chestnuts into about 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm size (note that this is ideal and of course there will be head and tail that cannot follow the size which is ok as it will not be obvious). Put the cut water chestnuts into colouring water and let sit rest for at least 15 minutes or longer .

Note:

Colouring quantities is for your reference and it depends on your personal preference. In addition, it will varies with different brand, liquid gel vs liquid or powder form. So use your judgement and get the colour that you preferred.

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  • Once the water chestnut reached the colour tone you preferred, drain and pour the coloured water chestnuts into the tapioca flour. Use a spoon or fork to fold the flour onto the water chestnuts such that all the water chestnut is evenly coated. The coating shall be until an extent that the water chestnut cubes looked whitish . If it is pinkish, more tapioca flour need to be added. Let it rest for 15 minutes before the boiling.

  • Meanwhile, get ready another pot of icy cold water adequate to put all the cooked water chestnut.

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  • Get ready a big pot of hot boiling water. Once the water is boiling, add in the floured water chestnut cubes. The water chestnuts cubes will sink to the bottom of the pot and once it floated up, it is generally considered as cooked. However, as an additional cautious measure, looked for any cubes that is whitish in colour and ensure that all the cubes are transparent. Transfer the floated water chestnuts cubes to the icy cold water and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a container for future serving. Add some cooked water to avoid the cubes stick to each other.

  • For serving, in a serving cup, put one or two tablespoons of water chestnuts, put adequate chilled coconut syrup and best served as a dessert. If you preferred, you can add shelved ice to the dessert.

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CONCLUSION

Let’s be very frank, if you are not into colouring, this dessert will not be suitable to you… But is it not the same when you ordered in the restaurant? However, it you do not mind to have another colour, I can suggest that you use blue pea flower for blue coloured water chestnut. That it will be blue ruby which is equally interesting…

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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(updated as at 13 March 2015)  here and you can follow me at PINTEREST or visit the blog’s FACEBOOK PAGE to keep abreast of my future posts. Also follow me at INSTAGRAM or TSU, a new social network for some more personal sharing other than recipes.

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Steamed Sago Cake–Kuih Bronok or Lapis Sagu（西米椰丝蒸糕，珍珠糕）

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INTRODUCTION

I have seen a kuih that looked rather similar with this kuih in Bengawan Solo made of sago balls.. It was called Sagu Melaka. Possibly such name was called because gula melaka was used in the middle layer and coconut milk was added for the first white layer..

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However, in Malaysia especially in the East Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia, this kuih was called kuih bronok or Kuih bronok Sagu. As per Malay Wikipedia, kuih bronok is a Malay delicacy that is made of sago balls and eaten with shredded coconut.

“Kuih Beronok atau juga dikenali sebagai beronok sagu merupakan sejenis kuih tradisional Melayu. Ia dibuat daripada sagu biji atau juga dikenali sebagai sagu mata ikan. Kuih Beronok ini dimakan bersama dengan kelapa parut.” (Source: http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuih_bronok)

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There is no unwritten rules that the kuih must be red or green. Both are for colouring and to a certain extent for some flavouring as all should know that sago is tasteless and transparent. Red colour is a striking colour and most sold in the stores are red colour.

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The flavouring commonly used by our Malay brothers are air bunga or rose water possibly because of the historical influence of Middle East cuisines. If you like air bandung, a type of rose flavour drinks, you may like the flavour. Though the price of rose water is very cheap and can be easily purchased in Indian Muslim or Malay provision stalls, this is optional since you just need 2-3 tablespoons of such flavour.

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“Rose water is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. It is used to flavour food, as a component in some cosmetic and medical preparations, and for religious purposes throughout Europe and Asia. Rose syrup is made from rose water, with sugar added. Rose water has a very distinctive flavour and is used heavily in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine—especially in sweets such as nougat, gumdrops, raahat and baklava. For example, rose water is used to give some types of Turkish delight their distinctive flavours.” (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_water)

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As for Pandan flavour sago balls, I have used the ready made from the stores. Traditionally, there is no other variation except the red colour rose water version. Apparently, you can also add Gula Melaka and coconut milk to the sago balls like what is sold in Singapore’s Bengawan Solo.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: Prepare an 9” diameter tray of Kuih bronok sago

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  • 250 grams of white sago balls
  • 250 grams of Pandan sago balls
  • 200 grams of castor sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons of rose water (optional)

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Steamed shredded coconut

  • 200 grams of grated coconut
  • Pinches of salt
  • 3-4 pandan leaves

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STEPS OF PREARATION

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  • In a steamer, place the grated coconut, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the pandan leaves. Steam in the steamer for about 10-15 minutes or until the pandan leaves are soft. Castor sugar to taste can also be added.

  • For the white sago balls, add 3-4 drops of red colouring and the rose water. Soak both red and green sago balls in cold water for at least 1/2 hour or when the balls cannot expand anymore. Drained away the excess water and add in the 100 grams of sugar each to both green and red sago balls.  Stir until well mixed.

  • Grease a baking tray and get ready a pot of boiling water capable of steaming about 30 minutes.

  • Transfer the red sago balls to the steamer, level it and let it steams for about 5 minutes such that the red layer is slightly cooked.

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  • Open the lid, add the green sago balls. Level it and steam under high heat for 25-30 minutes until the sago balls turn transparent. Best to cool completely before cutting into pieces and served with shredded coconuts. If desired, some castor sugar can be added to the shredded coconut if a sweeter version is preferred. It can be served cold by keeping in fridge as a dessert.

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CONCLUSION

This kuih yields a very QQ texture when completely cold. It is especially fun to chew when it is chilled. Whether coloured or not, rose water or not is up to readers to desired. If preferred, readers can substitute the castor sugar with palm sugar such as Gula Melaka, and it will yield a brown colour kuih bronok sagu .

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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Kaya Muffins (加椰小松饼）

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UPDATED POST ON 14 JUNE 2015

I have prepared another batch of kaya muffins using homemade caramel Hainanese kaya and the outcome is very good with the amended recipe as listed below. It is fluffier as expected.

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INTRODUCTION

I do not know how to convince you that this is a nice muffin as the colour combination is not beautiful.. In fact I find that it is rather awful. Actually, I should have used caramelized Hainanese kaya which is orange in colour instead of the greenish Nonya pandan kaya…

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Facebook Group members are assuring me that it looks ok and they are willing to try as they have trust with my recipe.. I have to thank them for  having confidence on me and that is why I am issuing the post today..

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I have a bottle of Pandan kaya sitting in my kitchen cabinet for ages and I desperately wanted to get rid of it. Since kaya is made of sugar, eggs and coconut milk, it forms the major part of my intended muffins. Therefore, what is needed is only flour and some liquid. In my illustration, I have only used melted butter and after tasting, I found that some milk should have been added to further moisten the cake.. In addition, I have amended the recipe for better fluffiness.

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As with all muffins, preparation is very easy. Just a bowl and a fork. It took me about 1/2 hour to transform the ingredients into muffins. Therefore, this recipe is very suitable if you want to get rid of your coconut jam and you are rushing for time.

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However, if you need homemade kaya recipe, you can read this post: Coconut Egg Jam – Pandan Kaya (香兰加椰）And Caramel Kaya (焦糖加椰）

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings : about 3-4 medium size muffins

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  • 150 grams of coconut jam of your choice (Pandan Kaya or Caramelized brown kaya)
  • 100 grams of self raising flour
  • 80 grams of butter,melted or cooking oil
  • 50 grams of milk or water
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

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  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.

  • Stir the melted butter, kaya and milk until well combined. Set aside. Sift the self raising flour and baking soda, make a well in the centre. Pour the Kaya mixture onto the flour. Use a spoon or fork to quickly and lightly fold it. A bit of lumps is acceptable. Transfer the batter to the muffin cups. Bake in the pre-heated oven of 180 degree Celsius for 15-20 minutes or when a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

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CONCLUSION

This is a simple recipe.. If you like Kaya, you will like this. Your eventually output may look slightly different from this illustration as I have amended the recipe for a fluffier muffin. 

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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Hakka Yong Tau Foo (客家酿豆腐）

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INTRODUCTION

There are many ways of serving Yong Tau Foo . In Singapore, it is very common that Yong Tau Foo was served in a soupy form together with the noodles. Some sweet sauce was used as a dip. In certain store, it was served with curry gravy making it a curry Yong Tau Foo..

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The famous Ampang Yong Tau Foo was also served with clear soup made with soya beans and anchovies but all these while I know there is another type of Yong Tau Foo which was braised with fermented black bean sauce (豆豉）… I just had that version in an authentic Hakka restaurant last week  that sells this famous Hakka dish together other Hakka dishes such abacus seeds, ginger wine chicken etc…

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In Singapore hawker stalls, most of the Yong Tau Foo was stuffed with fish paste and that make many people “assumed” that Yong Tau Foo was seafood based. In fact it is not, most Chinese recipes in China and Malaysia do call for the usage for both meat and and fish possibly in the ratio of 50%:50%. The more authentic Hakka recipes will call for the usage of salted fish that will flavour the paste used for stuffing.

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In China, most of the Yong Tau Foo was  meat stuff in firm bean curd or taukwa. Basically it is as what is implied in the name “ Yong Tau Foo”. . Yong Tau Foo can literally be translated as stuffed filling into a piece of bean curd product be it bean curd skin (tofu skin) or bean curd puff .

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However, in Singapore and Malaysia, besides taukwa or taupok, vegetables are used. Usually, vegetables selected are those that have a cavity that you can stuff the fillings. The more common one will be bitter gourd, egg plant, red chilli, green chilli, shitake mushrooms and ladies finger.

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As per Wikipedia

“Yong tau foo (also spelled yong tao foo, yong tau fu, yong tau hu or yong tofu; yentafo in Thailand) is a Hakka Chinese food consisting primarily of tofu that has been filled with either a ground meat mixture or fish paste (surimi). Variation of this food include vegetables and mushrooms stuff with ground meat or surimi. Yong tau foo is eaten in numerous ways, either dry with a sauce or served as a soup dish. It is commonly found in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and in cities where there are large Teochew and Hokkien populations.Traditional Hakka versions of yong tau foo consists of tofu cubes stuffed and heaped with minced meat (usually lamb or pork) and herbs, then fried until golden brown, or sometimes braised. Variations include usage of various condiments, including eggplants, shiitake mushrooms, and bitter melon stuffed with the same meat paste. Traditionally, yong tau foo is served in a clear yellow bean stew along with the bitter melon and shiitake variants.” (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yong_Tau_Foo)

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: 4-5 adult servings

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Filling ingredients

  • 400 grams of minced pork
  • 400 grams of fish meat
  • 3 shitake mushrooms, soaked and cut into small pieces
  • 2-3 sprigs of coriander or spring onion
  • 10-20 grams of salted fish
  • 1 tablespoon of castor sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of corn starch
  • Pinches of salt
  • Dashes of white pepper

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Vegetables of your choice

  • 1/2 a small bitter gourd, remove seeds, cut in 1 cm thickness
  • 5 red chilli , deseed
  • 5 green chilli, deseed
  • 5 ladies finger, deseed
  • 5 tofu puff, cut into half
  • 1 small eggplant, cut into 2 cm thickness and divide into half

All quantities above is for reference and it will depend on your family preference.

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Gravy ingredients

  • 1.5 tablespoons of fermented black beans
  • 1 tablespoon of mince garlic
  • 2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1.5 tablespoon of corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoon of water
  • 1-1.5 cups of water

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

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  • Blend all the filling ingredients until fine using a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you can also use a knife to chop until fine.

  • Use a spoon or a knife, take some filling and stuff into the vegetable cavity. Make sure the fillings are full and firm.

  • In a pot of hot oil, deep fried the vegetable until the vegetable are slightly soft and meat are cooked. Drain and set aside. It is advisable that your deep frying be done in stages in accordance to the type of vegetable . Different vegetable have different cooking time. The ranking of cooking time from longest to shortest shall be : Bean curd (taukwa), bitter gourd, egg plant, chilli and ladies finger. As we will be braising later, the deep frying can be considered done as long as the meat are cooked which is relatively fast (about 3-4 minutes).

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  • In a pot or a wok, have some cooking oil, sauté the garlic until fragrant. Add the fermented black bean followed by adequate water to cover the Yong Tau Foo (start with 1 cup and gradually add). Add oyster sauce and sugar, bring to boil. Add the deep fried Yong Tau Foo. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes. Transfer the braised Yong Tau Foo to the serving plate. Add corn starch solution to the gravy and when the sauce thickens and become transparent, off the heat and drizzle the sauce on top of  the Yong Tau Foo before servings .

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CONCLUSION

The basic recipe is shared with all and variation are many. If you do not like deep frying, you can try steaming until all the vegetable are soft.. If you do not like the braising method, you can boil a pot of stock using soya beans and anchovies, served the Yong Tau Foo with this delicious soup. Otherwise, prepare some curry sauce to go with this. If you have never try this way of preparation, why not give it a try?

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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Kuih Pulut Inti (椰丝糯米糕）

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INTRODUCTION

Most kuihs have the same recipe, it is a mix and match between “dough” and “fillings” and in fact, I only took a few photos of preparation as some recipes are overlapping.

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I took my glutinous rice portion from this recipe: Coconut Pandanus Custard Glutinous Rice Cake – Kueh Salat or Kueh Seri Muka （香兰椰香糯米蒸糕）

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And the coconut fillings from this post : Getuk Ubi (木薯椰丝糕）

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Combining the two become this unique kuih..- Kuih Inti Pulut.

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Pulut means glutinous rice and inti means filling. So it literally translated as glutinous rice filling. What puzzled me is why it was called as such. Usually fillings are completely wrapped by dough be it rice or flour. But for this kuih, the shredded coconut sits on top of the glutinous rice.. Well, that is not important at all, it is just another presentation of this delicious kuih.

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Imagine that the filling was wrapped by the glutinous rice and wrapped again by a banana leaves using the tubular shape, is it not becoming pulut panggang as in this post: Grilled Glutinous Rice Package–Pulut Panggang ( 糯米虾米卷）? (note that some pulut panggang used shredded coconut as the filling as opposed to shrimp floss)

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As per Wikipedia:  Pulut inti – wrapped in banana leaf in the shape of a pyramid, this kuih consists of glutinous rice with a covering of grated coconut candied with palm sugar.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings :12-15 Inti pulut depending on size

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For glutinous rice portion

  • 200 grams of glutinous rice (washed)
  • 20 blue peas flowers (optional)
  • 100 ml of package coconut milk
  • 100 ml of water
  • 5-6 pandanus leaves cut into smaller pieces
  • Pinches of salt to taste

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Shredded coconuts

  • 200 grams of freshly grated coconut
  • 60 grams of palm sugar
  • 10 grams of castor sugar
  • 30 grams of water
  • 4 pieces of pandan leaves, bundled
  • 1 tablespoons of corn flour (in 2 tablespoon of water) – (optional)

Others

  • 12-15 pieces of banana leaves with the dimension of about 10 cm x 15 cm

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

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  • Wash the glutinous rice and put in the rice cooker pot. Pound the blue pea flower (bunga telang), and add the 100 ml of fresh water to the pounded blue pea flower. Sift the blue colour water into the rice cooker pot. Add in the 100 ml of thick coconut milk and pinches of salt.

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  • Add in the pandanus leaves. Stir until well mix and cook in the rice cooker using the “sticky rice” or “glutinous” rice function. If your rice cooker do not have this function, just cook it like white rice. However, you may need to cook for another cycle or until the desired texture. If water dries up too quickly, just add additional water. Let it cool and set aside.

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  • Put the white sugar, palm sugar, water and pandan leaves in a pan, bring to boil and ensure all the sugars are melted. Add in the corn starch solution, stir until well combined. Add the shredded coconut and stir until well mixed. Off the heat. Note that the shredded coconut cannot be too watery. If too watery, you have to cook until it is drier. Constant stirring is required. (Note that corn starch enhances binding but it is optional)

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  • In order to soften the leaves, blanch the leaves in hot water for 3-4 minutes. Take a piece of leave, put about 1-2 tablespoons of glutinous rice on the centre of the leaves, top with 1/2 tablespoon of the shredded coconut, Fold up the longer sides of the leaves, and tuck in the remaining leaves under the bottom. There should be some spaces where the shredded coconut will be exposed on top of the kuih.

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CONCLUSION

This is an extremely simple recipe and very easy to prepare. Usually, I do not buy these type of kuihs in the stalls as anything with coconut can turn bad very easily in this hot weather not to mention that these coconuts are exposed to the air. Well, that is my own concern which may not be true at all.. Do try and let me know if this suits your taste buds.. Remember that you can always mix and match the fillings and the dough to come out another kuih.

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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Cheesy Pizza Buns (比萨餐包）

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INTRODUCTION

I am unsure if this product is still available in Pizza Hut.. There is one pizza being sold by the restaurant  of which the crust was stuffed with lot of cheeses and that is how I get the inspiration from the creation of this pizza bun..

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I hope the pictures are able to convince you that this is a delicious bun.. I bet you will agree with me that kids will like to eat these type of buns and I am sure adult like it too. If you like pizza, it taste like pizza  but it comes with as a soft bun as contrast to slightly hard pizza base..

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When the bun is cold, it is logically that the cheese will harden inside the bun but microwave for 1/2 minutes will melt the cheese and make it a cheesy bun again..Therefore, the buns are best served immediately after it was prepared.

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There is nothing I can write about this own creation, it is just a bun  that suits my taste buds, variations are many and you can add any pizza ingredients into the buns. But do not be greedy, the wrapping have to be tight, otherwise, when the cheese expand, it will leak out of the buns..

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One member in my Facebook Group pointed out there is something similar called Calzone.  I goggled the picture, yes, it is quite similar and if readers are interested, you can refer goggle for more information.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: About 18-20 medium size buns depending on size

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Bread dough

  • 500 grams of bread flour
  • 100 grams of sugar
  • 5 grams of salt
  • 11 grams (1 packet) of instant dry yeast
  • 30 grams of butter (melted) or cooking oil
  • 1 egg
  • 220 grams of plain water

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  • About 180 –200 grams of shredded mozzarella cheeses
  • 4-5 tablespoons of pasta sauce
  • 2-3 pieces of bacon (optional)
  • Some Italian dry herbs (oregano, basil) etc. for decoration
  • Additional shredded mozzarella cheeses or cheddar red cheese s toppings

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

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  • In a mixing  bowl, mixed all the ingredients  together. Use a spoon to slightly stir it until it form a sticky dough. Use the dough hook in the machine to beat the dough at medium to low speed (speed 2 in Kenwood Chef or Kitchen Aid) for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, change from medium to high speed (speed 4 kin Kenwood Chef or Kitchen Aid) for about 7 minutes until the dough is smooth and leaves the side of the mixing bowl. Transfer the dough out to a lightly flour surface.

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  • Lightly knead for 1-2 minutes and let it proof until double in size. Cover the dough with a wet towel or clingy wrap. Proofing time will depends on the weather but it will take about more or less 30 minutes in Singapore weather. Divide the dough equally into 18 pieces of about 50 grams each.

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  • Take a dough, lightly flatten it, put a small teaspoon of pasta sauce, some bacon and about 10 grams of mozzarella cheeses, seal the edges, shape round and transfer the dough to a lightly greased baking tin. Let it proof until double in size.

  • Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.

  • Once the dough reaches double in size, egg wash the buns (1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon of water, stir until well mixed, sift before application), top with additional shredded mozzarella cheeses or grated cheddar red cheeses. Sprinkle with some Italian herbs like oregano or parsley if desired. Bake in the pre-heated oven of 180 degree Celsius for 15 minutes or until the top turn golden brown. Best served immediately out from the oven as a snack or breakfast item.

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CONCLUSION

This is a very delicious bread. It is not a very difficult task as the dough is very easy to handle.. Feel free to add your desired pizza ingredients to the filling. But do not be too generous with your fillings as it can leak rather easily.

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Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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