Wai Sek Mao

My Waisekmao

2011-10-01T17:43:00.000+10:00

Hello there

It has been quite a long while since I last updated my blog. I have been monitoring it, though, and am glad to note that many foodies are still visiting my blog regularly. For this, I thank you. Glad that you appreciate my recipes and I hope you had as much fun as I did creating and posting them.

However, it is rather disappointing to note that there are people out there who are hijacking my photos, without any credit being given or permission asked. It was a total shock to see photos of my kuih and cookies on other websites, even photos of my beloved cat. There is one particular site which is located in Indonesia. Pages after pages of my photos are displayed so blatantly. There was no permission requested nor is there any link to my blog. If you google the name of my blog, you will see what I mean. This is so despicable I now know how singers feel when their songs are downloaded or pirated.

Seriously, I have no objection if foodies print and download my recipes for their own use. It seem to be downright unethical to use my photos and recipes on their website or blogs, as if they created them.

To maintain my right to photos I painstakingly took and posted, I may now have to re-post all my photos and add my name. Like the one below.

It is indeed sad to have to resort to such a step. It will involve a lot of work and editing. The advantage to all this hardwork is websites and blogs which have hijacked my photos will then be so visible and exposed.

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-05-20T14:46:00.000+10:00

What is more delicious and sinful than chocolate ? Double chocolate, of course. This cupcake is a sure-fire winner. It has been eaten and carefully weighed and reviewed by my sons and is definitely two thumbs up. This recipe makes about 16 cupcakes, which in my house, will be finished in 2 days. And as usual, my cupcakes are without icing. Too sinful as it is.

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
125g choc chips
1 cup milk
2 eggs
125g melted and cooled butter
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1.   Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Line 2 patty trays with cupcake cases.

2.   Sieve the flour, sifted cocoa and sugar together.

3.   In another bowl, cream eggs, milk, butter and vanilla essence.

4.   Pour the mixture into the sifted flour and cocoa. Mix till well blended.

5.   Add in half the choc chips.

6.   Spoon into cupcake cases, about 1/2 full. Top with more choc chips.

7.   Bake for 20 minutes.   Cool and enjoy.

Honey Roasted Almonds

2011-05-20T14:25:00.000+10:00

It has been a month since my last post. How time flies! I have been rather busy with getting my house in ship-shape condition and trying out some new recipes. The end result is delicious nuts and cakes and lots of daily exercises to counter the effect of them delicious stuff.

Honey Roasted Almonds are so delicious and crunchy. I was not aware that it was so easy to make. Do up a batch and eat it whenever you feel the need to sink your teeth into crunchy stuff.

Ingredients

2 cups whole almonds, roasted

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoon water

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Method

1. Roast almonds in a tray at 200 degrees C for about 10 minutes.

2. Mix sugar with salt. Set aside.

3. Put honey, water and vegetable oil in pot. Stir to mix. Add roasted

almonds, keep stirring till no liquid is left.

4. Sprinkle sugar and salt mixture onto almonds. Ensure it is mixed in.

5. Spread in tray to cool. Bottle it up when cooled.

Loh Mai Kai (literal translation : Glutinous Rice with Chicken)

2011-04-18T12:24:00.004+10:00

It has been a while since I last had this dish. In Kuala Lumpur, you can get it at coffee shops throughout the day along with the char siew paos. It is one of the staples at dim sum restaurants.

Loh Mai Kai is made from glutinous rice. As kids, we were always told not to have too much because of the "wind" it can cause in the stomach. Now that we are older, it makes more sense. So, beware! Too much loh mai kai is not too kind on the stomach.

Susan, my sister, actually started me on this dish. Last week, she told me she made it and it was a success. It actually is very easy, though a bit time consuming because you need to soak the glutinous rice, preferably overnight. I am never a favourite of delayed actions. I am a now person - my food now, not tomorrow. However, the Loh Mai Kai was worth the wait.

Here is the recipe for Loh Mai Kai (Glutinous Rice with Chicken)

Ingredients:
150g glutinous rice
2 cloves garlics, mashed
1 cup chicken stock (or sauce from chicken)
60g chicken meat
2-3 black Chinese mushrooms, soaked and cut into thin slices

Chicken Marinade:
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp oyster saucea dash of pepper
1/2 tsp Hua Tiau Jiu (Chinese wine)

1 tsp tapioca flour

salt

Ingredients for glutinous rice:
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp pepper

1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

To prepare:

1) Wash glutinous rice, soak it for two hours, meantime, marinate the

chicken.

2) Heat up the frying wok, add in oil, garlic and soaked glutinous rice,

stir fry for 2 minutes. Add in all the ingredients for glutinous rice and stir fry till mixed well.

3) Grease 3 rice bowls, arrange slices of mushroom and chicken.

4) Top up with fried glutinous rice and press down to make it firm.

5) Add in chicken stock into these filled rice bowls, make sure the water

level is at least 1 cm above the rice.

6) Steam for 40 minutes.

7) Remove the Loh Mai Kai from the rice bowl by turning onto a plate.

P.S. You can always add chinese sausages, after frying them lightly.

Enjoy!

Orange Cupcakes

2011-04-14T15:31:00.001+10:00

I so love cupcakes these days. They are so easy to make and pretty easy to
eat too. Most cupcakes have topping or frosting on it. Mine does not, partly because it's better for me cos it's less fattening and partly because I have not mastered the art of doing the topping.

My latest cupcake adventure is orange cupcakes. I so love the smell of orange zest. I even made an orange chiffon cake last month. Check out my earlier post.

Ingredients

113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 1/2 tsp orange juice

Zest of 1 orange

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Line a 12 muffin cup tray with

cupcake liners.

2. Blend sugar and orange zest in mixer till fragrant. Add in butter and beat

till light and fluffy.

3. Add in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla essence and orange juice.

4. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl.

5. Add flour mixture and milk, alternately, into butter mixture.

6. Spoon mixture into muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes.

7. Remove from oven when cooked. Cool on wire rack. Once cooled, top

with icing.

Enjoy!!

Latest photos of my orange cupcakes. That would be the 2nd or maybe 3rd batches.

Cupcakes

2011-04-11T16:26:00.000+10:00

I recently saw a recipe for cupcakes which triggered my interest in baking them. I have made heaps of muffins before and have a very good non-stick muffin pan which I use. However, I have never made cupcakes before.

I was interested to find out the difference between cupcakes and muffins. Both of them looked similar in shape. I always thought that the Americans called it muffins and the British called it cupcakes. The wonders of the internet and Google!!. One of the major difference is that cupcakes have toppings while muffins generally do not. Also, cupcakes uses butter while muffins use vegetable oil.

For this cupcake, I use a small muffin tray. Aren't they adorable ?

Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour, sifted

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup milk

125 g butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Line muffin tray with cupcake liners.

2. Cream butter and sugar. Add in eggs. Add in vanilla essence and milk.

Beat for 2-3 minutes.

3. Fold in flour.

4. Fill muffin tray to ¾ full. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

5. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Take out and cool on wire rack.

This basic cupcake recipe is very easy and perfect for your own topping. For the icing, you can try this.

Icing

1 ½ cup icing sugar

1 ½ tablespoon water

Colouring

Enjoy!

Baby Angkoo Kueh

2011-03-31T11:57:00.000+11:00

Previously, I have posted Angkoo Kueh and Sweet Potato Angkoo in this blog. I just had to do this Baby Angkoo Kueh post because it is so cute. My sisters brought over this cute little mould from KL when they visited me recently and I just had to try it out. What do you think ?

As comparison, I took a photo of the different sizes. The one on the left is the big angkoo, the middle angkoo kueh is without the turtle's head and legs and the right angkoo is the baby angkoo.

I use the recipe as per my post for Angkoo Kueh. However, this time I was more adventurous and put 2 different fillings inside the angkoos. One was red bean paste which was store bought.

The other was coconut filling. Recipe is as follows.

Coconut Filling

90g Gula Melaka (Malaysian palm sugar)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pandan leaf, knotted
50 ml water
1/2 grated coconut (about 10 oz)

1 tsp corn starch

Method

1. Break up the palm sugar and combine with the sugar, pandan leaf and water in a pot. Cover over a medium flame until sugar dissolves. Add in the grated coconut and corn starch and continue to cook for a few minutes. Dish out into a bowl.

So, isnt the baby angkoo cute ?

Tau Cheong Sui (Soya Bean Milk)

2011-03-31T11:32:00.002+11:00

I have been doing my own tau cheong sui for ages. It is so easy to do your own soya milk. I know some people who use soya milk machines, which are not cheap. I use a blender, some cloth bags and mixing bowls.

The cost is minimal (1 packet of soya beans costs about $2.80) and you get good quality and fresh soya bean milk for the whole family. Definitely no preservatives. I know - last summer I left one batch overnight to cool down and it turned bad. And the best thing is you can control the sugar, unlike the ones that are store bought.

Tau Cheong Sui (Soya Bean Milk)

Ingredients:
500 gm soya beans
Water

Sugar

Pandan Leaves

Method:

1. Soak soya beans using cold water for 4 to 8 hrs and if

using hot water 3 to 5 hrs.

2. Drain off the water, take out the soya bean skins, where

possible.

3.      Using blender, liquidify the soya beans with water and
         pass through a cloth bag. I use the formula 1 cup of soya
         beans to 3 cups of water.

4. Use 2 layers of cloth bag to get a cleaner taste of soya

milk.

5. Use a stainless pot, cook the soya milk, stirring all the

time to prevent burning. Add in pandan leaves, tied in a

knot.

6. When it comes to full boil, let foam rise to top of pot and

quickly remove from fire.

7. Remove the foam and return to fire and let it foam up

another 2 more times.

8. Season with sugar to taste.

9. Refridgerate in bottles and enjoy.

Red Bean & Black Glutinous Rice Sweet Dessert

2011-03-24T12:11:00.001+11:00

Suddenly I felt like eating this dessert, which is one of my all time favourites sweet dessert. This is a variation of Bubur Pulut Hitam which is Black Glutinous Rice Dessert. I love Red Bean Soup and Bubur Pulut Hitam. So what a good deal - combining both of them! This way, I don't have to put on weight, eating 2 different sweet desserts.

I wish to point out that my photo of this dessert is not the best. I am using my Iphone to take the photos. It's so much easier and convenient uploading photos to my netbook. I will re-take the photos again. Definitely I will be cooking this dessert again very, very soon.

Red Bean and Black Glutinous Rice Sweet Dessert

Ingredients

200 gm red beans

80 gm black glutinous rice

1/2 cup of Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka)

6 tablespoons white sugar

10 cups water

2 pandan leaves, knotted
1 cup coconut milk plus 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Rinse the red beans and black glutinous rice with water thoroughly until

the water turns clear.

2. Add water and pandan leaves in a pot and bring it to boil. Add the red

beans and black glutinous rice into the pot. Cover the pot with its lid.

3. When it boils again, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until beans

and glutinous rice softened, and the soup thickened. The longer you

cook, the softer the beans, the thicker the soup.

4. Keep checking the water level, if it has become too dry, add more

water.

5. Add in gula melaka and white sugar to taste. Stir until dissolved.

6. Serve the dessert in small bowls topped with a spoonful of coconut

milk.

P.S. If you are using a crock pot, put red beans, glutinous rice and water

into crock pot. Turn it to low (about 8 hours) and go to sleep. If you

like it thicker, add less water. Add sugar to taste.

Money Bags

2011-03-24T10:25:00.000+11:00

I first had this food in a Thai restaurant back in Kuala Lumpur. It is normally served as an entree, which means it comes in a small plate of 4 pieces. Which also means, you can just have one per person. Sigh! So good but too small a portion for my appetite. It was so delicious and crunchy I just had to cook it at home - so that I can get enough of it to eat.

It is actually deep fried wontons. I normally do not like wontons, something about the slimy feel as it goes down the throat kinda puts me off eating too much. But this ! This is deep fried and crunchy. Yummy!

Money Bags

Ingredients

200 g mince (chicken or pork)

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 tsp Chinese wine

Wonton wrappers

Method

1. Mix mince with salt, pepper and Chinese wine.

2. Put half a teaspoon on a wonton wrapper. Wrap up tightly. Do the same

till finish.

3. Heat up oil for deep frying. Fry money bags in batches until cook. Drain

on paper towels.

4. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

P.S. If you like, you can add in oyster sauce or soy sauce.

To make it crunchier, you can also add chopped up carrots or

water chestnuts.

Green Tea Chiffon Cake

2011-03-18T13:07:00.002+11:00

It's been a while since I updated my blog. With all the Chinese New Year food and cookies that was consumed by my family and me, I thought I would give our stomachs a rest. Otherwise, we would all look as chubby and satisfied as my cat.

I am happy to note that fellow foodies are still visiting my blog, despite lack of new postings. I know I was supposed to post the Pandan Chiffon Cake recipe, as stated in my previous post. I will have to delay that in lieu of this new Green Tea Chiffon Cake recipe that I recently found. Let me know what you think of this chiffon cake.

GREEN TEA CHIFFON CAKE

Ingredients: (20cm tube pan)

(A) 4 egg yolks
      40g castor sugar
      pinch of salt
      1 tbsp honey

(B) 4 tbsp corn oil
80ml warm water + 3 tsp green

tea powder
3 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Cream ingredients (A) till sugar dissolved.

2. Add in ingredients (B) in the respective order and mix well before adding

the next item.

3. Sieve in ingredients (C) and mix till there are no lumps.

4. Beat egg whites with electric beater till frothy, sprinkle in the cream of

tartar. Beat till white in colour and add in sugar by thirds.

5. Pour egg white mixture into yolk mixture and mix well.

6. Put batter into a chiffon cake pan and bake at 170C - 180C for 40-45

minutes

7. When the cake is cooked, remove from oven and invert cooked cake on a

wire rack to cool for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove cake from cake pan and

leave aside to cool completely.

P.S.   If you like it sweeter, you can add more sugar. Comment from the
         taste testers at home was more sugar needed. They must be
         missing my chocolate glazing from the Orange Chiffon cake.

Orange Chiffon Cake

2011-03-01T10:59:00.007+11:00

It's the first day of Autumn today. Hopefully, it will mean cooler temperatures. The past month has been very hot and humid in Sydney, just like dear old KL.

I tried out this beautiful chiffon cake recipe last week. Been meaning to make chiffon cakes but could not find any cake tins for it. The cake tin is quite unique, higher than a normal cake tin and with a tube in the center. In fact, it has even got a unique name - a tube pan. I finally got my tube pan, courtesy of my sister Lilian who sent it over from KL. And so, ta- da ! here is my orange chiffon cake.

Doesn't look too orange, does it ? Chiffon cake is actually very good for health conscious foodies who love cakes but not the fat content. There is no butter, only corn or vegetable oil. If you leave it in its original condition, then it's pretty healthy. Rather like a sponge cake. You can either leave it original or cover it liberally and sinfully with chocolate topping, like I did.

Ingredients

4 oz flour

5 egg whites

5 egg yolks

3 ½ oz sugar

2 oz cooking oil

1 ½ tsp baking powder

3 oz orange juice

1 ½ tsp grated orange rind

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cream of tartar

Orange essence

Method

1. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and half of the sugar till very stiff.

2. Mix egg yolks with flour, baking powder, oil, orange juice, grated

orange rind and remaining sugar. Mix till smooth.

3. Pour egg yolk mixture gradually over egg whites, folding in just until

blended.

4. Pour into ungreased tube pan. Bake at 170 degree C for 35 minutes.

5. Once cooked, invert tube pan and leave to cool.

Topping

Melt chocolate over low heat. You can slice the cake into 2 or 3 layers. Spread a thin layer of chocolate on each layer. Arrange the layers on top of each other. Spread more chocolate over chiffon cake and sprinkle with crushed roasted peanuts.

P.S. Chiffon cake comes in many flavours. In KL, the pandan chiffon cake
is one of the more popular choice. I did make pandan chiffon
cake earlier but frankly, I forgot to take photos. The cake was
finished before I remembered. That will be posted next time.

Jin Dui (Sesame Glutinous Balls)

2011-02-11T12:11:00.001+11:00

Phew! Just uploaded 2 recipes which were long overdue. I had posted photos of them earlier on but did not have time to do up the recipes.

Been rather busy testing out new ones like this Jin Dui. I recently found out that Hongkong Chinese like to have them during Chinese New Year, besides the normal yum cha time. I don't remember Jin Dui during CNY in KL but rather at the markets for morning breakfast.

Due to popular requests from my Hongkong friends, I had a go at the Jin dui recipe and found that it turned out pretty well. I hope my HK friends will be as pleased as I am with the result. Samples have been issued for taste testing purposes and orders are being compiled even as this is being posted.

Makes about 30

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup warm water

6 oz red bean paste
2/3 cup white sesame seeds
Oil for frying

Method

1. Mix sugar and warm water till dissolved.

2. Add into glutinous rice flour in a large mixing bowl. Knead the mixture

until thoroughly combined.

3. Knead the dough into small balls and then roll each ball into a flat round

shape. Spoon a bit of red bean paste into each flattened round as a

stuffing and knead the dough back into a round ball.

4. Coat the balls with cold water, then cover thoroughly with the sesame

seeds.

5. Over moderate heat, warm a pan of oil that is deep enough to cover the

sesame balls. Reduce the heat after the oil is warmed up.

6. Deep fry the sesame balls on a low heat until the balls have puffed up.

7. Flatten constantly with ladle. Fry till golden. Drain on paper toweling.

Yee Sang

2011-02-08T09:42:00.012+11:00

Thank you to all foodies who have visited my blog. Stats are showing that I have reached the 500 visitor mark. To me, this is a big achievement as I created this blog purely to share my love of food and my recipes. Have any of you tried the recipes? I have tested and tweaked my recipes but would love to hear from any foodie who have tried them also. Please send me your comments.

On the first day of CNY 2011, I tried out the recipe for Yee Sang or Lo Hei. It was an amazing success. Pretty similar to the ones sold in KL.

Ingredients

1) 1 carrot, skin peeled
2) 1 small white radish (daikon), skin peeled
3) 1 cucumber
4) 2 tbsp Japanese red pickled ginger

5) Turnip

6) Coriander

7) Pomelo peeled and sacs separated, about 50g
8) Wonton skin

Garnish

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped finely
1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder

a small dash of Chinese white ground pepper
1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil

Sauce

5 tbsp Chinese plum sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp apricot jam

2 tbsp honey

Method

1. Grate carrot, white radish, cucumber, papaya and turnip into long shreds.

Cut pickled ginger into long strips.

2. Arrange all vegetables into a big round plate.

3. Place garnish ingredients on top of vegetables.

4. Mix sauce ingredients and pour it on top.

5. Using chopsticks, mix and toss up ingredients as high as possible for

loads of luck.

Enjoy!

P.S. I have not added fish as none of us like the fishy smell. You can always

add slices of salmon if you wish.

Pineapple Tarts

2011-02-04T14:04:00.001+11:00

This is another of my favourite Chinese New Year cookie. I have made these tarts many times while in KL. This is the first time I am making it in Sydney. It turned out so beautifully. This recipe makes about 138 pieces.

Ingredients for the Jam

2 pineapples

250 gm granulated sugar (1 ¼ cup)

5 cloves

Dash of cinnamon powder

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method

1. Skin pineapple and cut flesh into chunks. Puree in blender. Drain pureed

pineapple in sieve to drain off juice.

2. Place drained pineapple flesh in a non stick pan. Add lemon juice, cloves

and cinnamon.

3. Place pan over medium heat and cook. Add sugar. Stir constantly for

about ½ to 1 hr. Cook till pineapple jam is sticky and golden colour.

Ingredients for the pastry

2 eggs

11 oz butter

18 oz flour

½ tsp baking powder

Method

1. Beat egg. Mix butter, baking powder and flour using rub-in method.

2. Add in beaten egg.

3. Roll out dough, cut into shapes using pineapple tarts cutter.

4. Add pineapple jam, decorate with strips of dough.

5. Brush face of tarts with egg wash.

7. Bake in oven at 180 degree C for 15 minutes.

Peanut Dainties

2011-02-04T14:00:00.000+11:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!

It has been a very hot week in Sydney, which was not very conducive in making cookies for the New Year. I have to persist, though, otherwise there would not be any cookies to celebrate Chinese New Year with.

Here are my delicious Peanut Dainties.

Ingredients

8 oz peanuts, ground

6 oz icing sugar, sifted

12 oz flour, sifted

1 ¼ cup peanut cooking oil

1 egg yolk, to glaze

Peanut halves to decorate

Method

1. Mix peanuts, icing sugar and flour in bowl. Stir well.

2. Add oil to mixture. Mix until dough is formed.

3. Take a small piece of dough and roll into a small ball. Flatten slightly.

4. Continue till all dough is used up.

5. Brush tops of peanut cookies with beaten egg yolk. Decorate with peanut

halves.

6. Bake at 180 deg C for 20 minutes.

P.S. Try to make small little balls so that it's bite size. Enjoy!!

Almond London Cookies

2011-01-27T11:30:00.000+11:00

Chinese New Year - the year of the rabbit - is just around the corner. To me, Chinese New Year have alway meant lots of sinful food, plenty of cookies, angpaus and hot, hot weather to strut around in brand new clothes.

Over here in Sydney, there are Chinese people from all over the world. I recently found out that cookies are not necessary available in all Chinese homes during CNY. Hongkong Chinese serve loh bak go and yum cha like tit-bits to guests. Unlike Malaysians, where plate load of cookies are brought out to guests, served with the requisite soft drinks.

In KL, cookies are easily available. Go to any local wet markets or grocery stores, you will see tins and plastic containers filled with all sorts of cookies. In Sydney, you would have to make your own.

Yesterday being Australia Day, complete with hot and humid weather like KL, I decided to make my favourite CNY cookies. Here is my first CNY cookie for 2011. There is a lot of work involved but it is so worth it when you see the final product. Enjoy!

Almond London Cookies

Ingredients

125g butter

75g icing sugar

1 egg yolk

225g plain flour

½ tsp rice flour

300g whole almonds, toasted

450g chocolate, melted

Almonds nibs, toasted

Small paper cases

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar till light. Beat in egg yolk.

2. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Blend well to form dough.

3. Take a small piece of dough and wrap it around an almond. Shape into a

small ball. Continue till all the dough is finished.

4. Place the small balls on lightly greased trays. Bake in preheated oven at

180 degree C for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool on wire

racks.

5. Put cookies inside small paper cases. Top with melted chocolate.

Sprinkle with almond nibs.

PS : To save time, sprinkle with store bought toasted peanuts.

Angkoo Kueh

2011-01-20T11:54:00.000+11:00

(literal translation :- red tortoise kuih)

This is absolutely my favourite kueh. Every time I am back in KL, this is one kueh I must eat. It comes with mung bean filling or coconut filling.

I have posted Sweet Potato Angkoo earlier on which were made with smaller moulds. I have since then got my angkoo mould, courtesy of my dear sisters in Malaysia. Here is my version of the ever popular Angkoo Kueh, which is literally Red Tortoise Kueh.

Angkoo Kueh

Ingredients for skin

250g glutinous rice flour

125g sweet potatoes

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp tapioca flour

150 ml warm water

1/8 tsp orange red colouring

Banana leaves cut to small circles

Ingredients for Mung Bean Filling

200g split and skinned green beans

80g caster sugar

some boiled water

Method for Filling

1. Wash and soak split green beans overnight.

2. Steam for 20 minutes till soft

3. Mash and add sugar.

4. Shape into small round balls of filling for dough.

Method for skin

1. Steam cut sweet potatoes for 10-15 minutes till cooked and soft. Mash

and set aside.

2. Sieve glutinous rice flour into a mixing bowl. Make a hole in centre of flour,

add the sugar and mashed sweet potatoes.

3. Add the coloured water a little at a time. Mix and knead well until the

colouring is even and dough is pliable. Knead till dough does not stick to

the hands adding more water, if necessary. Let dough rest for 20-30

minutes.

4. Divide dough into equal portions and roll each into a round ball. Flatten

each ball of dough slightly and add a small ball of filling. Pinch and seal

the edges to enclose the filling.

5. Spread some oil over the dough and press into a angkoo kueh mould.

Knock mould lightly to dislodge kueh and place on a piece of banana leaf .

6. Place all the angkoo kueh in a steamer and steam on medium heat for 5

minutes. Remove lid from steamer to let out excess steam. Cover and

continue steaming for another 5 minutes.

7. Remove angkoo kueh from steamer and brush lightly with corn oil to

prevent sticking.

P.S. In lieu of banana leaf, use baking paper.

Banana Pancakes

2011-01-17T13:41:00.001+11:00

I recently got this amazing book from my sister, Lilian, filled with delicious recipes. I have just started trying them out. This is my version of Banana Pancakes. Absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

½ cup milk

6 large bananas

1 ½ tablespoon castor sugar

Pinch of salt

Method

1. Sieve flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.

2. Add eggs and half the milk. Beat batter to ensure it is smooth and light.

Add remaining milk.

3. In another bowl, mash bananas together with castor sugar and salt.

4. Pour mashed bananas mixture into batter. Mix evenly.

5. Grease a frying pan. Pour in batter, fry pancakes till brown on both sides.

6. Grease frying pan after each pancake is done.

7. Serve hot with a bit of lemon juice.

Rendang Beef

2010-12-28T15:22:00.001+11:00

Holidays are here and I have been rather busy, shopping for food, ingredients and cooking and eating (of course). I would like to wish all foodies Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2011.

Here is one recipe that I cooked yesterday. We had friends over for a Christmas get-together. I cooked my Pak Cham Kai (White cut chicken) served as part of Hainanese Chicken Rice, Rendang Beef and Stir fry seafood with Basil. All the dishes were very popular with the guests. For dessert, there was fresh fruit and konnyaku jelly.

Ingredients:

1 kg beef sliced (you can also use chicken or pork)

3 tbsp belacan

4 tbsp curry powder

1/2 cup chili paste (or sambal)
1 can coconut milk, 400 ml

5-6 daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaf)

1/2 cup grated coconut, roasted

2 tbsp sugar

Salt

3-4 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

1. Heat stock pot with oil at medium heat. Add in belacan, chili paste, curry powder and kaffir lime leaves. Fry for 5-10 minutes till fragrant.

2. Add in meat and coconut milk. Simmer the meat for 20 minutes or until the oil floated on the surface. Add in salt and sugar.

3. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the gravy become thickened. Add in grated roasted coconut. Keep stirring to prevent burning.

4. Remove from heat. Serve with rice.

P.S. You can also serve the Rendang Beef as part of Nasi Lemak.

If you are using chicken with bones, you will need to cook longer.

For vegetarians, you can use straw mushrooms. Cooking time will

then be shorter.

Fried Sweet Potato Balls

2010-12-20T12:49:00.001+11:00

also known as Fan Shi Tan

This is another of my favourite kuihs. There is this stall in Petaling Street which sells only this kuih. I can still smell the hot oil on a hot, steamy afternoon. (Which is generally always the weather in Kuala Lumpur). Here is my version of Fan Shi Tan

Ingredients

200g orange color sweet potato flesh

120g glutinous rice flour

80g sugar

80g grated coconut

¼ tsp sea salt

Method

Skin and cut sweet potatoes into slices. Steam until tender, about 20 minutes.

Mash sweet potatoes.

Place mashed sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add in glutinous rice flour, sugar, grated coconut and sea salt. Knead lightly to form a smooth dough.

Pinch a small piece of dough and roll it in your palm to form a smooth ball.

Heat oil in heavy pan over moderate heat. When oil is hot enough, put potato balls in, a few at a time. Fry until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Chinese Boiled Chicken

2010-12-17T13:54:00.002+11:00

Pak Cham Kai

(literal translation from Cantonese : White Cut Chicken)

This is a recipe for chinese boiled chicken or in Cantonese – pak cham kai. Boiled chicken meat is called for in many other recipes, and is a wonderful basic recipe to have for many uses. You can use this for Hainanese Chicken Rice, for example.

I like to use free range chicken or corn fed chicken. The flesh is juicier and firmer when cooked. I also like to have my chickens yellow in colour. It makes it so much tempting and mouth watering. And so, I add a teaspoon of turmeric powder.

Turmeric is one of nature's most powerful healers. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. Recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder, proving beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions from cancer to Alzheimer's disease.

Ingredients

1 chicken, free range

10 cups of water

2 tbsp salt

1 tsp turmeric powder

Method

Wash the chicken under cold running water. Remove any excess fat. Rub chicken inside with about 2 tbsp of salt. Rinse again under cold running water and drain.

In a heavy pot, put in 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add in turmeric powder.

Place the chicken in the pot, chest facing down. Make sure the water level is higher than the chicken and the chicken is totally submerged. Turn chicken over midway. Boil for about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let the chicken simmer in the poaching liquid for another 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot, drain well, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Serve with ginger and shallots dipping sauce.

P.S. Chicken can also be chilled. You can add in some Chinese cooking

wine. Sliced chicken, add in the cooking wine. Refrigerate for at least

2 hours before serving.

I also use this chicken when I do Hainanese Chicken Rice. For the rice,

I cheat a little. I buy a packet of Hainanese chicken rice paste.

Tom Yam Meehoon

2010-12-16T12:27:00.001+11:00

This is a variation of Meehoon Siam, which I absolutely adore. It was one of my staples for breakfast. Meehoon is a Malay term for rice vermicelli. We used to have Meehoon Siam and curry chicken for birthday parties and get -togethers.

Here is my version of Tom Yam Meehoon (Rice Vermicelli with Tom Yam Paste).

TOMYAM MEEHOON

(Rice Vermicelli with tomyam paste)

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic

2 big onions, sliced

50g dried prawns

1/2 cup sliced fish cake

500g mee hoon (rice vermicelli)

3 tablespoons tom yam paste, mixed with a little water

½ packet bean sprouts/tau gay

sugar to taste

For garnishing

3 pieces dried tauhu, (bean curd) cut into strips

2 eggs, beaten and made into omelette, cut into strips

a bunch of chives, cut into 2 inches lengths

Method

1. Heat oil and fry garlic.

2. Add sliced onions, dried prawns and fry for a while.

3. Add fish cake and meehoon and stir well to mix. Add tomyam paste mixed with some water and stir well.

4. Add bean sprouts, half of the dried tauhu, omelette, chives and sugar. Fry for a couple of minutes. Stir well to mix.

5. Garnish with remaining tauhu, omelette and chives. Enjoy!

P.S. Add more tomyam sauce, pepper and soy sauce if you wish

to make it spicier.

You can also garnish with sliced chilli and sliced mushrooms

for a fancier look.
You can also add prawns and calamari to make it

non vegetarian.

Kuih Dadar

2010-12-13T16:47:00.002+11:00

Kuih dadar which is also known as Kuih Ketayap is a pandan crepe with coconut filling. The crepe itself is absolutely yummy on its own. With the sweet coconut filling inside, that makes it doubly yummy.

Here is my version of it.

Ingredients:

To make Pandan Juice
5 pandan leaves, chopped
3-4 tablespoons water

For the Crepe Batter
120g all purpose flour, sifted
1 egg
300ml light milk (or coconut milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon pandan juice

For the Filling
100g Gula Melaka (Malaysian palm sugar), chopped into pieces
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pandan leaf, knotted
100 ml water
5 oz grated coconut
1 tsp corn starch

Method:

Combine the pandan leaf and water in a blender and blend for a minute. Squeeze to extract the juice or strain through a fine sieve. Set aside.

Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and crack in the egg. Gradually add in the salted milk (or coconut milk) and 3 tablespoons pandan juice. When all milk is added, whisk to remove all lumps. Set aside.

Cut the palm sugar into smaller pieces and combine with the sugar, pandan leaf and water in a pot. Cover over a medium flame until sugar dissolves. Add in the coconut and corn starch and continue to cook for a few minutes. Set aside.

Heat up a shallow frying pan over a low flame and grease lightly with oil. Pour 2 tablespoons of the batter in the preheated pan and swirl the pan to coat it to form a thin crepe.

Cook both sides on low heat till cooked. When the crepe is cooked, transfer it onto a chopping board or plate.

Place 2 heaped teaspoons of filing on the crepe and roll it up like a spring roll.

Serve immediately. Enjoy !

P.S. You can opt not to put pandan colouring, leaving it original pancake colour. Most foodies are used to green colour as it is more authentic.

Ondeh-ondeh

2010-12-06T15:22:00.003+11:00

I first learned how to do this ondeh-ondeh way back in home science class in secondary school. My alma mater was Convent Peel Road, Kuala Lumpur. I remember being so impressed when the little balls floated up and ta-da, it was cooked!

There are many versions of this kuih. Some people favour using glutinous rice flour, others like myself prefer the original version using sweet potato and glutinous rice flour. I have tried both versions and have found that the glutinous rice flour only ondeh-ondeh is a bit chewy.

I try not to use too much colouring in my food. Authentic ondeh-ondeh is small little green coloured balls filled with finely chopped palm sugar. My favourite version is orange coloured (natural colour from orange sweet potato). And of course, coated in lots and lots of grated coconut. So sinful.

In Sydney, it is very hard to get fresh grated coconut. I have been using the dessicated coconut. There is actually not much difference.

Ingredients

500 gm steamed and mashed sweet potato
150 gm glutinous rice flour
20 gm all purpose flour
100 gm gula melaka (palm sugar), finely chopped
100 gm dessicated coconut
A pinch of salt

Method

Steam and mash sweet potato.

Mix mashed sweet potato with glutinous rice flour. Knead lightly. Add a little flour if dough is too sticky.

Take one portion of dough and roll into a small ball. Flatten slightly. Fill center of flattened ball with palm sugar. Close up the ball and roll slightly to make it round. Follow same procedure for the remaining dough.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Put a few balls into water. When the balls float to the surface, remove them with slotted spoon. Shake off excess water.

Roll the balls in coconut and serve immediately. Enjoy!

P.S.

I have re-tested my earlier recipe and tweaked it slightly. Here are some latest photos.

It is better to put in a few balls at any one time. Otherwise you will be stressed out when all the balls float up at the same time and you have to remove them individually and roll them in coconut. Unless you can work at the speed of lightning, believe me, it is rather stressful. Takes the joy out of making this delicious kuih.

Please make sure you cut up the sweet potato into chunks rather than steaming them whole. The time taken is less and the sweet potato softens so much faster.