How cute are these? Making them was so much but eating them… to die for.

Mantou is referred as steamed buns. You often seen plain white steam buns. With these mantou I’ve made, I added pumpkin.

Pumpkin Mantou recipe

Ingredients
450g plain flour or bread flour
200g pumpking (cut into pieces and steamed till soft or cooked)
150g icing sugar
1tsp baking powder
1tbsp instant yeast
30g vegetable oil
2tbsp milk powder

130ml water

Method
Combine ingredients into a mixer and mix well. Add in water and beat on high speed till smooth dough starts to form. Cover the dough and let it rest for 1.5 hours. Knead the dough and portion each to shape into a tortoise. (Note: You don’t need to shape to a tortoise, you can shape them into rounds.). Use red bean as the tortoise eyes. Rest the dough for another 30 minutes after shaping them.

You’ll need to steam the buns for five minutes in medium heat.

During this time especially in winter, yam bean or jicama would be in season.  I find them plentiful in Asian stores and cheap too.  So what do I do with these yam bean.   Teochew Chai Kueh is simple to make.    There are many ways to wrap the dumplings.  Do whatever is easier for you.   The most important in this recipe is the almost transparent looking dumpling and the crunchiness from the yam bean.   This kueh is great for morning or afternoon tea… or any time of the day.

recipe after the jump

Chai Kueh recipe

Filling
1 (400g) yam bean/jicama (shredded)
60g dried shrimps (chopped)
1 tsp garlic (chopped)
20g oil

Fry all the above with oil and garlic. Then add salt and pepper to taste.

Pastry
200g wheat starch
100g tapioca flour
50g glutinous rice
500ml boiling water
half tsp salt

The texture of the dough should be soft and smooth.  Divide the dough equally in 50g balls. Roll dough with rolling pin and add yam bean filling.  Seal the sides.  Steam for 7 to 9 minutes on greased stainless steel plate.

{update}  since readers are asking what is wheat starch, below is the packaging.  The wheat starch is more stickier than tapioca or corn starch.

Don’t know what do to with some leftover pumpkin?  Why not try making some pumpkin cake parcels?

Recipe after the jump

Pumpkin Cake recipe

100g green bean powder
250ml thick coconut milk
200 g sugar
300g pumpkin

Method
1. Steam diced pumpkin till cooked.
2. Add green bean powder to cononut milk and mix well. Add in sugar gradually and mix well. Add in pumpkin, cook over moderate heat till thick.
3. Scoop 1 Tbsp of mixutre, wrap with banana leaf to form a rectagular.

serve cool.

I haven’t made Nyonya Satay for a long time and I know that it has been a vanishing skill to make it.  I haven’t seen Nyonya Satay around for long time too, it is probably rare to see it in Malaysia or Singapore.  Have you eaten any?  If yes, do tell us where you’ve seen it.

So, I dug out the recipe and gladly share it with you.  I use pork in this recipe but you are welcomed to use chicken or beef.  This uniqueness in this recipe is the dipping sauce.   The thickness from the sauce is from sweet potato puree.

Recipe after the jump

Nyonya Satay Recipe

600 gms pork fillet

Marinade
1 tsp curry powder
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp tumeric powder
5 cloves of garlic (minced)

Dipping Sauce
600 gm sweet potato puree
1 tbsp chilli sauce
4 tbsp plum sauce
3 tbsp sugar
1½ tsp sauce
4 tbsp lukewarm water

Mix the above ingredients till smooth consistency.

When grilling the meat, use coconut milk for basting.

Firstly, I would like to apologise for not blogging the last month.  Madamkwong has been away and Suz… well… she can’t take any photos while Madamkwong is away, right?  It is winter here in Australia.  So, stay warm and stay safe.   We will back with more recipes to come.  Please stay tuned…

Yes, we know that this recipe has a funny name, right?  Well that’s what it’s called when you deep fry the balls and they opened “laughing”.  A very simple recipe to make and hope you’ll try it.  Check out the recipe is after the jump.

Laughing Balls recipe
300g flour
2 tsp baking powder
50 ml water
150 g caster sugar
1½ tbsp oil
1 egg
150g sesame seeds

Method
1. Sieve flour and baking powder. Spread on a platform and make a well.
2. Whisk egg. Then add in sugar, oil and water, beat till sugar dissolved. Pour into the well, draw in flour and pat lightly to form a soft dough.
3. Cut dough into small portions. Knead to round balls, stain some water and roll into sesame seeds.
4. Heat oil till slightly boiling, dip in the sesame balls. Deep fry till they crack an opening and golden brown in color.

Pulut Inti is another popular Nyonya Kuih and I guarantee you, it is the easiest to make.    “Pulut” means glutinous rice and “Inti” is the filling.   I’ve always known Bunga Telang as the two Malay words or Blue Pea/Clitoria ternatea for some.  It is widely available in Malaysia, Singapore or in the Asian countries.  Well, in Australia, I get them specially flown in from Brisbane.   The blue extract gives out this beautiful natural color for the glutinous rice.  Here’s how to make.  Try it and let me know how you went..

Ingredients
500g glutinous rice
30 bunga telang or blue pea
150 mls/milliliters coconut milk
half tbsp salt
500 grams grated coconut
250 grams palm sugar
200 grams caster sugar
1 tbsp plain flour

Method
1. Boil 700 mls water with 30 bungah telang/blue pea. Cool the blue water and pour over the glutinous rice. Soak the rice for an hour.
2. Strain and steam rice over high heat for half hour.
3. Pour the coconut milk and mix with half tbsp salt over the rice and mix well.
4. Cover the rice and steam for another 20 minutes. Cool and serve with banana leaves.

The coconut topping
Melt palm sugar and caster sugar with 100 mls of water. Add in the grated coconut, stir under medium heat for 10 minutes or until the mixture is semi dry. Add the plain flour and stir for another minute. Turn off heat and cool the mixture. Roll into a ball and top it on the glutinous rice. Wrap both glutinous and the coconut topping.

Enjoy!

Madam Kwong’s Perut Ikan (Nyonya Stewed Fish Stomach with Vegetables) is featured on Nyonya Food.  This  recipe was written a while ago on my blog.  I gladly share it with Bee of Rasa Malaysia and Nyonya Food.  So hop over there or check this recipe on this blog.

While madamkwong aka my mom is busy with her catering. I thought I make some Korean side dishes/banchan 반 찬. In Korean, this side dish is called Ojingeochae Bokkeum/오징어채볶음. It is so easy to make and takes only 15 minutes.  Recipe after the jump…

the packaging

Ingredients:
227g dried shredded squid
4 tsp vegetable oil

For the sauce
2½ tbsp of Gochujang (chilli paste)
4 tsp soy sauce
4 tsp honey
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp rice wine (or red wine)

Method
Soak the dried shredded squid in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and squeeze the shredded squid. Pre heat the wok on high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the sauce. When the sauce is heated, add the squid. Mix the sauce and squid until well coated. Simmer for about 30 seconds until the sauce is almost dry.  Serve and sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds.

I prefer to serve it with rice~

Have you tried glutinous rice balls when you go for Dim Sum/Yum Cha?  They usually have them in the dessert cart.    Have a go with this easy recipe after the jump.

Ingredients for the wrapper

1 cup rice flour (leave some for coating)
¾ cup glutinous rice flour
3 tbsp sugar
1½ cup water

Ingredients for the filling

1¼ cup peanuts (roasted and crushed)
2½ tbsp roasted sesame seeds
5 tbsp sugar

Method
1. Bake the rice flour for 45 minutes at 120ºC and stirring every 10 minutes. Set it aside to cool.
2. Mix water and sugar. Pour into the glutinous rice and mix.
3. Grease a tray.
4. Pour glutinous mixture into the tray.
5. Steam for ½hour or until cook. Set it aside to cool.
6. Pour the cooked glutinous rice dough into the roasted rice flour.
7. Cut into small portion and flatten each dough. Fill the dough with the filling.
8. Seal the dough.
9. Coat with the roasted rice flour which you set aside. Serve.

Approximately 20 pieces were made from this recipe, depending on the size of each rice balls.

Following my recent guest post at Nyonya Food, Bee from Nyonya Food and Rasa Malaysia asked Suz to take some photos of the traditional coconut grater which I used for my Kuih Bengka.  This precious grater was given to me from a dear friend.  I truly treasure it.   Don’t despair if you can’t use this utensil.  You can always find ready packed grated coconut available from any Asian groceries.

I want to ask the same question that Bee put up… does your grandmother or mother own one of this.  Post your photos here.

*the picture changes every 3 seconds