DATE SQUARES

Date Squares

 are shortbread with filling of dates.

I wish to express special thanks to Kenneth Goh.

I have adapted this recipe from his

Pineapple Jam Slice.

Since dates are in season now 

for Hari Raya Celebration,

I have used it to encourage more people to taste it.

Recent research shows that 

Dates are rich in vitamins, minerals
and high in fibre.
Are these what we are looking for in our daily food?

Dates,
having the skin peeled and the seeds removed

Date Squares

150g dates, skin & seeds removed

250g plain flour, sifted and mixed with 1/4 tsp salt

125g cold butter

1 egg white

egg wash: egg yolk+2 drops of water

1. using your finger tips, rub in method of cold butter into the flour until crumbly

2. add in beaten egg white to combine

3. transfer dough to a lined baking tray 20cmx20cm, press evenly 

4. use a fork to prick some holes on the pastry

5. bake in preheated oven 180'C for 12min

6. take out the short crust pastry & arrange the pitted dates closely together

    on top of 1/2 of the pastry

7. scrape out the pastry from the other 1/2 & crumble it

8. sprinkle these on top of the dates evenly, press to compact it

9. egg wash the pastry & bake for another 15-20min until golden brown

10. cut into squares when cooled.

SALTED FISH PORK BELLY

Salted Fish Pork Belly

is an appetizing dish to go with steamed rice.

The dark gravy is thick, 

flavorful and slightly spicy with the cut chili added.

Salted fish is the focus of the dish.

It contributes to its unique flavour.

Whereas, the pork belly, having absorbed the flavour from the gravy

simply taste delicious!

Salted Fish
has been used in various Oriental dishes
like fried rice, fried bean sprouts, Nonya achar etc.

The popular salted fish used in Chinese Cooking is 'Danau'
which is from Kuantan.
It is a fillet from big white fish, salted & dried.
It can be quite expensive!

Salted Fish Pork Belly

1 piece 1"x3" danau salted fish, soak in water to soften, cut into 1/2 cm thick slices 

150g thinly sliced pork belly, cut into 1" squares

1/2 medium size onion, shredded

3 red chillies, cut into chunks

5 slices old ginger

2 garlic, smashed

oil for cooking

Seasoning

2 tsp dark soya sauce

2 tsp soya sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

salt & pepper to taste

Thickening: 1 tsp corn flour + 2 tsp water

1) heat up enough oil (2-3 Tbsp) in the kuali, put in the salted fish and leave to fry

2) turn the other side over when it is done. Avoid turning too often.

3) remove the salted fish when it is done.

4) to the hot oil, add garlic, ginger, onions and chili, fry until fragrant

5) add pork belly and salted fish, stir fry until the pork changes colour

6) add 1/2 bowl water & allow to simmer until the flavour comes out from the salted fish

7) add seasoning and thickener.

8) enjoy with white rice.

GREEN TEA BUTTER COOKIES

This green tea  Butter Cookies recipe

is from

Jeannie Tay

Green tea Butter Cookies 

63g butter

32g sugar

15g milk

63g all purpose flour

30g rice flour

1 tsp green tea (sifted together with flours)

1. cream butter and sugar until fluffy (about 2min)

2. add sifted flours and milk and mix until just combined

3. pipe out desired shapes onto a baking sheet

4. bake in preheated oven 160'C for 20min

5. cool completely before storing in air tight containers.

APPLE WALNUT CAKE

Apple Walnut Cake

This is a flavourful Cake.

It is light, spongy and moist.

The aroma of cinnamon fills the house while baking.

Apple Walnut Cake

140g coconut oil

140g caster sugar

2 large eggs

150g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

1/8 tsp salt

150g apple, shredded finely

30g toasted walnut, chopped

1. sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg powder.

2. mix in salt & walnuts, and leave aside until required

3. whisk together oil and sugar

4. whisk in eggs, one at a time, until well combined

5. add apple & mix well

6. gently fold in dry ingredients, Do not over mix!

7. pour into a parchment lined 17cm round pan

8. bake in preheated oven 180'C for 45min, until skewer inserted comes out clean

9. leave to cool

SHREDDED PORK WITH BUNS

In Putien Restaurants, Singapore,

this dish is known as

Shredded Pork with Sesame Buns.

The buns are soft & fluffy

while the pork is tender and tasty,

a very good combination.

If you like the buns to be fried,

heat up enough oil over medium heat,

drop the buns in to fry until golden.

Sometimes, mantou is used in place of these half moon buns.

The methods are straight forward

and the ingredients are simple.

To make the Buns:

Bun

175g pau flour

1/2 tsp double action baking powder

1/2 tsp instant yeast

20g sugar

5g shortening

100g milk

1. all ingredients into the bread machine, knead for 15min until smooth

    and leave to proof for 15min after that.

2. divide dough into 13 portions of 25g each & form into balls

3. roll ball flat into oblong, oil 1/2 the surface of the oblong with corn oil 

    & fold into 1/2 before placing onto an oiled steaming pan.

4. leave bun in the steamer to proof for 20min

5. steam bun from cold water for 15min

6. when done, leave bun in steamer for another 2-3min before opening the cover

    to allow the buns to slowly cool down.

Filling:

150g thinly sliced pork belly, cut into strips

1 large or 2 medium size onion, shredded

2 Tbsp oil for cooking

Seasoning:

combine in a small bowl

1 tsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp light soya sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp chinese cooking wine

1 tsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

2-3 Tbsp water

salt & pepper to taste

Thickener: 1 tsp corn starch + 2 tsp water

\

1. heat up oil in a wok & fry onions until soft

2. push the onions to the sides of pan & add shredded pork belly in the centre

3. turn the pork belly over when almost dry and cook for another minute

4. turn in the onions and fry together, add the bowl of seasoning

5. when done, add thickener 

6. serve hot with steamed buns

CLOUD CHIFFON

Cloud Chiffon

is initiated by Susanne Ng
who has generously shared her recipe with us.

Many baking enthusiasts were excited with her sharing.

Jeannie Tay of Bake The Talk group
has created an event
#BTTBakealong45
to encourage more people to try.

I have participated in the above event,
and presenting to you my 'holey' Cloud Chiffon.

I have tapped the pan a few times on the counter top
before sending it into the oven,
but the holes are still there.
Next time I better tap after every layer of batter added.

Cloud Chiffon,
besides  its appearance,
it actually feels like floating clouds,
and is very very light!

It stands tall without any rising agent,
only with well beaten egg whites!

The following recipe is adapted from Susanne Ng's:

Egg yolk batter
1 whole egg
27g caster sugar
53g corn oil
51g + 2g water
7g vanilla extract
80g cake flour, sifted
8g blue pea flower extract (made by steeping 40 blue pea flowers for 30min)
light blue colour gel, optional

Meringue
5 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
60g caster sugar

1. whisk egg with sugar until light, add oil, water & vanilla extract, mix well.
    whisk in flour & mix until smooth.
2. whisk egg white with cream of tartar until frothy, add sugar in 3 additions
    and whisk until firm peaks.
3. gently fold the meringue into the egg yolk batter
4 divide the batter into 2 portions, 3/4 and 1/4 of the total volume
5. add blue pea extract or blue colouring to the larger 3/4 portion
6. add 2g water to the 1/4 portion.
7. deposit spoonfuls of plain batter randomly around the base of a 18cm pan
    to create cloud like shapes.
8. fill the spaces with blue batter & gently cover the 'clouds' before starting the next layer
9. repeat steps 7 & 8 until the batter is 2cm from the rim of the pan
10. bake in preheated 160'C for 15min,
 then 140'C for 40min until the skewer inserted comes out clean
11. invert pan on a wire rack once out of the oven

CARROT CAKE

Carrot Cake

This carrot cake is light and spongy.

The large amount of finely shredded carrots 

contributes to its moist texture.

By replacing some of the sugar with brown sugar,

it has enhanced
 the aroma of cinnamon,

and 

also giving the cake a slightly darker colour.

This darker shade definitely contributes to its yummy look!

If you are interested,

I have this recipe to share with you.

Carrot Cake

140g coconut oil

50g brown sugar

100g caster sugar

2 large egg

150g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/8 tsp salt

150g carrot, shredded finely

1. sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt. leave aside

2. whisk together oil and sugars

3. whisk in eggs, one at a time, until well combined

4. add carrots, mix well

5. gently fold in dry ingredients, taking care not to over mix!

6. pour into a lined 7” round pan

7. bake in preheated oven @180'C for 45min, until skewer inserted comes out clean

8. leave to cool

9. wrap up & refrigerate until ready to frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

(this is just enough for a 7” cake)

35g butter, at room temperature

140g cream cheese, at room temperature

35g icing sugar

1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Toasted walnuts for decoration, optional

1. cream together cream cheese and butter until light & fluffy

2. add icing sugar and lemon juice, and you are ready to frost

3. slice the cake horizontally 1/2

4. apply a thin layer of icing in between the 2 layers, stack up

5. apply a layer of frosting on top of the cake & decorate with walnuts

6. refrigerate if not serving soon. Thaw before serving

Notes:

1. Only serve the cake at room temperature so that the texture is soft & spongy

2. The design on the cake is by tapping the icing with the back of a spoon.

HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER

Homemade Peanut Butter

I wish to express special thanks to

Goh Kai Eng 

for sharing her recipe.

To many of us,

Peanut Butter is one of the most sort after spread for toast.

It is in fact my hubby's favourite spread.

He has tasted many brands

 but he has not come to settle on any particular brand yet.

According to him,

besides the variation in taste and texture,

the price also counts!

When he saw me peeling the skin off the peanuts,

he told me that I could forget about making it again, oh dear!

Ingredients:

100g peanuts

2.5 tsp sugar

21g melted butter

1/8 tsp salt

1. nuts must be toasted until crispy & fragrant @ 100'C for about an hour

2. remove the skin from nuts

3. pulse sugar

4. add nuts & blend 

5. add salt & melted butter, blend until smooth & fine

6. can spread when ready

7. keep refrigerated, can last 3-4 weeks

PURPLE SWEET POTATO COCONUT CHIFFON

Purple Sweet Potato Coconut Chiffon

is soft and spongy.

It is surprisingly moist with the added purple sweet potato puree.

Besides this,

it has a strong aroma of coconut.

This is simply delicious!

According to Sy Yong, the author of the recipe,

the colour in the purple sweet potato reacts with acid and turns red.

As such, 2 tsp of lemon juice 

has been added to the sweet potato puree 

to get the purple colour.

No baking powder or soda should be added,

as the puree will react with alkali and turn bluish grey!

Ingredients:

100g purple sweet potato puree

2 tsp lemon juice

60g coconut milk

4 egg yolks

40g sugar

1/3 tsp salt

50g cooking oil

75g cake flour

2 Tbsp milk, adjust consistency

5 egg white

50g caster sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1. steam potato till soft, mash through a strainer to get 100g puree

2. add lemon juice & mix well for deep red colour

3. add coconut milk & mix

4. in another bowl, beat egg yolks, salt & sugar till light, add oil

5. add in the potato puree in batches, whisk till all dissolved

6. fold in sifted flour gently. If the mixture is lumpy, add milk to adjust. Set aside

7. beat egg white till frothy, add cream of tartar.

8. continue beating, add sugar in 3 batches. beat until stiff peaks.

9. carefully fold into egg yolk mixture in 3 batches, mix evenly

10. pour into a 7" square pan

11. bake in preheated oven 170'C for 50min until skewer comes out clean

12. invert to cool

TEARING TOAST

Tearing Toast

made with whipping cream sponge dough

is soft and spongy

This is adapted from Peggy Lee's recipe.

I have doubled the recipe to get a big Pullman Loaf 4"x4"x12".

Sponge Dough

220g bread flour

70g dairy whipping cream (can be replaced with yoghurt)

60g milk or water

1 egg

1 tsp instant yeast

Main Dough

50g bread flour

15g water

30g sugar

1/2 tsp salt

20g butter

1. mix sponge dough ingredients into a rough dough. Cover & leave on counter top 

    for 1 hour or up to overnight in the fridge

2. when ready to knead, tear sponge dough into small chunks &

    put into the bread machine. Add in the ingredients in the main dough.

    Knead till a smooth dough. Allow the dough to rest 40-60min

3. divide and shape dough to put into a loaf pan, allow to proof 60min until double

4. bake in preheated oven 190'C for 40-45min

SALTED CARAMEL

Salted caramel Sauce

is used as toppings for cakes, ice-cream etc.

It is not difficult to whip up this sauce,

but care must be taken as the colour and texture depends on your patience.

Kenneth Goh shared this recipe in his blog.

I find it too big a portion,

so I have reduced the amount to 1/4 of his recipe.

Salted caramel Sauce

137g caster sugar

62g butter

75g heavy cream

1/2 tsp salt

1. over low heat, melt sugar, stirring constantly

2. the colour gets darker as the sugar starts to melt

3. once the sugar has melted & the colour has turned slightly dark, remove from heat

4. add butter all at once, continue stirring

5. when butter has melted, add the cream, stir to incorporate

6. bring the mixture to a boil for a minute

7. remove from heat, stir in the salt

8. allow to cool completely before using

Note:

1. be careful when adding the butter & cream as the mixture will sizzle

2. if you are using salted butter, can reduce some salt

3. store the sauce in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

PUMPKIN DESSERT

Sweet Pumpkin Dessert

is creamy and with some crunch from the white fungus (cloud ear),

is simply delicious.

Ingredients:

300g pumpkin, peeled & cut into chunks

2-3 cups water

2 pandan leaves, knotted

1 Tbsp sago pearls

1/2 Tbsp cloud ear, soaked & cleaned

1 Tbsp thick coconut milk, optional

1-2 Tbsp sugar, to taste

1. bring to boil pumpkin & water

2. add pandan leaves & boil for 10min, let cool

3. blend pumpkin until fine, pour back into the pot & bring to a boil

4. add sago pearls & cloud ear pieces, stir well

5. allow to simmer for 10min, off heat & let sit until sago becomes translucent

6. return to heat & add coconut milk & sugar to taste

7. serve warm

CRISPY FRIED SHALLOTS

Crispy Fried Shallots

makes a good topping for many steamed dishes.

A bowl of soup noodle 

will have added flavour with this simple crispy fried shallots.

As such, I normally have some in hand.

It can last for quite awhile when stored in the fridge.

When buying the shallots,

make sure you get the orange colour ones

instead of the Indian Red Shallots.

There is a lot of difference in fragrance & taste!

First, the shallots need to be peeled, cleaned & sliced thinly.

Slicing can be done with a food processor.

Heat up the oil for frying in a wok.

Drop just enough sliced shallots into the hot oil,

not too much,

to have rooms for the shallots to move freely when frying.

Turn the shallots a few times so that the heat is well distributed.

Be watchful once the shallots starts to brown.

Remove immediately as it browns.

Be careful not to burn (colour getting too dark)

it will taste bitter!

SIMPLE PUMPKIN SOUP

Simple Pumpkin Soup

Looking at the thick and creamy pumpkin soup,

one may think that it is not easy to whip up!

Actually it is not so.

I would like to share with you this

Simple Pumpkin Soup Recipe:-

Ingredients:

300g pumpkin, peeled & cut into chunks

1/2 large onions, chopped

250g stock

15g butter

milk to adjust consistency

salt & pepper to taste

herbs or spice, optional

1. heat butter in a pan, add onions & fry until soft

2. pour in stock, add pumpkin, cover & bring to a boil

3. lower the heat to simmer until pumpkin is cooked

4. remove from heat, and let cool

5. using a blender to blend pumpkin until fine

6. bring back to a boil, adjust the consistency with milk if necessary

7. add herbs or spice, pepper & salt to taste

8. serve hot

CONFINEMENT SESAME WINE CHICKEN

Confinement Sesame Wine Chicken

This recipe is inspired by Mary Adele Ng.

Mary Adele Ng posted this dish

 with a sunny side up egg on top, and strips of fried ginger.

It looks so yummy!

This chicken is cooked without water!

Interesting?

I have simplified her method as follows:

Ingredients:

300g kampong chicken, chopped to bite size

1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

10g ginger, sliced thinly

1 Tbsp light soya sauce

1/2 to 1 tsp dark soya sauce

1/4 - 1/2 cup homemade wine

salt to taste, optional

Method:

1. blanch chicken in boiling water, drained

2. heat up the wok and add sesame oil

3. saute' the thinly slice ginger until fragrant

4. add chicken & stir fry

5. add light soya sauce and dark soya sauce, and stir fry

6. cover and let cook for a few minutes

7. add wine, cover and simmer until chicken is soft.

OLD SCHOOL BUTTERCREAM CAKES

Old School Buttercream Cakes

Lucinda Lau

author of this recipe

has so much to say about this Old School Buttercream Cake.

Her cakes are so attractive.

Besides the colourful buttercream, she also used piping jelly

Mine is dull,

nevertheless it is just as yummy,

with intense butter flavour!

To many of us,

these cakes are a walk down memory lane.

Those days, it is indeed considered a luxury if you get to eat it!

Buttercream 

was then the only type of cream on cakes,

and

 the cream tasted so good that 

you would lick your fingers after putting in the last bite into your mouth!

I am so happy to have attempted baking one.

Old School Buttercream Cakes

Sponge Cake

(A) 4 egg yolks

      75g corn oil

      75-100g water

      150g self raising flour

(B) 4 egg white

      100g sugar

1. mix ingredients (A) until smooth.

    add enough water to form a smooth batter

    must not be too thick or too runny.

2. whisk ingredients (B) until stiff

3. mix (A) and (B) gently

4. pour into 11"x14" lined tray, drop on counter to release trapped air bubbles

5. bake in preheated oven 180'C for 25min

6. take out from oven & drop tray on counter to prevent shrinking

7. cool on rack

Note:

1) for coffee cakes, add 1 tsp coffee paste to the cake mixture

     or 2 tsp coffee granules dissolve in 1 tsp hot water

2) for pandan cakes, replace some of the water with pandan juice.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

125g butter (cubed)

1 egg white

50g fine sugar

Method:

1. cook egg white & sugar over a double boiler

2. stir to whisk till sugar melts

3. remove from heat & beat until the whites are stiff, leave to cool

4. add butter and beat till fluffy and creamy

    (mixture will be watery at first. As you continue to beat it will come together)

    set aside

Note:

1) for colour buttercream, add gel colour or coffee paste

2) can also use icing sugar to cream with butter to make buttercream.

     Must sift the icing sugar to get a smooth cream, and

     add a few drops of milk to combine.

Assembling the cake

1. cut the cake into 1/2 and sandwich with buttercream

2. let the cake sit in the fridge for an hour before slicing

3. slice and decorate as desired.

4. mix some piping jelly with colours for decoration.

Note:
To make things easier, next time I will decorate the whole cake, chill and then only cut

STEAMED SOFT SOFT CABBAGE

Cabbage,

any way you cook it,

be it raw, stir fried or steamed,

is just as tasty and nice. 

I remember this Steamed Soft Soft Cabbage

was once a popular dish 

in a celebration feast or dinner.

This is flavourful

with the aroma of dried scallop and dried oyster

and the sweetness of cabbage.

It is served in a thick gravy.

It is not difficult to cook this dish
provided you have sufficient time allotted for steaming.

Steamed Soft Soft Cabbage

1 small cabbage (buy one with the leaves tightly cling together) 

few dried scallop

few dried oyster

1-2 dried mushroom, optional

few garlic, roughly smashed

few pieces of roast pork

chicken stock

thickener, corn flour mix with some water

1. remove the centre core of the cabbage, as shown in the photo below

2. put all ingredients into a steaming bowl as shown,

    steam until the cabbage is soft, about 1.5-2 hours.

3. when ready to serve, remove & cut the cabbage into wedges

4. thicken the gravy and pour onto the cabbage to serve.

Note:

1. Napa or long cabbage can be used instead of this round type
2. This dish can be prepared days ahead & chilled, must steam to serve

If you like to have a more elaborate dish for Chinese New Year,

here is one that has been adapted with 

Long Chinese Cabbage 

& 

Canned Abalone

No additional cooking is required.

Just slice the abalone, 

pour the abalone gravy from the can into the steaming vegetable.

When ready to serve,

arrange the vegetable in the serving plate.

Thicken the gravy.

Arrange the abalone pieces on the vegetable

before pouring the thicken gravy over.

Enjoy!

Abalone 

is a delicacies much sort after for the Chinese New Year Celebrations.

Types:

You can either buy dried abalone or canned.

Dried abalone requires much preparation before it can be presented on the table.

It needs to be soaked, cleaned and double boiled to the required texture.

Canned ones can be consumed once opened!

Country of Origin:

Abalone from Mexico tastes the best, so you need to pay a higher price for it.

South African Abalone tastes quite similar to that of the Mexican ones.

Next comes Australia & New Zealand (these have softer texture)

Size:

Abalone is measured by the number of pieces in

a) 1 kati for Dried Abalone, e.g. 5 pieces in 1 kati is considered big!

b) 1 can for Canned Abalone, e.g. 1.5 pieces in 1 can is considered big!

    

Caution:

Canned Abalone is costly, so best to buy can that is spray painted 

instead of those with paper stickers which can be removed and replaced! 

COPYCAT IPOH SALTED CHICKEN

Ipoh's
famous Salted Chicken
usually comes in one whole chicken,
wrapped in paper.

These are either
sold freshly baked or vacuum packed.

It has become so popular that
many people order as gift packs for Baby's Fullmoon Celebrations.

It comes in a complete package,
with one salted chicken,
2 red eggs with pickled ginger
and 2 angku kuih.

Last time, Salted Chicken is cooked for the new mothers,
during the confinement month.
As such, Dang Qui is added to enhance its benefits.

The traditional method
of preparing this salted chicken is tedious.

Raw salt or unrefined sea salt
is fried over the charcoal stove until very very hot.
Whole chicken,
is seasoned with salt and Dang Gui and wrapped in layers of paper.
Then, make a well in the pot of hot salt,
put the chicken into the hole and cover with salt from the sides of the pan.
Cover the pot with its lid,
turn the heat lower and let it cook for an hour.

I have simplified the method as follows:

Copycat Ipoh Salted Chicken

1 chicken thigh

Salt to taste

Few slices of Dang Qui

1) clean the chicken thigh and pat dry 

2) marinate with salt and dang qui, leave aside for few hours

3) when ready to bake, tuck dang gui pieces between the skin & meat
4) wrap chicken with parchment paper (2 layers)

4) wrap again with aluminium foil 

5) bake in preheated oven 200'C for 50min

6) serve hot

Notes:

1. If cooking a whole chicken
    a) put dang gui pieces into the cavity or stomach of the chicken
    b) lengthen the cooking time to 60-90 min depending on the size of chicken

STEAMED NIAN GAO

Nian gao
can be eaten deep fried or steamed.

My mom has a third way of eating nian gao
by cooking it in a sweet dessert.

This fuss free method of steaming;

1/2 piece nian gao, sliced

100g shredded coconut, mix with salt to taste 

1. Steam nian  gao and coconut in different container

2. Remove from heat when the nian gao is soft

3. Use chopstick to take out some nian gao

4. Coat the nian gao with the steamed coconut

5. Serve warm. 

SALTED EGG PUMPKIN

I have earlier cooked some 

Salted Egg Powder.

I have used to cook this Deep Fried Pumpkin. 

Salted Egg Pumpkin

(A)
4 Tbsp rice flour
4 tsp corn flour
Salt & pepper to taste

(B)
10 slices of pumpkin
3 Tbsp salted egg powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 spray curry leaves
2 chilli padi (optional)
2 tsp chilli oil or butter 

1) combine (A), add enough water to make into a coating batter

2) coat pumpkin pieces and deep fry until crispy, drain & leave aside

3) heat up 2 tsp oil, fry garlic until fragrant

4) add curry leaves, chilli and salted egg powder

5) when salted egg powder starts to melt, add pumpkin pieces

6) toss & make sure the pumpkin pieces are well coated 

7) serve