SESAME PANCAKES

I am sure Jin Doi is known among the Chinese Community

Jin Doi are deep fried sesame balls

wrapped in red bean paste

or groundnuts

As sesame glutinous balls are deep fried

 I have found a good way of presenting it,

PAN FRIED & no oil at all!

It is indeed a healthy version!

Interested?

Just follow the simple steps below

which I adapted the recipe from rumblingtummy23

You will need: (for 8pcs)

100g sweet potato, steamed

1 tsp oil

1 Tbsp sugar

90g glutinous rice flour

2 Tbsp rice flour

50g water (to adjust accordingly)

Filling:

red bean paste (15g each)

1) mash sweet potato while hot

2) add oil, sugar & mix well

3) add rice flour & half of glutinous rice flour & blend together

4) add remaining glutinous rice flour & adjust with water 

5) knead to form a dough

6) divide dough into 8 portions

7) wrap filling & form into a ball and then flatten

8) heat up a non-stick frying pan

9) fry pancakes until golden brown

10) serve hot

DURIAN MINI MUFFIN

Looking at these little muffins

you can very well say that there is nothing special by the look

but

you will soon realize

the durian fragrant emerging from these little muffins!

This is a durian season

and moreover, this time durian is in abundance.

When things are in abundance

they tend to be cheap

I have adapted this recipe from Ann's Mini Durian Muffins

250g durian flesh (blended with 1 Tbsp sugar)

160g self raising flour, sifted

1 large egg

70g castor sugar

80g vegetable oil

100g milk

1) preheat oven to 190'C 

2) whisk egg, add sugar & continue beating

3) add oil & milk, stir to combine

4) pour liquid into sifted flour and briefly mix (batter should be lumpy)

5) scoop batter to fill 1/2 muffin cup

6) add 1 tsp durian puree on top of the batter

7)  cover durian puree with 2 tsp batter

8) bake in preheated oven for 25min

BRAISED FISH BELLY WITH YAM

Yam is well loved by many, especially the

Foochow people

I remember when I was in Fuzhou 

I saw the yam there as big as my head, some even bigger!

They said,

yam takes one whole year to grow to that size!

So,

yam can be expensive at times.

The various dishes prepared by the Foochow people in China 
with yam includes;

1) sweet yam paste dessert

2) yam paste stuffed in sweet glutinous rice bowls

3) fried yam rings/flowers

4) braised yam

5) yam noodles

To prepare braised fish belly yam you will need the following ingredients:

200g fish belly (from big fish), sliced into big pieces

200g yam, cut into thick pieces

1/2" ginger, smashed

salt, pepper, oyster sauce & soya sauce to taste

1) deep fry fish & yam pieces (half cooked)

2) fry ginger in some oil until fragrant

3) add fish pieces & yam

4) add water and cook until boiling

5) add seasoning according to own liking

6) it is ready when gravy becomes slightly thicken

7) garnish with some cut spring onions & serve

FOOCHOW RED WINE PIG'S TROTTER

Red Wine is found in every Foochow home
It is used in daily cooking
as well as
in Celebration and Festive Dishes

紅酒豬腳
Red wine Pig's Trotter

are large pieces of Pig's Trotter

in thick Red Wine Gravy

I could remember during my childhood years

this was a favourite Dish served during Weddings and Birthday feasts

cooked by the Foochow people

in many of the villages in Sitiawan,
like Simpang Tiga, 
Simpang Dua, 
Ayer Tawar 
and Kampong Koh, Perak

It was served in such a big portion that

guests would usually come with their own tiffin carriers

to take home the left over

pig's trotter

Ingredients:

1/2 pig's trotter
1 Tbsp red rice wine residue
1 pc ginger, smashed
2 pc dried cuttle fish
salt and sugar to taste

Method:
1) wash the chopped pig's trotter
2) add ginger and dried cuttle fish
3) cook over medium heat until meat pieces shrink
4) add red wine residue and fry until fragrant
5) add water and cook in medium heat until soft
6) add salt and sugar to taste


Note:
Very often, radish is added to this dish

Do you know that if you have any left overs

you can present it this way?

Just cook this mee sua in boiling water

and add the hot Pig's Trotter soup!

SOYA SAUCE PORK

Ethan: Mama, remember you cooked for me the black pork?
Mama: Yes?
Ethan: Can you please cook again?
Mama: Why? Mummy knows how to cook already.
Ethan: No, she cooked not fat one! I like the fat fat one!
              

How many of us adults also like the fat meat?

I remember my father-in-law liked, 

my dad liked,

my husband likes, 

and now

my grandson likes too!

This dish is simple and easy to cook

but you need patience to simmer the meat to perfection.

Believe me, 

it is worth the trouble.

In Foochow, this dish is called 'Lu Nuke'

In Hokkien, 'Dau Yu Bak'
And 
In Penang, it is called Hong Bak

Basically
It is stew pork in dark soya sauce

Sometimes,
Hard boiled eggs are added during cooking
As such
You will have flavourful dark eggs

300gm pork belly
1 tsp dark soya sauce (more if you like darker)
3 tsp soya sauce
1 piece ginger 
1 tsp sugar
1 large bulb garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

1) cut pork belly into bite size chunks
2) marinate with the rest of the ingredients for an hour
3) cook over stove until pork pieces shrink
4) add water to cover 1/2 the level of meat
5) simmer until soft, add water if necessary
      (time taken, an hour or so)

Pork cut in chunks

BAK CHANG

Bak Chang, a Hokkien name 

for savoury dumplings

Of course, Cantonese have their version,

with added beans, 

green pea or black eye beans

My mom loves Bak Chang

She is 86 years old,

and a diabetic

Glutinous rice should definitely be out of her menu

Yet, at times she would take a spoon or two,

especially during a Festive Season 

Duan Wu Zei

These dried chestnuts need to be soaked overnight and cleaned

It is not easy to make dumplings 

It is time consuming

As many of the ingredients need to be soaked, 

and prepared before wrapping

Bamboo leaves and hempstrings

are soaked overnight  and cleaned

Ingredients:

1000g pulut rice (washed, soaked overnight & drained)

bamboo leaves & hempstrings (soaked overnight & cleaned)

chestnuts ( soaked until soft, cleaned & soaked overnight. Keep the water to fry rice)

500g pork belly, cut into bite sizes (20pcs)

10 salted egg yolk (halved)

20 dried shrimp (large size)

20 mushrooms (soaked overnight & cleaned)

2 tsp garlic, minced
oil for cooking (+sesame oil for flavour)

Seasoning:

2 tsp 5 spice powder

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 tsp black soya sauce

4 tsp soya sauce

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp oyster sauce

1) marinate pork with 1/2 of the seasoning

2) fry garlic in some oil (+ some sesame oil)

3) add shrimp, pork, mushroom & chestnuts

4) fry till half cooked, remove

5) fry rice with remaining seasoning

6) add soaking water of chestnuts

7) add more salt, oyster sauce and dark soya sauce if necessary 

8) wrap in bamboo leaves, can make 20 bak chang

9) add 1 tsp salt to boiling water
10) put in bak chang & cook for 4 hours, turning during half time

11) remove & drip dry

Duan Wu Jie falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Lunar Calendar.  It is also known as Double Fifth Festival.

Celebration of Duan Wu Jie involves eating zhongzi or rice dumblings, and racing of dragon boats.  

This Festival is to commemorate the death of a Poet and a Minister, Qu Yuan.  He committed suicide by drowning himself when he was accused of treason.  The local people liked him very much and they raced their boats trying to save him.  This eventually became the dragon boat race that we have today.  

Finally, when they could not find Qu Yuan, they decided to throw sticky rice balls into the river for the fish to eat so that they would not eat the body of Qu Yuan.  This was how the zhongzi came about .

CRISPY KUIH BAHULU

Have been wanting to bake some crispy kuih bahulu

but many of the recipes I tried were

soft little zi dang kao

Gathering the informations from various bakers
I have finally arrived at this:

Crispy Kuih Bahulu

160g plain flour (replaced 1 Tbsp with rice flour)
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 eggs, chilled

150g sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp salt

oil for brushing moulds

1) heat flours in the oven 150'C for 10min, turning half way, let cool

2) beat eggs, add sugar & salt, and beat until thick, pale & sticky

3) add vanilla

4) fold in sifted flours & baking soda (sifted together)

5) grease moulds generouly & heat up the moulds, must be very hot!

6) fill the kuih bahulu moulds until almost full

7) bake in preheated oven 180'C for 10-15 until golden brown

8) lift up kuih bahulu from moulds with a toothpick

9) clean moulds before the next batch, repeat No.5

10) store in airtight containers, can last for 2 weeks

Notes:
1) to make sure the moulds are well heated up before pouring
    in the batter. If not, the batter will stick to the moulds when baked.
2) When the mould get stuck with crumbs, clean the moulds!

Red Yeast Choco Cake

Wanted to bake a red velvet cake

using natural ingredients

instead of the 2 Tbsp of red colouring

I used red yeast, grounded into powder

dissolve in water

The colour did not turn out red

because the colour of cocoa dominated

Cake

275g sifted self raising flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp red yeast powder

2 Tbsp water

8 oz butter

7 oz castor sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 cup milk

1) Sieve together all dry ingredients

2) dissolve red yeast powder in water

3) cream butter & sugar until light

4) add eggs, one at a time

5) add vanilla essence

6) fold in dry ingredients, add milk as required

7) bake in preheated oven 175'C for 30-35min

Cream Cheese Topping

6 oz butter

16 oz cream cheese

16 oz powdered sugar (sifted)

2 Tbsp milk ( needed only when cream is too stiff)

1) cream butter, add cream cheese

2) add sifted sugar when well combined

3) add milk if necessary

I did not make the cream cheese because I was quite disappointed with the

colour.  Will try again, adjusting the ingredients.

JUST FOR A LAUGH

Ethan came home from school, looking tired,

Ethan: Mama , my nose is tired .

Mama: You do look tired alright after a day in school,
            but why do you say your nose is tired too?

Ethan: because it was running whole day in school.

Ethan: Mama in which city do you live in?

Mama: Ipoh

Ethan: Do you know which city no one live?

Mama: Err ....

Ethan: give up?
Mama: Err, ok
Ethan: Electric city la....

Ethan: Learning Chinese is fun 

Hayley: yes it is

Ethan: Hayley's name is 'black pear'

Hayley: Ethan's name is 'one stool'

And we all laughed together

MANGO YOGHURT POPSICLES

Mango is in season now

This is the right time to freeze them for dessert

140g mango

150g yoghurt

70g milk

50g honey

1) Puree together all ingredients

2) fill into moulds or containers & freeze 5 hours

Recipe from: http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/