Homemade Bak Kwa

My apologies for disappearing for the past 3 months.  We were busy traveling during the school holidays, made a trip to Taiwan in Nov and 2 road trips to Malacca in Dec.  When we finally returned, it was time to prepare kids for school.

I made bak kwa some years ago but didn't get a chance to blog about it.  And since CNY is just round the corner, here's the recipe for those interested to make them at home.

Homemade Bak Kwa
Recipe adapted from Gan55

Ingredients

1 kg minced meat

2.5 tbsp fish sauce

1.5 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1.5 tbsp lee kum kee char siew sauce (I replaced with oyster sauce)

2 tbsp cooking wine

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 small drop 玫瑰露 rice wine (I  omitted)

Method

Mix all of the above and stir in 1 direciton.

Mix till the meat becomes gooey.

On a baking tray lined with parchment baking paper, spread out meat with a spoon.

Put another piece of baking paper (I used plastic sheet) on top and roll it thin (around 3mm) with a rolling pin.

Try to keep the edges as straight as you can so you can cut into neat squares.  After rolling, remove the baking paper/plastic sheet on top.

Bake in a preheated oven on 125C for 25-30 mins.  The bak kwa is ready when the entire top surface is dry to the touch and is holding together without breaking.  The underneath of the bak kwa will be moist but it is ok.  When slightly cool, use a kitchen scissors to cut the bak kwa into squares or any shapes/size you like.

Cool completely.  Place sheets of of baking paper between each slice of bak kwa.  Wrap with clingwrap and keep in a container to chill/freeze.  When needed, reheat in grill/microwave/toaster oven/oven.

Bunny Pineapple Tarts

I promised SM I'll bake her some pineapple tarts after CNY.  Decided to give this recipe a try again, praying that they won't puff up as much.  I remember reading somewhere that to prevent the cookie dough from spreading too much in the oven, the trick is to chill the dough first.  So when I did this batch, I chilled the dough (wrapped and shaped, ready to be baked) in the fridge and only took it out when the oven is ready.  They turned out well, slightly puffed but at least the imprint is still pretty obvious.  I'm contented :-)

For melt in the mouth recipes, the success factor is how you handle the dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough. I used a fork to mash the butter into the flour instead of using my fingers. And I mixed in all the wet ingredients together before pouring into the flour mixture so that I really minimise "kneading" the dough.

Decided to do away with egg wash since they always turned out patchy.  I guess I'm not using the correct pastry brush.

Can you see the flakey crust?  Oh, I just love this recipe!  But be warned, this recipe comes with a high percentage of butter over flour so watch out for those calories when you pop one into your mouth.

SM took one while she was in the car, took a quick bite when the traffic light turned red, and she loves it.  Her son NQ was so amazed as he has never seen pineapple tarts in this form.  He was showing off to his neighbours that his friend's (my son) mother made these.  I owe EO (my best pal's sister) some pineapple tarts so passed her a bottle and received positive feedback from her too :-)

I'm submitting this to Aspiring Bakers # 5: Fruity March (March 2011) hosted by jess of bakericious.

Bunny Pineapple Tarts

Ingredients

(A)

340g Plain Flour

1 tbsp Icing sugar

1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

(B)

250g Cold butter, cut into cubes

(C)

1 Egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla essence/Martell

25ml ice cold water

*mix together

(D)

Pineapple fillings (I used store bought but improvised it)

Method

1. Lightly beat egg yolk with brandy and ice water.
2. Sieve flour and icing sugar into mixing bowl. Stir in salt and blend well.
3. Using a fork, cut in butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
4. Add egg yolk and ice water mixture into flour and roughly work it into a ball. Do not overwork the dough.
5. Divide dough into 3 equal portions, place each portion in a plastic bag and flatten it slightly. Chill in fridge for at least 30 mins.
6. Remove 1 portion of dough from fridge and divide dough into small balls.
7. Wrap pineapple paste with dough and shape into rounds.
8. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and press into a mould of your choice, flatten and dislodge the dough.
9. Chill the dough while you preheat the oven. (I actually kept mine in the fridge for a few hours)
10. Place tarts onto baking tray lined with baking sheet.
11. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until golden. Turn tarts out to cool on a wire rack before storing in air-tight containers.

Almond Cookies

Happy New Year to all my readers!!!  I know I'm late but there's a saying, "better late than never" ;-)

I've planned to post this before CNY, in order to submit this to Aspiring Bakers #3 but I was too busy baking.

Some years back when I first started baking, an ex-colleague (also a blogger) shared her Almond Cookies recipe in a forum.  Those who tried all gave thumbs up as it's a very simple recipe yet yield good results.  I had the recipe copied onto a piece of paper then and made it once.  It was good.  But I misplaced the recipe and couldn't find it anymore.  I thought there is no harm asking my ex-colleagure for the recipe again, she replied in her sms that she will send me the recipe, but to promise not to broadcast as she is selling the cookies.  I waited for a few days, nothing came.  Sent her an sms reminder, but still no reply.  Alright, I got the message, she's reluctant to give me her recipe.  I didn't give up, continued to search the internet for the recipe but aint got much luck.

This year, Lady Luck decided to pay me a visit when I was blog hopping.  I couldn't quite recall the ingredients but I vaguely remember it calls for very simple ingredients and no creaming method, just dump and stir.  Another verification, the dough will be crumbly.  The final confirmation, Jess wrote this recipe was from Phoon Huat Demo class, bingo!

Upon getting all my ingredients ready, I baked these babes.  This was from my first tray, baked for 15 mins flat.

My 2nd tray was baked a little longer as I went to open up the door for DS2.  Some diced almonds turned slightly darker but thankfully they were not charred.

As I was rushing (you may read here to find out why),  I didn't bother to shape them into rounds.  As long as the dough comes together, I just dumped them into the paper casing.

Verdict:  Expect a crunchy and melty cookie in this no fuss recipe!  What else can you ask for?  It's so easy to make with very simple ingredients.  And if you're looking for a quick and easy recipe, look no further!

Almond Cookies

(makes approximately 50 cookies)

Ingredients
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
60g icing sugar
80g ground almond
80g diced almonds
100g corn oil
Egg yolk for brushing (I used the balance from my pineapple tarts making)

Method

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and icing sugar.
2. Add in ground and diced almonds, mix well.
3. Add corn oil to form a soft dough. (the dough will come together when you roll them so don't worry about it being crumbly)
4. Shape into small round balls and place into small paper casing.
5. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle some diced almonds on top (optional).
6. Bake in a preheated oven of 170°C for 15-20mins or until slightly brown.
7. Cool completely on wire rack before storing into airtight containers.

Aspiring Bakers #3: CNY Cookies (2011) - Pineapple Rose Tarts

When it comes to pineapple tarts, one man's meat is another man's poison.  Some like a hard crust with a cakey pastry, whereas some like flakey pastry.  For me, I prefer flakey pastry, one that literally melts when you take a bite.  Some like the rich creamy taste (from formula milk or cream cheese) but I like mine with good old butter.

I'm happy with my current recipe but I've seen another similar recipe with more butter, less sugar and no rising agent.  This year, I decided to give this recipe (by Lekker, she made open tarts) a try, just to make a comparison.

This recipe has no rising agent so I presumed the pastry wouldn't puff up too much but I was wrong.  My rose tarts look so puffed and this made the crimp petals least obvious.  Argh!  I should have taken a picture of the tarts before baking, they sure do look like roses.

Another patchy egg wash maybe I should just omit next time.

Time was running out as I need to fetch my son from school but I've 2/3 pastry sitting in my fridge.  I have another cookie to bake and I have no wish to stop the oven.  My mind had to work fast to find a quick and easy way to finish up baking. 

I rolled the dough into oblong and rolled in the pineapple jam.  By doing this, I don't have to worry about sealing up the ends.  Despite this, I couldn't make it in time to fetch my son.  Thankfully I have a parent's contact number and had to seek her help to bring DS2 across the road.  Thanks SM!  Will bake you some pineapple tarts after CNY, I'm sure they are as good as the Malay store you've recommended ;-)

Verdict: This recipe is another keeper.  Gives you really flakey tarts BUT the dough is difficult to handle.  You need to work with quick hands as the dough gets soften fast due to our warm hands.  Nevertheless, it is a recipe worth trying if you like flakey tarts like me.

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers # 3: My Favorite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011) hosted by j3ss kitch3n.

Pineapple Rose Tarts

Ingredients
(A)
340g Plain Flour
1 tbsp Icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

(B)
250g Cold butter, cut into cubes

(C)
1 Egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence (I used Martell instead)
*lightly beaten

(D)
25ml ice cold water

(E)
Egg glaze: Lightly beat1 yolk with 1 tbsp water

(F)
Pineapple fillings (I used store bought but improvised it)

Method

1. Lightly beat egg yolk with brandy. 
2. Sieve flour and icing sugar into mixing bowl. Stir in salt and blend well. 
3. Cut in butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs. 
4. Add egg yolk and ice water into flour and roughly work it into a ball. Do not overwork the dough. 
5. Divide dough into 3 equal portions, place each portion in a plastic bag and flatten it slightly.  Chill in fridge for 1 hour.
6. Remove 1 portion of dough from fridge and divide dough to portions of 15g - 20g each. 
7. Wrap pineapple paste (15g each) with dough and shape into rounds.
8. Chill the wrapped dough for 15 mins.
9. Using a crimper, crimp the top to make a triangle.  Then crimp the next layer to make a hexagon.
10. Place tarts onto baking tray lined with baking sheet.
11. Glaze the tarts with egg wash.
12. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until golden. Turn tarts out to cool on a wire rack before storing in air-tight containers.

Aspiring Bakers #3: CNY Cookies (2011) - Matcha Oatmeal Cookies

It is very frustrating to get phone calls when I'm in the midst of something, especially when I'm busy in the kitchen.  It is even more infuriating when the calls are unimportant calls.  I do get irritated when I received calls from banks/survey companies blah blah blah... but I can easily shut them off, end the call and go back to what I was doing earlier.  If the call is from a close friend or my maiden family, I will explain that I'm busy and will return call later (eh... that's a few days later).  But if it's a call from friends (or rather, acquittances) or relatives, I tend to be a little more polite.  Hypocrite?  Maybe.

Anyway, I've been getting the same questions from some people over the past 2 years, asking me why DD1's teacher allows her to do certain things but not her child.  Hey, these 2 kids have never been in the same class and their form teachers are different.  We are moving into the 3rd year and I'm still getting similar questions.  Given the same request from 2 students in different classes, do we expect to get the same reply?  When the response from the teachers differ, I get questioned, "Why huh?"  I'm not the teacher, don't ask me, go ask the teacher.

Alright, enough of my rants.  I just need to get it off my chest.

This is not a traditional Chinese New Year (CNY) cookie.  When I say traditional CNY cookies, I'm actually referring to peanut cookies, kuih bangkit, almond cookies, love letters and the ever famous pineapple tarts.  It is common to find these cookies all over the shops in Singapore during this festive season. Over the years, with some influence from the West, we have included western cookies into our CNY.  Yes, similar to the checkerboard cookies I've baked earlier, I'm sharing another western cookie for CNY - Matcha Oatmeal Cookies.

I've baked this using Oatmeal Currant Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe but modified it to include matcha.  Despite not being a great fan of matcha (green tea), my kids love these cookies.  I think this is a great combination, oatmeal and matcha, a healthier choice ;-)

With my previous attempt with cocoa powder, I thought the cookies were still too sweet so I omit caster sugar altogether.

I'm happy how these cookies turned out ^-^

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers # 3: My Favorite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011) hosted by j3ss kitch3n.

Matcha Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
110g unsalted butter
100g light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I omit)
90g all purpose flour
1 tsp matcha/green tea powder
1/2 tsp salt (omit salt if you are using salted butter)
130g rolled oats
100g chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
2. Cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the egg and beat well (if you are making full recipe, add egg one at a time).
4. Add in vanilla extract.
5. In a separate bowl, mix flour, matcha/green tea powder and salt.
6. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until incorporated.
7. Stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.
8. Using a cookie scoop, drop cookie dough onto the prepared baking tray.
9. Flatten the cookies slightly and bake the cookies for about 15 - 20 minutes. The cookies are done when golden brown around the edges but still a little soft in the centers. (The longer the cookies bake the more crispy they will be.) Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. These cookies will keep several days at room temperature.

Aspiring Bakers #3: CNY Cookies (2011) - Checkerboard Cookies (JOB)

There were no intentions to make any checkerboard cookies until Aunty A called me last Sunday.  I was brainstorming with her over the phone on how to get the checker effect but she doesn't quite understand me. Actually I wasn't quite sure of myself and since I wasn't planning to cook dinner, I decided to drop by her place to see if we can get it right.  After spending a good half an hour in her house, I left without seeing the final outcome as the dough was resting in the freezer, waiting to be sliced, and I had to go pack dinner.  Aunty A sent me an sms to let me know that it turned out pretty alright.  Now my hands are itching to try making some :P

I googled online and found this recipe by Joy of Baking.  There were no step-by-step pictures to show how this was done so I googled more and found this.  Paul attempted the same recipe and did it so beautifully.  Yes, I've got the steps almost correct at Aunty A's house except that I sliced the stack breadth-wise instead.  Silly me!

Though it looks difficult, it is actually not, just slightly time consuming as you need to chill the dough several times.  I like how these turn out and although I'm not a cookie person, I enjoy munching on them.  My kids love these too and kept asking for more :-)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers # 3: My Favorite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011) hosted by j3ss kitch3n.

Checkerboard Cookies

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Source: Baggett, Nancy. The International Chocolate Cookbook. Stewart, Tabori & Chang. New York: 1991.

For step-by-step pictures, please refer to Paul's blog here.

Ingredients
1/3 cup (45 grams) hazelnuts (I replaced with almonds)
2 tablespoons (15 grams) unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar (I used 100g)
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I omit)
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest (I used lemon zest instead)

Method

1. Place the almonds and cocoa powder in a food processor and process until the almonds are finely ground. (I didn't bother to toast them)
2. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and salt.
3. In bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the egg, vanilla extract and lemon zest and beat until well blended. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.
4. Divide the dough into 2 portions (mine was 350g and  400g) and add the cocoa/almond mixture to the larger dough. Set aside.
5. Lay out two large sheets of parchment paper (about 10 x 12 inch) (25 x 30 cm) and on one sheet of parchment roll out the white dough into a 6 1/2 inch by 10 1/2 inch (22 x 26 cm) rectangle, making sure both sides of the dough are smooth. Wrap dough and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until dough is firm.
6. Meanwhile, take the chocolate dough and remove 1/2 cup (used later for wrapping the checkerboard log) and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside. On the second sheet of parchment roll out the remaining chocolate dough into a 6 1/2 inch by 10 1/2 inch (22 x 26 cm) rectangle, making sure both sides of the dough are smooth. Wrap dough and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until dough is firm.
7. When both the white and chocolate dough are firm, remove from freezer and lay the white dough on a cutting board, removing the parchment paper. Lightly brush the top of the white dough with a little water (this helps the layers to stick together). Remove the parchment paper from the chocolate dough and place it evenly on top of the white dough. Trim the edges of the two doughs so the rectangle now measures 6 inches by 10 inches (21 x 25 cm). (Take the chocolate dough trimmings and add to the 1/2 cup of reserved chocolate dough.) Lengthwise cut the rectangle into thirds (3 - 2 inch by 10 inch stripes) (5 x 25 cm). Place one strip on a piece of plastic wrap. Brush the top of the dough with water and place the second strip on top of the first (alternate colors so you have white, black, white, black pattern). Brush the top of the second layer with water and stack the third layer. Press down lightly on the top of the dough and then wrap and freeze for 15 minutes, or until firm.
8. When firm, remove from freezer and unwrap, placing the dough on a cutting board. Using a sharp long knife, cut the layers lengthwise into 1/2 inch (1 cm) wide and 10 inch (25 cm) long strips. (You will end up with 4 strips). Stack the layers, turning every other strip so top faces down and bottom faces up, to produce the checkerboard effect. Rewrap stack and place in freezer again to firm up.
9. Meanwhile, take the reserved chocolate trimmings and 1/2 cup of chocolate dough and roll out on a piece of parchment paper into approximately 9 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch (24 x 26.25 cm) rectangle, making sure the dough is smooth. Cover and refrigerate until slightly firm.
10. Remove stack of checkerboard dough from freezer and place in center of chocolate dough. Wrap the chocolate dough around the checkerboard layers until you have a smooth surface that encloses the checkerboard design. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm. Can freeze dough for up to a month.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from freezer and place on a cutting board. With a sharp knife cut the block of dough into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place on prepared baking sheet spacing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake for about 5-8 minutes or until cookies just start to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
12. Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to one week.

发糕

Not giving up despite so many "failures" here and here.  The texture is good, just that the 发糕 refused to "huat"/bloom.  I'm still home alone with the kids so no long posting, will just let the pictures do the "talking".

Fa Gao 发糕 Encore

This is my 4th attempt on 发糕 using fermented dough, the result just got worst. Sigh...  The criss-cross I've made prior to steaming just disappeared!

Texture is still soft and fluffy.

I didn't want to waste more time and effort making my 5th 发糕 using fermented dough so I made one with a really simple recipe from our local DJ, Fenying's blog.

I get slight cracks on top but still not ideal.

This is fellow blogger, Hugbear's 发糕, using Fenying's recipe too but look how beautifully they bloomed!  This is what I'm hoping to achieve.  I'm not going to give up, will keep on trying.  Ganbate!!

Nian Gao (年糕) Puffs

What do you do with your leftover 年糕 (pronounced as nian gao which literally means Year Cake)?  I believe the norm is to sandwich with sliced yam and sweet potato, coated in a thin layer of flour and egg batter and fry them.

During the Chinese New Year period, I saw this Taiwanese program (女人我最大) on cable and they prepared this with puff pastry.  Sonia made them too and I thought they looked yummy.  I made mine with instant roti prata instead and they turned out well too.

Nian Gao Puffs

Ingredients

Nian Gao, cut lengthwise

Instant Roti Prata, slightly thawed
Black and White sesame seeds

Method

1. Remove instant roti prata from freezer, thaw for 2 - 3 mins and cut into half.
2. Place 年糕 on roti prata and roll it up, seal the edges.
3. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and bake at preheated oven of 200C for 25 - 30 mins or till golden brown.

Fa Gao (发糕) with fermented dough

Can someone tell me why my 发糕 doesn't bloom (ie crack on the surface)?  I've tried making 发糕 several times but always end up with unsatisfactory result.  I've posted 2 entries here and here, and these are the better looking ones.  They are nothing like those sold commercially, so beautifully bloomed.

Aunty A makes very delicious sweet potato 发糕.  Recently, I decided to try her fermented dough recipe.  Alright, I confess, I made these 3 times within 2 weeks, not that I love eating 发糕 but I get very annoyed when I just couldn't get it right!

This is my most recent attempt - today!  I made these with borrowed rattan baskets from Aunty A.  They didn't bloom as nicely as Aunty A's but good enough for me (scroll down to see my 1st and 2nd attempts and you'll understand why).

However the inside was very kuih like, not fluffy at all, very unlike my first 2 tries.

My first attempt, I used plastic bowls and steamed in 3 bowls.  They overflowed and domed like mushrooms.  Nevertheless, texture was soft and fluffy.

Made them again and used 4 bowls instead.  Perfect size but no perfect bloom.

For a person who doesn't like 发糕 to eat up half a piece, don't you think this is a good recipe?

I suspect it might be the way I mix/stir in the batter, or I might have overmixed the batter.  I'll not give up, will try to achieve a perfect 发糕 one day.  Wish me luck!

Green Peas Cookies

This is an overdue post :P

I've had this recipe for the longest time but didn't managed to find time to make it.  This year, I told myself I just have to make it for Chinese New Year as I simply love green peas especially the one coated with wasabi!  Delicious!

The intent was to do a trial bake in mid January but the green peas were out of stock.  I finally found a packet 2 days before CNY, phew!

I've reduced the sugar by a fraction but still find it sweet.  Other than the sweetness, this cookie is very addictive, and especially so if you are a green peas fan ;-)

Fried Green Peas Cookies
(Recipe adapted from the book Y3K "New Year Cookies" byAlan Ooi)
Ingredients
130g fried green peas, grinded
150g plain flour
90g icing sugar
1/4 tsp salt
100g oil

Method

1. Put green peas into a food processor and grind finely. Leave aside for use later.
2. Sift flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl.
3. Add green peas and salt, mix well.
4. Add oil and mix till a dough is formed.
5. Roll dough in between 2 plastic sheets and cut out cookies.
6. Bake at pre-heated oven of 170C for about 15 - 20 mins or till cooked.
7. Cool completely before storing into cookie containers.

Happy New Year and Valentine's Day!!

Here's wishing all my Chinese friends, readers and bloggers:

新年快乐

身体健康

万事如意

恭喜发财

with heartshaped pineapple tarts for Valentine's Day!

Arrowhead Chips (Chiku)

Aunty A made 6kg of these and gave me a bottle.  It is really sweet of her to think of us when she bakes/cooks.  How I wish she's my neighbour, then I can probably order tingkat from her ;-)

For recipe and tips, please visit Wendy's blog.

年年有余 (鱼)

I love 年糕 (pronounced as nian gao which literally means Year Cake) especially the traditional ones steamed in banana leaves.  You can either eat it plain or sandwich them with sliced sweet potato and yam, dipped into flour batter to deep fry.  However, I find the commercial ones generally too sweet to my liking and was scouting around for recipes.

The challenge of making 年糕 is the long hours of steaming.  I first spotted Gina's recipe (white version) in Kitchen Capers 2 years ago but I wasn't keen to try it until DS2's former nursery teacher passed me a recipe a couple of weeks ago.  She was at Kitchen Capers Store and saw Gina in action, conducting a nian gao making demo so she took a recipe for me.  With this coincidence, I decided to give it a try this year.

A big boo-boo happened while I was steaming the coloured layers, I ran out of gas!  Yes, I'm still using LP Gas which I find it more economical.  While waiting for the gas man to deliver my new tank of gas, I can only pray that my fish will turn out alright.

I've oiled the moulds fairly well after reading Pure Enjoyment's encounter but it was still difficult to unmould the tails.  Out of the 7.5 fish 年糕 I made, none of the tails came out intact :-(

The taste is unlike the traditional 年糕 (I thought it tasted like tang yuan) but if you ain't fussy, this is a good substitute ;-)

年糕 (Nian Gao)

Ingredients
110g sugar
220g glutinous rice flour
250ml water
Some pandan leaves
1 drop of yellow colouring
1 drop of red colouring

Method to make the liquid batter

1. In a pot add water, pandan leaves and sugar to heat over the fire till melts. Leave to cool completely before using.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift flour and slowly pour syrup in and stir till there are no lumps (mixture should be thick and runny).
3. Scoop a small portion of mixture into a bowl and add orange colouring, stir to mix evenly.
4. Scoop another portion into another bowl and add yellow colouring, stir till well mixed.

Method to steam

1. Grease mould with oil using a kitchen towel.
2. Pour a tablespoon of orange batter into mould and steam on high heat for 3 - 4 mins.
3. Remove mould from steamer and pour in yellow batter, continue to steam on high heat for 3 - 4 mins.
4. Finally add the white batter and cover to steam for 20 - 25 minutes.
5. Remove mould from steamer and leave it to cool completely before chilling in fridge.
6. Unmould 年糕 and stick roasted black sesame seeds as eyes.

Note

• Rose water was originally used but I replaced it by cooking pandan leaves with water to get some fragrance.
• Use disposable gloves to unmould.
• Use a toothpick to pick up the sesame seed and stick onto fish eye location.

Crispy Crabstick

It is a tradition for married couples to give red packets to unmarried juniors during Chinese New Year.   Red packets are also known as 压岁钱 (which literally means using money to suppress or put down the evil spirit) during this period.  It is also a tradition to put brand new notes inside red packets.

My first trip to the bank was unfruitful as they ran out of new notes and was told to come back the next day.  The second trip yielded no favourable result too as new notes were running out fast.  I only managed to exchange new notes on my 4th trip to the bank.

While I in the queue, I overhead a commotion.  A couple in their fifties and an elderly (probably in her eighties) were attended by a Malay staff.  The staff explained that since the elderly only speaks and understands Teochew, she couldn't proceed with the withdrawal transaction as she was worried the elderly may not be aware that money will be withdrawn from her account.  The staff explained that she will have to refer them to her Chinese colleague so that mutual communication may be carried out.  The couple showed their displeasure and insisted that the old lady is aware of the happenings.  Apparently, the withdrawal is in the form of a cheque, addressed to the younger lady.  Given the benefit of doubt, the elderly may be withdrawing money on own accord but we have heard and see many cases of elderly being cheated of their hard-earned money.  I applaud the staff for their conscientious towards this matter.

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XY shared this very interesting snack in a mothers' forum a few weeks ago.  I never like the idea of deep frying so I started off with the microwave.  They turned out crispy alright but some ends turned brown due to the uneven heating.  Next I tried baking in a low temperature oven, with and without oil.  The crabstick turned out crispy but the whole lot got stuck together despite a stir in-between baking time to break them up.  Finally I resorted to deep-frying but it was way too oily.  I'm definitely going to make this again either with the microwave or oven, no more deep-frying.  This is a simple yet delicious snack.

I'm sharing the method of cooking this with microwave.

Fried Crabstick

Ingredients

1 packet crabstick, shredded

Method

1. Lay shredded crabstick on a microwavable plate in a single layer.
2. Microwave on High for 2 mins, remove and give it a stir, microwave for another 2 mins.

Pineapple Tarts - Disney Characters

This is my first attempt in pineapple tarts making.  Sis E was supposed to pass me some of her cutters but there was no chance for a meetup.  My hands were itching to make some pineapple tarts so I decided to use my disney cutters to make them as closed tarts, somewhat similar to Taiwan's Pineapple Tarts (凤梨酥).

Choosing a recipe was tough as there are simply too many recipes online.  I could have asked my sisters for their recipes but I chose not to as Sis E bakes without a recipe (she can mix-and-match any leftovers and create her own recipe without any exact measurements for she cooks/bakes with her eyes).  To get recipe from Sis C will take weeks...  Anyway, I googled and shortlisted 2 recipes from the numerous, one from Delicious Asian Food and another from Florence's Do What I Like.  I was keen to try the first recipe as it is a mother-in-law's recipe (I always go for elderlies' trusted recipes) but 2 things deters me :- recipe uses 2 - 3 eggs and not in metric measurements.  Finally decided on Florence's as I was plain lazy (again) to do the conversion and prefer to use 1 egg yolk recipe.

I didn't bother to cook my own pineapple filling so I used store-bought.  As usual, my 2 older children wanted to help so I got them to help roll the pineapple fillings into balls.

DH is still on reservice and he was on duty last night when I made these.  I only had time to bake 1/2 the dough so I kept the balance dough in the fridge.  Weighing a total of 40g, these are hugemongous pineapple tarts :P

The imprints were obvious before baking but faded when they were out of the oven :-(

After my failed egg wash here, I added more water to the egg yolk but this time round, it was too diluted.  My egg wash failed again :P  Don't know why but I just can't seem to get it right.  Maybe I'll just give egg wash a miss since I've no luck with it.

A cross-section of the tart loaded with pineapple filling.

Despite the ingredients used were all very basic, the pastry was relatively easy to handle and has a melt-in mouth texture.  This is definitely a keeper!

Pineapple Tarts
Ingredients
(A)
340g Plain Flour
1 1/2 tbsp Icing sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
*sifted

(B)
200g Cold butter, cut into cubes

(C)
1 Egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence or brandy (I used Martell)
*lightly beaten

(D)
25ml ice cold water

(E)
Egg glaze: Lightly beat1 yolk with 1 tbsp water

(F)
Pineapple fillings

Method

1. Lightly beat egg yolk with brandy.
2. Sieve flour, baking powder and icing sugar into mixing bowl. Stir in salt and blend well.
3. Cut in butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
4. Add egg yolk and ice water into flour and roughly work it into a ball.  Do not overwork the dough.
5. Divide dough into 3 equal portions and chill in fridge for 1 hour.
6. Remove 1 portion of dough from fridge and divide dough to portions of 20g each.
7. Wrap pineapple paste (20g each) with dough and shape into rounds.
8. Place dough into cutter and flatten with stamper.
9. Place tart onto baking tray lined with baking sheet.
10. Bake at 200C for 10 minutes, remove from oven, apply egg wash and lightly press the pineapple filling onto the indentations of the tarts. Bake again at 180C for 10 – 15 minutes or until the golden colour that you desired.