Melt in Your Mouth - Pineapple Tarts

25.07.2014 - Batam,  Raya is around the corner, so thought of making some buttery and melt in the mouth Pineapple Tarts.

Bought 2 pkt of ready cut pineapple with cores attached, around 737g 2 pkts.  So i used them all in making the fillings.  I blend in the cores too, nothing to be wasted.  Making the pineapple filling can be a day ahead or a week ahead, pineapple filling can keep up to few months in an air tight jar.

For the pineapple dough, i got this recipe from Nasi Lemak Lover blog.  Her recipe sounds good, so i give it a try.  I have been reading many pineapple tart recipe dough, can't make my decision of which recipe to try, but decided to try NasiLemakLover.  It turn out to be very yummy!! it really melt-in-your mouth tarts as said on her recipe.  So buttery delicious.

Please refer the complete pineapple tarts recipe on her blog.  Because i used my own measurement for the pineapple filling but surprisingly its just perfectly enough for making the tarts, im so glad... :) clap clap! good job to myself.

Homemade Pineapple Jam
737g Pineapple, blend with food processor ( do not add water or discard the pineapple juice )
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla essence

Method
Cook blended pineapple with juices in wok over low heat until water reduced.  Add in sugar and vanilla essence cook over low heat, keep stiring till thicken, dish up and cool or into fridge.  Pineapple Jam / Fillings can make a day ahead.  Extra pineapple fillings can use as jam for bread.

Pineapple Tarts Pastry Ingredients:-
350g butter 
100g sweeten condensed milk 
510g plain flour / all purpose flour
2 egg yolks
1 egg yolk +1tsp milk, for egg wash

Method Pineapple dough:-
1. Cream butter and condensed milk till light.

2. Add in egg yolk one at a time, and beat until combine.

3. Mix in flour, mix till become a soft and not sticky dough.

4. Roll pineapple filling into ball (8g each) and roll dough into ball (10g each) i roll my dough about 11-12g each for ineapple filling no measurement.

5. Flatten a piece of dough and place a piece of the roll pineapple filling in the middle. Bring the edges of the dough together and press lightly to seal. Roll it in between your palms to shape it into a roll.

6. Cut few lines on the pineapple balls to create pineapple pattern, apply egg wash with a brush.

7. Bake in preheated oven at 165C (fan forced) for 23mins or till golden brown. i preheat at 180c, bake at 180c for 40-45mins.  All perfectly brown.  A total of 93pcs.

Peanut Makmur Recipe

28.01.2014 - Batam.  It has been a longtime i was looking for Peanut Makmur Recipe  but couldn't find one.  However, i found a kueh Makmur/Momo recipe with the ingredients quite similar to what i am looking, so i used this recipe with a little modification, it turn out really the Makmur that i have been looking for. It would be that melt in your mouth makmur due to the peanuts that i added but i am after this result :)

If you want to stick to the original recipe, you could omit the peanut and any additional that ive used for this peanut makmur.

Ingredients:

250g plain flour or all purpose flour
150g roasted peanut ( i added )
40g icing sugar (if you like a sweeter taste, add up to 75g icing sugar)
75g full cream milk powder*
150g ghee ( i used anchor unsalted butter 200g ) 
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk

about 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar (confectioner sugar)

Method:

Add flour to wok or frying pan. Dry fry at medium low heat for about 5 - 6 minutes. Keep stirring the flour to avoid burning till flour becomes very hot and smells lightly nutty. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

Fry peanuts over low fire until fragrance.  Grind while the peanuts are still warm. Put aside.

Ground salt with 1 tsp of the dry roasted flour using pestle and mortar to a fine powder. Add this to flour.  Add milk powder and icing sugar and roasted peanut.

Mix dry ingredients together then sieve, break up any large lumps with fingers, remove any remaining gritty grains.  Melt ghee/butter in pan for few sec.

Transfer melted butter/ ghee and and 1 egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula then finish by rubbing with fingers till dough is evenly mixed.  The dough is crumbly but should form a lump when squeeze together.

Take a handful of dough, squeeze into size of the makmur/momo balls is up to you. I like them quite small about 1.5 - 2cm diameter.

Place balls on baking tray (pan) lined with parchment paper, arrange balls with some space for expansion.

Preheat oven to 160deg C. Put the tray of cookies in the oven, lower heat to 140 deg C fan oven (or 150 deg non fan oven), bake for about 12 - 15 minutes till light golden. Makmur/Momo balls will expand slightly after baking. I bake at 180c 20 mins

Leave to cool for few minutes till cool enough to pick up by fingers. Then coat generously with icing powder. They are very fragile, be gentle and don't crowd the bowl.

These kuih makmur/momo will keep fresh for couple of weeks in airtight container.

Happy Baking!!

Lo Mai Chi

12.11.2013 - Batam. I can't believe making Lo Mai Chi is super easy and fast!! never in my life i thought i would make this myself..LOL..it is one of my favourite kueh actually but since i could get this easily in malaysia or brunei where i've stayed in the past i have never thought of troubling myself to make my own.  Lo Mai Chi is my childhood favourite kueh and still is till today.

Today, I am so inspired by a sifu baker, who makes this today i saw from facebook. so inspiring and i havent had this for ages. so though of giving it a try.  Whether it will come out good or ugly, i will have to eat them anyway!

So before start my challenge, i google for pictures and more recipe choice and watch some video for a better understanding then i start the recipe on my hand.  so did some modification due to some ingredients not available.  But surprisingly i didn't fail, it came out so well. so deliciously good! i just love it. is like biting those i bought from the market. i just love it.

Ingredients for filling:
1 cup Peanut
1/2 cup granulate sugar or to taste

* stir fried peanut till golden brown, dish up and blend finely with a hand mixer.
* Transfer fine peanuts fillings to a bowl and mix with granulated sugar to taste.


Ingredients for batter:-
125g glutinous rice flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cups of 1/3 cups of water ( confused? 3 cups of water, im using the cup size of 1/3 cup )

* Mix well and steam for 15-20 minutes. ( if you mixed the batter ahead of time, make sure you stir well before you transfer to steamer for steaming )
* Transfer out from steamer and let it cool for maybe 10 minutes or so.
* Spread about 1/3 cup of glutinous rice flour on the clean plate or working counter.
* Scrap the medium warm batter all together with a scrapper.
* with a spoon scoop a spoon amount of warm batter on to the plate with rice flour. work on the plate with your fingers flatten it, if you find it too sticky, you can dip more flour on your fingers tips and do the pressing to a size that enough to cover a teaspoon of peanuts fillings in the center and seal it gently form a ball ( it doesnt have to be a perfect ball ) and roll it on the glutinous rice flour and transfer to a paper cup, served.

Happy Kueing!!

He is helping himself with the peanut fillings LOL....

Ondeh-Ondeh

04.11.2013 - Batam.  Ondeh-Ondeh is wellknown in the region of Melaka as one of Melaka state Nyonya Kueh.  They called it " Buah Melaka" literally sounds like "Fruit of Melaka".  Ondeh-Ondeh is a traditional rice cake that made out of glutinous rice flour with "Gula Melaka" filling and lastly coated with grated coconut.  In fact this traditional cake or kueh is famous and very common throughout Malaysia, Brunei & Singapore and in Indonesia as well, the Indonesian called it "Klepon".  Ondeh-Ondeh can be eaten as finger food for coffee or tea break, breakfast on the go or as a classic dessert.

Ondeh-Ondeh is my childhood favourite and it is still my favourite till to day.  I love anything with grated coconut!! and so including this kueh of how it looks and taste like.  I do not know why it took me so long to make my own Ondeh Ondeh! Maybe from where i stayed all those years no problem in getting them either in Brunei or Malaysia.  Since i moved here in Indonesia, life is different, i don't go out as often and I dont really know where to get this kueh like i used to in Brunei or Malaysia.  So maybe this is the reason why its encourage me to make my own to make things easier my way when i crave for one! Here it is my very first Ondeh Ondeh making, and it was yummilicious!!

It's kind of fun eating Ondeh-Ondeh, when you bite to the center of the round ondeh ondeh, you will get that melted sugar gula melaka melting out from the Ondeh Ondeh. so be careful when biting it a little at a time instead of one whole into your mouth, you will get the sugar dripping out from the ondeh ondeh, so be careful when you eat, otherwise you will get yourself dirty from the sugar all over your clothes or floor :)

INGREDIENTS:-
200 g Glutinous Rice Flour ( Pls do not used Rice Flour, its Glutinous Rice Flour, they are different )
180ml water ( water including pandan juice from Pandan leaf extract )
6 Pandan Leaf
a drop pandan paste for greener color, optional
75 g Gula Melaka/Gula Merah/Gula Jawa, chopped into small cubes
1 cup freshly grated coconut ( steamed )
1/2 teaspoon salt

METHOD:-
1. Pour water to steamer or wok to steamed grated coconut with little salt. Mix it well and steam the mixture for 15-20 minutes.

2.  Place the glutinous rice flour in a mixing bowl and slowly add the pandan water and if you use a pandan paste you may add it during this process.  Mixing with your hands. Stop adding water when the dough forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl but doesn't stick to your hands.

3.When working with the dough, cover your hands in flour to prevent it sticking to your fingers. Pull off about 1 teaspoon of dough and flatten into a disc. Place a small cut of gula melaka sugar in the middle. Fold up the edges and seal completely. Roll into a ball with the palms of your hands. Place on an oiled plate. Repeat until all the dough or sugar is finished.

3. Heat a large pot of water until it starts to boil. Prepare a large bowl of cold water. Combine the grated coconut and salt on a plate.

4. Drop the balls one by one into the boiling water, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. When they float to the surface, let them cook for one more minute.

5. Remove the balls with a slotted spoon and dunk them in the cold water. When they are cool, remove and drain well before rolling in the coconut-salt mixture. Serve immediately.

Steamed Kueh Lapis 九层糕

27.10.2013 - Batam.  Steamed Kueh Lapis is one of my favourite kueh since my childhood.  I know it wasn't easy to make as it seems to be.  I wanted to make this kueh so badly a very longtime but i am so not ready.  Since i have seen this Kueh Lapis video from Kitchen Tigress, she makes every thing seems so easy to do.

Today i have everything ready, so thought of trying out her recipe.  and one thing that i also found her experiment reading her blog about making this kueh several times which she experiment with it. it was quite interesting.

Since she has did her homework, hardwork and experiment, from there i knew where I should put more attention to when making this kueh.   It is the coloring, tapioca flour quality, steamed timing and no peeking when steaming, the kueh elasticity and the chewy texture consistency.  Finally my first ever kueh was done! It was so good.

Considering this is my first attempt and i thought it was good and successful. But however, it does look a little ugly thick and thin layers.  Well, i don't really mind that, as long as is tasted good, the texture is perfect, chewy and elastic, for me it is perfect.  If you use this recipe for your kueh lapis, just do your 7 or 9 layers nicely. :P

However, my kueh lapis didn't come out as much as 9 layers as in this recipe because i used a 22cm round tin instead of a 15cm square tin from her recipe.  The only round tin i have that could fit in to my pan steamer and as well as for certain layers I could have gone too much amount on each layers, so that could be the reason that i have least layers form.  

Anyway, i have no problem in my layers steaming, all steamed perfectly in 5 minutes each and never add boiling water until the end.   All stick to each layers very well perfectly and i could peel off each layer when i eat.   Overall i was so satisfied with the taste and the whole kueh.  This recipe is good to keep.

Happy cooking!!

I know it does look ugly! lol.....but its a successful texture result, elastic and chewy! I love it.

KUEH LAPIS (九层糕, NINE-LAYER CAKE)
Adapted from Kitchen Tigress, Recipe from Cooking for the President
(Recipe for 10 pieces)

4 pandan leaves, wash and cut 10 cm long
185 g sugar
⅓ tsp salt
400 ml freshly squeezed coconut milk, undiluted ( i used a box 200ml coconut cream 200ml, added water to 400ml )
200 g tapioca starch
50 fresh bunga telang (blue pea flowers) ( I omit this ingredient which i do not have.  i used red and green coloring )
rinse gently and remove ants if any; drain, then blot gently with paper towels
1 piece parchment paper, 15 x 15 cm

Pound flowers finely. Strain to yield 2-3 tsp juice. Set aside. Discard pulp. ( if you use this flower for coloring )

In a small pot, make pandan water by gently simmering pandan leaves for 5 minutes, covered, in just enough water to cover. Discard leaves. Measure 160 ml from the pandan water and discard excess, or top up with water as necessary if you're short. Put pandan water back in the pot, along with sugar and salt. Stir till salt and sugar dissolve, over low heat if you like. Add coconut milk and stir till even. Add tapioca starch and mix thoroughly. Strain into a mixing bowl. Push undissolved starch through strainer.

Measure 270 ml from the batter. Add flower juice. Stir till colour is even. ( i separate into 3 colors, red, green and original.  I used a toothpick to dip little color straight from the coloring bottle and with a toothpick i dip and mix into the batter.  My Green color is actually pandan paste )

Bring kettle to the boil and set aside.

Rinse 15-cm square cake tin ( i used a 22cm round tin ) to make it wet. Line bottom with parchment paper. Bring steamer to a rolling boil. Pour enough white batter into cake tin to form a layer 3 mm thick, about 100 ml. Place tin in steamer. Steam 5 minutes over rapidly boiling water. Steam another layer of white, then blue and continue with the rest of the color.

Repeat the white-white-blue sequence twice ( or your own color ), making 9 layers in total. Other than the first one, each layer needs about 90 ml batter. Stir batter to mix starch evenly before measuring each round of batter.

Have measured batter ready before lifting lid on steamer. Once lid is removed, quickly pour batter into cake tin and cover steamer. Every layer is steamed 5 minutes except the topmost, which gets 10 minutes.

Make sure steamer doesn't boil dry. To top up steamer: 1) wait till previous layer of batter is cooked; 2) reboil water in kettle; 3) add boiling water to steamer as necessary; 4) bring steamer back to a rolling boil, covered. After step 4, proceed to steam more layers as described above. ( my steaming process no added boiling water till end )

When all 9 layers are done, remove kueh lapis to a wire rack to cool down completely and set, about 3 hours.

To unmould kueh, loosen edges with a knife. Cover top of kueh with parchment paper to keep it clean, then turn cake tin upside down and knock firmly against chopping board till kueh falls out. Discard top piece of parchment paper. Cut kueh by pressing knife downward, i.e. do not saw. Discard bottom piece of parchment paper.

Serve kueh lapis as a dessert, snack, or for tea. Leftovers should be refrigerated. Steam on a perforated tray till just heated through, then cool to room temperature before eating.

 Chewy texture!

look at that, it stretches so well!!

Kueh Bengka Ubi

14.10.2013 - Batam.  I was wanted to baked Bengka Ubi for a long long time.  I just don't have the guts to try...duh...yesterday i saw so many beautiful and young tapioca / ubi, so i bought some to make bengka ubi.  I adapted his recipe from Kitchen Tigress for quite sometimes.  Now is time to experiment!! I thought this recipe is very straightforward and not needed to squeeze out tapioca juice and turn out just perfect not bitter as mentioned in many recipes.

Ta da!! thought it was difficult...turn out so easy!!! I really love bengka ubi, never in my dream i thought i could make myself one!! what a relief!! can't believe it was so delicious too.  this recipe is good to keep!! aah...im so satisfying with a texture, taste and deliciousness of my bengka ubi now...welldone to myself!  I can't wait till it is totally cool to cut, so you see my tapioca cut out still look a little soft.  The next day when it was totally cool, it was so beautiful when i cut the rest.

Still soft and warm at the bottom, can't wait any longer so i cut! :) so delicious

Source: Adapted from Kitchen Tigress and she adapted from Cooking for the President lol....:P

INGREDIENTS :-
banana leaf or parchment paper
if using banana leaf, wash, wipe dry and lightly oil shiny side
2 eggs
300 g sugar
⅙ tsp salt
1 kg grated tapioca, at room temperature 1000g = 1kg ( i used 900g almost 1000g that all i've got )
4 pandan leaves, rinse and drain
375 ml freshly squeezed coconut milk, at room temperature, undiluted ( i used 1box thick coconut milk 200ml + 1pkt coconut milk powder added to 150ml water, 1pkg coconut milk powder is 50g, so i used total of 350ml coconut milk ) 
125 ml water

METHOD :-
Line 23 x 5 cm square cake tin with banana leaf or parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 170°C. ( i place my bengka ubi in the center of oven, I increase to 200c pre-heat n bake 170c for 50 mins + 30mins 200c  = 1hr 20mins ) 50 mins already cooked but not brown, so i increase 30mins 200c to brown the ubi. The result is perfect. Please do not get yourself confuse with my oven temperature, you can follow the original recipe of 170c  40-45mins. depending on individual oven.

Stir eggs, sugar, salt and tapioca till evenly mixed. Knead and wring pandan leaves in mixture till completely crushed. Add coconut milk and water. Mix thoroughly. Discard pandan leaves.

Pour batter into cake tin, moving stream of batter around tin as you pour. Smooth the top, stirring liquid that may accumulate around edges so that batter is evenly mixed. Bake till top is golden brown, edges are crusty and slightly caramelized, and inserted skewer comes out almost clean. This should take about 1¼ hours. Cover edges with foil during last 30 minutes if top doesn't brown evenly. Do not over-bake or cake would be dry.

Remove cake from oven. Leave on wire rack till slightly firm, 30-45 minutes. Unmould and leave cake on wire rack till cold, another hour or so. Cut into 4 x 2.5 cm pieces with an oiled knife. Serve at room temperature with Chinese tea as a snack, dessert or during tea. Chilled icewine or late-harvest Riesling would be good too. Leftovers should be wrapped and refrigerated. Cut and rebake till thoroughly heated and soft, then serve hot or at room temperature.

Kueh bengka ubi is:
"semi-soft and moist with some elasticity and bite, and has an inviting fragrance from the pandan, eggs and coconut milk. Slightly brown and burnt edges give it a special sensuous dimension."

Cooking for the President, Wee Eng Hwa

My yummy Bengka Ubi, so delicious!

Kueh Dadar / Pandan Crepe with coconut filling

03.08.2012 - Batam.  Suddenly Im missing Kueh dadar. Perhaps too much thinking of home in Sabah.   Its not always easy to get kueh like anytime i want.  I only buy them when im out once a week from the Resort and cross my fingers if i can find one.

Kueh Dadar is a classic! Everyone loves it.  For me, everything to do with grated coconut, I will sure loves it! Im a coconut lover. How do i not to love this kueh as it is so mouth watering with Pandan aroma and coconut milk mixed together. They are just match mate in heaven!

Although is my first time making this kueh, i find it super easy and i have so much fun making it.  By the way, my rolling technique still need a lot of improvement. :P

INGREDIENTS:-

Pandan Juice 
5 pandan leaves, chopped
3-4 tablespoons water
( or just used pandan paste )

Crepe Batter
1cup All purpose flour
2 eggs
1 1/2cups fresh coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp pandan juice

Filling
90g Gula Melaka (Malaysian palm sugar)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pandan leaf, knotted
50 ml water
1/2 grated coconut (white part only)
1 tsp corn starch

Method:

* Combine the pandan leaf and water in an electronic blender and blend for a minute. Wrap the pandan in a cheese cloth or muslin cloth and 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. Slowly stir in the salted coconut milk and 3 tablespoons pandan juice. Set aside.
*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. Strain the syrup and return it to the pot. Add in the grated coconut and corn starch and continue to cook for a few minutes. Dish out into a bowl.
*Heat up a shallow non-stick pan over a low flame and grease lightly just little oil. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter in the center and swirl the pan to coat it form a thin crepe. When the crepe is cooked, transfer to a dinner plate. Place 1tbsp of filing on the crepe and roll it up like a spring roll.
*Serve immediately.