Prawn Ball Soup

A bowl of piping hot soup on a raining day would certainly warm anyone's day. The base of these soups is derived from either meats (beef, pork, chicken), seafood or vegetable. These hot soups can be divided into thin or thick soups. One such thin soup is prawn ball soup. It is delicious and can be easily prepared. Most households would definitely have stock of prawns. the vegetable that goes into this soup can be varied; I have used yau mak. Other vegetables that can be used are Napa cabbage, spinach, cai xin and so on.

Ingredients:

For the prawn balls:

• 200 prawn meat
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp wheat flour
• 1 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 chili padi (optional)

For the soup:

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 750 ml water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 6 leaves of yau mak

Method:

• Mince prawn meat with the minced garlic.

• Add wheat flour and tapioca flour to the minced prawn meat. Mix well.

• Add salt, pepper and chili padi. Mix well.

• Roll the batter into balls (6 pieces). Set aside.

• Saute minced garlic in sesame oil in a soup pot.

• Once the garlic is fragrant, add water to the pot.

• Let the water boil.

• Once the water boils, add the prawn balls.

• Add the seasonings once the prawn balls cook, .

• Add the yau mak and let the soup boil for a further 2 minutes.

• Turn off the fire. The soup is ready for serving.

• (Note: You may add noodles, especially glass noodles, to the soup if you like.)

Purple Sweet Potato Koo Kuih with Yam Filling

We can easily find angkoo kuih with mung bean paste fillings and with coconut fillings. But it is more difficult to find those with yam paste fillings, maybe not possible to find at all. I had set out to make some buns with yam paste fillings but after making the yam paste, I changed my mind and made koo kuih with them instead. In all my kuih, I have reduced sugar greatly so that those with diabetic problems can enjoy my kuih with ease.

Ingredients:

For the base:

• banana leaves or non-stick parchment paper (I used parchment paper in this case.)
• some cooking oil (I use corn oil.)

For the fillings:

• 300 g steamed yam
• 100 g steamed purple sweet potato (to give the yam paste some colour)
• 80 g castor sugar
• 15 ml milk
• 10 g butter
• 10 ml shallot oil

For the dough:

• 300 g steamed purple sweet potatoes
• 250 g glutinous rice flour
• 1 tbsp rice flour
• 180 - 200 ml hot water

Method:

For the base:

• Wash and cut the banana leaves or non-stick parchment paper according to the size of your mould.
• Grease the leaves or parchment paper.

For the fillings:

• Add the steamed yam and purple sweet potato, sugar, milk, butter and shallot oil to a plate. Mash the yam and purple sweet potato with the sugar, milk, butter and oil till they form a smooth paste which can be rolled into balls. (Taste your paste so that you can decide whether to increase the amount of sugar.)
• Weigh the paste into amount which can fit your mould and roll them into balls. Oil your hands to prevent the paste from sticking to your hands.
• Set them aside.

For the dough:

• Add steamed purple sweet potato, glutinous flour and rice flour to a mixing bowl. 
• Mix the sweet potatoes (mashing them as you go along) and the flours until well combined.
• Add in hot water, bit by bit, until they can be shaped into balls. Weigh your dough according to the amount which can fit into your mould nicely. (Weight of dough to filling is 2:1.)

Assembly:

• Take a piece of dough ball, flatten it and put the filling onto it. Slowly bring the flattened dough to cover the filling and roll it back into a ball.
• Dust the mould with glutinous flour.
• Place the ball into the mould and press it down to cover the mould nicely. If there is any dough higher than the mould, it means that the dough is too big. So, you have to adjust accordingly.
• Knock the wooden block of the mould on a table. The dough will easily drop off if you have dusted the mould well.
• Place the moulded dough on the greased banana leave or parchment paper.
• Repeat this until all the dough balls and filling balls are finished.
• Bring the water in the steamer to boil.
• Once it has boiled, place all the moulded dough onto the steamer rack.
• Steam the moulded dough over high heat for 4 minutes. Open the steamer cover, quickly brush the dough with some cooking oil. Once completed, cover the steamer and continue to steam the dough at high heat for another 4 minutes. This process will help to maintain the design of the kuih. 
• Remove the kuih from steamer and let them cool down completely.
• Remove the kuih from the banana leaves or parchment papers and place them onto fresh or new ones. Cut the banana leaves or parchment papers around the kuih.
• The koo kuih are ready to be served.

Kuih Talam Pandan

Kuih talam pandan is a common traditional Malay kuih which can be easily bought from the morning and night markets as well as cafes and in eateries in the shopping malls. It is made up of 2 layers - white on top and green at the bottom. The top layer is made from rice flour, corn flour, sugar, pandan juice and thick coconut milk while the bottom layer is made from wheat flour, tapioca flour, sugar and thin coconut milk. Some people add mung bean flour to the batter. Mung bean flour acts as a binder, a thickening agent and a flavour carrier. Kuih talam pandan is soft and creamy. However, some people also add alkaline water to make the kuih more elastic. 

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer:

• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 40 g tapioca flour
• 175 g sugar (195 g for a sweeter kuih)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 250 cup of water
• 10 pandan leaves
• 300 ml thin coconut milk

Top Layer:

• 110 g rice flour
• 50 g corn flour
• 20 g sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 750 ml thick coconut milk

Method:

• Prepare a pan 8 inch x 8 inch. Line the pan with a piece of non-stick parchment paper or a piece of food grade plastic for easier removal of the kuih later.

• Prepare a steamer with enough water to last 1 hour.

• Prepare the bottom layer:

• Wash and cut pandan leaves into smaller pieces. Grind/Blend them with 250 ml of water. Sieve to obtain the pandan juice.

• Add all-purpose flour, tapioca flour, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix.

• Add pandan juice to the dry ingredients. Mix till there are no lumps left in the batter.

• Add thin coconut milk to the batter. Use a whisk to mix them till the batter is smooth.

• Sieve the batter into a pan.

• Heat up the batter on very low fire, stirring the batter all the time so that the batter does not become lumpy.

• When steam rises from the batter, turn off the fire.

• Pour the batter into the pan.

• Steam the batter for 20 minutes.

• Prepare the top layer:

• Add rice flour, corn flour, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix.

• Add the thick coconut milk to the dry ingredients. Use a whisk to mix them till the batter is smooth.

• Sieve the batter into a pan.

• Heat up the batter on very low fire, stirring the batter all the time so that the batter does not become lumpy.

• When steam rises from the batter, turn off the fire.

• Open the cover of the steamer after 20 minutes. The green layer should have hardened.

• Use a fork to score the top of the green layer. This is to ensure that the white layer will stick to the green layer.

• Pour the batter into the pan.

• Steam the batter for 30 minutes till the kuih is cooked.

• Remove the pan from the steamer and let the kuih cool down.

• Use a plastic knife to slice the kuih.

• Enjoy.

Steamed Nescafe Soft Cakes

When you have nothing to eat in the morning, you can easily mix and steam some batter to make the Steamed Nescafe Soft Cakes. It takes only 45 minutes to make them as long as you have sugar, self-raining flour, baking powder, baking soda, oil or butter, eggs and Nescafe at home. They are good for tea-time too. They also make a good gift if you are visiting someone as these (I am certain) are not sold in shops.

Ingredients:

• Dry Ingredients:
• 150 g self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp Nescafe instant coffee powder
• 110 g brown sugar (can be slightly more)

• Wet Ingredients:
• 3 eggs
• 65 g corn oil or melted butter
• 100 g hot water

Method:

• Dissolve instant coffee powder in hot water. Set aside for it to cool down.

• Sieve self-raising flour, baking powder and baking soda.

• Beat eggs and sugar till sugar dissolves.

• Add corn oil or melted butter to the egg mixture and whisk till they are combined.

• Add the instant coffee liquid to it. Mix. 

• Add flour mixture to it and use a whisk to combine till no lumps can be seen.

• Sieve the batter.

• Pour the batter into 8 cup cake liners in a muffin tin.

• Boil water in a steamer.

• When the water has boiled steam the batter for 30 minutes over high heat. (Cover your steamer cover with cloth to prevent water from dripping onto your batter.)

• Remove the cakes from the muffin tin immediately after they are cooked onto a metal rack.

Black Sesame Seed Burger Buns

     

     

Baking bread is my passion. But my breads are only for our own consumption. Experimenting with the amount and types of ingredients to give different end results makes baking bread an exciting adventure for me in my kitchen. This round I ground the black sesame seeds and mix them into my dough. The result is yummy buns which can be eaten by themselves without any spread nor fillings. 

Ingredients:

• 600 g bread flour (makes 13 buns of about 95 g each)
• 7 g yeast
• 80 g sugar (can be slightly less or more)
• 60 g black sesame seeds, toasted and grind
• 400 ml warm milk
• 1 egg (Grade A)
• 40 g butter
• 1/2 tsp salt (if butter is unsalted)

Method:

• Activate the yeast - add sugar to warm milk, stir to dissolve the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.

• Once the yeast has been activated (there are bubbles in the yeast mixture), pour it into the bowl of the stand mixer.

• Add egg to the bowl.

• Add the bread flour, ground black sesame seeds and salt into the yeast mixture.

• Start the mixture on a low speed until all the ingredients are incorporated. Then increase the speed to medium high.

• When the dough has formed into a ball, add butter to it.

• Continue to knead the dough till it is smooth and elastic. Then transfer it to an oiled bowl.

• Cover the bowl with cling wrap and put a damp towel over it.

• Let the dough proof in a warm place till it has doubled in size.

• Lightly flour or grease your table top.

• Remove the dough from the bowl onto the floured / oiled surface.

• Punch out the air from the dough and knead it for about 5 minutes.

• Divide the dough into smaller pieces of dough of 95 g each.

• Roll each dough into a ball and place it onto a flattened cake liner.

• Let the dough balls proof until they have doubled in size.

• Pre-heat the oven at 175 degrees C.

• Eggwash (just egg yolk with some water) the dough and sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top before baking.

• Bake the dough for 28 minutes until the buns are golden brown.

• Let them cool down on a metal rack.

• Enjoy.

Kuih Kosui Gula Melaka / Kuih Lompang

 

Kuih kosui or kuih lompang is a traditional Malay kuih which is made from rice flour and tapioca flour and gula Melaka or pandan juice. Kuih kosui which is made using gula Melaka will be brown in colour and that with pandan juice will be green. It is eaten with coconut flakes. This kuih can be steamed in individual small round moulds or in a big square pan. Coconut flakes are added to the top of the kuih if it is steamed in small round moulds. If it is steamed in a big square pan, the kuih has to be sliced up and rolled in coconut flakes after steaming.

Kuih kosui can be easily found in markets. However, as it is easy to make, we can make it any time if we have the flours, gula Melaka and pandan leaves at home.

Ingredients:

• Coconut flakes from half of a coconut (without brown skin)
• 1/4 tsp salt

• 160 g gula Melaka
• 360 ml water
• 3 pandan leaves

• 120 g rice flour
• 60 g tapioca flour

Method:

• Steam coconut flakes with salt.
• Leave aside.

• Add gula Melaka and water to a pot.
• Add pandan leaves (knotted) to it.
• Boil till gula Melaka dissolves.
• Let the syrup cool down.
• Remove the pandan leaves.
• Sieve the syrup.

• Add water to a steamer and turn on the fire.
• Let the water boil.
• Oil 12 porcelain or stainless steel moulds.
• Put them into the steamer to heat them up.

• Mix rice flour and tapioca flour in a mixing bowl.
• Add the syrup to the flours.
• Stir till there are no lumps.
• Transfer the flour mixture to a pot.
• Place the pot over very low fire.
• Keep on stirring the flour mixture until it SLIGHTLY thickens.
• Sieve the mixture into a pouring jug.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared porcelain or stainless steel moulds.
• Steam the batter for 25 minutes or till it is cooked.
• Remove the kuih onto a plate.
• Spoon the coconut flakes onto the top of the kuih.
• Serve.

Butter Bread

Butter Bread, as the name suggests, has butter as its main ingredient. Butter gives the bread a rich flavour. We usually eat it on its own i.e. there is no requirement of a spread. Other ingredients include milk, sugar and egg. Depending on one's preference, butter bread can be shaped in a number of ways, the simplest being to just roll up the dough and place into a loaf pan to be baked. Or, the dough can be rolled up, sliced and the sliced dough arranged in a loaf pane or a round pan as described below.

Ingredients:

• 160 ml warm milk
• 40 g sugar
• 7 g yeast
• 50 ml melted butter
• 1 egg
• 400 g bread flour
• 5 g salt
• 40 ml melted butter (for brushing on dough)
• 1 egg yoke (for brushing on dough before baking)

Instructions:

• Activate the yeast:
• Add warm milk to the bowl of a mixer.
• Add the sugar and yeast to the bowl.
• Stir and wait for 5-10 minutes for bubbles to be formed.

• Once the yeast has been activated, add melted butter and egg white to the yeast mixture.

• Then add the bread flour and salt to it.

• Knead till window pane is achieved.

• Rest the dough till it doubles in size.

• Punch down the dough to de-gas.

• Flour your counter top.

• Transfer the dough onto it and shape it into a ball.

• Roll out the dough to a rectangle, 20 inches x 12 inches. (If you do not have a big counter space, you may divide the dough into 2.

• Spread melted butter onto it.

• Roll up the dough (from the longer side up).

• Now you would have a long roll.

• Slice the dough into the number of pieces you want.

• Place them in an overlapping manner into a round baking pan which is lined with greased parchment paper. (My pan is 8 inches in diameter.)

• Let it proof till double in size.

• Brush the dough with egg yoke.

• Bake the dough in a pre-heated oven at 175 deg C for 35 minutes.

• Remove the bread from the baking pan and let it cool on a metal rack.

Ikan Tenggiri (Mackerel) Masak Lemak

My family and I went to have lunch at a nyonya restaurant and one of the dishes we order was Ikan Tenggiri Masak Lemak. It was very delicious; the fish was very fresh and the sauce was creamy with a tinge of sweetness, saltiness and sourness. So, I decided to replicate it at home. The resulting dish was similar to that we ate at the restaurant. 

Ingredients:

a. 2 slices of ikan tenggiri

b. For blending

• 10 g chili padi
• 8 g dried chili
• 75 g shallots
• 25 g garlic
• 50 g lemongrass (white part only)
• 20 g fresh turmeric
• 20 g galangal
• 20 g ginger
• 25 g belacan, toasted
• 15 g candlenut
• 1 cup water

c. For cooking

• all of the blended ingredients
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 3 g assam keping
• 1 cup water
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised 
• 1 cups thick santan
• 2 pcs of kafir lime leaves
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp sugar

Method:

• Blend all ingredients stated above under "For Blending".

• Heat up pan with cooking oil.

• Add all of the blended ingredients to the pan.

• Fry them till they are fragrant and oil splits from the ingredients.

• Add water, assam keping and lemongrass.

• Let the sauce simmer slowly for about 5 minutes.

• Add the santan and let it boil. (If sauce is too thick, add some water. It should not be too thin either.)

• Add kafir lime leaves.

• Season with salt and sugar.

• Add the tenggiri. (Do not overcook.)

• Serve with white rice.

Ondeh-Ondeh Jagung

I have made ondeh-ondeh purple sweet potato and ondeh-ondeh pandan before. I decided to look for other ingredients to be added to my ondeh-ondeh dough to make my cooking journey more interesting and to give my family more variety of taste. So, I came up with jagung or corn. I modified my ondeh-ondeh pandan recipe to make my ondeh-ondeh jagung. 

Ingredients:

• 200 g glutinous rice flour
• 50 g all-purpose flour
• 300 g creamed corn
• 150 g coconut flakes
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 3 pandan leaves, wash and knot them.

Method:

• Add salt to grated coconut and steam them for a few minutes.

• Open a can of creamy style corn and weigh out 300 g to be used in the recipe.

• Weigh and sieve the glutinous and all-purpose flours into a bowl.

• Add 90 percent of the creamed corn to the bowl of flours and knead till they are smooth. If the dough is too dry, add more of the creamed corn till you have a soft dough.

• Divide and weigh the dough into 23 g-piece. Roll the dough into balls. (You may weigh to make smaller or bigger dough balls. Note that the balls will enlarge once cooked.)

• Pound the cylindrical block of gula Melaka to break it up into smaller pieces.

• Take a dough ball. Flatten it and scoop 1/2 a teaspoon or more of gula Melaka onto it. Bring up the edges of the dough to seal it. Place it onto a floured plate.

• Repeat this till all the dough balls have been filled.

• Boil a pot of water. Add the knotted pandan leaves to it.

• Drop the dough balls into the boiling water.

• Once the dough balls float to the surface, it means that they are cooked. Let them roll in the boiling water for about 5 minutes more to ensure that the gula Melaka is melted.

• Remove the cooked balls onto the plate of grated coconut. Roll them in the grated coconuts. (I managed to get 24 pieces of ondeh-ondeh from my recipe.)

• Plate them and serve.