Dutch Apple Cake

After a filling ¨Thanksgiving Dinner¨.. i´m craving for a dessert thats light and yummy and fast to make (and even easier clean up!) These yummy delight has a light sponge underneath and a light cinnamon apple taste thats so festive!

Sponge Base
2 Eggs
160g sugar
1 tsp vanilla

 Whisk the above for 5 minutes until really thick and fluffy

 Melt 85g butter with 80ml milk and add slowly into the egg mix while whisking

150g flour
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 teaspoon baking powder 

4 granny smiths or red delicious apples (peeled, cored and sliced), dust with cinnamon powder and sugar and mixed.

Add the dry ingredients to the mixture and mix throughly. Pour onto 6 x 6 inch lined tin and arranged the sliced appled on top. Sprinkled a bit of sugar on top. Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes or until raised and golden. Serve warm with custard or vanilla sauce

Talam Keledek

Wanted to make kacau keledek which is like kaya but unfortunately I didn´t have enough! So settled for a talam instead. Very simple. I prefer it a tad sweeter for malay kuehs but then again thats just me...so for those who likes their kueh sweeter maybe add 20g more sugar per batter. This is exactly as what I made which most people prefer... heh..

Batter A (The base and the top part)
100g sugar
60g rice flour
25g hoon kueh flour
30g all purpose flour
425ml coconut milk (santan)
a drop of pandan essence
a pinch of salt
yellow & red food colouring
Blend all the ingredients for a smooth batter and place it in a measuring jug.

Batter B (The white middle part with grated sweet potato)
 100g sugar
60g rice flour
25g hoon kueh flour
30g all purpose flour
425ml coconut milk (santan)
a pinch of salt
 100-1500g of grated sweet potato (1 used 1 large sweet potato)

Same thing, blend all the ingredients together EXCEPT the sweet potato. Heat over low fire for a few minute just to get the mixture warm. Then add the grated sweet potato and stir for awhile just to warm it up. Set aside.

Prepare your steamer and grease a round 6 inch container with oil. (you can use an 8 inch but then the kueh will be shorter).We not start to layer the kueh. Pour half of Batter A and steam for 10 minutes. Pour all of Batter B and steam for another 10 mins. Lastly pour the last of Batter A and steam for 25 minutes. Remove from steamer and let cool before cutting.

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Order closes on 31 July 2012!

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Kole Kole Recipe

First attempt at kole kole is a success... to me anyway.. now i know why the ones they sell at the shop is usually hard.. they probably mix plain or rice flour in it rather than using 100% green bean flour... Surprisingly green bean flour was pricy! Plain flour goes for $1.60 per kilo .. green bean was $2.55 for a miserable 250g! Anyway here goes the recipe Tahi Minyak 500ml fresh coconut milk (low fire and continue stirring for 1 hour and 45 minutes to be exact) .. yes.. thats the super tiring part! Drain and mix the excess oil to the cooked base mixture later.

Kole Kole Boil the following and set aside to cool 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped gula melaka 1 cup water 2 pieces pandan leaves Once the above is cooled, add 2 cups santan (1 used 1 packet Kara 200ml plus water) 1 cup green bean flour a pinch of salt

I blend everything in the blender for a smooth paste and cooked on low heat again until bubbling. Add the excess coconut oil from the tahi minyak. Recipe yields a 5-6 inch round baking tin. Grease the tin before smoothing the mixture in and spread all of the tahi minyak and set to cool in room temperature for 3 hours until firm.

Chwee Kueh

It was raining today and I just feel like having something warm from the steamer so I made Chwee Kueh instead... Its so hard to find halal dim sum apart from Hara´s at Arab Street..Singapore is not Jakarta afterall. I blended the following item in the blender for a smooth lumpless paste... 180g rice flour 25g corn flour 300ml water In a pot heat the following until boiling then add the above mixture 60ml of coconut cream (I use the mini packet from Kara if fresh coconut milk use about 100ml and 400ml water) 440ml water 2 tablespoon oil 1/2 tsp salt

Stir the mixture until thicken and fill the oiled chwee kueh mould. In my case, i just used those alluminium disposable tart case. Steam for 15 minutes until translucent. De-mould and spread topping with extra chilli (i buy those bottled ikan bilis sambal) Chai Po topping There´s no hard and fast rules on the topping seasoning... i´ve tried the simple ones to the dark soya ones. So far I like this one best,just sautee the garlic until golden add the shrimp and chilli and then season..the end 4 cloves of garlic minced, sauteed in oil (1/2 cup oil) soak and blend 30g of dried shrimp until it turns to floss 4-6 stalks of dried chili (blend it dry until it becomes flake) 200g chai po (salted turnips) 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon chilli sauce 1/2 cup water 1/2 tsp fish sauce toasted sesame seed for sprinkling

Corn Bread

I love corn breads.. not the Kenny Roger´s kind (sorry Min!!) but the real hearty cornmeal filled kind... slather it with butter with a cup of hot tea... thats a slice of heaven right there!!

150g butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups milk
2 1/3 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all the dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk eggs & milk in a bowl.
Cream butter & sugar until light and creamy and add a bit of the dry ingredients followed by the wet mixture bit by bit until all well combined. Grease a rectangular or round cake tin and pour mixture in bake in 180 degrees for 25-30min untill golden. Serve warm... yuuummms!

Mango Mousse Cake

I haven´t made a mango mousse cake in over a decade!!! 15 years to be exact....couldn´t even use gelatine leaves because thats still not halal so I tried it out with the gelatine powder instead... It works and it was yummy!

2 mangoes (sliced according to preference)
Apricot Gel (for glazing)
simple sugar syrup to moisten the sponge.

For sponge cake:
4 large eggs (white and yolks separated)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup cake flour (sifted)
2 tablespoons melted butter

Whisk egg whites with sugar until stiff and glossy. Add the yolk and whisk until incorporated (do not overbeat). Add the milk, vanilla and flour and fold in using a spatula. Lastly drizzle over the melted butter and fold. Batter will be light and airy. Pour into lined 9¨ round tin and bake at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until top is brown and tester comes out clean. Cool and sliced into 2 layers.

Mango Mousse:
150g Mango puree (i used fresh mango flesh and pureed it)
13g Gelatin powder
30g Water
40g Sugar
1 tsp Mango flavor (optional.. i didn´t use extra flavourings)

220g Fresh whipped cream (I used Red Man Whip Topping)

In a pot add mango puree, water, sugar and gelatin powder together and bring to boil till gelatin and sugar dissolved.
Leave to cool and then before assemblying the cake, fold the whipped cream into the cool mango puree.

To assemble, its good to use 9¨cake ring as a guide to hold the cake in place. Place 1 layer of sponge, drizzle a bit of sugar syrup and spread about 1 cm thick of mousse. Top with sliced mangoes and spread another thin layer of mousse before placing top sponge. Drizzle some sugar syrup again on the second layer and top it up with balanced mousse. Freeze overnight.

Whip some cream if desired and iced the cake and top with more sliced mangoes, strawberries and kiwi. Glaze with melted apricot gel.

Banana Bread

Had some leftover bananas so Banana Bread it is then!! Simple and yummy!

whisk the eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes on high speed until really foamy.

2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar

Sift the dry ingredients and set aside

1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil
5 large bananas
1/4 cup cream
1tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup walnuts chopped (optional)

Once the egg mixture is frothy, drizzle the oil in bit by bit while whisking. Add the mashed riped bananas, vanilla & cream. Mix it well and fold in the dry ingredients. Lined the loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes at 180 degress until skewer comes out clean.

Subsuka / Shakshuka my version

2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 red chilis, chopped

1 capsicum

1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon curry powder

250g minced beef

Sautee the above ingredients then add minced meat. Add the spices. 

2 tins of diced tomatoes
3 large fresh tomatoes (chopped)
2 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon sugar

A handful chopped coriander & parsley

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon black pepper 

simmer until ingredients are cooked and add water bit by bit (about 1 cup)... 

Transfer to a baking dish.

Melt about 2 tablespoon ghee and pour over. Crack 4-5 eggs and bake for 20-25 minutes in 180 degrees oven.  Sprinkle more chopped parsley, fried shallots, chopped onions, sliced chili and serve with buttered toast...

Kuih Bakar Berlauk (final version)

Was not satisfied with my last attempt so today i amended the recipe and its da bomb! To me anyways.... :-))) I like my kueh soft no matter what others say... lol
Again... this is another one of my famous ´dump´ recipe where i put everything in a blender and thats about it. he he he .. (i hate clean ups!)

200ml santan (1 box Kara or any coconut milk / cream)
150ml water (which i poured into the Kara box so that i do not waste even a tiny bit of santan)
100g flour
1 tsp salt (or according to taste)
2 eggs
yellow food colouring (optional - i didn´t use any today)

1 shallot chopped
150g minced beef
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp curry powder
black pepper / salt

chopped chinese parsley, fried shallot and sliced chilli for topping

sautee the onion and then the beef and season accordingly. Pour the batter into greased mould, spoon some meat in and sprinkle the topping and bake in 200 degrees oven for 20 min.

Kuih Bakar

Craving something sweet for teatime today and decided to make Kueh Bakar sans the sesame seeds or colourings so its au natural today.. (actually I ran out of colourings!)

I ´dump´ all the ingredients into my blender for a smooth batter.. plus its easier to clean up since i can use the blender to pour directly onto the moulds! I hate clean-ups! tsk tsk tsk

Ingredients are :-

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup pandan juice (1/2 cup of water + 2 pandan leaves)
1 1/8 cup santan
2 eggs
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tsp pandan paste (i used kaya pandan essence)
few drops of green colouring (optional)
sesame seeds (optional)

Recipe will yield 36 small kuehs using the mould or 2 large moulds. Pour the blended ingredients into the greased mould and bake for 20 minutes on 200 degrees oven or until golden brown.

Talam Pisang - My version

I wanted nagasari but since i bought kelapa parut yesterday i thought belebat pisang would be better... then i couldn´t find daun pisang pulak kat Sheng Siong!! So to combine the two i decided on talam pisang...

For the base,

1 sisir pisang (approx. 7-8 medium size bananas) - mashed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg

Mix all the ingredients until well mixed. Grease a 8 inch tin and pop it in the steamer for 15 minutes.

Topping

1 1/2 cups santan
1 dessertspoon sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup rice flour

I pop all the above ingredients in the blender instead of mixing it since blending will give a smooth and aerated topping.. almost foamy! I like!!! Pour on top of the 1st layer and continue steaming for another 15 min. Baically you should wait to cut but i couldn´t wait... :-))

Ayam Percik

Before I forget the recipe... Fai says I better write it down!!

4 medium size shallots
4 cloves garlic
2 lemongrass
1 inch ginger
1 inch tumeric
4 candlenuts
10 dried chilli soaked
1 tsp ketumbar, jintan, jintan manis

Blend all together and sautee until fragrant. Add 1 packet of santan, 1 tablespoon asam, salt, sugar & ajinomoto.

1 chicken cut in small portions and marinate with the ´rempah´and bake in the oven for 45min to 1 hour at 150 degrees.