Bingka Beras Improved

This kuih has been one of my favorites and i have to tweak for an improvement to the previous recipe Kuih Bengka Beras.  The tinge of fragrance from the pandan leaves obtained by squishing and crushing the pandan leaves with your fingers into the flour mixture is great, learned by watching how the Thai Chefs do their magic.  Do not reduce the sugar as all nyonya kuih has to be sweet enough.  I would prefer to enjoy a single piece of goodness than a whole tray of tasteless kuih.  The coconut milk played a very important part to this kuih, that is why a can of coconut milk with the highest saturated fat is recommended.

Orange and Lemon Chiffon Cake

I am sharing this more diabetic friendly recipe as it calls for less flour and sugar.  Baking too is different as this recipe is steamed baked with a lower oven temperature too.  To obtain a very fine texture, this cake has to rise above the cake pan and then for the last 20 minutes, it will fall back to the height of the cake pan.  The cake will only start rising at about 15 to 20 minutes and continue to rise.  This recipe will enable you to hand press to dislodge the cake.

Kuih Talam Revisited

Although my previous recipe Kuih Talam is ok but my need to tweak more for a better texture has been on my mind for the longest ever.  I think i have found what i tweaked is to my satisfaction and i have to post it, not for my own reference but for everyone or anyone who will be interested to make a perfect kuih talam. Sweetness is just nice, just as what kuih should be, sweet enough to please the palate and the tinge of saltiness is there, complementing the sweetness.  Oh yes, the richness of the coconut milk is just right from the whole can of CHAOKOH coconut milk which has 50% of saturated fat.

Orange Chiffon Cake

I am always happy to find people who, like myself, share the same passion for food,  or are passionate about cooking and baking with the same intensity but am happiest when my daughter, told me to look at her pictures in facebook.  Before i could log in to facebook, i thought that it would be pretty pictures of my grand daughter, but no, they were pictures of her bakings and cookings.  I was so proud of her, her butter marble cake was so well baked.  Now, i know we are in the same page, i have promised to teach her how to make Chiffon Cakes and for a start, i have to post this recipe which i have depended on to produce the best chiffon cakes ever.  My cousin, Audrey, who i have shared this recipe with, has been making so many successful chiffon cakes, more than i can count.

Square Balls, Siew Cheong a.k.a. Roasted Sausages Sar Hor Fun

What i really missed eating is a bowl of silky soft kway teow/sar hor fun with Square Pork Balls and Siew Cheong a.k.a. Roasted Sausages.  For all the years that i have been here, i have not been able to get hold of these silky, soft kway teow/sar hor fun, fresh or dried.  The closest to this would be a packet of instant rice noodle/pho with artificial chicken or beef by OH RICEY or Pho Bo/Ga by VIFUN..  Strangely this noodles are not available in large packets with no seasonings and i have bought so many packets hoping that the next packet would be the one i prefer but to no success so far.  The ones that are available are not as silky and they are thicker but it has to be it when there is a craving for a good bowl of hot soup noodle.  If anyone reading this post, find these large packets of thin, silky rice noodles please do share.

Chung/Rice Dumpling Special

This year the chung/rice dumpling festival falls on June 12th and this recipe has to be shared before it is too late.  I am noted to be late as the chinese saying goes 'Kor How Chui Peng'.  If this recipe is not shared now, we will be chasing the solders after the war(Rice Dumpling Festival).  So, as i promised to continue with the Square Ball Soup recipe  i guess i would have to put that on hold until the next posting.

This chung/rice dumpling is special as this is how my mother in law made them and we have not tasted this kind since she passed away in 1991.  This kind of filling is not available for sale and the family has been dying to taste it again.  Asking around the older relatives for recipe is no good, most of them are gone and those who are alive do not have a clue as to what i am looking for.  So, have to close my eyes and try to imagine how this filling tasted and when i opened my eyes, went into action and came up with this recipe.   My daughter, Sandra commented that it is not the Mccoy but she liked it and it tasted good.

Siew Cheong a.k.a. Roasted Sausages

Ah posting!!!!!, I am sure that you all realsied that my postings are crawling, I know, you know.  I need to feel passionate about what I post but i am in a bit of a slump.   It is easy to post a slumpy one but who wants to read it.  Well slumpy or not, this posting might not be worth the reading but the recipes that follow have been in my mind to share for the longest ever. 

I have been wanting to eat these Siew Cheong/Roasted Sausages and not being able to get them here in the States, have to copycat and make some.  It has been so long that i have tasted these sausages and can only recall that they are delicious.  Strangely, i have not eaten these sausages on its own but always come as an accompliment to a large bowl of soup sa hor fun with pork square balls.  Craving for this bowl of soup sa hor fun can only be satisfied by first, making some siew cheong, second, is to make The Square Pork Balls, of which i will share 'How To' in my next posting, then lastly will share how to put them all together, for the most craved bowl of soup sa hor fun.  The siew cheong turned out pretty similar to the real mccoy in taste but no so in size, the sausage casings that i have are for chinese lap cheong, so they are very much thinner.

Fruit Rojak

It is not so much fun eating this fruit rojak without the CRISPY.  I have been searching for this CRISPY recipe for a long long time but no one is sharing.  So have to put on my thinking cap and try to cook some CRISPIES that go so well with this fruit rojak, they are a perfect match.  

This is one of the favorite snack of all snacks, especially to Sandra and if it is so to you too  please 'like' it on my facebook page, if not, do tell me what is your favorite snack?

Assembling this snack is easy if every ingredient has been prepared ahead.  The Rojak Sauce can be prepared way way ahead and be left in the fridge until needed or if you are lucky enough, your asian store might carry - The Rojak Sauce.(pic of the can is in the pic above).  For the peanuts and sesame seeds topping are no fuss too, just pound or chop some ready to eat roasted peanuts and even sesame seeds come roasted.  None of the above in hand, then sweat it out - roast raw peanuts without skin, in the oven until fragrant, cool, then pound or chop.  Raw sesame seeds are better done over the stovetop as it has to be watched cos it burned fast - no answering the phone or doorbell.  You think these preparations are tedious, you still have not made the CRISPIES yet !!!!!

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Do not fret, the easy part is on the way - the fruits only need to be washed, peeled and cut.  I say CUT cos cutting the fruits in an angle allows more surface area for the sauce to coat and this is good eats.

Almond London Cookies

According to my daughter, Sharon, the prices of cookies have gone up tremendously and so i told her to try making some. Here in the States, i have to bake our malaysian delights such as Kuih Kapit, Kuih Bangkit etc. as there are none to buy, only Vietnamese sweets are available in the Asian Stores. If you wish to bake some, please go to Lily's Wai Sek Hong and search for Labels : cookies or festival dishes and you can find the recipes there.

Pan-fried Fish Fillet with Pace Picante Sauce

 As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received 2 bottles of Pace Picante sauce and both bottles were 'medium' and would have loved them more if i had 'HOT'

Taro Ku

When i was growing up, the only 'ku' i know was colored red or orange with a sweet filling. Nowadays, 'ku' comes in all sorts of colors and shapes with either sweet or savory fillings. Thank you to enthusiastic cooks who come up with new ideas which kick up a few knotches to the traditional this kuih. Btw - 'ku' is in hokkien meaning Tortoise and Tortoise symbolizes longevity. When the 'ku' kuih is shaped like a tortoise shell, it creates a high symbolic and ritual value, very appropriate for ritual offerings during religious events. These 'ku' , it must be red in color and that is why it is called 'Angku' - 'Ang' means red in hokkien, is an important gift when a child is born (one month old) or during birthdays. Outside the ritual or gift context, it is also a very popular snack, eaten at all times of the day, be it for breakfast or tea=time. Have you ever tried pan-frying leftover/overnight 'Angku'? - they are delicious.

Below is a recipe with a new twist - Taro is added to the dough which gives the 'ku' a purplish hue and a fragrance which taro lovers will recognize. The filling can be sweet or savoury and a spicy one will be met with satisfaction.

Kuih Kosui

I like Kuih Kosui to be steamed in a cake pan, then cut into pieces and coated with coconut. To me, if this kuih is steamed in tiny cups, then it would be 'Kuih Lompang'. While kuih lompang can come in other flavors like pandan or plain but of different colors, Kuih Kosui is not. It has to be made with 'gula melaka/palm sugar and caramelized sugar, so therefore it is brown.

Kuih Gading Galoh

My sisters have always told me that i take too much upon myself in whatever i do, and they are absolutely right. And, do i learn???? No! Same old me, repeating my habits and trying to do too much. Like last saturday, i had a potluck to go to and not satisfied with just bringing one kind of kuih, decided to make another one at the eleventh hour. See, what happened to the most delicious kuih made, it was shabbly cut cos it was not cold enough and there was not enough time to do a good job. I hate myself for that but do you think i will make kuih in a hurry again, you guessed right, i will.