Tempura Nian Gao

Nian Gao, I like to eat it fried.  Some people will fry it with taro and sweet potato, but to me, I like it to be original so that I can feel the gooey sweet taste of the nian gao. I didn’t spend too much time in search for a recipe.  There were few recipes I found but this particular one that requires to stir batter with ice cubes caught my interest.  Then, I google to find out more about tempura batter and I learned that the use of cold water in the batter actually makes a crispy tempura.  I think this batter will be good for tempura prawns and vegetables too. If you want to try this, remember to make the batter right before frying, making the batter ahead is not recommended.

Source : Lifted almost verbatim from Camemberu

Batter enough for small nian gao.  Can be double-up for larger portion.

Tempura Nian Gao

Ingredients

40-50g flour ( I used 40g plain flour )

1 egg

½ tsp baking powder ( this makes it extra crispy )

½ tsp salt, optional ( I added )

2 ice cubes

Method

Mix all the ingredients and stir ( stir until ice cubes almost melted ). Make sure the batter remains cold before frying.

Muah Chee 麻糍

Specially made for 180daddy’s overseas friends from Taiwan.

Source :  Muah Chee from Anncoo Journal

Source : Kueh Kosui

Kueh Kosui

Calling out to all traditional kueh’s lovers. This is a undoubtedly soft and fantastically good kueh, as good as store-bought!   I am not exaggerating about it! Try and be convinced.  I made this for our last Saturday’s family gathering and they all loved it.  180papa has already requested me to make this again.  I agree with Blessed Homemaker, this can be eaten fresh from the fridge, no thawing needed.  Thanks to her for sharing this wonderful recipe.  This recipe fits nicely into a 9” round cake pan and can be quite a big serving for a small family, so you may want to halve the recipe.  I made this one day ahead with refrigeration, next day cut and coated with fresh grated coconut before serving.  Thumbs up!

Source : Lifted verbatim from Blessed Homemaker

Kueh Kosui

Ingredients (A)

250g gula melaka

600g water

Some pandan leaves

Ingredient (B)

50g mee suah

300g water

Ingredient (C)

250g tapioca flour

Ingredient (D)

Grated coconut, steam with pinch of salt and let it cool before using

Method

1. Put A into a pot and bring to boil.  Stir till sugar melts.  Leave to cool.

2. Put B into a separate pot to cook, bring to boil.  Leave to cool and blend to paste

3. Mix tapioca flour with cold gula melaka mixture and stir well

4. Add mee suah paste to gula melaka mixture, stir and mix well.

5. Steam empty pan for 5 mins.   Pour mixture into pan and steam for another 45-50mins

( I used 9” round cake pan )

6. Set aside to cool to room temperature and cut into small pieces.

7. Coat with fresh grated coconut and serve ( I prefer to chill mine and eat it cold )

Besides Kueh Kosui, we had Chocolate Cornflakes Cookies, Pandan Hoon Kwee Kueh and Banana & Cheese Cake for high-tea before heading down to the pit for our BBQ night.

Chocolate Cornflake Cookie : melt 50g butter with 120g chocolate,  mix in 100g cornflake.  Stir and mix well.  Scoop into mini paper liner and keep refrigerated.

Sweet Potato Ondeh Ondeh

In my perception, a good ondeh ondeh must have that satisfactory explosion of gula melaka.  Its skin must be very soft and not chewy.  Agree?  We love the stall at Maxell Market, they sell good ondeh ondeh.  So was my ondeh ondeh impressive?  Let’s hear (see) the feedback from the judges, 180dPapa commented skin was thick and gula melaka was too little to give the ooze out sensation.  180dSon commented Maxell Market is better.  180dniece commented no explosion.  180dSIL commented these were as good as the normal ondeh ondeh.  180dBro commented skin was thick.  No comments from 180d daughter & nephew.  Nevertheless they still helped me to finish up 27 ondehS! What a relief!

I’m submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker.

Source : Pumpkin Ondeh Ondeh from Cuisine Paradise with modification.

Makes 27 bite-size

Sweet Potato Ondeh Ondeh

Ingredients A

150g grated coconut

1/4 tsp salt

4 – 5 pandan leaves, tied to a knot

Method : Mix ¼ tsp salt with grated coconut and steam with pandan leaves for 5 minutes.  Leave aside to cool.

Ingredients B

15g tapioca flour

100ml water

200g steamed mashed purple sweet potato

180g glutinous rice flour

1/2 tsp salt

100g gula melaka, roughly chopped

Method :

1. Peel sweet potato skin, cut into small cubes and steam for 10 minutes or until soft. Mash and let it cool.

2. Mix tapioca flour and water together and cook over medium heat until it forms a thick paste. Remove from heat and let it cool in a mixing bowl.

3. Add in mashed sweet potato, glutinous rice flour, salt and knead to form a soft dough.

( I find the dough dry and added water to form a softer dough )

4. Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough and roll into balls.

5. Flatten the dough ball and put ¼ tsp gula melaka in the centre, pinch to seal the opening and roll again into round shape.  Repeat this process.

( You can add more gula melaka if you like or as much as you can wrap )

6. Bring a pot of water to boil with pandan leaves.

7. Drop in shaped dough balls into the boiling water and cook until the balls float to the surface.  ( Leave them floating in the water for additional time to ensure gula melaka is completely melted )

8. Remove the balls from water and roll with grated coconut.

9. Serve warm or cooled.

Bika Ambon

This is one kueh that I can’t resist if I see. Bika Ambon or some call it Bingka Ambon is a kind of cake from Indonesia.  The ingredients used are simple and the methods seem straight forward.  Straight forward?  Then why mine turned out not honeycombed .  Perhaps, lack of skills!  Other than the missing honeycomb appearance, the overall taste is not bad.

I’m submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker.

Source : Jo’s Deli & Bakery

Bika Ambon

Ingredients

Starter dough : 50 ml warm water, 25 g plain flour, 1 tsp instant yeast

Method 
Combine and leave for half an hour.

Ingredients

5 egg yolks

80 g castor sugar

50 g gula melaka

100 g tapioca flour

170 ml thick coconut milk (from 1 coconut)

2 drops of yellow colouring

Method

1. Boil coconut milk till it bubbles, cool and set aside.

2. Stir egg yolks, sugar & gula melaka till sugar dissolves.

3. Add in tapioca flour, mix well.

4. Add in the starter dough and stir well.

5. Strain mixture, cover and leave for 2 hours till surface is full of bubbles.

6. Grease an 8-inch square tin and pour in the above mixture.

7. Bake in preheated oven 170C for 20 mins.

8. Switch the oven to grill and grill the ambon for 10 mins.

9. Cool and remove from tin.

Kueh Bakar

This could have been better if I have baked it longer to get the signature burnt crust.  The texture is soft and chewy while the center is dense and sweet. The strong fragrant from the coconut milk makes this kueh likeable.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker.

Not all were evenly browned. Will need to improve next time….

Unlike the ones above, these were less browned.  I would prefer the brown texture, it’s tastier. Will have to extend baking time to achieve ‘burnt’ effect.

This recipe is lifted almost verbatim from My Kitchen Snippets

Kueh Baker

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 cup pandan juice (6 pandan leaves + 1 cup of water – blended)

2 1/4 cups coconut milk

4 large eggs

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp pandan paste

few drops of green food coloring ( I omitted )

1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional but I omitted )

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degree F ( 170C ) and greased a baking pan.

2. Mix all the above ingredients except sesame seeds until well combined.

3. Pour mixture into baking pan and sprinkle with some sesame seeds and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and skewer comes out clean when tested.

( Original recipe calls for baking an hour.  Since I was using flower shaped mould and muffin pan, the baking time was shortened to 30 mins.  Next time, I will bake longer to get the ‘burnt’ crust and sides )

4. Cool it down before cutting.

( this step was eliminated as the kuehs were individually baked on flower shaped mould and muffin pan )

Pandan Hoon Kwee Kueh班兰绿豆粿

This is an easy recipe.  Sweetness is just right for me. Yummy!

This recipe is adapted and modified from a cookbook ‘Delicious Nyonya Kueh & Desserts’ by Patricia Lee.  Original recipe includes bananas which I’ve omitted.

Ingredients

300ml thick coconut milk

1 packet hoon kwee flour

200g sugar

700ml water

a pinch of salt

Some pandan leaves, knoted

1tsp pandan paste ( optional )

Method

1. In a saucepan, mix half of the coconut milk, water, sugar, salt and pandan leaves.  Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat.

2. Stir hoon kwee flour with the other half coconut milk, add pandan paste and mix until well combine.  Pour the hot coconut mixture from step 1 in gradually while stirring continuously.  Cook it gently over low heat as the mixture burns easily.  Remove mixture from heat.

3. Pour the mixture into a 8” square cake pan. Set aside to cool.  Keeps refrigerated as this dessert contains coconut milk. 

4. Slice and serve.