Steam Nian Gao 蒸年糕 (2)

A friend shared with me this Steam Nian Gao 蒸年糕 (2) and I decided to give this a try.  Since I did not have coconut sugar, I substitute it with molasses.

You might be surprised why I make Nian Gao in this period whereby Lunar New Year is over.  Well, recently I tried out a dessert and like it.

So I made this batch just to test out a dessert and hopefully it was close.

I love how convenient to use the instant pot to make nian gao.  So stress free.

What you need:

300g glutinous rice flour
60g wheat starch 澄面粉

a pinch of salt
140g molasses

130g brown sugar
135g water
270g coconut milk
45ml milk 

Method:

Bring a pot of water to a boil and pour it onto banana leaves to soften.

Grease and line a 7" pan with banana leaves with oil. 

Mix glutinous rice flour and wheat starch in a mixing bowl.

In a pot, melt molasses and brown sugar in water.

Sieve the sugar mixture and add in coconut milk and milk.

Gently pour into the flour mixture.  Stir until lump free.

Sieve the batter into the prepared container.  Foil wrap.

Pour 2 cups water into the instant pot.

Place the mold onto the trivet.

Pressure cook it at High pressure for 38 mins and Natural release.


Enjoy!

Lazy Radish Cake 懒人萝卜糕

Every year, I will steam my mom's radish cake which is a hot favourite among friends.  This year, I wasn't very pleased with my outcome because with a handicapped hand, it is hard to be comfortable cooking and I made a few mistakes along the way.

So for a friends' gathering, I went out to look for an easier recipe and found this Lazy Radish Cake as the Chef calls it.

I settled for this as it seems interesting.  For this, you don’t need to slice or grate the turnip.  So, I was really curious to try out the texture.

How to choose: no blemish, wide at the centre and heavy.

Learning:  Though I have no problem cutting and pan-fried, I find that the batter is too little for the radish to adhere well.  So next round, I will increase the flour ratio.  The texture is good and so is the taste.  

Friends commented it is delicious.   So stay tuned for modification.

What you need:

Yield: 2 square trays

1200g turnip (this is after peeled)

300g water

12g salt 

20g sugar 

1 tsp white pepper

300g rice flour 

300g water (I added additional water)

2 pcs Chinese sausages

50g cured meat

60g dried shrimp 

60g oil 

60g shallot, sliced finely 

Method:

Rinsed sausages, cured meat and dried shrimp and steam together for 10 mins.

Cut into match stick thick and long.

Slice sausages and cured meat thinly and then cut them into small bits.

Roughly chopped dried shrimp.

In a pot, mix 300g water, salt, sugar, and pepper and add in the radish.  Cover and bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for 5 - 10 mins.

In the meantime, in a frying pan, add oil and shallot.  Saute till light golden.  

Add in dried shrimp, sausages and cured meat.  Saute until fragrant.

Transfer the fried ingredients into a big bowl.  

Add 300g water and rice flour.  Mix well.  (I added more water as the mixture looks really dry)

Add 1/3 of the hot radish mixture into the flour mixture.  Mix.

Then add the remaining radish and stir until it slowly thickens a little.

Pour into a square pan.   Cover with cling wrap.

Steam on high heat for 30 mins.

Wait till it cools completely before cutting.  

Cut into thick slices.  

On low heat, pan-fried on all sides until golden.

Serve with sweet chilli.

Enjoy!

Nian Gao (Instant Pot) (2)

Made this last year and loved it.  Unfortunately, I did not document it so this year, I shall do it.

I like Nian Gao but the thought of watching the fire for hours really turned me off.

So when I made this Nian Gao (Instant pot) (2) for Lunar New year and it turned out to be a success.  Friends all like it as it is not sweet.

Since I am craving for more, there is no stopping now as it is so easy to make.  

Learning: The slab sugar I bought, I realised it is really light and thus my nian gao was not dark.  Next time, I must take note of this.

What you need:

yield: 2 

210g slab sugar

350g water

180g Glutinous Rice flour

120g wheat starch

4 pcs pandan leaves

Method:

Finely cut the slab sugar.

In a pot, add the sugar, water, and pandan leaves.  On low heat until sugar dissolves.  Set aside to cool.

In another pan, heat water and blanched the banana leaves.  Wipe dry.

Cut the banana leaves with a 6” round base and the perimeter of the pan double in height.  

Line the pan with banana leaves on the circumference with double the height of the pan fold-down inwards.  Insert the base inside the pan.  Secure with a rubber band.   Brush with oil.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, sift glutinous rice flour with wheat starch.

Whisk in the cooled syrup until lump-free.

Sieve the mixture.

Pour the mixture into the pan and cover it with foil securely.

With a skillet at the base, arrange the pans on top with water.

Set to “Steam” for 45 mins, natural release.

  

Enjoy!

Yam fritter (芋蝦)

When I was young, I remembered eating this Yam fritter (芋蝦) during CNY.  These days, I can hardly see it being served.

Strange as it may seem, 芋蝦 has no prawns in it.  The reason it was given this name was that it is fried in such a way that it looks like a prawn.

Commercial ones are round.

So today, I shall attempt it.

Learning experience:

Be prepared to spend time frying this.  I tried using the net ladle (the gold ones that we used for steamboat) and it got stuck to it.

Also it is hard to hold its shape.  In the end, I tried both round and traditional shape.  I think the traditional shape is easier to handle.

Until I got good guidance, I doubt I will ever try this again.

What you need:

470g yam, shredded
2 tbsp white sesame
2 tbsp glutinous rice flour
2 tbsp rice flour
2 tsp sugar
1½ tsp salt

3 tsp five spice powder (use a good quality one)

*suggest you deep fried one for tasting first.  Adjust the taste to your liking after.

Method:

Add in salt and mix well.  Let it sit for 10 mins to soften.

Add in sugar, five spice powder and mix well.

Combine glutinous rice flour, rice flour and sesame seed, mix well and then add into the yam.  Mix until well combined.

Heat a pot of oil, crunch the yam into a longish shape and add into the hot oil.  Do not move it.  Let it cook for 2 mins.  Using a chopstick, press the yam to compact it.  Let it fry until light brown.  

Drain and when all is done, refry the 2nd time to a golden brown.

Drain and cool completely before storing.

For the ladle method, I strong suggest getting the hard slotted ladle.  Gather the yam into a ball, place inside the slotted ladle.  Lower into the heat and cook for 2 mins, use another spoon to compress it and let it cook until hard, use the spoon to release the fritter and continue to cook the other side until light brown.  Refry the 2nd time to golden.

Enjoy!

Crispy Cod fish seaweed chip 鳕鱼海苔脆

Next to add to my CNY goodies, will be this Cod fish seaweed chip 鳕鱼海苔脆.  This was on my to-do list last year but as I ran out of time, I did not manage to do it.

So this year, this became my first choice as it is easy to prepare and does not need too much of my time.

Learning experience: 

My girl loves this so much that she is going to reserve the whole tub.  This somehow deflates the crispiness rather quickly.  So best consumed without a week.

What you need:

A packet of mock cod fish
Seaweed
Egg white

Method:

Preheat oven at 140°C.  Lined a baking sheet.

Fold 4 strips of mock cod fish into half.

Wrap a piece of seaweed tightly over it and brush a thin layer of egg white.  Seal well.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden.

Remove and let it cool completely before storing.

Enjoy!

Salted egg cornflakes

Last year, this Salted Egg Cornflakes was really popular but I did not make any because we had too many goodies.

So this time around, I managed to share a pack of salted egg yolk powder with some friends.   I wish they sell this in smaller packaging for homemaker like us.

Anyway, last year, I threw away nearly a full pack.  Such a waste.

Thanks SY for sharing this recipe but I modified it to suit my family's liking.

What you need:

150g unsalted butter

3 spring curry leaf

105g salted egg powder

8 dried chilli

1 tbsp sugar  

½ tsp salt

275g (1 box) cornflakes

Method:

Preheat oven to 100⁰C.  Line a baking tray.

Melt the butter in wok-fried curry leaf till fragrant.

Stir in salted egg powder, sugar and salt and fry until well blended.

Add in cornflakes and fried until dry (approx 5-8mins)

Pour into a baking tray and bake for 20 mins.  (Watch the time from 10 mins onwards)

Cool thoroughly before storing.


Enjoy!

Macadamia Sugee Cookie

Sugee Cookie seems to be a cookie that is lost and forgotten.  These days, you will see lots of people baking German cookies or butter cookies but you hardly see anyone baking Sugee Cookie.

I passed by a fair the other day and one of the booths was offering this.  Seeing it actually brought back memories of some of the good old days CNY goodies being offered.

There are two types of recipes for this cookie.  One with semolina flour and the other without but the main ingredient and cannot do without is ghee!

Having said that, ghee is actually clarified butter so if you don't have ghee on hand, you still can make it with butter but a little step more.  (you can google for clarified butter).

There is also the signature crack created by baking soda.  

So here I am today, went through my little library and found a recipe.  I immediately knew I can bake this right away.

Firstly, it uses just plain flour.  That fits my situation perfectly as I don't have semolina flour and am not willing to go rub shoulder with the huge crowd out there.

Secondly, I think without baking soda, it should taste nice as I can live without its signature crack. 😜😜

Thirdly, I have many bags of icing sugar given by a friend that I need to find ways to use it up!

Fourthly, my blog reader turned friend, A was so kind to lug back a big bag of macadamia nuts for me.  After all these years, she still thinks about me whenever she comes to Singapore.  Love you so much.... 💓

Lastly, and most importantly, I have a can of ghee in the fridge! Using it up will allow my fridge space for my CNY goodies.

Now, let me present my Macadamia Sugee Cookie.

Learning experience: 

Though it is pop size, the mini ice cream scoop is still too big after baked.  Next round, I definitely have to make it smaller to make it in a petite size.

Overall, the taste is good and with some bits of macadamia nuts, it is yummy.

Adapted: Mrs Leong

What you need:

400g ghee

300g icing sugar

700g plain flour

200g macadamia nut, toasted and chopped finely

Method:

Cream ghee and sugar until light and fluffy.

Knead in the flour and nut to form a soft dough.  Wrap in cling wrap and set aside for 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 120°C.  Lined a baking sheet.

Use a mini ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough.  Form into a ball and using a fork to form an impression.

Bake for 20 - 25 mins.



Enjoy!

Nian Gao Glutinous rice ball 年糕煎堆 Air fried

Am trying to avoid deep fried stuff because hub is having toothache issues.  Think it must be all the CNY snacking.    

Eating Nian Gao is like eating mochi which I love.  Also I am trying to introduce my childhood CNY snack to my kids.  

I have tried making preparing it over here and here.  

So this year, I will try try using the air fryer to prepare Nian Gao Glutinous rice ball 年糕煎堆.  Doing it this way, at least, hub will still able to have some.

It was a fun experiment and just in time to have it for my tea break.

 .

Findings: This yield a really soft and chewy dough and it is not oily!  

As my nian gao is not so sweet, I think I should increase the sugar from 20g to 40g or even 50g instead. 

I should have cut the cubes bigger to approx 2cm cubes as you can see the fillings is pretty pathetic.

What you need:

Yield 12 pcs

40g castor sugar (adjust accordingly to the sweetness of your nian gao)

Pinch of salt

100g water

120g glutinous rice flour

Sesame seeds

Fillings:  Nian gao, cubed

Oil

Water

Method:

In a bowl, place glutinous rice flour and make a well.

Bring water, salt and sugar to a boil.

Pour syrup water into the centre and using a chopstick, slowly draw in the flours mixture to the water to form a dough.

Add more water if the dough is too dry.  Do it little by little.

Knead to form smooth soft dough and roll into a long rope.

Divide into 10 portions.

Roll into a ball.

Flatten and insert nian gao cube.  Seal well.

Quickly dip into a bowl of water and coat with sesame seeds.

Place inside a baking pan with oil.

Set at 170°C and air fried it for 8-9 mins, swirling round every 3 mins until it turns golden brown.

  

Enjoy!

Homemade Chilli Bak Kwa (Pork Jerky) 自制辣味猪肉干

A friend of mine will never buy bak kwa from shop as her hubby only eats those her helper churned out.  Each time, she will prepare a few kilos at one go.  So during that period, you can see how she sun the meat to get the texture they loved.  Pretty impressive but I have no determination to go through that process.

Checking through my journal, the last attempt was back in 2012!  Wow that was definitely a long time ago.

After seeing my friend CS done it, I am a little more motivated this year as I just bought extra minced pork to prepare for another dish.

So let's enjoy my Homemade Chilli Bak Kwa (Pork Jerky) 自制辣味猪肉干 for this Lunar New Year.

We like the spicy version so I added in chilli powder.  Let's hope it will give some kicks to it.  I also reduced the char siew sauce based on CS's advice.

Findings: The finished product weighs 365g with 500g minced pork.

I should have roll it more thinly.  Next time, I will use my rolling pin gauge to do it.  (I just read from Table for 2 or more, that hers is 4mm and she does not use rolling pin).  Please see her blog for a comprehensive write up.

As for the taste, my family said it tasted more like lup cheong.  I believe it has to do with the char siew sauce.  Next attempt, I shall try Table for 2 or more's.

Adapted from Tony's recipe

What you need:

500g minced pork

100g sugar
4g salt
4 tsp chilli powder

14g brandy wine

20g honey

20g char shao sauce

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp shao xing wine

Method:

Combine all marinate ingredients until well blended.

Add in minced pork and stir in one direction to work on the protein.  It is ready when the sticky texture achieved.

Cover and chilled in the fridge overnight.

Preheat oven to 170°C.

Spread meat thinly and evenly on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20 mins.

Remove juice and cut meat into pieces.

Grill at 200°C for 5 mins and flip over to continue to grill the other side for another 5 mins.

Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before storing.

 Enjoy!

Kueh Lapis (Prune)

When I saw JW and KO baked their Lapis with a Fu 福 word on it, I fell in love with it.

Year after year, I told myself that I need to get out of my comfort zone and attempt on something new.  So this year, I really have to sum up my courage to attempt this Kueh Lapis (Prune).

My girl loves this cake and so am I but for me, it is the age that stops me from eating the whole cake up.

I have actually done one nearly 20 years ago and that experiment went so wrong that I got phobia for long baking time recipes.

Anyway, 20 years is long enough and I need to overcome that.  With KO's encouragement, I finally took up the challenge.

Traditional Kueh Lapis has at least 18 layers, so I am not sure whether I can achieved this.

If you are confident and experience, double this recipe for a full cake.  I did half the recipe as I was worried that it will end up in the bin.

In my poor attempt to create a Fu 福 on my lapis.  I nearly burned my lapis when I had it browned a little more in the mini oven.

Can you spot a layer that I nearly burnt because I went to pack something?  Lesson learnt, watch it CLOSELY.

Findings:  Initial doubt was whether I can combine the butter and the egg mixture well.  In the end, the batter is not "fussy" and I had no problem.

My oven has top heat with fan and top heat without fan.  Initially I started off with fan mode @ 200°C, then at 5 min 10 sec, it started to brown.  So I turned turn off the fan and set at 220°C @ 5 mins and it starts to brown.

I nearly forgotten to use the lapis press.  I was worried that the cake will stick to the lapis press, so I brush the press with some oil  (A big mistake because my lapis turned out oily).

I also think I press too hard on the layers, so my layers are not defined.

Based on 60g per layer, I left a little batter in the end.  So next round, I will start off with 100g for the first layer.

For this recipe, I have achieved 13 layers and 1.5" tall based.

Nevertheless, this cake taste really good!  The sweetness is okay.

Definitely a keeper!

Thanks JW for sharing this yummy recipe.

Thanks KO and JW for your encouragement and guidance.

Source

What you need:

325g butter (I used golden churn, tin)

12 egg yolks (AA grade - 70-72g) (I actually weigh out the yolk but forgotten to note it down)
160g castor sugar
50g cake flour
7g corn flour
½ tsp lapis spice
10g milk powder

2 tsp rum

Prune, cut into small pieces

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Set the tray on middle rack.  Prepare parchment paper for 6” square pan.  Oil the pan and preheat it.

Sift plain flour, corn flour and milk powder.  Set aside.

Beat butter until light (approx 10 – 15mins).

Add the rum to the butter and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and icing sugar until ribbon stage.

Stir in flour mixture by hand whisk until well combined.

Using a whisk, mix butter and egg mixture together.

Add in the rum.  Mix well.

Pour batter (60g) into preheated pan lined with parchment paper.    Spread out evenly and insert some prune pieces randomly.  Give it a bang before baking.  Bake for 5 – 6 mins for the 1st layer.

Turn on the grill mode and increase the oven temp to 220°C .  Continue with the secondary layer of 60g each.  Bake for 3 – 4 mins or until top turned brown. (mine need 5 mins)

Noted:

Between each layer, please press the cake down with a lapis press.

Spread the batter evenly until it melted.

Before going into the oven, give it a bang to let out the air bubbles. This will help to even out the layers too.

Do not insert prunes on every layers.  Maybe every 3 layers and at different position.

Continue baking the cake by the layers until the batter uses up.

For ovens that do not allow the setting of top heat only, place a baking tray of water at the bottom of the oven.

Enjoy!

Steam Nian Gao 蒸年糕 (1) (Thermomix)

I think I only brought Nian Gao once and it was long ago.  So I was shocked to find out how ridiculously priced Steam Nian Gao 蒸年糕 (Thermomix) was in HK.  I was told that even in Singapore, for a good quality nian gao it is expensive.  To be honest, the ingredient costs for this cake is very low.  

I have done a Baked Nian Gao many years ago but I have never steam one before.  This year, I also saw many people attempt to steam theirs.  So they really motivated me to do it.  Well, at least for once.

Traditionally, this need to be steam for 15 hour or more.  These days, there are some recipes that need to steam for 4 long hours.  Even that, I am too lazy to slave over the stove so I opted for a 1 hour version instead.

Findings: Based on 1 hr as indicated, this did not work well for me.  I extended half an hour more to achieve a finished nian gao.

I should have wrapped the varoma cover with a cloth as the water did drip onto the nian gao, thus I did not achieve a smooth top.

Also instead of a 6" round pan, I could have gone a size smaller to achieve a taller cake.  Next round will try 5".

What you need:

175g brown sugar

30g castor sugar

250g water

250g glutinous rice flour

15g olive oil

1500g water (for steaming)

Banana leaves

6” mould

Oil for greasing

Method:

Blanched banana leaves to soften.  Clean with a clean cloth.

Cut into 4" strips and wrap round a 5" round pan, overlapping each strip, leaving enough to overhang.  Secured with a rubber band.  Grease with oil and set aside.

In a pot, combine brown sugar, castor sugar and water.  Bring to a boil and lower the heat to melt the sugar completely.

Place brown sugar, castor sugar and water in TM bowl.  Mix on 6mins/100⁰C /Sp 2.  Set aside until temp drop to 60⁰C.

Stir in glutinous rice flour and olive oil until evenly mixed and no lumps.

Pour in glutinous rice flour and olive oil.  Mix 2mins/Sp 4 – 6.

Transfer batter to lined mould and steam on high heat for 60 mins.  (to replace water, make sure it is boiling water)

Transfer batter to lined mould and place on Varoma to steam.  60mins/Varoma/Sp3.5.

Cover the cover with a cloth before steaming.

Remove and set aside to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Radish Cake

While doing my grocery shopping, I suddenly craved for my mom's Radish Cake and unfortunately, I cannot remember the weight of the radish that I have to buy.  Ended up I have lesser than required the amount and I was too lazy to run to the supermarket to buy another radish.

So I just substituted the balance with red carrot instead.  It didn't affect the texture at all, in fact, I quite like the colour it ends to it.

I brought this to a gathering and am happy that everyone liked it.

Learning experience: 

The texture is soft and yet hold its shape.  I should have steam in a 9" tray instead of a 10" as I prefer a taller cake but then again, I make it up by cutting a thicker slice.

If you prefer a taller cake, steam in a smaller tray but need to extend steaming time.

What you need: 

900g shredded white radish (strained)  (I added 300g carrot to make up the difference)
750ml water (410ml + 340ml)
76g Chinese sausage, chopped finely
38g dried shrimps, soaked, roasted and chopped finely
5 dried mushroom, soak and slice finely
5 dried scallops, soak 

3 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
Pepper

340g rice flour

2 tbsp tapioca flour

For garnish:  (I have forgotten about this)

6 shallots, sliced thinly and fried till crispy 

Spring onions

Method:

Heat up work and sauteed sausages until fragrant.  

Add in the mushroom, dried scallop, dried shrimp and fry until fragrant.

Combine radish and add 150ml water.  Let it simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 mins.

Mix rice flour, tapioca flour and 600ml water to make into a batter.  Add in sugar, salt, sesame oil and pepper.

Stir the flour batter into the radish mixture and continue to cook until it thickens.  Remove.

Pour the thickened mixture to an oiled 10" tray and steam at high heat for ½ hour (smoothen the surface with either the back of the spoon or spatula.

Test, if not cook, another further 10 mins.

Cool thoroughly before cutting.

Garnish with fried shallots and spring onions.


Enjoy!

Pineapple Tart (open face) (4)

Spotted this Open face Pineapple Tart recipe on TNP news.  It claimed that it is sturdy and yet melt in the mouth texture.  I was amazed and yet curious.  For an Indian chef to figure out a good pineapple tart which is predominately a Chinese cookie, I kudo him for his brilliance.

Yet I am curious if his recipe will goes well with my family.  So I got into action.  

I am still not brave enough to churn out my own pineapple paste though so I shall just settle in for store bought ones but added some cinnamon, cloves and juice to alleviate the flavour a little.

Nevertheless, if you are keen to roll up your sleeves and stir away, you can try Chef Anup's pineapple paste as below.

Findings: As I learnt from the previous experience, this time round, I divide the dough into portions to chill and got the right thickness so I had no issue working on this dough.   

Texture wise, after "rested" for a day, the crust became less fragile.  This is indeed a sturdy crust that you can easily picks up.  My family feels that it lacks the buttery flavour.  Now I strongly suspect I should not use President butter for pineapple tart.  

Also for my next attempt, I will incorporate the salt into the butter first rather than into the flour as the salt was not distributed evenly, the result of not over work the dough.


I think I will stick to Golden Churn next time.

Overall, this recipe is easy to handle and not taste good if you are not those that like strong buttery taste.

Source: Chef Anup Kumar (TNP)

Jam

What you need:

5 pineapples, peeled and core removed

500g fine sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

5 star anise

5 cloves

¼ tsp salt

Method:

Cut pineapples into chunks and place in food processor to blend.

Put blended pineapple into large pot. Add cinnamon, star anise, cloves and salt. Heat mixture and bring to simmering boil. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour over medium heat until filling thickens.

Add in half of the sugar first. Stir and taste. Add remaining sugar gradually. Adjust to your preferred sweetness.

Continue cooking pineapple mixture over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until thick and golden. Filling should be sticky and not have any visible moisture. Turn off the heat.

Allow filling to cool and remove cinnamon, star anise and cloves.

Store in air-tight container in refrigerator until ready to use.

Pastry 

What you need:

yield: 50 tarts

160g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

200g plain flour

25g cornflour

50g icing sugar
1 tsp salt

2 egg yolks

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.

In a mixer with paddle attachment, combine flour, cornflour, icing sugar and salt into mixing bowl. Mix for a few seconds.

Add cold butter cubes and beat on low speed until mixture is sandy.

Add in egg yolks and beat until a dough is form. 

Add water if dough is too dry. Do not over beat.

Remove dough from mixing bowl and shape into a ball.

Roll out dough on a flour-tossed board to 6mm thickness. Use cookie cutter to cut and shape dough. 

Arrange cut dough on a lined baking tray.

Lightly brush on a thin coat of egg wash on the cut dough. 

To assemble, take a teaspoon of filling, shape into a ball and place it on the cut dough. Gently add pressure to the pineapple filling so that it will adhere to the base.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

Allow tarts to cool before storing in air-tight containers.

So are you done with all your baked goodies?


Cheer!

Pineapple tart (open face) (3)

I saw a beautiful open face pineapple tart done by one of the FB group member.  Her work is so neat and even that I was so inspired.

Then again, I do not have her patience to crimp the edges so I just did the cut and stamp method.

Findings: Initially I had a tough time roll out the dough and cutting it.  The dough was either too hard or too soft.  And the thickness was also hard to gauge for the mould that I wanted to use.  

In the end, I used the thickest ring gauge to roll out my dough.  Then after, it works like a breeze (of course need to chill the dough).  Thus I suggest dividing the dough into portions and rotate them to maintain the cool dough.  This way, no time is wasted and still maintain the work flow.

Texture wise, it is very fragile when freshly bake and has this stick onto your hand feel.  The handling became much better after 1 day of "rest".  

Taste wise, my family finds it not buttery.  I don't know whether it is because I used President butter instead of Golden Churn.  Also it leans more towards the sweet side.  

I used 6g pineapple jam and it seems it is not enough to fill the crust.  Next round, I will increase this to 8g for this mould.

Overall, this is a relatively easy recipe to handle.  I will reduce the condense milk and to make up for the moisture, will replace with milk or water instead.

Source: Che' Sharina

What you need:

yield: 65 pcs

250g salted butter

1 egg yolk

22g condense milk

300g plain flour 

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

In a mixer, beat slowly butter, vanilla, milk and egg yolk

Add in flour and on low speed, mix until just combined to form a dough.  Set aside for about 20 mins.

Roll out pastry and form shape using a tart mould.

Add the pineapple ball and press it gently onto the pastry.

Preheat oven to 120°C and bake for 30-35 mins depends on your oven.

Cool on tray for 5-10mins before transferring to cooling rack.

Have a good day.

Crab stick cracker

Actually I am not a fan of crab stick as I find the flavouring really strong.  This Crab stick cracker was quite popular and many people did it before.  For me, I did tried once but it turned soft quite quickly. 

So this year, I take extra steps to ensure that the crackers will retain their crispiness. 

Findings: I air dry it because I wanted to remove moisture so that I can fry it better.

I took a further step and air fry it to make sure the oil is well drain off and the cracker stays crispy longer.

What you need:

Imitation Crab stick (I used Dodo brand)

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Remove the plastic wrapping.

Unroll the layers and tear off according to the size you want.

Spread onto a cooling rack and air dry it.

Heat oil to small to med heat and deep fried for about 30 sec.

Increase heat to continue to fry until light brown.

Remove and drain.

Using the air fryer, set at 165°C, air fried it for 3 mins to remove excess oil.

Cool on rack completely before storing.

Enjoy!

Crispy Sugar Roll

When I first tasted this Crispy Sugar Roll, it was at my aunt's house many years ago.  She told me that it is easy to make these at home.  All this years, I procrastinated but since I wanted to make things different for this year, I told myself this will be my first priority.

I got tip from a forum group but I can't recall her name.   Unlike many methods out there that uses egg white, hers uses whole egg which I totally love since I already have lots of egg whites in the freezer.  She also suggested adding butter into the egg so that the roll taste better.  For me, I can't tell now since I have never make those without butter.

Findings: I used two satay sticks to gripe the popiah edge and roll twice before I brush on the egg mixture.

You need to cool the fried rolls to light warm before coating with icing sugar to prevent the icing from melting.

Since I fried it really thoroughly, it is very crispy.

For the next round, I will try using snow sugar rather than icing sugar as our humidity is high and I hope this icing sugar won't melt down till CNY.

What you need:

550g Popiah Skin
2 eggs
2 tsp melted butter

Icing sugar (I strongly suggest using snow sugar instead of icing sugar)

Method:

Beat the egg with melted butter.

Lay one piece of the popiah skin on a clean board.

Brush the whole piece of popiah skin with the egg mixture

Using two wooden skewers, start rolling firmly into a roll.

Cut the popiah roll diagonally into small pieces.

Heat oil and lower heat to small to medium and fry until light golden brown.

Increase the heat to high and fry to golden brown.

Remove and drain.

Let it cool down to light warm before tossing with icing sugar.

Cool on kitchen towel to bloat off excess oil.

Toss more icing sugar before storing in air tight container.



Enjoy!

Cornflake walnut cookie

Next on my CNY goodie list will be this Cornflakes walnut cookie.  Cornflakes cookie has always been a favorite in my family as it taste yummy.

This year, I attempt another version and this really add to another dimension.  The addition of walnut really heighten the crunch of the cornflakes as well as flavour.   Walnut is actually good for the brain and my kids are not big fan of it.  Now I can happily "hide" this and they will be willingly munching on these.  Win win situation.

Bare with me on this pathetic 6 pieces because I was actually doing a trial to see whether this will stick to the cookie liner as I recall during one year, my batch of cornflakes does stick to the liner.

Now I can confirmed that this recipe will not stick and will definitely looks better baking it in such liner.

What you need:
yield: 78 pcs

160g butter
100g castor sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
220g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
80g corn flakes
80g walnut
100g raisins

Method:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs and vanilla essence.

Sift in plain flour and baking powder.

Fold in walnut, raisins and cornflakes

Chill for 30 mins and then using a small ice cream scoop, form dough into a ball and place onto a paper liner.

Preheat oven to 160°C.

Bake on a lined pan for 20 - 25mins or until golden brown.

Cool on pan slightly before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely before storing.


Enjoy!

Green Pea Cookie

During my recent trip to KL, the usual place I must go will be the baking supply shop.  I guess many of my like minded friends are all like that.  Gone are the days we will buy shoes, bags and clothes as our first priority.  Are you like me?

Thus, when I saw green pea flour and remembered how much trouble I had to go through to find this in Singapore.

Last year, I wanted to bake this but everywhere was sold out. Even if I were to mill it myself, strangely during this period, the green pea are no where in sight too.

Having this thought, I grabbed a packet immediately and that was the last on the shelf!  

I remembered this, Green Pea Cookie, was well liked by my family and friends.  It was also a hot favorite back in 2010 (nice to have a blog for me to track back my memory).

This year, this is one of the item on my list.  Strike 2 off the list, let's see how much energy I have left to complete the list.

Note: You can find green pea flour in Sun Lit.  I was told that Phoon Huat does stock on this too.

What you need:
yield: 40 pcs

130g green pea flour or deep-fried green peas (milled) without skin
100g icing sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
160g plain flour
100g groundnut oil (I highly suggest you use groundnut oil)

Egg wash:

1 egg yolk with 1 tsp milk and 2 drops of oil

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C.

Sift icing sugar and plain flour into a bowl.

Add all other ingredients and mixed well except the groundnut oil.

Add in groundnut oil and mix to form a dough.

Using a small scoop, scoop dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten slightly.

Brush on egg wash.

Bake for 15-20 mins till well-baked.

Cool on rack and store.


Enjoy!

Charcoal Pineapple Tart

I baked this Charcoal Pineapple Tart back in 2010 and remembered I find it nice looking.  Love the contrast color to it.  So I am keeping this in my current blog for future reference.

Findings: This is more biscuit like and does not melt in the mouth but have loose crumbs to it.

Source: Mrs Leong

What you need:

A:
565g flour
2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp charcoal powder

340 g butter, chilled

B:
2 tbsp castor sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ tsp salt

8 tbsp boiling water

Flour for dusting
Cloves

Glaze:
Beat 1 egg and 1 yolk with 2 drops of yellow food colouring

Method:

Sift flour, baking powder and charcoal powder. 

Rub in the butter lightly into flour with tips of fingers till mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Beat castor sugar, egg yolks, vanilla essence, salt in a bowl.  Lightly will do.

Pour egg mixture into the flour mixture. Add boiling water and mix with both hands to form a pastry dough.

Chill dough in refrigerator for ½ hour before working on it.

Cheers!

Fermented Beancurd 'Nam Yue' Sesame Cookies 南乳香脆可口芝麻饼

I personally do not like to take too much sweet stuff.  I felt my tongue turned numb if I had too much sugary cookie or food.

So when I saw this savoury cookie, Fermented Beancurd 'Nam Yue' Sesame Cookies 南乳香脆可口芝麻饼, I thought I will be nice to add this to the variety.

Afterall, I just bought an extra jar of this fermented beancurd thinking I have none at home.

Talk about perfect timing!  Thanks K for sharing this wonderful recipe.

Findings: This cookie yield a very light texture.  Definitely a keeper.

Source: My Little Space

What you need:

(A)
125g butter
¼ tsp salt
70g icing sugar
28g egg

(B)
1 piece red fermented beancurd

1½ tsp red gravy
4 cloves garlic

(C)
440g plain flour
1 tsp 5 spice powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
40g black sesame seeds
40g white sesame seeds


For coating  :  50g black sesame seeds mixed with 50g white sesame seeds

Method:

Pound garlic until mashed and add in beancurd, continue to pound until all is incorporated well together. Set aside.

Beat (A) till creamy then stir in mixture (B) till well combined.

Sift in plain flour, 5 spice powder, baking powder and baking soda. Fold in to form a soft dough, knead till smooth. Let dough rest for 30 minutes.

Shape dough into a ball (approx 6g) then coat with sesame seeds. 

Indent cookie dough with thumb.

Bake at preheated oven 175°C for about 16 minutes or till nicely brown.

Transfer to cooling rack after a few mins and let it cool completely before storing.

I'm linking this post to the "Cook & Celebrate: CNY 2016" event organised by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The DomesticGoddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.



Cheers!