Pineapple Tarts 马来西亚凤梨酥

Finally, I made my own pineapple tarts after years craving for it. Pineapple tarts is one kind of chinese new year cookies which can be shaped by open-tart shape, open-ended roll, ball shape or fruit shape in malaysia, singapore or even in brunei or indonesia too. Indonesian pineapple tarts or better known as Nastar (ananastaart) have a slightly different with malaysia-nyonya, it containt some cheese in the pastry and it is always a ball shaped with a clove on the top. Well, taiwanese pineapple shortbread which better known as Feng Li Shu (凤梨酥)is quiet similiar too, the filling may combine with some winter melon and the pastry is a kind of shortbread and it is usually need holded by square cookie cutters. Why peoples love to serve pineapple tarts during new year? Pineapple in chinese-hokkien dialets means 'prosperity come' an auspicious symbol for the new year.

Source: Recipe from pineapple moulds

Ingredients:

Filling:
250- 400g grated pineapple
125g sugar
some cinnamon and star anise
Pastry:
250g butter
125g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
270g flour
200g custard powder
1/4tsp vanilla

Methods:

1. Prepare the filling one night before. Cook the filling over medium heat till thick and dry . Set aside and let it cool completely.
2. Cream butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well.
3. Sift icing sugar, flour and custard powder into the mixture. Fold to incorporate all ingredients to form a smooth pastry dough.
4. Roll out the dough till it's about 0.7 cm thick. Cut into shapes with a pineapple tart mould. Brush sides of tarts with egg wash. Bake in a greased, lined baking tin for 10 minutes.
5. Remove tarts from the oven. Fill centre of tarts with some pineapple jam. Return tarts to oven to bake for a further 10 minutes, or until golden brown.Cool the tarts on wire rack.


Notes:
1. I used canned pineapple in stead of fresh pineapple and I onitted the sugar. I cooked it with the syrup till thick and dry enough to form a paste.
2. I used only 60g icing sugar for the pastry as my pinepple filling is sweet enough for me.
3. I didn't use cinnamum or anise cause I don't really like the smell.

Angku Kuih 紅龜粿

Angku kuih is a famous kuih that you can find it everywhere in Souteast Asia and Taiwan. During baby full-month or festival, peoples will serve it. While, peples will served it but in different colour --- OOhkoo during funeral too. Ang means red, ku means turtle and it symbolic long-life for new baby. This kuih's filling may made by sweet mung beans, sweet red bean paste, sweet coconut filling or even with savoury minced meat or vegetables.

Source: Do What I Like, Amy Beh, Streetfood Cookbooks

Ingredients:

200g yam/taro or sweet potatoes
300g glutinous rice flour
2 tbsp oil
160ml hot water
red colouring
Filling:
200g splitted mung beans (soaked overnight)
100g sugar (please adjust, it is not very sweet)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
3 pandan leaves
water

Methods:

1. Prepare filling first. Drain and steamed the splitted mung beans with pandan leaves till soft.
2. Blend the cooked splitted mung beans when it is still hot with oil and some water till puree. Pour it into a sauce pan, cook the puree with sugar till dry. Set aside till cool.
3. Steamed the sweet potatoes till soft and mashed it, when it is still warm, add in the glutinous flour and some hot water for form a dough. Knead till smooth.
4. Divived the dough 26g each and 19g filling each. Wrap the filling and press it into angku mould.
5. Steamed on high heat for 8 minutes or till done.

Notes:
1. Remember dust the mould with some glutinous rice flour before press the angku.
2. If your angku don't have clear prints, steam the next batch 3 minutes on high heat, release the steam and resteam 3 minutes over medium heat.
3. If you don't have angku mould, just shape it round and steam.
4. For leftover angku, pan-fry it with a bit oil and you will get a very crispy, chewy and tasty kuih.

Crispy Honeycomb - Kuih Rose 酥脆糖環

A very popular chinese new year cookies in southeast asia, it is also known as kuih rose, kuih loyang, kuih goyang or crispy honeycomb. It is very easy to prepare and all you just very need it the mould! Finally I can make it--- as I get the mould from my beloved sister during summer vacation in mlaysia. I gave a bit to my friends and all of them are just crazy for it----- asking for making more. It is true---- once you eat and you want it more!!!!!!!!!

Source: A cookbook from Yasa Boga, Jo's Deli And Bakery, Lily Wai Sek Hong

INGREDIENTS:

200ml concentrated coconut milk
1 egg
85g castor sugar
50ml water
Pinch of salt
120g all-purpose flour, sifted
50g rice flour, sifted
Oil for deep frying

METHOD:

1. Prepare at least two moulds.
2. Combine all, leave aside for at least for 1 hour.
3. Heat oil in a wok/deep fryer. Preheat moulds in the hot oil. When the oil is hot enough, dip mould into batter. Make sure batter coats only the bottom and sides of mould.
5. Place coated mould in hot oil. Shake to release honeycomb from moulds. If needed, use chopsticks to help releasing. Fry until golden brown.
6. Leave to cool completely before store in air-tight container.



NOTE:
1. The moulds have to be hot enough for batter to cling on them. That was why I suggested to use two moulds alternately. You can use one while the other is being heated up in hot oil.

Paper- Lined spongecake 紙包蛋糕

I still have a lots of sponge stabilitier as my sis bought it for me during summer holiday in malaysia. My kids shouting to have sponge cake and I make it with using hug bear's recipe. It turn out nice with collapsing but I don't know why the surface is not very smooth.

Source: Baking Mum, Do What I Likes, YTower, Jo's Deli And Bakery

Ingredients:
4 eggs
100 gm cake flour
100 gm castor sugar
12 gm spongecake stabliser
25 gm milk
90 gm melted butter

Methods:
1. Put all the ingredients except the melted butter and beat till ribbon stage, add in melted butter and mix throughly.
2. Pour into paper-lined paper cups and bake in preheated oven at 175 degree celcious for 20 minutes or till done. Remove to wire rack to cool immediately.

Notes:

1. Make sure the eggs are very fresh.
2. Ribbon stage is mean the batter is very thick and if you write '8', it will appear on the batter for awhile.

Cucur Badak

A very very tasty, delicious malay snack in malysia. I have been missed malaysia for all the time and it is the main reason that I start my cooking and baking and also blogging. The filling that I make is also nice for pulut udang. I need to adjust the chilies as my 3 lovely toddlers can't eat spicy food.

Source: Mamafami, Hanieliza, Rasa Malaysia, Yasa Boga, Streetcookbook

Ingredients:

600g sweet potatoes, steamed, mashed
2 cups flour
(A) Pounded together
8 dried chilies, soak with hot water till soft
4 stalk lemongrass
10 shallots
6 pips garlics
4 candlenut/ kemiri
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp tumeric powder
(B)
120g dried shrimp, soak, drained, pounded
250g desicated coconut
4tbsp sugar
6 tbsp oil
dash of pepper

Methods:
1. Make the filling first, heat up oil and sauted the (a) ingredients till fragnant, add in pounded dried shrimp and stir fry till aromatic. Add the remaining ingredients and stir fry till dry. Set aside.
2. Steam sweet potatoes till soft, mashed it and add in flour when it is still warm and knead smooth.
3. Take a bits of dough, flatten it and wrap the filling in and seal it neatly. Repeat till done.
4. Heat oil, deep fry till golden colour and cooked.

Notes:
1. If you can't find dried shrimp, subtituded it with fresh prawn.
2. I can't find fresh grated coconut at here, I replace it with desicated coconut. But I add some water in step 1.
3. I omitted the dried chilies and I add some spices likes ground cumin, ketubar and belacan.

Steamed meat and vegetable bun 菜肉包

Bao, pau or steamed buns is a common food for chinese, there is so many kind of flavours with sweet or savoury. For me, I likes meat and vegetable pau. It makes me remember how my granny made it for me. It is very good recipes from my granny, but unfortunately I don't know how to pleat my buns. It don't look very nice but taste very good. Any tips for me?

Source: TPC, Eupho Cafe, Jo's Deli and Bakery, Lily Wai Sek Hong

Ingredients:

(a) old dough - about 300g gram
200g flour
a pinch salt
1/2tsp yeast
110g water
(b) main dough - about 770g
200ml cold milk
350g cake flour
5g yeast
80g sugar
1/8tsp baking soda
1tsp bread improver/ bread softerner (optional)
100g old dough
15g oil
Filling:
250g minced meat (pork or chicken)
200g chinese cabbage, shredded
2 tsp salt
11/2 tsp rice/Shao Xin wine
2 tsp sesame oil
2 1/2-3 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
Pepper to taste

Methods:

1. Mix (a) old dough, knead till smooth and let it prove till double bulk for about 40-50 minutes. (during winter might longer)
2. Prepare filling: In a plate, add salt to shredded chinese cabbage. Leave for 15 minutes. Squeeze to remove excessive water from the cabbage. Mix cabbage with the rest of the ingredients of filling. Marinate for about 1 hour.
3. Weight out 100g old dough for main dough recipe. Mix (b) main dough, knead smooth and add in old and knead till smooth and shinny. Rest the dough for 20 minutes and divide 60g-80g. Knead a bit and wrap the filling.
4. Cover the bun with damp clothes and final prove for 20-30 minutes. Steam over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turn off heat and let it stay 3 minutes inside the steamer before taking out.

Notes:
1. Avoid water condensate at steamer's lid from dropping to the man tou. Dry lid with a cloth every time you uncover the steamer.
2. Don't worry if your pau are not as white as those sold in the restaurant. This is because you do not use 100% bleached pau flour in this recipe. I mixed pau flour with superfine/cake (low protein) flour so that texture of pau would not be too "glutenized/ fibrous''.
3. If you are not able to finish all the pau at one time, keep them in an air-tight container or plastic bag and freeze. Just reheat them whenever you want to have them. Estimated storage period is 2-3 months.
4. I used 200g flour and 150g wheat starch-- tang min fun to reduce the gluten and make my buns soft.

Penang Lobak

Penang Lobak is fried coarse minced pork and various veggies rolled in tofu skin which is very popular in malaysia or known as Ngoh heong 五香 in singapore. As I know, hong kong peoples have this kind of snack too but in different name---- 鮮竹卷 sing chuk quen. It is best served with five spice dipping sauce and chilli sauce or even just plain. Normally, peoples will eat it with prawn fritters, a few slices of century egg, fried tofu and cucumber. I have no much time as I have 3 young toddlers. Hope you will like it too.

Source: Streetfood Cookbooks

Ingredients:

2 pieces bean curd skin (fu chuk/ fu pi) (soak till soft)
cut into 16cmx8cm
2 cups oil
Filling:
1kg minced meat
2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp chopped spring onion
2 eggs
Seasoning:
1/2 tbsp five spice powder
1-2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1tsp pepper
3 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp tapioca flour
2 tbsp corn flour

Methods:

1. Put all ingredients for fillings and seasoning into a big mixing bowl. Stir until well mixed. For a bouncy nice texture, hit it with your hand till it has close texture.
2. Put some filling onto the bean curd skin and roll up neatly. Press the two ends slightly.
3. Heat up oil for deep frying. Deep fry lobak with medium heat untill golden brown and cooked. Dish up and drain. Cut into pieces and served.

Kibbeling

Kibbeling is a common snack for dutch peoples wnich you can buy it anytime and anywhere. Kibbeling is actually crispy fried cod fish and dutch likes to serve it with augurks (pickle gherkin) and mayonaise or other sauce.

Source: A dutch friend, Amy Beh

Ingredients:

1kg cod fish filets (any kind of white fish also can)
6 tbsp plain flour
6 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp rice flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
240ml or enough water/ milk
Fish marinate (ready in supermarket)

Methods:

1. Cut fish into3cmx3cm or bigger. Marinated with some fish marinate.
2. Prepare batter, combine all and leave aside for at 10-15 minutes.
3. Heat oil, dip the fish into the batter and fry the fish till golden crispy crust.
4. Served with sauce as wished.

Notes:
1. You can omit the fish marinate and just season it with salt and pepper.
2. The oil should be around 180 degree celcious.

Japanese Terriyaki Samon

This is one of our favourite dish that quiet often served during dinner time. It is very simpel and easy to do and most important is it is quiet healthy. If I served this, my kids will finish their meal much faster.

Source: Japanese Friend, YTower, Japanese Cookbooks

Ingredients:

700g salmon fish filet
160ml japanese soya sauce
160ml mirin
2 tbsp sake
1 tbsp sugar

Methods:

1. Cut the salmon in pieces as desired. Combined all of ingredients, let the salmon marinated for at least 2 hours or more.
2. Heat pan, put in very little oil and fry it. Turn to another side and fry again. Lastly, pour in the marinated sauce and cook till the fish is done and the sauce is thicken. Served.

Notes:

1. In stead of fry, you may grill it or baked in the oven.
2. Mirin is sweet sake, you can make it with sake plus sugar too.
3. One time, I pour in chinese cooking wine in stead of sake( take wrong bottle) and it taste good too.
4. Please adjust the sweetness. Beside os salmon, you may choosed white fish filets like cods too