KEK BELACAN

 

After a long while of not baking anything, I finally baked Belacan cake as it is called in Sarawak. 

The appearance of this cake looks like belacan(shrimp paste), hence the name given. Many people loves Belacan cake and has been making for ages although I have no idea when it started. I first have a taste of this cake sometime back in the nineties at a friend's house during Chinese New Year visit.

This cake is very sweet because of the condensed milk and sugar. I have used less sugar and less sweetened condensed milk but cannot less too much of the condensed milk for fear the cake might not be nice. It's okay to less than half the amount of sugar than to less condensed milk.

Give this recipe a try!

INGREDIENTS:

227 g butter

5 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

220g sweetened condensed milk

85g kaya

100g horlicks

1 cup hongkong flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp browning sugar

METHOD:

1. Beat butter and sugar till fluffy.

2. Add in one egg at a time. Add in vanilla essence, sweetened condensed milk, kaya, horlicks, cocoa powder, and Hongkong flour. Beat until well combined.

3. Then add in browning sugar and beat till well combined.

4. Prepare a cake tray and lined with parchment or greased paper.

5. Pout the cake batter into the lined tray and cover it with aluminium foil.

6. Steamed with medium heat for 2 1/2 hours.

Pineapple Jam Cookies

 

Chinese New Year I made these lovely cookies filled with pineapple jam. I used my mooncake pressed mold . My mold have not used for the longest time and it is time to take out and make to good use and this is the result. I wanted to make like the Taiwan pineapple tarts. When i saw Taiwan pineapple tarts, I remember my mooncake mold that have been kept sitting in the kitchen cabinet unused . I decided to make my pineaplle tarts using my mooncake mold which is square shape and my pineapple tarts came out lovely and easy to hold and bite this way. My sister said this tarts looks good and pretty and cute.

In fact, I started making like this last year and this year again. Thanks to my own idea cos now my mold is not wasted away. I almost wanted to thow it away to save space in my cabinet when I thought that it is useless because I have a few more of mooncakes mold which is bigger and round. Someone said to me that mooncake need to be round and not square and I agreed. Now I'll be using this square mold to make my enclosed Pineapple tarts.

INGREDIENTS:

226 grams butter

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg yolk

21/2 cups flour(330g)

2 tbsp milk powder

2 tbsp corn flour

21/2 tsp custard powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Then add in egg yolk. Mix the flour, corn flour, custard flour, milk powder, and salt together. Then add to the butter mixture. Add in the vanilla essence and beat again evenly. Make it into a dough. Take some dough and flatten, then fill with pineapple jam, seal, and shape/press with a cutter. Bake in a preheated oven, at 180°C until cooked.

 

Just another year of making fruitcake for the Christmas season. This cake has a nutty taste and without sugar, the cake still has a sweet taste but not too sweet. The sweetness comes from the cherries and raisins. Although the cake doesn't look appetizing, but it is nice to eat.

"Have A Merry Jolly Christmas, Everyone"

INGREDIENTS;

1 Cup Plain Yogurt 1 Box Ready Mixed Fruits/Raisins 100 Gr Chopped Peanuts, Any Kind Of Nuts Or Mixed 260 Gr All Purpose Flour 1 Tsp Baking Soda 113 Gr Salted Butter 1 Large Egg 30 Ml Brandy, Optional Extra Cherries For Decoration METHOD; 1. Toss the nuts and mixed fruits/raisins with 60 g all purpose flour. Shake it to mix and put aside. 2. Add 1 tsp baking soda to the rest of the 200 g all purpose flour. Mix it well. 3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy and then add in one egg. 4. Pour in 1 cup of the plain yogurt and continue beating till well mixed. 5. Add in the flour with baking soda added, mixed fruits/raisins and nuts/mixed nuts. 6. Beat at low speed until well mixed. 7. Brush the loaf pan with cooking oil or butter. This can also be done at the beginning. 8. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Flatten and smooth the top and arrange some red and green cherries on top. 9. Bake in the pre-heated oven at 160°C for about 65 mins or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. 10. Cool the cake on a wire rack.

CURRY CHICKEN WITH CURRY POWDER

 

Being a Malaysian, we cook curry chicken very often. One of the best meals we had while growing up as a kid. In those days if we are lucky enough, we will have Curry Chicken to eat for the festive season. Only one dish is enough to satisfy our hunger for the day. Our siblings will fight to get more whenever there is meat on the table. Curry Chicken is one of our favorite dishes. 

Since young, my mother has taught me to cook Curry Chicken. Back then, she bought curry paste from an Indian seller. The ready-pounded paste was wrapped in a leaf. I don't know what that leaf is called, but I remember the leaf is quite dry. Back then, we like to add coconut milk or santan to our curry. Now, I don't always use coconut milk for my Curry. Sometimes I just skip the coconut milk or santan when I cook Curry Chicken. Without the coconut milk, the curry will still be nice. Msg has now been replaced with sugar for health concerns because msg is bad for the health. Sometimes I do not put sugar. and that's okay!

I like my Curry to be not too thick and not too runny. Not the soupy type.

INGREDIENTS:

500 Grams Chicken, Cut Into Pieces

4 Potatoes

(A)

2 Pip Garlic

3 Small Shallots

1 Big Onion

1 Inch Ginger

2 lemon Grass

CURRY PASTE:

6-8 Tbsps Curry Powder(any brand)

2 Tbsps Chilly Powder(optional)

Water(your best estimation to mix into paste)

800 MLWater

5 Tsps Cooking Oil

1 Stick cinnamon

2 Star Anise

2 Stalks Curry Leaves

2 Tbsps Salt

1 Tbsp Sugar(optional)

200 ML Of Thick Coconut Cream Or 100 ML Of Evaporated Milk

METHOD:

1. Peeled the skin of the potatoes and cut them into four. Heat oil in the wok and deep-fry the potatoes until browned. Set aside for later use.

2.  Peeled the skin of A and cut short the lemon grass for easy blending. Use a blender to blend.

3.  Prepare ready the curry paste. Mix with water into a paste.

4.  Discard the oil from the wok from previously deep-fried potatoes and leave about 5 tablespoons in the wok. Fry the big onion, cinnamon and star anise until fragrant. Add lemon grass and blended ingredients in. Stir until fragrant. Then add the mixed curry paste in. Add some water followed by the curry leaves. Stir until oil comes out.

5.  Add in the chicken. Stir for a while. Add enough water to cover the chicken.

6.  Add salt to taste and sugar if want sweetness. Cover and simmer until chicken is half cooked, then add in the potatoes.

7.  Cover again until potatoes are soft and chicken is cooked through.

8.  Lastly, add in the thick coconut cream or evaporated milk.

9. Dish it up and serve with rice.

BAKED BELACAN CAKE

 

Last time I made a steamed version of "Belacan Cake". This time I made a baked version. It may not be as nice as the steamed version which is more moist but don't worry, it is still very nice to eat.

If you want to steam the cake, go ahead and steam it for 4 to 5 hours. 

INGREDIENT:

A

460 g butter

200 g castor sugar

B

10 eggs

C

180 g kaya

300 g condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

D

200 g Horlicks

100 g milo powder

350 g wheat flour, sifted

E

60 g browning sugar

METHODS:

1.  Prepare the steamer. Lined 8" tin with parchment paper.

2.  Beat ingredient A till creamy. Add in ingredients B one by one. Beat till well combined.

3.  Add in C and mixed well. Then add in ingredient D till well combined.

4.  Finally, add in E. Mix well.

5.  Pour into the previously prepared lined tin. Bake a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 45 minutes.

     

NOTE: If preferred to steam, steam for 4 or 5 hours. Cool completely and cut.

Kueh Semperit 2

 

I always always love to make this flower cookies. They are pretty with the cherry in the center. I just love to see them more than I love to eat them. They are edible pretty flowers.

INGREDIENTS:

250 g butter

90 g icing sugar

1 egg yolk

1/4 tsp salt

320 g all-purpose flour

120 g corn flour

2 tbsps milk

1/2 tsp rose essence

chopped cherries for decoration

METHOD;

. Cream butter with sugar,egg yolk,salt and rose essence until fluffy.

. Add in milk, and mix well.

. Fold in all purpose flour and corn flour.

. Mix until dough become soft and doesn't stick at hand.

. Place mixture into piping tips.

. Pipe mixture on lightly greased baking tray.

. Decorate with chopped cherry and bake in preheated 180°C oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

BATIK CAKE INDULGENCE

 

Sweet Batik Cake but very addictive. My family finished the cake in 2 days. I cannot believe they finished this sweet cake. It is called "Batik" because it looks like batik patterns. I've tried to lessen a bit of the sweet condensed milk but it is still sweet to my tooth.

This cake is very easy to make by mixing broken Marie biscuits and combined with chocolate fudge and then freezing them overnight inside the fridge. The next day, cut, cut and enjoy!

Just make it and fell in love with this cake. This cake has been around for years.

INGREDIENTS:

1 packet Marie biscuits

250 g margarine/butter

360 g sweetened condensed milk

200 g milo powder

3 tbsp cocoa powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Crack Marie biscuits small.

2.  Melt margarine or butter in a cooking pan with a low fire. Add in sweetened condensed milk. Add-in

     the milo powder and cocoa powder. Stir until it thickens.

3.  Off the fire and add in the cracked Marie biscuits. Stir and mix well.

4.  Pour into the prepared lined tin.

5.  Chilled inside the fridge overnight.

6.  Cut using a hot knife so that the cake is smooth after cutting. ( I dip my knife into the hot water

     for each cut).

NESTUM CEREAL BUTTER COOKIES

 

Ooo... umn! Delicious Nestum Butter Cookies. Every bite is full of Nestum Cereals. Who don't want more? Cereals inside and outside of the cookies.

I bought a big packet of NESTLE NESTUM CEREALS but I didn't look for the expiry date when I bought home that day. I left it on my shelf and forgot all about it. When I do remember, I checked and found out that the expiry date is just one month away. Prior to this, I quickly searched for recipes and follow the recipe by Nestum itself from their website.

The rest of the leftover cereals, I will make it into cakes. Maybe steamed or baked NESTUM CEREALS CAKES.

INGREDIENTS:

130 g salted butter at room temperature

80 g castor sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

190 g self-raising flour

5 g baking powder

50 g NESTIM - for coating

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Pew-heat oven to 170°C.

2.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3.  Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix evenly.

4.  Mix in flour mixture and 50 g of NESTUM. Mix well until a dough forms.

5.  Line your baking tray with parchment paper. Using a melon scoop, scoop the

cookie dough with the NESTUM. place cookies at least 1" apart on the baking tray.

6.  Bake at 170°C for 15 mins.

7.  Transfer to the cooling rack.

8.  Store in an airtight container.

NOTE: This recipe is adapted from the NESTUM website from NESTUM RECIPES.

Enjoy Baking!

KUIH JAWA/PENYARAM SARAWAK

 

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups wheat flour

2 cups rice flour

1 cup gula apong/gula melaka/dark brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

3 cups boiled water

METHOD;

1.  Add wheat flour, rice flour, white sugar, salt, and water.

2. Mix/whisk until smooth.

3.  Strain to get a smooth batter.

4.  Add gula apong and mix till well combined.

5. Marinate for 5-6 hours or overnight.

6.  Fry with litle oil. Pour in the middle of the wok.

Glutinous Rice Doughnuts /Fried Dough With Glutinous Rice

  

 As for these recipes,I use the Ham Chi Peng dough recipe. Please refer: Here

Both of these doughnuts are nice. Seeing the pictures made me drool over and want to make
and eat again. Ooh..... Surely, will be making it again.

The dough is very sticky and hard to handle with my hands but I did it anyway. I spread 5 spice powder on the dough, but some people they use Nam Yee as the filling. Some would sprinkle sesame seeds but I opted out of sesame seeds.  

You can use a plastic sheet to roll the glutinous rice. I have non at home, so I simply use

the mat for making sushi to roll to a rectangular shape.

GLUTINOUS RICE:

120 g glutinous rice, soaked for 1 hour

30 g sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

METHOD;

1.  Soak the glutinous rice in water for 30 mins.

2.  Add sugar, salt, and water to the rice.

3.  Place in steamer and steam for 20 mins.

4.  Once cooked, cool slightly and roll up the rice with plastic wrap into a log 1.55" in diameter.

5.  Place the wrapped log in the fridge to cool completely.

ASSEMBLY:

1.  Roll the dough out into a long rectangle the length should be slightly longer than the log of glutinous rice.

2. Sprinkle 5 spice powders all over the top of the thin dough.

3.  Put the glutinous rice log in the middle of the dough.

4.  Roll up the dough, enclosing the log of the glutinous rice. Seal the edges by pinching them together.

5.  cut into 1" wide pieces.

6.  Flatten each piece slightly.

7.  Dust the exposed glutinous rice lightly with flour or 5 spice powder.

8.  Heat up enough oil for deep frying.  Wait until you see smoke then know that the oil is hot and ready for frying.

9.  Deep fry the pieces of dough in the hot oil. (about 3-4 pieces or many only 2 if you are not quick enough to handle). Use only medium heat. Turn them over until golden brown.

10.  Take out and put on a paper towel.

Curry Chicken with Curry Powder

 

We tend to cook Curry Chicken too often in our home. My family all likes Curry. Who doesn't like it?

Ask all Malaysians and they will answer you liked. Each household will cook a different flavor.

For me, I like to cook the drier version and sometimes I like to cook the soupy curry version too.

Curry is often served together with rice.  Curry lovers will eat more rice to pair with the curry.

So, each time when I cook curry chicken, I will cook more extra rice that day. Usually, when I cook curry chicken, only one dish is enough for the day. No other dish. Curry is best served with rice alone.

My children don't mind if I don't cook another dish,  be it vegetables or any meat. Curry and rice are already the best meal.

My cooking of curry is always simple. I normally used curry powder and mixed it with a little bit of chili powder. I liked my potatoes to be deep-fried first then add it to the curry later. You can always by all means throw the potatoes into the chicken to cook together till soft. Either way, it's still a nice curry.

INGREDIENTS:

780 g chicken, cut small

1 big onion, sliced

2 serai/lemongrass, cut white parts only

4 red onions

6 pips garlic

1-inch ginger

2 stalks of curry leaves

4 tbsp full curry powder

1 tbsp chilly powder

1 cinnamon stick

2-star anise

3 big potatoes

cooking oil

700 ml water

METHOD:

Using a peeler, peel the skin of the potatoes and cut them into 4.

Peel the skin of a big onion. Slice thinly. Put aside.

Peel the skin of red onions. Cut roughly. Crush garlic. Cut roughly.

Crush the serai with the back of a big knife. Cut and use the white parts only.

Peel the skin of ginger. Slice thinly.

Blend garlic, red onions, and ginger with a blender until fine. 

In a small-medium bowl, add curry powder, chilly powder, and 6-8 tablespoons of water. Mix to a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a wok, pour enough cooking oil for deep frying the potatoes. As soon as the smoke comes out, fry

the potatoes. Fry until half soft or brown in color. Dish it up. Take some oil out of the wok leaving some for frying the paste.

Fry the big onion slices, cinnamon stick, and star anise until very fragrant. Then add in the blended onions and ginger and garlic. Fry until brown and fragrant. Add in the curry paste. Add in some water Stir and fry until oil comes out. Then add in the chicken. Stir and mix. Add water. Stir. Add in salt.

You can also add 1 teaspoon of sugar to make the curry tastier.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add some more water if the water is too dry. After 10 minutes add in the potatoes. Stir. There is no need to cover anymore. 

Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are soft. If you prefer a thicker sauce, cook a bit longer until the sauce starts to thicken.  I like my curry to be a bit thicker.

Dish up onto a big bowl and serve together with rice.

V GRAINS DIGESTIVE BISCUITS

 

Have V Grains at home? Make it into biscuits or cookies. I bought this healthy cereal to drink every morning but got tired of always drinking the same thing every morning. Then I thought of making it into cookies. Tell you, it is just so nice, just the same as digestive biscuits. So, besides drinking, you can also make cookies. If you don't have V grains, you can substitute them with Horlicks.

INGREDIENTS: 220 g butter 55 g sugar 240 g all purpose Flour 10 tbsp V grains powder 1. Add V grains into all purpose flour. Mix well together. 2. Cream the butter with sugar until creamy. You can also use the beater to beat. 3. Add the flour to the butter mixture. 4. Gather and form into a dough. Rest the dough for 15 minutes. 5. Take some dough and simply make a small round ball. 6. Flatten each dough slightly flat. 7. Prick with a fork. 8. Bake in preheated oven at 160°C for 15-20 minutes or until turning brown. 9. Cool on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container.