Cameron Highlands: Family Outing

Beautiful "Boh" tea plantation.

I would like to end this year posting with my Cameron Highlands family outing. It was a happy event, a family gathering and lot of new experiences. I've been to Cameron Highlands for a few times but this was the first time visiting the tea plantation and hand-on plucking the strawberries...and home-stay in a farm. It was refreshing to wake up and saw the fresh vegetables just outside your room.

"Boh" tea plantation is sitting deep inside the mountain, we have to drive for 15 mins from the main road to reach the tea plantation. It was a very narrow one lane road, when faced with the opposites cars, either one side have to stop and give way. Initially, we thought we had lost the way, but the road ended with this beautiful eyes catching greenery.

There is a restaurant protruding from the edge of the hill overseeing the tea plantation, my heart dances because my soul breathe the fresh air which is full of life. 

Blue Glutinous Rice Cakes (Pulut Tai Tai)

This morning schedule was...busy, busy, busy! I went to my son future pre-school for parents' orientation and rushed to shop for groceries with a whining baby behind my car. Then I remember I had soaked the glutinous rice overnight and ... eventually made this rice cakes which calm my nerves.

I missed this asian dessert or snack very much. It was one of my comfort food when I was young. Still remember me and my siblings always standing at the doorway waiting for the Indian man who sell all sort of nyonya kuih in his little push-trolley to pass by my house. This Blue Glutinous Rice Cakes was one of my flavourite. I saw My Kitchen Snippets making this rice cakes and I told myself I want to eat the rice cakes too ^_^

I tried very hard to find the blue pea flowers, even when I went holiday in Cameron Highlands but no one really know this flower. I ended up using the sky blue colouring paste. I must say I like this sky blue.

Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Snippets

600g glutinous rice, wash and soak overnight

350ml coconut milk (I used 200ml)

150ml warm water

4 pandan leaves (I used more)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar (I used 1 tbsp)

12-15 blue pea flowers, soak in warm water, crush it to extract the blue colouring

Steps:

1. Wash rice and divide it into two equal portion. Soak one part in water and another part in the blue pea flowers juice. Leave them overnight. Soak the rice overnight will help in steaming process.

2. Drain both the rice, put them side by side on steaming tray. Warm the coconut milk, sugar and salt in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and mix well.

3. Drizzle in about half of the coconut milk into the rice. Arrange the pandan leaves on top of the rice and steam the rice over rapid boiling water for 10 mins.

4. Remove the steaming tray, put the pandan leaves aside, fluff up and mix both rice together and drizzle the balance of the coconut milk, put pandan leaves back on top of the rice again and continue to steam for another 15 mins or until the rice is done.

5. Remove the steaming tray, discard pandan leaves, even out the rice with a spoon and using a banana leaf or aluminum foil press down the rice until well compact.

6. If possible put something heavy to weigh down the rice. Leave it cool.

7. Slice the rice cakes and serve it with coconut jam.

Steam the rice for about 25 mins. with pandan leaves on top.

Press down the rice with banana leaf.

Pulut Tai Tai which full of pandan and coconut flavour.

Want to try some?

Almond Crisps

I'm counting down...not just because of this festive season, is more that I'm meeting up with my family members soon, the one I love and the one always love me as me. We are planning for a big outing to celebrate my mother birthday and also a farewell to close family members who are migrating to Australia. Anticipate this first outing that we'll be going as a family, hopefully there are more to come. I was thinking what to bring as a gift. We will be going North and stop over at Kuala Lumpur for a day or two, something light and portables is more suitable. I remember I've promised the girls to bake them cookies and my mother like almond; this round I'll bake a hearty almond crisps as christmas gift, hopefully it will please everybody. 

I toasted the flaked almond in oven for 10 mins. before I sprinkle it on the cookies. The cookies is crispy. My son asked for one more, one more and many more. 

Recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly: Cupcakes & Cookies

Ingredients:

125g butter, chopped

55g caster sugar

150g self-raising flour

30g almond meal (ground almond)

2 tbsp flaked almonds

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 200C.

2. Beat butter and sugar in mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in flour and almond meal.

3. Roll mixture into small balls, place on tray with 5cm apart. Flatten slightly with floured fork; sprinkle with flaked almonds.

4. Bake crisps about 10 mins. Stand on tray 5 mins before transfer to wire racks to cool. 

Pack a box of hearty homemade bite-sized almond crisps and bring over for friends or family members in this festive season will warm the cockles of their heart. 

I'm sending this post to Aspiring Bakers#2: Christmas!  (Dec 2010) hosted by Passionate About Baking. Wishing you a Blessed Christmas!

Steamed Creamy Custard Bun 奶黄包 (Nai Huang Bao)

My son loves to eat Nai Huang Bao but he only eat it if the custard is creamy, sometimes is hard to find a really creamy custard bun for him. I did my research on the internet and found some videos on how to make the creamy custard bun 奶黄馅制作过程1-4 (videos by irenechanwai), it really helps!

Please click here to see my May 2013 creation on Steamed Creamy Custard Bun.

Wholemeal Chocolate Pizza

When I saw 靓师奶's  pizza, I was drooling and thought I should try baking one myself... I went and bought a pizza tray then I saw Min's pizza ... hey it was too delicious to resist. I spring into action today... together with my son who refused to take his afternoon nap.   

Cranberry Meringue Roulade

This year christmas will be very special for me and my family because we are planning for a family outing, a big outing to celebrate my mum birthday and to say good bye to close family members who will be migrate to Australia.