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These chicken siew bao were made when I was in Penang. The pastry is better than my previous siew bao  but there is room to improve on the sealing part as the BBQ chicken source still leak out. I really love the taste of this yummy pastry :)

This is one of the busiest hawker centre at Lip Sim Garden in Penang. We were there on the morning of Deepavali (Indian's New Year) 

Banana Chocolate Cake from Secret Recipes.  

Is Grandpa's birthday!

Gabriel insisted to cut the cake and not to share the cutting session with Clement. Eventually it was Grandma holding Gabriel hand to cut the cake.



Gabriel had a great time staying in Penang because Clement is big enough to play with him. On the morning when we were going to leave Penang, Clement said he wanted to go Singapore with us. Gabriel who sat behind the car seat said "Of course, you can come Clement! No need to wear shoes, come!" When grandma took Clement away, Gabriel was very sad, he asked "why Clement can not come with us?" I told him, Clement has to get permission from his mommy.

Staying at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, having opportunity to see Kolam the decorative artwork drawn on the floor using coloured ground rice powder. It represents Hindu deities and auspicious signs that are intricately displayed in front of a home or a prayer room.

This is one of the shop which sell various types of coffee powder in Melacca. It is located at 鸡场街, this shop is full of coffee aroma. There is an atrium to allow sunlight coming down in the middle part of the shop, with a cup of coffee in hand to enjoy the quiet time this is beautiful.

I found another special thing in Melacca which I will share with you in my coming post. Bye and keep tune!

Kuih Talam (Steamed Coconut Pudding)

Today clearing my pandan juice (screwpine leaves) from the fridge :)

Kuih Talam is one of my favourite kuih, I ate half of the tray once it is ready for cutting :) The salty coconut topping blends so well with the sweet pandan bottom layer. The taste is so close to the Kuih Talam I ate when I was young. The memory of waiting at the doorway with my sisters for the Indian man who sell all sort of nyonya kuihs in his little push trolley to pass by my house, come back to me.  

I placed the grease banana leaves in the tray to make the kuih more flavourful. 

Recipe adapted from Aromas of Kuihs by Amy Wong

I changed a bit on the quantities because I used the 6 inch tray instead of the 7 inch tray as stated in the recipe.

Ingredients A (soaked for 15 mins)

50g green bean starch

150ml water

Ingredients B

180g sugar (used 120g)

70g rice flour

15g tapioca flour

Ingredients C (blended and filtered for 400ml 300ml)

100g pandan leaf

380ml water (used 250ml)

Ingredients D

1/8 tsp alkaline water (omitted)

2 drops green colouring (omitted)

Ingredients E (Top)

250ml coconut milk (used 200ml pack)

200ml water (used 150ml)

45g rice flour

35g tapioca flour

3/4 tsp salt

Steps:

1. Mix ingredients A, B, C and D. Filter and cook till slightly thickened. Pour the mixture into mould and steam for 30 mins.

2. Mix ingredients E. Filter and cook till slightly thickened. Pour the mixture onto step 1 and steam for another 20 mins. (medium heat) set aside to cool before cutting into pieces. You may place it in the fridge before cut for serving.

I'm submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker. Also sharing this in the Muhibbah Malaysia Monday Event hosted by 3 hungry tummies.

Note: This should be the last kuih from me for this month, I'll be away for a week and happy baking to all!

Steamed Purple Sweet Potato Chocolate Bun/ Bao

Rainny day.

Today is the third day walking Gabriel to school, he was rubbing his eyes, still tired after a short nap. He looked happy, smiling and joking with me while I held his little hand.  This new school is so close to home, a 5 mins walking distance, and I really appreciate God give me this opportunity to walk my son to school, this experience is invaluable. So much joy to see him willing to wear his new uniform and anticipate to see his teachers and friends.

It was raining heavily when I went to fetch him, I cuddled him close to me and he held the umbrella which was so big if compared to his size. The 5 mins walk was so long as my sandle was so slippery and Gabriel was a bit heavy for me. He held the umbrella up right until we reached our condo gate, when I finally placed him on the floor, he asked me "Mama, are you tire?" His caring warm my heart. Sharing an umbrella, snuggle together to prevent getting wet, all these experiences I will treasure in my heart for a long long time.

This afternoon, I made these purple sweet potato chocolate buns using the leftover from my previous baking, need to clear the fridge as I'm counting down for my holiday :) Gabriel loves chocolate, he will be happy to see this bun waiting for him when he is home.

Pulut Inti (Glutinous Rice with Coconut Topping) and tonight dinner

Lot of half used ingredients laying in the fridge, what should I do with them? Need to clear as soon as possible! Glutinous rice in two boxes already there for ... 2~3 days, grated coconut, pulut panggang lemongrass filling, mashed purple sweet potato, countless ingredients... I've spend so much time preparing them, no way for me to just trash them in the bin! So tonight, a very fast meal appears on the table... Pulut Inti and Baked Lemongrass Chicken.

I've made 9 small balls of Pulut Inti to go with my baked lemongrass chicken. For the recipe to make the rice please refer here. For the recipe to make the lemongrass paste please refer here (Pulut Panggang filling)

Recipe for the coconut topping

100g palm sugar/gula melaka

75ml water

2 knotted screwpine leaves/pandan

150g grated skinned coconut

1/2 tsp  salt (option)

Steps:

1. Combine palm sugar, water and screwpine leaves in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.

2. Remove from heat and strain mixture into a clean saucepan.

3. Stir in grated coconut and salt. Place mixture over the heat again and continue cooking, stirring well, until mixture is thick and glossy about 10 mins.

4. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

5. To assemble Pulut Inti, spoon 1 tbsp rice, mixing plain and blue, top with 1 tsp coconut filling.

 

Spread the lemongrass paste on the chicken, bake at 210C for 45 mins with aluminium foil covered above the baking tray.

Cinnamon Walnut Purple Sweet Potato Bread

Today is a happy day because my new domestic helper coming in. Well I'm turning from a slave to a Queen again, just wonder how long this can be.  

This round adding purple sweet potato in the bread to make my favourite cinnamon walnut bread/roll. My previous cinnamon walnut bread was using gelatinized dough method. I'm using straight dough method for this creation, the bread texture turned out soft and fluffy because of the purple sweet potato added.

My kitchen was filled with cinnamon's fragrance, the bread tastes so sweet with the combination of brown sugar and walnut. While I sit back and enjoy my labour, this bread complete a beautiful afternoon tea. 

Kuih Kosui (Pandan Flavoured Steamed Rice Pudding)

Kuih Kosui is a saucer shaped rice pudding which full of pandan (screwpine leaves) flavour. A good Kuih Kosui will carry strong pandan aroma, the texture should be springy and soft. Usually it is eaten with freshly grated coconut.

This week was a busy week, tag along Gabriel shopping for pre-schools. We even went through a trial session, finally, enrol him into a pre-school which needs him to attend the afternoon session as the morning session is full, hopefully he can adjust well with this new arrangement until next year he got a place in the morning session.

He is happy and I'm happy too, both of us decided to go marketing, yes, marketing in Jurong West wet market :) I saw the freshly grated coconut and it reminded me of 鲸鱼 beautiful creation and the Kuih Kosui recently becomes hot bakes for some bloggers. I told myself may be it is easy to make, but... I was wrong, I loss my first tray of Kuih Kosui just because dislodge them too early. Luckily, the second tray save the day :) My son, first time eating Kuih Kosui, he gave the thumb up to this kuih!

Lovely natural green from pandan/screwpine leaves

Recipe adapted from NyonyaFood with minor changes.

Ingredients for syrup:

16 oz/500ml water (used 400ml)
10 oz/310g sugar (used 100g)

Ingredients for pandan juice:
12-15 pandan leaves (used 10 pandan leaves)
21 oz water (used 300ml)
1 tbsp alkaline water (lye water) (omitted)

Ingredients for batter:
6 oz/180g rice flour (used 100g)
2 oz/60g tapioca flour (used 30g)
150ml thick coconut milk

Ingredients for decoration:
some freshly grated coconut (breifly steam together with salt)
1 tsp salt
Steps:
1.To make the syrup, melt the sugar in water over low fire until sugar dissolves . Set aside to cool.
2.Cut pandan leaves into small peices. Combine pandan leaves and water in an electric blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes. Strain the pandan juice through a fine sieve. Add alkaline water into pandan juice. Set aside.
3.In another bowl, add rice flour, tapioca flour and coconut milk. Slowly pour in the pandan juice mixture while stirring it consistently till well blended. Add in syrup.
4.Cook flour mixture on low fire till slightly thickened. Remove from fire and pour into pre-heated little teacups/moulds. Steam on high fire for 15 minutes. Take the kuih out from steamer immediately.
5.Leave to cool for at least 6 hrs (I only waited for 2 hrs, should wait longer to get a better shape of the kuih) before removing the kuih from the little teacups.
6.Serve with fresh grated coconut.

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

Pulut Panggang (Grilled Glutinous Rice)

Pulut Panggang is one of my favourite kueh. It is different from the usual nyonya kuehs texture because of its filling, the fragrance and favourful filling makes me want to eat more of it.

When I eat kuehs, I always remember the days I was living in Penang, the day living with parent and grandparent. If the kuehs carry so much memories in our life, we should pass on the fragrant of it to our next generation, let them remember and one day they will recall the life they had together with us.

I bought the banana leave from the day SSB anounced the theme for the month, wanting to make Pulut Panggang, the need of blending the spicies and stir-fry the filling, then steaming the glutinous rice make the recipe looks time consuming. I wait, and wait until the banana leave wither, I told myself, let do it. This morning, taking pockets of time, in and out of kitchen as Gabriel is with me at home. Juggling his needs for me and the food in the kitchen, finally, all over and I tell you making Pulut Panggang is easier then I thought. 

Recipe adapted from Hot Favourites Kuehs & Pastries (No more failed recipes)

Ingredients A

300g glutinous rice

50ml thick coconut milk

1 tsp salt

2 pieces pandan leaves

16 pieces banana leaves (12x15cm)

Ingredients B

150g dried shrimps, chopped

200g grated coconut

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp coriander seed powder

2 tsps pepper

150ml water

Ingredients C

1 piece lemongrass

20g turmeric

3 pieces candlenut (omitted)

2 cloves garlic

5 cloves shallots

Steps:

1. Rinse glutinous rice. Soak in water for 1 hour and drain well. Steam glutinous rice for 20 mins. (I soaked overnight)

2. Mix coconut milk and salt together. Slowly pour coconut milk onto glutinous rice. Add pandan leaves and steam still cooked. The glutinous rice should be soft. Set aside.

3. Blend ingredients C into paste.

4. Fry grated coconut in a dry wok till fragrant. Set aside. Heat 3 tbsps of oil, and fry ingredients C paste till fragrant.

5. Add pepper and coriander seed powder, mix well. Add chopped dried shrimps, grated coconut, salt and sugar and 150ml of water, fry till almost dry. (Remember to taste before adding salt, as some dried shrimps is much salty then the others) Divide filling into 16 equal portions.

6. Rinse banana leaves and heat over dry pan till soft (Rinse with hot water it will soften as well)

7. Spread 1 tbsp (or more) of cooked glutinous rice over the banana leaf, follow by filling, then press tight and roll it up to form a cylinder. Use toothpicks to secure the ends.

8. Grease a flat based pan. Place wrapped glutinous rice on the pan, and grill over low heat till fragrant.

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

Pulut Tai Tai 2 (Blue Glutinous Rice Cakes)

This is not my first time making this rice cakes or kueh (Malay language), my first one was more than 9 months ago, using same recipe from My Kitchen Snippet, this time just play around with a little change of colour in the rice cakes. As WT is away, I made smaller portion this time, just 1/3 of the ingredients from the original recipe. Anyway, I finished the Pulut Tai Tai in one breakfast, haha... who can resist the coconut milk, a taste from home.

For the recipe and steps please refer to here.

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