Café of the East
August 29, 2005
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
I was planning to make Kaya on Sunday in order to write up a post for it, but the weather was so sunny and balmy – spring has decided to come early, I guess – and I didn’t fancy standing in front of the stove stirring the Kaya (apart from a promise for posting a Kaya recipe, also still owe a couple of people an improved version of my Savoury Sweet Patties recipe, will probably go to that in a couple of weeks since Mid-Autumn is around the corner...). So I made a quick Carrot Cake instead. I have not made Carrot Cake for ages, and it was one of the first cakes I learnt to make.
Historically, carrots were used to add sweetness and moisture in cakes and puddings a couple of hundred years ago. Here’s an excellent article on the history of Carrot Cake for your reading pleasure.
The recipe I used to make Carrot Cake from was originally copied from a Malaysian newspaper clipping. In the mood to experiment again – he-he, so what’s new – I compared a few other recipes from some of my cookbooks and made a few changes to what I used to do!
The result was surprisingly good by having a nutty, mealy texture because I used almond meal as one of the ingredients instead of the usual chopped walnuts. That said, however, I do miss the crunch of the chopped walnuts in the cake. So why didn’t I use walnuts? Well, this stupid dragon went shopping without checking the pantry, quite confident that there was a packet of walnuts at home. Surprise, surprise, I did have a packet at home but it had already gone to heaven, its use-by date long expired! Remembering that almond meal is used in some recipes for Carrot Cake, I rummaged through my fridge for almond meal, thankfully it was still a long time from expiring, so I used it in place of the walnuts. I also decided to separate the egg yolks and whites and beat them separately instead of my usual method of beating them whole. The result, cake came out fluffier and I liked it this way. Verdict, will definitely make it again!
A Slice of Carrot Cake
Makes one 20cm cake.
[Ingredients]
Carrot Cake:
200g (approx.) grated carrot, from about 2 medium carrots
150g drained, canned crushed pineapple in natural juice (see Tip)
2 eggs, separated
200ml canola or corn oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
210g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
100g almond meal
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, adjust as desired
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Almond Meal
Vanilla Extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
125g cream cheese, softened
30g butter, softened
150g icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon essence or 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
Carrot Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Drain crushed pineapple, lightly squeeze to remove excess juice then measure out 150g. Grate carrot and set aside. Grease sides and bottom of a 20cm cake tin and line base with baking paper.
Drained Crushed Pineapple
Grated Carrot
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in almond meal, set aside.
3. Combine egg yolks, 2/3 of the sugar, vanilla and oil in a mixing bowl, beat briefly to mix. Mix in the carrot and pineapple.
4. Beat egg whites until soft peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar, spoonful by spoonful, until stiff, glossy meringue.
Carrot Cake batter
5. Fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture. Then fold in 1/3 of the meringue first, the batter will be a bit stiff, so fold in carefully. Finally fold in the remaining meringue.
Carrot Cake just out of the Oven
6. Pour into prepared tin. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes, test with a skewer. Remove from oven, stand 10 minutes before turning out to a rack to cool.
Carrot Cake on Cooling Rack
7. When the cake in cold, top with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat all the ingredients together.
[Tip]
1. If you don’t want to use almond meal, substitute with ground walnut, or chopped walnuts if you prefer a bit of crunch in the cake.
2. Preferably use the canned crushed pineapple in natural juice, not the one that comes in syrup, or else need to adjust your sugar quantity.
Crushed Pineapple in Natural Juice
[Note]
1. Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
2. The size of egg used is about 60g (includes shell) unless otherwise stated.
Historically, carrots were used to add sweetness and moisture in cakes and puddings a couple of hundred years ago. Here’s an excellent article on the history of Carrot Cake for your reading pleasure.
The recipe I used to make Carrot Cake from was originally copied from a Malaysian newspaper clipping. In the mood to experiment again – he-he, so what’s new – I compared a few other recipes from some of my cookbooks and made a few changes to what I used to do!
The result was surprisingly good by having a nutty, mealy texture because I used almond meal as one of the ingredients instead of the usual chopped walnuts. That said, however, I do miss the crunch of the chopped walnuts in the cake. So why didn’t I use walnuts? Well, this stupid dragon went shopping without checking the pantry, quite confident that there was a packet of walnuts at home. Surprise, surprise, I did have a packet at home but it had already gone to heaven, its use-by date long expired! Remembering that almond meal is used in some recipes for Carrot Cake, I rummaged through my fridge for almond meal, thankfully it was still a long time from expiring, so I used it in place of the walnuts. I also decided to separate the egg yolks and whites and beat them separately instead of my usual method of beating them whole. The result, cake came out fluffier and I liked it this way. Verdict, will definitely make it again!
A Slice of Carrot Cake
Makes one 20cm cake.
[Ingredients]
Carrot Cake:
200g (approx.) grated carrot, from about 2 medium carrots
150g drained, canned crushed pineapple in natural juice (see Tip)
2 eggs, separated
200ml canola or corn oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
210g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
100g almond meal
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, adjust as desired
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Almond Meal
Vanilla Extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
125g cream cheese, softened
30g butter, softened
150g icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon essence or 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
Carrot Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Drain crushed pineapple, lightly squeeze to remove excess juice then measure out 150g. Grate carrot and set aside. Grease sides and bottom of a 20cm cake tin and line base with baking paper.
Drained Crushed Pineapple
Grated Carrot
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in almond meal, set aside.
3. Combine egg yolks, 2/3 of the sugar, vanilla and oil in a mixing bowl, beat briefly to mix. Mix in the carrot and pineapple.
4. Beat egg whites until soft peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar, spoonful by spoonful, until stiff, glossy meringue.
Carrot Cake batter
5. Fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture. Then fold in 1/3 of the meringue first, the batter will be a bit stiff, so fold in carefully. Finally fold in the remaining meringue.
Carrot Cake just out of the Oven
6. Pour into prepared tin. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes, test with a skewer. Remove from oven, stand 10 minutes before turning out to a rack to cool.
Carrot Cake on Cooling Rack
7. When the cake in cold, top with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat all the ingredients together.
[Tip]
1. If you don’t want to use almond meal, substitute with ground walnut, or chopped walnuts if you prefer a bit of crunch in the cake.
2. Preferably use the canned crushed pineapple in natural juice, not the one that comes in syrup, or else need to adjust your sugar quantity.
Crushed Pineapple in Natural Juice
[Note]
1. Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
2. The size of egg used is about 60g (includes shell) unless otherwise stated.
Labels: Cakes and Cupcakes, Coffee Desserts
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posted by SeaDragon @ 29.8.05 8 comments
August 27, 2005
Guess What I Am?
Solo Garlic
This is the first time I've seen this ingredient, can you guess what it is?
They are actually garlics that have been bred to produce only one clove per head! The name is Solo Garlic... Here's a picture comparison of Solo Garlic with normal Garlic.
Solo Garlic (left) & normal Garlic (right)
Free Recipe Booklets
On a side note, I collected two free recipe booklets, the two bottom ones in the photo, from the supermarket as well, one 'Flavours of Asia' (17 recipes) from Oriental Merchant and the other, 'Recipes from Lee Kum Kee' (14 recipes) of course from Lee Kum Kee. The Lee Kum Kee one is actually the second free booklet I got from them, the first one I got is in the top right-hand corner in the photo. The Salmon booklet was delivered free to my letterbox, if I remembered correctly, and the Sunbeam one by sending in coupon from their product... Hmmm, :) I love free things...
They are actually garlics that have been bred to produce only one clove per head! The name is Solo Garlic... Here's a picture comparison of Solo Garlic with normal Garlic.
Solo Garlic (left) & normal Garlic (right)
Free Recipe Booklets
On a side note, I collected two free recipe booklets, the two bottom ones in the photo, from the supermarket as well, one 'Flavours of Asia' (17 recipes) from Oriental Merchant and the other, 'Recipes from Lee Kum Kee' (14 recipes) of course from Lee Kum Kee. The Lee Kum Kee one is actually the second free booklet I got from them, the first one I got is in the top right-hand corner in the photo. The Salmon booklet was delivered free to my letterbox, if I remembered correctly, and the Sunbeam one by sending in coupon from their product... Hmmm, :) I love free things...
Continue Reading......
posted by SeaDragon @ 27.8.05 12 comments
August 21, 2005
Yum-Yums
Chocolate and Milo Yum-Yums
After making Yo-Yos, what else can I make but Yum-Yums... Do you see a disturbing pattern forming, first I made Yo-Yos, then Onde-Onde, now Yum-Yums... Oooh, am I regressing into childhood again... He-he... But don’t you just love snack names like these? Yum-Yums, or Yum-Yum Balls are sometimes also called ‘Rum Balls’, but that’s a misnomer since no rum is used. So Yum-Yums are actually rum-less version of Rum Balls, or what I would call Poor-Man’s Chocolate Truffles.
Cadbury Bournville Cocoa
I first saw a recipe for Yum-Yums on the back of a package of cocoa powder, specifically, Cadbury Bournville Cocoa.
Cadbury Bournville Cocoa - Yum Yum Balls recipe
They are very easy but messy to make – no cooking required – and of course yummy, need I say more? The basic ingredients used are just Marie biscuits, cocoa powder, sweetened condensed milk and grated coconut (but I have omitted the coconut from the version I made), how simple is that!
I decided to make two versions of these Yum-Yums, one using cocoa powder to make the standard Chocolate Yum-Yums, and the other using milo as an experiment. I have often wondered why there’s such a very limited number of recipes that uses milo as an ingredient. Hands up if you are one of those people who scoop milo from the tin and eat it straight – I have to admit sometimes I’m one of those people! And as far as comforting drinks go, how about a big glass of hot milk with milo? Of course it has to be full-cream milk with that, no diluted stuff for me please! Then there is the icy cold milk with a couple of big scoops of milo that absolutely refuse to dissolve for hot summer night, hmmmm, yummo! OK, I’m drooling for a cuppa right now... That’s it, I’m abandoning the writing of this post for now and make myself a glass of that...
Milo
Sweetened Condensed Milk
So why aren’t there many recipes that use milo? Well, here comes my Milo Yum-Yums, ready or not... Milo and sweetened condensed milk, don’t you think that’s a winning combination... For these milo ones, I have done some with sprinkle coating and some with milo coating. I think children would probably prefer the colourful sprinkle ones, but if you love milo, do the milo coating, they are to die for – yummy, really does its name justice!
One other thing, the Arnott’s Marie biscuits made in Australia come in 250g-packet, so you need just 1 packet to make these yum-yums with a standard tin of sweetened condensed milk. However, for this batch, I have bought the Ping Pong brand Marie biscuits made in Malaysia, which come in 400g-packet – so need to measure out 250g for this recipe.
Marie biscuits (Ping Pong brand)
Talking about using milo to replace cocoa powder to make Yum-Yums, I know recently the coffee flavoured sweetened condensed milk is now also widely available, and I know there’s Coffee flavoured Marie biscuits, so why not use them to make Coffee Yum-Yums as well if you prefer coffee flavour!
Chocolate and Milo Yum-Yums
Adapted from the recipe ‘Yum Yum Balls’ taken from the back of the ‘Cadbury (Australia) Bournville Cocoa’ packaging.
Makes approx. 30 yum-yums.
[Ingredients]
250g Marie biscuits, crushed
395g sweetened condensed milk, or adjust as necessary
2 - 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 - 3 tablespoons milo
extra cocoa powder for coating
extra milo for coating
Other Coatings (as you desired):
desiccated coconut, icing sugar, 100’s & 1000’s, chocolate sprinkles or coloured sprinkles (cake toppings)
Variety of Sprinkles for Yum-Yum Coating
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
1. Crush Marie biscuits in a food processor into biscuit crumbs (or you can pound the biscuits in a plastic bag).
Marie biscuit crumbs
2. Divide into 2 equal portions. Add cocoa powder to one portion and milo to the other portion, mix well.
3. Add about 200g sweetened condensed milk to each portion of the biscuit crumbs to form a slightly sticky dough. You may need to adjust amount of sweetened condensed milk needed.
Yum-Yum Dough
Yum-Yum Balls before Coating
4. Divide each portion of the dough equally into 15 balls, you should get 30 balls. Roll each ball in extra cocoa powder or milo respectively to coat, or roll in other coatings of your choice. If you find it hard to get coating to stick, dip the ball in a little extra sweetened condensed milk (or melted unsalted butter) to moisten the surface of the ball, then roll in coating ingredient.
Chocolate and Milo Yum-Yums
5. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving. Keep in airtight container in the refrigerator.
[Note]
Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
Cadbury Bournville Cocoa
I first saw a recipe for Yum-Yums on the back of a package of cocoa powder, specifically, Cadbury Bournville Cocoa.
Cadbury Bournville Cocoa - Yum Yum Balls recipe
They are very easy but messy to make – no cooking required – and of course yummy, need I say more? The basic ingredients used are just Marie biscuits, cocoa powder, sweetened condensed milk and grated coconut (but I have omitted the coconut from the version I made), how simple is that!
I decided to make two versions of these Yum-Yums, one using cocoa powder to make the standard Chocolate Yum-Yums, and the other using milo as an experiment. I have often wondered why there’s such a very limited number of recipes that uses milo as an ingredient. Hands up if you are one of those people who scoop milo from the tin and eat it straight – I have to admit sometimes I’m one of those people! And as far as comforting drinks go, how about a big glass of hot milk with milo? Of course it has to be full-cream milk with that, no diluted stuff for me please! Then there is the icy cold milk with a couple of big scoops of milo that absolutely refuse to dissolve for hot summer night, hmmmm, yummo! OK, I’m drooling for a cuppa right now... That’s it, I’m abandoning the writing of this post for now and make myself a glass of that...
Milo
Sweetened Condensed Milk
So why aren’t there many recipes that use milo? Well, here comes my Milo Yum-Yums, ready or not... Milo and sweetened condensed milk, don’t you think that’s a winning combination... For these milo ones, I have done some with sprinkle coating and some with milo coating. I think children would probably prefer the colourful sprinkle ones, but if you love milo, do the milo coating, they are to die for – yummy, really does its name justice!
One other thing, the Arnott’s Marie biscuits made in Australia come in 250g-packet, so you need just 1 packet to make these yum-yums with a standard tin of sweetened condensed milk. However, for this batch, I have bought the Ping Pong brand Marie biscuits made in Malaysia, which come in 400g-packet – so need to measure out 250g for this recipe.
Marie biscuits (Ping Pong brand)
Talking about using milo to replace cocoa powder to make Yum-Yums, I know recently the coffee flavoured sweetened condensed milk is now also widely available, and I know there’s Coffee flavoured Marie biscuits, so why not use them to make Coffee Yum-Yums as well if you prefer coffee flavour!
Chocolate and Milo Yum-Yums
Adapted from the recipe ‘Yum Yum Balls’ taken from the back of the ‘Cadbury (Australia) Bournville Cocoa’ packaging.
Makes approx. 30 yum-yums.
[Ingredients]
250g Marie biscuits, crushed
395g sweetened condensed milk, or adjust as necessary
2 - 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 - 3 tablespoons milo
extra cocoa powder for coating
extra milo for coating
Other Coatings (as you desired):
desiccated coconut, icing sugar, 100’s & 1000’s, chocolate sprinkles or coloured sprinkles (cake toppings)
Variety of Sprinkles for Yum-Yum Coating
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
1. Crush Marie biscuits in a food processor into biscuit crumbs (or you can pound the biscuits in a plastic bag).
Marie biscuit crumbs
2. Divide into 2 equal portions. Add cocoa powder to one portion and milo to the other portion, mix well.
3. Add about 200g sweetened condensed milk to each portion of the biscuit crumbs to form a slightly sticky dough. You may need to adjust amount of sweetened condensed milk needed.
Yum-Yum Dough
Yum-Yum Balls before Coating
4. Divide each portion of the dough equally into 15 balls, you should get 30 balls. Roll each ball in extra cocoa powder or milo respectively to coat, or roll in other coatings of your choice. If you find it hard to get coating to stick, dip the ball in a little extra sweetened condensed milk (or melted unsalted butter) to moisten the surface of the ball, then roll in coating ingredient.
Chocolate and Milo Yum-Yums
5. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving. Keep in airtight container in the refrigerator.
[Note]
Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
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posted by SeaDragon @ 21.8.05 12 comments
August 20, 2005
Sweetpotato Scones
Sweetpotato Scone served with Apricot Jam and Mock Clotted Cream
Every once in a while, I love to eat scones. There’s nothing better than scones that’s just come straight out of the oven. So, after using part of a large sweetpotato for making Onde-Onde, I now got the leftover bit sitting in my refrigerator. Thinking about how to use it up, I decided to make sweetpotato scones. I thought, since pumpkin has been used to make pumpkin scones, why not sweetpotato for sweetpotato scones? Well, here it is...
Sweetpotato Scones
Makes approx. 5 - 6 scones using 7cm round cutter.
[Ingredients]
125g peeled sweetpotato
2 cups (300g) plain flour
1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder
1 tablespoon (20g) caster sugar
50g cold butter, cubed
pinch salt (only if using unsalted butter)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk, adjust as necessary
jam for serving
Mock Clotted Cream:
1 cup thickened cream, whipped
1 heaped tablespoon sour cream
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
1. Steam the sweetpotato until soft, mash and let cool. You should get about 1/2 cup of mashed sweetpotato. Preheat oven to 220°C.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt if using into a mixing bowl. Rub in cubed butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in lightly beaten egg and mashed sweetpotato. If necessary, add just enough milk to form a soft dough. Try to knead the dough as little as you can, it is better to just use your palms to pat the dough together.
3. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 2.5cm thick. Use a 7cm cutter (or any other size cutter you preferred) to cut out rounds of dough. Re-roll any scrapes of dough to use up all the mixture.
Sweetpotato Scones before Baking
4. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, depending on size of scones. Serve hot or warm with jam and Mock Clotted Cream.
Mock Clotted Cream:
Blend sour cream into whipped cream to serve with scones.
[Note]
1. Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
2. The size of egg used is about 60g (includes shell) unless otherwise stated.
Sweetpotato Scones
Makes approx. 5 - 6 scones using 7cm round cutter.
[Ingredients]
125g peeled sweetpotato
2 cups (300g) plain flour
1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder
1 tablespoon (20g) caster sugar
50g cold butter, cubed
pinch salt (only if using unsalted butter)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk, adjust as necessary
jam for serving
Mock Clotted Cream:
1 cup thickened cream, whipped
1 heaped tablespoon sour cream
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
1. Steam the sweetpotato until soft, mash and let cool. You should get about 1/2 cup of mashed sweetpotato. Preheat oven to 220°C.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt if using into a mixing bowl. Rub in cubed butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in lightly beaten egg and mashed sweetpotato. If necessary, add just enough milk to form a soft dough. Try to knead the dough as little as you can, it is better to just use your palms to pat the dough together.
3. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 2.5cm thick. Use a 7cm cutter (or any other size cutter you preferred) to cut out rounds of dough. Re-roll any scrapes of dough to use up all the mixture.
Sweetpotato Scones before Baking
4. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, depending on size of scones. Serve hot or warm with jam and Mock Clotted Cream.
Mock Clotted Cream:
Blend sour cream into whipped cream to serve with scones.
[Note]
1. Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
2. The size of egg used is about 60g (includes shell) unless otherwise stated.
Labels: Quick Breads
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posted by SeaDragon @ 20.8.05 0 comments
August 16, 2005
Onde-Onde
Onde-Onde
Onde-Onde are glutinous rice balls filled with melted palm sugar, a snack that is very popular across Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
Traditionally they are pandan flavoured rice balls made from glutinous rice flour, filled with dark palm sugar and rolled in fresh, finely grated coconut. However I prefer the other version using sweetpotato mixed with glutinous rice flour to make the rice balls, as this will help to keep the rice balls moist for a longer period. Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend keeping them for more than 24 hours though, as onde-onde are best served on the day they are made at room temperature. I have also changed to using desiccated coconut (these are unsweetened finely grated dry coconut) for coating instead of the freshly grated coconut since desiccated coconut are readily available. A note of warning though when you bite into these rice balls because the melted sugar filling inside might squirts or drizzles onto your cloth if not careful!
Close-Up of Melted Palm Sugar Filling
I like to make these palm sugar rice balls using the pandan and strawberry essence pastes to make them green and red, and these are especially festive during Christmas. For these batch however, I added a third flavour using the durian essence paste – a rainbow colour of onde-onde!
Onde-Onde
Incidentally, I usually do not use an exact recipe for making these onde-onde, since sweetpotatoes come in different sizes, and different moisture content. So what I do is to steam the sweetpotatoes, mash, then gradually add glutinous rice flour until a soft dough is obtained. Then just wrap with grated palm sugar, boil until cooked and finally coat with desiccated coconut. However in order to write this post up, I went and measured the quantities of the ingredients used so at least there is a definite measurement for future reference.
Onde-Onde
Makes approx. 21 rice balls.
[Ingredients]
250g peeled kumara (orange-flesh sweetpotato)
150g glutinous rice flour, or as required
pandan, strawberry and durian essence paste, or other essences of your choice
125g palm sugar (gula melaka), or adjust to taste
desiccated coconut, about 1 scant cup
Orange-Flesh Sweetpotato or Kumara
Glutinous Rice Flour
Different Flavours of Essence Pastes
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
1. Peel the kumara and weigh to get 250g of flesh. Cut into slices and put into a shallow bowl, steam for about 20 minutes until soft. Mash the soft kumara, together with all the liquid accumulated in the bowl, with the back of a fork.
2. Grate the palm sugar and divide into 21 little balls of about 1 teaspoon each.
Onde-Onde Filling – Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar)
2. While still warm, add the glutinous rice flour to the mashed kumara and knead into a soft, smooth dough. You may need to add a little bit more glutinous rice flour if it sticks to your hand, or if it is too dry, add a little water.
Onde-Onde Dough before adding essences
3. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of each essence paste respectively to the 3 dough portions, and knead the essence paste into the dough well. Divide each dough portion into 7 pieces. Before wrapping the filling, let the dough pieces cool down if it is still warm.
4. Wrap a sugar ball inside each dough piece and roll into a ball. If any sugar starts to leak out of the dough (it sometimes happens if the dough is still slightly warm when you start wrapping), just dip the crack in the dough into some extra glutinous rice flour and roll between your palms to seal up.
Onde-Onde Dough Balls before Cooking
5. Bring a pot of water to the boil and drop a few dough balls into the boiling water, do not crowd the pot. Stir carefully to prevent dough balls sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the balls float to the surface, about 5 minutes, then cook another minute or so to melt the sugar filling inside.
Freshly Cooked Onde-Onde rolling in Desiccated Coconut to Coat
6. Place the desiccated coconut in a large plate. Use a slotted spoon to fish out the cooked balls and drop immediately into the coconut, making sure they don’t touch each other. Roll each ball to coat completely with the desiccated coconut. Shake to remove extra coconut and place the onde-onde onto a serving platter.
Onde-Onde
[Tip]
It is recommended you use the dark palm sugar that comes in cylindrical tubes from Malaysia or Indonesia. The one from Thailand that comes in discs and pale in colour has been refined, so is not as authentic.
[Note]
Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
Traditionally they are pandan flavoured rice balls made from glutinous rice flour, filled with dark palm sugar and rolled in fresh, finely grated coconut. However I prefer the other version using sweetpotato mixed with glutinous rice flour to make the rice balls, as this will help to keep the rice balls moist for a longer period. Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend keeping them for more than 24 hours though, as onde-onde are best served on the day they are made at room temperature. I have also changed to using desiccated coconut (these are unsweetened finely grated dry coconut) for coating instead of the freshly grated coconut since desiccated coconut are readily available. A note of warning though when you bite into these rice balls because the melted sugar filling inside might squirts or drizzles onto your cloth if not careful!
Close-Up of Melted Palm Sugar Filling
I like to make these palm sugar rice balls using the pandan and strawberry essence pastes to make them green and red, and these are especially festive during Christmas. For these batch however, I added a third flavour using the durian essence paste – a rainbow colour of onde-onde!
Onde-Onde
Incidentally, I usually do not use an exact recipe for making these onde-onde, since sweetpotatoes come in different sizes, and different moisture content. So what I do is to steam the sweetpotatoes, mash, then gradually add glutinous rice flour until a soft dough is obtained. Then just wrap with grated palm sugar, boil until cooked and finally coat with desiccated coconut. However in order to write this post up, I went and measured the quantities of the ingredients used so at least there is a definite measurement for future reference.
Onde-Onde
Makes approx. 21 rice balls.
[Ingredients]
250g peeled kumara (orange-flesh sweetpotato)
150g glutinous rice flour, or as required
pandan, strawberry and durian essence paste, or other essences of your choice
125g palm sugar (gula melaka), or adjust to taste
desiccated coconut, about 1 scant cup
Orange-Flesh Sweetpotato or Kumara
Glutinous Rice Flour
Different Flavours of Essence Pastes
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
1. Peel the kumara and weigh to get 250g of flesh. Cut into slices and put into a shallow bowl, steam for about 20 minutes until soft. Mash the soft kumara, together with all the liquid accumulated in the bowl, with the back of a fork.
2. Grate the palm sugar and divide into 21 little balls of about 1 teaspoon each.
Onde-Onde Filling – Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar)
2. While still warm, add the glutinous rice flour to the mashed kumara and knead into a soft, smooth dough. You may need to add a little bit more glutinous rice flour if it sticks to your hand, or if it is too dry, add a little water.
Onde-Onde Dough before adding essences
3. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of each essence paste respectively to the 3 dough portions, and knead the essence paste into the dough well. Divide each dough portion into 7 pieces. Before wrapping the filling, let the dough pieces cool down if it is still warm.
4. Wrap a sugar ball inside each dough piece and roll into a ball. If any sugar starts to leak out of the dough (it sometimes happens if the dough is still slightly warm when you start wrapping), just dip the crack in the dough into some extra glutinous rice flour and roll between your palms to seal up.
Onde-Onde Dough Balls before Cooking
5. Bring a pot of water to the boil and drop a few dough balls into the boiling water, do not crowd the pot. Stir carefully to prevent dough balls sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the balls float to the surface, about 5 minutes, then cook another minute or so to melt the sugar filling inside.
Freshly Cooked Onde-Onde rolling in Desiccated Coconut to Coat
6. Place the desiccated coconut in a large plate. Use a slotted spoon to fish out the cooked balls and drop immediately into the coconut, making sure they don’t touch each other. Roll each ball to coat completely with the desiccated coconut. Shake to remove extra coconut and place the onde-onde onto a serving platter.
Onde-Onde
[Tip]
It is recommended you use the dark palm sugar that comes in cylindrical tubes from Malaysia or Indonesia. The one from Thailand that comes in discs and pale in colour has been refined, so is not as authentic.
[Note]
Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
Labels: Kuih-Muih, Teatime Treats
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posted by SeaDragon @ 16.8.05 15 comments
August 14, 2005
Cookbooks: Mini Cookbook Series from AWW & Family Circle
AWW & Family Circle Mini Cookbooks
I admit, I am addicted to buying these mini cookbooks. My latest acquisition is the ‘Simple Slices’ bought just last week. I can’t help it, every time I walk into a bookshop or a newsagent, I would browse through these mini cookbooks to see if any new titles have made it to the shelf.
The first one I bought would have been ‘Café Cakes’ almost four years ago, and the recipe inside for Orange Poppyseed Syrup Cake is now a perennial favourite of mine and I have made it so many times I have lost counts (and before you ask, sorry, cannot publish the recipe here as it is copyrighted, but I'm sure the cookbook is available worldwide). So far all the recipes I have tried from these cookbooks have not failed me yet. The 100% success rate could be because Australian Women’s Weekly (AWW) claimed to have triple-tested all their recipes and Family Circle double-tested theirs before being allowed to be published. By the way, AWW also has its own TV cooking show called Fresh with lots of recipes! Ooh, do I sound like I’m doing advertisement for them? Rest assured, I don't mean to, just a little bit crazy about these tiny itty bitty cookbooks... OK, stop rambling, get back to more baking! But, but, but I’m feeling rather lazy today...
The first one I bought would have been ‘Café Cakes’ almost four years ago, and the recipe inside for Orange Poppyseed Syrup Cake is now a perennial favourite of mine and I have made it so many times I have lost counts (and before you ask, sorry, cannot publish the recipe here as it is copyrighted, but I'm sure the cookbook is available worldwide). So far all the recipes I have tried from these cookbooks have not failed me yet. The 100% success rate could be because Australian Women’s Weekly (AWW) claimed to have triple-tested all their recipes and Family Circle double-tested theirs before being allowed to be published. By the way, AWW also has its own TV cooking show called Fresh with lots of recipes! Ooh, do I sound like I’m doing advertisement for them? Rest assured, I don't mean to, just a little bit crazy about these tiny itty bitty cookbooks... OK, stop rambling, get back to more baking! But, but, but I’m feeling rather lazy today...
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posted by SeaDragon @ 14.8.05 5 comments
August 08, 2005
Tiramisù
Tiramisù
On an impulse, I bought a tub of mascarpone cheese a couple of weeks ago because it was on sale. So over the weekend, had to use it to make Tiramisù since it was going to expire soon. This is a classic Tiramisù recipe I adapted from watching and copying the recipe demonstrated on a local TV show called ‘Regional Italian Cuisine’ on Channel 31.
Tiramisù, meaning ‘pick-me-up’, because it uses two ingredients which can perk you up – coffee and cocoa (or chocolate). The classic Tiramisù is a layered dessert using savoiardi sponge fingers soaked in bitter strong espresso coffee layering with mascarpone-zabaglione cream, and top with bitter cocoa powder. The first time I read into the history of Tiramisù, I was quite surprised to learn that Tiramisù was first created as recently as the late 1960s – early 1970s. It is believed to have been created in a restaurant in Treviso, located north-west of Venice on Italy’s northern Adriatic coast, called Le Beccherie (see Anna Maria Volpi’s History of Tiramisu). However another source, The Food Timeline, attributed the creation to the El Toula restaurant in Trevisio.
Traditionally, Tiramisù would use raw eggs to make the layering cream. Todays however with health concern regarding the use of raw eggs, a lot of recipes have changed to using zabaglione (a type of cooked egg yolk custard cream, known in France as sabayon) mixed with mascarpone and replacing beaten egg whites with whipped cream. Therefore use your imagination and adapt the recipe as you wish, you can even make it into a cake-type Tiramisù (I will post a Tiramisù Torte recipe if anyone is interested – which I tried out last Christmas).
Tiramisù
Adapted from the recipe ‘Tiramisù’ as demonstrated on ‘Regional Italian Cuisine’, Channel 31, Melbourne.
Makes 3 - 4 servings (for individual serves, use bowls of approx. 200 - 250ml capacity).
Savoiardi (Italian Sponge Fingers)
[Ingredients]
250g mascapone cheese
savoiardi sponge fingers, as required
crushed amaretti biscuits or chopped chocolate
125ml (1/2 cup) cold strong espresso coffee
1 - 2 tablespoon cocoa powder, for topping
Zabaglione:
2 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
1 tablespoon (20ml) marsala or coffee liqueur, eg. kahlua or tia maria
Meringue:
50g caster sugar
2 egg whites
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
Coffee:
Prepare 1/2 cup (about 125ml) strong espresso coffee. Let the coffee cool to room temperature.
Zabaglione:
Beat egg yolks in a bain-marie (place bowl over simmering water) until fluffy. Beat in 50g sugar and marsala or coffee liqueur. Whisk over simmering water, until the cream thickens, just below boiling point, and when small bubbles appear.
Meringue:
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks. Gradually add 50g sugar and whisk until stiff. As an experiment, I actually placed the bowl over barely simmering water when I started adding sugar and beat the egg whites until stiff, this way cooking the meringue as well – but have to watch very carefully to make sure the meringue did not get too hot and overcooked.
Marscarpone Cream:
With a rubber spatula, stir the mascarpone cheese in a bowl until creamy. When the zabaglione custard is still warm, add the zabaglione into the mascarpone cheese, and fold in to mix well, or until smooth. Fold in the Meringue until thoroughly combined.
Tiramisù before dusting with cocoa powder
To assemble Tiramisù:
Line bottom of a deep, approx. one-litre serving bowl (or use small bowls to serve individually) with savoiardi soaked very briefly in cold coffee. This bottom layer need to be a bit firmer so it will hold when being spooned out for serving, so dip the savoiardi in and immediately take out (don’t worry too much if making small individual servings, in this case may soak longer). Pour half the Mascarpone Cream onto the savoiardi. Sprinkle with roughly crushed amaretti biscuits or grated chocolate – this is optional. Line with another layer of savoiardi, which can be soaked in the coffee a bit longer (this layer may be omitted if making small individual servings). Cover with the remaining Masarpone Cream. Dust with a thin layer of cocoa powder. Chill in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 3 to 4 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle again all over with more cocoa powder.
Tiramisù in individual portion
[Tip]
The Meringue may be replaced by 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened or whipping cream, whipped.
[Note]
1. Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
2. The size of egg used is about 60g (includes shell) unless otherwise stated.
Tiramisù, meaning ‘pick-me-up’, because it uses two ingredients which can perk you up – coffee and cocoa (or chocolate). The classic Tiramisù is a layered dessert using savoiardi sponge fingers soaked in bitter strong espresso coffee layering with mascarpone-zabaglione cream, and top with bitter cocoa powder. The first time I read into the history of Tiramisù, I was quite surprised to learn that Tiramisù was first created as recently as the late 1960s – early 1970s. It is believed to have been created in a restaurant in Treviso, located north-west of Venice on Italy’s northern Adriatic coast, called Le Beccherie (see Anna Maria Volpi’s History of Tiramisu). However another source, The Food Timeline, attributed the creation to the El Toula restaurant in Trevisio.
Traditionally, Tiramisù would use raw eggs to make the layering cream. Todays however with health concern regarding the use of raw eggs, a lot of recipes have changed to using zabaglione (a type of cooked egg yolk custard cream, known in France as sabayon) mixed with mascarpone and replacing beaten egg whites with whipped cream. Therefore use your imagination and adapt the recipe as you wish, you can even make it into a cake-type Tiramisù (I will post a Tiramisù Torte recipe if anyone is interested – which I tried out last Christmas).
Tiramisù
Adapted from the recipe ‘Tiramisù’ as demonstrated on ‘Regional Italian Cuisine’, Channel 31, Melbourne.
Makes 3 - 4 servings (for individual serves, use bowls of approx. 200 - 250ml capacity).
Savoiardi (Italian Sponge Fingers)
[Ingredients]
250g mascapone cheese
savoiardi sponge fingers, as required
crushed amaretti biscuits or chopped chocolate
125ml (1/2 cup) cold strong espresso coffee
1 - 2 tablespoon cocoa powder, for topping
Zabaglione:
2 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
1 tablespoon (20ml) marsala or coffee liqueur, eg. kahlua or tia maria
Meringue:
50g caster sugar
2 egg whites
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
Coffee:
Prepare 1/2 cup (about 125ml) strong espresso coffee. Let the coffee cool to room temperature.
Zabaglione:
Beat egg yolks in a bain-marie (place bowl over simmering water) until fluffy. Beat in 50g sugar and marsala or coffee liqueur. Whisk over simmering water, until the cream thickens, just below boiling point, and when small bubbles appear.
Meringue:
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks. Gradually add 50g sugar and whisk until stiff. As an experiment, I actually placed the bowl over barely simmering water when I started adding sugar and beat the egg whites until stiff, this way cooking the meringue as well – but have to watch very carefully to make sure the meringue did not get too hot and overcooked.
Marscarpone Cream:
With a rubber spatula, stir the mascarpone cheese in a bowl until creamy. When the zabaglione custard is still warm, add the zabaglione into the mascarpone cheese, and fold in to mix well, or until smooth. Fold in the Meringue until thoroughly combined.
Tiramisù before dusting with cocoa powder
To assemble Tiramisù:
Line bottom of a deep, approx. one-litre serving bowl (or use small bowls to serve individually) with savoiardi soaked very briefly in cold coffee. This bottom layer need to be a bit firmer so it will hold when being spooned out for serving, so dip the savoiardi in and immediately take out (don’t worry too much if making small individual servings, in this case may soak longer). Pour half the Mascarpone Cream onto the savoiardi. Sprinkle with roughly crushed amaretti biscuits or grated chocolate – this is optional. Line with another layer of savoiardi, which can be soaked in the coffee a bit longer (this layer may be omitted if making small individual servings). Cover with the remaining Masarpone Cream. Dust with a thin layer of cocoa powder. Chill in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 3 to 4 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle again all over with more cocoa powder.
Tiramisù in individual portion
[Tip]
The Meringue may be replaced by 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened or whipping cream, whipped.
[Note]
1. Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
2. The size of egg used is about 60g (includes shell) unless otherwise stated.
Continue Reading......
posted by SeaDragon @ 8.8.05 0 comments
August 04, 2005
Bubur Pulut Hitam 黑米糜
Bubur Pulut Hitam
This is a very popular Malaysian/Singaporean hot dessert which is basically a sweet and creamy Black Glutinous Rice Porridge or what we usually called ‘Au Bee Moi 黑米糜’ in Chinese Hokkien. Together with the Sweet Mung Bean Gruel (Lek Tow Suan), these two hot snacks always brought back fond memory of childhood days back home.
The black glutinous rice has a particularly coconut-like aroma while being cooked, and I just love the smell of it. I also like the way it crunches slightly when you bite into the soft rice. Accompany with the pandan and the coconut cream, the fragrant of this dessert is just heady! Anyone wants another bowl?
Before I get into the recipe, I just want to mention that some recipe recommends the rice to be soaked overnight before being cooked, but that is very frustrating if you forget to do that or you just suddenly feel like eating it on a particular day – so I just omit this step and cook it a bit longer.
Serves 4 - 6 (small rice bowls).
Black Glutinous Rice
[Ingredients]
150g black glutinous rice 黑糯米
2 litres (8 cups) water, approximately, depending on how thick you like your porridge
150g white sugar, or adjust to taste
2-3 pandan leaves, knotted
pinch salt
2 teaspoons tapioca flour or cornflour mixed with 1 tablespoon water
coconut cream (canned is fine), for serving
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
1. Wash black glutinous rice, drain.
2. Bring drained black glutinous rice and 1 litre water to the boil, then simmer, uncover, over moderate heat until the rice grains split, about 30 minutes. Continue to simmer until the rice is soft, another 45 - 60 minutes. Watch it and stir occasionally and when the liquid starts to dry up, add 2 - 3 more cups (500 - 750ml) water and quickly bring back to simmering point. Add the knotted pandan leaves when topping up with water now or add later with the sugar – it is up to you.
3. When the rice is soft, add 1 more cup (250ml) water with the sugar and simmer over moderate heat for another 15 - 20 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to your preference.
4. Add pinch of salt and mix in tapioca flour slurry, bring back to the boil then remove from heat.
5. Serve hot drizzle with 1 - 2 tablespoons of coconut cream.
Bubur Pulut Hitam
[Tip]
Never add the sugar in the beginning, or you will have difficulty cooking the rice to its soft consistency. Always add the sugar only after the rice is cooked soft.
[Note]
1. Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
2. The size of egg used is about 60g (includes shell) unless otherwise stated.
The black glutinous rice has a particularly coconut-like aroma while being cooked, and I just love the smell of it. I also like the way it crunches slightly when you bite into the soft rice. Accompany with the pandan and the coconut cream, the fragrant of this dessert is just heady! Anyone wants another bowl?
Before I get into the recipe, I just want to mention that some recipe recommends the rice to be soaked overnight before being cooked, but that is very frustrating if you forget to do that or you just suddenly feel like eating it on a particular day – so I just omit this step and cook it a bit longer.
Serves 4 - 6 (small rice bowls).
Black Glutinous Rice
[Ingredients]
150g black glutinous rice 黑糯米
2 litres (8 cups) water, approximately, depending on how thick you like your porridge
150g white sugar, or adjust to taste
2-3 pandan leaves, knotted
pinch salt
2 teaspoons tapioca flour or cornflour mixed with 1 tablespoon water
coconut cream (canned is fine), for serving
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
1. Wash black glutinous rice, drain.
2. Bring drained black glutinous rice and 1 litre water to the boil, then simmer, uncover, over moderate heat until the rice grains split, about 30 minutes. Continue to simmer until the rice is soft, another 45 - 60 minutes. Watch it and stir occasionally and when the liquid starts to dry up, add 2 - 3 more cups (500 - 750ml) water and quickly bring back to simmering point. Add the knotted pandan leaves when topping up with water now or add later with the sugar – it is up to you.
3. When the rice is soft, add 1 more cup (250ml) water with the sugar and simmer over moderate heat for another 15 - 20 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to your preference.
4. Add pinch of salt and mix in tapioca flour slurry, bring back to the boil then remove from heat.
5. Serve hot drizzle with 1 - 2 tablespoons of coconut cream.
Bubur Pulut Hitam
[Tip]
Never add the sugar in the beginning, or you will have difficulty cooking the rice to its soft consistency. Always add the sugar only after the rice is cooked soft.
[Note]
1. Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
2. The size of egg used is about 60g (includes shell) unless otherwise stated.
Continue Reading......
posted by SeaDragon @ 4.8.05 5 comments
