Kuih Baulu (CNY)

One of my favourite kuihs which is a must-bake during Chinese New Year and Eid Mubarak celebrations.  This kuih is similar to madeleines in taste and texture.  I can still recall our kampong days where I helped my mum to bake this kuih in a copper mould over charcoal fire.  Nowadays, the aluminium mould is readily available everywhere and can be used in the home oven.  The following recipe can be halved to suit your requirement.

Ingredients (yields about 100 pcs):

10 egg whites (medium-size)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla powder

400 g sugar

10 egg yolks (medium-size)

400 g plain flour, to be sifted

some butter for greasing

Method:

In a clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites with baking powder until creamy (not stiff). Add vanilla powder and sugar a little at a time.  Continue whisking until thick and creamy.  Then, add egg yolks one at a time and whisk until thick and cream.

Preheat oven (do not use the fan) to a temperature of 200° C.  Grease the baulu mould with butter and "bake" for about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, scoop 1/4 of egg mixture into a separate bowl.  Fold in 1/4 of flour a little at a time, into the egg mixture. Please fold in one direction only in order that the batter is not over-mixed.

Note:  If you are using the baulu mould for the first time, please do not wash it with soap and water. Just add cooking oil to the brim and "bake" it in a hot oven at a temperature of 180° C for about 30 minutes.  Discard the oil.  The mould is now ready for use.

Remove mould from oven.  Add one tablespoon of batter just enough to fill about 3/4 of each baulu design.  Return mould to oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Do not overbake!

By using a satay stick, remove the kuih baulus from mould while they are still hot. Grease mould with butter again and heat it up in the oven for about 5 minutes before filling with batter.  Repeat procedure until batter is used up.

If you wish for a slightly crispy finish, arrange them on a baking tray which is lined with baking paper. Reduce oven temperature to 180° C and bake for 5 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and leave kuih baulus to cool down completely before storing them in a bottle.

Happy Baking!

Chicken Meat Floss (CNY)

What is Chinese New Year without meat floss?  I prepared this snack or filling beforehand because I intend to use it in my Mini Spring Rolls which I will prepare later.  So, I better hide it in a safe place now before it gets eaten up behind my back! Anyway, there are various methods to prepare this snack but I did it my own simple way, as long as the end result is satisfactory and the taste is good.

Ingredients:
4 chicken legs (with thighs) or 500 g chicken breast
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (thick)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
80 fine sugar or rock sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cloves, to be grounded

Important Note:  If you are using the chicken meat floss as a filling for your Mini Spring Rolls, add salt according to this recipe.  Otherwise, your Mini Spring Rolls will be very salty after frying.

For eating with porridge, add a little more salt to your taste.

Method:
In a large pot, add chicken meat and enough water to cover meat.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and let it simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes.  Once done, remove chicken meat to a colander and leave aside to allow them to cool down completely.  Shred the cooked meat (skin to be discarded) into a bowl.  If you do this the day before, cover bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate.

Add the rest of ingredients to shredded meat and marinate for at least an hour.

Transfer meat mixture to a clean wok and cook (without oil) over low heat until mixture is almost dry.  Remove wok from heat.  The cooking process took me about an hour and a half.

By using a blender on medium speed, blend about 4 tbsp of meat mixture at a time. This is to achieve the floss texture.

Remove to a large bowl and repeat procedure until all meat mixture is blended. Return mixture to wok and cook over low heat until completely dry.

Once dry, transfer to a baking tray and leave to cool down completely.  Store in a container.  If storing it for a longer time, it is advisable to store container in the fridge.

Bon Appetit!

Almond Cookies (CNY)

You will find this easy-to-make cookie in every chinese household during the Lunar New Year festivities.  This cookie is a must-bake cookie!  Besides its crunchy texture, they can be very addictive.  You will never stop after eating one piece!  Don't say that I didn't warn you!  Instead of butter, I added corn oil in my recipe.  The dough mixture may seem crumbly in the beginning but don't worry.  Just try to lump a little dough in your hand.  If it is still crumbly, add a little more oil and knead again.

Ingredients (yields about 66 pieces):
160 g ground almonds
130 g fine sugar
200 g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
150 ml oil (sunflower or corn)

2 egg yolks (to be beaten) for glazing

Method:
Sieve flour, bicarbonate of soda, and baking powder into a mixing bowl.  Add ground almonds, salt and fine sugar.  By using the kneading hook, knead mixture while at the same time, add the oil slowly.  Knead to a cohesive dough i.e. the mixture can be lumped together instead of crumbling apart.

Take a portion (about 9 g) of dough and form into a ball.  Arrange on a baking tray which is lined with baking powder.  Repeat until dough is used up.

Glaze the dough balls with beaten egg yolks.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 180° C for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Once done, remove from oven and leave to cool down completely before storing in an airtight container.

Happy Baking!

Egg Tarts

Today, I am taking a one day break from baking Chinese New Year goodies to bake these delicious tarts. Actually, these tarts are my hubby's favourite and I would like to give him a surprise when he comes home from his business trip.  I hope that he will be delighted to see them.  Furthermore, I baked enough egg tarts for him to bring to the office the next day.  For the dough, I used my pineapple tart dough recipe instead of my Hongkong Style Egg Tarts recipe and the filling is simple to prepare.

Dough Ingredients (yields 24 pieces):
250 g soft butter
2 egg yolks
about 400 g plain flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Filling Ingredients:
200 g sugar
410 ml water
6 eggs
150 ml evaporated milk

Method:
In a saucepan, cook sugar and water over medium heat.  Leave to simmer without stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool down completely.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, egg yolks and water together.  Then, add in vanilla essence, salt and flour.  Continue kneading until a pliable dough is formed.  Line tart moulds with dough as shown below.

Preheat oven (do not use the fan) to a temperature of 200° C.  In a large bowl, add sugar water, evaporated milk and eggs.  Whisk lightly and strain mixture into a jug.

Pour filling into mould until 3/4 full and bake in hot oven for about 20 minutes.  To check whether the egg custard is cooked or set, poke with a toothpick.  The toothpick should stand on its own.  If not, return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes.

Leave to cool down completely before serving.

Happy Baking!

Kueh Bangket (Bangkit Sagu)

This cookie is known to be the most "leceh" (troublesome) of all cookies but the taste is delicious. It also has the melt-in-the-mouth texture.  During my younger days, I helped my mum bake & sell various cookies for both Chinese New Year and Eid Mubarak.  This time, I used my mum's recipe and I made some amendments.  In her recipe, my mum cooked the coconut milk until thick and oily. Whereas, in the following recipe, I added coconut cream - image of packet is shown below and how to prepare it.  The tapioca flour and cornflour need to be "fried" with pieces of pandan leaves in a wok over low heat for at least half an hour or until light and fragrant.  I suggest that this is done a few days before using.

Ingredients:
300 g tapioca flour or tapioca starch
30 g cornflour
3 pandan leaves, to be washed, dried & cut into 5 cm pieces
1/4 tsp vanilla powder

120 g icing sugar
2 egg yolks (medium-size)
140 g coconut cream

Method:
In a wok, fry tapioca flour and cornflour with pandan leaves over low heat until light and fragrant. The frying process will take about 30 minutes.  Once done, set aside and leave to cool down completely.  It is better to leave overnight or a few days before using.  Before using, it is best to sieve the flour mixture twice.

Alternatively, you can bake in a preheated oven (do NOT use the fan) at a temperature of 120° C for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Before baking, don't forget to line your baking tray with baking paper.

In this recipe, I added coconut cream from the packet as shown below.  According to packet instructions, 140 ml hot water to be added to 200 g coconut cream.  Stir thoroughly and set aside to cool down.  Measure the required amount (140 g) to be used in this recipe and refrigerate the balance for not more than a week.

In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and icing sugar together until creamy and pale. Then, add measured quantity of coconut cream and whisk well.  Note:  Sorry for the bad lighting!

Lastly, fold in the flour mixture a little at a time, not forgetting to add the vanilla powder in the process.  From my experience, I do NOT add all the flour mixture because the quantity of flour required depends on the egg mixture.  Here, you have to use your own "agaration" (estimation).  You will know yourself when the dough has become pliable to be rolled.  Use the balance of flour mixture for dusting your worktop and moulds.

Roll out dough to a thickness of 0.5 cm and cut out your desired shapes.  Dip cookie moulds in flour mixture to ensure that the dough does not stick and use the pincer to create a design if you wish. Arrange on a baking tray which is lined with baking paper.

Bake in a preheated oven (do NOT use the fan) at a temperature of 160° C for about 15 minutes. Kindly note that your oven's temperature might differ from mine.  Please adjust baking time accordingly.  Once done, remove from oven and leave aside to cool down completely before storing in an airtight container.  The second photo shows the undersides are nicely browned although the tops are light in colour.

Happy Baking!