Checker board cookies

Checkerboard Cookies


I have always wanted to make a very soft and delicate but still crunchy cookie but could not find a suitable one until I came across smallsmall baker's blog.


I tried it and wow I like it but I did not make it into round cookies like hers as I wanted to make checkerboard cookies. The checkerboard design is very easy to make as the pictures below show. But first, the ingredients:


Ingredients

125g butter
40g icing sugar, sifted
125g potato starch or cornstarch (Tried both and I think potato starch/flour tastes slightly better)
80g plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder


Method:
1. Beat butter and icing sugar till fluffy and lighter in colour.
2. Sift in potato starch and flour, mix to form a soft dough.
3. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, add 1 tbsp of cocoa powder to 1 portion and knead well.
4. Pat or roll each portion into a rectangle about 6-8mm thickness. Place one on top of the other.

Cut the rectangle into half and place on top of the other again, so you will get plain/chocolate/plain/chocolate.

Then divide that into 4 strips and alternate the strips as in the picture below. (Please use water and a brush to stick all the pieces together)

5. Leave it in the fridge for about half hour for it to harden.
6. After half hour, remove and cut into desired thickness.

7. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg for around 15 - 20 mins.

2012 CNY dinner

2012 Chinese New Year Dinner

 Invited some friends over for CNY dinner and following was what I made.
Pictures that I did not take were Chap Chye and my 2 desserts - Mango Pudding and Coconut Ice Cream.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Gong Xi Fa Cai
 Wishing all my friends and readers A Happy Lunar New Year. May this Dragon year bring you love, luck, joy and prosperity!!

Cookies that I baked this year including Nian Gao which is the first time I am making it and it looks ok. Will tell you next week how it tastes when I will serve it at my dinner!

Corgette and papaya masak titek

Papaya masak titek revisited - halal



I do make papaya masak titek sometimes as I love the taste of cooked papayas. It is so sweet in the savoury soup. This time I addded courgettes to the the papayas and the almost crunchy texture of the courgettes and the soft feel of the papayas together with the spicyness of the chilli in the soup - what can I say.... it is so nice on a cold winter's day.

Ingredients:
(A)
3 candlenuts
1 tbsp shrimp paste
1 big onion or 10 shallots
1 red chilli or more depending on how much heat you like
1 tbsp ground black pepper

1 Fish Cube
2 green papayas - cubed
1 courgette - skinned and cubed
12 big raw prawns or 2 fish fillets - sliced into pieces (white fish)
700 ml water
50 gm dried prawns - ground
50 gm salted fish

Method:
1. Grind A to a fine paste
2. Skin papaya and cut into pieces, likewise with the courgette.
3. Fill pan with the 700 ml water, add A, ground dried prawns and fish stock. Bring to boil. Put in the courgette pieces and boil for about 8 mins till it is half cooked, then add in the papaya pieces and boil till almost tender. Add fish slices or prawns or both for 5 mins till seafood is cooked. Remove from heat and serve.

Kuih Tutu

Putu Piring aka Kuih Tutu

I tried making this some time back when I was making puttu mayam and used the same recipe to try and make putu piring, but was unsuccessful.

Tried goggling for a recipe and still did not get a good vibe with what I managed to find.

Then whilst I was goggling again yesterday and saw cookwithnobook's blog. posting. Thought I would try it again today and yep, think I have almost finally got it.

The first 2 that I made looked out. Ate 1 whilst it was hot and it was alright. But upon cooling, it turned out hard.

Tried it again but this time didnt pack it too tightly and waited for it to cool and this time, woo hoo, success!!! So here is my adaption to the recipe.

I cup rice flour gave me 5 putu pirings.

Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
60ml ( adjustable ) water dissolved with a generous pinch of fine salt
a couple of pandan leaves cut into 2 inch pieces
Filling:
80gm gula melaka chopped and mixed with a tsp of caster sugar

Method：
1. Place the rice flour on a piece of kitchen paper on a plate. Mix it up with the pandan leaves and microwave on high for a minute and a half. Discard leaves and cool the flour.
2. Drizzle water evenly over the roasted flour, stirring with a fork. The flour should just be moistened and not soggy, forming big crumbs. Press the crumbs through a sieve, with the back of a ladle. It should yield a fine crumb texture. For ease , do in very small batches.
3. Spoon rice crumble into the mould. Add 1 tsp of gula melaka-sugar mix. Do not allow the gula to touch the base of the mould.
4. Top with another spoon of rice crumbs. Press gently with spoon for a smooth
finish.
5. Steam for about 12 mins.

Steamed tapioca kuih

Steamed Tapioca Kuih

I love my tapioca cooked any way and I have 2 other friends who are also crazy about tapioca too and one of them made some bo bo cha cha and that led me to crave for it. But when I looked in the freezer, I discovered that my stash of yam was depleted. Huh... so much for that!

And since I have a few packets of frozen, grated tapioca or cassava as they are known here, thought I would make a steamed kuih. I was going to make the pasar malam kind which is the fried version but on second thoughts, steaming would be a healthier version, hence...

It is a very simple kuih to make. All you need are:

Ingredients:

450 gms grated tapioca - put half quantity in a muslin cloth and squeeze out the liquid
80 gms caster sugar - more or less to taste
100 ml coconut milk - do not add all at once
half grated coconut - white bits only - steamed with some salt for about 5 minutes
food colouring

Method:

1. Place the tapioca and sugar in a bowl. Add the coconut milk.
2. Add colouring
3. To test for consistency and sweetness, place a little on a plate and steam for about 10 mins.
4. Add more sugar or coconut milk as you like and place the whole mixture into a cake tin or in my case, I used a pyrex bowl and steam for about 20 - 30 mins.
5. When the mixture is cool, cut into squares or diamonds and roll into grated coconut.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my dear friends and readers!

May 2012 bring you more love, joy, happiness, peace, Health and wealth!