Mee Rebus

INGREDIENTS
1 packet fresh yellow egg
1 litre beef stock
2-4 small sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
1 tbsp corn flour with some water to make a slurry
To be ground to a paste (A)
2 tbsp chili paste (more or less to taste)
20 shallots
3 candlenuts
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1 inch fresh galangal

Garnishing :
10 shallots, thinly sliced and fried golden brown
4 pre-fried tofu (soy bean cakes), cut into small cubes
4 cups bean sprouts, briefly blanched
3-4 hard boiled eggs, cut in wedges
4 fresh green chilies, thinly sliced (optional)
3-4 limau kasturi [kalamansi limes], cut into halves


Method :
1. Grind (A) into a paste.
2. Heat saucepan and add vegetable oil. Saute paste till quite toasted, color darkens.
3. Add beef stock, bring to a boil
4. Gradually add the mashed sweet potato to the stock, until a gravy-like consistency is reached
5. Add salt to taste, reduce heat to low, simmer gently 8-10 mins, maintain a thick gravy-like consistency. Add corn flour slurry.
6. In another pot, bring about 6 cups of water to a boil, for blanching bean sprouts and warming up noodles
7. Assemble individual soup bowls. Add blanch noodles and top with blanched bean sprouts.
8 Ladle piping hot gravy over the noodles.
9.Top with a little of each garnishing, and a lime half - to squeeze just before eating.
10. Finally add a dash of dark soy sauce!

Ang Ku Kueh

Ingredients for skin:

300g glutinous rice flour
150g sweet potatoes
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp corn oil
water as needed
1/8 tsp orange red colouring (optional)
Banana leaves cut to small circles


Peanut Filling:
300g ground, roasted peanuts
150g caster sugar
some boiled water

Method:

1. Mix ground peanuts with sugar and add in some water to make into a paste form. Shape into small round balls of filling for dough.

Mung Bean filling:

200 gm mung beans/green beans – wash and soak overnight in cold water
100 gm sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:

1. Drain the mung beans and place on a steaming tray. Steam over medium heat for about 30 mins till soft.

2. While beans are still hot, place beans, sugar and oil in a food processor, process till fine and becomes a paste. If you do not have a processor, you can use a potato masher to mash the beans.

3. Shape into 10-12g balls and set aside.


Method for skin:

1. Steam cut sweet potatoes for 10-15 minutes till cooked and soft. Mash through a wire sieve and set aside.

2. Sieve glutinous rice flour into a mixing bowl. Make a hole in centre of flour and add the sugar, mashed sweet potatoes and corn oil. Add the coloured water a little at a time and mix and knead well until the colouring is even and dough is pliable. If dough is too dry, add a little more water. Knead till dough does not stick to the hands adding more oil if necessary. Let dough rest for 20-30 minutes.

3. Divide dough into equal portions to fit mould and roll each into a round ball. Flatten each ball of dough slightly and add a small ball of filling. Pinch and seal the edges to enclose the filling.

4. Spread some oil over the dough and press into a ang ku kueh mould. Knock mould lightly to dislodge kueh and place on a piece of banana leaf .

5. Steam for about 10 - 15 mins.

Did a few without using the mould

With mung bean filling

Glass blowing course

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Our Easter Break in Budapest

Sorry I have not updated this blog in such a long time... Have been rather busy and a wee bit lazy as well! Do you like my new blog layout, I thought it was time for me to change it and so I did! Sometime in March, Pat suggested that since we had the Easter break coming up, would I like to go for a little holiday? Of course I would, who wouldn't? Duh!! Anyway, I first thought of going to Amsterdam as I have not been there yet, but looking at the Eurostar prices, eekss... no way, so back to the drawing board. Then thought of Prague as I have always wanted to go there and then I spoke to someone who mentioned Budapest and it sounded like a good idea. So I looked at reviews on Prague and Budapest and then got confused, but eventually settled on Budapest. Flew in on Friday afternoon and taxied to the Corinthia Hotel. This is such a beautiful hotel!

Inside view of the hotel

Chain Bridge by day

Chain Bridge by night (raining)

Dinner and folk dancing and I was asked to join in!

Beautiful architecture of Budapest!

Banana Chiffon Cake

Banana Chiffon Cake



Have always wanted to bake this but never really had the time or overripe bananas on hand, but this time, since there was a couple sitting in the bowl, well, here's my chance to try it.... And the end result?... soft spongy chiffon cake! nice....



Have modified this from Christine's blog..



Ingredients:
80 gm cake flour (I used Sainsbury extra fine sponge flour and if you cannot get that, just use plain flour and add 1 tsp baking powder)
3 egg yolks
14 gm caster sugar
40 ml vegetable oil
45 ml milk
1/8 tsp salt
2 - 3 ripe bananas
4 egg whites
40 gm caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar



Method:
1. Preheat oven to 165C. (Use a small food processor to process the bananas into paste. Set aside.
2. Mix the egg yolks with 14 grams of sugar until smooth. Add oil, milk and mashed bananas. Combine very well. Sift in cake flour, incorporate all ingredients well until you get a smooth batter.
3 Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites first for a while until bubbles form. Add cream of tartar. Add one third of the 40 grams of sugar at a time. Combine well between the adds, until stiff peaks form.
4. Fold in the egg whites into the batter. Add one third of egg whites at a time in order to easily incorporate the egg whites.
5. Transfer the batter into the cake mould that shouldn’t be non-stick or greased.
6. Pop in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Test it by an inserted needle coming out clean. Remove from oven and immediately revert the cake mould upside down on a wire rack. Let it cool completely. Carefully remove from the cake mould. Enjoy!