Rainbow cake

Baked this cake for my grandson's 3rd birthday. His mum didn't have any special request and I have been wanting to try and make this cake for some time, so it was the perfect time to do it.

Didn't know which recipe to choose, so in the end used a sponge cake recipe. I had to double the quantity to get my 7 layers of the rainbow because I only had 3 tins, had to bake it 3 times to get the 7 layers.

Ingredients:
200 gm butter, softened
200 gm caster sugar
4 eggs, beaten
200 gm self raising flour
For the filling:
400 gm icing sugar
150 gm butter, softened
2 tsp single cream
For the icing:
500 gm icing sugar
a little water to bind the icing sugar

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C/Gas or 160 deg C/fn. Grease 2 deep 20cm sandwich cake tins. Line the base of each with greaseproof paper.*
2. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs a bit at a time, sprinkling in a bit of the flour to stop the mixture curdling. Sift and fold in the remaining flour. Divide the mixture into 4 bowls equally and add in your chosen colours.*
3. Then pour into baking tins and bake for about 15 mins then test with skewer. Leave the cakes in the tins for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave until cold.
4. Make your 2 batch of cake and repeat. You will have 1 extra layer - go on have that! :-)
5. While the cakes are cooling down, make the filling. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, then use to sandwich all the layers together.
5. Make the icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then mix in 2-3 tbsps cold water to make a smooth icing. Pour the icing onto the top of the cake and quickly spread it over the top and sides. Leave the icing to set before serving.

Starting from bottom layer:
Violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and ending with red on top.

Kuih Bingka Ambon

I love kuih ambon and I have tried numerous times without success. The flavour was there but I just could not get the honeycomb. Tried so many recipes and they all didnt work.

Finally, last week, thinking that perhaps my yeast had expired, I looked at the tin and realised that I had been using yeast for hand baking rather than the quick yeast. So off to the supermarket I went and bought me another can. The other reason for my kuih failing was because all the recipes asked to cook the cake with bottom heat first and then end off with grilling the top. But my oven did not have bottom heat!, so brains clicking now - ha, grill it on my stove top grill!

Ingredients:
150 gms tapioca starch

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp instant yeast

5 egg yolks

300 ml freshly squeezed coconut milk or coconut cream (from can)

150 gms sugar

20 gms  pandan leaves or 1 or 2 tsps pandan paste

You do not need to use a starter dough for this recipe

Method:

1. Mix tapioca starch/flour, salt and dry yeast. Add beaten egg yolks and whisk till smooth.

2. Add coconut milk and sugar to saucepan. Stir over medium heat till warm. To test, dip  finger in and should be bearable to the touch.

3. Slowly pour coconut milk into batter, stirring all the time.

4. You can either use pounded pandan leaves to get the juice or a teaspoon or 2 of pandan paste. Mix the batter thoroughly, cover and set aside for 2 – 3 hours. By the time, the batter will covered with tiny bubbles. There will be starch at the bottom of your mixing bowl. Whisk gently to mix

5. No need to line tin, I just brush oil all over the tin.

6. Using the bbq grill, turn it to low and cook the mixture until you see bubbles on top and also after it has stopped jiggling, move it to the oven with the top grill turned on at about 170 deg C for about 10 - 15 mins.

Tried again, this time for my mum and others who do not have a stove top grill. This time I cooked it on my stove top. It can be done but please put it on a slow fire and turn around often for the bottom to be evenly cooked. Once it stops jiggling, continue as per method 6 above.

Ngoh Hiang

Ngoh Hiang aka Lor Bak - updated with step by step photos


My this version of Ngoh Hiang is a cross between ngoh hiang and hae chor. A normal ngoh hiang only has minced pork and prawns but for this I've added fish paste and do I like it!


Ingredients:
(Makes about 8 - 10 rolls)

500 gm minced pork or chicken
250 gm prawns (minced)
250 gm fish paste
1 onion - quartered
3 stalks spring onions
200 gm water chestnuts
2 eggs
1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
pepper
cornflour
cornflour slurry
2 sheets bean curd sheets (cut into 6 inch x 4 inch)
1/2 tsp salt


Method:
1. Place onion, water chestnuts, spring onions into food processor and roughly chop. Remove into a bowl.

2. Then add minced pork, minced prawns and fish paste and blend everything together. Add eggs, 5 spice powder and seasoning.

3. Wipe beancurd skin with a damp cloth to remove excess salt. Place an amount of mixture onto middle of skin. Tuck in short ends and then roll up and use cornflour slurry to seal the roll.

4. Steam the rolls (covered) for 8 - 10 mins.

5. Let the rolls cool completely, then cut into 1 inch pieces.

6. Dip open ends of the ngoh hiang in corn flour.

7. Shallow fry the ngor hiang pieces in very hot oil till golden brown. (Trying to be healthy here)

8. Enjoy and serve with sweet flour sauce (popiah sauce) and chilli

Bubur Terigu aka Ta Mai

Actually I wasn't craving to eat bubur terigu. I happened to be at Sainsbury and passed by and saw this.

All of a sudden, in my mind's eye, I saw bubur terigu! Dont know whether it is or not, but it did look like it, so bought it.

Made it a total of 3 times just to get the perfect feel/texture.

Surfed the net and most people said to soak it for a couple of hours but it was about 9.30pm when I was wanting to cook it, so only soaked it for 10 mins and then started cooking it. Boiled it for about an hour and a half and then it was ready. Not too bad.

Next day I tried it again but this time using the slow cooker. Hmm... you can use the slow cooker but not cook it overnight. I did it from around 11pm to when I woke up at 6am and nah... too soft, not much bite.. but hey you may like it but it's not for me.

So last night tried again and yah, I think I got it right this time.

Ingredients:

1 cup wheatberries

1 to 1 1/2 litres water

pinch of salt 

2 tbsp sugar or to taste

coconut milk to taste

Method:

1. Wash the wheatberries 3 - 4 times well.

2. Add 1 ltr of water first and bring to boil. Once it has come to boil, turn fire down to low.

3. You have to keep watching and stirring bottom of pan every 10 - 15 mins or so as the wheatberries catch at the bottom.

4. Add more water if it is drying out. 

5. Once the wheatberries have softened to your liking, add salt, sugar and coconut and it's ready!

Hols and food at home

These were a few of the foods I cooked while my mum, Liana and friends were here.

chix wings

ngoh hiang

sayoh lodeh

pandan cake

chilli stuffed mackeral

mee siam

ayam buah keluak

Chai tow kueh

Beef stew

Puttu Mayam

Sausages and mash

Boneless chix rice

Chwee kuih

Popiah

Everyone!

Back dated post of our hols in Amsterdam

Dear Friends and readers

I am so, so sorry for being MIA for so long!

Firstly as you all know, was in Singapore end of Jan to mid of Feb, then got back and then to work. Then my mum and daughter and another couple came, all during the same period.

During the first week of my mum and daughter's holiday, we drove to Amsterdam while my friends went to Lake District.

Rented a 2 bedroom apartment and went to Kuekenhof to see the tulips.

Here are some of the pictures that we took while we were in Amsterdam.

Taking the train to France

View from our apartment in Amsterdam

Pat being goofy with mum

Kuekenhof

Can you spot the duck?

Cherry Blossoms

Floating Chinese restaurant in Amsterdam

With Clara (my ex classmate who now lives in Amsterdam) and her husband Arie

Sweet shop

Bruges

Chocolate shop in Bruges