MY LITTLE KITCHEN: September 2014

Wednesday 24 September 2014

HUAT KUIH（Steamed cupcakes)

What can one bakes or cooks in 30 minutes? Well this morning I managed to steam this HUAT KUIH within 30 minutes. This was a short cut of making this traditional Chinese cupcakes by using baking powder instead of yeast , so there was no fermentation process, which would take hours of waiting for the batter to rise. ( My late mom made very nice HUAT KUIH using fermentation method).

I was happy to see my HUAT KUIH smile to me!( a successful Chinese cupcakes should have smiles after steaming... Smile means having cracks on the cake!). Didn't take photos of the steps of preparing this as I was rushing for prayer. Here is the recipe...

HUAT KUIH(Steamed Cupcake)

Ingredients

250 ml warm water

180 g caster sugar( will reduce to 150g the next time when I do again)

250 g all purpose flour

50 g rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp double action baking powder.

1 drop of pink coloring

Method

1. Prepare steamer for steaming. Arrange cups for steaming in the steamer. I used porcelain cups.

2. Mix ingredients A and set aside to let it cool down.

3. Sieve ingredients B together in a mixing bowl.

4. Pour ingredients A into the flour mixture. Mix well, make sure there is no lumps.

5. Scoop up 5 tablespoons of the batter into a bowl. Put in a drop of pink coloring. Mix well.

6. Spoon uncolored batter into the cups. Followed by the pink batter on top.

7. Steam for 18 minutes.

***make sure the water is fast boiling or else the HUAT KUIH won't smile to you hehe!

Very very happy to see my HUAT KUIHs smile to me when I opened the steamer.

With this recipe I got 5 big ones and 4 small one. Just enough for offerings during prayers.

Just love the combination of the colors. It Is so sweet. Don't you think so?

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a blessed day ahead.

Wishing you good luck in making this HUAT KUIH ...do let me know whether your HUAT KUIH

smile to you or not hehe.....

😘 from Kim

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Thursday 11 September 2014

ASSAM FISH (HOT AND SPICY FISH)

There are many ways to cook fish. One can steam it, fry it, make curry fish, grill it or bake it. As my the other half loves spicy food so I decided to made this Assam Fish. It is hot , spicy and sour in taste. It goes very well with hot steamed rice.

ASSAM FISH (HOT AND SPICY FISH)

Ingredients

1medium size fish

6 dried chillies (soak in hot water to soften)

1cm cube belachan

5 shallots

2 cloves garlic

1 thumb of ginger

2 slices of galangal

1stalk lemon grass .. Sliced

3 tomatoes (quartered)

1 tbsp tamarind +400 ml water

Sugar and salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

3 kafir lime leaves(sliced thinly for garnishing)

Methods

1. Prepare the fish. Clean fish and season with salt.

2. Blend ingredients B until fine.

3. Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a pot. Sauté blended ingredients until oil surface.

4. Stir in tamarind juice and bring it to a boil.

5. Add in the fish and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Add in tomatoes. Season with salt and sugar.

7. Serve in a deep dish and garnish with kafir lime leaves.

8. Serve with plate of hot steamed rice. Enjoy.

I used this fish

Blend these until fine.

Enjoy and have a nice day!

Tuesday 9 September 2014

STEAMED CARROT RICE FLOUR CUPCAKES (CARROT HUAT KUIH)

Actually I did not plan to post this recipe as this was my first attemp to use CLABBER GIRL double action baking powder for this cake..and the result was not up to my expectation but a few baking fans have asked for the recipe. So here is the recipe.

STEAMED CARROT RICE FLOUR CUPCAKES

Ingredients

200 g rice flour

100 g sugar

175 ml water

25 ml carrot juice

(Blend carrot with some water and squeeze out the juice)

1 packet Eno salt

1/2 tsp Double action baking powder

Method

1. Prepare steamer for steaming. Arrange cups in the steamer and heat up the water.

2. Mix rice flour,sugar water and carrot juice together until you get a smooth batter.

3. Put in the baking powder and Eno salt blend well.

4. Pour batter into the cups until almost full.

5. Steam in high heat for 20 minutes.

This baking powder made the cakes soft and fluffy.

Thanks to Chef William for introducing this to us(baking fans)

This Eno salt helps cupcakes to 'smile'.. Hehe

The cupcake or HUAT KUIH 'smiles' shyly...hehe

This rice cupcake is done within 30 minutes so the taste is not as nice as the traditional rice

cupcake using the fermentation method whereby yeast is used and the fermentation takes about 7

hours. One day I will try making the traditional rice cupcakes using yeast.

Hope you like my post today. Cheers and have a blessed day.

Kim

Wednesday 3 September 2014

SHANGHAI MOONCAKE

Mooncake is a Chinese traditional cake eaten during the Mid autumn festival which falls on the 15th of August of the lunar calendar. Typical mooncakes are round pastry with a thick rich filling made of red beans or lotus seed paste . Some may have salted egg yolks in the filling. Mooncakes are usually eaten in wedges accompanied by chinese tea. Today, it has become a trend that businessman and families present mooncakes as a gift to their clients or relatives during this Mid-autumn Festival. Mooncakes are sold in beautiful boxes and tins nowadays, and it is quite pricey but people still buy because it is once a year affair. For me I don't quite like to eat the traditional mooncake as I find it too sweet. I prefer Shanghai Mooncake as it is less sweet. So today I am going to share how to make shanghai mooncake.

SHANGHAI MOONCAKE