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

A.

250 ml warm water

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

B.

250 g all purpose flour

50 g rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp double action baking powder.

C.

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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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

A

1medium size fish

B

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

C

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!

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

     

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

Ingredients

180 g butter

60 g caster sugar

240 g self raising flour

40 g custard powder

2 tbsp milk

12 salted egg yolks

35 g x 12 lotus seed paste

1egg yolk for egg wash

Method

1. Beat butter and sugar till creamy and white. Put in milk and mix well.

2. Sift self raising flour and custard powder together. Stir in the flour mixture and mix well to form a 

    dough. Keep in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Wash the salted egg yolks to remove traces of egg white . Sprinkle some sesame oil onto the egg 

    yolks and bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove from heat let cool.

4. Wrap each egg yolk with 35g of lotus seed paste.

5. Divide dough into 12 portion of 45g each. Wrap filling with the dough.

6. Place dough on a greased baking tray line with parchment paper.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Take out after 10 minutes to brush with egg wash and 

    decorate with pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds. Bake for another 30 minutes.

     Steps.....

Bake egg yolk for 8 minutes

    35 g of lotus seed paste  each.

   Egg yolks and lotus seed paste

 Wrap egg yolk in lotus seed paste

 Put filling in  the dough and wrap

    

    Ready for baking... Bake for minutes

 Apply egg wash and decorate with pumpkin seeds

 Bake for another 30 minutes.

 Freshly baked shanghai mooncakes

 Should have waited a little longer to cut it.

                                                                             Can't wait to see the result.. Hehe

 Do you like this?

 Presentable?

                               Wishing everyone a blessed Mid-autumn Festival

                                                      Enjoy  and be happy.

                                                             中秋節快樂

DRAGON FRUIT JELLY MOONCAKE

Yeah..i am back. Just to share my first attempt of doing this jelly mooncakes. My sister has asked for the recipe so i better update my blog. Let us see how I did it. To do this jelly mooncake, first we need to do the eggyolks. I used carrot for the colour. It turned out nice. It really resembled that salted eggyolk. Then when the 'yolks' set proceed to do the fillings. I used coconut milk for the filling. When the filling sets then do the outer layer. It is time consuming to do this. Eventhough it is time consuming there is a sense of satisfaction when you see your product. Ah.... i am getting longwinded...

Here is the recipe.

DRAGON FRUIT JELLY MOONCAKE 

For the egg-yolk 

Ingredients

1 1/4 teaspoons agar agar powder
70g sugar
200ml water
100 ml carrot puree
(Cook  carrot blend and then measure)
1pandan leaf.

Method

1. Boil everything together until sugar dissolves and remove from heat.
2. Pour solution into mold and let it set.

                                        Look like salted eggyolk?

For the Fillling

Ingredients

1 tablespoon agar agar powder 

80 g sugar 

200 ml water 

 200 ml coconut milk 

2 pandanus leaves

Method

1. Put everything in a pot and boil. Stir until sugar dissolves.

2. Pour into mould and put in 'salted eggyolk' and let it set.

       

For outer layer

Ingredients

4 teaspoons agar agar powder 

150 g sugar 

650 ml water 

50 ml dragon fruit puree

Method

1. Boil everything together in a pot until sugar dissolve. Stir.

2. Pour in to mooncake mould and put in filling. Fill up the moon cake mould with the solution. Let it  

    set.

 

                    Thanks to my girl for helping me to shoot this..

 To unmoould, use a toothpick to loosen the side and turn it upside down onto a plate.

              To get this color I added 2 tablespoons of coofeemate into the solution.

                            Hope you like my post today. Enjoy trying it.

 

                                    Wishing everyone a happy and blessed mooncake festival

 

                                           

CRISPY SQUID

     Crispy Squid

Ingredients

4 big squids

1 egg (beaten)

4tbsp corn flour

1 tbsp rice flour

1 tbsp self raising flour

Pepper, salt to taste

1 tbsp butter

20 curry leaves

Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Cut squids into rings. Pat dry the squids with kitchen towel

2. Season squids with some salt and pepper.

3. Dip squid in beaten egg.

4. Mix corn flour, rice flour and self-raising flour in a plate.

5. Coat squid with the flour mixture.

6. Deep fry squid in hot oil until golden brown. Dish out.

7. Heat up the oil again. Return the squid to the wok and give it a few stir to make the squid more crispy. In other word i fry the squids two times. Dish up.

8. In another frying pan, heat up 1 tbsp of butter and add in curry leaves. Fry until fragrant. Put in the squid and give it a good stir. Dish up and enjoy.

                          ENJOY !

             Hope you like my post today .

Photo credit to my daughter.