Agar-agar Gudil Gula Melaka

Ingredients

Coconut Milk Layer

200ml Kara coconut milk

1 1/2 cup water

1 large egg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla essence

Agar2 Layer

10g agar-agar strip or 10g agar2 powder

240g chopped gula melaka

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

3 cups water

pandan leaves

Directions

• combine and whisk lightly ingredients for the coconut milk mixture, sift and put aside
• (if using agar2 strip, soak and cut into small pieces before using)
• boil sugar and pandan leaves until sugar dissolved and add in the agar2
• cook till all dissolved and lower the temperature
• pour coconut milk and egg mixture into agar-agar
• bring temperature up to a boil (stirring all the way) until you can see some curdling from the eggs
• once separation can be seen quickly pour into a glass dish or any desired mould (preferably 7x7x3 inch)
• once cooled about 30min to an hour, leave agar-agar in the fridge about 1 to 2 hours until firm enough to cut and serve

Tips
good gula melaka should be soft and brittle. If the gula melaka have impurities, you may want to sieve the agar-agar first before adding the coconut milk and egg mixture. Pandan leaf may be removed at the sametime...

Foodnote

I love love love love agar-agar gudil made by my mum. I pester her for the traditional recipe passed down from my late grandmother. Mum never use agar-agar powder so I must also follow lah. This is so good and and easy to make.

Baulu Asli

Ingredients

10 eggs

400g fine sugar

250g all purpose flour

0.5 tsp vanilla

Directions

• preheat baulu brass mould filled with oil in oven at 200°C
• using mixer blend eggs, sugar and vanilla till stiff in a large bowl
• add flour and fold till combined
• remove baulu mould from oven and pour out oil leaving only traces
• scoop spoonful into each mould
• bake for about 8-10 mins until golden brown
• use satay stick to release cooked baulu
• before filling the mould for the next batch, oil it first (I wrap kitchen paper on chopstick and soak it in oil. Make it easy to wipe the mould)

Tips

• for baulu to last longer, warm sugar and flour for a while in oven at low temperature
• mould must be pre-heat with oil to ensure batter don't stick to it
• to clean the mould, leave tamarind juice overnight... pour out the juice and rinse with water. Leave the mould in the pre-heated oven for a while just so all the water evaporated. Pour oil to heat and ready to use. This is also supposed to help so that the baulu don't stick to the mould.

Foodnote

This baulu is soft with slight crisp outer after baking.... not the dry crispy type that would need baking soda. Very nice to eat fresh from the oven with some jam. Reminds me of baulu cake that mum used to buy for me back in primary school. I'm so nostalgic...

Mee Goreng Basah

Ingredients

(estimated according to taste)
yellow hokkien noodle (washed and soaked)
500g prawns
2 pcs of fish cakes
1 large onions
2 garlics
1 cup of chilli paste
sawi or chinese mustard green
vegetable oil
chilli sauce
tomato sauce
dark soya sauce
oyster sauce
pepper
knorr chicken cube
sugar & salt to taste
some oil for frying
optional: fresh tomatoes, fried shallots, parsley (daun sup), chillies, fried egg etc.

Directions

• fry onion and garlic until fragrant
• add in chilli paste and fry in slow fire until really cooked
• add in the prawns and fish cakes
• at this point, add more water if wet mee goreng consistency is desired
• add in all the sauces, sugar, chicken cube until boiling (taste the paste)
• add in noodles and once the noodles are almost done, add in sawi and tomatoes
• stir a bit and immediately turn off the heat and enjoy nom nom nom

Foodnote
I prefer my noodles moist and eaten with fried egg on the side sprinkled with fried shallots and chopped chilli padi

Apam Beras Basic

Ingredients

2 cups cool cooked rice

1.5 cup sugar

2 cups water

(blend the above)

3 cups rice flour

1 cup all-purpose-flour

1 packet yeast (11g)

Directions

• combine blended ingredients to the flour & yeast mixture in a large bowl
• put aside covered for 3 hours
• prepare steamer until boiling hot
• separate mixture and add few drops of coloring as desired
• grease each small metal cups
• fill each cup with spoonful of mixture (don't worry... batter won't overflow when steaming)
• steam for about 15 mins
• eat with steamed grated coconut+salt or with red/brown sugar

Tips

• do not pack the rice tightly into the cup during measuring
• make sure the bowl is fully covered when leaving the batter to rise
• only add coloring after 3 hours
• heat the oiled container in the steamer first before filling with batter to avoid the apam from sticking to the mould
• ensure that water is boiling hot in the steamer
• wrap the cover of the steamer with cloth to prevent steam from escaping
• do not keep checking on apam while steaming
• make sure only boiling hot water is topped up to steamer

Foodnote
Wow... this is so simple to make, requires only few ingredients, oh so colorful and so yum yum. I like the simple basic ingredients and there is no strong after taste. Thumbs up from the kids so I will definitely want to make this again woohoo.

Made this again in September, 2015 (green apam) and it looks even more fluffy and nice.

Rice Cooker Vegan Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
1.5 cups all-purpose-flour (I used wheat flour)
0.5 cup sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp salt
0.5 tsp cinnamon powder
0.25 tsp baking powder
90 ml cooking oil
0.5 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup water

Directions

• mix together all the dry ingredients
• add all wet ingredients and combine till smooth
• pour batter into greased rice cooker
• choose bake setting and cake should be done when toothpick comes clean
• let cool for 15mins before transferring on cooking rack

Foodnote Actually I just replaced my rice cooker and the new one has a cake baking feature so I want to try it lah. Found a simple recipe where I just need to toss all the ingredients together. I really love this. It is not soft cakey... but firm. Reminds me of kek sarang semut. So yummy.

Bone Steak

Ingredients
2kg mutton marrow & knuckle bones
0.5kg mutton
1 packet of Adabi sup bunjut
1 packet of "tulang merah" spice (S$1.50)
onion + garlic + ginger + chilli grind to a paste
tomato puree
salt and sugar to taste
oil
eggs
optional: chopped cabbage/cubed carrot/green peas

Directions

• boil mutton bone and meat. During boiling, impurities will surface. Scoop and discard as much as possible. Lower the heat and boil for 2 hours until meat is soft and tender. Leave aside...
• cook paste in enough oil till fragrant
• add only the meat and bones to paste followed by salt, sugar and pepper to taste
• add broth from boiling the bones earlier and adjust consistency (should be slightly thick like curry)
• boil for a while till paste seeped through meat.
• once cooked, stir in eggs and other additional ingredients as desired.
• to be served hot and eaten with bread (preferably french loaf)

Foodnote
Also known as Tulang Merah from the deep red coloring that the hawker usually added that will leave your fingers, lips and tongue bright red. I am not a fan of the red coloring so I will gladly leave it out. I bought the mutton and spice from Tekkah market because the bone have more meat on it and I can cook it till it is so soft and tender. Always nice to make your own favorite food and know what ingredients goes into it.