Kueh Lapis

Ingredients

2 cups rice flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup caster sugar

4 cups of coconut fresh milk from 1 coconut (or 500ml Kara coconut cream + 2 cups water)

a pinch of salt
2 cups of water (please adjust consistency)

4 pandan leaves knotted and dropped into water in steamer

Directions

• grease tray and heat steamer till boiling hot (wrap steamer cover with cloth to prevent steam from escaping)
• whisk the rest of ingredients till combined... adding water slowly to make sure batter is not too thick. It should be a bit watery so that kueh is soft after steaming. See below tips
• sift to remove lumps and separate into 2 portions... one white and another with red coloring
• pour each layer to cover base of tray thinly and steam each layer for about 3-5 minutes till firm
• steam last layer for 20 minutes and 5 more minutes without steamer cover to ensure any water on kueh will evaporate off
• leave kueh lapis to cool before cutting to serve

Tips

best to not start coloring first. Steam first layer and check... if it is too soft, add a bit more flour. If it is too firm, add more water. Ensure each layer is the same amount so layers will be even (except for last layer). Make sure kueh is properly cooled before cutting.

Foodnote: Got this recipe from mum. She's trying hard to remember the ingredients. First time I tried (7th June 2015), it doesn't turn out well. So I tried again today... just half the portion this time (using 200ml Kara coconut cream) since it is only for me and my niece. Turns out very nice and soft yippeeee. I'm a bit impatient though and have different scoop for each layer so the thickness is not consistent. But still I am super happy and feel more confident to make this again. Just need to get a proper steamer now woohoo.

Bubur Sum-sum

Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
1 cup coconut milk
3 cups water
a pinch of salt
2 knotted pandan leaves

Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
knotted pandan leaves
small piece of cinnamon stick
gula melaka (optonal)

Directions

• prepare the syrup by boiling all ingredients together and leave to cool
• put all ingredients (except syrup) into a saucepan and stir till flour is evenly mixed
• after that then turn on the heat and keep stirring till mixture is thicker and shiny (bubble start popping)
• scoop into glass container to cool
• pour over the syrup and you can eat it or like me... I keep it in the fridge and consume when it is cold

Foodnote: Love this and also kuih kopchor (just like jongkong). Really miss all the kuih2 that mum used to make. This is a good recipe because it is simple and just like how mum used to make. We don't use gula melaka though many people add that these days. Still can lah if you want just add gula melaka to the syrup. I guess the kueh got it's name because is it soft just like bone marrow hehe. Really yummy because I can't remember when is the last time I ate this. At one look, it looks just like tau huay. Now I know what to do with any balance rice flour woohoo.

Chicken Cornish

Ingredients
Pastry
250g cold butter (or half butter + half ghee)
500g plain flour
a pinch of salt
ice water ~ 300ml
1-2 eggs yolks
italian herbs (optional because I don't have lah)

Filling

• boiled or grilled chicken breast (can also replace with sausage) then cut to cube
• cubed potato
• cubed carrot
• chopped onion
• chopped garlic
• ginger powder
• curry powder
• chili powder 
• pepper and salt to taste
• oil

Directions
Filling

• prepare the filling first and let it cool
• same like preparing curry potato lah
• I cook like epok2 filling but just add the chicken and carrot hehe

Pastry

• rub in cubed butter to flour & salt till it form breadcrumbs
• add ice water in batches till it formed a soft smooth dough
• leave the dough to rest covered for at least 30 minutes
• roll flat and make just like super huge curry puff or epok2
• place the cornish on parchment paper and brush it with egg yolk before baking
• if you have italian herbs, sprinkle on the cornish (too bad I don't have... oh well)
• bake for 35-40 minutes at 170°C

Foodnote: My niece told me she misses the Chicken Cornish from Secret Recipe. Sooo... this is my attempt to make one but this one is "Ciklin's Recipe" hee hee... 

Instant Puff

Ingredients
instant roti prata (I use Springhome)
whisked egg

fillings
curry potato or sardines or sambal ikan bilis etc
chopped fruits also can

Directions

• pre-heat oven to 170°C
• cut the instant prata into half
• place fillings on the dough and fold into two
• use a fork to pinch the open ends
• place on baking tray lined with parchment paper
• brush the top with egg generously
• bake for about 20min or so till puff is golden and crispy

Foodnote: This is a simple recipe to make and it is yummy. Good to make when you have leftover sardins or potato curry etc. or you just need a fast snack to serve guests.

Roti Jala / Roti Kirai

Ingredients
1 egg
2 cups plain flour
2/3 can evaporated milk
pinch of salt
turmeric or yellow colouring
~1.5 cup of water

Directions

• whisk egg, salt and evaporated milk together
• add sifted flour and whisk till no more lumps
• add water to dilute the mixture
• test the consistency using the mould. The liquid should be watery enough that the mixture flow in a fine stream and not droplets (too thick)
• heat flat pan and wipe/brush lightly with oil
• scoop mixture with mould and swiftly make a circular motion on the pan
• when the top layer is cooked through, fold into half and fold to form cone shape

Foodnote: Another one of my favourite food. Super yummy to eat with chicken or mutton curry and top up with sambal tumis. It is nicer if the string is thinner. Some amake this with curry potato filling but I prefer as is and just dip in thick curry gravy nom nom nom.

Roti Kering

Ingredients
bread (leftover or stale one also can)
sugar
butter

Directions

• spread butter on bread, cut into smaller desired sizes and sprinkle with sugar
• if using other than loaf, cut the bread thinly and to desired size
• arrange on baking tray and bake at 120°C for about 20min till bread is crispy
• that's all... can keep in airtight container for quite long

Foodnote: Just a childhood snack that I love. Made it for my niece who will be spending a lot of time at home due to the Circuit Breaker period. Even I can't stop popping it into my mouth huhu.

Churros

Ingredients
150ml water
40g unsalted butter
20g sugar
110g all-purpose flour
2 eggs
oil for frying

fine sugar + cinnamon powder for coating (optional)

Chocolate sauce
4g corn starch
10g water

50g dark chocolate
25g sugar
150ml milk

Directions

• in a small pot, heat water, sugar and butter till boiling and sugar dissolves
• lower the heat and pour sifted flour into the mixture and stir with a spatula till you get a ball of dough
• move the pan to a table, spread the dough thinly and leave it to cool for about 10-15mins
• add one egg at a time and mix till you get a soft dough
• fill dough into piping bag with a star nozzle
• pipe the churros on cut up parchment papers for easy frying
• put the churros together with the parchment paper into oil to fry and promptly remove the parchment paper... 
• fry till crispy and dark golden
• (optional) once fried, cover the churros in sugar+cinnamon mixture

Chocolate sauce

• mix the corn starch with water in a small bowl
• in a pan, heat the rest of the ingredients, dark chocolate, milk and sugar till all combined and sugar dissolves
• add in the corn starch mixture and keep stirring till chocolate sauce thickens
• dip churros into chocolate sauce and enjoy

Foodnote: It is just an impromptu decision to try and make churros for the niece. I just use the available nozzle. It was nice... chocolate sauce will be nicer if I am more patient and let it thicken further. The churros also need to fry a bit longer so that it will be crispier. Overall... quite satisfied.

Japanese Cotton Cheese Cake

Ingredients
Group A
60g full cream milk
140g cream cheese
40g butter

Group B
50g plain flour
15g corn flour or corn starch
5 egg yolks

Group C
5 egg whites
100g caster sugar

Direction

• prepare ingredients and put aside
• pre-heat oven to 120°C with a tray of water about 1cm deep (to bake in waterbath)
• put all Group A in a stainless steel pan and using low fire, whisk all ingredients till creamy and quickly remove from stove
• add in flour and corn starch mix... followed by yolk and slowly use whisk to mix till smooth
• using a mixer with balloon attachment, whisk egg whites till bubby
• add in sugar in 3 batches till firm peak is formed
• scoop some egg whites meringue to flour mixture and slowly mix together with whisk till even
• transfer into a bigger bowl, scoop half egg whites and slowly mix again followed by the last batch use spatula to fold in till smooth and even
• pour to 7" pan (I only have 6" so can split into 2 pans)
• use a stick to run around the batter to remove any big bubbles
• put pan in waterbath and bake for 20min at 120°C
• after 20min, increase the heat to 150°C and bake for another 15min
• switch off the oven and leave the cake in oven to cool for 10min
• remove from oven and remove cake from the pan
• yummy... nom nom nom... easy peasy

Foodnote: I happen to have all the ingredients and have always wanted to make jiggly cotton cheese cake. Use this recipe here. It is so easy and I didn't expect that it will turn out so well. So happy me happy tummy.