Lopes

Ingredients
2kg glutinous rice
approximately 30-40g abuchang (soda ash)

banana leaves (approx 20 pieces)
rafia string or alternatives (I use dried grass straw. See lontong post for picture)

Syrup
gula melaka

a pinch of salt
2-3 pandan leaves
water

Coconut
grated coconut (white only)
a pinch of salt
2 pandan leaves

Directions

• soak glutinous rice in abuchang (leave it whole or I pound it to powder) for 2 hours or more and drain the water (rice will be a bit yellowish)
• dip the banana leaves in hot water or heat it over fire to soften the leaves. Cut away the hard stem.
• cut about 8cm width or bigger depending on how big you want your lopes to be
• fold firmly into triangular shape like samosa (see picture) and fill with the glutinous rice
• stack 3 to 5 pieces together and tie tightly with the string
• place the completed wrapped glutinous rice into a big pot and fill with water to cover the kueh
• boil for 3-4 hours and top up with boiling water whenever water level drops below the lopes level
• gula melaka syrup: boil chopped gula melaka, salt, knotted pandan leaves in enough water until syrup slightly thickens
• grated coconut: steam grated coconut with knotted pandan leaves and a pinch of salt for about 20-30 mins
• serve cooled lopes topped with grated coconut and drizzled with gula melaka syrup

Tips

There are 2 types of abuchang... white and orange. Both are fine. My aunt who is an expert in making lopes said that the abuchang helps to make the glutinous rice chewy and soft. She added air kapur for softer texture but I prefer without.

Keep excess lopes in the fridge and just steam it again when ready to eat.

Foodnote
Aaaah... who don't like kueh lopes. Was reluctant to make this for raya but got special request by my niece. Since I also like to eat lopes and it is quite fun to wrap the lopes because it took some special skill (ehem) so I make it lor. Bought banana leaves from tekka because the lady there sells nice longer width leaves that I can choose. Cheap too! 

I used dried grass straw as string because... I just want to keep things natural (avoid boiling plastic or rubber band for long hours with food).

Cookie Press Shortbread

Ingredients
2 cups butter
5 cups flour
1 cup corn flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp cocoa powder (optional)

Directions

• cream butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth with electric mixer
• stir in both flour
• pop dough in into cookie press using desired shape
• I split dough to 2 portions... and replace 3 tbsp of flour with cocoa powder to one portion
• - wrap the cocoa dough with the white one then press
• I bake for 13 mins in preheated oven at about 165-175 degrees C

Tips
chill the dough for a short while so that it is easier to press

Foodnote
As usual, mum used to make cookies using the cookie press when I was little. She lend the press to friends and relatives and it broke. Came across a smiliar press in Kluang for RM15.90 so I got it lah. Usually the new ones are made in plastic. Not sure if this is the same ingredients mum made... but this will do lah because it is easy. Mum likes it a lot too as it is not sweet.

Pineapple Tart 2019

Ingredients
600g-700g flour (adjust based on dough consistency)
3 egg yolks
450g butter
60g Bird's custard powder
pineapple jam (I use Bake King)

Directions

• combine all ingredients except pineapple jam until it forms dough
• wrap the dough in cling wrap and keep in the fridge for 40min (optional)
• use desired tart press and fill it with pineapple jam
• Bake for 15 mins at 170 degrees C

Foodnote
My lovey-dovey pineapple tart aaawww. A must-have kueh at almost every house during Hari Raya. Found this simple recipe and most probably will stick to it because it is not sweet and just require few simple ingredients. Next time I must learn to make my own pineapple jam :)

2019 update: Use this recipe again for hari raya. This time I tried to make "tart nenas sepit" and I think I did it quite well. For this I use 10g of dough... but next time I think 8g will be nice. The pineapple filling, I bought from Chef Boutique. It is very deep orange but I think the taste is awesome. Still have some pineapple jam left so will make this again for Hari Raya Haji.

Makmur

Ingredients
1kg flour

160g caster sugar
400g QBB ghee (or just enough to form dough)
1.5 tsp green colorings (optional) 

powder sugar for dusting

for fillings
150-200g ground peanuts/cashew nuts (I use ready unsalted cashews)
80g fine or icing sugar 

Directions

• mix ground nuts and caster sugar for fillings and put aside
• combine flour, caster sugar and ghee to form soft dough... add green color as desired
• take about a tablespoon of dough and form a small bowl and fill it with the nuts
• cover the nuts and form an oval shape like dates
• using pincher, make design on the dough like a leaf
• bake in preheated oven at 160 degrees C for 20-25mins
• once cooled, dust with powder sugar

Foodnote
Every year for Hari Raya I must make kueh makmur which means prosperity. I like to color my makmur green because I personally think it should look like a leaf and green is a soothing color for muslims... reminds us of heaven *wink wink*. Also because I am boyan daun pakau jeng jeng jeng... eerrk hhmmm

Hey... I need to have more green coloring lah. The baking and powder sugar makes my leaves pale aarrgghhh!!! Haiz, at least my eldest brother says it is very yummeh...

Steamed Fruit Cake

Ingredients

500g dried mixed fruits
454g Golden Churn butter (1 medium can)
350g dark brown sugar
500g flour
220g Lyle's Golden Syrup (half tin)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
5 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)

2 cups chopped dates (optional)

Directions

• mixed dried fruits with flour and put aside (leave a handful of dried fruits aside)
• beat sugar and butter till smooth
• add eggs one at a time followed by baking soda, cream of tartar and dried fruits mixture
• finally add in the golden syrup
• pour into baking tin and sprinkle remaining dried fruits on top
• cover baking tin securely with aluminium foil and steam with hot boiling water for 4 hours
• top up water occasionally with boiling hot water
• best stored in fridge and can last for quite long (good to eat the longer we keep... don't ask me why)

Tips
No big steamer? No problem. Follow my mum style. Steam in a big pot... just prop the cake pan on top of a round cake pan (remove the detachable base). Tadaaaaa....

Foodnote
Got my mum's recipe from my sister-in-law. When she was staying with us loooong time ago, she helped my mum to make the steamed fruit cake and managed to scribble down the recipe. When I know that she had the recipe... I practically beg her and roll over asking her for it (bedek je). Well the recipes are quite vague using measuring units like kotak, kati, tin etc *gasp* so I have to slowly try to convert it to grams ~phewwww. Of course we used to steam the cake over an old charcoal pot after we finished boiling lontong lah. Now I have to steam it on a stove :)

Suji Bai | Sughee

Ingredients

500g icing sugar

500g QBB ghee

600g flour

4 egg yolks

0.5 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

colorings (optional)

Directions

• combine icing sugar and ghee until well mixed
• add egg yolk, vanilla and baking soda
• add flour slowly till dough can be shaped
• colorings can be added at this stage if desired
• drop liquid colorings and just mixed slightly so colors are a bit blotchy and have marble effect
• make small balls (5-6g) and drop on tray
• bake at 165°C for 10-12min or till edges slightly browned

Tips
for basic suji recipe the proportion of ingredients is usually same amount of sugar and ghee and approximately double amount of flour. The flour should be enough when the dough can be shaped. Softer dough... the final suji will be melt in your mouth-in-your-mouth. Firmer dough, the suji will be more firm.  Bai suji is more firm and crispy, with cracks on the surface and a bit hollow in the middle. The dough will slightly spread and expand quite a bit too when baked.

Foodnote: Got my niece to help make this. Marble colorings is her idea... pink, orange and green. Must say it looks cool and my niece insisted it looks like kadama. The size expanded a bit too big for Hari Raya cookies but jeng jeng jeng... I lurve the cracked surface heeheehee...

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
225g butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
0.5 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in a bit of hot water
0.5 tsp salt
2 cups white chocolate chips (1 packet)
1 cup chopped pecans (I use walnuts)
1.5 cups rolled oats

Directions

• cream together butter, both sugars until smooth
• beat in egg one at a time and stir in vanilla, baking soda and salt
• fold in the flour, chocolate chips, rolled oats and walnuts
• leave mixture in fridge for an hour or longer
• preheat oven to 170 degrees C
• scoop a spoonful of batter and bake for 10mins or until edges are nicely browned

Foodnote
I just do a single portion for this. No pecans but I bought too much walnuts so I just use that instead. Anyway... walnuts are good for the brain isn't it hehe. This cookie is so lovely... milky and chewy and oaty. I like...

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
225g butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
0.5 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in a bit of hot water
0.5 tsp salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (1 packet)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

• cream together butter, both sugars until smooth
• beat in egg one at a time and stir in vanilla, baking soda and salt
• fold in the flour, chocolate chips and walnuts
• leave mixture in fridge for an hour or longer
• preheat oven to 170 degrees C
• scoop a spoonful of batter and bake for 10mins or until edges are nicely browned

Foodnote
This is a basic chocolate chip cookies recipe I guess. Realized it is similar to white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies except for few main ingredients. The first time I used Aalst chocolate chips instead of Hersheys... only because I saw MUIS halal logo on it. I prepared the batter and keep it in the fridge. Going out to volunteer for Project Joy today... so will bake it in the evening after iftar. Since this is for Hari Raya, I double the portion.

This recipe is different than the one that I used every year. That recipe called for peanut butter... but since peanut butter usually have lots of additives, I think this recipe is healthier. Hhhmmmm like real har har har... Nice, sweet, chocolatey... I am sure the kids are going to love this.