Apam Balik

Ingredients

2.5 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp instant yeast

2 eggs

4 tbsp sugar

2 cups of water (I used 1 cup of water+1 cup of fresh milk)

fillings

roasted ground peanuts

sugar

optional: cream of corn, chocolate chips or cheese

Directions

• whisk flour, baking soda, yeast, egg, sugar, water and milk till smooth and no lumps
• refrigerate for 3 hours or more
• heat lightly oiled pan and scoop batter to cover the surface
• let it bubble then sprinkle sugar and cover with lid for another minute till surface looks cook (raw batter is no longer visible)
• sprinkle with peanut and cream of corn or chocolate chip or cheese
• leave till pancake is deep golden brown on the bottom and crispy on the edges
• loosen edges and fold pancake into 2
• remove from pan, cut to 2 or 4 pieces and serve warm

Foodnote
Have always wanted to make apam balik myself because it is one of my favorite pasar malam food. So finally... here it is. Found a simple recipe from youtube. Supposed to refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight but I don't have time for that as the guests are coming over... but it is still good.
Made a variety of chocolate chips+cheese, chocolate chips+cream of corn+peanuts, peanuts+cream of corn... just to entertain the kids and they love it. None is left! Very easy recipe and I am so pleased with the outcome.

This same recipe is also good for making pancake/hotcake. Extra batter can be left in the fridge for a few days.

Granola Dust

Ingredients

800g Quaker rolled oats

230g mixed nuts and seeds (I use walnut, almond, pinenuts, pecan, macadamia)

230g mixed dried fruits (I use dried figs, dates, raisin, sun dried tomato)

1 orange zest

1 tbsp coffee powder

3 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions

• bake oats, nuts & orange zest in oven (170 degrees C) for 15-20 mins. Stir every 5mins  until oats & nuts gets a bit crunchy & crispy
• once oats & nuts are cooled, use food blender to grind with the rest of the ingredients to form 'dust'
• keep in airtight container
• serve 1/2 cup of healthy and sugar free granola dust with milk or/and yoghurt together with fresh berries or/and chopped fresh fruits

Foodnote

Saw my friend post this recipe by Jamie Oliver on his facebook and have the strong urge to try it (actually more because I have an empty and cool looking glass jar that he gave me and the granola dust will be perfect for it). The portion and ingredients have been adjusted to include whatever I have on hand. Would be good to have more seeds like flaxseed but I don't want to buy a big packet and leave it lying around too long. Eeerrr should have halfed the ingredients but ok lah... now I have like 2 months supply of granola dust for breakfast haha.

Big Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

100g French Butter

3/4 cup brown

3/4 cup caster sugar

a pinch of salt

1tsp baking powder

2 1/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups semidark chocolate chips

Directions

• combine sugar, salt, baking powder and flour in a bowl
• add mixture to softened butter with wooden spoon or spatula
• add in eggs, vanilla extract and finally chocolate chips
• bake in low heat about 160 degree C for about 20 to 30mins until edges are browned and cookies are properly cooked
• cookies should be soft and moist in the inside
• immediately store hot baked cookies in airtight container to keep it chewy and soft

Foodnote
This recipe is from my good friend Jerry. Made this in giant size and thick chunks because it is for personal consumption. Good recipe and easy to make as all I need to do is mix, drop the dough and bake. So sinfully good and will make more next time to store and eat whenever I have chocolate cravings yummm....

Kueh Bakar Labu

Ingredients

1kg pumpkin

1kg/4 cups fresh coconut milk

3 cups plain flour

3 cups caster sugar

5 eggs

Directions

• cut pumpkin into smaller pieces and boil with a pinch of salt for about 20mins till soft
• remove skin and pulp the flesh
• add flour, caster sugar and egg
• finally combine coconut milk
• scoop into tray or muffin tin and bake in high heat (175 degrees C) till edges browned

Tips
Choose ripe pumpkin with orange or even skin that looked dried up on the surface.

Foodnote
I was taught how to make this by my good friend Jerry before he went away to Chicago boo hoo hoo. The kueh was made in silicon tray as well as muffin tray. The one in silocon tray came out nice and soft while the one in muffin tray came with more brown edges and crispier. This is sooooo yummy that I can't stop eating. Will definitely be looking out to buy another silicon tray.

Next time, I will sprinkle cinnamon powder once the kueh are baked. Bet it will be awesome!

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...