Kuih Talam

Actually I think it has been more than 2 decade that I had this kuih kuih. One day I was feeling bored so as i was browsing through the website on kuih kuih and saw this post by Corner Cafe. Look easy so decided to try that out. It was a great success and most of my friend mistook it as 'maijong' chinese playing tiles with the way I cut it. I like the taste of this not too sweet on the green layer and not to savory on the white layer. Some people felt weird like my housemate from China, they felt that it was funny to have 2 kinds of taste in a piece of kuih kuih. For this kuih kuih , I did not add alkaline water as they do not sell it here in Australia anymore. Anyway what different does the alkaline water makes? Well alkaline water will make the texture more 'Q' springy. It turn out just as great even without it and is more healthy.

Ingredients:

Green Layer

• 50g      Rice flour
• 15g       Mung bean starch (hoen kwee flour)
• 70ml     Water
• 1/3 tsp   Alkaline water (lye water)
• 85g        White granulated sugar
• 180ml     Thin coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp    Pandan paste

White Layer

• 30g         Mung bean starch (hoen kwee flour)
• 15g         Rice flour
• 1 tsp       White granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp     Salt
• 150ml      Thin coconut milk
• 75ml        Thick coconut milk
• 2              Pandan leaves, torn & knotted

Green Bottom Layer:
1. Mix rice flour and mung bean starch in a mixing bowl. Slowly pour in water and mix into a batter without any lumps. Stir in alkaline water.
2. Put sugar, thin coconut milk and pandan paste (or pandan juice) in a saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and it just comes to a slow boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour slowly into the flour mixture, stirring at the same time to mix well.
3. Heat the prepared pan in the steamer until hot.
4. Pour the green batter into the hot pan in the steamer and stir until the bottom of the batter starts to set, about 2-3 minutes. Stop stirring and cover the steamer. Steam over high heat for about 15 minutes, or until set.

White Top Layer:

1. Mix mung bean starch, rice flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly pour in thin coconut milk and mix into a batter without any lumps. Set aside this white batter.

2. When the bottom layer is almost done, pour the white batter into a saucepan and add thick coconut milk and pandan leaves. Cook over moderate heat for about 1 minute, stirring gently all the time to avoid any bubbles forming, until the bottom just starts to set. Remove pandan leaves.

3. When the green bottom layer is set, lightly scratch the surface with a fork. Then pour the white batter on top of the set green layer. Steam over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, or until set.

Maijong tiles

 This is the final product of my first try out, forgot to turn it over after taking out of the tray so allowed others to mistook that as 'maijong' tiles. While it still tasted just as great till no leftover.

Ready to be steam 

Scratch it with a fork or knife

Bottom layer set

Its ready

Kuih Talam

Then I was told for this kuih kuih, I am suppose to cut it in a diamond shape therefore I made it again on another occasion. I think was for my Aunt MIL death anniversary, I shared it with other and they all love it so the effort paid off.

Kueh Pisang

This was my very first kuih kuih made. You know if you get it from Bengawan Solo, that small little piece was never enough.So one day when I came to office, Kay was making making that. Instantly I want to learn how to make this kuih, it was really great like those we get from the shop.

Ingredients:

• 6-8             Ripe banana (sliced)
• 1 Pack        Mung bean flour(hoon kwee)
• 1 Can          Coconut cream
• 1 Can          Water
• 3/4tsp       Salt
• 200 gms    Sugar
• 1 Pack        Banana Leave
• 2                Pandan leaves

Methods:

1. Boil banana leave to soften the leave and wash the leave
2. Mix the coconut cream with the water.
3. Pour the mung bean flour into a pot with 1 cup of coconut mixture and salt.
4. Mix it well and set it aside
5. Pour the remaining coconut mixture into another pot with the sugar and pandan leaves.
6. Dissolve the sugar and keep stirring till it almost boiling.
7. Pour in the flour mixture slowly and kept stirring it.
8. Add in the banana slices
9. Leave it to boil and stir it occasionally till it cannot get any thicken.
10. Scoop it on the leaf and fold it to shape.
11. Allow it to cool and then put it in the fridge to chill it.
12. Best eaten when chill.

Kueh Pisang

On the above pictures, on the left one I did not add the banana in the mixture and the banana was not very ripe so the taste not as great but with the picture on the right, as you can see the colour of the banana is different. As I added the banana in the mixture and it also gave the  mixture the smell of banana as well. Very important to get ripe banana and not those almost ripe one. Best to buy it a few days before making this.

Kueh jagung ( Corn cake)

This is one of the easiest kuih kuih to make.Basically all you need is like 3 main items and take less than 15mins to prepare but a bit of the waiting time to cool it off. Whenever I passed by Bengawan solo when I was in Singapore, this is one of the kuih i will consider to buy but with the price they are charging, I will go for others. After been here for 6 years, I finally get to taste it again. Thanks to Cindy for making it and after taking the recipe off her, this has been my favorite making kuih before exploring other kuih kuih.

Ingredients:

• 1 Can            Corn Kennels
• 1 Pack          Mung bean flour(hoon kwee)
• 1 Can           Coconut cream
• 1 Can           Water
• 3/4tsp        Salt
• 200 gms     Sugar
• 1 Pack         Banana Leave
• 2                 Pandan leaves

Methods:

1. Boil banana leave to soften the leave and wash the leave
2. Mix the coconut cream with the water.
3. Pour the mung bean flour into a pot with 1 cup of coconut mixture and salt.
4. Mix it well and set it aside
5. Pour the remaining coconut mixture into another pot with the sugar and pandan leaves.
6. Dissolve the sugar and keep stirring till it almost boiling.
7. Pour in the flour mixture slowly and kept stirring it.
8. Finally add in the corn kennel without the water.
9. Leave it to boil and stir it occasionally till it cannot get any thicken.
10. Scoop it on the leaf and fold it to shape.
11. Allow it to cool and then put it in the fridge to chill it.
12. Best eaten when chill.

Kueh Jagung in a dish

Kueh Jagung in Banana leaf

Well I did it in 2 methods, one is to wrap it in the banana leaves which will have the fragrant from the leaves and the other, the lazy way just pour it into a dish. 

Red Bean Cake

Talking about this cake, i am very interested in it as I alway saw it on Hong Kong drama series. They alway sell it by the roadside kind and in the shape of a bowl. No chance of trying it in Spore so try my luck on some recipe book and I found it. Overjoyed with it and I made it but failed. The 1st recipe book I had was not very detailed, I just follow the instruction but no instruction to soak the red bean first. In the end, the red bean was not cooked properly. Not giving up so easily so i tried another book recipe which required me to soak the bean 1st and this time was great and love by all. The texture was great and the red beans was just nice.


Ingredients:

• 110gm   Red Bean
• 120gm   Glutinous rice flour
• 70gm     Wheat Flour
• 185gm    Sugar
• 25ml       Oil
• 220ml     Water

Methods:

1. Rinse the red beans and soak it for 30-45 mins.
2. Boil the red beans with 4cm of water level and cook it over low heat for an hour.
3. Drain and put it aside
4. Mix the glutinous flour and wheat flour with half the water.
5. Then mix the remaining water in another bowl with the sugar.
6. Dissolve the sugar and then add in the sugar and oil.
7. Mix well and add in the flour mixture, keep stirring till well mix.
8. Rub some oil on the steaming tray and then pour in the batter and steam it for an hour over high heat.

This cake must be very nice, cos even my French  ex-housemate, Justin love it. I myself also like it, i think is because of the red beans which is my favorite. Even like ice cream i will wait for the ice cream man on the bike to come and then buy a few red bean ice creams to share with my late grandpa as well.

Sujee

This cookies I used to find it at the mamak store over at the counter. I can still remember 1 pc for 20c and that was like 20years ago.. As I grow up, not many mamak stores selling and the price of it also went up. Then about 8 years back my youngest and lovely Auntie Nancy made it for Chinese New Year. So she taught me how to make it since then every CNY we made our own even till a point where we made for her. One of the goodies that was loved by all and this is so easy to make. When I made these cookies and gave some to my housemates from China they loved it and instantly link it with wang zha xiao man tao...

Ingredients:

• 1Kg                             Plain Flour
• 450 gms                       Pure Icing sugar
• 1 Tspn                          Bi-Carbonate Soda
• 1 Tspn                          Vanilla essence
• 1/2 Kg                          Ghee

Methods:

1. Mix all the above thoroughly using rubbing in method.
2. Roll them into small ball like the size of marble.
3. To make them into same size, roll out the dough and cut it up.
4. Baked it under 180deg for 20mins or till lightly brown.

Sujee

All you need just 5 items to make this. Make it small cos it will expand in size and remember to leave some space in between if not they will stick together.  To have it small so that the whole cookie can be in the mouth with no hassle.