Kaya

Ingredients:

10 eggs
600g sugar
500ml thick coconut milk
4 pandan leaves, knotted
a pinch of salt
a slice of ginger

Method:
1.  Stir eggs and sugar together till sugar dissolves.
2.  Add half the amount of coconut milk with a pinch of salt to the egg mixture and stir well to mix.  Add the ginger and the pandan leaves.
3.  Heat mixture in double-boiler over a low heat.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon till the sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove the ginger and pandan leaves and strain mixture.
3.  Add the other half amount of coconut milk and continue stirring till the mixture is thick and creamy. 
4.  Wrap lid of double-boiler with a dry tea-towel, cover and steam kaya for 3 hrs over a moderate heat.

Kueh Bakar

Ingredients:

300g plain flour
300ml thick coconut milk
300ml water
250g caster sugar
50g ghee
8 pandan leaves
3 eggs

Method:

1.  Blend pandan leaves with 300ml water and strain out the pandan flavoured water.
2.  Cream the eggs with sugar till sugar dissolves.  Add in the thick coconut milk and pandan flavoured water.
3.  Fold in the flour and mix well. Strain the mixture.
4.  Melt the ghee in a 9 inches round tin.  Pour in the mixture.
5.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degress F for about an hour.
6.  Let kueh cool in tin before turning out.

Kueh Wajik

Ingredients:

600g glutinous rice
250ml water
300ml thick coconut milk
150ml thin coconut milk
300g gula melaka
150g sugar
6 pandan leaves
a pinch of salt

Method:

1.  Wash the glutinous rice in several changes of water and soak overnight.
2.  Spread the drained glutinous rice in a steaming tray and steam the rice for 30 minutes.  Add 250ml water to the steamed rice and mix well.  Add the pandan leaves and steam for a further 30 minutes.  Gently fluff up rice and set aside.
3.  Bring the thin coconut milk, chopped gula melaka, sugar and pandan leaves to a boil.  Stir continuously over a low heat till the sugar dissolves.  Add in the thick coconut milk, stir well and strain solution.
4.  Add the steamed rice.  Cook over a low flame, stirring continuously till mixture thickens.
5.  Spread the cooked wajik on a tray lined with banana leaves.  Press down firmly and smoothen the surface.  Cool till it hardens slightly before cutting.

Ban Chien Kueh

Rising Dough:

2 tsp dry yeast
180g plain flour
300ml water

Method: Mix dissolved yeast with the plain flour and water and leave to rise for 5 to 8 hrs.

Ingredients:

450g plain flour
110 tapioca flour
90g sugar
500ml water
2 eggs
2 tsp alkaline water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:
1.  Sieve plain flour and tapioca flour together into a mixing bowl.
2.  Add in the sugar, bicarbonate of soda, alkaline water and eggs.
3.  Add water gradually and stir until combined then add risen dough and mix well. Cover and keep batter aside for 1-2 hours.
4.  Heat a brass mould or a non-stick pan. Pour a thin layer of batter onto heated, greased mould and spread batter to form a round thin pancake.  Sprinkle with a bit of sugar, cover and cook over medium low  heat until cooked. Sprinkle with coconut or peanut fillings, fold kueh over and remove from mould.

Huat Kueh

Ingredients:

600g plain flour
500g brown sugar
300g sweet potatoes
1 to 11/2 rice bowls water
1 tbsp dried yeast
10 pandan leaves

Method:

1.  Remove skin of sweet potatoes, wash and cut into pieces. Boil with some water till cooked, drain and  mash till fine.
2.  Pound pandan leaves and extract the juice.
3.  Sift flour into a mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and mix thoroughly.
4.  Add the pandan juice and cooled, mashed sweet potatoes.
5.  Add in the water bit by bit till enough to form a thick batter.
6.  Dissolve the dried yeast in 2 tbsp lukewarm water, leave till foamy then mix with the batter.  Mix well, cover and leave to prove for 1 hour.
7.  Pour batter into  2-5″ round tins lined with banana leaves and steam over vigorously boiling water for 1 hour.

Alkaline Kueh

Ingredients:

300g rice flour
1200ml water
1 tsp salt
3 tsp alkaline water

Method:
1.  Sieve rice flour into a mixing bowl.  Add in the salt, 600ml water and the alkaline water and mix well. Rest mixture for 10-15 mins before straining.
2.  Boil remaining 600ml water.  When boiled, pour the rice flour mixture into it and stir till thick.
3.  Line a 9 inches round tray with cellophane paper.  Pour the rice flour mixture into it and smoothen the surface with 2 tbsp water.  Steam over high heat for about 1/2 hour or till cooked.
4.  Cool kueh before cutting into serving pieces.  Serve with palm sugar syrup.

Palm Sugar Syrup:

300g gula melaka
150g caster sugar
150cc water
2 pandan leaves

Method:

1.  Boil the above ingredients together until thick.
2.  Remove pandan leaves and sieve.

Har Kow (Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe

Ingredients:

• 125 g Wheat starch
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 teaspoon lard

Filling:

• 1/2 egg white
• 300g Shelled shrimps
• 30g bamboo shoots

Seasoning:

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornflour

Method:
Pastry -

• Sift the wheat starch and cornflour into mixing bowl, pour in the boiling water and stir vigorously into a paste.
• Remove on to a table and allow to stand for 1 minute, then add the lard and knead into a soft dough.
• Roll into a long strip and cut into 32 equal portions.

Filling -

• Dice the shrimps.
• Shred the bamboo shoots finely.
• Place both filling ingredients into a bowl.
• Add the egg white, salt, sugar and pepper and mix well.
• Then add the cornflour and pound the mixture until firm.
• Keep in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

To complete -

• Roll each portion of dough into a small round.
• Place the filling on the round and wrap up with 6 pleats on each side, forming a bonnet-shaped dumpling.
• Arrange the har kow in a greased steamer.
• Steam over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Remove and serve hot.

Beef Hor Fun

Main Ingredients:

• 150g beef fillet, trimmed and cut into thin slices
• 350g fresh flat rice noodles (hor fun)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce combined with 1 tbsp water
• 100g mustard greens (sawi), trimmed 1 tbsp oil
• A handful of bean sprouts
• 1 stalk spring onion, cut into 3cm lengths
• 3-4 thin slices young ginger

Seasoning (A)

• 1 tsp old ginger juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp corn flour
• 1 tsp oil (to be added last)

Sauce (B) (combined)

• 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp chicken stock granules
• 5-6 tbsp water
• 2-3 tsp corn flour

Method
Marinate beef with (A) and set aside for 20–25 minutes.

Bring water to a boil in a wok, add in marinated beef and scald for 4-5 minutes. Drain the meat and leave aside.

Heat wok with 1 tablespoon oil and swirl the wok around so that the oil coats the pan well. Use the spatula to remove any excess oil, then add in the rice noodles. Fry the noodles briskly in the hot wok for 1–2 minutes. Add the combined soy sauce mixture and fry the noodles well. Dish out and place on a serving platter.

Heat a clean wok with 1 tablespoon oil and stir-fry mustard greens and beansprouts for 30–40 seconds. Remove and place around the noodles.

Reheat wok with a little oil and fry ginger slices until fragrant. Add in combined sauce ingredients (B). Return the pre-cooked beef and fry briskly. Add a dash of sesame oil and a little more oil to glaze the gravy. Pour the gravy and beef over the noodles and serve immediately.

Remarks:
I just had Beef Hor Fun for dinner today, so I thought I would look up the recipe and post it. One of my all-time favourites. I usually like to add extra sliced chilli and soy sauce. I like the starchy gravy and it is so important that the beef is tender. The ginger just goes so well with the Beef, I wish the Thai place I ordered from had it!

Seafood or Pork Shumai (Siew Mai)

I always wanted to learn how to make Shumai (my favourite Dim Sum dish!) - I found one in “Joy of Cooking”:

Makes 32 dumplings

Put together into a large bowl and mix well:

• 1 pound sea bass or other mild white fish fillets, finely chopped, or a combination of fish, shrimp, and scallops, finely chopped, or ground pork
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger (about a 2-inch piece)
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
• 2 tablespoons minced scallion
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• salt and Black Pepper to taste

Have ready:
32 round wonton wrappers

Place a wonton wrapper on a work surface and place 1 tablespoon filling in the center. Pick the wrapper up so that it partially surrounds the filling, pleating the edges of the wrapper so that it resembles a cup, the filing should be exposed at the top and level with the wrapper. Tap the dumpling against the work surface to flatten the bottom. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Place half the dumplings, without touching each other, in an oiled steamer basket. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large pot, put the basket on top, cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until dumplings are cooked through. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Cook the remaining dumplings in the same way.Serve hot with:

• Soy sauce
• Thai Hot sauce
• Chilli Sauce

Kueh Sarlat

Ingredients for Pulut:

600g glutinous rice

300ml thin coconut milk

150ml thick coconut milk

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 pandan leaves

Method:

1.  Wash and soak glutinous rice overnight.  Drain and place rice in a steaming tray, top with pandan leaves and steam over high heat for 15 minutes.

2.  Add 300ml thin coconut milk  to steamed rice, mix well and steam for another 10 minutes.  Add the thick coconut milk, mix well then sprinkle rice with some blue colouring and steam for a further 5 minutes. 

3.  Line the bottom of a 28 cm round tray with banana leaf.  Transfer steamed rice to tray and press rice down firmly with a piece of banana leaf  or a plastic spatula.  Steam tray of glutinous rice over boiling water for 15 minutes before adding the custard topping. 

Custard Topping:

10 eggs

450g castor sugar

500ml thick coconut milk

6 level tbsp plain flour

1 level tbsp rice flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp pandan juice

1 tsp apple green colouring

Method:

1.  Stir eggs with sugar till sugar dissolves and strain into a double boiler. 

2.  Sift rice flour and plain flour into a big bowl, add coconut milk gradually and mix to a smooth batter then strain into the egg mixture.  Add salt, pandan juice and green colouring and stir well.

3.  Stir mixture over a pot of boiling water till it coats the back of a wooden spoon.  Pour custard onto steamed glutinous rice, cover and steam over moderately high heat for 15 minutes.

4.  Reduce heat to low and continue to steam for another 1/2 hour or till a small stick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the custard.  Remove and place tray on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.