Monday 26 December 2011

Muruku

Muruku
Sift:
200g rice flour
50g chick pea flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ajowan seeds (omam)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp margarine, at room temperature
2 cups coconut milk, from 1 grated coconut

    Combine sifted dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir in ajowan seeds, salt and chilli powder. Rub in margarine. Heat coconut milk to almost a boil. Remove from heat and pour gradually into the flour mixture. Stir well with a wooden spatula to half cook the mixture. Knead well into a firm dough.
    Heat oil in a kuali. Put the dough mixture into a muruku mould. Pipe out dough onto a piece of banana leaf or newsprint.
    Slide the piped out dough into heated oil and deep fry over medium heat until golden brown. Remove with a perforated ladle and drain on absorbent kitchen paper towels. Cool and store in an air tight container.

Nin Koe (Kuih Bakul)

Nin Koe
250g glutinous rice flour
250ml water
275g granulated sugar
banana leaves, scalded
Any round tins (recycle empty fruit cans)

    Line tine with banana leaves, make sure that the leaves fold over the rim of the tin and secure with apiece of string. Put sifted glutinous rice flour in a mixing bowl, add water to form a soft dough. Add sugar and mix well until the sugar is completely dissolved. Leave aside to rest for 15 minutes.
   Pour batter into tin (half full). Steam over boiling water for 7-8 hours on medium heat. Replenish water for steaming reguarly, wit hot boiling water. Wrap the lid of the steamer with a sufficiently big piece of muslin cloth to prevent water from dripping onto the cake surface. When cake is done should turn brown. Leave cake in the tin for a day before taking it out.

Note
This is a traditional Chinese new year delicacy. It will keep for an indefinite period if sliced and then dried in the sun. There are two good ways of serving it. One, steam and roll it in white grated coconut, seasoned with a pinch of salt. The other way is to fry it with slices of yam or sweet potato in a batter, as in pisang goreng.

Kuih Lompang

Kuih Lompang
Syrup:
700ml water
275g sugar
3-4 pandan leaves, knotted

Sift together:
250g rice flour
45g tapioca flour
15g green bean flour
1/2 tsp alkaline water
Colouring of your choice
15 small Chinese tea cups


Mix and steam for 2-3 minutes:
150g white grated coconut
1/4 tsp salt

   Put sugar, water and pandan leaves in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Leave aside to cool. Put sifted flour in a large mixing bowl and stir in the cooled syrup. Mix well. Strain mixture and add alkaline water. Leave aside.
   Divide batter into 3 portions and add different colours to each portion. Steam the tea cups hot. In a separate pan, cook each coloured portion of the batter over low heat until mixture is hot and slightly lumpy. Remove from heat and use an electric mixer to beat well to dissolve the lumps.
   Fill the heated tea cups with the batter to more than three quarters full. Steam over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Cool and remove from cups. Roll the kuih in grated coconut or sprinkle grated coconut over the kuih before serving.

Butter Cookies

Butter Cookies
125g butter
100g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla essence

Sift together:
150g flour
1 tbsp rice flour
1/4 tsp baking powder

   Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Line cookie trays with greased greaseproof paper. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg yolk and essence. Stir in sifted dry ingredients to form a soft dough. Spoon mixture into a cookie press or icing bag fiied with a star nozzle and ripe rosettes 2cm apart, onto the prepared trays.
   Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until firm. Allow to cool on the tray for 2 minutes before lifting carefully onto wire racks to cool completely.

Apple Muffin

Apple Muffin
55g melted butter
1 egg
100g sugar
Grated rind of 1 orange
125ml orange juice

Combine and sift:
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 granny smith apple; peeled, cored and finely chopped or grated
125g raisins
50g chopped walnuts

   Lightly grease a muffin tin with melted butter. Preheat oven to 210 degrees C. Whisk egg lightly in a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and continue to whisk. Add sugar, orange rind and juice and whisk to blend.
   Place the sifted ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the combined mixture. Stir well to blend with a metal spoon. Do not over mix.
   Spoon mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the top springs back when touched lightly. Leave on a wire rack to cool. Loosen muffins with a flat-bladed kinfe and dust with icing sugar.

Puri

Puri
275g fine wholemeal flour or Atta flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp corn oil
1/2 cup lukewarm water
Oil foe deep frying

   Sift flour into a mixing bowl, add salt and corn oil. Slowly add warm water, mixing and kneading to form a smooth dough. Divide dough into 15 equal portions or small balls. flatten each into thin rounds with a rolling pin on a lightly floured board. Dust each lightly with a little extra flour.
   Deep fre in hot oil in a kuali. As soon as the puri puffs up turn it over and cook for about 1/2 a minute. Drain on absorbent paper towel. Serve puri with chicken curry.

TIP
The puris will flatten if they are heaped one on top of each other. Spread them out on a tray or flat dish.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Pineapple Fried Rice
450g cooked rice
4 tbsp oil
250g pineapple, diced
100g small prawns, shelled
100g chicken meat, diced
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Seasoning:
3 tbsp fish sauce (Nampla)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar or to taste
1 tsp chicken stock granules
5 chilli padi, chopped

Garnishing:
2 stalks spring onions, chopped
2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped

   Heat kuali with 2 tbsp oil and fry prawns and chicken meat until cooked. Add eggs and combine well. Mix in rice; add seasoning and blend well. Gradually drip in remaining oil. Lastly, add pineapple, chilli padi, chopped spring onions and coriander.
   Dish out and serve either in a pineapple case or in individual plates.