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.

Mango Rice

Mango Rice

3 bowls cooked rice
100g dried prawns, washed and chopped
300g lean chicken meat, diced
5 tbsp oil
4 green mangoes, skinned and finely shredded
4 stalks lemon grass (serai), finely sliced white portion only
10 shallots, finely sliced
15 pieces chilli padi, finely sliced
10 kaffir lime leaves (limau purut), finely shredded
100g carrot, shredded

Seasoning:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp chicken stock granules

   Marinate chicken with pepper, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt for 30 minutes. Fry the chicken in 1 tbsp oil. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and stir fry till chicken is cooked. Dish out and put aside.
   Heat 3 tbsp oil in a kuali and stir fry the dried prawns well. Drain and put aside to cool. Reheat kuali with 1 tbsp oil. Add the rice and mix in the seasoning. Fry until rice is fragrant.
   To serve, dish out fried rice onto a large plate and garnish with the chicken, dried prawns and the rest of the ingredients.

Penang Fried Koay Teow

Koay Teow

600g koay teow (flat rice noodles)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
Cooking oil
300g prawns, shelled but leave the tails intact
100g cockles, scalded and shelled
150g beansprouts (taugeh)
100g chives, cut into 3cm lengths
Chilli paste
3 eggs


Seasoning (for 1 serving):
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp chilli paste
Thick soy sauce, for colour
A little water

   Heat 3 tbsp oil in a kuali until hot. Fry 1 tsp chopped garlic until light brown and fragrant. Add about 3-4 prawns and some taugeh.
   Push all the fried ingredients to one side and add a plate of koay teow. Stir fry the koay teow quickly. Add seasoning and sprinkle with a little water and stir in all the fried ingredients. Spread the noodle mixture round the kuali to create an empty space in the centre. Crack in an egg and add a little more oil. Cover the egg with the noodle mixture and stir fry evenly. Add cockles if desired and throw in a handful of chives. Do not overcook.
   Remove fried kway teow to a plate and serve hot.

TIP 
Do not fry the koay teow all at once. Divide noodle into 200g portions and fry each portion separately. It is easier to fry smaller portions and the dish will taste better because the seasoning will be distributed more evenly.

Yau Char Kwai (Chinese Cruller)

Char Kwai

Sift and combine:
300g high protein flour
50g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Combine:
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp lukewarm water
2 tsp instant yeast
250ml lukewarm water
1/8 tsp alum (pak fun)
1/8 ammonia powder (chow fun)
1/2 tsp salt
Oil for deep-frying

   Put sifted ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix water, sugar and yeast and leave to froth for 10 minutes. Combine lukewarm water, alum, ammonia powder and salt. When yeast is frothy, add to flour and beat for 4-5 minutes until a soft dough is formed. Cover dough with a damp calico and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Knead dough for 5 minutes until it turns springy. Allow to rest, covered, for 2-3 hours until dough doubles in size.
   Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out into a long rectangle (10 x 60cm). Cut into approximately 20 pieces. Pick up a strip and place it on top of another strip. Do the same for the rest of the strips. With a chopstick dipped in water, press through the centre lightly to join both the strips together.
   Heat oil in a kuali. Take the strips of dough, stretch them slightly and lower into the hot oil. Deep fry, turning constantly until dough turns puffy and golden brown. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.

Kurma Chicken

Kurma Chicken

1 1/2kg chicken, cut into 12 large pieces
1 tsp salt
1 ripe tomato, cut into 4-5 pieces
6-7 tbsp oil

(A) :
4cm stick cinnamon
3 cloves
4 cardamoms, pods removed
2 big onions, sliced thinly

Blend together (B) :
2 1/2cm ginger
10 cloves garlic
12 shallots
4 green chillies, seeded

Mix into a paste with water (C) :
2 tbsp coriander powder (ketumbar)
3/4 tbsp fennel powder (jintan manis)
1/2 tbsp cumin powder (jintan putih)
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp turmeric powder ( kunyit)

Grind finely:
5 cashewnuts
5 almonds
2 cups thin coconut milk
2 tomatoes halved
2 green chillies, split
3 potatoes, halved

Seasoning:
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
2 stalks coriander leaves

Season chicken with salt and tomato for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in an earthen pot and fry (A) until onions turn soft. Add blended ingredients (B) and stir fry well. Put in (C) and fry until fragrant and oil separates.
Mix in chicken and fry until well coated with spices. pour in coconut milk and add the potatoes, green chillies and tomatoes. Simmer until chicken is tender. Add the ground cashewnuts and almonds. Cook until gravy thickens.
Add coriander leaves, cover pot and leave for 5-10 minutes. Dish out and serve.

Garlic Herb Bread

Garlic Herb Bread

120g butter, softened
3 cloves garlic, ground
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 french loaf

Slice French loaf at a slant, about 1cm thick. Do not cut right through but let it stay joined at the base.
Combine butter with the rest of the ingredients. Spread the garlic butter on both sides of the slice bread. Wrap up in foil. Bake in preheated oven at 200 degrees c for about 10 - 12 minutes. Open the foil and heat through for another 3 - 5 minutes to get a crisp crust. Serve immediately.