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.