Chinese New Year Goodies 2011 - Year of the Rabbit

As the year of rabbit of drawing closer, the new year mood is felt every way, with all the facebook friends rounding up with the baking and home decoration. Here are some of the my humble home made Chinese New Year Goodies for my family, relatives and friends

Pineapple Tarts

Yummy pineapple tarts are ready to be served

Rolls of 'Sunflowers'

Pineapple tarts is a must for my family during chinese new year celebration. My whole family love pineapple tarts. My old recipe for pineapple tarts are very old fashion using cups for measuring, over the years I have be doing some comparison and trial and error and came up with this recipe, the methods are the same on some plus and minus on the ingredients.
During those days we have make the pineapple jams ourselves, which incur long hours of cooking and stirring of the pineapple jam during cooking time. I did buy ready made pineapple jams, but found there are too sweet. So I cook the jams myself again. But this year, I am so lazy, i give it any try for the ready made jam. Hmmm...... not bad leh, this time the jams are not sweet and just nice, hah.. save this lazy mama a lot of work leh! Hurray!
Nevertheless for those who preferred to make their own pineapple jams here is the recipe.

3 pineapple (cut the skin and the eyes - grated and use muslin cloth to squeeze out some juice but make sure not too dry)
3 1/2 cups of sugar
4 cloves
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

Put all the ingredients in a heavy based pot on medium fire and cook almost dry, turn to low fire and keep stirring to avoid the jam get burned. Continue to cook till the jams thicken. Set aside to let it cool. Stored in fridge for later use. The jam can be prepared in advance for a day or two. 
 
Ingredients for pastry  
300 gms flour  (sifted)
2 tbsp icing sugar
 1/4 tsp of salt
200 gms cold butter  (butter should not be soften
2 egg yolks
 2 tbsp cold water
 1 tsp of Vanilla essence
1 egg yolk add 2 tsp of milk for glazing 
 
Method

1. Mix  flours, icing sugar and salt to combine. Mix well to combine.
2. Using a plastic spatula (hard type) cut and slice /flake the butter into the flour, rub with fingertips until it resemsemble like fine bread crumbs,  continue rubbing the bigger pieces into finer pieces. 
3. Beat eggs yolk, cold water and vanilla essence.  Add into the flour mixture.  Using fingertips, mix the mixture into a large dough.  Do not knead the dough.  Cover and  chill in the fridge for about 15 mins
4.  Place the dough in between 2 plastic sheets and roll out to desired thickness (as show in the photo below).  Using cutter to cut out dough and arrange neatly onto baking tray.
5. Place the rolled pineapple jam balls onto the centre of each tart.
6. Bake at  pre heat oven of 160°C for 8 minutes.
7. Take out the tray from the oven, glaze them  with egg and milk mixture.  (This is to allow the tarts shell shaped up for easy grazing and will not disfigure the shape of the tarts  shell).
8. Continue baking in the oven for another 15 mins or  till done. 

You will notice that I used plastic sheets in between the pastry is for easy rolling and handling, this way, you can rolls to your desired thickness and not that messy leh! Good idea leh!

 

Resemble like bread crumbs

Dough is ready, chilled in the fridge for 15 mins

 

Roll in between 2 plastic sheets of desired thickness, and use pineapple tart cutter to cut tarts into shapes

Most bakery shops are now selling ready to use Pineapple jams.

Roll the pineapple jams into small balls

Hope this will help you to make tasty pineapple tarts. Please do let me your success or even if you are not happy with the recipe. Good or bad all welcome to discuss.
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR N KONG XI FAI CHAI!!! 

 Updated on February 2012  ~   my different pattern of melt in the mouth Pineapple Tarts!  

London Almond Cookies 伦敦杏仁饼

With Lunar year of the Rabbit is just round the corner, I notice all my FB friends are busy making chinese new year goodies and upload on FB. These goodies are feast for the eyes only.
In this world of FB, I noticed there are bountiful of young talents really can cook like a pro. Strongly believe that the food they prepared not only looks gorgeous and presentable and must be taste yummy too.

Come back to my London almond Cookies which I copy from somewhere and kept in my scrap recipe book. I have problem making these cookies not bcoz it is difficult to make but is bcoz of my children, one dont like cookies with nuts but another insist with nuts, so end up I have to prepare cookies with nuts and w/o nuts. All mama are same like me, right? Hmmm......

Just found out that the source of the original recipe came from Amy Beh of kuali.com
when I surfed the net.

Ingredients

125g butter
75g icing sugar
1 egg yolk

Sift
225gm plain flour
1/2 tsp rice flour

300gm whole almonds, toasted
450g cooking chocolate, melted - using double boiled method
Almond nibs, toasted
small paper cases

Method
Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg yolk, Stir in sifted dry ingredients and blend well to form a dough.
Take a small piece of dough, the size of a marble, wrap it around the almond and shape into a ball
please dough on lightly greased trays. Bake in preheated over at 175 degree C for 20-25 minutes or until cooked and golden. Remove and cool on wire racks.
Put cookies inside small paper cases and top with melted chocolate. Sprinkle with almond nibs

Tips-
I times 2 on the above ingredients
Instead of using almonds nibs can substitute with colorful chocolate rice, or melted with chocolate for deco.

Sweet and Sour Meat 咕嚕肉

This dish seems to be all times favorite, either in the restaurant or at home. Here is my version of the recipe.

Ingredients
400 gm pork belly
some cornflour for coating
1 no big onion (wedged)
1 no. red chili (wedged)
1 no. tomato (wedged)
1 slice of pineapple (cut into bite size)
1/2 cucumber (cubed) - rub cucumber with a bit of salt, rinse off with water, add in 2 tsp of sugar and 2 tbsp white rice vinegar, set aside.

Optional ingredients
1/2 no. green capsicum (wedged) - I omitted
1/2 no. Green Capsicum (wedged) - I omitted

Marinade:
1 - 2  tsp of my premium aromatic spice
sugar to taste 
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 no. egg white
1 tbsp Shao Shing wine
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Sauce
1 tbsp plum sauce
3 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili sauce
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
some cornflour for thickening
1/2 bowl of water

Method

1. Cut meat in 1/2 inch thick and marinade with marinate at least for 2 hours
2. Coat meat cubes with cornflour and deep-fry in hot oil till golden brown, dish out, drained and set aside.
3. Put in 1 tbsp oil in wok, stir-fry onion, red chili, capsicum, pineapple till fragrant. Pour in the sauce and the white vinegar mixture from the cucumber and cook till thick.
4. Add in the tomato and cucumber
5. Lastly add in the prefried meat and mix well-coated.
6. Serve hot with rice.

Double Boiled Pears for cough relief 炖雪梨

With the whether situation lately, many children and adult alike are down with flu, cough soar throat. This drink said to be eliminate phlegm, reducing cough, soothe the throat and relieve lungs. So, calling all mothers out there do prepare the drink for the whole family this weekend.

Ingredients

1 no. Fresh big yellow pear (cut into pieces)
50gm Dried Green pear slices 干梨片
50gm candied Persimmons 桔并
5-6 pcs preserved Dates 蜜枣
7 Dried Figs 无花果干
20gm south and north almonds 南北杏
50gm Hoeny Rock sugar (I omitted this, as I find it too sweet)
20gm Lily bulbs 百合
about 2 litres boiling water
some pandan leaves (tie into a knot) - optional

Method

Wash and place all ingredients into the slow cooker and slow cook for 3- hours.
Or double boil for 3 hours. Serve.

Or you may try the Steamed orange on my latest post (updated 7th March 2012) 

Herbal Soup for Good Vision 药材补眼汤

Herbal Soup for Good Vision 药材补眼汤

Ming Mu Er 明目兒

Ingredients

1 black chicken (skinned, chopped in big pces)
40gm Nei Ren rou 内人肉 (Buy from herbal shop)
80 to 100gm Ming Mu Er 明目兒 (Buy from herbal shop)
1 tbsp kei chi/mediar seeds
10 red dates (seeded)
About 3 litres boiling water

Method

1. Clean the black chicken and blanched in hot water and clean.
2. Place all the ingredients except the kei chi in the slow cooker, Pour in the hot water.
3. Slow cook for 3 to 4 hours.
4. 1/2 an hour before serving put in the kei chi.
5. Serve hot.

Otherwise put all the ingredients into a stainless steel pot. When the soup boils turn to low fire and simmer for 3 hours.

Tips
I always add in the kei chi half an hour before it is ready to serve, as I was told by experienced mother/home maker that kei chi will be bitter if boiled too long.

Simple Mini Fruits Tarts

These tarts are prepared for Sunday afternoon teatime with buddies on 2.1.2011

Tart Shells
Ingredient
A
400 gm medium protein flour
250 gm butter
2 tbsp milk powder
1 egg
50gm icing sugar
Few drops vanilla essence

B
50ml iced water

Utensil needed
Some tart moulds
( I used to make my own tart shells, but now I opt for ready tart shell sold in the bakery shops, they taste as good and not sweet, make life more easier for me, hehehe....)

Method

1. Place ingredient (A) into a food processor. Blend briefly. Add in iced water
2. Mix No. (1) into a dough.
3. Stain hands with some flour. Pinch a small piece of dough from No. (2). Flatten and press into mould. Shape well, trim off excess edges. Repeat process. Arrange on trays.
4. Bake No. (3) in a preheated over at 180 degree C for 15-20 minutes until golden. Remove and dislodge shells from moulds.

Ingredient for filling

50 instant custard mix
200ml fresh cream (or use 100ml fresh cream and 100 ml evaporated milk)
For Topping
Some grapes, kiwi fruit sliced
For glazing: (mixed together, simmer to dilute) - I used the ready-to-use Glaze Gel
1tbsp deco gel, 1 tbsp water
Utensil & material needed:
1 piping bag, 1 nozzle

Method

1. combine filling in a food processor and mix till thickened. Fill into piping bag fitted with nozzle.
2. Pipe no. (1) into baked tart shells. Top in some fruits. Brush on some glazing
3. Serve straight.

Recipe adapted from Y3K Recipes Issue 42

Simple Sweet Corn Desserts

Sweet Corn + butter + salt + Milk = Yummy Dessert

This dessert is simple and easy to prepare. Children and adults will sure love it. I created this recipe after I first tasted the desserts from my daughter which she bought at a kiosk along the north-south highway when we traveling down to Johore Bharu during the school holidays.
Wahlaueh! that small cup of dessert cost RM3 something, so expensive. It prompt me to create my very own version of the desserts to share with you, or maybe you have better suggestions/ideas to share? Please let me know.

Here is the recipe

Cut the kernels off the cob by standing the ear of corn upright in a deep sided bowl, this will help catch some of the corn as it splatters when trimming it off. cut the kernels straight down along the corn cob to free numerous rows of kernels at the same time.

Steam the kernels for 5 to 10 minutes till cooked. Add in butter, salt and condensed milk to taste while hot. Condensed milk is optional. Mix well, and this yummy dessert is ready to serve.
It is best to serve hot.

Tips
Do not add salt to the water when cooking sweet corn because the salt will toughen the corn. Add a little sugar to the water to boost the flavor.