Yam Kueh

So lately there has been a trend that new hispter cafes serving up local hawker food. I tell myself these kuehs must be super good since they are charging like double the price as of the hawker! But then it was not much of a difference...quite a disappointment. Seriously it is not a complicated dish, just make yourself la! I used to have an old post that links to my friend's blog, but I decided to post my own recipe this time hehe. :P Gonna keep this a super short post and get straight to it!

Recipe for Steamed Yam Kueh: (makes 10" round)
550g yam, peeled and shredded
4 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked till soft and minced fine
3 garlic cloves minced
6 cloves shallots sliced
oil for frying shallots
Chunks of pumpkin and yam, pre steamed (optional)

Batter
280g rice flour
70g tapioca flour
1120ml water
1/2 tsp alkaline water (optional)

• Mix everything together in a large bowl and set aside for later use.

Seasoning:
1/4 tsp five spice powder 
1 tbsp chicken seasoning or 1 chicke  cube
white pepper and salt to taste

• Heat up oil and fry the shallots till light golden brown. Scoop out from oil and over some paper towel to let cool for later use.
• Add garlic and minced dried shrimp and cook at low heat till fragrant.
• Add shredded yam and stir fry for a couple minutes. Then gradually add in ladles of batter in and cook at low heat.
• Mixture will be lumpy and thick but it is ok. Just stir constantly and make sure the bottom is not burnt.
• Set aside the steamer (at medium low heat) and round tin that has been greased.
• Once all the batter has been stirred in, add in the steamed pumpkin and yam if you are using.
• Scoop the mixture into the container and steamed for 40 to 50 minutes. Check if mixture is firm, else continue to steam for another 5-10minutes.
• Make sure you let the kueh cool completely before slicing it to serve. Top with chopped green onion, fried golden shallots.

Instead of red chilli which my kids don't eat, I replaced it with goji, haha! But feel free to use red chilli of course to get that kick! And check out the chucks of pumpkin and yam inside! Yummy Yammy!

You know what's better then steamed Yam kueh? It is to pan fry it the next day after you have chilled it firm overnight in the fridge! Okay that's another post haha! May add pictures of that later heehee!

Have a great day guys!

Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake (Nian Gao/年糕)

Hi hi everyone! Yes yes, I'm finally back...finally got my "heavy" bums off the couch and seat in front of the computer, lol! Actually, I haven't been lazing around. It's just that there was so much to do that I just brush off blogging to the last. :P So bad right, haha! My FB friends would know that I am still busy baking away, posting pictures and all, the easier "blogging", lol! Anyway, I am back to post up one last new year recipe in support of Sonia's CNY blog event before it ends this Thursday. :)) Unfortunately I do have 4 other CNY recipes that I didn't manage to post up...hopefully next CNY then. :P

I actually wanted to make my own nian gao(年糕) since last year, and this time I finally did it. Some would say why bother over things that cause you only a couple bucks? Well the satisfaction of making and eating homemade food is beyond description sometimes. :D Anyway, I was pretty inspired by Kelly whom posted earlier about her nian gao. She adapted the recipe from none other then our dear Sonia herself, haha! Since these ladies made it so easy, I had to try it myself too, so here it is:

I did make some adjustments by reducing the amount of sugar. Base on the ratio that Kelly stated, I came up with the following recipe. Feel free to adjust the ratio as needed. Mine made one 6" by 2.5" round and two 1-ounce ramkins. 

500g Glutinous Rice flour
500ml Water
400g Sugar (I used 200g caster sugar and 200g gula melaka)
4 tablespoons peanut oil 
Banana leaves (I used parchment paper instead)
3 Red Dates

• In a large mixing bowl, sift in the glutinous rice flour. Then add in water and peanut oil and whisk till no lumps and well combined.
• In another heat proof sauce pan, add in caster sugar and 3 tbsp of water and cook mixture till it starts to caramelize. Immediately remove from fire and add in the chopped gula melaka and stir well till everything has melted and smooth. Be extra careful not to burn your sugar or your end product will have a bitter after taste. :P
• At this point, stir in the thick caramelized sugar into the rice mixture and stir well till all is combined.
•  
•  The mixture should have a creamy coffee color.
•  
• Pour the mixture to the prepared ramkins or baking pans lined with either banana leaves or parchment paper.
• Steam at medium fire for about 1.5hrs. When it is done, stick a red date on the center top to give it a red coloring.
• Let it cool completely before unmoulding it. And don't even think about slicing it yet as it will be pretty sticky. Let it seat covered for a day or two for it to harden slightly. 

 

See all those wrinkles on my nian gao? I covered it with plastic wrap when I chill it in the fridge which causes it to form when it hardens...sigh. :P

What is nian gao if you didn't fry it up with some batter or something creative to make it more tasty ? I presume most people eat their nian gao that way, lol! This year I decided to give Wendy's recipe a try, which is the Nian Gao Taro Rolls.

This is so yummy! Crispy crunchy exterior and creamy sweet interior...nian gao at it's best, seriously, lol! Thanks to Wendy's ingenious idea, it has become pretty popular in the blog sphere too! I made slight changes and omitted the grated coconut, so here is my recipe for easy reference:

Taro filling:
500g peeled taro
5 tbsp confectioner's sugar
pinch of salt

• Slice the taro into chunks and steam at high heat till cooked and soft.
• While it is still hot, mash it together with the confectioner's sugar till well combined. 

Assembly: 
250g nian gao, cut into thick long sticks
Spring roll wrapper (190mm by 190mm -hubby bought wrong size, lol!)
1 egg white to seal the wrapper edges

• Lay a wrapper on a clean work area. 
• Spread about a tablespoon of taro filling at the center, spread it out a little.
• Place a nian gao on top on the taro filling. Then fold in the corners of the wrapper.
•  
• Then seal the edges with the egg wash. (For more detail steps, head over to Wendy's)
• Fry the rolls in medium fire till golden brown and crisp.
•  
• Serve up while still hot and crispy to enjoy it at it's best.
• I kept some in the fridge and I reheated them the next day in the oven at 150C for 10 minutes and it crisp up.

 

I think I will try it with mashed sweet potato next time, yum! Do give this a try if you still haven't eaten up your nian gao. ;) Hope everyone has a great and prosperous snake year ahead, 一定要步步高升！

I am happy yo submit this post to Sonia's blog event :Chinese New Year Delights 2013 新春送礼.

There, I finally finish this post, lol! Okay, have a good one all! Cheers!

 

Hakka Yam Abacus (算盘子）

I love yam, be it yam cake, yam kueh, yam buns or even yam bread loaf, (just to name a few) I won't miss a chance to try them out. And it goes without surprise that I love the Hakka  dish: yam abacus. But somehow it never occur to me to make it myself because I felt making those lovely chewy yam abacus can be pretty daunting. :P Until recently, when I saw Lena post up her version and after reading her recipe, it just strike me, it ain't as complicated as I imagined it to be! Thanks Lena!! *muaks*  So here it is, my first attempt of Hakka Yam Abacus(算盘子）.

 I did make slight changes to the recipe to suit my liking. Here is my version with adaption to Lena's:

Ingredients for Yam Abacus (serves 4)

For the Abacus

240g yam fresh which has been peeled & steamed

110g glutinous rice flour

100-125 ml water (depending how wet or dry is the steamed yam)

2 tbsp fried shallot oil

pinch of salt

A pot of boiling water

• After you have steamed the yam, place it in a large mixing bowl together with the salt. Then add in the tapioca flour while the yam is still warm. You can either use your hands to knead the yam, flour, water and shallot oil together, or be like lazy me, use the mixture to beat it together to forma soft pliable dough.
• Roll into a long log and cut into chunks.
• Roll the chunks in between your palms and roll round into balls. 
• Press flat and use a chop stick end to make a indentation in the middle.
• Boil the abacus in the pot og boiling water till it floats. Scoop out and drizzle some sesame oil/ vegetable oil over. Mix to coat and set aside first.

Accompanied ingredients:

2 garlic, minced

200g minced pork, marinated with 1/2tsp light soy sauce and dash of pepper

5 ears dried shitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced

50g dried squid, cut thinly

5 medium dried wood-ear mushroom, soaked and sliced

3 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp chicken seasoning

• In a work, add 2 tsp oil at medium fire. Stir fry the garlic till fragrant, then add in the dried shrimp and dried squid. Add in the minced pork and cook till opaque.
• Cook for a couple minutes till aromatic, add in the mushrooms and cook a  couple more minutes.
• Add in the yam abacus and stir fry till everything mixed. Add some water if needed.
• Lastly add in the seasoning and stir well.
• Dish up and serve while still hot.

Although I have tasted better ones, but I am still pretty please with the outcome! The texture of the abacus was soft and chewy...with a hint of yam, yum!

Definitely a great dish to serve up during the Chinese New Year table. Anything that associate with calculation (算), the Chinese will like! Why? So that we are good at counting our money, haha!

I am very happy to submit this post to Sonia's blog event :Chinese New Year Delights 2013 新春送礼.

Okay, got to go, tomorrow is another long day! Cheers!