kueh salat

香兰糯米糕

Steamed glutinous rice topped with pandan coconut custard. This kueh is best prepared fresh and eaten fresh 😋😋

Ingredients: 17cmx10cm rectangular dish/pan, which makes 12 pieces of kueh 5.5cm x 3cm x 3cm

Glutinous Rice Layer (Bottom)

100g glutinous rice

1/4 tsp salt

40g coconut cream

25g water 

1 blade pandan leaf (knotted), optional

3 pieces of blue pea flower (optional) + 8g hot water

Pandan Custard Layer (Upper)

130g eggs (2 whole large eggs + 1 yolk) - lightly beaten

100g coconut cream

45g pandan extract

40g sugar

12g plain flour

7.5g tapioca flour

pinch of salt

Method:

Prepare the Bottom Layer

1. Wash glutinous rice to remove excess starch and soak for at least 4 hours. 

2. Drain out the water from the soaked glutinous rice. 

3. Lightly oil the dish/pan or lay a piece of banana leaf in it (the banana leave will impart a subtle aroma that makes the kueh more fragrant) 

4. Transfer drained glutinous rice into dish/pan. Add the salt, water and coconut milk into the pan and stir to mix in. Place the pandan leave on the rice. 

5. Steam over high heat for15min and fluff the rice with a fork. Steam again for 5 to 10mins. Then, remove the pandan leave and immediately compress the rice with a spoon and set aside in the steamer to keep the rice warm.

Prepare the Upper Layer

6. Sieve the flours and mix with sugar.

7. Use a whisk to stir the coconut cream into the flour to form a smooth paste.

8. Add the eggs and pandan extract, and use the whisk to mix in.

9. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve twice into a pot.

10. Use bain-marie (double boil) method to cook/whisk the mixture over low heat until it just begins to thicken (mixture feels 'heavy' like a thick pouring cream, NOT a paste). Make sure to stir constantly so that it doesn’t get lumpy.

Final Steaming

11. Check whether the compressed glutinous rice in the steam is still warm. If not, re-heat in the steamer for 3 mins. If the surface of the rice looks a bit dry, lightly mist it with a tiny bit of hot water to enable the custard to stick to it.

12. Pour the custard over the rice and remove floating bubbles. Cover with aluminum foil so water condensation will not drip onto the kueh surface. Alternatively, wrap the lid of the steamer with a cloth.

13. Steam over medium-low heat for 35mins. Keep the steamer lid slightly ajar by placing a chopstick in between the lid and the steamer. This prevents the custard from overheating and ensures a glass-smooth surface. The kueh is ready once the custard firms up and has a slight matte sheen. 

Note:

- If the water boils too vigorously, the custard will develop holes and become bouncy or rubbery rather than creamy. 

- If center ripples like water or looks liquid, it is not done.

- If the surface is puffing up or doming, it is overdone.

- The custard will continue to firm up significantly as it cools. It it looks perfectly firm while it's still in the steamer, it will likely be too hard once cold. You want it to be just set.

10. Remove from the steamer and let it cool completely in room temperature (at least 4 hours) before removing from the pan or cutting the kueh. Use a plastic knife or dough scrapper to get a smooth and clean cut. 

11. Kueh Salat is best eaten within 1 or 2 days. Store unfinished kueh in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. Bring to room temperature or re-steam lightly before serving.

Cheese Cookie

Ingredients:

89g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated

89g plain flour

60g unsalted butter, cold

11g egg white (about 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon), lightly whisked. 

1g salt

Method:

1. Place flour and butter in a mixing bowl. Use a dough scrapper to cut the butter into the flour. Keep 'chopping' and tossing the flour over the butter until the pieces are about the size of small peas.

2. Add the cheese and use the dough scrapper to fold and cut the cheese into the butter-flour mixture until it looks uniform and crumbly.

3. Add egg white and continue to use the dough scrapper to fold and cut into the mixture. The dough should hold together when squeezed. Otherwise, add a little more egg white.

4. Transfer the dough to work surface and use the heel of your hand to smear the dough away from you once or twice. This is called frisage, it will create very thin layers of butter and cheese. Use the scrapper to bring the dough together and form a log about 4-5cm in diameter. Wrap the log tightly in clingwrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 160 degree celcius, fan mode. Using a sharp knife, slice the log into rounds of 5mm thick. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. The sliced rounds should be cold when they go into the oven. If they have warmed up while you were slicing, put the entire tray of sliced rounds into the fridge for 10minutes before putting into the oven.

6. Bake the cookies for 10minutes until they are a deep golden brown. Let them sit on the tray for a few minutes to crisp up before moving them to a rack. As soon as the cookies have cooled down, transfer them to an airtight container.

Creamy Carbonara

Ingredients

100g spaghetti

3 pieces of back bacon

50g whipped cream

10g Parmigiano Reggiano (finely grated)

​30ml Reserved pasta water (starchy water is crucial here for the sauce to cling)

black pepper

Method:

​1. Crisp the Meat: Pan fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Turn the heat to low.  

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2. Infuse the Cream: Pour the whipping cream directly into the skillet with the meat and rendered fat. Add a dash of black pepper. Let it simmer gently for 1–2 minutes until it begins to reduce and thicken slightly.

3. ​Emulsify: Add your cooked pasta and pasta water to the skillet. Toss to coat the noodles in the simmering cream.

​4. The Cheese Fold: Turn off the heat completely. Sprinkle the Parmigiano Reggiano over the pasta in three stages, tossing vigorously between each addition.

​Note: Adding the cheese in stages prevents it from clumping into a single ball.

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5. Adjust Consistency: If the sauce looks too thick, add one more splash of pasta water.

Serve hot!