Kueh Bingka Ubi Kayu (Baked Tapioca Cake)

烤木薯糕

This is one of my favourite nonya kueh. Store bought ones can be overly sweet. My recipe yields a less sweet tapioca / cassava cake which is enhanced with the addition of gula melaka and butter. Baking it in the pan lined with banana leaves also resulted in a very fragrant kueh. 

The most time-consuming part of making this kueh is peeling, removing the core and grating the tapioca. The amount of grated tapioca will determine the quantity of the rest of the ingredients. I've provided the ratio of the ingredients to the grated tapioca in my recipe below. 

Ingredients:

grated tapioca (T)

thick coconut milk (70% of T)

tapioca starch (2.6% of T)

sugar (16% of T) - I used gula melaka and granulated sugar

salt (1/4 tsp per 500g of T)

egg (lightly beaten - 1 egg per 500g of T)

butter (cold - 15g per 500g of T)

Method:

1. Peel tapioca, remove core and grate them. Weigh the grated tapioca*.

2. Add tapioca starch to grated cassava, mix well with a spatula.

3. Add in salt nd sugar, mix till sugar has dissolved. If you use gula melaka, the kueh colour will be brown.

4. Add in lightly beaten egg, mix till combined. Instead of whole egg, you can use only the yolk.

5. Add in thick coconut milk gradually, mix till combined.

6. Pour into baking pan (lined with banana leaves) and use the spatula to spread the mixture evenly. Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven @180C (top and bottom heat, with fan) for 35 minutes or until the top is light golden brown. Remove from oven and drop bits of cold butter on the top and continue to bake the kueh in the upper shelf of the oven for 15 minutes or until the top are crispy golden brown. Insert a skewer into the kueh to check whether it is ready (skewer is clean with there is no raw batter on it) before removing from oven.

7. Let the kueh cool completely before removing it from the pan. Slice and serve with tea/coffee. Leftovers must be kept in the fridge - just steam or microwave to warm it before serving. 

* came across a recipe where the grated tapioca is squeezed to extract its liquid (starch and water). The liquid is set aside for at least an hour for the starch and water to separate. Then, discard the water and replace with clean tap water. This extra process is due to the belief that white tapioca is bitter. I may try this process when I bake this kueh next time.

Potato & Luncheon Meat

 

Simple comfort food that brings back fond memories. 

Ingredients

1 big potato (I used russet, cut into bite sized cubes)

Half can of luncheon meat (I used Spam Bacon, cut into bite sized cubes)

Half big onion (cut into wedges)

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon sugar (I used unrefined brown sugar)

27g tomato ketchup (I used 3 tomato satchels from fast food restaurant!)

9g chilli sauce (I used 1 satchel from fast food restaurant!)

50ml water

Method

1. Heat wok with some oil (sufficient to deep fry potato and luncheon meat).

2. When oil is hot, deep fry pototo cubes until edges are golden brown. Remove the potato cubes from wok and deep fry the luncheon meat cubes next. Once the edges of luncheon meat cubes are golden brown, remove the oil, leaving only about a tablespoon in the wok. 

3. Stir fry the onion wedges until edges are browned, add in the garlic and stir fry for a minute. 

4. Add the tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, sugar and water into the wok. Stir to mix in completely. 

5. Add the potato and luncheon meat cubes into the wok and stir fry with the sauce for a few minutes.

Done! Serve hot!

Cripiest Fried Chicken

 香脆炸鸡

The crispiest fried chicken I've ever cooked! Stays crispy for more than half hour after frying. Recipe below adapted from masa's cooking abc.

Ingredients:

500g chicken fillet or chicken thigh

Marinade: Half tsp mirin, half tsp sake, half tsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced garlic), 1 tsp minced ginger and 1 small egg

9 tablespoon potato flour

3 tablespoon water

Method:

1. Cut the chicken to bite size and marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

2. Add the water gradually into the potato flour and use chopsticks to mix as you add the water. The flour will clump together and form small lumps. This is what we want.

3. Heat wok with cooking oil, coat each piece of chicken with the flour mixture (step 2) and deep fry until light brown. Once all pieces of fillet has been fried, turn up the heat and deep fry for a few seconds until golden brown. Double frying method will result in crispy chicken.

Enjoy! 

Tomato Fried Egg Omelette

 番茄炒蛋

Comfort dish at its best! My late mother in law cooked this very frequently and this dish reminds me of her!

Ingredients:

3 medium size tomatoes (can add more if you like tomatoes)

4 eggs

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

Corn starch slurry (1 tablespoon corn starch mix with 2 tablespoons water)

Method:

1. Make a few slits on the tomatoes, put in a small pot and bring to a boil. Then off the heat and leave the tomotoes in the pot for 5 minutes or until the tomoto skin peels away. 

2. Drain the tomatoes and keep 2 tablespoons of the water. Cut the tomatoes into thin wedges and remove the seeds.

3. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat it vigorously using a fork until well combined.

4. Add two tablespoons of oil into wok and swirl to coat the surface of the wok. Add the eggs and tilt the wok to spread the eggs. Let the eggs cook, over medium heat, undisturbed until the eggs start to set around the edges. Once edges start to set, use the wok spatula to move the cooked egg towards the centre of the wok and the raw egg filled the space. Do this continously until the eggs are just cooked. Remove the egg omelette from the wok.

4. Heat up wok again with a tablespoon of oil. Add the tomatoes and stir fry for a minute. Mix in two tablespoons of water (from step 2), 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir fry for a few minutes, then slowly add just enough corn starch slurry to thicken the tomato sauce. 

5. Return the egg omelette to the wok and stir to mix with the tomato sauce. Add the tomato ketchup and mix in thoroughly. Transfer the egg omelette to serving plate and garnish with spring onions (optional).

Serve hot!

Panna cotta

 

Panna cotta means "cooked cream" in Italian. This dessert is creamy with a melt in the mouth texture that will transport you to Italy. No passport is required! 

Recipe below is adapted from  prettysimplesweet.com with modifications. Let's make it!

Ingredients (makes 4 small servings):

30 ml cold water (22.7g)

3g unflavored powdered gelatin

240g whipping cream

1 tbsp granulated sugar (10g)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (3g)

Method:

1. Bloom the gelatin by sprinkling it over a small bowl of cold water. Give it a quick mix and let it sit for a few minutes to gelatinize (jelly texture).

2. Put the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a saucepan and heat over low fire until small bubbles appear around the pot. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Stir the mixture to make sure all the sugar is dissolved.

3. Turn off the heat and scrape the softened gelatin into the hot cream mixture. Stir immediately to mix in thoroughly until dissolved.

4. Pour the panna cotta mixture into individual ramekins / moulds. Use a sieve to catch undissolved gelatin. Once they have cooled down,  place the panna cotta in the refrigerator for a few hours to set before consuming.

5. Unmould the panna cotta before serving.

6. To make chocolate panna cotta, mix in 40g dark chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional) into the cream mixture after step 2. Stir until dissolved before continuing with step 3.

7. To make mango, strawberry or avocado panna cotta, puree/mash the fruit (around 200g) and add into cream mixture after step 2. Stir to mix in completely before continuing with step 3. 

How to prepare gingko nuts

 

Gingko nuts are seeds of the gingko tree. They are toxic when eaten raw but very tasty when cooked with dishes (e.g. chawanmushi - Japanese steamed egg, or desserts (e.g. beancurd barley with gingko nuts).

I buy raw gingko nuts (select unblemished and unbroken nuts) from markets (100g cost S$1) and this is how I prepare the nuts so that they can be readily added to my cooking. From my experience, unshelled gingko nuts may turn moldy if they are kept in plastic bags that are tied up. If you do not de-shell the nuts on the same day when you buy them, do store the gingko nuts in the fridge or leave the plastic bag untied at room temperature.

Steps:

1. Place the nut on its edge, then use a nut cracker to crack the shell. A stone pestle will work too. 

Using nut cracker:

Using stone pestle:

2. Discard seeds that are hard and dry. Refer to examples in this picture.

3. Use a knife to peel the papery brownish skin.

4. Use a knife to slit one side of the nut open and remove the seed leaf (cotyledon) within. Discard the seed leaf as it is bitter.

5. Store the gingko nuts in the freezer. 

Yam Ring

 芋头圈 / 佛钵

Yam ring or yam basket or fatt put (in cantonese) is usually served during festive occasions.  It is served with a mixture of stir-fried vegetables and chicken or seafood (prawns/ scallops).

Ingredients: 

300g taro, steamed

60g wheat flour

30g pork lard

90ml hot boiling water 

1/2 tsp baking powder

Seasoning: 1/2 tsp of salt, 

1/8 tsp ground white pepper, 1/8 tsp five spice powder

Method: 

1. Peel and cut the yam into small pieces. Steam for 10mins until it turns soft, mashed through sieve while hot. Mix in the seasoning and set aside.

2. Slowly add the hot boiling water to the wheat flour and mix continously using a pair of chopsticks. You will get a thick and sticky white paste/dough. Add this, pork lard and baking powder into the taro (step 1) and mix until well combined. Knead to form a smooth dough, wrap it in plastic/cling wrap and rest in the fridge for at least 30minutes until the dough is firmer (to facilitate shaping).

3. Remove from fridge and unwrap the yam dough. Sprinkle some wheat flour on the benchtop and on the yam dough. Shape the yam ring by poking the centre of the dough with your thumb and pressing gently with fingers to form a wide and shallow ring. Note: shallow rings will require lesser oil to fry! Place the yam ring on a strainer with holes.

4. Heat up cooking oil in wok. When the oil temperature has reached approximately 160 degree celcius, lower the yam ring (with strainer) into the hot oil. Use a laddle to spoon the oil over the yam ring if necessary. Deep fry until the yam ring turns golden brown.

5. Cook the filling with vegetables and meat of your choice, and stuff it into the yam ring. 

Kueh Pie Tee

 

Little crispy cups stuffed to the brim with tasty turnip fillings are my family's favourite and served in almost all of our family gatherings. 

Ingredients (makes about 100 shell)

For Kueh Pie Tee Shell

60g plain flour

180g rice flour

30g corn flour

Half teaspoon salt

1 egg (60g nett) - lightly beaten

400ml water

For Kueh Pie Tee Filling

1 turnip (bang kwang / jicama)

1 carrot

1 piece dried squid (rehydrated and cut into thin strips)

handful dried shrimps (rehydrated and chopped into small pieces)

3 strips of smoked bacon (cut into small pieces)

8 shallots (finely chopped) 

Seasoning: 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt

Method

Kueh Pie Tee Shell

Sieve the 3 flours together. Mix salt into the flour. Make a well in the centre of flour and add beaten egg. Use a small whisk to mix in 1 direction. Add water slowly and whisk until you get a smooth batter. Strain the batter to remove lumps. Set aside the batter to rest for 1 hour. 

After an hour, stir the batter and pour some into a small cup (deep enough to submerge the special mold for the kueh pie tee shell). Note to self: use NYPS souvenir cup

Heat up oil in pot over low heat and fully submerge the mold (to heat it up). Lift the mold from oil, shake off excess oil and dip the mold vertically into the batter until almost to the top (95%). Dip the mold into the hot oil until it is almost submerged. When the shell turns light brown, either jiggle the mold up and down to loosen the shell from the mold or use a chopstick to gently separate the shell from the mold. Use chopstick to turn the shell around in the oil so that it is evenly cooked. When the shell is golden in colour, transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Repeat process until the batter is used up. Store the shells in an air tight container to retain crispiness. The shells keep well for a week.

Kueh Pie Tee Filling

Cut turnip and carrot into thin strips.

Fry bacon until crispy and set aside. Using the fat released from frying bacon, fry shallots until golden brown and set aside. Fry dried shrimps until fragrant and set aside. Fry dried squid until fragrant and set aside. These will serve as toppings.

Using oil left from frying shallots/shrimps/squid, stir fry carrot and turnip until they are soft. Add water (around 200ml, from soaking shrimps and squid) and seasoning. Bring to boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the toppings. 

Assemble Kueh Pie Tee

To serve, stuff the filling into each shell.