Money Bag a.k.a Drawstring Purse Dumpling

Oh I love Dim sum. With the desire of  wanting to order every single item on the menu and try the different taste, it could be better for me to have a dim sum buffet.

Beside having dim sum at some places, I am also trying to find the perfect course to improve my skills in making them. Regardless, trying to making dim sum becomes a part of my hobby. 

This is the basic recipe for wonton with pork, shrimp or vegetable filling. 

I am using prawn as the filling. Finely chopped the prawn and add some seasoning.

Ingredients:

• Prawn
• Sesame oil
• Garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• Bean curd for wrapping
• Coriander stalks for knitting 

Instructions:

1. Mix-up all the ingredients.
2. Cut the bean curd to square size about 8cm x 8cm
3. Lay out the bean curd wrap, put the mixed ingredients in the middle of the wrap
4. Bring together all the edges to one direction, knit a knot with the coriander stalk.
5. Steam it for about 10-15 minutes, and it's ready to be served.

Egg Tart

Egg tart is originally from England and Portugal. It was introduced to Hong Kong and Singapore during the colonialism. It traveled to Asia via colonialism, and was introduced to Hong Kong. 

There are two kinds of tart case, one is puff pastry-like, and the other is cookie-like because it's made from butter, egg and flour mixture.

I used to make the tart case from the butter mixture, but it much easier to use the ready baked case. 

The ingredients I used for this recipe is actually match with the tart case for 220gram. Please adjust the ingredients for smaller or larger case.

Ingredients for the egg custard:

• 4-5 Eggs
• 200 gr condensed milk
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 300ml water
• 1 pampas Sweet Flan case

I've been tasting the recipe for the egg tart for many times. Different size of cases will affect the texture of the egg. And it's better using the fresh eggs instead of using the eggs that has been put in the fridge. 

Instructions:

1. Defrost the tart case for 15 minutes, and bake for 10 minutes using the lower heat.
2. Boil water with sugar, until sugar dissolve. 
3. Add on condensed milk and mix well. (after adding on condensed milk, the mixture is easier get burnt. Turn off the heat.)
4. Mix eggs by using fork, and try not to create bubbles.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the sugar mixture while hot. Stir well.
6. Pour the complete mixture into the tart case and bake for about 35 minutes.

Preparing to decorate the tart:

1 can of sliced peaches in syrup.

Fresh raspberries

Fruits for decoration is optional. Egg tart can be eaten with or without decoration. 

Lamb Cutlets with Seasonings

Having lamb chop with red wine in winter.... what a great taste. 

They are too many recipes and guidances to cook lamb when I searched at Google. Finally I decided to cook the lamb with the resources that I have at home, and imagined how it could be if I mixed those seasonings.

To make it simple, I marinated the lamb for a night and kept in the fridge. For the following day, I just need less than half an hour to have it cooked and served on the table. 

Ingredients:
4 chops of lamb
Potato wedges (frozen)
Mixed vegetables (frozen)
Coriander

Seasoning:
Salt and pepper
1 tsp Fennel seed
1 tsp Szechuan pepper powder
2 tbsp Oyster sauce

Method:

1. Marinate the lamb cutlets with seasoning for a night or few hours.
2. Preheat oil in the frying pan.
3. Put marinated cutlets lamb and finely fry for 10 minutes with the medium heat.
4. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add frozen vegetables. 
5. Return to boil until cooked through, drain in a colander and serve.
6. Preheat oven to 230 degrees Celcius, spread the potato wedges in a single layer and baked for 10 minutes, turn and continue heating for another 10 minutes until crisp and light golden.
7. Serve on the table with coriander as the garnish. 
   

The lamb was so tender and juicy.  To make it perfect lunch treat, having a glass of Shiraz from Handpicked Wines, keeping you satisfied until late dinner.

Steamed Tapioca Layered Cake

Steamed tapioca layered cake tastes like the jelly cake, chewy and soft. It's known as kue lapis kukus in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. In Vietnam, it's known as Banh Da Lon. Mung bean and rice flour are added as the additional ingredients in the cake. In Thailand, it's known as Khanom Chan, and it symbolises for the bride and groom mean moving forward in life and building family together. Anyway, it comes with colourful layers, usually in red, green, brown and white. 

The way I prepare the colouring:

I prefer using the natural food colouring. For green colour, I am squeezing the juice from pandan leaves. For brown layer, I use the palm sugar or coconut sugar. For the white layer, I just use the tapioca batter. But with the red layer, I have to use the food colouring, that's why I only make it for 1 layer of red colour. 

Ingredients:

4 cups of tapioca flour

3.5 cups of water

1.5 cups of coconut milk

2.5 cups of sugar

Instruction:

1. Mix well 4 cups of tapioca flour with 1.5 cup of water. Make sure to stir it very well to get the smooth batter.
2. In a pot boil of water (2 cups of water), add sugar and pandan leaves together till sugar dissolved. 
3. Turn off heat, discard pandan leaved and add coconut milk. Stir well.
4. Pour to the tapioca flour batter while hot.
5. After mix well, divide mixture in four portions. I got three equal portions for brown, green and white layer, but less portion for the red layer because I only make 1 layer for the red colour.
6. Now I have 4 mixtures with different colour on it, which are white, green, brown and red.
7. Prepare the steamer and the mould. 
8. Steam each layer with the alternate colour for about 5 minutes until all the mixture is used up. I prefer to steam 2 layers of the same colours before continuing with another colour.
9. Leave the layered cake until cool completely, dislodge from the mould and ready to cut. It's easier to use the bigger knife to cut it. 

Salmon Avocado Salad

The healthy salad for our lunch in winter. I am a bit addicted with avocado salad and mayonnaise. It's a perfect taste combination between Salmon and Avocado, served with salad and mayonnaise.

As we know that Salmon is one of the best natural sources of Omega-3. It's essential for brain development and function, heart health and immune system.

I used the Atlantic Salmon for this dish, which I could get the fresh fillet at the fish market. 

This dish only takes a while to prepare, probably half an hour. 

Ingredients:

1. 1 ripe Avocado, cut slice
2. 2 Atlantic Salmon Steaks (served for 2 people)
3. Mix Salad (which can be bought at supermarket)
4. Coriander
5. Salt and pepper
6. Oil to fry

Instruction:

1. Wash the mixed vegetable, combine it with Avocado and coriander.
2. Drain out the water and serve on the plate.
3. Marinate Salmon with salt and pepper for 5 minutes. For the optional, add herbs for seasoning as well.
4. Heat oil in the frying pan, and fry the salmon for about 6 minutes (it depends on how thick the Salmon is) for all the sides.
5. Once it turns brown, remove it from heat and drain out from oil.
6. Served with salad and mayonnaise.

Healthy. Nutritious. Simple.

Red Tortoise Cake or Ang-Ku-Kue (adapted from Teochew language)--Salty Filling

I am not very sure why people call red tortoise cake. It's not made of tortoise, and to related to tortoise at all. It's because the mold is similar form with the tortoise shell. 

Ang-Ku-Kue has a soft sticky rice and glutinous flour skin wrapped around the sweet or salty feeling in the center.The cakes are traditionally red in color. In my home town Indonesia, there is another shape of the mold, an asymmetry leaf shape.  

I am going to make the Salty Tortoise Cake, with taro and peanut as the filling. I don't pretty like the food coloring for food, as far as I can to avoid the food coloring for this cake. The performance is not much interesting, but the taste is yummy and healthy for my family. I Love It!

Ingredient for filling:

1 small medium size Taro or yam, skin removed, washed and shredded

100 gr peanut, cooked with pressure cooker before mix-up with taro

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

Salt 

Pepper

In some occasion, i could change the filling with the glutinous rice (the similar filling as Zongzi or Bakcang).

Ingredients for pastry skin :

500 gram rice flour

75 gram tapioca flour

3-5 tbsp of oil

1 tsp salt

2-3 cups of water

Prepare the Tortoise mold and Banana leave for cover the steam tray.

Instruction for the filling:

1. Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic until light brown.
2. Add shredded taro or yam, followed by peanut and other seasoning.
3. Stir-fry for about 10 minutes.
4. Dish out and set aside to cool.

Instruction for the pastry skin:

1. Put rice flour, tapioca flour and salt in the mixing bowl.
2. Pour water and stir until dissolved.
3. Add boiling water gradually and stir with a wooden spoon. Add in the oil and knead into a smooth dough.
4. remove dough out on to a lightly floured tabletop. 
5. Cut the dough into small pieces, and roll it into a small ball.
6. Flatten each ball of dough and slightly and add 1 tbsp of filling.
7. Pinch and seal the edges to enclose the filling.
8. Spread some oil over the mold, and press the dough into the mold.
9. Knock mold lightly to dislodge the dough from the mold, and place on the leaves of banana.
10. Steam the tortoise cake in a medium heat for about 5-8 minutes.

Serve this cake while warm. I prefer to have it fried after put in the fridge for a night. The flavours are rich yet the dish is wholesome. Nothing says special for the Sunday breakfast, served with apple juice.

Mung Bean Paste (Tausa-adapted in Teochew language)

I love to treat my family with dessert besides preparing the healthy food everyday. I like eating sweets, but recently i have decreased the sugar consumption at home. It's for the healthy reason. When I asked my family about the dessert, they prefer the Mung bean paste. I was so happy they could do me a favor, especially to mash the bean when it was hot. 

Mung bean paste known as Tausa (in Teochew language), used as the filling for bun, sweet red tortoise cake, glutinuose ball, or some other filling for dessert or pastry.

Ingredients:

500 gr Mung bean 

175-220 gr of Sugar 

5 tbsp of oil

Pandan leaves

Instruction

1. Wash and soak the mung bean for about 5 hours
2. Cook with pressure cooker for 15-20 minutes.
3. Mash the bean, It's easier to mash it when hot.
4. Heat Oil in the non-stick frying pan, put the mashed bean in the pan and finely stir.
5. Add sugar and stir well. After add sugar, it's easily to get burnt if not finely stir.
6. Cook for about 30 minutes or become thick paste.
7. Dish out and set a side to cool.