Making of Teochew Yam Dessert

  You will need a yam, water, oil and sugar. Peel the yam with a glove as the gum might cause allergy. Carefully with a knife slice off the tough skin. Wash and cut into thin slices for faciliate easy steaming. When cooked, put all the yam pieces into a blender and add in some water (no specific). 

Pour into a non-stick pan as you need to cook it with small fire. Add in some oil and keep stirring till the mixture get thicken about 40 minutes to an hour. 

 When you feel it has come to your idea consistency, try out with 4 tbsp of sugar mix again and taste it, if needed another 1 tbsp. Off fire. 

Put into a bowl, can add in gingko nuts if you can find but in this image i sprinkled with sesame seeds.

The texture is soft and smooth. Serve when it is hot to warm. 

CNY cookies 2023

Almond cookies (crispy) (abit of melt in your mouth feeling)

Ingredients

100g Almond powder

100g Cake flour

50g Icing sugar/normal white sugar

1/2 tsp Baking soda 

1/2 tsp Baking powder 

1/4 tsp Salt

60g Vegetable oil 

1 egg yolk (optional) + 1 tsp water - mix (for brushing)

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and divide the dough to about 10 g each. Brush each with egg wash and stick some almond flakes on each dough and apply another round of egg wash. Put in a preheated oven and bake at 160 d.c for about 20 mins. Cool completely.

Mung Bean cookies (abit of melt in your mouth feeling)

Ingredients

200g Mung bean powder (Alternatively grind the green beans)

100g Icing sugar/normal white sugar

250g All purpose flour

155g Vegetable oil 

Method

Mix all ingredients together and shape into balls or flatten (as you wish) and put into a preheated oven and bake at 160 d.c. for 20 minutes. Cool completely. 

 Almond white cookies (bof, the dough did not turn white due to the overheated almond flakes)

Ingredients

100g Almond flakes (bake in oven at 160 d.c for 5-7 mins, to watch out it didn't over brown)

140g All purpose flour

100g Corn starch

70g Icing Sugar/normal white sugar

60g Almond powder

2g Salt

130g Vegetable oil 

Method

Sift the corn starch and flour and after mix all the ingredients together. Shape the dough into balls and flatten. Put in oven and bake at 160 d.c. for 30 mins. Cool completely. 

Eight Virtues Moon Cake

 五仁八德月饼 

Ingredients :

Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts - pan fry till aromatic 

Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds

Black sesame paste, red bean paste - ready made 

Honey 

Mooncake dough - green tea flavour 

Four Seasons Mooncake

Four colours representing the four seasons in a year, is my creation for this year mid-autumn festival. 

Spring - yellow - tumeric - fillings : mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, sunflower grains), raisins, local honey dates & cream of black sesame. 

Summer - red - betterave - fillings : red beans paste coated with grilled sesame seeds. 

Autumn - brown - cinnamon - fillings : pineapple paste. 

Winter - dark green - green tea - fillings : red beans paste coated wih grilled sesame seeds. 

Vegan snack balls

Ingredients 

250 g Cauliflower cut into florets 

A can of Chickpea - drain off the liquid 

A handful of coriander - rinse, pat dry and chop moderately

Some tumeric powder 

1 tbsp of yeast flakes

1/4 cup bread crumbs - optional

1-2 tsp of corn starch

oil - optional 

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to boil with a pinch of salt. Add in the cauliflower florets and moderately cook it. Once the fork is able to pierce through, off fire. Drain and transfer to a mixer. Briefly grind the florets (do not want too fine). Pour into a mixing bowl. 

2. Do the same to the chickpea. 

3. Mix all the ingredients together. 

4. Gloved up and prepare the baking tray with parchment paper. 

5. Shape the mixture into biteable sizes. 

6. Put into a preheated oven and bake at 220 d.c. for about 15-20 minutes or till aromatic. 

7. Cool completely before serving. 

Quinoa & Sweet Potato Healthy Snack

All natural, no seasonings added...Ingredients are simple too. Just need to cook the quinoa, and steam some sweet potato. 

Ingredients :

A cup of quinoa about 200 g (rinse)

Sweet potato (estimation)

An apple (diced some and sliced thinly) - optional 

alternatively raisins (but need to puff up)

Brewer yeast 

Method :

Boil the quinoa (1:3) or as instructed. Steam the sweet potato (don overcooked) and meshed. 

Combine the 2 ingredients and add in the brewer yeast. 

Add in the diced apple and mixed well. 

Gloved both hands and shape the patty to your size. 

Line the tray with parchment paper. 

Roll the patty into balls and flatten it with your palm. 

Complete till mixture finished.

Lightly pressed in the sliced apple. 

Put to bake at a preheated oven at 220 D.C. and bake for 40 minutes. 

Cool completely before serve. 

The patty will still remain soft. 

Dhal finger food snack

Ingredients:
150g red dhal - rinsed and soaked at least 4h or even overnight
1 medium carrot - grated
1 small courgette - grated (optional)
50 g corn - canned (optional)
bread crumbs
yeast flakes (optional)
1 tsp mixed herbs / spices

Method:
1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees celsius.
2. Drain the lentils and put into mixer, together with corns lightly grind NOT puree consistency.
3. Transfer into a salad bowl. Add in the bread crumbs, yeast flakes and herbs / spices.
4. Combine well. Prepare a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Roll the mixture into ball and gently flatten as shown. Continue till finish.
5. Put to bake for about 20-25 minutes till brown.

Cool completely and serve with your favourite condiments.

Soft spongy cake

Ingredients :

150g sugar

100g butter (room temperature)

2 golden apples 

Batter:

2 tsp baking powder -sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp of salt

250g cake flour - sifted

100ml milk (vegetable milk or simply water)

Sprinkle:

1 tsp sugar                        }

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder } Mix together

Method:

1. Cream sugar and butter till light and fluffy. Combine the dry ingredients together with the salt. Pour in the liquid with the vanilla extract. Fold in till well combined. Set aside.

2. Prepare the apples. Peel and diced, leaving about 1/2 apple - thinly sliced into wedges, set aside. 

3. Add in the diced apples into the batter and mix well. 

4. Prepare a mould lined parchment paper and pour in the batter. Levelled it with the spatula and gives a couple of light thud. Next laid the sliced wedges apples on the cake surface, slightly push the apple in so that it sits nicely. 

5. Sprinkle the cinnamon powder. 

6. Put to bake at a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes or till cooked.  

Cool completely, before serve. Voila, soft spongy cake !

Making of traditional Mooncake

3 major ingredients for traditonal MC

20 g of Red bean paste with sunflower grains

50 g 

Ready for baking

Almond 豆花

The common beancurd (豆花) that we can find in asia market is soya beancurd. How about trying out with almond milk? Alternatively make the milk from nuts or more conveniently and lesser hassle, make from packet. If the milk is unsweeten, you will have to prepare the syrup to go with the dessert. However, the package here is already sweetened, so no further syrup is needed. In this recipe, i am using a sachet of 2g agar agar powder and some coral grass. Prepare the powder with 2 tbsp of water and put aside. Pour the packet of milk to a pot and add in the about 3 cubes of coral grass (1 cube of 50g for around 500ml of liquid), Stir till the coral grass cubes are dissolved. Before off fire, add in the agar agar. Cool completely before refrigerated.

Voila, very exciting and tempting ! With the coral grass and agar agar mixture, it gives the dessert some 'wobbly' - looks like texture which was my idea ! Good try with the coral grass. Next round, i will try the natural coral grass. Super miaam and refreshing on a hot summer day !