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It is the first time I see such sugar (also known as Brown Candy) that is widely known to cook Tang Yuen (glutinous rice balls), after more than 30 years making my favourite dessert. All these while, I have been following my grandmother’s tradition, using the big chunks brown Gula Melaka to make the sweet syrup.

Today, I am going to try using the Brown Candy instead. Together with pandan leaves, a knocked of ginger, all we have to do is to replace this candy to boil the sweet syrup.

According to my neighbour, who is really a very good cook, we can also add a chunck of this sugar into our rice ball. It will somehow taste like onde-onde, I suppose. Saw I bought the ready made glutinous rice balls? Am so lazy to make the dough as there are still 101 things to rush before we go back to Melaka this coming Christmas eve.

But I will probably try it out, if I have enough time to wrap some using this sugar, for our after-dinner dessert tonight.

We had some old school friends over for dinner last night. Besides turmeric chicken, I also made some stir fry turnip since dishes like this more convenient, as it can be prepared upfront.

My 2nd time trying out this all-time-favourite homecook dish. It was taught by Sin Lee’s mother, but I only used some of the ingredients I have at home.

Ingredients:
belly pork thinly sliced
1/2 turnip shredded sengkuang
pounded dried shrimp
carrot shredded (but I did not add this round)
shredded dried cuttlefish
4 cloves garlic

Sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
• 1 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tsp thick soya sauce
• a little salt and sugar to taste
• water

Method

1. Stir fry the pork strips until dry and crispy
2. Saute garlic and dried shrimp until fragrant
3. Add in rest of the ingredients
4. Stir fry till well combined
5. Add water and sauce and let it simmer until turnip turns soft

Although the strips was coarsely cut, it really taste good. However it would taste better if I let it simmer longer so that the turnip will be softer or reheated on the following day.

Satay Kajang Hj Samuri

Can you believe it that I actually have not visited Satay Kajang after more than 10 years staying in Kajang town?

A few weeks ago, hubby brought me to Samuri Satay Kajang (next to the Stadium) and I was amazed to see how organised this Satay business can be. They have seperate counter for orders where payment will be done upon ordering. Next they have separate sections preparing drinks, grilling the Satays, packaging and doing other menu as well. Although priced at 60sen per stick, I must say that their chicken satay is quite big per serving and marinate sauce is just simply delicious!

I got so hooked to the Kajang Satay that we went over again last week when my in-laws came from Kuantan to stay over as I helped them to settle their insurance matter online with the Blue Cross North Carolina. Sometimes I really had to curse myself for my big appetite!

p/s: Do park in your car into their area as it is free parking now.

Our MASS Picnic is just another 3 weeks away! And now we have

* Sue-Ivan (5y)
* Jaz-Vyktore (3y)
* Millie-Zuleyka (1y)
* Hanz-Hambali (1y)
* Liz-Angie (6y)
* Vichelle-Rachel(5y)
* Kelly – Ian
* Chee Yee – Hao (1y)
* Chin nee-QQ (5y) and De Bumbo Boys (1y)

Venue: TTDI Park (by the shallow stream)

Date and Time: 21st June, 2009 (8.30am-11.00am)

Instead of celebrating just my kids’ birthday, we (Jazz , Sue, Liz and Vichelle) would like open up invitation to anyone, ANYONE (even though without June babies) to come join us in this great event.

Instead of bringing presents, you shall bring:

* own food and drinks to share (or if you wish to share your potluck, only halal)
* own cutlery and food container (so we can bring back the leftovers)
* bucket, bubbles or your own sandpit kit (to play water by the stream)
* additional clothes for the kids to change

June is definitely the month of food for me. I guess I am going to gain lots of weight and need top acne treatment if I continue eating so much of oily food whole month long.

Our plan:

* (8.30am-9am) Arrival
* Music & movement – Liz and Karen
* Food and cake management – Jacss
* Free play & Craft (a team of 3 mummies who can prepare simple crafts ideas related to nature)
* (11.30am) End

Not sure how big our group will be, but I would surely appreciate some offline and on-site helpers on areas for the above.

Attention to June babies

If you have a child who is born in June and wish to celebrate together, just contribute RM10 so we all can share just ONE BIG cake. Just leave me a comment here and I’ll get back to you in details.

Ingredients

• 200 ml water
• 80g butter
• a pinch of salt
• 100g self raising flour
• 3 eggs beaten (I used only 2 1/2 eggs since my eggs are bigger)

Method

1. Bring water, butter and salt to boil quickly
2. Lower fire and pour all flour in. Stir vigorously to get a cook dough.
3. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
4. Add in beaten egg slowly to get a thick batter.
5. Lay on baking tray (lined with grease paper)
6. Scoop 1 Tbsp batter for each puff. can also piped them out to achieve prettier puffs.
7. Bake at 180C degree for 20mins (longer for bigger puffs)
8. Slit top once cooked and cool it on a wire rack

I got some useful tips for the method above.

1. Bringing water and butter to boil quickly at high heat so that butter melt before too much steam is release.
2. When flour is added in, stir with a wooden spoon quickly to make sure there is no lump left. Best reduce heat and stir until you can see the batter leaves the side of the pan
3. When adding eggs, do it little by little so that the egg will mix evenly for a better rising. I divided 3 beaten eggs into 6 time mixing.
4. Do not grease with too much butter otherwise bottom will burn easily. When using parchment paper, I do not grease.
5. First round I scooped with a spoon. Not so pretty. 2nd time I piped them out (using a normal plastic, cut a corner and swirl the batter out in swirls). I get prettier puffs.
6. First 10mins I baked at 200C degree. Then another 10 mins, I reduce heat to 180C. To achieve a golden brown, I add another 3 minutes since my puff is bigger.
7. Once cooked (the oven rings), I took them out immediately to slit with a scissors. Then quickly put back into the oven to continue heating (after oven is turned off) leaving the door a bit open (I slot my baking glove at the door . This is to prevent sogginess so that inner part of the puff can be dried with the leftover heat from the oven.

My beautiful golden puffs. I hope they look edible (this is the best shot from my memory stick). Great to eat with the cream fillings.

How to make cream fillings

This is my first time making the mini Peanut Puffs (or what we called in Mandarin, Kok Chai). Since the inner ingredients is made of blended fried peanuts, I do not really fancy it. I tried this because my hubby loves them.

Ingredients:

• 1kg flour
• 1/2 bowl lard
• enough water to make into a dough
• peanuts (fried and blended)
• sugar

1. Mix lard into the 1kg dough. Add water to the right consistency.

2. Rolled the dough into a flat piece. Cut out with a cup so that you get a round flat skin to wrapped the peanuts.

3. Wrap up and seal with egg white (so that it would not open when you fry them).

4. Fry them. (First heat up the oil. Then put the puff into oil and lower down the fire. When about ready, put fire to high again to drain out all the excess oil from the puff).

I did not manage to get crunchy puff for the first time. Probably no skill in frying them or time wrongly. In future I should wear my Fossil watches to watch the timing for frying. Another thing is the challenge to wrap and platte the puff’s closing beautifully. It would be best if I have the puff mould to clip them up.

This is the first batch of my pineapple tarts before I learn how to make the Melaka Nyonya way. Recipe taken from Agnes Chang book, “Making Made Easy”.

Looks like Little Porcupine, isn’t it?

Ingredients:
250g cold butter
50g icing sugar, 1 egg yolk
360g plain flour mixed with 2tbsp custard powder and sifted

Pineapple jam filling (I used the commercial jam from local bakery shop)

Method:
1. Mix butter, icing sugar and egg yolk until creamy. Fold in flour and mix into a dough. Leave aside for 30mins (or overnight if you want to prepare the dough a day ahead)
2. Put pastry into the piping mould and pipe out 5cn in length. Place filling (shaped ahead) at one end and roll up. Glaze with beated egg (for easy glazing, you can dilute with some water).
3. Bake at 180C degree till golden brown.

Tips:

1. To avoid it being too sweet, you can choose to omit mixing icing sugar into the pastry.

2. Dough making: Instead of beating with a mixer, you can also use the rubbing in method.

3. For roll type, just make sure that the dough is softer (by adding more butter) so that you can pipe the batter out more easily.

4. If you wish to have a harder pastry instead of powdery tarts, you can add some egg white to it.

I think I’ll definitely make a good profit if I see these hard to get Nyonya tarts when I go abroad to visit my cousin. Oh yes, you can also come to collect the cookies from the hotel I am staying, at the hotel in las vegas.