Sweet and Sour Pork (Kou Lou Youk)

Sweet and sour pork, or more commonly known as "Kou Lou Youk" back home, is by far one of my undeniably favourite dish. It is also the favourite of both my brothers, Sunny and Aaron. So, Ah Po make this dish quite often for us. Incidentally, when I was back home last year, I learned (among other things) that my nephew, Victor, and niece, Joey, also love this dish. Many things considered, it is just so obvious that we are of the same flesh and blood... or the fact that Ah Po's cooking has a huge impact on us. That said, I'm eagerly waiting for my little nephew, Xavier, to grow older and demand some kou lou youk!

I have been wanting to cook some kou lou youk for a while. The thing is, I didn't know that kou lou youk is also named sweet and sour pork 'cos the sweet and sour pork here in the US is totally different. Due to my ignorance, I was paralyzed from googling for the recipe. But thanks to a couple of Malaysian friends who are Chinese-proficient and know what I'm talking about, some recipes and instructions were attained (and I now know that kou lou youk = sweet and sour pork, at least in Malaysia).

This dish is not difficult to make, but it certainly demanded my patience. For example, the meat needs to be cut into equal sizes; otherwise they won't cook consistently, or you'll have to pay attention to which needs more or less deep-frying. Then, the batter needs to be coated evenly; otherwise some are more batterish than the others. Moreover, I was a little apprehended about deep frying after my little incident a few days ago. Fortunately, all is good this time -- no burns, no accidents.

This test of patience is worth enduring. Feels like I'm on cloud nine... it tastes oh-so-good!

Sweet and Sour Pork (Kou Lou Youk)

3/4 lb of pork tenderloin

2 - 3 tsp of soy sauce

Pinch of cornstarch

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1/2 cup of pineapple chunks

3 cups of oil for deep frying

Sauce:

1/4 cup of sugar

2 tbsp of ketchup

2 tbsp of dark soy sauce

1/4 tsp of salt

1/2 cup of reserved pineapple juice or water

1/4 cup of vinegar

1 tbsp of cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tbsp of water

Batter:

1/3 cup of flour

1/3 cup of cornstarch

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

1/3 cup of warm water, or as needed

Cut the pork into 1 inch cubes. Marinate with 2 - 3 tsp of soy sauce and pinch of cornstarch for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, dark soy sauce, salt, juice or water, and vinegar. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch with water. Set aside.

Remove the seeds from the bell peppers. Cut the bell peppers into cubes.

Combine the flour and cornstarch to make the batter. Stir in the egg white and vegetable oil. Add as much of the warm water as needed to form a thick batter. The batter should not be runny, but should drop off the back of a spoon.

Heat the oil for deep frying (375 F).

Dip the marinated pork cubes in the batter. Deep fry the pork until it is golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. (Deep fry in batches so to not overcrowd the wok).

To prepare the sauce, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and pineapple. Bring to a boil again and stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.

Check the sauce and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or vinegar if desired.

Put the deep fried pork in and stir for a couple of minutes to combine well.

Remove from heat.

Serve warm with steamed rice.

Golden Egg Tofu with Minced Meat

I can't believe my luck today! I was on a quest for some sea cucumbers at an Asian groceries store. Being unsuccessful at the first store (though I picked up tons of unnecessary snacks), I decided to make a stop at another Asian store. Still no sea cucumbers. But... my eyes spotted a few tubes of the silken egg tofu! I was searching for those a month ago to no avail. So, I quickly grabbed two tubes and made my way to the cashier. I've decided that the Asian groceries stores in Minneapolis are temperamental.

I love this egg tofu with minced meat dish that my Ah Po make. I've been thinking bout it for months. As such, I can't wait and just have to cook it tonight. Deep frying the tofu was a little tricky; I got some oil splashed on my face... but luckily, no visits to Dr McSteamy, the plastic surgeon, were warranted. I think it might leave a scar under my left eyebrow. Hey, scar gives character, right? The effort (and scar) is totally worthwhile as the dish turned out to be super-yummy-licious!

Golden Egg Tofu with Minced Meat
1 cup of cooking oil
2 tubes of silken egg tofu
150 grams of minced meat
6 - 8 prawns, deshelled and cut into small pieces
1 egg
1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp of light soy sauce
1 tsp of oyster sauce
1/2 tsp of Xiaoshing rice wine
2 - 3 dashes of white pepper
A dash of sesame oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 cup of water
1 tbsp of cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp of water

Cut each roll of egg tofu into pieces of 1/2 inches thick, lengthwise. Place tofu on a sheet of kitchen towel to dry off excessive water.
Marinate minced meat and prawns with a dash of soy sauce and sprinkles of salt and pepper.
Heat wok with oil over high heat and deep fry tofu until golden brown. Remove from work and place tofu on a sheet of kitchen towel to drain. Set aside.
Remove excessive oil and leave only about 1 tbsp of oil in wok. Lower heat to medium.
Slightly brown the garlic. Add the minced meat and prawns, and water. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, white pepper, and sesame oil.
Thicken the gravy with cornstarch mixture.
Then, break and add an egg into wok, stir it vigorously for a few seconds.
Turn off the heat.
Return golden browned egg tofu into work, stir it gently to combine well.
Dish up and serve with steamed rice.

Chicken with Ginger and Scallions

Still recuperating from the Chinese New Year feast, I settled to make something quick and simple this weekend - Chicken with Ginger and Scallions. The infused ginger and scallions combined to impart fragrance that is refreshing and appetizing. The marinated chicken is so tender and made delicious by the combined sauces. Hmm... healthy and delectable!

Chicken with Ginger and Scallions
1 lb of chicken breasts/thighs, deboned, skinned, and cut lengthwise into 2-inch strips
4 stalks of scallions, cut into 1-inch sections
2 inches of fresh ginger, sliced into pieces
2 tbsp of cooking oil, plus 1 tbsp for marinating the chicken
1/2 tbsp of corn flour
1/8 tsp of sesame oil
1/4 tsp of sugar
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp of Shaoxing cooking wine
A dash of white pepper powder
Salt to taste

Marinate the chicken strips with corn flour and add a tablespoon of oil to seal in the juice of the chicken. Set aside for 15 - 20 minutes.
Heat up the cooking oil in the wok.
When wok gets very hot and starting to smoke, add ginger and stir for a few seconds.
Then, add the scallions and stir until thoroughly hot.
Add in the chicken strips and continue to stir well.
When the chicken strips start to cook, add in the oyster sauce, sesame oil, cooking wine, white pepper, sugar, and toss the wok a few times.
Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed white rice!

A New Twist on Cupcakes

Since my heavenly experience with a alcohol-infused chocolate cake at the Chamber's D'Amico Kitchen last weekend, I can't stop thinking about such delicacies and was inspired to bake some alcohol-infused cupcakes.

Chocolate Cake at D'Amico Kitchen of the Chambers, Minneapolis

After a little research, the choice of beers came down to two of my favourites: Guinness and Blue Moon. Baking these cupcakes were easy enough, at least easier than baking a cake (last year, I have attempted to bake a cake for more than a month... to no success). Another bonus was the glazing on the cupcakes; since they were supposed to resemble a glass of beer, the glazing can just be splat over the cupcake top, no major cupcake decorating necessary!

Blue Moon cupcake and Guinness cupcake

Just got a "ding ding ding" moment - I can make some muffin-sized cupcakes spiked with Hoegaarden! That is, only if I can get my hands on some Hoegaarden...


Blue Moon Cupcakes
makes ~15 cupcakes

3/4 stick of unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
4 oz of buttermilk
6 oz of Blue Moon beer
2 tsp of vanilla
zest of one orange
1 cup of brown sugar
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt butter and set aside to cool.
Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, beer, vanilla, and orange zest in a bowl.
Mix the sugar, flour, and baking soda in another bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two parts, using a mixer at medium speed,  to combine. Add the melted butter and combine.
Pour batter into cupcake cups and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp of orange juice
1 tsp of orange zest
4 - 5 cups of confectioners sugar
1.5 oz of Blue Moon beer

Blend the cream cheese, butter, orange juice, orange zest, and Blue Moon beer in a mixing bowl, using a mixer at medium speed, until smooth.
Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy, about 3 - 5 minutes.
Glaze the cupcakes!


Guinness Cupcakes
makes ~15 cupcakes

1 cup of Guinness stout
1 stick of unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp
3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
2 cups of brown sugar
3/4 cup of sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
2 cups of flour
2 1/2 tsp of baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large saucepan, and heat to melt the cocoa and sugar. Let cool.
Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla.
Add the beer mixture and combine.
Add the dry ingredients and mix well, using a mixer at medium speed, until combine.
Pour the batter into cupcake cups and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Glaze
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup of confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup of milk

Using a mixer at medium speed, whip cream cheese until smooth.
Sift in sugar and beat.
Add milk and beat until smooth.
Glaze cupcakes!

For thinner glaze, use a tablespoon or two more milk. For glaze akin to icing, use less sugar or milk at a time, mix and check for desired consistency.

Spicing up the New Year with Chili Crab

My best friend, Reena, loves crabs. In fact, I have not met any Malaysians that doesn't love seafood. Since Reena is in town, I figured I should take the opportunity to have her help with cooking some Chili Crabs, which I deemed to be difficult especially since I've never cook any in my life before!

We followed a recipe found on the internet. But Reena was suspicious about the chili paste that I have gotten. So, we added some curry paste. It turned out to be delicious. We probably spent more than an hour cracking the crab shells and slurping on the crab meat. And the pairing with some Tiger beer... just so heavenly.

Cheers to another one of my first time -- cooking Chili Crab, that is.

Chili Crab
2 Dungeness crabs, about 1.5 lb each
4 tbsp of vegetable oil
3 tbsp of garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp of ginger, finely grated
1 large egg
salt and pepper

Chili Sauce (to combine):
4 - 5 tbsp of chili paste
1 cup of tomato ketchup
2 tbsp of sugar
2 tbsp of rice vinegar or lemon juice
1 tbsp of dark soy sauce
1 tbsp of soy bean paste
1 tbsp of cornstarch
1 cup of water

Clean Dungeness crabs and cut into halves. Crack the shells and claws ever so gently, if desired.
In a bowl, combine chili sauce ingredients. Mix well.
Heat vegetable oil in a hot wok. Add garlic and ginger, stir fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
Add combined chili sauce.
Bring sauce to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toss in crabs. Stir fry to coat with the sauce for about 2 minutes.
Cover and cook crabs over med-high heat until the crabs turn red in color.
Lift cover from time to time to give it a good stir. Check that the sauce does not dry up and add some water if necessary.
When crabs are almost fully cooked, push crabs to the sides of the wok.
Break an egg into the sauce, stirring gently to form yellow and white streaks. Then, mix in crabs.
Remove crabs from the wok and keep warm. Let stand for 10 minutes for flavors to meld.
Serve with bread or French baguette to dip into the yummy sauce and pair with a nice, cold Tiger beer!

Reunion Dinner

Just like any Chinese, it is a tradition for my family to have our reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year. Our New Year's Eve typically involves prayers in the morning, followed by cleaning and cooking throughout the day. Every year, Ah Po would cook a dish of mixed veggie, Hainanese chicken, a whole steamed fish, and her famous pork stomach soup. The desserts vary from year to year. Sometimes, it would simply be agar-agar, rice cake or nin kou, Chinese mandarins (as they transliterate to "gold"), or the variety of Chinese New Year cookies, such as the pineapple tarts, or the combination of them all. When my brothers and I were little, we would grab some Jolly Shandy - to quote Carlsberg, it is a "refreshing mix of lemonade and real beer," of which its alcohol content effectively amounts to a great 1%... perfect for kids! And then, there is the main highlight of the night, which I most look forward to while growing up. It is when we would all gather around to wish each others well - in health, study/career, prosperity and luck, and the occasional "looking younger and prettier as the year goes" (as the ladies love to hear this) - in the coming new year, and the elders would give us kids the cash-containing red packets (or fondly called hong pau). And then, we would gamble off the money. Did I mention gambling is Ah Po's favorite pastime?

This year, in anticipation of the year of Tiger, I have decided to reenact Ah Po's Chinese New Year's Eve menu. Minus the Hainanese chicken. Plus, the eight treasures sweet tea or lin chee kang for dessert -- or, in my case, seven treasures sweet tea because I forgot to get some white fungus. I have a great helper - my best friend, Reena, who flew in from Chicago at 8:30 a.m. to join me in conjuring and savoring the feast. Luckily, Pat was gracious enough to come by and help with the food as well, at a very short notice. Reena and I has been anticipating to taste the pork stomach soup as its fragrance filled the kitchen, but I was worried that the name of the soup in itself would turn Pat's appetite down. And the fact that Pat had had bad experience with pork stomach wasn't helping. Fortunately, Pat was a good sport and wanted to try the soup after all and I was relieved when he said it was actually good.

I was glad that everyone enjoyed the meal. To think of it, this is the first Chinese New Year's Eve dinner/celebration that I have since seven years ago. And I am extremely grateful to my guests of honor for this wonderful time!

My guests of honor, Reena and Pat

Stir Fry Vegetables

Steamed Sea Bass, Cantonese-Style

Pork Stomach Soup

Eight Treasures Sweet Tea

So, that was dinner. For brunch, that is, as soon as Reena was picked up from the airport, we head to an Asian groceries store to pick up the rest of the ingredients. And I tricked Reena into making wonton mee for brunch. We may not have dumplings to symbolize wealth (because of its tael-liked shape), but we improvised with wontons. It's all about creativity!

Wontons wrapping

Reena, the great cook

Pork Stomach Soup

1 lb of pork bones

1 pork stomach

1/4 lb of pork intestines

1 bulb of garlic

3 tbsp of white peppercorns, slightly smashed (add more if spicier taste is preferred)

Clean the pork stomach and intestines thoroughly. This cleaning process involves soaking and rubbing them in salt water, repeatedly, until the smell is gone. The stomach needs to be turned inside and out, and the salt rubbed over and every inch.

Boil the water.

Put in the pork bones when water is boiling.

Put in pork stomach and intestines, garlic and white peppercorns when water is boiling again. Let simmer in medium heat.

When pork stomach is tender (i.e. when a chopstick can poke through), remove the pork stomach from soup. This takes about 2 hours.

Cut pork stomach into biteable slices. Then, put them back into the simmering soup.

Let simmer for another hour or so.

Add salt to taste.

Stir Fry Vegetables

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets

2 carrots, cut into slices

1/2 cup of snow peas

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 - 4 tbsp of soy sauce

2 - 3 tbsp of dark soy sauce

Heat oil.

Add garlic and stir until golden brown (or when you smell the fragrance, as I was told by Reena).

Add in carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and snow peas and continue to stir for 2 - 3 minutes.

While stirring, add in the soy sauces.

Cook and stir until tender-crisp, for about 2 more minutes.

Remove from heat.

Steamed Sea Bass, Cantonese-Style

1 - 1.5 lb of whole sea bass with head and tail, cleaned, scaled, and gills removed

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of white wine

3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

4 tbsp of chopped scallions

2 tbsp of fresh ginger, finely minced

2 tsp of sugar

1/4 cup of olive oil

3 tbsp of soy sauce

Rinse the fish inside and out with 1/4 cup of white wine.

Use a round or oval platter that is large enough to hold the fish but will fit inside the top of a steaming utensil.

Place the fish on the platter and set the platter in the top of the steamer. Cover and steam over boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce base by combining the 2 tbsp of white wine, garlic, scallions, ginger, and sugar in a small bowl.

Check fish for doneness. When cooked, the flesh will be white and pull easily from the bones. Remove the platter and pour off the liquid that has accumulated around the fish (or transfer the fish to a serving platter).

Heat the oil in a wok or sauepan. When it is hot, add the sauce base. Cook, stirring until the sauce boils.

Pour soy sauce over the sea bass first, and then pour the boiled sauce over the fish.

Serve immediately.

Eight Treasures Sweet Tea (Lin Chee Kang)

150 g of pearl barley

150 g of gingko nuts

100 g of lily bulbs, soaked

50 g of white fungus, soaked and broken up

50 g of tai hoi larm (bunga memangkuk/poontala/sterculia lychnophora/malva nuts)

3 pcs of whole dried persimmons, scald in hot water and cut into 1 cm cubes

100 g of dried longan

100 g of lotus seeds

rock sugar to taste

Soak tai hoi larm, remove outer skin, seed and coverings. Retain jelly-like pulp, rinse in warm water and drain for use later.

Boil barley until tender, then add gingko nuts and white fungus.

When all are tender, add soaked lily bulbs.

Separately boil the lotus seeds until tender. When 'tong sui' (or sweet tea) is ready, add the boiled lotus seeds and dried longan and boil for another 5 minutes.

Sweeten the 'tong sui' with rock sugar according to taste.

To serve, sprinkle the persimmon cubes and tai hoi larm into individual bowls and ladle the 'tong sui' over.

Serve warm or chilled.

Thrice-a-Charming Pineapple Tarts

Given that my previous attempts of pineapple tarts baking was not so satisfying, I wanted to give it another try in hopes that this time around, the dough will turn out better and the sizes more consistent. Not to mention, these golden morsels are so addictive. They are quickly depleted, regardless of their look, 'cos they are super-yummylicious! 

I have to say, I'm happy with the outcome this time. The pineapple tarts turned out to be tasty and in same sizes (good-looking in my standard). Along the way, I also found some pineapple-tarts-making improvements, though the expert bakers may already know them. For example:

• Rubbing-in method, though painstaking, is my preferred way of making pastry dough (you know the saying: no pain, no gain).
• If you leave the dough too long in the fridge, they get very hard.
• Even if you have non-stick rolling pin, dough mat, and cooking sheet, using working flour in addition makes life so much easier.
• If you scooped out the pineapple jam and let cool a little, it is much easier to roll them into balls before rolling over with the dough strips. The pineapple jam is sticky when it is warm.
• You can mix the remainder of the pineapple juice (that resulted from your painstakingly grating/shredding the pineapple) with DonQ and relax while waiting for your pineapple tarts to bake and/or cool.

So, I braved myself and took them in to work for sharing. They were well-liked. One of my coworkers even thought that they were store-bought. I'm just glad I could share some Malaysian love... and the prosperity the pineapple tarts would bring for everyone!

As for the remainder, I shall lock them up for Reena, who is visiting this weekend. Else, I may just nom-nom-nom all of them myself!!!


Pineapple Tarts for Chinese New Year
Pineapple Filling:
A pineapple, about 4 lbs
400 gm of white sugar
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of butter
1 pc of cinnamon stick
8 cloves
1 - 2 star anise

Remove skin and black eyes off the pineapple.
Grate/shred pineapple into a large bowl.
Strain off half of the juice. Save the rest of the juice.
Put the grated pineapple and all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook till the jam is thick and on the dry side. This takes about 45 - 60 minutes.
Adjust the sugar to your liking. If the jam is too dry, you can add in some pineapple juice that you saved in the previous step until you get the right consistency.

When pineapple jam is slightly cooled, scoop out about 1/4 tsp of pineapple jam and place on parchment paper to let cool. When cooled, pineapple jam can be easily formed into balls to be placed onto strips of dough.


Pastry:
125 gm of butter
30 gm of icing sugar
220 gm of all purpose flour (remove 2 tbsp and replace with corn flour)
2 egg yolk
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Lightly beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp of water for glazing

Cream butter with icing sugar using rubbing-in method.
Add in egg yolk and vanilla extract, cream until combine.
Add in flour and mix into a dough.
Put dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out dough to 5 mm thick using groved rolling pin to get a striped pattern. Then roll diagonally to form checked pattern. (I couldn't find a groved rolling pin. So, I rolled out the dough. Then, use a knife to create the checked pattern.)
Cut into strips. Turn pattern over. Fill the initial section with pineapple jam. Roll pastry over and trim off the excess. Repeat.
Glaze and bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 15 minutes.

Four-Dish Meal for Two... Too Much?

Between our hectic and conflicting schedules, we finally manage to meet and have dinner last night... a dinner prepared by me, that is. This guest of honor, Pat, is somewhat of a foodie. So, the stake was high. I had put the list of dishes to make since a week ago, in preparation of hunting down the ingredients since my groceries shopping entails two stops: one at a regular grocery store and another at an Asian grocery store. The menu includes ABC soup, soy sauce chicken, tamarind prawns, and gingko barley dessert. 

The ABC soup is one that Ah Po made quite often over the years. I don't know how the name "ABC" came about, since the initials do not represent the ingredients in the soup. Perhaps it's because the soup contains everything (i.e. meat and veggie) and hence named "ABC," kinda like how "Chop Suey" has gotten its name. It's a really easy soup to make, and yet, it's very tasty. It's light on sweetness from the meat bones and carrots, with a hint of sourness from the tomatoes, and a teasing zing from the white peppercorns. 

ABC Soup

Pat judging the soup...

I picked the recipe for soy sauce chicken and tamarind prawns from a book, Food from the Heart. Turned out, Pat's favorite among all the dishes was the soy sauce chicken. I concur; the soy sauce chicken was delicious. It was not too salty, but slightly sweet with a hint of spiciness. I don't think I do a justice of describing its taste (I wished I had recorded Pat's testimony). The tamarind prawns was a little disappointing and it was bad on my part; I should have cooked it using large tiger prawns instead of medium prawns . The sauce turned out well though.

Soy Sauce Chicken

Tamarind Prawns

Lastly, I made gingko barley for dessert (白果腐竹糖水), since Pat wanted both soup and dessert when asked. I think Ah Po likes this dessert as she made it quite often, even though she has to go through the trouble of cracking and removing the shell of the gingko nuts with pestle and mortar by herself. I remember offering some of Ah Po's gingko barley dessert to my best friend, Reena, once and she developed a liking for it too. 


Unfortunately, by the time Pat and I finished our three-dish meal and the bottle of Clos de los Siete 2007 Mendoza (thanks, Pat!), we were stuffed. We took perhaps an hour to an hour and a half break before proceeding to our dessert, but we were still full. Also, I think Pat was not too fond of the quail eggs...

Gingko Barley Dessert

ABC Soup

1/2 lbs of pork bones and meat

Chicken (optional)

2 medium potatoes, cut into desired sizes

4 - 5 carrots, cut into desired sizes

2 medium tomatoes, quartered

1 large sweet onion, quartered

1/4 tsp of white peppercorns

Boil about 1.5 L of water. 

Put in the pork bones and meat (and chicken) when the water is boiling.

Add in potatoes, carrots, and white peppercorns when water is boiling again.

Add in tomatoes and onions when water is boiling again.

Then, reduce the heat to medium low and let soup simmer for 2 - 3 hours.

Soy Sauce Chicken ("Tau Yu" Chicken)

3 lbs of chicken

2 tbsp of oil

1 tsp of salt

1 tbsp of sugar

10 tbsp of dark soy sauce

2 cups of water

2 red chillies, halved and seeded

1/2 tsp of pepper

10 cloves of garlic, smashed lightly

6 hard boiled eggs

Clean chicken and chopped into bite size pieces. Marinate with a little salt.

Heat oil in wok and fry chicken pieces.

Lower the flame and add the chillies, pepper, and garlic and fry well. Add sugar to glaze the chicken.

Add the dark soy sauce and water to cover the chicken. Put in the eggs.

Allow to simmer, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Tamarind Prawns

1 lbs of medium prawns (large prawns is recommended)

2.5 tbsp of dark soy sauce

2 tbsp of light soy sauce

1.5 tbsp of sugar

1.5 cup of water

100 g of tamarind (asam jawa); (substitute: tamarind juice concentrate)

1/2 cup of cooking oil

1/2 tsp of corn flour

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp of salt

spring onions and coriander leaves for garnishing

Clean prawns with shells and heads attached. Trim whiskers, drain and put aside.

Soak tamarind in the water, squeeze pulp into a thick juice. Remove seeds.

Add dark and light soy sauce, sugar and salt. Mix well. Marinate prawns with tamarind mixture for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in wok, fry garlic until golden. Add prawns 2 at a time. When cooked, remove and set aside. Continue until all the prawns are cooked.

Pour the remainder of tamarind juice into wok, stir well. Add corn flour and the cooked prawns, bring to a quick boil and remove onto serving plate.

Garnish with spring onions and coriander leaves.

Gingko Barley Dessert (白果腐竹糖水)

100 gm of barley

1.5 cups of gingko nuts

1 cup of quail eggs 

1 - 2 pcs of foo chuk (dried bean curd)

4 pandan leaves, cleaned and knotted

Rock sugar to taste

1.5 - 2 L of water

Bring water to boil. 

Add barley, gingko nuts, and quail eggs and let it boil on medium heat for 45 minutes.

Add foo chuk and rock sugar to taste and let it boil for another 15 minutes or so.

Serve! 

Inviting Prosperity and Luck with Pineapple Tarts

The Chinese New Year is fast approaching and many food bloggers are writing about the various foods and desserts that are commonly enjoyed during the festival. Seeing all the beautiful photos of many dainties, I can't contain myself; I need my New Year cookies fix!


So, I ventured out and invested on some baking ingredients and tools (such as a dough mat, sifter, rolling pin, etc., unfortunately, I was not able to track down the molds/cutters for pineapple tarts). I'd never thought I would ever own a rolling pin, but here I am, a rolling pin owner. And a whole pineapple. I'm going to make some pineapple tarts! 


Through my research on pineapple tarts, its traditions and history, I learned that pineapple tarts are yet another food that undisputedly originated from Malaysia, specifically by the Baba Nyonya who settled in Malacca. This article in Travel Guide Malaysia, entitled "Prosperity, Come Forth," is my favorite piece as I found myself gained most knowledge on the history and evolution of the pineapple tarts as they relate to my own roots. According to the article, pineapple or "Ong Lai" in Hokkien, idiomatically translates to "Prosperity Come" which means the coming of prosperity, fortunes, or luck. The writer also mentioned that one can get good pineapple tarts all year round in Malacca, which reminded me that my friends, Helen and Chin Ling, took me to Jonker Street in Malacca for the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice Balls when I was back in Malaysia in 2006. And right outside the chicken rice shop was a street stall selling pineapple tarts and other cookies. My expressions at the time could probably be described as "a village girl who've never seen pineapple tarts before!" Not surprisingly, I "sapu" some pineapple tarts to appease my cravings.

I think the man in white shirt is carrying some pineapple tarts in the orangy plastic bag...

In preparing for my baking adventure, I stumbled upon many recipes for pineapple tarts. Some even provided shortcuts for the pineapple filling. At the end, I've selected the few that I thought are most labor intensive and mashed them together. I figured that since I'm learning, I might as well start from square one. 


The pineapple filing was not difficult, though grating the pineapple can be quite time-consuming. But then, the sweet smell of the pineapple, mixed with cinnamon, star anise, and cloves, imparted while the jam was cooking was almost magical and put a smile on my face. That, was sufficient motivation for me to continue with making the pastry dough. The dough was a little tricky for me, primarily due to lack of experience on my part. I made two batches. The first batch, I thought was too dry as it tends to break when I was rolling the strip around the pineapple filling. As for the second batch, I might have add too much of water (10 tsp instead of 5) and made it too moist. I also think I need a quality engineer/controller to help ensure that I make the pineapple tarts in consistent size!

My pineapple tarts in various sizes!

The making of pineapple tarts is time-consuming (I only made 15 of these delicacies in 3.5 hours -- though the time also accounts for inexperience), but I find it really enjoyable, especially if gathered around family and close friends to share the fun. Everything is golden-yellowish, which naturally creates a happy and joyous ambient. Not to mention, the sweet pineapple fragrance that roams the air reminded me to be grateful, for life is, and can be, good. 

My better-looking and more comparable in sizes pineapple tarts :)

Ah Po doesn't bake, at least not that I can recall; the baker in the family would be Mom. But as Chinese New Year is approaching, Ah Po will unfailingly ensure that all our favorites or customary cookies is stocked up in our household. Every year, we will have kuih kapit, kuih bangkit, pineapple tarts, and peanut cookies, to name a few. Of course, the mandarin oranges, bak kwa, and nin kou will not be left out as well. I would devour the fare, mostly the cookies, and Ah Po would call me "wai sik" and grumpily said that the cookies will be long gone before New Year day arrives, to try to put a stop to my ravenous appetite. After I left home, Ah Po would inquire my return around Chinese New Year, every year. If I do go home, be it in May or August or November, Ah Po would save a medium-sized-Milo container of kuih kapit for me as kuih kapit is my favorite. She would even go to the extend of traveling from Bandar Utama to Klang to buy them from one of our old neighbors, who made the best kuih kapit. When I get home, she would urge me to eat them soon in fear that the kuih kapit may not be fresh anymore. And I remember vividly, her smile and the happiness and joy that shines through her eyes as she place the cookies before me; she was just so happy to have me back at home and that she could shower me with her love through all the food I love. To think of it, I haven't had kuih kapit for about 4 years now...   




Pineapple Tarts
Pineapple Filling:
A pineapple, about 4 lbs
500 gm of white sugar
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of butter
1 pc of cinnamon stick
8 cloves
1 - 2 star anise


Remove skin and black eyes off the pineapple.
Grate/shred pineapple into a large bowl.
Strain off half of the juice. Save the rest of the juice.
Put the grated pineapple and all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook till the jam is thick and on the dry side. This takes about 45 - 60 minutes.
Adjust the sugar to your liking. If the jam is too dry, you can add in some pineapple juice that you saved in the previous step until you get the right consistency.
Cool the filling before use and/or storing.


Pastry:
(First recipe I tried)
125 gm of butter
30 gm of icing sugar
220 gm of all purpose flour (remove 2 tbsp and replace with corn flour)
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract


Lightly beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp of water for glazing


Cream butter with icing sugar until light.
Add in egg yolk and vanilla extract, cream until combine.
Add in flour and mix into a dough.
Put dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out dough to 5 mm thick using groved rolling pin to get a striped pattern. Then roll diagonally to form checked pattern. (I couldn't find a groved rolling pin. So, I rolled out the dough. Then, use a knife to create the checked pattern.)
Cut into strips. Turn pattern over. Fill the initial section with pineapple jam. Roll pastry over and trim off the excess. Repeat.
Glaze and bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 15 minutes.


(Second recipe I tried)
340 gm of all purpose flour
2 tbsp of icing sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
200 gm of butter
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
5 tsp of ice cold water
1/2 tsp of baking powder


Lightly beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp of water for glazing


Lightly beat egg yolk with vanilla extract.
Sieve flour, baking powder, and icing sugar into mixing bowl. Stir in salt and mix well.
Cut the butter into 1/4 inches and put into flour mixture.
Use rubbing-in method to rub the butter into the flour until it is bread crumbs like.
Add egg yolk and ice water into flour and use a fork to blend well to form a dough.
Separate the dough into 3 - 4 portions. Slightly flatten the dough with palms and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 
Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll out dough to 5 mm thick with rolling pin. Make checked pattern with knife. 

Cut into strips. Turn pattern over. Fill the initial section with pineapple jam. Roll pastry over and trim off the excess. Repeat.

Glaze and bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 15 minutes or until golden color that you desired.