Kuih Dadar (Coconut Pancake)

I am very sorry that I haven't been updating my blog the past 2 weeks or so. Not becoz I am lazy but I've been busy. I came back to Singapore 2 weeks ago and then I went to Shah Alam(Malaysia) last week. Gosh.. I kinda hate the long traveling part.. tiring... Other than traveling, I also had a job interview in Singapore. (on a quick note, I got the job... yay!!) Anyway now I have to get back on blogging... :) This month, I have so many baking to do and I am so excited to start back working on it.

Well, yesterday early morning, I helped my grandma to make some delicious kuih for my mom who would sell the kuih-muih* at her food stall at Kim Keat Ave (Singapore). I love this kuih because its simply delicious and easy-to-make. The wrap is a combination of flour, eggs, and water or some use coconut milk. The filling is grated coconut, sweetened with gula melaka (palm sugar). Since my grandma do not use any measurement cups or weighing scales when mixing the ingredients, so I have to find the measurements... :)

*Kuih is the term given to various manners of bite-sized food items in Malay. They are usually - but not always - sweet and intricate creations, including cakes, cookies and puddings. It can also be described as pastry, however it is to be noted that the Asian concept of "cakes" and "pastries" is different from that of the Western one. Kuihs, plurified kueh-mueh or kuih-muih in Malay are more often steamed than baked, and thus very different in texture, flavour and appearance from Western cakes or puff pastries. Kuihs come in different shapes, colours, texture and designs. Some examples are filled, coated, wrapped, sliced and layered kuihs. Also, as mentioned earlier, most kuihs are steamed, with some being boiled or baked. They can also be deep-fried, and sometimes even grilled. Kuihs are not confined to a certain meal but are eaten throughout the day. (wikipedia)

Recipe: Kueh Dadar (Coconut Pancake)
Ingredients:

Filling:
90g palm sugar or brown sugar
40ml plain water
200g granted coconut, skin removed
1/3 tsp salt
1 egg

Cook palm sugar with water till palm sugar dissolves. Add grated coconut and salt, stir-fry till mixture is fairly dry. Then add the egg and mix well. Remove and set aside.

Batter:
100g all purpose flour
1 egg
1/3 tsp salt
1 tbsp pandan juice or green food colouring
150ml plain water
a few drops of vegetable oil

Sift flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, pandan juice or green coloring, vegetable oil and water. Use a hand whisk to mix well and form a batter. Add a little more water if the batter is too thick.

Heat flat-bottomed frying pan and pour in a little oil. Pour enough batter and lightly swirl pan to let batter spread into a thin pancake.

Heat till pancake is cooked then remove and let cool.

Place the coconut filing on pancake (the top part when you cooked it).

Fold the left and right side first before the center part.

Roll the pancake like a spring roll.

Enjoy! :)







Remarks: Coconut filling you can make 1 week beforehand and keep cool inside fridge.

Tricolor pulao

Here it is.. I've made another Tricolor Pulao, and took a better looking picture this time. When I made this pulao the other time for the twins birthday, the picture was horrible that is why I didn't upload the picture here. I think this time, the picture looks better. hehe..

In this recipe, it said 1 onion. I'm not sure big or small one, and since we do not really like a lot of onion in our food so I only used half of the big onion for this recipe. I also added some raisin to give a sweet taste to this delicious vegetable pulao. I've used white long grain rice instead of the basmati rice. We were out of basmati rice at the moment. Basmati rice is a slender, long grain, and the name means fragrant. It has a distinctive and appealing aroma. I found out there is a secret for a perfect pulao!! Wash the rice thoroughly, then soak it briefly. Soaking before cooking softens and moistens the grains, enabling the rice to absorb moisture during cooking, and resulting a fluffier rice. :)

Here is the Tricolor Pulao recipe.

Recipe: Tricolor Pulao (from The world's greatest curries)
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and soaked for 30 mins
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 dried bay leaves
4 green cardamon pods
4 cloves
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/3 cup frozen sweetcorn, thawed
1/4 cup cashew nuts, lightly fried
2 cups water
1/4 tsp ground cumin
salt
1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Instructions:
Heat the oil in large pan or wok over a medium heat, and fry the cumin seeds for 2 mins. Add the bay leaves, cardamons, and cloves, and fry gently for 2 mins more, stirring the spices from time to time.

Add the onion and fry until lightly browned. Stir in the diced carrot and cook, stirring, for 3-4 mins.

Drain the soaked rice and add to the contents in the pan. Stir well to mix. Add the peas, sweetcorn, fried cashews and raisins.

Add the measured water and the remaining spices, and add salt to taste. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 mins over a low heat until all the water is absorbed.

Leave to stand, covered, for 10 mins. Transfer to a warmed dish and serve.

Have a good day everyone! :)

Sweet and Simple Bakes (July) - Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is my first time to join Sweet and Simple Bakes by Rosie and Maria. Well for July's bake it is Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin. Thou, I'm not a big fan of banana, these muffins were very good. We like it when it is warm, so the leftovers in the refrigerator, we just heat it in the microwave for a few secs and served with a glass of milk.

Since I found out about the food events and also group bakers, I just want to join everything.. But I do not think I can do it. That's a lot! haha.. So far, I've joined 4 and 1 is coming up this month and that is Daring Bakers. I think DB is more challenging than the rest.. I've read the previous entries from DB's members, I am not sure, if I can do it, I am only a beginner, making those fancy cakes.. gosh, I may be out of my mind!! LOL... :) So it is this month, it will be my first, cant wait to see what it is going to be!

Anyway, this recipe calls for 3 bananas but I didn't realized that I was left with just 2 bananas. I wasn't sure it turned out well but it did. Yummy!! Its a good thing that we have a digital scale because it will took me forever to do the conversions.. haha .. :)

Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas
125ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
250g plain flour
100g caster sugar
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g dark/milk chocolate (white chocolate or butterscotch chips/morsels)


Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan oven/gas mark 6 and line a 12-bun muffin tin with muffin papers.

Mash the bananas and set aside for a moment.Pour the oil into a jug and beat in the eggs.

Put the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a large bowl and mix in the beaten-egg-and-oil mixture, followed by the mashed bananas.

Fold in the chocolate morsels, then place equal quantities in the prepared muffin tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Check out Sweet and Simple Bakes to see the rest of the bakers. :)

Cookie Carnival (July) - Blackberry Almond Bars

For this month's cookie carnival, it is Blackberry Almond Bars chosen by Kate. Actually, I never had shortbread bars before, and I didn't really prefer blackberry but after making these fruity bars, it changed my mind about it.. I like it.

To me, the part of making the shortbread was easy but not the part of making the blackberry curd, gosh, it was the hard part... I wasn't sure when the curd was ready, and I even broke the glass bowl while whisking the sugar and eggs on the double-boiler.. (it was funny.. haha). Well, in the end, the fruity bars turned out to be supper yummy as what Kate said! Thanks Kate. :)

BLACKBERRY ALMOND BARS (williams-sonoma)
Makes: 20 bars

INGREDIENTS:

For the shortbread:
* 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup ground toasted almonds
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 tsp. salt

For the blackberry curd:
* 2 pints blackberries
* 4 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* Pinch of salt
* 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
* 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-by-2-inch cake pan. To make the shortbread, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, flour, almonds, granulated sugar and salt and process until small lumps form. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom. Bake until the shortbread is golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Meanwhile, make the blackberry curd: In a food processor or blender, puree the blackberries until smooth. Pass the puree through a chinois set over a bowl, using a pestle to press on the solids and extract as much juice as possible; discard the solids. You should have about 3/4 cup juice.

In the top pan of a double boiler or in a nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until blended. Then whisk in the blackberry juice, salt and lemon juice. Set the top pan over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan, or set the saucepan over medium-low heat. (If using a saucepan, take care not to heat the mixture too quickly.) Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon, until the mixture is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Begin adding the butter a little at a time, stirring each addition until blended before adding more. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until a finger drawn across the back of the spatula leaves a path, 8 to 10 minutes more. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Pass the curd through the chinois set over a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk to blend, then pour the curd over the shortbread, spreading it evenly to the edges.

Bake until the curd is set, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into individual bars, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Giveaways

Giveaway..... Marye from Baking Delights is giving Coffee House Mysteries book. Check-out more information at Kettle and Cup "Celebrate with me" Giveaway!