Happy Lunar New Year!

It's Lunar New Year tomorrow!

This year, I'm at home and was able to make things! Yey~

I started off making kueh bangkit.. which turned out as a bit of a fail because I ran out of tapioca starch. So instead of my usual little men, this was all I made:


Pineapple tarts again:


Agar goldfish, using the fish mould I got 1.5years ago in Singapore :)


And my attempt at Zumbo's macarons. I didn't realise his recipe was in bulk.. so I made a bit too many. I made pandan macarons with white pandan chocolate ganache/pandan custard! :) I used pandan paste, that's why they're that colour. I don't really like it though. I should've made them more green.. :/


Oh. And I also made some ice creams (not really Lunar New Year related). Yam and green tea. :D


Anywho, this will pretty much be the last amount of baking/cooking I'd be doing for a while.. (apart from M's cupcakes which I'll make tomorrow night). Then I'm off to HK and South Korea! Weee~ Hello Winter #1 of 2012! Glad to escape the burning sun for 3 weeks. :) And can't can't wait to get to Korea! :D

Kueh bangkit

I made some pandan kueh bangkit. It's about a month till Chinese New Year. This year though, I'll be overseas during the lunar new year, so I won't have time to make many things. :( Boo..


Oh well. I used the same recipe as I used last year. So they basically look and taste the same :P


Kueh bangkit
Makes about 150 bite sized pieces

500g tapioca starch
250ml coconut cream
200g sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp pandan essence

Dry fry tapioca starch in a large clean dry wok for about 30mins, on low heat.
Leave to cool overnight or for a few days.
Melt sugar in coconut cream over low heat. Remove from heat.
Allow to cool slightly before adding egg yolk.
Add in flavouring.
Slowly add liquid into tapioca starch until a dough is formed.
The dough should be matte and not glossy, so add the liquid bit by bit so you don't add too much. (If you do, you'd have to dry fry some more tapioca starch..)
Roll out and cut using cookie cutters.
Bake in a preheated 160C oven for about 15-20mins (depending on the size of your shapes.)
Allow to cool completely on cooling rack before storing in an air tight container.

Happy CNY/Happy V-day!

Wishing everyone a prosperous and joyful lunar new year & an enjoyable valentine's day!


This year, I made:

Peanut and sesame brittle
Nian gao
Kueh bangkit
Green pea cookies
Pineapple tarts/cookies

I wonder what will happen next year..

CNY: Pineapple tarts and strawberry hearts

This is my first time making these. And this is my last CNY bake for this year.

I had brought back some jam tart cookie cutters from Malaysia last year, and was itching to use them! I guess these are like jam thumbprint cookies, without the need to thumbprint them. Hehe. Because CNY falls on the same day as Valentine's Day, I made pineapple tarts and strawberry hearts! :)

Pineapple tarts using home made pineapple jam.

Strawberry hearts using store bought jam.

Hearts win! ;)

Pineapple tarts
Makes about 65

125g butter
275g plain flour
50g custard powder
80g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat egg yolks, butter, vanilla and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
Sift in flour and custard powder.
Combine thoroughly and form a dough. Add more flour if too sticky still.


Roll out and use cookie cutters.


Place onto a lined baking tray.


Fill with jam. (See below for pineapple jam)


The two cookie cutters gave 6 designs. :D

Bake in a preheated oven at 160C for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.


Allow to cool before storing.

Pineapple jam

420g canned pineapple, drained and shredded
150g sugar

In a saucepan, cook pineapple and sugar on low heat until soft and mushy.
Continue to cook until most of the liquid is no longer there, and the mixture is of jam consistency.
Allow to cool before using.

CNY: Green pea cookies (using coated green peas)

This year's green pea cookies are a bit of a disappointment to me. I couldn't find the green peas that I used last year, so I had to settle for these coated ones (which were more expensive and less in nett weight). Sigh. Look at them. Just look at them! They look so hideous..


So this year, there aren't as many cookies. And I didn't add a green pea to the tops of each cookie like last year purely because I would uglify the cookies. :(



Green pea cookies
Make 35 small cookies

115g roasted green peas (purchased from an asian grocer)
160g plain flour
40g icing sugar
1/2 cup corn oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

Grind green peas to a powder. I used a coffee bean grinder.


Sift plain flour, icing and ground green peas in a bowl.


Add in oil and mix until combined.


Roll out into little balls. Press down gently.


Place on a lined baking tray. Brush with beaten egg.

Bake in a preheated oven at 165C for 15mins.


Allow to cool before storing in air tight container.

CNY: Kueh bangkit

February 14 is only 4 days away. So I'll be starting my Chinese New Year cooking.


A few days earlier:

I've dry fried 500gm of tapioca starch on low heat for 45mins. I'll let it cool for the next few days and make the kueh bangkit then. I'm going to tweek the recipe so it will be different this year. Hopefully an improved version! :)

Update:

Yes! These are much lighter than the ones I made last year! Much much better~ :D


Kueh bangkit
Makes about 185 bite sized pieces

500g tapioca starch
250ml coconut cream
200g sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp pandan essence/1 tsp durian paste

Dry fry tapioca starch in a large clean dry wok for about 45mins.
Leave to cool overnight or for a few days.
Melt sugar in coconut cream over low heat. Remove from heat.
Allow to cool slightly before adding egg yolk.
Add in flavouring.
Slowly add liquid into tapioca starch until a dough is formed.
The dough should be matte and not glossy, so add the liquid bit by bit so you don't add too much. (If you do, you'd have to dry fry some more tapioca starch..)
Roll out and cut using cookie cutters.
Bake in a preheated 160C oven for about 15-20mins (depending on the size of your shapes.)
Allow to cool completely on cooling rack before storing in an air tight container.

Dot with some red food dye, and we're all set!

Weee.. lots and lots of kueh bangkit to go around! The white ones are pandan and the yellow are durian.

Why the fish, you may ask? "Nian nian you yu" 年年有余 meaning 'more abundance every year'. It's a play on words basically, as 'yu' sounds similar to fish 鱼. :P

One heart fills another, together they belong.

Be careful when you handle them though, as they are quite fragile!

A broken man.. with a broken heart. :(

He's happy because he knows that he's delicious enough to be eaten regardless. :P

CNY: Nian gao

Every Chinese New Year, my mum would make this. This year, I gave it a shot. And whilst I was at it, I tried both traditional and coconut versions! Hehe.


The ramekins I used gave them a nice shape. :D


Only 5 more days until CNY!

CNY cake/nian gao/banh to (Coconut version)
Makes 8

500g glutinous rice flour
50g wheat starch (tang mien flour)
250g caster sugar
150ml coconut cream (this was all I had left from making kueh bangkit)
350ml water
roasted sesame seeds

In a saucepan, melt sugar into coconut cream and water over low heat. Remove from stove and allow to cool.


In a large bowl, mix flours together.
Add liquid to the flour mixture.
Grease some ramekins/bowls. (I lined them with a plastic bag to avoid using oil..)


Ladle mixture into the ramekins/bowls.


Steam on med/high for about 45mins or until cooked.
Remove from steamer, sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds.


Allow to cool before removing from ramekin/bowl. Wrap with cling wrap so they don't stick together.


Refrigerate when not serving.

CNY cake/nian gao/banh to (Traditional version)
Makes 8

500g glutinous rice flour
50g wheat starch (tang mien flour)
400g bar sugar (brown sugar that comes in bars from asian grocers)

500ml water
roasted sesame seeds

In a saucepan, melt sugar into water over low heat. Remove from stove and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, mix flours together.
Add liquid to the flour mixture.
Grease some ramekins/bowls. (I lined them with a plastic bag to avoid using oil..)
Ladle mixture into the ramekins/bowls.


Steam on med/high for about 45mins or until cooked.


Remove from steamer, sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds.
Allow to cool before removing from ramekin/bowl.

Refrigerate when not serving. Freeze after a few days and thaw and reheat (like pan fry etc) before serving.