Kueh Tako

My sister given lot of the pandan leaves to me then I'm start searching for the recipe who's use pandan leaves. When I'm saw this recipe from Wendy, is easy to prepared the filling. Just need to make the casing beforehand.

Adapted from : Wendyinkk

(I'm double the ingredients to make 40 yields)
(I'm using measurement of 3.5cm per cut)

Pandan Layer

25 gm mung bean starch(green bean flour) or cornstarch flour
250 ml pandan juice
60 gm sugar
3 water chestnuts, peeled and chopped

Coconut Layer

15 gm mung bean starch or cornstarch flour
125 ml water
125 ml coconut milk
50 gm sugar
pinch of salt

Method for Pandan Layer:

1. Mix everything together and cook on medium low heat until look transparent and thick.
2. Spoon over prepared casings. Set a side.

Method for Coconut Layer:

1. Mix everything together and cook on medium low heat until thickens. Taste, should no longer taste floury.
2. Spoon over the pandan layer.
3. Let cool down to room temperature and it will harden. Best served when chilled.

Notes:

Use the left over pandan leaves from making the casing to blend the pandan juice.

If your casing have holes do this step

Nian Gao Puff Pastry

Is the time to use my Chinese New Year nian gao. The first I'm try with puff pastry, taste good and crispy.
The recipe is come with peanut but the result coming is not a big deal, next time I will try with other ingredients.

Adapted from: TheHungry Excavator

Nian Gao or Sticky Glutinous Cake (cut to strips)

3 to 4 sheets of frozen puff pastry (thawed)

cashew/peanuts (chopped roughly)

1 egg yolk (lightly beaten)*

sesame seeds (black and/or white)

* Alternatively, use melted butter for more flavour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Roll out the puff pastry until thin (otherwise it will puff up too much)
2. Lay and space out the strips of Nian Gao on the pastry sheet before cutting it up into rectangles.
3. Place nuts on top of the strip of Nian Gao.
4. Fold the sides and roll the pastry with the filling enclosed into a little parcel.
5. Made few cuts on top of the pastry
6. Brush egg wash or melted butter on surface and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
7. Bake in oven for 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Chinese White Radish Cake (Lou Bak Gao)

Went to have dim sum with family definitely will order fried Lou Bak Gao. Some people will make it to celebrate Chinese New Year maybe is bringing good luck to family.

Adapted from : Food For Four

2 cups white rice flour
¼ cup wheat starch
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
15 gm dried shrimp, soaked in hot water to cover for 30 minutes (or more if you like the taste of dried shrimp)
1 pound white radish 
2/3 cup finely chopped Chinese sausage
2/3 red scallots finely chopped
3 spring onions, finely chopped (I'm omit and replace with chai poh (preserved radish/turnip)


Method: 

1. In a large bowl, combine rice flour, wheat starch, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Drain and finely chop the shrimp.
3. Peel the white radish and grate it through the small holes of your grater. Put the grate radish in a muslin cloth or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can into the bowl. Measure out the collected juices and add enough water to the juice to make 3½ cups.
4. Pour the white radish liquid into a medium pot. Add the grated white radish and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in the sausage, scallots, chai poh and chopped shrimp, cover, and cook for 5 minutes longer.
5. Remove from the heat. Slowly add the rice flour mixture and mix continuously until free of most large lumps. The batter will be thick and sticky and a little lumpy.
6. Set up the steamer and bring to a boil over high heat.
7. Brush the pans with a little oil . Dip a spoon into cool water and use the back of the spoon to smooth out the surface of the batter.
8. Carefully place  the filled pans on the steamer rack, cover, and steam for 40 minutes. 
9. Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully lift the pan out of the pot, place it on a folded kitchen towel, and allow the radish cakes to cool to room temperature. 
10. Un-mold onto a cutting board and cut into desired pieces. Fry them on medium high heat in oil, until crispy and browned, about 4 minutes on each side. Serve with oyster and/or hot sauce.

Notes: 

Can keep it frozen after cutting if you like to fried it later.
Can add any ingredients you prefer to make more tasty.

Peanut Cookies

I make these lovely peanut cookies on Chinese New Year, the result is so good. My monster like it so much thank Cooking Crave for the recipe. But have reduce the sugar level because the first batch coming so sweet.

Adapted from: Cooking Crave

600 gm fried peanuts, removed skin and grind finely.
370 gm flour 
350 gm icing sugar (I'm reduce to 200gm)
1 tablespoon butter, soften at room temperature (optional - but, the cookies will be more fragrant with it)
2 tablespoon peanut butter (creamy) (optional - but, cookies will be more peanut aroma if we add it)
Peanut oil for mixing
1/2 teaspoon salt (taste the dough and add more if it's not salty enough )
1 egg, beaten with pinch of salt for glazing

Method: 

1. Shift flour and icing sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add in the grind peanut, butter and peanut butter, mix well. Slowly add in peanut oil and mix until it can form into soft dough, ( didn't measure the oil, just mix it slowly until the dough can roll into ball without breaking. Be careful, don't over mix the oil) (Use a wooden spatula to mix it before using our hand...the dough will be oily and sticky at first) 
2. Form into small balls, place onto a greased baking pan, or we can lined the pan with grease paper. Press top of the balls with a small round shape mould (Can use pen cap) Glaze with beaten egg.
3. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for about 20-25mins till it crack a bit and golden brown. Remove from oven and let it cool before storing them. (Let the cookies cool before moving them into container as the cookies that's still warm breaks easily)

Notes: 

I'm bake at 160C(fan). Every oven is different.

Yam Ring

Yam ring is a good dishes to celebrate festival. I'm make it on the reunion dinner for Chinese New Year. Look nice and delicious.

Adapted from: Y3K Recipes

Yam Ring
300 gm yam (skinned)(diced)
150 gm wheat starch flour (tangmin flour)
some boiling water
1 tablespoon oil

Seasoning A:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Filling
Handful of rice vermicelli
80 gm chicken Meat (diced)
2 black mushrooms (soaked, diced)
1/4 carrots (diced)
1/4 green peppers (diced)
10 cashew Nuts (deep fried)
1/2 tomato (diced)
5 dried Chilies (soaked, cut into lengths)
(can add any vegetable on your own favourite)

Marinade for chicken
1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon corn flour
1/2 tablespoon oil

Seasoning B:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon chili sauce
pinch of white pepper

Method: 

1. Steam yam over high heat till cooked. Blend into paste while hot. Add in seasoning A and mix well.
2. Put flour into bowl, pour hot water and stir well with chopstick.
3. Add in yam paste and oil, knead well with hand while hot. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the paste from fridge. Knead well and shape to form a ring.
5. Heat up 1/2 wok oil on high heat till boil.(make sure is boil)  Place yam ring onto a piece of bamboo grid. Deep fry till golden brown, remove and set aside. (I didn't use bamboo grid)
6. Deep fry the dried rice vermicelli in boiling oil till crispy. Set aside.
7. Heat up some oil. Saute dried chilies, add in other filling and fry a while. Add in seasoning B and fry till fragrant.
8. Pour the filling into yam ring. Sprinkle crispy rice vermicelli on top and side as a garnishment.

Notes from Y3K

1. The purpose of chill the yam dough is to prevent the yam ring from breaking during deep fry process.
2. After remove the dough from the fridge, it need to knead again as the oil will sink to the bottom of the ring.
3. Sprinkle some water onto the surface of oil when deep fry, will make the yam ring more crispy.
4. Placing yam ring onto a bamboo grid prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the wok.

Horlick Cookies

When I'm searching for the new year cookies, this cutie cookies give me a big interesting. My two monsters will like it so much. All the recipe is say Horlick Doggies Cookies but I'm using the different type of coco crunch to make it look like piggies. We can make the whole progress together, I'm making the head and nose and they making the eye and ear with their own decorate.

Adapted from: happy home baking

(makes about 48 to 50 cookies)

180 gm butter, soften at room temperature
80 gm Horlick
200 gm cake flour(sifted)
25 gm corn flour(sifted)
25 gm milk powder(sifted)
chocolate chips
chocolate rice
coco crunch

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 140(fan)C. Line baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
2. Cream butter and Horlicks for about three minutes at low speed. Do not overbeat.
3. Put in cake flour, cornflour and milk powder to form a dough.
4. Divide dough into 10g each. Put three or four chocolate chips into each piece of dough and roll into balls.
5. Insert two pieces of coco crunch to form the 'ears', chocolate rice for the "eyes", and a chocolate chip in the centre for the 'nose'.
6. Bake at 140(fan) C for about 25 minutes. Depending on your oven, it may take another 5 to 10 minutes more for the cookies to be ready.
7. Leave to cool on wire rack before storing in an airtight container.

Dragon Cookies

My favourite Chinese New Year Dragon cookies....melt in mouth not on hand with milky taste. Every year when coming to  new year this cookies will be the first choice.  But we can't get it here at all, then I need to make it myself. At first I'm always think is hard to make it but when you just thinking to have it, I will try. This is my second attempt, the first attempt  is fail. I will try as many times to make it perfect. 

Adapted from:  che-cheh.com

(minor changes by monsterandsharkkitchen)

170 gm Planta margarine(I'm using the Stork butter)
70 gm icing sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
300 gm cornflour (sifted)
80 gm milk powder (sifted)
60 gm plain flour (sifted)

some water if too dry

Method:

1. Beat Planta margarine or butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add yolks one by one, beating well after each. Add in , vanilla essence and mix well.
3. Then slowly stir in cornflour, milk powder and plain flour. Mix well.
4. Fill batter into piping mold and press out ‘S’ patterns on baking tray with baking sheet.(I'm using star nozzle number:22). Dot the eyes red.
5. Bake at 140(fan) for 10 to 15 minutes.(depend the oven) DO NOT bake till brown. These cookies are supposed to be white or yellowish.
6. Leave to cool on wire rack before storing in an airtight container.

Notes from che-cheh:

Seal the batter with a wet cloth when you’re busy piping out the patterns as the batter will harden up due to the cornflour.

If the batter does harden up add a little bit of water. Plus I find that after adding a little bit of water, the cookies taste much nicer (more loose) plus your hands won’t be so tired