Bubur Cha Cha

After making the Teochew Orh Nee, I still left some yam so I went to buy sweet potato and pandan leave.  Thus this afternoon make Bubur Cha Cha dessert.  It is nice even sweetness is just right.

Ingredients: (serve 4-5pax)

200g yam, peeled and cubed

100g yellow sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

100g orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

200g Fresh coconut milk

4 cups water

1/4 cup sago

3 tbsp of sugar

small pinch of salt

3 screwpine pandan leaves

Method:

1. Boil the yam in water with pandan leaves until slightly soft.

2. Add in the sweet potatoes and sago into the pot. Bring to boil then turn heat to medium and simmer for 15mins.

3. Add in sugar and bring to boil.

4. Add in pinch of salt into the coconut milk then add the coconut milk into the pot. Bring to boil.

5. Serve hot or cold

Airfryer Baked Drunken Prawns (醉虾)

I have never try drunken prawn before hence today decided to try cooking this dish using airfryer.  This dish super easy and fast and the gravy after baked is so nice.  No regret trying this.  Original recipe is from Christine recipe using oven bake.

Afted bake in airfryer

Laying the prawns on mesh in airfryer

Recipe adapted from http://en.christinesrecipes.com

Ingredients:

8 large prawns

2.5 tbsp shaoxing wine

1 tbsp wolfberries

1 clove garlic, sliced or minced

2 ginger, julienned

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp oil

Method:

1. Trim the head and legs of prawns. Rinse and set aside.

2. Rinse wolfberries and wipe dry. Soak in the wine for 10 mins.

3. Put the prawns in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the wolfberries with wine and other ingredients. Combine well.

4. Place aluminium foil on the mesh of the airfryer.  Place the prawns on the foil and pour the wine mixture in the mixing bowl in.

5. Bake at 180 deg for 7-9 mins or till prswns is cooked.  Time may vary due to size of the prawns.

Airfried Har Jeong Gai aka Prawn Paste Chicken (虾酱鸡)

Another super yummy zi cha dish to share with all of you.  My version is using airfryer. Some use oven baked or deep fried.  Same recipe but different cooking method.  Thank you Yvonne Mah for sharing your recipe.  My family always love prawn paste chicken.

Marinated overnight

After coating with flour

I lay a small piece baking paper

on the airfryer tray and airfry the

chicken on the baking paper.  See

the oil collected after the mid

 wings airfried.

Recipe adapted from Yvonne Mah:

Ingredients:

500g mid wings 

1tbsp shaoxing wine

1tbsp prawn paste (Lee Kum Kee brand)

1tbsp oyster sauce

1tsp sugar

1/2tsp ground white pepper

Coating:

1/2 cup plain flour

1tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Oil spray

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken mid wings with shaoxing wine, prawn paste, oyster sauce, sugar and pepper for 4 hrs or overnight.  I marinate overnight in fridge.

2. About 1 hour before airfrying, in a bowl, mix plain flour, baking powder and baking soda.

3. Coat the mid wings thoroughly and lay on baking paper and leave it to dry in the fridge.

4. Spray the mid wings with oil spray. Airfry the mid wings at 180 deg for 15- 22mins or till the chicken is golden brown in colour. I lay a small piece of baking paper on the airfryer tray then start airfry the mid wings. Flip the mid wings when half way through airfrying then aft that flip back again and continue airfry till golden brown.

Teochew Orh Nee

Last year when Sally made Orh Nee using Alan Goh's recipe, I tell myself that I must try to make this as this is my hubby's favourite dessert.  Usually this dessert is served on wedding dinner but most of the time I will only eat one to two spoonful due to the sweetness of the yam paste those restuarant prepared.  Now I finally made it and tune the sweetness to my preference.  Original recipe adapted from Alan Goh.

Brown sugar in slab

Recipe adapted from: http://travelling-foodies.com

Half recipe ingredients:(serve 2 pax)

250g Taro (chinese yam)

1 part of medium size jap pumpkin

6 ginko nuts(i bought those ready peeled type from ntuc)

100g chinese brown sugar slabs

250g water

2 tbsp castor sugar

50g oil(i used 25g oil and 25g fresh coconut milk)

2.5 shallot

Method:

1. To a pot, add 250g water, gingko nuts and chinese brown sugar slab.  Heat to melt the sugar completely.  Let the mixture simmer with lid on on a med heat for abt 30 mins.  Turn off heat and let gingko nut steep into the syrup overnight.

2. On next day, peel taro and cut into small cube. Arrange on metal plate and steam it for 20-30 mins until soft.  Do the same for pumpkin.  Once out from steamer, mash them separately with back of a fork, adding castor sugar into the taro at the same time.  If the mixture us too dry, add 2-3 tbsp of gingko nut syrup.  Taste and add more syrup or castor sugar to your preference.  Cover with cling wrap.

3. Peel shallot and finely slice them.  In a pan, add oil and shallots. Gently stir fry on med heat till shallots turn golden brown and crisp up. Strain the shallots and set aside.

4. Return the shallot oil to wok, turn down the flame to low. Add mashed taro paste and mix well thoroughly. Taste again and add more sugar if required.  If coconut milk is used, it can be added in at this point. I only used 25g shallot oil as I used coconut milk too. Add accordingly until to desired texture is achieved.

5. Allow the taro paste to cool down. Transfer to blender and blend until smooth.  For a lighter and creamier texture, add more coconut milk or gingko nut syrup at this stage.

6. Mash cooked pumpkin coarsely.  Add some gingko nut syrup if it is too dry.

7. Scoop the smooth taro paste in serving bowl, top with mashed pumpkin and gingko nuts.

Nai Bai with Abalone

Another Vegetable with abalone tonight.  This CNY period, I have cooked few dishes with abalone.  This is the last dish with abalone for this year.

Ingredients:

Nai Bai Vegetable, soak with salted water to remove any dirt inside.

1 Abalone, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

Cooking oil

Sauce: (mix together)

2 tbsp gravy from the can of abalone

3 tbsp water

1tsp oyster sauce

1tsp hua tiao wine

dash of pepper

cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce

Method:

1. In a pot of boiling water, blanch abalone for few seconds. Set aside.

2. Using same pot of boiling water, add some oil and salt in it and blanch the veg. Set aside.

3. In a small pan, heat oil and fry garlic till fragrant. Pour in the sauce mixture and bring to boil.  Add in cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce gravy. Off heat.

4. Assemble the veg, abalone on a serving plate and pour gravy in.

Fu Gui Cai with Abalone

I love to cook this vegetable during CNY period.  This year I cooked it with abalone and serving this dish on the dinner table, it look so pretty and delicious.

Ingredients:

1 Fu Gui Cai

1 can of abalone

some wolfberries

1/2 cup of abalone stock

300-400ml water

1tsp chinese cooking wine

1tsp oyster sauce

some minced garlic

2 slice ginger

Cornstarch for thickening

Cooking oil

Method:

1. Soak vegetable in salt water to get rid of any tiny dirt.

2. In a pot of boiling water with some oil, blamch the vegetable and drain it. Put in on serving plate and set aside.

3. In a pan, heat oil and fry garlic and ginger till fragrant.

4. Add water, stock, oyster sauce, cooking wine and wolfberries. Put in abalone and blanch it for awhile. Then remove abalone and sliced it.

5. Add in cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.

6. Place the sliced abalone around the vegetable.  Scoop the wolfberries and place it on top. Slowly pour the gravy over the veg and serve.

Lucky Koi Fish Pudding

Simple dessert I made during CNY.  This is the 2nd year I made the same dessert simce last year.  This year I only use premix pudding powder to do all the job.  For the eyes, I used raisin.  With the reminding pudding mixture after I do the koi fish pudding, I also made some ingot pudding.

Ingredients:

1 box of Mango Pudding Mix

A drop of Orange Food Colouring

Fish mould and Ingot mould

2 Raisin(for eyes)

Method:

1. Boil the mango pudding mix with water according to the instruction on the box in a pot.

2. Scoop some boiled mixture in a small bowl and dip the raisin then stick it on the eyes area on the mould. 

3. Drop abit of food colouring into the small bowl mixture and mix well.

4. Using a teaspoon, scoop the orange mixture on the some part of the fish mould.  You can give some blow to let it semi dry and settle on the mould. Leave it for few minutes.

5. Slowly add in the pot of mango pudding mixture into the mould using a scoop.

6.  Leave it to cool down then transfer to fridge.

7.  After 3 - 4 hours, your lucky koi fish pudding is ready to serve as dessert.

Note: I still left some mango pudding mixture so I pour into Ingot mould too.

Kek Lapis

I have been using this recipe for few years and this recipe really a keeper.  Last year I made two lapis during Chinese New Year period.  One is as a gift for my uncle and his family and one for own consumption.  This year again I made two too.  Kek Lapis can keep in fridge for two but do remember to cling wrap it.
Once again, thank you Wen's delight for sharing the recipe.

Baked in 2015 for CNY

Cut up look

Customer's order in 2014

Baked in 2014 for CNY

Recipe adapted from: http://wensdelight.blogspot.sg

Please refer to the link.

Ingredients:

(A)

500g Chilled butter (Golden churn canned butter)

200g Condensed milk

2tbsp Rum liquor

150gm Cake flour

3/4tsp Lapis spice (All spice)

20 Egg yolks (I used largest eggs available from market, weighing 85g-90g)

140g Castor sugar (I used 120g)

2tsp SP (optional - help to stabilise the egg yolk mixture and reduce the bubbles, also make the cake softer)

(B)

10 Egg whites

90g Castor sugar

1/4tsp Cream of tartar

Method:Preheat oven to 200 deg C top and bottom heat. Warm up a 9 or 10 inches square tin before greasing and lining the base with baking paper. (1/2 recipe uses 7 inches square tin)

1. Cream butter, condensed milk and rum liquor at medium speed for abt 5-10 mins until fluffy and creamy. Add in the sifted flour and spice. Mix well and set aside.

2. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and SP at max speed until thick. (Note: if using SP, only take 3-4 mins to whisk till thick but without will need about 10mins) Add this mixture into Step 1 (butter mixture) gradually till well mix.

3. Whisk egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a clean mixing bowl at max speed until stiff.

4. With a handwhisk/spatular fold 1/3 of the egg whites into Step 2 mixture and continue the process of folding the rest till two mixtures are well incorporated.

5. Place the baking paper on the preheated tin. Spread a small amount of batter (100g-9"/130g-10"/70g-7", always weigh the batter to ensure even layer) on the warm tin and bake till golden at the center rack. Take about 5-7mins for the 1st layer.

6. Second layer onwards, increase the oven temp to 230-240 deg C at top heat only. Subsequent layer takes about 3-4 mins to bake.

7. Use a metal presser to lightly press each baked layer before adding new batter. Spread the batter evenly till it melted. Before going into the oven, give it a bang to let out the air bubbles. This will help to even out the layers too. Continue baking the cake by the layers until the batter uses up.

Note: For ovens that do not allow the setting of top heat only, place a baking tray of water at the bottom of the oven.

Nian Gao

Fried Nian Gao is another snack that some household will fried during Chinese Lunar New Year.  It is consider good luck when you eat during CNY period.  I preferred fried type than steam type(coat with grated coconut).  Again, this year I deep fry one piece of nian gao together with one piece of sweet potato.  Some people deep fry nian gao with sweet potato and yam so it is up to individual preference.
Recipe adapted from a website 2 years ago.

Ingredients:

Nian Gao, (sliced)

Sweet Potato, (remove skin and sliced)

Batter coating:

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2tsp baking powder

100-115ml water

1/2 egg

1/2 salt

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Combine all flour, baking powder, egg, salt and water together.  Whisk till smooth batter formed.

2. If batter too thick, add in some water little by little at a time.  Do not make the batter too watery as it cannot hold nian gao later.

3. Place 1 piece nuan gao and 1 piece sweet potato together and dip into the batter.  Then put into hot oil and deep fry using medium slow heat till it turn golden brown.

盆菜 (Pen Cai)

My first lunar new year dish for year 2015 will be Pen Cai (盆菜)。This is my simple homecooked version.  Hope my hubby and my kids like it.

盆菜 
Pen Cai
Ingredients:
Abalone
Roasted Chicken thigh
Prawns
Mushroom, soak in some water to soften the mushroom and remember to trim off the middle hard portion.
Straw Mushroom
Dried Scallop
Cabbage
Brocolli

Soup Base:
250 ml Swason Chicken Broth
Water from soaking mushroom
300ml Water

Recipe for roasted chicken: Roasted Chicken Thigh


Method:
1. Boil soup base in a pot. Add mushroom and dried scallop in it and let it slowly simmer/ braised for abt for 45min to 1 hrs.  Take out and set aside. Then blanch brocolli using the soup base.
2. In a claypot, lay cabbage in it. Add some soup base in it and simmer for few mins till cabbage is cooked.
3. Then arrange the roasted chicken thigh, brocolli, straw mushroom, mushrooms, prawns, dried scallop, abalone on top of the cabbage.
4. Scoop the remainder soup base in it and simmer for few mins.
5. Serve

kok Chye

Kok Chye is my childhood favourite snack during CNY.  My late Gu Ma's kok chye is the best of all that I have eaten but too bad that I do not know her recipe for making kok chye.

This have been in my to-do list for few years but every year after all my chinese new year goodies bakes, I am totally tired and forgotten to try this kok chye recipe.  I cannot remember where I goggle this recipe but really thanks the owner of this recipe.  It is crunchy and not those hard type.

Breadcrumb texture

Dough formed

Flatten dough till thin

Add filling

Fold up and ready for pleating

Pleating done. Ready for deep frying

Youtube clip sharing on how to pleat kok chye

Ingredients:

150g plain flour

35g rice flour

60g butter, unsalted

50ml cold water

1/2 egg from 1 large egg

Filling: (mix all ingreds together)

112.5g grounded peanut

1.5tbsp roasted and crushed sesame seed

60g fine sugar

25ml peanut oil

Peanut Oil for deep frying

Method for pastry:

1. Use finger tip to mix butter, all flour till breadcrumbs like.

2. Add cold water and beaten egg. Mix into a pliable dough.

3. Rest for 15mins.

To make puff:

1. Roll pastry into thin sheet and use round cutter cut into 2inch round shape.

2. Put in 1/2tsp of filling into the centre and wrap up filling. Pinch edge neatly.

3. Heat up oil for deep frying. Fry till golden brown using med heat.

4. Remove and drain onto kitchen paper.

5. Store in airtight container once completely cool.