Chinwse New Year 2020 - Year of the Golden Rat

This year is Elliot's Zodiac animal year, it is the year of golden rat.

Crystal Skin Mooncakes

I have wanted to learn how to make mooncakes for a long time! Every year, I would find more recipes and yet could not find the courage or the time to make them. I was afraid of failure. Three years ago, Wendy taught in our GB meeting Crystal Skin Mooncakes, I was happy to test them and ate them up. I asked for the recipe and bought a pack of Koh Flour and I procrastinated and the Mid-Autumn Festival was gone and the flour unused.

Finally, three years later, I told her that I must make them this year but I did not buy the Koh Flour until I was ready. It turned out that she has discovered an improved recipe and she changed it based on her experiences too. Here is the recipe she taught me.

Crystal Skin

100 gm Koh Flour
 50 gm  Icing Sugar
 40 gm Shortening
120 ml Water

For flavour, pour that into the water before mixing in. On the first day, she showed me how to do it, I immediately added the following:-

Pandan Green for pandan flavour (Pandan Green Essence put into water)
Chocolate flavour (Put Chocolate into the mixture), possible to add Coffee Essence
Macha Green Tea flavour (Pour Macha powder into the mixture), the flavour is a bit weak.

1) Sieve Icing sugar and Koh flour
2) Add in shortening and pour in water (flavoured)
3) Mix well until becoming a dough.

Wrap in plastic bag and put aside for at least 20 minutes before use. Possible to keep in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

Filling (chocolate)

2 Tbsp Milk
1 Tbsp Irish Bailey
50 gm Icing Sugar
180-200 gm Cooking Chocolate

2 Egg Yolk
1 Tbsp Milk
1 Tbsp Custard Powder

1) Double boil Milk, Irish Bailey, Icing Sugar and then remove from fire, add in chopped Cooking Chocolates.
2) Whisk lightly Egg Yolk, Milk, Custard Powder and pour into the melted chocolate. Stir until thick Stir until thicken. Keep for 2 hours before use.
3) Possible to mix chocolate filling with red bean paste.
I would measure and roll dough and also use the ratio of 35 gm skin and 25 gm fillings.

Choice of Filling paste 

1. Purple Sweet potatoes - best method is to add condensed milk into the potaotes mixture and stir to the right consistency.  
2. Chocolate fillings. 

• 2 Tbsp Milk
• 1 Tbsp Irish Bailey
• 50 gm Icing Sugar
• 2 Egg Yolk
• 1 Tbsp Milk
• 1 Tbsp Custard powder

Measurement :-

For every 100 gm of Koh Flour, it can make 8 Mini small mooncakes. Each mooncake skin is 25 - 30 gm, the filling is 10 gm lesser than the skin. So I was using 35 gm for crystal skin and 25 gm for filling. For filling, I use 10 gm lesser, 25 gm of filling and roll them up.

Finally, success! And Success is Sweet! Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival ! 

Chinese New Year "Cake"

Chinese New Year reminds me of good food and lots of endless goodies munches ! It is nimble, nimble the whole day through, from one place to another, every home tries to outdo others with their own secret recipes home-made goodies. It could be special brew of tea or juicing from own garden fruits to special fried stuff and baked goodies.


Here is the most important of all items in Chinese New Year celebrations, it is a must have, you dont make it then you have to buy it. If you can make, you probably will receive them as gifts from others who visit you.

I have modified the recipes a few times over, hoping to get the right consistency and taste that we all love.

Original Nyonya Glutinuous Rice Kuih

10 Eggs
1 litre Canned Coconut milk
500 gm Glutinuous Rice Flour
500 gm Sugar

Mix well and bake 180 C for 50-60 mins, Pierce with stick to know its done.

Remarks :- Taste really good, colour a bit pale looking, children love it. I felt its too rich in content, high in eggs, high in sugar, high in Coconut milk too !

Modified by Doria Version 1

8 Eggs
500 ml Canned Coconut milk
500 gm Glutinuous Rice Flour
500 gm Gula Melaka + 500 ml water (boiled and cooled)

This only difference was that the Kuih is darker  and richer in colour. But I still felt its a bit too sticky and the egg taste quite strong.



Modified 2.0

8 Large Eggs
500 gm Gula Melaka or Molasses in 800 ml water
500 gm Glutinous Rice
1 pack of Santan Powder

140 C bake for 1 hour
Use Silicone Mould

I made lots of this Nian Gao Kuih since 2015 (?), there is no turning back after I discovered this recipe.

Now, I made them as 4 portions size, the maximum my giant basin can hold.
It yields about 5.5 litre of fluid.
The Rectangular mould from Rebecca holds 2 litres
The Ikea Heart holds about 1-1.5 litre
The Blue flower mould (the best size) holds about 600 ml
The two small Daiso moulds hold about 400 ml each.

I think this year I have baked easily 4 rounds of 4 portions, that be 128 eggs, which is 4 trays and 8 eggs ! The costing is about RM20.70 per portion of ingredients.

Honey Roasted Peanuts - Planter's Style

Peanuts can go with anything, dishes, cold beer and just on its own.

Honey roasted peanuts used to be a special treat that could only be bought from the special import store. But with Youtube, we could learn how to make anything !

Here is one recipe I learn from Youtube. It looks very legit and do-able and seems too easy to be true. So, I set out to try it the very next day even though I was not 100% sure of the success of this recipe.

Here are the ingredients for 2 Cups of peanuts :-

1) 1 Oz Butter (melted)
2) 2 Tablespoons of Honey
3) 1/2 tsp Salt
4) 1/2 tsp Chillie Powder
5) 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
6) 1/3 Cup of Sugar

Method :-

1) Melt the butter with Honey
2) Put in salt, Chilli Powder, Garlic Powder
3) Mix well pour to Overn to roast 7-8 minutes at 160 C.
4) Take out and tour them around, roast another 5 minutes.
5) Take out and toast them to a bowl, pour sugar in by batches until well mixed.
6) Leave them to dry up for 10 minutes before eat or packing.

Since 1 Kg Peanuts is like 6.5 Cups of Peanuts, the total ingredients be :-

6 Oz Butter (melted)
12 Tablespoons of Honey
3 tsp Salt
3 tsp Chillie Powder
3 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Cup of Sugar

Comment on 25 Jan 2017, my first batch of making this, luckily I decided to try 1 Kg instead of 3 Kg as it was late at night, and I was not sure we have enough honey to cover. I measured honey and butter and mix them, I licked the spoon just to gauge the sweetness of it and then it tasted sour, I thought the honey has gone bad then I read the label "Honey with Lime" ! Oh dear, too late, I decided to be adventurous and make a sweet and sour peanuts ! Sigh ! Life sometimes is like this, we take whatever it comes and turn it for good. I am thinking may need more sugar to cover the sourness later. It be a new flavour then.

Normally, if I am tired, I will make blunders like mistaken 3 tsp as 3 TBSP, but this was really impossible to avoid, who would have thought, Honey with Lime packed exactly like honey container. I really hope they are edible despite such adventure.

Comments :-
The sourness was hidden by the sweetness, I left it too long in the oven and they turned out a bit darker colour, almost burnt. It was very oily using butter. I dont recall using so much butter or oil for roasting peanuts. Usually roasting is dry and no oil or butter added. I will need to reduce the oil in the next trial.

This year, I plan to make 3 Kg of Honey Roasted Peanuts (large white peanuts).

Hakka Abacus Dish - CNY Recipe

Pineapple Tarts Success Story 2012

Pineapple tarts are a special delicacy, especially during Chinese New Year. I do not really make these tarts at any other time of the year. So, it is like once a year affair. After few years of trying, I had a proper lesson from my friend's mum who makes famous Pineapple Tarts in Singapore for many years, she taught few of us how to make the pineapple jam from scratch. It is a lot of hard work. I only did that twice and decided to buy ready-made Pineapple jam from Thailand from Bake with me shop.

I found this pastry very good and has the melt-in-the-mouth feel.

250 gm Butter
70 gm Icing Sugar (sifted)
2 Egg Yolks lightly beaten
330 gm Plain Flour (preferably cake flour)
2 Tbsp Cornflour
2 Tbsp Custard Powder (optional)

1) Sift flours, custard powder.
2) Mix butter, icing sugar till creamy and fluffy.
3) Add the yolk, sifted flours and mix to form a  dough.
4) Put inside plastic bag or bowl, leave the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Note:- I usually make 4 portions of this recipe and store them in a plastic bag inside the fridge. This can use for 2 Kgs of Pineapples and make about 280 pieces of Pineapple tarts like these photos.

Oven temperature: 170 C (not too hot), bake 8-10 minutes depending on how hot the oven is. Have to watch them carefully. 

Ready to bake!

In the Oven

Final Touch

Lovely Tarts

Final Products

http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2011/01/pineapple-roll-tarts-for-chinese-new.html

Chinese New Year 2010 !

This year 2010, Chinese New Year is a year of Tiger !