Jemput-Jemput pisang

Jemput-jemput pisang (Banana fritters) …. another Malay kueh (Malay snacks) that are popular and evergreen within our community. The original recipe do not use bicarbonate of soda and vanilla essence but these I made included the two ingredients. A recipe that was shared by a friend of mine and the addition of these two ingredients made the fritters fluff up and enhance the taste slightly.

I like both versions so at times I would alternate using the two recipes.

Jemput-Jemput Pisang … Yumss!!

Jemput-Jemput Pisang

Ingredients:
1 bunch of ripe bananas (the riper the better)
150 gm sugar (or more depends on your preference)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp bicarbonate soda (add into the flour)
400 gm plain flour sieved (use less if you like the texture softer)
1 egg (optional)
1 pinch of salt
Cooking oil
Ice cream scoop (optional,, can always use other scoop)

Method:
– Mashed bananas.
– Add sugar and salt. Mix thoroughly.
– Add vanilla essence and egg. Mix thoroughly.
– Add flour bit by bit into the mixture till it reaches cake like batter consistency. Set aside for 15 mins.
– Heat oil in a wok or pot for deep frying.
– Scoop the batter using the scoop and fry at medium heat till it fluffs up and golden brown.
– Drain a paper towel and serve hot.

Abuk-abuk Sago

This is an old skool kueh … Our Malay community loves this traditional dessert. A favourite of my late mother.  She used to cook this for us during our childhood days.

Today, my 3rd sis and her family came by and we had another ‘makan’ session together. For tea time, we made this Abuk-abuk Sago, satisfying my sister’s craving 😉

Ingredients :
300 g of sago pearls – washed and strained
2 pc of pandan leaves (pinescrew) – cut into small pieces
100 g grated white coconut (without the skin)
1 tsp salt
100 g coconut palm sugar (gula melaka)
10-12 pcs of banana leaves (cut into rectangles of 10 cm x 30 cm)

Method :
1) Boil water inside the steamer.
2) Put the pandan leaves inside the boiling water to give a fragrant smell.
3) Steam the grated coconut mix with some small pieces of the pandan leaves for about 10 minutes.
4) Then add and mix the sago pearls thoroughly with the steamed coconut and salt.
5) Fold the banana leaves into cone shape. Add one spoonful of the sago pearls mixture, followed by 1 tsp of gula melaka.
6) Then cover it again with another half spoonful of the sago pearls mixture.
7) Cover the cone and clip it closed by using a short bamboo stick. Do the same process until the mixture finish.

Steam all of it for about 10-15 minutes or until cook and ready to serve.

Serimuka Durian

I had a craving to eat this traditional Malay kueh last Saturday. Some called it Serimuka Durian and others with the name Puteri Salad Durian …. well whatever name they called it, most important, it is one of the tastiest kueh ever!

With luck, I saw durians on my way back home from work and so without delay I bought some and within 2 hours, this kueh (cake) was cooked and I was able to feast on it in the evening 😉

I cheated a bit, instead of using the normal glutinous rice, I used the balance of the Japanese rice which I used to make my kimbap. I did not want to waste it and luckily it turns out well. My husband even commented that he felt the rice tasted way better than the traditional glutinous rice.

Anyway, here’s the recipe 🙂

Ingredients for the bottom layer:
400 gm glutinous rice, wash and pour into a container suitable for steaming (best to use cake tin with size 9” or 10”)
Pour enough diluted coconut milk into the container with glutinous rice (coconut milk must be level as the glutinous rice)
A pinch of salt
1-2 pcs of screwpine leaves (tie in a knot)

Preparing the bottom layer:
Mix all these ingredients and steam for about 30 mins or till the glutinous rice is cooked.
Prepare another cake tin and grease it all over with a little oil.
Scoop the glutinous rice into the greased cake tin and pat down firmly (either using a spatula or towel with your hand) till the glutinous rice becomes compact.
Then pour the top layer over it and steam for about 40-45 mins or till cook.

Ingredients for the top layer:
2 cups of concentrated coconut milk (I just used KARA brand coconut milk)
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs (beat lightly)
4-5 pieces of durians (scoop out the pulps only)
3 tbsp full of plain flour
A pinch of salt

All these blend together and when the bottom layer is ready, pour the top layer and continue to steam for about 4-45 mins or till cook.

Pau Sambal – Revisited

i have not made these ‘pau’ (spicy anchovies buns) for over a year. The other day my eldest mentioned her cravings for it and I made them yesterday. Within less than 15 mins…. All gone! 🙂

Alhamdulillah … during the iftar (breaking fast) time, the family members simply love them as do I cos this is also my favourite snack and this recipe has been with me for a long time 😉

Recipe can be found here.

Bingka Durian

There was plenty of durians left at home and so today I made Bingka Durian, a Malay type of cake. Instead of baking it in a cake tin, I used the muffin tray but sadly as I was multi-tasking I overlook the time and the Bingka Durian were a bit burnt at the top …. still taste wise it turns out still delicious and so that’s a relief.

Phew!! 🙂

Bingka Durian

Ingredients : 

2 cups of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of concentrated coconut milk
2 1/4 cup of water
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of butter
1 1/2 cup of fresh durian pulp
A bit of yellow colouring
A bit of sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

– Heat the oven at 190 degree C.
– Blend all the ingredients except for the sesame seeds.
– Pour the blended mixture into a cake tin (do make sure to grease the tin with a bit of butter first)
– Add more durian pulp on top of the mixture (this is optional but I like to do this)
– Sprinkle some sesame seeds.
– Bake for about an hour or till the top is golden brown (how long really depends on your oven).

Note : Make sure the bingka is really cool before cutting it. Good to serve the bingka as desserts or for tea time with a good cup of tea.

Harum Manis

I was supposed to meet up with a cousin today but we had to postpone the meet-up and so with nowhere to go, it’s to the kitchen I hop to! hehee ….

Today’s menu for the family is Dalcha Ayam (Chicken cooked with lentils) and for dessert, I made these “Harum Manis”, which means “Sweet Fragrance”. Harum Manis is a Malay kueh which requires steaming. This is my first attempt at making Harum Manis and alhamdulillah the bite-size kueh turned out well. My youngest favourite it seems … she has been going in and out of the kitchen with the kueh in her hands and so it looks like the kueh won’t last till evening 😉

Harum Manis

Recipe from Chef Mastura’s book, “Ignite the flame”.

Ingredients A:
300 gm gula melaka (palm sugar)
350 ml water

Ingredients B:
350 gm plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
3 eggs
180 gm castor sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients C:
1 tbsp vanilla essence
50 gm melted butter

Ingredients D:
6-8 pcs of banana

Method:
– Boil ingredients A, strain and leave it aside to cool.
– In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar till thick (Ingredients B), add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix well.
– Pour in ingredients A and ingredients C into the mixing bowl. Mix well.
– Pour into the moulds (3/4 full), (greased the mould with a bit of oil beforehand, I used olive oil)
– Add in sliced bananas (1-2 pcs) on top of the batter and steam them for about 20 minutes.

This kueh is also good for afternoon teas, so can serve the Harum Manis with either coffee or tea.

Note : if you find the batter a bit thick, you can add 1-2 tbsp of water to dilute it. I find that when I do this, the kueh is much more softer.

Kuih Kaswi Pandan

Kuih Kaswi Pandan is the modern version of a traditional Malay kuih (steam cake). The original and tradisional version do not use pandan (screwpine juice) but use palm sugar instead. The colour is dark brown, while this Kaswi Pandan I made is green in colour thanks to the screwpine.

This Kuih Kaswi is usually taken during breakfast, afternoon teas and as desserts after a gathering. Its soft and a bit chewy. A favourite among the Malays.

Kuih Kaswi Pandan

Ingredients:
2/3 cup of sugar – cook over a small fire with 2 cups of water. Off the fire once the sugar has dissolved.
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of rice flour
3/4 cup of Pandan juice (screwpine juice)
A pinch of salt
1 tsp of air kapur (limewater) – optional
A bit of green colouring – I used 1 tsp of pandan paste instead

Method:
In a pot, mix all ingredients including the dissolve sugar. Mix well till the batter is smooth. Cook over a small fire till the mixture thickens slightly. Pour into the baking pan and steam for half an hour. Let it cool totally before cutting.

To serve: 
Cut the Kaswi and sprinkle grated coconut on top.

Note : Steam the grated coconut in a few small pieces of pandan leaves beforehand. This will ensure the grated coconut stays fresh for a longer period. Can also mix the grated coconut with a pinch of salt for a better taste to it.

 

Kuih Janeket

Kuih Janeket or otherwise known as Kuih Kundas, is an old school tradisional Malay snack.  More known with the name Janeket rather than Kundas, this snack is good for either breakfast or afternoon tea. It’s simple to make.

Janeket :

225 g of plain flour
150 g sugar
2 tbsp bicarbonate soda or potas
110 ml water (sometimes I would add coconut water just a bit cos it can help make the dough soft even when it’s cold)
Oil for deep frying

MIx everything and knead to become soft dough that does not stick to the bowl.  Let the dough rest for about 10-15 mins. Then take a bit of the dough, roll it till about 1 cm in thickness and deep fry it.  Keep turning the dough so that it will puff out nicely. Fry till it is golden brown. Serve hot.

Janeket

Kueh Bakar Jagung

Kueh Bakar Jagung is a sweet dessert which the Malays love to eat.  The traditional version do not have corn in it but this recipe is a modified version, someone has kindly created this with corns many years ago and I must say the taste is delicious.

With the exception of my second daughter, the rest of my family members love this.

My mother used to make this using a mould that has flower shapes, she will then pour the mixture and bake them over hot coals. But now with modern technology there’s no need to do so.  Many years ago, I bought an electric mould to make these.  So yesterday and today, for our tea time, we are having these kueh since there was still plenty of the mixture left.

Kueh Bakar Jagung … pix showing the mixture, the electric mould and the ready to eat kueh 😉

Here’s the recipe :

3 cups of plain flour
1 cup of self-raising flour
2 can of cream style corns
5 screwpine leaves (wash and grind with one cup of water, extract the juice)
2 tsp of screwpine (pandan) paste
6 eggs
2 cups of sugar
2 small box of coconut milk
1 tsp of vanilla essence

Method : 

Beat the eggs with the sugar, then add in the cream corns, coconut milk, vanilla essence, pandan paste, screwpine juice and the flours.  Mix well. If the mixture is thick, add a little water.  Once ready, pour into the electric mould and bake till cook.

 

Talam Cempedak

I keep seeing cempedak last week (aka Artocarpus integer), wherever I go and so I could not resist purchasing one of it.  After that, I could not decide whether to just fry it or make it into a dessert.  Finally, I decided to puree the flesh of the Cempedak and make the Talam Cempedak.  Talam Cempedak, is a Malay kuih, a sweet dessert that is usually serve during teabreaks or gatherings.

It’s pretty easy to cook it just that the steaming will take a couple of hours and you have to properly cool it before you can cut and eat it.

Here’s the recipe :

First layer ingredients :

280 gm rice flour
20 gm corn flour
280 gm castor sugar
1500 ml coconut milk (I use 500 ml KARA coconut milk and add water to make 1500 ml)
1 tsp salt

Method – First Layer :

– Mix all ingredients together, whisk until blended well.
– Pour this mixture into a greased 11 inch round tray (use a little of vegetable oil to grease the tray)
– Steam for 50-60 mins or until cook. Use medium fire to steam.

Second layer ingredients :

3 eggs
230 gm castor sugar
150 gm rice flour
70 gm plain flour
orange colouring
750 ml coconut milk (I use 500 ml KARA coconut milk and add water to make 750 ml)
400 gm cempedak puree (blend the flesh of the cempedak with a bit of water)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method – Second layer :

– Mix all ingredients together and strain it.
– Pour this mixture over the first layer (after the first layer is cooked and firm)
– Continue to steam for another 1hr 45 mins
– Once the second layer is cooked and firm, take it off from the steamer, cool it for at least 3 hours before cutting it.