Ham Chin Peng ( Savoury Pancake wt Red Bean)

Ham Chin Peng literally translate to English as Salty Deep Fried Pastry .This fried round pancake is a popular hawker or street food. It's also eaten by many Chinese Malaysian as the breakfast food.I understand Ham Chin Peng may comes in 3 types;Plain,Red Bean filling and Glutinous Rice. My favourite Ham Chin Peng is with red bean paste filling. Here is my simple and humble Ham Chin Peng with Red Bean Paste filling.

Ingredients Started Dough:

150 gm plain flour (sifted)

100 ml water

1 tbsp instant yeast




Ingredients:

300 gm bread flour (sifted)

60 gm sugar

10 gm fermented red bean curd(nam yu) mashed

160 ml water

1 tsp instant active yeast

1 tsp 5 spice powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp oil

1/2 cup sesame seeds

Method:

1: Started dough:Combine well all ingredients in a medium bowl and leaves to proof for at least 8 hours.

2:Combine 150 gm starter dough with bread flour,sugar,fermented red bean curd,water,yeast,5 spice powder and baking soda and knead into dough.Add oil and continue to knead well.(I dump all ingredients in bread maker to knead and proof) Cover and leave to proof for about 30 minutes.

3:When the dough has risen,roll into a large thin rectangular shape.Brush with some oil (not necessary to brush the edges) and roll up.Cut each piece to about 1 inch each.

4:Brush the surface of one side with water ,then coat with sesame seeds.Roll out the dough to about 2 inch wide on the edges,then place sesame seed side dough on the bottom of your counter .Repeat the remaining cut dough with the same procedure.Sprinkle some flour to work on the counter if necessary.Scoop 1 tsp of red bean in the center of the dough,then top another piece of roll up dough together before roll again on the thin edges to smooth out the round shape . Set aside to proof for about 20 minutes before deep fry.

5:Heat fryer with oil at medium high heat.Place round filling dough into fryer,deep-fry in hot oil till golden brown. Dish out and place on a towel paper to drain the excess oil,serve warm.
roll up dough
round shape dough with sesame seeds



Note:

Dough made from a starter dough with yeast is more fragrant and stable.

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Stir-fry Sweet Potato Leaves in Sambal Belacan

Sweet potato leaves is relatively cheap sold in Asian countries.In fact it's abundant and we can grow it easily at our backyard. But here in US and A this vegetables is quite pricey and can only get it during summer season.I understand Sweet potato tips are a health-giving, protective food. They are excellent sources of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Vitamin A is needed for proper growth, healthy eyes, and prevention of disease. Vitamin C keeps the body tissues strong, helps the body use iron, and assists chemical actions in the body. Cooked sweet potato leaves are an excellent food for babies, pregnant women, and breast-feeding mothers. To my knowledge of cooking sweet potato leaves is limited.The only way I know to cook sweet potato leaves method is stir-fry in sambal belacan paste,a famous Malaysia dish!

Ingredients:
1 bundle sweet potato leaves,about 2 lbs(use the tips and young leaves) wash and drained
3 tbsp sambal belacan paste or more if you like spicy
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 cup medium size shrimp,clean and deviened
1 whole long pepper,wash and sliced
Method:
1:Heat large skillet or wok with oil at medium high heat with sambal belacan paste .Add in clean shrimp,fry for 1-2 minutes then add in sweet potato leaves,sugar and salt.Add some water if necessary.
2:Toss all the ingredients at high heat well together for another 3-5 minutes or cooked.Do not over cook the vegetables.Check the seasoning and dish out.
3:Serve warm with rice.

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Kueh Dadar/Ketayap (Crepes wt Coconut Filling)

Kueh Dadar or Kueh Ketayap or Kueh Gulung are the same kueh ,just in different names only. Kuih or kueh a generic word in Malaysia for sweets and savoury "cakes". Kueh Ketayap or Dadar is a cylindrical shape kueh with caramelised grated coconut filling inside and a pandan flavor pancake skin wrapping it.This kueh are available almost everywhere at hawker stall,food court or vendor at night and morning market. If you miss Kueh Dadar and can't access easily at your place or country,why not make it yourself like me:) There is no hard to rule to follow when making this crepes at home.

Ingredients for Skin:
250 gm all purpose flour
1 tsp alkaline water (kan sui or air abu)*optional*
2 large eggs,beaten *optional*
2 cups water or plus extra
2 tsp pandan flavor essence
2 tbsp butter/oil for brushing

Ingredients for Filling:
2 cups white grated coconut
90g gula melaka(palm sugar) chopped
3-5 tbsp water
few pieces pandan leave,knotted(screwpine leaves)

Method:
1:Cook gula melaka (palm sugar) and water in a thick saucepan until syrupy.Add in grated coconut,pandan leaves and mix thoroughly.Keep stirring until thick or the syrup combine well with grated coconut.Dish out and set aside to cool.
2:Sieve flour and salt into a mixing bowl,set aside. Beat eggs with hand beater,gradually add in water ,flour mixture ,pandan flavor and alkaline water .Mix all ingredients till well combine ,then strain into another bowl.
3:Heat a 8 inch non-stick skillet/pan at medium low heat ,brush with some butter or oil.Pour a scoop batter in the pan,tilt pan quickly to form a thin pancake.Reduce the heat to low and cook until it's set.
4:Remove pancake from skillet and transfer to a plate or cutting board.Dish 1-2 tsp coconut filling in the center of the pancake,then roll up from inward ,then fold both sides inward and continue to roll up tightly like maki sushi.
5:Serve warm or cold as snack or dessert with tea or coffee.


Note:
If you can't find alkaline water,just omit this ingredient.Some people even omit eggs in the batter.As for the filling I omit the corn flour for thickening.. remember there is no hard to rule to follow when making this kueh !!

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Gado-Gado (Salad wt Peanut Sauce)

I stored some leftover peanut satay sauce from last month in freezer. I plan to make gado gado with the leftover peanut sauce I had for compressed rice..Recently I shop at Asian market and looking for Tempe but unfortunately no Tempe can be found ,maybe I didn't open my eyes wide enough or ask around.Anyway,I bought regular firm tofu and plenty of fresh vegetable for this salad.Gado-gado is a traditional dish in Indonesian cuisine, and is comprised of a vegetable salad served with a peanut sauce dressing. Although it is to be eaten as a main meal, many Western countries describe it simply as a salad with peanut sauce.

Ingredients:
I head broccoli,cut floret and blanched
1/2 lb mung bean sprout,clean and blanched
2 pieces firm bean curd(tofu) cut strip or cube and pan -fried
2 nos hard boiled eggs,cut halves
1 cucumber,peeled and shredder
1 small jicama(turnip or sengkung) ,peeled and shredder
1 carrot,peeled and shredder
1/2 lb snack bean or long bean,cut 2 inch and blanched
1 cup or more peanut satay sauce *I puree and re-heat peanut sauce before serve*
Yield for 2 person
Method:
Pour the peanut satay sauce over the vegetable(salad) platter and mix well before serve.
Note:
You can use any type vegetable of your favourite like cabbage,watercress,string bean,bitter melon or boiled potatoes. Hop over HERE for peanut sauce recipe!

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Braised Gai Choy(Mustard Greens) with Duck

Oh boy!! I love this comfort food to heart:Braised Gai Choy Boey or Kiam Chai Boey!! I recalled when I lived in Malaysia,my mom would use leftover roast duck,roast pig or roast chicken after festival celebration or leftover from dinner tables to cook this yummy delicious hot and sour dish!! At that time I still didn't know how to appreciated this dish..Well,since living here for years ,there is zero chance for me to enjoy this hot and sour dish except to cook myself .The key ingredients to this dish is Assam Gelugor in Malay or Assam Pei in Chinese or Tamarind Skin in English.But to find Assam Gelugor is quite challenging!! Last week when I shop at Asian market in NYC ,I found Assam Gelugor/Assam Keping on the shelf and quickly grab 2 packets and continue to look for fresh gai choy(mustard greens).Of course mostly Asian market here always carry fresh Gai Choy!! I know I have 1/2 bird of braised duck in freezer.It's was given by a friend when she visit me weeks ago but I can't finish it all so I freeze it to use at one day.Now the one day has comes!! Viola.....Proud to present my Braised Kiam Chai Boey!!

Ingredients:
1/2 birds of braised duck or you can use any leftover roast duck/chicken or pig head or feet..
3 lbs or more mustard greens (gain choy),washed and cut 2 inch
10 pieces or more Assam Gelugor/Assam Pei,washed and drained
13 pieces or more dried whole chili pepper,washed and drained
1/2 cup sugar or to taste
4 tbsp seasalt or to taste
2 cups water or more
6 cloves fresh garlic,peeled and chopped
2 inch old ginger,sliced
2 tbsp cooking oil
Method:
1:Heat a medium large stock pot with oil at medium high heat.Add in sliced ginger and garlic,fry until fragrant or lightly golden brown.Then add in whole dried pepper and assam gelugor together,lightly fry before add in mustard greens(gai choy) and braised duck into the stock pot.
2:Add in water and increase heat to high.When the stock is bubbly boil reduce heat to medium,add in salt and sugar to taste.Cover the pot with lid,let it's simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the stock slightly thick and the greens changed to deep dark yellow green color .
3:Check the seasoning,(sourness,spiciness and saltines) before remove from heat.Dish out and serve warm with rice.

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Stir-fry Chinese Vegetable with Daikon in Garlic

Last week when I was shopping in Asian market,saw white radish on sale for $0.29 a pound.Grab 2 big roots of white radish,planning to make salmon sashimi bed but hubby want sushi instead.Well,since I shredder and soaked the radish I better use it before goes bad.White radish or Daikon is believed it's good for healthy obesity diet food,which has the function of clearing heat, detoxification, strengthening stomach, reducing phlegm, relieving a cough,smoothing Chi,defecation, creating saliva,anti-thirst and etc.Daikon or white radish contains more vitamin C than fruits,rich in vitamin A,vitamin B,Calcium,P,Iron.White radish contains many enzymes that help to digest.I also bought a bunch of Chinese vegetable.Sorry I dunno the scientific name but this vegetable is very fragile and soft..I understand people from North China loves this vegetable.

Ingredients:
1 bunch Chinese green vegetable, about 2 lbs ,washed and cut
5 cloves garlic,peeled and chopped
2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
1 handful of shredded and soaked white radish
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste


Method:
1:Cut and washed green vegetable thoroughly,drained.
2:Heat large skillet with oil at medium high heat with garlic.Fry garlic until lightly golden brown,then add in washed vegetable, shredder white radish and chicken bouillon powder.
3:Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes (if you want the vegetable softer cook longer),add in salt to your taste,then dish out and serve warm.



Note:
White radish or daikon have stronger pungent taste,soak overnight in cold water,it's might help to reduce the pungent smell or flavor.



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Roti Jala (Lacy Pancake)

Last week I cooked some rendang chicken(dry curry chicken).Most of the time I just eat with white rice or roti canai(Paratha).It's been years I didn't try any roti jala and would love to dip roti jala with rendang chicken.Roti Jala literally translate to Malay as "Net Bread" or "Lacy Pancake".Too bad I don't have the mould but I do have plenty of dry measurement cup. Actually I never see any original roti jala mould before but I guess I can use measurement cup as the mould,right? So I request hubby to use his drill bits to drill few holes on the cup for me.Yoo..wooo!! it's work but not perfect .I wonder why the pancake lace doesn't turn out to be the same lace pancake I recalled .Then I "google " roti jala mould image and found the mould bottom have few funnels!!*sigh* well..for now this mould will do until I have the chance to get the real roti jala mould when I go back to Malaysia.

Ingredients:
150 gm all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs,beaten
300 ml coconut milk
2 tbsp oil for brushing
2 drops yellow food coloring or 2 tbsp turmeric powder
Method:
1:Combine flour,salt,eggs,coloring or turmeric powder and coconut milk in large bowl,use whisk to beat or mix the ingredients well and smooth.Sieve the batter well into another bowl.
2:Heat non-stick omelet pan,about 8 inch at low heat.Brush the pan lightly with some oil .Dish a ladleful of batter into the roti jala cup and in a circular motion,form a thin lacy pattern or perforated appearance crepe in the pan..
3:Cook until set or lightly golden pale color,no need to cook the other side.If the standing batters is thick add few tablespoons water if necessary.Remove and fold each pancake into quarter or roll up.Serve warm with curry or rendang.
roti jala with rendang chicken
bottom of measurement cup after drilled

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Sweet Potato Huat Kuih/Fatt Koh

Most of the time when my mom chat with me over the phone(SKYPE) she will told me about her Huat Kuih/Fatt Koh result.She steamed huat kuih every 1st and 15th moon of Chinese calender for prayer on the alter.My mom was impressed with my first attempt steamed huat-kuih/fatt-koh/steamed-rice cake so I gave her my recipe.She tried my recipe many times but it's turn up something is miserable wrong especially the color texture..The pink color turn up to be maroon color.At first she thought it's must be the pink color manufacture problem,so I suggested to her to get food coloring from Bakery store instead of regular supermarket..I insisted she must get the product Made in USA...like Wilton..After she get her Made in USA red coloring,she tried steaming huat kuih again but the result is still the same.Darn!! The red color turn out brown color!! how come? I don't have that problem..Hmmm..we both cracking our head try to resolved the problem..My mom thought the problem must be the cooked syrup with pandan leaves!! So she decided to leave OUT pandan leaves when cooking her syrup..The outcome is still the same!! WHY?? I encouraged her to try again.So she boiled her water first then stir in the sugar,hope this method will work!! But it's fail miserably again !! The red color become Brown like palm sugar color!! OK..what next? She tried again but without boiling the water for her syrup,just use cold water and stir in sugar!! Wa...lau...it's WORK!! the red coloring became RED not brown anymore!! I think it's the water in Malaysia..Told my mom we can drank the water from any pipe in USA ,no need to boiled down or filter first.It's better than Spring water in the bottle!! Now we know the culprit is H2O!! But let's me confirm our conclusion again! So I promised my mom I will steam huat kuih again but this time I decided to add sweet potato flour.The texture of this cake using sweet potato flour is really sticky and shinny..

Ingredients:(A)
125 gm,cold cooked rice
4 tbsp fermented sweet rice wine
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp water

(B)
150 gm sugar,mixed with 2 cups (16 oz) water,boiled to dissolve sugar syrup,cooled
100 gm rice flour
200 gm sweet potato flour

(C)
1 tsp ENO
1 tsp double action baking powder
your favourite food coloring
Method:

1:Combine (A) in a clean glass container and cover with clean cloth.Keep aside and leave to ferment for 48 hours/2 days.**I only leave to ferment for 8 hours since the weather is hot and humid during summer.**
2:Pour fermented ingredients (A) into a blender,add 1/2 amount of sugar syrup and blend until smooth.Mix in rice flour and the remaining 1/2 amount of sugar syrup into the mixture.
3:Strain into a clean container,cover with clean cloth and leave to ferment for another 8-9 hours.*I leave it to ferment for 2 hours coz it's hot and humid.*
4:Add (C) except coloring if you intend to make more than one color into a mixing bowl,add fermented rice flour mixture and stir well.Then use different bowl to mix each coloring before pour into mould for steaming.
5:Pour mixture into small cups and moulds until full.Steam at high heat for about 15-20 minutes until cooked.
6:Remove cups and leave it cool before serve.
Yield about 15 cup medium large tea cup..About 20 cups in medium muffin cup.
It's proven the white is still white not light brown as my mom made..

Note:

I think sweet potato flour make this fatt koh texture and taste look like Malay KOH.. don't you said so?

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Stir-fry Pork with Sweet Red Pepper in Fish Sauce

I love fish sauce flavor and taste but it's quite a challenging for those who are not used to this fishy and pungent flavor.Fish sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment.Fish sauce is widely used in all South East Asian countries like Vietnamese, Thai, Lao, Cambodian, and Filipino . Recently I bought some sweet red pepper and would love to cook this sweet pepper with some fish sauce..Here is my simple Stir-fry Pork with Sweet Red Pepper in Fish Sauce.

Ingredients:
500 gm lean pork or tenderloin pork,sliced
4-5 sweet red pepper,cut and remove seeds
1 large onion,peeled and cut cube
1 stalk scallion,washed and cut
3 cloves fresh garlic,peeled and chopped
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp fish oil
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt or to taste
Method:
1:Heat large skillet with oil at medium high heat,add in chopped garlic,stir-fry until fragrant or light brown.Then add in sliced pork.
2:Stir-fry pork for 1 minute,add in cut sweet pepper and cut onion and all the seasoning. Toss all the ingredients well for 1 minute,check the seasoning ,before add in cut scallion ,then dish out.
3: Serve warm with rice.

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Curry Noodle Soup (Kari Mee)

I didn't realise I still have a pack of soft flat yellow noodle or it's called wonton noodle mee in my fridge. I would love to eat some hot and spicy food for this hot and humid weather. So here comes my idea of cooking curry mee soup!! Well,I guess you must think it's weird,why eat hot and spicy food in hot and humid summer weather,right? I dunno why,but I do I feel more appetizing eating hot and spicy food in summer but maybe I was born and raised in tropical /exotic country .We are so used to eat this kind of hot and spicy food at breakfast,lunch and dinner without question!! Anyway,I don't have to visit Malaysia restaurant in NYC to enjoy curry mee now!! I can make curry mee at home since I have one of the most important ingredient:sambal belacan paste !!

Ingredients:
1 pack or tray raw of soft flat yellow noodle,6 pieces
(A)
5-6 tbsp sambal belacan paste ,if you like extra spicy add more
4 tbsp curry powder(Babas or Burung Nuri's brand preferable)
1 can coconut milk,400 ml
2 cup whole milk
1 cup water
2 large piece rock sugar or 3 tbsp sugar
2 cubes shrimp or chicken flavor bouillon
salt to taste
(B)
1 pack fried bean curds or tofu bok
200 gm chicken or pork,sliced
2 or more hard boiled egg,shelled and cut 1/2
1/2 lb shrimp,shelled and clean *optional*
crispy chili shrimp *optional* on side (Tean's or Delimas)
fried shallot for garnishing
handful of cilantro ,cut for garnishing *optional*
Method:
1:Prepared a 5 qtr or medium large stock pot at medium high heat with sambal belacan paste and curry powder first,mix well,then add in all ingredients(A) .Increase heat to high.When the stock is rolling boil add in slices pork or chicken,shrimp and fried bean curd or 1-2 minutes or till bubbly boil,check the seasoning . Reduce the heat to slow or remove the stock pot from heat .Do not over boil the stock..
2: Fill a small stock pot with some water at high heat,when the water is bubbly boil,place your desired amount wonton mee(yellow noodle) in the boil water for 40 second or 1 minute.Do not overcooked,the noodle tend to loose the elastic texture.
3:Meanwhile prepared a bucket of ice cold water for the cooked noodle.Quickly transfer the cooked noodle into the ice cold water for few minutes to shocked the process of cooking and maintain the elastic al-dente texture. Sieve and drain dry ,set on side.
4:Place a handful of cooked yellow noodle in a bowl.Microwave 1 minute at high heat,then dish out the curry stock into the cooked warm noodles,garnish with fried shallot ,hard boiled egg and cilantro.Serve warm with shrimp crispy chili on the side.

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