How to make Agar-Agar Pandan

Agar-Agar Pandan or Coconut milk pandan flavored jelly is easily available at the cake shop or bakery in Singapore. You can see this in almost any 'malay jamuan' (party or special occasion) you attend in Singapore, and it is a really common yet popular dessert. Agar-Agar Pandan is totally natural, even with pandan leaves (screwpine) as the natural colouring and essence. You should be able to buy the pandan leaves from some herb and spice shops, if you are not in Asia.

Agar Agar
Available in powder and strip form (dried), agar is made from seaweed and does not have any calories. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans it is used as a setting agent for sweets. Flavourless it takes on the flavours it is mixed with and sets to a firm, pick-upable texture.

Ingredients:

1 packet of agar-agar, rinsed (usually 35gram per packet)
4 glasses (large) water
1/4 cup brown sugar or enough to taste
2 eggs
2 cups coconut milk/cream
6 pandan leaves washed
A pinch of salt

Method:

• Grind 3 pandan leaves and extract its juice through a strainer.
• Boil the water in a medium saucepan with the remaining pandan leaves.
• Add in the agar-agar and boil till it is all dissolved.
• Stir in the brown sugar and pandan extract, till all sugar is dissolved. Turn heat to low.
• Beat eggs in a large bowl, and mix it with coconut milk/cream with a pinch of salt.
• Pour the egg-coconut cream mixture into the saucepan with the agar-agar, stir well and let it simmer for a short while, then turn the heat off.
• Transfer the agar-agar mixture into your desired molds or containers. Chill it when cool and set before cutting into serving pieces.

Note:

• Any container can be used as a mold. You may use little cups, ice cream bowls, and ice trays with all kinds of shapes.
• You can adjust the texture by altering the amount of water - slightly more water for a softer texture, and less water for something more solid.
• If normal strip form agar-agar cannot be obtained, you can use powdered agar-agar too. The amount would be the same: 35 grams strip = 35 grams powder.

How to make Roti Boyan (Boyanese Bread)

Recipe for Roti Boyan (Indonesian Bread). Roti Boyan is a pancake bread made of dough composed of fat, egg, flour and water. Roti Boyan is traditionally served with "Sambal Ikan Bilis", which is a really satisfying snack. Sold at malay stalls for about $2.50 each. The Baweanese are a significant community among the Malays of Singapore. "Boyanese" refers to a dialect group in the Malay community.

Ingredients :

For the skin dough
1 kg flour
200g butter
400 ml lukewarm water
3 onions sliced (Fry the onions till half cooked and slightly soft)
Salt to taste

The filling
600 g potatoes - washed, remove skin, boil till soft, and mashed
4 to 5 eggs
100 g spring onions - chopped
3 onions - diced
1 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste

Method :

To make the bread :
Mix water, butter, onions and salt. Add in flour, a little at a time into the liquid mixture and knead till a soft dough is formed. Make into a few small balls (must be in even numbers) and leave to rest for a while.

To prepare the filling :
Mix well mashed potatoes, egg, chopped spring onion, diced onion, pepper and salt.

1. Roll flat one of the doughs and brush some oil on top. Roll like a swiss roll and swirl it like the shape of a cinnamon bun. Leave to rest while you finish doing the same thing with the rest of the doughs.
2. Roll flat the swirled dough. Spread some filling on top and cover with another piece of flatten dough.
3. Secure the edge.
4. Fry with a bit of oil on low heat till golden brown.
5. Serve hot with Sambal Ikan Bilis.

Mutton Hot Pot - Hong Kong Cantonese Style

It's freezing! Temperature in Hong Kong is dropping these days. We have only 9 degrees today. Time to enjoy hot pot.

Mutton hot pot is one of Hong Kong Cantonese' favourites in cold winter days. Unlike the mutton hot pot in Beijing where you dip the thin slices of mutton into hot water to do the actual cooking, the Hong Kong Cantonese style mutton hot pot is already cooked. However it is served on real fire to keep the heat.

A typical hot pot set comes with the main hot pot and a dish of green vegetable, usually lettuce. My set costs HK$98 + 10% service fee. Some restaurant may sell it at a lower price however charge the vegetables separately. So you have an option of paying less if you don't want to have the vegetables. Believe me, 9 out 10 guests would love to have some vegetable after the hot pot. As they were cooked in the mutton soup, the lettuce becomes extremely delicious.

A special dish of sauce is served with mutton, just to make it less smelly and more delicious. The hot pot usually has some mushroom, water chestnuts and tofu sheets as accessories. They are perfect combinations making the whole set very yummy and most important of all - keeping us warm.

Hong Kong Food Blog - Mutton Hot Pot

Easy Love Letters (Kuih Kapit) Recipe

This popular crunchy Chinese snack is easy on the taste buds and even easier to make. Kuih Kapit is served during Chinese new year.

Ingredients (A):

3 Eggs
190g Sugar

Ingredients (B):

500g Coconut Milk (from 1 coconut)

Ingredients (C):

100g Plain flour
80g Rice flour
20g Starch

Method:

1.Beat eggs and sugar till sugar dissolves.
2.Add coconut milk and mix well.
3.Add Ingredients C and mix well. Strain.
4.Grease the mould and hea t it up.
5.Pour a little batter into love letter mould, bake till golden brown.
6.Roll up or fold into a fan shape while hot.

Cooking Tips:

Roll up or fold into a fan fast while hot. Once cool down, you will not be able to shape it.