Soft and Creamy Durian Mooncake....

Mooncake season is here again. So it is time to make some mooncakes. Mooncakes are no longer confined to the traditional bake ones with lotus pastes and  salted egg yolks. There are so many creations and flavors that have been churn up in the market of mooncake business.

I for one could not be left out experimenting in new flavors with our own Malaysian king of fruits, the ever popular love it or hate it durians. With durian season just ending, I still have some frozen ones in my freezer. So the idea of a durian mooncake pops up when I saw a recipe by Debbie Teoh from Flavors magazine.

It turns out really creamy  and  soft,  melting in your mouth. If you really like durians you would love this mooncake with its soft skin made with fresh pulp too. Here is the recipe to share.

 Durian Fillings: Makes about 12 to 15 mini mooncakes


2 1/2 tbsp green pea flour
2 tbsp custard powder
a pinch of salt
3 tbsp sugar
250ml thick coconut milk
2 egg yolks
200g fresh durian pulp


To prepare fillings:


Place all ingredients in a saucepan and mix. Bring mixture to boil, stirring continuously til mixture binds together. Remove from heat and cool before shaping into 40g balls. Keep refrigerated.

Making the durian fillings.................


 Snow skin ingredients:


150g cooked glutinous rice flour (koh fun)
50g icing sugar
pinch of salt
60g shortening
120g fresh durian pulp
50ml iced water


To prepare snow skin:


Sieve koh fun, icing sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Work the shortening in with your fingers til mixtures resembles breadcrumbs. Add durian pulp and enough cold water to form a soft and pliable dough. 
Slightly flatten 20g of the dough and press a ball of filling into the centre and wrap the skin around the filling. 


Press into mooncake mould. I bought a plastic one that could mould so easily unlike the traditional wooden ones where I have to knock the sides against a chopping board or table to dislodge it. This plastic ones need only to press and open up to get a nice pattern. 

Pressing the balls into moulds......

Repeat with rest of the skin and fillings, then refrigerate the mooncakes until ready to serve.



Note: For those who would like to make mooncake jelly I have some recipes here and here.

Mooncake Jelly- 2009

Verdict:- My mooncake jelly did not turn out too well this year 'coz of the quality of the agar agar powder used. It is too mushy and soft. I still prefer the Happy Grass brand which I could not find here in Penang. Almost half of it has its skin sticking to the bottom of the mould. Will remember to use a good brand for making the skin next time.

Its been a couple of years I have not been making these little desserts for the mid-autumn festivals due to ill health. But this time I am adamant to make it eventhough I am not feeling very good lately due to my RA. Not to miss another year of sharing my pretty jellies in the form of mooncake or rather to satisfy my cooking instinct I dig out some lotus seeds from my fridge to make some delicious lotus paste for the fillings. It takes some time to cook the paste but worth the effort as I used olive oil and honey to sweeten it for a more healthy paste.

After making the paste, I blended some frozen leftover durians and some mangos to make two kinds of fillings. The past years I make fillings with cream cheese but this time I try using lotus paste which is just as nice. Would love to share with readers my recipe.

Lotus paste:-

200g lotus seed
150g sugar
150ml olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp condensed milk
a pinch of salt

Method:

Soak lotus seed for about 30 mins. Then cook in pot of water til soft and tender.(about 30 mins). Strain and leave to cool. Blend it with some water into a smooth paste. Melt half the sugar in a wok or pan to caremelize it til golden brown. Add in blended lotus paste, olive oil and remaining sugar. Stir fry over medium heat til paste is smooth and does not stick to side of pan. ( about 30 min ). Stir in honey and condensed milk and mix well til well blended into paste. Cool and its ready to be used.

Lotus seeds........

Stirring the lotus pastes in wok...........

Durian fillings:-
(A)
120g mashed lotus paste
400ml santan (2 boxes low fat santan)
80ml water
120g blended durian flesh ( I blend it with a little of the santan)
1 tbsp agar agar powder
1/8 tsp salt

(B)
100ml milk
1/8tsp durian essense (optional)
few drops of yellow coloring

Method:

Mix A and bring to boil then add B and mix well. Strain mixture into a square patty tin of 20cm square or round tart moulds if you are using large jelly mooncake moulds.

Cooking durian fillings......

Pour fillings into pan to cool, then cut or mould into desired shape...

For the mango fillings the method and ingredients are the same except use blended mangos instead of durians. For mango add in mango essense.

Using a cookie cutter to cut out the fillings to fit the round mould.

Mooncake jelly in mould........

Mooncake Skin:-

1 tbsp agar agar powder
500ml water
4 pandan leaves, knotted
80g sugar
2 tbsp condensed milk

Mix the above and bring to boil. Add in the color of your choice.

For the method of preparation please refer to my other jelly mooncake posting here and here.

A Sweet Start To A New Chapter...

My big pot of bubur cha cha with the colorful cubes....

Finally, I am up on my feet again after months of missing in action over the blogsphere due to my ill health. One health problem comes after another that renders me weak and exhausted making my life miserable. But now I am on my way to recovery and have been eager to pick up the bits and pieces of life which I have been missing. I would like to thank God and my family and friends who have motivated me to stand up again with their love and caring ways.

Due to my disabilities, my boys have been missing out on homecook food too. So with me gaining back my appetite and strength I have started to cook their favorite food. Eldest son R requested for Bubur ChaCha and good old mummy cook a big pot yesterday to satisfy his cravings. What a sweet start to a new chapter of my life after some dark moments which fail to break my spirits. Looking forward to more good things to come my way as well as sharing with my readers..........

For those who are interested in cooking this sweet Malaysian dessert you can look up the recipes in my older posting here and the making of the colorful diamond shaped tapioca cubes here.

No Tang Yeun For Me This Year......

Gosh, how fast another year has passby and it just came to my knowledge that today is Winter Soltice festival again. And for the first time in many many years I am not going to make this lovely syrupy colorful glutinous balls for the reason that I am too weak to even make it after 2 straight days of indigestion, vomitting, and diarrhea. To add to that 2 of my family members just recovered from food poisoning, one just days out of hospital. Moreover these glutinous rice balls is not good for the stomach if you have indigestion.So I guess this year I will be a lot younger without the 'tang yuen' as chinese belief after eating tang yuen you will be a year older.

Check out my last year's posting for 'tang yeun' here. As according to Chinese calender this year celebration falls on 21st December compared to last year's 22nd December. I would like to wish all my Chinese buddies here Happy Dong Zhi Festival.

A Tong Sui of Lotus Tea..........

"Tong Sui" is the cantonese word for Sweet Soup. Chinese celebration dinners or banquets would end with a sweet soup cooked with lotus seeds, gingko nuts, red beans or ground peanuts, and served with some sweet lotus or red bean buns. It can be served as snacks at home.

Chinese made their tong sui or sweet soup from herb based ingredients beneficial to the body which are simmered for 2 to 3 hours. Now we have the slow cooker to thank for.

Here is a recipe of Lotus tea which I often cook at home to share....

80 gm lotus seeds ( soaked for 15 mins)....believe to be cooling.


50 gm 'Pak Hup' or magnolia petals (washed) beneficial for cough and lungs ailments.

30 gm dried longan (washed)...good for heart, lungs, spleen, kidney and those with nervous system disorder.

A floret of dried white fungus (washed and soak for 15 mins)

Soaked white fungus looks like this.....stimulates the glands, checks irregular menstruation and gives relief to those suffering from ulcers and constipation and the remedy for a beautiful complexion.

180 gm rock sugar.......

Put all the above ingredients in a slow cooker and slow boiled together with 5 to 6 bowls of water till cooked. Serve it hot or cold.

A Dose of Crème Brûlée ......

Son H Crème Brûlée ...............

"The origins of crème brûlée (pronounced krehm broo-LAY) are very much in contention, with the English, Spanish, and French all staking claim. The Spanish have taken credit for this sensuous custard as "crema catalana" since the eighteenth century, while the English claim it originated in seventeenth-century Britain, where it was known as "burnt cream" and the English school boys at Cambridge demanded it. It apparently wasn't until the end of the nineteenth century that common usage of the French translation came into vogue, putting it on the map from Paris to Le Cirque in New York City. Its wide recognition today seems to have given the French credit for inventing crème brûlée. "....Debbie Puente.

Crème brûlée (French for "burnt cream"; pronounced /ˌkrɛm bruːˈleɪ/ in English, IPA: [kʁɛm bʁyˈle] in French) is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hard caramel, created by burning sugar under a grill, or with a blowtorch or other intense heat source. It is usually served cold in individual ramekins.
The custard base is normally flavoured with just vanilla, but it can be enhanced with chocolate, a liqueur, fruit, etc. Sometimes the hardened sugar on top will be given a Maillard reaction, or caramelization, by igniting a thin layer of liqueur sprinkled over the top.... Wikipedia.

On Sunday son H made some crème brûlée and here I wanted to share the recipe with my readers.......

Ingredients:

300 milk

100 ml whipping cream

50 g castor sugar

4 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

4 tbsp brown sugar

Method:

In a saucepan combine whipping cream, milk and sugar and slowly bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs and add to cream mixture together with vanilla essence. Mix well til blended and strained.

Pour the custard into ramekins. Then place ramekins into baking tray. Pour enough boiling water to baking tray enough to come half way up the sides of ramekins.

Place baking tray in a preheated oven and baked at 180 degrees Celcius for 30 mins til custard is set.

Remove from oven and leave to cool and refrigerate til ready to serve.

To serve, sprinkle a layer of brown sugar on top of crème brûlée and grill under a broiler or use blow torch to burn til caramelize.

Crème brûlée baking in oven.............

A Lovely , Easy And Cost Saving Dessert........

Sago Pudding ready to be served..............

Recently Son H had to plan out a menu for 20 pax using very limited amount of money for a project in college......and he ask me what he could prepare for dessert that do not take up a lot of time besides saving cost for his other dishes like starter and main course.....so this is what he made after surveying my ideas.......Sago Pudding with Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar).....

Ingredients:

(For Palm sugar syrup)

250 gm gula melaka

30 g sugar - (optional) if you like yr syrup sweeter.

250 ml water

2 to 3 screwpine (pandan) leaves

Method:

Place all the above ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil over low heat til sugar is dissolved. Strain and leave to cool in fridge.......

Chopped gula melaka...................


Cooking the palm syrup in a saucepan..............

Coconut milk - squeeze from 1 coconut with 300 ml water added or from ready packet ones.....(bring to just boil with a pinch of salt added and refrigerate before using)

200 gm Sago pearls

1 no.Egg white

A pinch of salt

Method:

Wash sago and drain. Put to boil in a pan of hot boiling water. Stir and cook til sago is transparent (about 10 mins). Pour into a large fine sieve and wash under running cold filter tap water to get rid of excess starch. Then stand sieve over a bowl to drain water off completely. Meanwhile whisk the egg white with the salt til stiff and fold into sago til well mix. Spoon the mixture into small tart moulds and leave in the fridge to chill. Can prepare the palm syrup before hand or after this. Serving is done individually by topping the sago pudding with palm syrup and coconut milk according to taste.

Cooked and drained sago............................

Whisking the egg white til stiff...................

Folding the egg whites into sago.................


Son H placing the sago pudding into moulds before chilling in fridge......

Chilled sago pudding ....pop out of moulds into a plate before serving with palm syrup and coconut milk.........

Dressed To Serve At James Cendol.........

If you happen to be passing by on the road to Lumut, Perak.....you will see a husband and wife who are smartly dress in white shirt and long black trousers with red bow ties......in front of an Indian temple.......next to The Store ( formerly Fajar supermarket) in Sitiawan......selling their famous cendol.

Not only is James Muniandy famous for his trademark bow tie.....his cendol is so good that the Sultan (ruler) of Perak summon him to the palace to prepare his famous dessert for hundreds of his guests on one occasion.

Recently back in hometown......Teik, his wife Mae... relatives from KL, treated us to this cool dessert on a very hot afternoon after lunch.....we could not get a second helping coz it was all sold out.......James' wife told us they sell more than 100 bowls of cendol daily.....starting from 11.00am. Here are some pics of James cendol :

This one with pulut cost rm 1.50..............


My bowl of cendol with big red beans and shaved ice without the pulut......cost rm 1.30.

A framed picture of James Muniandy with the Sultan (ruler of Perak)........


James on the news.........................


James' wife preparing the cendol.....(she is not wearing the signature red bow tie 'coz of the hot weather)

Enjoying the yummy cendol under the canopy by the road side........

So drop by James cendol for a thirst quencher if you are in this small town of Sitiawan. Beware of a 'copycat' cendol stall next to James' stall with the same white shirt, black trousers and black bow tie.....(that is why James is now wearing a red bow tie instead of the previous black one)

Sago and Honeydew Desserts...............

A bowl of sago and honeydew dessert........................

This is another popular Malaysian dessert made from honeydew, sago and goes well with a helping of coconut milk......i made these for my boys who love this as much as the bubur cha cha.....but it does not take up much of your time as making the bubur cha cha....here is how i made it......

Ingredients:

1 honeydew melon

170 g sago pearls (small)

coconut milk from 1 grated coconut

salt to taste

sugar syrup

Method:

Peel the skin of honeydew melon......halve it ......then scoop out the seeds and shape the honeydew melon into small round balls using a metal spoon. Put remaining melon into blender and liquidised it. Pour into jug and chill it in fridge. Next , wash sago under running water in a sieve.....cook in a pot of boiling water til transparent......then wash under running water in sieve again ...drain well and put aside. If using freshly grated coconut....squeeze thick milk on a muslin cloth.....add salt to coconut milk. The coconut milk packed in tetra boxes can also be use. The sugar syrup can be made by boiling 150 g of sugar with 125 ml water til dissolved with 3 screwpine leaves added. Leave to cool before using.

honeydew melon balls...........................

Cooked sago pearls........

To serve this dessert....combine sago.....chilled honeydew juice and thick coconut milk in a bowl....then add syrup to taste. Add some honeydew melon balls ....and some ice cubes......and it is ready to be served.

The Making Of Colourful Tapioca Cubes..........

The above is a slide show of the making of tapioca cubes.........i would like to share it with my fellow readers.........

To made these tapioca cubes.....you have to pour 120ml of hot boiling water into 180 g of tapioca flour in a bowl......mix it quickly with a metal spoon....then place it on a work surface to knead it while it is still warm....til soft and smooth...divide into 3 or 4 portions.....add colouring and mix well.....roll out into thin strips on a lightly floured surface....cut into diamond shaped cubes.....put into a pot of boiling water to cook til it rise to the surface.....scoop out with a perforated ladle and put them in a bowl of ice cold water to prevent it from sticking together.....drained and served it with bubur cha cha.............

Passion Fruit and Banana Soufflés.......

Reading the Star paper today....i come across an article on the secrets of making great ...soufflé...click here for some lovely soufflés recipes from Amy Beh.......and it also reminds me of sharing my son's passion fruit and banana soufflés recipe that he made on valentines day...........here it is......

Cream Base:

150ml milk

100ml thick cream

15g plain flour

10g cornflour

3 large egg yolks

50g castor sugar

Heat milk and cream in pan..til almost boiling...sift flour and cornflour tog....beat egg yolks and sugar tog in large bowl.....then mix in flour...add a splash of hot creamy milk and whisk well til mixture is smooth...then gradually mix in the rest of the milk...pour back into pan and whisk over medium low heat for 3 to 5 mins til thicken and smooth...transfer to a bowl..cover and cool to room temperature...stirring occasionally to prevent skin forming.

Soufflé:

4 ripe passion fruit

1 banana- 100g-peeled

squeeze of lemon juice

2 tbsp banana liqueur (optional)

20g melted butter for brushing

50g castor sugar,plus extra for dusting

2 large egg whites

icing sugar for decoration

Halve passion fruit...scoop out seeds and juice into a sieve set over a bowl...press to extract juice and pour into blender...break the banana into pieces and add into blender with the lemon juice...whiz til smooth...then add the mixture to cream base and set aside....

Heat oven to 190 degree C...brush 6 to 8 ramekin cups...with a generous layer of melted butter...coat the inside with castor sugar and chill to set.

use the upward stroke ...when brushing with a thin layer of butter...

ramekin coated with castor sugar.....to be chill before using....

When ready to serve...whisk the egg white in a clean bowl...to firm peaks...then gradually whisk in the castor sugar...a spoonful at a time...to make a firm glossy meringue...whisk a third of the meringue into the cream base...then very carefully fold in the rest...using a metal spoon.

Divide the soufflés mix among the ramekin cups...and tap on the table to level the mixture...smooth the top with a palette knife and run the knife around edge

to help it rise evenly....put ramekins on a wide baking tray and bake for 10 to 15 mins til well risen and lightly golden on top....dust with icing sugar and serve at once.

the nicely risen soufflés just right out of the oven........

Bubur Cha Cha......for Chap Goh Meh....

my bowl of yummy bubur cha cha........................

Yesterday was 'Chap Goh Meh'... in hokkien means the 15th day/night of the new lunar year.............In Penang....the chinese celebrated this day that marked the end of the chinese new year celebration by.....having fireworks....worshiping their gods and ancestors....and not to be missed.....the throwing of oranges into rivers or sea by the maidens......wishing for a good husband.......

Me of course with no oranges to throw......ended this new year celebration by cooking a pot of sweet dessert called ' bubur cha cha' to enjoy............here is how i cook it.......

Ingredients:

300 gms sweet potato - the orange variety

300 gms yam

100 gms pearl sago

1 can of ready cooked red beans

500 gms of grated coconuts

sugar syrups

2 to 3 pandan leaves

Method:

First...washed and cubed the sweet potato and yam....steamed seperately til cooked....about 10 mins.....keep aside to cool.....

then add 1/4 cup of water to the grated coconut and squeeze out some thick milk in a muslin cloth.....add a pinch of salt to the thick milk and keep aside in fridge......then add 6 to 8 cups water to the the squeezed grated coconut....mix well and squeeze out the diluted milk in a muslin cloth or fine strainer ......put the milk in a big pot.......together with the knotted pandan leaves and sugar syrup to boiled for about 5 mins......( if you do not have sugar syrup....just add in some sugar )........cook the sago by washing it in running water in a fine sieve before putting it in a pot of boiling water to cook til transparent........strained and wash under running cold water again ....to prevent it sticking together before adding it to the pot of boiling coconut milk......together with the cooked potatoes..yam....and red beans ....( i boiled some colourful tapioca slices which i bought ready made fr. wet market).......lastly add in the thick coconut milk....stir evenly .....under gentle heat........at the first sign of boiling.....removed from heat immediately to prevent the thick coconut from curdling.......served hot or cold...

steamed sweet potatoes and yam...........

the diluted coconut milk boiling in pot with knotted pandan leaves.....

my favourite ....colourful tapioca slices bought from market at rm 2 per packet....i used to make my own by pouring hot boiling water into tapioca flour to make into a soft dough.....add some coloring and cut up into diamond shapes...boiled it in boiling water til transparent... strained and wash under running cold water before using.....spend rm 2 and save you all those backbreaking work.

colourful tapioca slices boiling in a pot.....................