Peanut Butter Bonbons

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 egg or 1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour (reduce to 1 cup if using egg yolk)

Chocolate Coating:

100 g bittersweet chocolate
10 g butter

Method:

Line a baking tray with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter together with sugar till creamy.

Add-in egg and baking powder, whisk to incorporate fully.

Gradually, stir-in flour to form dough.

Preheat oven to 180 °C.

Shape dough portion by portion into small balls (about 1 inch each).

Place shaped cookies onto the prepared tray.

Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or till set and lightly browned.

Remove cookies from oven, transfer onto wire rack and set aside to cool completely.

To prepare the coating: In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stir thoroughly to incorporate and remove from heat to cool slightly.

Gently, dip cookies into the coating paste (one at a time) and turn to coat well.

Transfer coated cookies onto waxed paper or aluminum foil and chill in refrigerator till firm.

Store in container and keep cool in refrigerator.

Yields 20 cookies.

CuttleFish Salad

Ingredients:

2 large dried cuttlefish
2 L cold water
2 tbsp potassium carbonate & sodium bi-carbonate solution (kan sui)

300 g young water convolvulus (sayur kangkung can be added)
3 tbsp sesame oil

hot boiling water for blanching
ice cold water for quenching

Sauce Ingredients (mix all together thoroughly):

2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp hae ko (black prawn paste)
2 tbsp chili sauce
1 tsp toasted belacan powder (toasted dried shrimp paste)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1 tbsp water

Sesame seeds for sprinkling

Method:

In a large bowl, soak cuttlefish with water and kan sui overnight or till solften and double in size.

Changes the 2/3 of soaking water with fresh cold water by every few hours interval for the following hours till reach the maximum size.

Wash cuttlefish and cut into bite sizes; set aside.

Cut-off the lower end of cleaned water concolvulus vegetable and tie into a bunch (if applicable).

In a pot, heat enough water to boil.

Blanch the cuttlefish for a short while (about 2 minutes).

Transfer cuttlefish into ice cold water; set aside.

Blanch the vegetable for half minute, cut into 2 inch length and transfer onto serving plate.

Drizzle-on 2 tbsp of oil, top-on cuttlefish and pour-in the sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Nyonya Achar Awak (Spicy Nyonya Pickled Vegetables)

Ingredients:

2 cucumber, cut into 1 x 1/4 inch sticks (seeded)
1 carrot, cubed
1 tbsp salt

100 g string or long beans, cut into 1 inch length
few leaves of Chinese Cabbage, cut into 1 ½ inch squares
3 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar

5 fresh red chili
15 shallot or 3 large onion
5 clove garlic
5 candle nuts
1 inch knob fresh turmeric
1 inch knob galangal
1 lemon grass
1 ½ tbsp toasted belacan (toasted dried shrimp paste)
40 mL water

1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup white rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
3 lemon juice or 5 lime juice (about 50 mL)
1 cup crunched toasted peanut
1/2 cup toasted sesame seed

Method:

In a bowl, mix together cucumber, carrot and 1 tbsp salt, set aside for about 2 hours.

Rinse-well with running water and wring dry with clean towel; set aside.

In a pot, pan or wok, bring 3 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp salt and 2 tbsp sugar to boil.

Blanch separately beans and cabbage for 1 minute each.

Remove from water, wipe dry with kitchen towels and dry further more under fan or strong sunlight for 1 hour or more; set aside.

Meanwhile, blend together red chili, shallot, garlic, nuts, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass and belacan with enough water (about 40 mL) to form paste; set aside.

In a large pan or wok, heat oil over medium high heat and saute the blended paste till fragrant and separates from oil (about 15 minutes).

Pour-in the remaining vinegar, salt and sugar.

Turn off the heat immediately once boil.

Stir-in carrot, cucumber, beans and lastly cabbage.

Add-in lemon juice and mix thoroughly.

Add-in peanut and sesame seeds and stir-well to mix (adjust taste according with vinegar, salt and sugar).

Transfer to container and keep in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight till serve.

Chicken Soup with Glass Noodles (Fins Soup Style)

Ingredients:

1 handful of dry 冬粉/bean threads/Glass/Cellophane Noodles, soaked 30 minutes to soften, drained and cut into 2 inch length
4 dried big Chinese mushroom, soaked to soften, drained and sliced
1 cup of leftover cooked chicken (from any kind of cooking method or boil raw chicken till cook), shredded
3 crab-sticks, shredded
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 cup bone broth or water

Seasoning:

1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp sesame seed oil

2 tsp cornstarch or as prefer (thickener)
pepper and black vinegar for serving

Method:

In a pot or wok, bring broth to boil.

Add-in mushrooms and seasonings, let to simmer for short while.

Add-in chicken, crab-sticks and glass noodles.

Gradually, stir-in cornstarch while the soup is boiling.

Once soup reach the preference consistency, slowly whisk-in egg whites.

Remove from heat once egg whites obviously appear.

Best serve with pepper and vinegar.

Crostoli Pastries

Ingredients:

1/3 tsp salt
3/4 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk (substitution: 1/2 cup milk powder in 9 tbsp warm milk or water)
1 tbsp rum (optional)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 cup flour

oil for deep-frying
Icing/confectioner/powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

In a large bowl, beat salt, sugar and eggs till very pale, glossy and fluffy.

Whisk-in evaporated milk, rum and vanilla extract.

Gradually, mix-in flour and knead for 10 minutes or till dough begins to blister
and non-sticky (add 1/2 tbsp flour at a time if necessary).

Cover dough with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for at least 20 minutes.

Over a floured surface, roll out dough portion by portion to as thin as possible.

Preheat enough oil in shadow wok or deep-fryer over medium high heat (175 °C).

Cut dough sheet into long and narrow strips (depend on the size of deep-fryer).

Carefully transfer strips into the hot oil and fry till puffy and golden yellow ( may give a mild stretch on each strip by pulling both ends before frying).

Remove crispy strips from oil and drain-well on absorbent paper towels to cool.

Sprinkle with confectioner sugar and store in airtight container.

Coffee Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:

4 egg whites
7 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)

60 mL milk/water with 8 tbsp instant coffee (I used orzo coffee)
7 tbsp sugar
50 mL vegetable oil
4 egg yolks

120 mL cake flour
2 tbsp corn flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 170 °C.

In a bowl, combine together flours and baking powder; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar till frothy; gradually add-in sugar and continue whisking till stiff peaks form (I always whisk egg whites first because I use the same whisk for egg yolks mixture later without washing); set aside.

In a cup of warm milk, dissolve-in instant coffee and sugar; set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk egg yolk till pale and glossy.

Stir-in oil and coffee solution, continue whisking till batter is fully incorporated.

Fold-in flours mixtures, stir-well to form homogeneous batter.

Gradually and gently, fold the egg whites mixture into the egg yolks batter.

Pour batter into an non-grease chiffon pan (6 inches) and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and immediately invert the chiffon pan to cool on a lifted wire rack.

Leave to stand for at least 10 minutes or till the cake shrinks all over from pan walls.

With a flexible thin knife or spatula, loose cake from pan and transfer it from pan onto wire rack; let cool completely before cut into serving size.