Chicken Korma/Ayam Kurma

Chicken Korma has its origins from India. It uses primarily yogurt and spices as base. In Malaysia, it is known as Ayam Kurma. The Malaysian version is paler in colour and uses mostly coconut milk and kurma powder (a premix of spices). It has a milder spiciness compared to its curry peers. It is rich in coconut milk taste with a slight tang from the tomatoes added in.

Pumpkin Kaya/Pumpkin Coconut Jam 金瓜加椰

I know there are many recipes for pumpkin kaya and I am not surprise one bit how popular it is. This kaya is a keeper! For a start, it is way healthier than the normal kaya we consume. It uses lesser sugar as the pumpkin itself is already naturally sweetened. But most of all it is eggless. Not only do you save on consuming bad cholesterol, it also means that people who are vegan or allergic to eggs could have a chance to savour this wonderful Malaysian delicacy called kaya. Blessed be the one who invented this pumpkin replacement! It is ingenious.

Palm Sugar Sago Pudding/Puding Sagu Gula Melaka 沙谷米椰糖布丁

This dessert is headed for extinction. I don't see this sold anymore. Perhaps it is too mundane a dessert. But if you "dress" it up a little, voila! Fabulicious! Oh my God, did I just created a new word? Either way, lets keep our tradition going.

Palm Sugar Sago Pudding or Puding Sagu Gula Melaka is a traditional Malay dessert. It is basically chilled sago drizzled in palm sugar and coconut milk. I first made this dessert when I was 15, as part of a home science lesson. At that age, I was happy I even managed to produce anything edible. Although not epic in looks, the taste was pleasant. I love this dessert because it is served cold; it is a pudding. The taste primarily comes from of the pandan infused palm sugar syrup (also known as gula melaka in Malay) and the creamy fragrant coconut milk. The sago alone is bland but it provides a cold chewy texture to the whole pudding. When the trio is combined, it exudes a balance of flavour that is just on the dot.

Baked Pandan Cake/Kuih Pandan Bakar 烤香兰糕

I have a soft spot for this rich yummilicious traditional Malay cake or kuih as it is more fondly known here. On occasions when I have a craving for this kuih and I would drive all the way out to buy one tiny meagre piece just to satisfy this craving. Yes, just one piece, no more no less. For those of you who are still in the dark, I am talking about Kuih Pandan Bakar, a pandan flavoured cake which has a custard-like texture that is encrusted in a brown golden crust of fragrant sesame seeds.

If you are as hooked to this kuih as I am, here are some tips to identify the good ones. We would not be able to tell the taste but we can always choose the ones with a darker colour and thicker crust with lots of sesame seed on top. It makes a whole lot of difference to the smell of the kuih. I personally prefer my kuih to be brightly coloured (and not dark green) as this also indicates no or lesser use of artificial colouring. The recipe calls for the kuih to be baked. I am puzzled as to how the Malays got their hands on ovens in the olden days which is basically non-existence at that time (that is why most of the traditional desserts are either steamed or boiled). Well, apparently this kuih is put over a stove to be burnt, hence the word bakar, which also means burn.

Water Chestnut Coconut Pandan Pudding/Kuih Tako 香兰马蹄糕

A traditional Malay dessert, it is actually a pandan and milk coconut pudding with water chestnuts inside. It is made of mung bean flour or more popularly known as hoen kwe flour in this region. This pudding is beautifully encased in a pandan leaf box for its aesthetics and its aroma. What I like about our local kuih-muih is its simplicity and diversity. Most of them do not require much technique or baking but tastes fabulous. And most often, it comes in vibrant colours.

Ever since I started blogging, I have started to explore different types of food and this time, I bought some kuih tako to try. I have seen this a lot but have never bothered to taste it.  And I was in for a pleasant surprise. Now I know what I have been missing all these while. Yes, I admit my ignorance.

Whenever the Ramadhan month approaches, I will see lots of these selling in temporary bazaars. This is a surprisingly refreshing dessert, flavoured by its natural pandan juice. It has water chestnuts at the bottom to give the pudding an additional crunchy texture. Not too heavy and not too light, it is especially delicious when served cold.

It is even more delicious if you make your own as the ingredients used are fresh and natural, especially the pandan juice. I do love the little basket. It is authentic and artsy. It looks dainty and cute. Making the baskets is well worth the trouble. Too tedious for you? Chill the pudding in little glasses to give it a more chic appearance (like the picture above). Ain't it a beauty? You could actually save a lot of work too. Whichever way you prefer, the bottom line is, this is addictively good.

Water Chestnut Coconut Pandan Pudding/Kuih Tako 香兰马蹄糕

Adapted from WendyinKK

Ingredients

Pandan Layer

25 g green hoen kwe flour (also known as mung bean flour)
250 ml pandan juice (2-3 pieces pandan blended in 250ml water)
50 g sugar
3-4 waterchestnuts, peeled and diced

Coconut Layer

20 g white hoen kwe flour
250 ml fresh coconut (one coconut added with water until 250 ml)
50 g sugar
1/4 tsp salt (a pinch)

Cooking Instructions

1. Make tako cases from pandan leaves (see illustrations below).

2. Prepare pandan juice. Cut pandan leaves into small pieces. Add leaves and water into blender and blend finely. Sieve pandan juice and measure 250 ml. If lesser, add a little water. (I used leftover pandan pieces from making the case for the juice.)

3. Add everything except water chestnuts into a saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly. Mixture is cooked when it turns transparent and bubbles. Remove from fire immediately.

4. Add a few pieces of water chestnut into the panda case. Using a spoon, scoop mixture into pandan cases. Fill up half the case only. Repeat until finish.

5. Using a fresh saucepan, mix everything for the coconut layer. Stir constantly until mixture is cooked. Mixture is cooked when it thickens and bubbles. Remove immediately.

6. Using a spoon, scoop mixture onto green layer. Fill up the case. Repeat until finish. Chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.


*pandan leaf = screwpine leaf
*garnishing = srewpine leaves, not edible raw

Pandan Layer Cake 香兰层蛋糕

UPDATE: 5/9/2015
Did another cake today for own consumption. This time I am able to show you the full shape of the cake. As this cake is done to satisfy my cravings, I just coat the cake with desiccated coconut for added flavour, no artsy farty decoration.

Do you have that feeling of bliss when you tried out a recipe and it came out beyond your expectations? This is one of it. This recipe is truly good.

Initially what was supposed to be an ordinary baking day soon evolved into a Mother's Day surprise. A perfect idea really. The only thing is I did not get to surprise her. The aroma of the baking pandan chiffon that engulfed the whole kitchen was so tempting that she actually pulled off bits of the cake top to nibble right after it was baked...without my knowledge. So, what was supposed to be her surprise became mine! Since this cake was for my mother, I have taylor-made it to her requirements. No creams because she finds it yucky. Less oil because she is trying to control her weight. She likes her cakes plain like the normal chiffon. This cake fits it all.

Beans Revisited - Bubur Cha Cha with Large Sago 摩摩喳喳跟大西米

Some Chinese make this on the 15th of the Lunar New Year. This recipe is from my previous shop's menu. Hope you like it.

Bubur cha cha is a famous nyonya dessert in Malaysia. It is so famous that you can actually find it in places like Hong Kong (lewdly pronounced as mo mo ja ja which also means touching and holding), China and some Chinese restaurants in Australia and the States. The authentic bubur cha cha consists of an array of sweet potatoes with yam and black eye beans sweetened by fragrant fresh coconut milk sweet soup. If you are not wooed by its rich unique taste, you would definitely be captivated by its burst of colours such as orange, yellow, purple and sometimes red (from the coloured tapioca jelly bits) from the result of the use of various types of sweet potatoes and yam.

Bubur cha cha used to be one of the best sellers amongst the 15 odd type of desserts or sweet soup in my shop. It shows the popularity of this unique dessert. I suspect it is also due to the difficulty in preparing this dessert. An authentic bubur cha cha would have different types of colours and also the tapioca jelly bits that adds a chewy texture to the dessert. I admit my bubur cha cha lacks colour as I only use orange sweet potatoes (the Indonesian type as it tastes better than the yellow ones). I do not really fancy purple sweet potatoes either as it will taint the sweet soup with its natural purple pigment if left too long, making the water purplish.

Smooth Hainanese Kaya (Caramel Coconut Jam) 焦糖椰香咖椰

This is another variation to the famous coconut jam. It has a smooth creamy texture that is rich with coconut flavour and a hint of caramel. Unlike the pandan version, caramel coconut jam is brown in colour due to the caramelised sugar added. Its sweetened taste goes well with any bread or buns. Some other more innovative combinations include puffs, glutinous rice and even chinese cruellers.

Smooth Creamy Pandan Kaya (Pandan Flavoured Coconut Egg Jam) 香兰咖椰

Kaya basically means coconut egg jam. Its texture is thick and rich, hence, the name kaya which means rich in Malay. I dare not claim this jam to be authentically Malaysian as it is also found in other parts of Southeast Asia....but it is madly popular in Malaysia. I haven't met a Malaysian who doesn't love kaya.