Recipe - "Making your own 'Tau Pok'"

'Tau Pok'

Recipe making ‘Tau Pok”

 

If you wish to make your own ‘Tau Pok’ from scratch, firstly, you have to purchase soft tofu.

 

Soft tofu

Steps making your own ‘Tau Pok’

 

1.        Freeze soft tofu.

 

2.        Defrost soft tofu. Gently squeeze to drain excess water from the tofu.

 

3.        Cut into cubes. The tofu cubes become spongy.

 

4.        Place on kitchen towels to absorb the water.

 

      5.   Heat wok. Pour sufficient amount of oil. Deep fry until golden brown.

 

Frozen tofu

Cut into cubes

 

Drain excess water from kitchen towels.

The deep fried tofu (‘tau pok’) tastes better than bought from the Asian grocery stores.

 

Recipe - "Melaka Nyonya Gula Melaka Durian Apam Balik"

Melaka Nyonya Apam Balik

 

Melaka Nyonya Gula Melaka Durian Apam Balik (Pancake Fold over)

I remember my childhood days in Melaka where every Sunday I used to buy a variety of Nyonya kueh from Bibik Ong. Bibik Ong operates from a mobile stall parked in front of Hilir Garden, coffee shop. Amongst the Nyonya Kueh, my favourite is Gula Melaka Apam Balik.

I decided to try it out with the following recipe by adding some rich creamy durian flesh. This will make my pancake moist, dense and have some pungent flavour when I taste it.

 

Ingredients

300 gm all purpose plain flour

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

 

200 gm palm sugar (gula Melaka)

3 ½ tbsp brown sugar

50 ml of water

3 small pandan leaves

 

60 gm egg (beaten)

300 gm durian flesh (mashed)

 

350 ml coconut cream (Kara brand)

50 ml water

 

Apam Balik pan

 

Procedure

Sift flour, baking powder and salt (A)

Boil palm sugar, brown sugar with 50 ml water with pandan leaves until sugar dissolves. Let it cool. Sift it and set it aside. (B)

Cook durian flesh. Let it cool. Set it aside (C )

In a mixer, adjust to medium speed, mix (A) with beaten egg. Slowly add in ingredient (B) and finally ingredient (C ).

Mix all into a smooth batter with the coconut cream plus 50 ml water.

Heat up pan. Grease the mould lightly with butter. Fill up to ¾ of the mould with batter.

 

 

 

Cook over low heat until Apam Balik turns golden brown. Remove and fold into half. Serve warm. Enjoy!

 

 

Recipe - Kam Heong Prawn Mantis

Prawn Mantis (Kam Heong)

Kam Heong Prawn Mantis Recipe

 

A few weeks ago, while I was shopping in Village Grocer, Atria, I bought a packet of frozen Prawn Mantis meat and I used the following ingredients to cook my dish.

 

Prawn Mantis

 

 

Ingredients

800 gm prawn mantis (defrosted)

1 brown onion (cut into quarter)

6 shallots (sliced)

100 gm dried prawns (skin removed, soaked in water for 8 minutes and then sift)

4 sprigs of curry leaves

6 dried chillies

10 fresh Okra (sliced) optional

Spring onions for garnishing (cut)

3 tbsp oil

Seasoning, dried chillies, garlic, dried prawns, brown onion, shallots curry leaves, okra

Frying batter

5 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp rice flour

1 egg (beaten)

1 tbsp butter

Pinch of salt

Dash of pepper

Some water

Cooking oil for deep frying

Seasoning

3 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp light sauce

½ tsp dark sauce

 

Procedure

In a mixing bowl, mix the frying batter ingredients into smooth batter.

Prepare a wok or pot with sufficient cooking oil. Deep the prawn mantis into batter and deep fry it until golden brown. Remove and set it aside.

In a clean hot wok, heat 3 tbsp oil and saute brown onions, shallots, garlic and dried prawns until fragrant.

Add in okra, curry leaves, dry chillies and all the seasoning and stir fry until aromatic.

Add in fried prawn mantis into the wok and give a quick stir to mix.

Dish and garnish with spring onions. Serve immediately.

Recipe - Tau Fu Fah Made Easy

Tau Fu Fah

Tau Fu Fah Made Easy

 

Here is the following recipe :-
 



Soy milk

Ingredients

8 cups soy milk (no added sugar)

1 tsp gypsum (sek koh fun) powder

1 tsp tapioca flour

1 tsp corn flour

6 tbsp water

 

Syrup

Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar)

 

Concentrated gula melaka

Rock gula Melaka

2 tbsp of concentrated gula melaka  OR  ¼ of rock gula melaka

1 pandan leaf

1 tbsp brown sugar

About 300 ml of water

Bring all the above to boil until sugar is melted. Remove and set it aside.

 

Rock sugar with ginger

¼ cup rock sugar

1 pandan leaf

3 slices of ginger

About 300 ml of water

The same as Gula Melaka, bring all the above to boil until rock sugar is melted. Remove and set it aside.

 

Procedure

In a bowl, mix the powder ingredients with water. Make sure all the powder and flour are completely dissolved. Set it aside.

Rapidly boil the soy milk. Turn off heat.

Use one hand holding the hot boiling pot of soy milk and the other hand holding the bowl of mixture, pour simultaneously into the rice cooker.

Give a quick stir in circle to combine both mixtures.

Cover the lid and place a towel over the small vent holes.

Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Do not peek or open the lid.

To serve, scoop out thin layers of the soy bean curd into serving bowls. Pour some syrup and serve immediately.

Recipe - "Hainanese Chicken Chop"

"Hainanese chicken chop"

Hainanese Chicken chop

 

A few days ago, I decided to use the following recipe to make Hainanese chicken chop. My family had it for dinner and they enjoyed it. My girl brought some to school for lunch the next day and when she came back from school, she asked whether there is any left for dinner. Looks like I will definitely cook this dish again very soon.

4 servings

Ingredients

4 deboned chicken thigh (Chicken Maryland)

Bread crumbs or cream crackers

2 brown onions (peeled and wedged)

1 tsp garlic (finely chopped)

2 potatoes

1 tomato (cut into wedges)

Frozen green peas and corn kernels

Oil for frying

Cherry tomatoes (optional)

 

Marinate chicken ingredients (A)

1 tbsp Oyster sauce

1 tbsp Light Soy sauce

1 ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins)

Salt to taste

Dash of pepper

1 egg

 

Gravy ingredients (B)

4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins)

12 tbsp tomato sauce

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 ¼ tsp pepper

 

2 and half cups water

 

1 tsp tapioca starch dilute in 2 tbsp tap water

 

Procedure

Clean chicken thighs. Marinade the thighs with (A). Cover with cling wrap. Leave in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

If you are using cream crackers, crush it till it resembles bread crumbs. Coat it well with the marinated chicken thighs. Deep fry and set it aside.

 

To prepare the gravy sauce, heat oil in the wok or frying pan. Saute brown onions and chopped garlic till it produces aromatic smell. Add in ingredients (B) except tapioca starch. Add extra seasoning to taste. Let it simmer for a few minutes or until the onion is soften. Lastly add the mixture of tapioca starch. You may need to heat up the sauce prior serving.

Boil potato, cut into wedges and deep fry. Remove, sprinkle with some salt and set it aside.

Boil the green peas and corn kernels. Sift and then add some butter and sprinkle some salt. Toss and set it aside.

To serve, arrange the deep fried chicken thigh, peas and corns, potato wedges and cherry tomatoes on the plate and pour generously the gravy sauce over it.

 

 

 

 

Recipe - "Marble cake"

'Marble cake'



Marble cake (Non-mixer)

My husband prefers homemade Marble cake with richness in butter. The following recipe makes a reasonable size Marble cake without using a mixer as I am still waiting for my Kenwood mixer to be delivered.

Ingredients

2 tbsp cocoa powder

6 tbsp hot water

110 gm caster sugar

50 gm brown sugar

250 gm unsalted butter (melted)

6 tbsp vegetables oil

2 eggs (70gm each at room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla essence

200 gm all-purpose floor

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

 

Procedure

Grease your cake tin and line with baking paper. Set it aside.

Preheat oven to 175 C, fan bake.

In a bowl, stir cocoa powder with hot water until it dissolved. Set it aside.

Prepare a mixing bowl. Add in sugar, butter, oil, eggs and vanilla essence. Whisk all the ingredients together until incorporated.

Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine and whisk everything until incorporated.

Scoop one third of the batter into the cocoa mixture and stir together till well-mixed.

Spoon 2 spoonful of vanilla cake batter into the cake tin and follow by 1 spoonful of the chocolate batter. Repeat until all batter has been used up. Insert a skewer and swirl through the batter a few times to create a marble effect.

 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Place the cake on the wire rack and let it cool completely.

Cut, serve and enjoy!

Note : Adapted the above recipe from Foodie and Baker.

 

Recipe - "Chilli Tomato Fermented Soy Bean Paste (Taucu) Prawns

Chilli Tomato Fermented Soy Bean Paste (Taucu) Prawns

Chilli Tomato Fermented Soy Bean Paste (Taucu) Prawns

 

When I was Kuala Lumpur, a good friend of mine introduced me to this dish.

I decided to give it a go by cooking it and my family loves it.

 

Ingredients

500 gm medium size prawns (cleaned, deveined with tails intact)

4 slices of ginger

4 shallots (thinly sliced)

½ tsp chopped garlic

1 large tomato (chopped in pieces)

1½ tbsp fermented soy bean paste (taucu)

1 to 2 finger length red chilli (cut)

 

Sauces

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

¼ tsp sugar

125 ml chicken stock

A pinch of salt

A dash of white pepper

2 tsp corn flour

 

Procedure

Heat wok or non-stick pan. Add oil.

 

Low heat, saute ginger till lightly brown. Add shallots, when shallots turn slightly brown, add garlic. Fry all till fragrant. Add tomato, chilli and ‘taucu’. Fry and mix all together.

Add prawns. Stir fry and let it cook for 2 minutes or until the flesh changes colour. Lastly pour the sauce and let it boil. Turn off  heat.

Dish and serve immediately with rice.