Berrimisu

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!!!!

It's the time of the year for making Berrimisu. It's my famous scrumptious summer dessert, a fusion between a Tiramisu but covered in layers and layers of yummy, juicy, colourful summer berries. This year I have added green kiwi fruits together with my usual strawberries, blue berries and raspberries. I guess the green fruit gives it a bit of added colour.

The berrimisu is made from sponge fingers which gives it a soft and spongy base. It is then top with a mixture of mascarpone cheese, thickened cream and whipped eggs whites to give it the creamy, rich, smooth and delicious texture. To give it a bit of zing factor, I have scattered a mixture of summer berries. The process is then repeated with another layer of all the above items.

The end product, a rich, smooth, sweet, sour, tasty dessert than everyone will love.

I hope you will enjoy this dessert as much I my family and friends do.

Take care and have a Happy New Year!!!!

Orange Cake

It's my birthday and this year I made an Orange cake and Tiramisu for my colleagues. I have never seen the Tiramisu go so quickly before, All in all, I think it got woofed down in half an hour.

I got the Orange cake recipe off the internet, it was one of the most moist orange cake ever, fragrant and sweet.

Check out the recipe on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/beat-and-bake-orange-cake/detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round cake pans. In a measuring cup, combine milk, 1/2 cup orange juice, oil, beaten eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest. Set aside.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Mix in sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined.
3. Divide batter into 2 - 8 inch pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
4. To make Orange Butter Frosting: Cream butter until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 tablespoons orange juice to bring to spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla and 1 teaspoon orange zest.

In loving memory of my dad, Food GPS, Penang state badminton player and loving grand father

My father was a star badminton player of Penang in his young days. He trained with the first Malaysian team to ever bring home the Thomas Cup. Dad even trained our beloved Datuk Lim Chong Wei when he was 12 years old.

My dad was also known as the food GPS of Penang. He knew his way around Penang at the back of his hand and knows where to go for food.  All you needed to do was tell him your favourite food and he will tell you where to go.

Dad's eye sight was not very good towards the end of his life. However his memory is as clear as if he can see. He remembers everything that has happened in his life, every voice, every place and just about everything. A man called James who goes to the same church as my dad said to me "Your dad was introduced to me once, he asked me for my name and I said it is James". The next time I met your dad, I said hi to him and your father replied, you are James. It was amazing. I have never been more proud of my dad.

My beloved father passed away recently on 25 September 2011. During his wake and funeral, though it was meant to be a very sad time, somehow, my dad's spirit was still with me and my husband. He guided us to the best places to eat. In my husbands words, it was a happier time during a very sad trip.

I miss my father a lot but I think all he ever wants me to remember him is him loving me and his grandkids. Dad use to say to me "To try and fail is understandable but to fail to try is unforgivable.

So to remember my dad, here are some photographs my husband and I took of the places and various food we enjoyed during our recent trip home to Penang.

Enjoy!!!

My Dad

Various Kuihs

More kuihs

Singapore laksa from T3

Roti man at Mt Erskin market

Prawn mee at Mt Erskin market

Chee Cheong Fun at Mt Erskin

The famous Swee Kong ko pi tiam made famous by Rick Steins

Char Kueh Teow at Swee Kong

Siam Laksa and Pa Sem Bor at Swee Kong

Mt Erskin market

The best Thai food ever - Chok Dee Thai

Basil Chicken at Chok Dee Thai

Chok Dee Thai - must try if you love Thai food

The famous Ho Kien Mee at Swee Kong and a nice cool glass of  Kopi Oh Peng

The traditional Ko Pi Tiam in Penang

Sea food at Bali Hai

More seafood at Bali Hai restaurant

Penang Curry mee at Beach Street, George Town

More pictures of Penang Curry Mee

Penang Curry Mee once you mix it up

Pig blood jelly in the Penang curry mee

Rempah Udang

Seri Muka

Onde Onde

Onde Onde

Sotong nasi lemak at Beach Street, George Town

Kuih Onde Onde

Onde-Onde is one of the traditional kuihs in Malaysia. It is made from glutinous rice flour. Some recipes add in sweet potato to make the skin softer and sweeter.

The cute little rice balls are infused with pandan juice which gives it the green colour and fragrant taste. They are filled with Gula Melaka which when bitten into, burst into a mouthful of sugar surprise. Finally, the kuih is coated in freshly grated coconut which gives it a savoury taste and makes it look like Christmas during a fresh snow fall.


This kuih is not only cute but truly yummy. It is small yet it is abundant in flavours and yes once you eat one, you definitely can't stop until they are all gone.

I made ondeh-ondeh one night with my daughter and girlfriends. It was a fantastic night as my girl friends and I gathered in the kitchen and spent the night chatting and making these little delights.

I have here the end result of our nights work. Our husbands love them and I am sure you will too.

Kuih Talam

Kuih Talam is another popular kuih from Malaysia and Singpore. Talam is a Malay word meaning tray. This is because the kuih is steamed in a tray. It is made in two layers, one layer is sweet and one is savoury. The kuih is entirely opposite of the Seri Muka in terms of it's colours. The Kuih Talam has a white top and a green base whilst the Seri Muka has a green top and a white base. The Kuih Talam is also soft and jelly like whist the Seri Muka has a soft custard top with a glutinous rice base.

Both these kuihs are really yummy. They are both from the juice of pandan leave which gives them the green colour. The white tops and bottom is made from coconut cream which gives it a savoury, creamy taste and texture.

I recently got a chance to make kuih talam again for my wonderful friends from UK and so I took the opportunity to take more photos of the process of making the kuih. It's actually a simple 2 step process.

Step 1 Mix all the ingredients for the bottom layer which comprise of rice flour, green pea flour, tapioca flour and pandan juice and stir over low flame. Steam the end product for approximately 20 minutes.

Step 2 Mix all the ingredients for the top base which comprise also of rice flour, tapioca flour and green pea flour mix with coconut milk and a pinch of salt and stir slowly over low flame. Pour the thickened top base over the bottom green base and again steam for 20 minutes.

Step 3: To check if the kuih is cook, tough the top layer and if it doesn't stick to your fingers it is done.

Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Dumplings)

Don Zhi or winter solstice is a very important event in the Chinese custom. Dong Zhi is also known as Tang Check by the Peranakan which means the arrival of winter. It also signifies the longest night in the year. On this day the Peranakan will make Tang Yuan or Kuih Ee to signify the arrival of winter. By eating this Kuih Ee, it will mean that we will be a year older. 

In the Peranakan culture, this round shaped rice ball symbolizes togetherness and completeness of the family. The balls have to shaped till it is smooth and perfectly round. I remember when I was a child my grandmother will make me help her shape these balls. She would tell me that I have to make them as round, smooth and tiny as I can as it will mean that the my face will be as smooth and beautiful as the Kuih Ee. I was teaching my daughter how to make Kuih Ee one evening. I told her what my grandmother told me about the shape and texture of the kuih. She spent the next half hour to an hour ensuring that every ball she made was tiny, smooth and round as she wanted to ensure that her face would be beautiful when she grew up.

Tang Yuan is made of glutinous rice. In the past, they just came in pink and white and served in syrup.  These days it comes in different colours like pink, white, green, yellow, blue and orange. Some are even filled with red bean, black sesame and peanut paste. I still love the traditional ones which are simple and nice just the way they are.

My girls love them too.

More Chiffon Cakes

Another weekend another experiment on flavors of chiffon cakes. This weekend my son Andrew and I decided to try out a Cheddar Chiffon Cake and Chocolate Chiffon Cake (using chocolate powder instead of Nutela). Our first experiment was Cheddar Chiffon Cake. Andrew loves cheese cake just like his grandma. So we decided to see if we can make chiffon cake out of cheese. The cake turned out quite good to our surprise. It was a bit heavier than the Orange Chiffon Cake but nevertheless still light. The taste had a hint of cheese but not overly cheesy like the normal cheese cakes. All in all a good experiment.

My colleague came to me a few weeks ago asking if I could make a Chocolate Chiffon Cake. I decided to give it a try but using Nutela.The cake turned out very soft and fluffy but nevertheless I didn't like the colour as it was to pale for a chocolate cake. My mother in law suggested using chocolate powder instead so we did. I substituted the teaspoon of Nutela with 1/2 cup of chocolate powder mix into 3/4 cup of warm water. The cake turned out great, nice dark brown and yet still fluffy. I love this cake as to be honest it's dark colour hid some of the flaws from cutting the cake out of the tin which I must say is a technique I have yet to master.

The third chiffon cake of the weekend was an improvement on my Pandan Chiffon Cake. Previously I didn't add any coconut milk into my recipe. However, a friend suggested I substituted my water for coconut milk which indeed add to the fragrance of the taste and moistness. The colour was also more vibrant as not I substituted the pandan juice which I extracted from frozen pandan leaves with pandan paste.

I must say making chiffon cakes is a stressful process. Every step is so important from cracking the eggs to make sure the egg whites are cleanly removed from the egg yokes, folding the egg white meringue into the rest of the cake mixture, pouring the cake mix into the fluted tin, removing of the air bubbles and finally removing the cake from the fluted tin. I must admit sometimes I loose my cool but my daughter always comes to me and say "Mummy, you can do it and that calms me down". It also reminds me that what I am doing is not meant to be stressful. Cooking is suppose to be therapeutic and I remember a quote from Little Nonya "If you are feeling sad when you cook, the person who is eating the food will also feel it to". Hence, if I am cranky, the person who eats my cake will also feel my grumpiness. So, I have to be calm, happy and remember that I am cooking because I want to share my love for all things Nonya with all of you.

Rempah Udang

Rempah udang, what can I say, this was the kuih that started it all. I was introduced to watch this soap drama called Little Nonya by my aunt and uncle who thought it was a good idea for me to learn more about my heritage. The movie is a Singapore based show which probably started its epic run on 25 November 2008. In the movie, the cho cho's favourite kuih was the rempah udang. It is a savoury kuih which can be eaten as a desert or snack or for breakfast or afternoon tea. Cho Cho loved this snack and bosom buddy was the best rempah udang maker. It was mentioned in the show that cho cho would get angry should she have to eat a poorly cooked rempah udang. So, to win her heart and thus the right to marry her grandson and great grandson, the suitors had to proof to her that she can cook and sew and of course make the ultimate rempah udang.

Rempah udang means spiced prawns in Malay. It is made from frying chopped up dried shrimps in a spice paste until fragrant. The spiced prawns are then enveloped in a casing of steamed glutinous rice and finally wrapped in banana leaves. Before serving the rempah udang is grilled over bbq or if you don't have one in a frying pan until fragrant or slightly toasted.

I found this really cool video on utube on how to make rempah udang. Check it out. Hope you enjoy this as much I as enjoyed making and of course eating it.