Hydrangea Mooncake

Two days away and we will be celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival;  and here I am trying out another new type of Mooncake this time.  What intrigue me when I saw Sonia posted her Hydrandea Mooncake as it look so pretty and gorgeous looking.  I'm sure you will totally awe too looking at this unique flower mooncake!

Hydrangea Mooncake 

Recipe adapted from Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

makes 6

Water dough

63g plain flour

25g unsalted butter

8g caster sugar

25g water

Oil dough

62g cake flour

35g unsalted butter

Filling

150g red bean paste  (or any of your favourite filling paste)

Egg wash- 1 egg yolk + ½ tbsp milk

Method

For water dough :  In a mixing bowl, place the plain flour, butter and sugar in and rub till resembles crumbs, add in water then combine well, do not over mix. Wrap the dough with cling film and rest for 20 mins. Divide into 6 equal portions and shape it round.

For Oil Dough : Rub cake flour with butter, slowly combine till soft dough. Wrap the dough with cling film and rest for 20 mins. Divide into 6 equal portions and shape it round.

For the filling :  Divide the red bean paste into 6 portions (25g each).

Flatten water dough and wrap oil dough inside. Roll out into long oval shape and roll it up like swiss roll. Repeat the same for the rest, keep aside to rest for 10 mins.

Place the swiss roll with seam side up, roll it into long oval shape and roll up like swiss roll. Repeat the same for the rest, keep aside to rest for 10mins.

Take a swiss roll dough, place your thumb at the middle, then bring both ends to the centre, lightly shape into ball. Repeat the same for the rest.

Place a piece of cling film or plastic sheet on the chopping board or worktop, roll dough ball into a round disc (around 11-12cm diameter, this diameter is important as it should be able to cover the whole red bean ball ), make 4 cuts but remain about 3cm at the centre, then continue to cut, each ¼ segment should have 16 cuts, total 64 cuts.

Slowly hold the cling film together with cut round disc, place a red bean ball at the centre, then wrap and seal the red bean ball, remain some strips to let it look like hydrangea flower. Important : Please make sure secure it tightly to avoid it break while baking. Place on lined baking tray.

Apply egg wash at the top, bake in pre-heated oven at 170C for 30mins.

Let the mooncakes cool well before cutting and storing.

For full tutorial pictures.... please hob over to Sonia's blog;  as I just manage to took these few pictures only...
 

 

Happy Mooncake Festival to you all!!

Homemade Tau Foo Fah (豆腐花）/ Soymilk Custard

I've never ever thought of making "Tau Foo Fah" (Soy milk custard pudding) at home because it is so easily can get it at the local market here.    But it is always fun to make it at home.

Its all because of my girlfriend "J" .... after having the fragrant tau foo fah at our classmate friend's house in Kampar, she was so determine to do it at her home too.  And from there on, it has inspired me to follow suit....

You can always buy the Soya Milk at the shop but just to make sure that the soya milk is of concentrated and not too diluted type.  But if you are more hard working type, you can always make your own soya milk at home; but hopefully someone with strong hands to help you to squeeze out the milk ... 

"TAU FOO FAH" (SOY MILK CUSTARD PUDDING)
Recipe adapted from Lena of Frozen Wings

Soymilk ingredients: 
300gms soya beans, soaked overnight
1.8L water

4-5 shredded & knotted pandan leaves


Method
1. In 4 portions, blend the soya beans with water.
2. Pour the soya milk into a cheesecloth or muslin cloth to strain and squeeze out the soya

milk into a large pot.  Once done, strain the soya milk once again to ensure it is

grainless.
3. Boil up the soya milk together with the knotted pandan leaves (but do keep a watchful eye as 

it can easily overflow out once boiled).

Making of Tau Foo Fah (Soymilk Custard Pudding)

Ingredients A
5 1/2 cups of hot boiling soy milk

Ingredients B 
½ tsp GDL (Glucono Delta Lactone)

1 tbsp cornstarch

¼ cup cold water

Ginger sugar syrup
6 tbsp sugar
1 cup water
1 piece of old ginger, thumbsized, crushed
 (bring all the above 3 ingredients to a boil until sugar dissolves)

Method:
1. In a small bowl, mix ingredients B, whisking till combined.  Pour it into a bigger pot or
    a larger stainless bowl.
2. Once the soy milk in hot boiling stage, immediately pour the boiling soy milk in a gushing 
    motion at about 1 to2 ft high above the pot into GDL mixture pot.
3. Give the mixture a light quick stir and cover it with a cloth before putting the lid on. 
    Leave for 30 minutes to an house.
4. Scoop away the layer of bubbles on top of the soy milk custard
5. Serve the custard with sugar syrup or with some palm sugar syrup.


* GDL (Lactone) ~  you may try to get this at the bakery ingredients shop or any Asian grocery shops.

                              I served myself a fragrant tau foo fah with palm sugar syrup.

Pumpkin Sago Dessert

I was on holiday back to my hometown Kampar and Ipoh Perak two weeks ago meeting few of my secondary friends whom I have not met for over 30 years!  Time flies.... but it was really good to see them again.

We were all on food hunting trip in Kampar and Ipoh, patronizing restaurant and cafe right one after another;  in a way like taste testing the food instead of having a hearty meal at each restaurant.  Kind of fun too.

Of course every savoury meal we have tried out, we can't miss out to go for sweet dessert too.  We were at this 100% Natural Cafe in Ipoh to try out their dessert ("tong sui").  So we order each bowl of different dessert from the menu;  one dessert caught my friend's eye and she ordered this Pumpkin Sago dessert.  I never had anything like this before.  Just one mouthful of this dessert, I immediately fell in love with it.  It was so delicious and yummy.

Pumpkin Sago Dessert

Recipe sourced from My Humble Kitchen  with changes

Ingredients

1 Pumpkin about 1.3kg

  (after skin removed and cut into dice is about 760g)

2 cups water

1 cup sago pearls

3-4 pandan leaves (tie into knot)

140g rock sugar (adjust according to your sweetness)

1 can (350ml) evaporated milk

Method

Bring a medium pot of water to boil.  Once the water comes to a bubbling boiling, pour all the sago pearls in.  Cook the sago in high heat for about 10 minutes or translucent.  (do not worry if the sago still has white spot in the middle).

Cover the pot with lid and let it stand for 5-8 minutes for the sago to cook further in the pot.

Using a sieve, run the cooked sago thru running water to remove access starch.  Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Steam the dice pumpkin until soft.

Put the pumpkin with the 2 cups water into the blender and blend till into smooth paste.

Pour the pumpkin puree into a big pot and using medium heat, heat up the puree to 10 minutes stirring it continuously to avoid sticking to the bottom.

Once boiled, add in the pandan leaves and the rock sugar.  Stirring it occasionally till the sugar dissolves.  (You may remove the pandan leaves at this point). Pour in the evaporated milk and bring to a boil.  Off the heat and pour in the sago pearls and mix till all combined. 
(at this stage the dessert may look a bit watery but once cool it will thickens up).

Serve the pumpkin sago dessert either warm or cold from fridge.

(it taste good when it is warm).

Wasn't prepare myself to update any post here but one of my girlfriend wanted to have this recipe so I have to write up the recipe for her and moreover..... I don't have a camera to take good pictures... so have to use my Samsung handphone instead.

Give this dessert a try..... pumpkin is healthy!!