Sweet Jelly Delight

Sweet Jelly Delight

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

Sweet memories from my childhood - cool and refreshing jellies. These are among the few simple treats that I learnt to make as a youngster. Unlike now, back in the old days there aren't desserts to be bought in small towns. Whatever you crave to eat, you've got to do-it-yourself. D-I-Y's the word!

I love to eat them as a child, and even now, the child in me continues relishing these wonderfully cool and refreshing jellies!

It is great to have these sweet jellies on hot sunny days or as desserts after a sumptuous meal. 

Ingredients for the red layer

10g agar-agar strips
60g sugar
700ml water
1 pandan (screw-pine) leaf, knotted
 A few drops of red food colouring

Ingredients for the white layer

10g agar-agar strips
60g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 coconut, grated
1 pandan (screw-pine) leaf, knotted
700ml water

Method

1.  Place water, pandan leaf and agar-agar strips into a small pot and boil until the agar-agar has dissolved.
2.  Add in sugar and red food colouring. Keep warm.
3.  Add water to the grated coconut and squeeze out the santan or coconut milk. Add in 1/2 tsp salt.
4.  Place santan, pandan leaf and agar-agar strips to boil until the agar-agar is dissolved. Add in sugar. keep warm.
5.  Spoon 1 ladle of red jelly into cups or moulds of your choice. Wait for it to be almost set. Then add in the white layer. Top up with another red layer.
6.  Repeat the process until the red and white jellies are used up. 
7.  Chill in refrigerator until cold. 
8.  Serve chilled.

Coconut Chilli Fried Fish

Coconut Chilli Fried Fish

Recipe source :  Srilankans.com.au


The original recipe used fish slices. I chose to use a whole red tilapia. I always prefer a whole fish than fish slices. It's a matter of preference. It turned out fine. It was very crispy and very fragrant with so much spices used. 

Ingredients

1 whole tilapia                              ( original recipe used 6 slices of white fish )
1/4 cup grated coconut
1 tsp fennel seed
2 small onions
1 tsp turmeric powder
3 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 sprig curry leaves
Oil for frying

Preparation 

1.  Clean the fish well and keep aside.
2.  Crush 1 tsp of fennel seeds and keep aside.
3.  Chop the onions and grated coconut. Mix into a paste.
4.  Add in the spices, salt and curry leaves.
5.  Marinate the fish with this spice paste and leave the fish in the refrigerator for half an hour.
6.  Heat 3 to 4 tbsp oil in a wok and fry the fish until fragrant and crispy.

Rub the spice paste onto the fish and allow to marinate for half an hour

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  : Indian Subcontinent

Hosted by Alvin of Chef and Sommelier

Kuih Bingka Ubi (Cassava Cake ) 木薯糕

Kuih Bingka Ubi (Cassava Cake) 木薯糕

Recipe source :  Adapted from here

I love to eat this baked cassava cake which I often buy from Malay stalls selling an assortment of kuih-muih. The vendors usually displayed a wide array of choices which at times I find it hard to make a choice as to which kuih or cake I wish to eat!

Now making this kuih at home is another story. Grating the tapioca is no joke. It is a lot of hard work. But it is well worth the effort as the end result yielded a very fragrant and tasty cassava cake.

I made this for a family gathering and everyone likes it. As I was baking this for the first time, I only made a small loaf.  I have to take note to increase the amount the next time.

 

Ingredients

700g grated tapioca (cassava )
450ml coconut milk
50g grated coconut
70g palm sugar ( gula Melaka)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 pieces pandan leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

Tapioca or cassava

Method

1.  In a pot, mix coconut milk, palm sugar, granulated sugar, salt and pandan leaves. Heat over low heat until palm sugar and granulated sugar melted. Add butter. Stir to mix well. Discard the pandan leaves.
2.  Add grated coconut and grated tapioca.
3. Stir over low heat until slightly thicken. keep stirring to prevent burning at the bottom of pot.
4.  Line a loaf pan with aluminium foil. 
5.  Pour thicken tapioca mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
6.  Bake at preheated oven at 180 degree C for about 1 1/2 hours or until firm. 
7.  The top should be browned. 

Mooncake : Honey Dew Melon Jelly Mooncake 燕菜密瓜月饼

Mooncake : Honey Dew Melon Jelly Mooncake 燕菜密瓜月饼

Recipe source :  Flavours magazine


I am encouraged by my few successful attempts at making jelly mooncakes. I am eager  to try more recipes as  I find these jelly mooncakes very pretty. They make great desserts and they are very tasty and refreshing. 

Honey Dew Filling

100g honey dew puree
1/2 cup water
2 tsp agar-agar powder
60g sugar
1 tbsp condensed milk
1/8 tsp green colouring
8 jelly egg yolks   ( My post on Cendol Jelly Mooncake showed how to make jelly egg yolks )

Method

1.  In a pot, bring the first 4 ingredients to the boil. Switch off the fire and add condensed milk and colouring.
2.  Pour into tart moulds or muffin pans. 
3.  Please visit my  post  Cendol Jelly Mooncake for a step-by-step guide on making the filling.

Yellow Jelly Skin

 
3 1/2 cups water
140g sugar
4 pandan (screw-pine) leaves, knotted
5 tsp agar-agar powder
2 tbsp condensed milk
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 tsp yellow colouring

Method

1.  Bring the first 4 ingredients to the boil.
2.  Add in the next 3 items and once it starts to boil again, switch off the flame.

Assembling the Mooncake

For a step-by-step guide on assembling the jelly mooncake, please visit my previous posts on Cendol Jelly Mooncake and Mango Jelly Mooncake 


The concept of assembling the jelly mooncake is the same.

I am linking this post to Cook-Your-Books #3 

 

Organized by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

 

Coconut Candy ( 2 ) 椰子糖 (2)

Coconut Candy ( 2 ) 椰子糖 (2)

An addictive sweet confection

My previous post on coconut candy ( 1 ) uses evaporated milk. Today's recipe uses condensed milk instead. Candy (1) does not required to be pressed down to compact it after cooking while today's candy ( 2 ) requires pressing down on the cooked candy to compress the fluffy coconut mixture. Both are sweet and addictive. Once I started eating one piece, I tend to want another, then another! 

 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of fully packed fresh grated coconut
1 tin condensed milk
1 cup sugar
2 pandan leaves ( screw-pine )
1 piece banana leaf
colouring ( is optional )
1 tbsp butter

Instructions

1.  In a clean wok use low fire to dry fry the grated coconut with the pandan leaves for about 5 minutes.
2.  Add in the sugar and fry until the sugar has melted ( no more grainy texture ).
3.  Add in condensed milk and colouring ( if you are using colouring ),
4.  Continue to stir and fry until almost dry.
5.  Lastly, add in the butter and mix thoroughly.
6.  Scoop up the coconut mixture into a greased tray.
7.  Use the banana leaf to press down on the coconut mixture to compact it.
8.  Leave to cool down completely before cutting into small squares or rectangles.

 Pandan leaves

 Banana leaf

 Condensed milk

Use the banana leaf to press down on the cooked coconut mixture until it is compact

Mooncake : Cendol Jelly Mooncake

Mooncake : Cendol Jelly Mooncake

Recipe source :  Flavours Magazine

I know it is early yet to be making mooncakes, but then these are actually jellies set beautifully into moulds of various shapes and sizes to create a "mooncake" effect.  I really admire the original creator of this recipe for being so talented and creative to put this mooncake together complete with "egg yolks", "filling" and the thin outer layer masquerading as the pastry skin. I find it amazing !  I am very happy that the jellies turned out into such pretty mooncakes, I felt guilty cutting into them! 

 My family enjoys eating them as a dessert. It is so refreshing, especially when it is chilled. Co-incidentally, SK and I love to eat cendol. So it is sort of a double bonus to us!

For jelly egg yolk

1/2 cup water
50g sugar
1 tsp agar-agar powder
2 knotted pandan (screw-pine) leaves
1/3 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 tbsp custard powder
1/8 tsp orange-red colouring

Equipment : Ball ice-cube tray

Method

1.  Bring the first four items to the boil.
2.  Lower heat and then add the next 3 items. Stir with a hand whisk and continue to cook until it thickens.
3.  Once the mixture starts to bubble, turn off the heat and pour it into an ice-cube tray. 
4.  Fill jelly mixture to the brim of the lower tray and cover with the upper tray; expect the mixture to overflow.
5.  Let it set and refrigerate for a further 30 minutes before removing the jelly egg yolks. 

Ball ice-cube tray

The jelly egg yolks 

For Cendol Filling

100g palm sugar

1/2 cup water

2 pandan (screw-pine) leaves, knotted

1 cup thick coconut milk

2 tsp agar-agar powder

1 tbsp custard powder

10g cendol

1/8 tsp salt

Method

1.  Bring the first 3 items to the boil and strain the mixture into a clean pot.

2.  Add the next 3 items and bring to a quick boil.

3.  Once mixture starts to boil, add cendol and salt. Stir to mix well.

4.  Pour the mixture into a muffin pan.

5.  Place a piece of jelly egg yolk into the centre of each filling immediately, while still hot.

6.  Allow the filling to set.

Green jelly skin

3 1/2 cups water
140g sugar
4 pandan (screw-pine) leaves, knotted
5 tsp agar-agar powder
2 tbsp condensed milk
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 tsp pandan (screw-pine)  juice ( or use green colouring )

Method

1.  In a pot, bring the first 4 items to the boil. Then add the next three items. Stir to blend well.
2.  Pour 1/2 cm layer of this mixture into each mould. 
3.  Allow to cool until almost set i.e. 3/4 set, then place a piece of cendol filling in the centre of the mould.
4.  Top up with jelly skin mixture and let it set completely before chilling in the refrigerator.

Step-by-step pictures :

 Fill the mould with 1/2 cm of jelly mixture and leave to cool until almost set

Then add cendol filling onto the green jelly mixture which has partially set

Fill up the mould with the green  jelly mixture

 A cross section showing the egg yolk, cendol filling and the green jelly skin
 

Mango Cendol

Mango Cendol

Recipe source :  Adapted from The Star Newspaper

Ingredients

1 sweet mango
100g green cendol
1 cup thick santan
1 cup boiled water to dilute the thick santan ( optional )
100g gula Melaka or palm sugar
50ml water
 a pinch of salt

 

 Store-bought green cendol

Mango cut into thin strips

Instructions

1.  Peel mango and slice it into thin strips.

2.  Boil gula Melaka with water until dissolved. Strain the syrup.

3.  Chill cendol, mango, gula Melaka syrup and thick santan. 

4.  To serve, just add 2 or 3 tbsp gula Melaka syrup into a glass, followed by thick syrup and green cendol.

5.  Top with mango strips. 

6.  Depending on individual taste, you can dilute the thick santan with boiled water.

7.  Optional to add ice shavings.

8.  Enough for 3 servings.

Pan-Fried Glutinous Rice cake 煎糯米豆沙糕

Pan-Fried Glutinous Rice cake 煎糯米豆沙糕

Recipe source : Adapted from the video food4444lyfe


The original recipe from the video used peanut butter as filling. I substituted the peanut butter with red bean paste. I doubled the quantity of ingredients used in the original recipe. The skin is crispy and fragrant when eaten while they were still warm. The rice cakes  were sweet and chewy when cooled down totally.  

I will definitely make them again as both SK and I like them very much.  We like the chewy texture and find them very delicious.

Ingredients

80g water
50g coconut milk or santan
2 tbsp sugar
40g hot water
200g glutinous rice flour
2 tbsp oil ( optional )
8 tsp red bean paste
some cooking oil for pan-frying 

Instructions

1.  Mix 80g of water with coconut milk and set the mixture aside.
2.  In a big bowl, dissolve 2 tbsp sugar in 40g of water.
3.  Add in the glutinous rice flour and the coconut milk mixture. 
4.  Add in 2 tbsp cooking oil (optional ).
5.  Mix all the ingredients together and knead into a smooth dough.
6.  Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.
7.  Roll out one portion of dough and flatten to form a small circle.
8.  Place one tsp of red bean paste onto the centre of the dough.
9.  Wrap up the red bean paste and roll between both hands to form a ball. Flatten the ball to form a small disc.
10.  Repeat the steps to complete making 8 pancakes.
11.  Add some oil to a frying pan and pan-fry the rice cakes on both sides until done.

Coconut Candy ( 1 ) 椰子糖

Coconut Candy ( 1 ) 椰子糖

Sweet, sweet confection

Coconut candy was among the first few food items that I learnt to make as a teenager. Back in the day of my youth, there weren't that many snacks or sweet treats around in small towns. I first ate this candy at my friend's Deepavali open-house. Later, my friend, Sim made this old-fashioned coconut candy and I learnt it from her. There seemed to be a slight variation from what I ate at the Deepavali open-house with that made by my friend, Sim. Making and eating this candy again brought back the nostalgia of bygone years. 

This sweet confection is laden with sugar but I think it is okay to indulge once in a while.

Ingredients

1 grated coconut, equivalent to about 2 cups tightly packed grated coconut
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup of evaporated milk
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

Instructions

1.  Pour the grated coconut into a wok and stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
2.  Add in the butter, sugar, salt and evaporated milk.
3.  Add in the cocoa powder.
4.  Continue to stir and cook until it is almost dry and caramelised.
5.  Dish up into a greased tray.
6.  Use a spoon to distribute the coconut evenly across the tray. 
7.  Use a knife to cut into squares or rectangles but do not remove the pieces yet.
8.  Allow to cool down and hardened first before removing the squares or rectangles. 
9.  Store in a container and keep it in the refrigerator. 

Hoen Kwe & Cream-Style Sweet Corn (Sweet Corn Custard) 玉米糕

Hoen Kwe & Cream-Style Sweet Corn (Sweet Corn Custard) 玉米糕

Recipe Source :  Ellice Handy's recipes featured in "Female Cookbook" 

Ingredients

1/2 cup green pea flour (Hoen Kwe flour)
3 1/2 cups coconut milk ( squeeze from 1 grated coconut )
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cream-style sweet corn
a pinch of salt

I used this brand of flour

Cream-style sweet corn

Instructions

1.  In a saucepan mix coconut milk, Hoen kwe flour, sugar and salt until smooth.
2.  Cook over a low heat, stirring until the mixture thickens and boils and begins to shine.
3.  Add the cup of sweet corn, stir well and pour mixture into a square tin, which is not too deep.
4.  When mixture has set, refrigerate for about half an hour before cutting into squares or rectangular pieces.

Waiting for the custard to set

  A great tasting dessert.

I am submitting this post to Esther of Copycake Kitchen

This event is linked to Little Thumbs Up  organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen of  My Little Favourite DIY