Cekodok ???

#25/6/2019 Updated: New Video below recipe

Cekodok is Malay banana fritters. Or some call it Jemput-jemput pisang. Jemput-jemput means fritters, but it can be type of jemput-jemput.
This is a nice tea time snack.
I like this, and not many that makes this to sell makes it nice. They put in too much flour. Flour is cheap...

It�s only nice when u eat homemade ones.
And my malay friends can never tell me the exact proportion of ingredients, they just say, lots of bananas, little bit of flour, sugar and a pinch of salt. Well, u know, when it�s a traditional recipe, most of them make it by just guesstimate, and they just know it when they mix it, they know the right consistency by experience. So, for me, I�ll just have to find the right proportion of ingredients.

The best bananas to use, Pisang Emas, it�s a Malaysian name which means golden banana, a small banana, sweet and fragrant. It� s a quarter the size of a Cavendish. If u�re from elsewhere, u can use other bananas, just make sure it�s really ripe and sweet.

And I found the proportion that I like, this time� just right�

300gm bananas (mashed with a fork)
90gm all purpose flour
1/4tsp baking soda
60gm sugar
Small pinch of salt
Oil for frying

1. Sift flour with baking soda. Mix with bananas, sugar and salt.
2. Drop teaspoonful of batter into hot oil.
3. Fry until brown, nicely caramelized colour.
4. Drain excess oil off fritters on kitchen towels.

******
U can try adding in freshly grated coconut into the batter. My malay colleague tells me it�s nice.
If u want to make the sugar optional to certain members of ur family, omit the sugar in the batter, and roll hot fritters in the sugar to coat it like a donut.

Chilling the batter before frying will make create a crispier crust.

Read More

Caramelized Anchovies & Peanuts ???????

When I was a kid, I love this dish made by grandaunt. It goes very well with plain rice porridge.

� cup cleaned split dried anchovies (don�t wash them!)
� cup raw peanuts
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
3 Tbsp cooking oil

1. In a dry wok, low heat, fry peanuts for 2 minutes or until skin is dry and can be removed easily. Remove skins by rubbing them with fingers and blow the skins away.
2. Medium low heat, heat oil and fry anchovies until golden. Dish up.
3. With remaining oil in wok, return peeled peanuts into oil and fry until light golden. Put fried anchovies back in and put in sugar and soy sauce. Stir until lightly caramelized.
4. Turn off fire and continue to toss until nicely caramelized. Try to toss until warm and not hot, so that the anchovies won�t stick to each other later.

Read More

Banana Cake ????

Best made with pisang emas..




Ingredients (A)
300gm flour
1 � tsp sodium bicarbonate
200gm sugar

Ingredients (B)
3 eggs
300gm banana (pureed)
180ml vegetable oil
180ml buttermilk (or substitute with 180ml milk poured over 1 Tbsp lemon juice)

Method:
1. Sift flour and sodium bicarbonate.
2. Mix with sugar.
3. Mix (B) together.
4. Combine (A) and (B) to a smooth paste.
5. Pour batter into a 9X13 inch baking tray.
6. Bake at 170C for 45minutes to 1 hour.

Read More

Chrysanthemum Jelly

I was dissapointed with the appearance of this jelly!!! Ugly dirty looking thing!

But, my colleagues comforted me saying that it's ok...... and they loved the taste and texture of it. Springy, with a slight crunch, and fragrantly chrysanthemum...

I might wanna change the solidifying agent to gelatine the next time I make it, so that it looks pretty... or konnyaku powder.... but the texture will not be the same. the greyish colour could be due to the water chestnut starch I used.. it looked greyish. Maybe different brands will yield different results. The pic of the brand I used is down below...

But still, it tasted cool and fresh... not matter how ugly it looks.


Ingredients
750ml water
25gm dried chrysanthemum flowers
100gm rock sugar
250ml water
115gm water chestnut powder
1 Tbsp chopped dried wolfberries (gei zhi)

Method
1. Boil 750ml of water in a pot, turn off heat and put in chrysanthemum flowers. Infuse for 15 minutes. Do not boil the flowers.
2. Strain chrysanthemum infusion.
3. Select a few infused flowers to collect the petals. Discard the yellow centres.
4. Mix 250ml water with water chestnut powder.
5. Boil 500ml of chrysanthemum infusion with sugar and chopped wolfberries. When sugar has dissolved and infusion is boiling, turn off fire. Put in flower petals.
6. Slowly pour (5) into (4), stirring clockwise until mixture thickens.
7. Pour onto a lightly greased pan and steam on high heat for 10 minutes and medium heat for another 10 minutes.
8. Cake will be ready when sit turns translucent
9. Chill in fridge until fully set before serving.

http://www.meishichina.com/Eat/Nosh/200808/45379.html

Read More

Orange Raisin Pull Aparts ??????

The topping is very delicious!

This is taken from a Japanese site� Guessing the translation really makes my head scratch..but nevertheless, here�s my adaptation of it.
Whole process, almost 3 hours. Do this if u are not in a rush.

Ingredients
360gm Bread Flour or High Protein Flour
2 tsp Yeast
60gm sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp milk powder
1 large egg
40 ml orange juice
160ml water

40gm butter (room temperature)
120gm raisins

Topping:
40 gm finely chopped walnuts
50gm sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
Zest from 1 orange
40gm melted butter (not hot!)

Method:
1. Combine bread flour, sugar, yeast, salt and milk powder. Mix and make a well in the centre.
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg, add in water and orange juice.
3. Pour (2) into (1). Mix well. Knead for 10 minutes.
4. Put in butter and knead for another 8 minutes.
5. Put in raisins and knead for another 3 minutes.
6. Cover and proof until dough becomes double. (almost 1 hour)
7. Meanwhile chop walnuts, grate orange zest and mix both with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
8. Punch dough down and knead it for a while.
9. Rub some melted butter onto palms and take a small dollop of dough (as big as a small lime) and roll into a ball.
10. Dip ball into melted butter. Roll ball on palms.
11. Dip ball onto topping (7).
12. Put ball topping side up onto a 12 inch round baking tray, starting from the rim. Arrange dough balls nicely towards the centre.
13. Wait until dough doubles up again. (almost 1 hour)
14. Bake at 170C for 15 minutes and 160C for 10 minutes.

Read More

Salad Pie Tee

Actually, this is a very old post that I should've posted long long time ago.

RecentlyI haven't been cooking much... so, I'm looking back into some pics that I've taken some time ago, but haven't post.

I made these during Chinese New Year 2008. Not for the reunion dinner, but as leftovers.. kekeke. There were ground peanuts leftover from the Lou Sang, water chestnut from dunno what, and pie tee that hub's aunts bought.

So, I just mixed equal amounts of water chestnut, carrots, and cucumbers with mayo, fill up the pie tees and top with some ground peanuts.... It was a refreshing change from the regular cooked turnip filling.

Ingredients
Water chestnuts
Carrots
Cucumber (peeled, cored)

2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1/4 cup ground peanuts

1. Dice water chestnuts, carrots and cucumber into 1cm cubes. Prepare 1/2 cup each.
2. Mix (1) with mayonnaise.
3. Fill up pie tees.
4. Top with ground peanuts.
5. Serve immediately.

Read More

Steamed Chinese Whitebait ????

Chinese Whitebait, or some call it Silver Anchovies, or baby anchovies, even blue eye anchovies..
Anyway, it's those teeny weeny white coloured dried mini anchovies.

My late father loves this simple dish. My late grandaunt taught me how to make this.

Very simple to make:

Ingredients
50gm mini anchovies (rinsed and drained)
1 tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp finely chopped red chili
1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

Mix everything together and steam for 10 minutes or just put plate on top of rice when water in rice cooker is reduced.

Read More