Hokkien Noodles (Hokkien Mee)

Back in December 2012, I wrote about Hokkien Mee (Singapore style). Today, I will write about Hokkien Mee (Malaysian style).  Some people call this as Hokkien Char Mee.  This one dish meal consists of yellow noodles (hokkien mee) and it is braised in a fragrant thick dark sauce which is made of soy sauce, dark sauce, pork stock and seasonings. You can add in fishcake, fishball, chinese cabbage, seafood, etc.

We decided to cook this 1-dish meal as we were yearning for some Malaysian delight on this cold and wet day.  My 2 kiddos were overjoyed when they heard that we are cooking Black Hokkien Mee....

Here's a photo of our black hokkien mee.

Black Hokkien Mee is really "beeeeest" with sambal belacan...

Silver Needle Noodles ( Lou Shee Fun)

Silver Needle Noodles....its a much better translation compared to what my family used to call it.. rat noodles...haha!  I guess the reason why its call rat noodles is due to its shape...it looks like a rat's tail.  Lou Shee Fun is made from rice flour and it can be made into soup noodles, stir-fried noodles or claypot style.  When I was young, whenever I see my Grandaunt taking a claypot out from the cabinet, I will shout...lou shee fun, lou shee fun, lou shee fun...

Moving forward, now, my family loves lou shee fun too and I cooked it my Grandaunt's style. I don't even have enough time to clean the claypot as my children were asking for their lunch, even my DH pinched some. So...here's a quick snapshot of my lou shee fun before it was whisked off.  Please ignore the mess around the claypot...just focus on the lou shee fun....

This is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore.

Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice)

Nasi lemak...oh...its one of my favourite food during my childhood year and its still is.  Nasi lemak is rice cooked with coconut milk, slices of ginger, screwpine leaves and a pinch of salt.  Nasi lemak can also be found in economical rice stalls where one can choose between plain white rice or nasi lemak rice and then we can pick whatever side dishes we want. Traditionally, nasi lemak is served on a banana leaf laid on top of a plate or if its a take-away, its wrapped with banana leaves.  For my family, this delicious rice is accompanied with deep fried tumeric chicken, deep fried fishballs, sambal prawns, deep fried anchovies, 2 types of eggs - hard boiled and fried eggs, cucumber and tomato slices. Of course, you can add in any side dishes you want...its really up to you.

Here's a photo of our nasi lemak...

This is just so sedap....

Cornish Pasties & Sausage Rolls

I love making pies...meat pies, gourmet pies, pasties, sausage rolls, etc.  When I first learnt how to make cornish pasties, I felt as though I was making currypuffs..haha!  From what I have read, cornish pasties orginally comes from Cornwell, UK. Furthermore, the word pasty is actually from a French word paste which means pie. Why did the cornish pasties have the side-crimped, one wonders? From what I have heard and read, the side-crimps were created so that the miners will be able to eat their food (pasties) by holding on to the side crimps and eating it safely without touching the food or the mouth. As you know, the hands and fingers of the miners in the good old days are pretty dirty and have traces of arsenic. This is indeed a good way to prevent food poisoning :) Interesting indeed...

Sausages rolls originated from the UK too, it seems. Its a savoury pastry and it was commonly sold as a take-away food as its easy to hold and eat. Do you know that there's a National Sausage Roll Day too which is on 10 Oct? On this day, a town called Sausage Roll in Queensland, will prepare a giant sausage to celebrate this national day with a giant pinic where everyone is wellcome to join in.

Here's a photo of my cornish pasties and sausage rolls.

One word.....yummylicious!!!

Focaccia ....how do you pronounce it?

Focaccia...this is a delicious Italian bread which is topped with herbs and other ingredients (its more like...whatever one love to put on top of the bread thingy).  I often finds it hard to pronounce this delicious flat bread.  One of my Italian friends said that her Mom taught her the Italian pronounciation and to me it sounds like "fore - car - cha".

One thing I know about this flat bread...it loves olive oil and can never have enough of it.  I love dotting these babies before I prove it.  Some people will prove it in the prover and other will let it prove just on the kitchen  bench. Olive oil is the moisturiser of this bread and it sucks it all in...amazing!!!

Focaccia is commonly use as a sandwich bread over here. However, its delicious on its own too.  Here's 2 photo of  my focaccia.

 

 Before it goes into the oven...

Just come out of the oven...

I just love the smell of these babies baking in the oven....yummylicious!!!

Apple and Coffee Scrolls

Apple and coffee scrolls....some will call it apple and coffee rolls, apple and coffee buns or even apple and coffee swirls.  Whatever name its known as, this is a sweet yeast-leavened dough which has custard spread on it. If you want to make coffee scrolls, you just have to sprinkle some coffee paste on top of the custard and then you start rolling it like how you would a swiss roll.  And if you want to make apple scrolls, you just have to sprinkle some cooked cubed apples on top of the custard and then you roll it.  Once you have rolled it and cut into individual portions, it has to be proved till it double in size. Then, you will bake it in a hot oven at 220 degrees C for 10- 15 mins.  Once its baked, you will then bunwash it with sugar syrup.  Lastly, you will glaze it with white fondant (apple scrolls) or coffee fondant (coffee scrolls) before serving it to your guests and customers.  Here's some photos of my scrolls.

Before being placed into the prover box.

After it comes out from the oven and bunwashed with sugar syrup.

This is a delicious breakfast item indeed...yummy!!!

Katsutera Cake

Katsutera cake is a very popular cake in Japan and it has been a very popular cake on the "must bake" list for a lot of bakers.  I have read stories on how Katsutera cake came about in Japan. Some mentioned that its from the Portuguese who ventured to Japan in the 16th century. Katsutera cake is a sponge cake made from bread flour, sugar, honey and eggs.

This cake has been in my "must bake" listt for ages and finally I managed to make it one fine day.  It does not look as fantastic as those I have seen in Japan but I am happy to say that the taste is pretty alike.  My hubby and my 2 kiddos loved it too. To me, that's the most important thing... :)

Here's a photo of my humble katsutera cake.

Now that I know how to bake this delicious cake, I will bake it again and again and again.