JustKay

True. Some people do that. I only mix palm sugar with some white sugar for baking like when making Kueh Kasui (or dodol) .... as a syrup though, I prefer the pure taste of palm sugar. Less sweet, the more I can indulge. Heh heh ...

Maybe spaghetttiiiii can help with the Gula Jawa. But, in a pinch you can use dark brown sugar. Or the easier and yummy substitution for the sago pudding recipe - caramel syrup. edited to add : or simply, pancake syrup (natural flavor) but of course, any falvor works too.

You're welcome creamfudge. Sorry for all the typos - was in a hurry. Feel free to adjust the sugar levels to your liking. I'll share another favorite recipe soon (steamed sago kueh - abuk-abuk).

Hi! There are a few Kuih Sagos that I know of ... not sure which you want. Here are 2 simple recipes. Kuih Sago 1/2C sago pearls 3C water 1C sugar 1C freshly grated coconut (white part only) 1/2t salt (to taste) - wash the sago and drain. - mix grated coconut with salt and steam 10mins or so; let cool. - add sugar to water and boil till sugar dissolves, strain. - put the syrup back into the pot and add the sago pearls; cook until sago turns transparent, add a little coloring (usually red) ... it is ready when the sagos has all turned transparent and the mixure slightly thickens - pour into a sheet pan and let cool and set -when cooled, cut into diamond shapes and roll in the coconut. Sago Pudding with Palm Sugar syrup - prepare sago as in the above but without the color red. - obtain thick coconut milk from the freshly grated coconut and add a little salt to taste - make palm sugar syrup by simply boiling chopped palm sugar with a little water ; the thicker the syrup the better (let it cool in fridge and it will thicken further) and add pandan leaves if you have then discard the leave when done. - serve set sago with the coconut milk and palm sugar syrup I like to set the sago in small dessert cups and then just pour some coconut milk in and drizzle the palm sugar syrup. This dessert is better when served cold. I'll post more when I have time.

Here's a link to a winning recipe that uses chocolate mirror with gelatine in the recipe. Chocolate Mirror recipe with gelatine

I almost always use ganache to frost my cakes coz it's about the easiest frosting, plus my customers love the taste and the elegance of smooth shiny chocolate frosting. I've tried quite a few ganache recipes but I find the recipe in Chocolate, by Nick Malgieri, HarperCollins, 1998 the best. It's simply 1lb of dark chocolate to 1C of cream with 1/4C liquid glucose added to it for smoothness. I crumb coat my cakes with the warm ganache and then let it set in the refrigerator. At the same time, the ganache left at room temperature will cool and thickened slightly. Then when it's still pourable, I frost the cake. I use no tools to smooth the ganache, just tilt and swirl to achieve a perfect smooth topping, and let the ganache drip and cover the sides. I have refrigerated these cakes with no cracking. The ganache will also set nicely but not hard. It's very yummy too. When taken out of the fridge to room temperature, I will make sure my room's airconditioning is switched on so that there's no drastic temperature change (because I live in a very hot climate). As the cake comes to room temperature, it will have some beads of moisture so I always put a slow fan near the cakes to 'dry' them at the same time. So far, this works great for me. Hope this helps. And btw, I am just a homebaker.

Ditto. When I buy those, that's the way I cook them. Very quickly stir fried. And then add fried egg tofu.

On the other side ... perhaps the bakery worked out a deal with the company ... making it for a lot less in return for their own exposure/marketing or as part sponsorship or whatever ... because methinks this event with a cake like that will surely be the feature of many newspapers and magazines, etc and the talk about town. The better bakeries in KL or Malaysia would be the hotel bakeries. Perhaps, one of them took up this job - just for challenge's sake? Hmmm ... I'm thinking the Malaysia Book of Records? Whatever ...... TP - sorry it didn't work out but it was rather exciting though. Perhaps, you could try something like this with a small jack-in-box thingamajig ... I bet kids will love it.

You're welcome, Pan. I'm sure the recipe your Mom has is an authentic one and most likely a family secret... my friend did say Sura has evolved over the years (she is going to ask her Mom for a recipe though when she remembers .. lol!). So, it'll be great if you find the recipe. However, the thought of anything chicken tasting sweet ... err, isn't very appealing to me. For the same reason I find Ayam Masak Madu = 'honey chicken' weird. But I'd like to find out all about Sura anyways!

About Sura : I've asked my Terengganu friend about Sura (she pronounced it as soo-rer like surer). It is a variation of the Bubur Asyura I mentioned BUT in Terengganu is not prepared during the Ramadhan but rather in welcoming the month of Muharram (which is really tradiditonal custom) Bubur Asyura serves as a reminder of how our Prophet Muhammad and its people had to make do with whatever bits of food they had during wartime but could still prepare a delicious and hearty meal. Therefore, Bubur Asyura has lots of ingredients. And is usually prepared in quantity so it can be shared by many. Bubur Asyura is also made by the Indonesian Muslims. It is however not a required Islamic rite. According to my friend, the Sura in Terengganu is not like the porridge type that I know of. It is like what Pan said, more solid (like Talam - basic savory talam is simply rice flour and coconut milk & salt mixed and steamed, and then topped with pounded dried prawns and chopped celery). Sura is cooked until it is very thick so that it solidifies when cooled. Bubur Asyura is more watery like rice porridge. There are 2 types of Sura in Terengganu. One savory and the more traditional one, sweet. The savoury kind (according to her) does not contain chicken but rather is served/eaten with a kind of 'sambal' that has coconut and chicken or fish. It also has fine sliced omelette as topping. She said the younger generation does not how to prepare Sura from scratch now and rely on the 'rempah Sura' that is sold during the season of making Sura. Just like people do not make curry powder but rely on the prepared curry mix. This is one variation of the sweet Sura/Bubur Asyura recipe: Bubur Asyura ingredients: 1/2 kg rice, soaked overnight and finely grounded 1 kg sugar, melted and strained 1 kg brown sugar, melted and strained 2 kg thick coconut milk 600 gm small sago pearls, soaked 10 'pisang emas' or 'pisang raja' (bananas), chopped 1 kg mung beans, boiled till soft 1 bowl of corn nibblets 1 kg sweet potato, cubed 600 gm peanut, toasted and skinned 10 pcs jackfruit, cubed method: 1. add thick coconut milk into a ig pot. gradually add rice flour and mix in until all rice flour is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. 2. add the sugar syrups (i think the sugars are cooked with a little water) 3. add corn nibblets, sweet potato. cook until semi-soft. 4. add in the rest of the ingredients 5. stir over low heat until mixture thickens. the mixture will start tu pull away from the pot when cooked. 6. cool in a pan and cut into cubes to serve. * you may also add raisins, candied fruits, etc ..... I have surfed the Net and posted on Malaysian forums to get a recipe for the savoury Bubur Asyura but no luck yet. A good recipe is secretly guarded. I will have to ask my MIL for her recipe. But amongst the ingredients for the savory Sura would be ginger, lemongrass, galangal, fenugreek and other spices.

I'm adventurous, but not an idiot Awww ..... come one. It's really delish. We had Sanur (or was it Samur?) at 1 Utama shopping center, KL some time back but it lasted only about a year or so. But I did get to eat there once. I like Sari Bunda better.

Thanks for sharing that. I don't think I've seen it here in Malaysia.

I would like to suggest you trying Malay food too, besides the Nasi Lemak. KLCC is one good place to find food. Either the food courts or the many restaurants there. There is one outlet there called Kelantan Delights which sells well, Kelantanese food. Also, you must try Satay. I'm not sure if they (Hj. Samuri Satay) have outlets in KL itself but if you do visit Putrajaya, there is one nice outlet at Taman Warisan Pertanian . Putrajaya itself has become a tourist destination. You can visit the PM's office complex, the official residence Seri Perdana as well as the Putra Mosque (but don't forget to bring your passport - not photocopies - or you won't be able to get in). And then there is The Souq adjacent to the mosque - there is a food court below with mamak stall, ais kacang stall, Nando's Chicken, Rain Nudle House, a Malay kueh outlet, and Aladdin Cafe which sells nasi Beriyani, and a few more food stalls. And then there is the Taman Botani and The Wetlands. There is a seafood restaurant in Taman Botani called D'Fisherman. If you visit Putrajaya and are able to hop over to Cyberjaya during lunch time, there is a wonderful Malay restaurant called Kenanga at The Street Mall. Lunch is buffet-style (very authentic dishes - like homemade) so you can sample as many different dishes as you can; dinner is ala-carte Thai food. Next to it is The Penang House which has delicious fares from Penang.

shiewie brought some lovely yam cakes to my place during our eGullet Malaysian chapter banana cake testing It came with chili sauce but I don't think it's fried. Are these fried in Singapore?

kew, that picture of "chai tau kueh" doesn't look like the chai tau kueh I know. It actually looks more like what the cantonese call "lo bak gou", which technically speaking, is also "radish" cake. A variation on "lo bak gou" which I prefer is made from yam. Killer stuff. The Singaporean chai tau kueh isn't served in neat pieces, but a messy, gooey, stir-fry affair with eggs, salted radish, and sometimes dried shrimp and sweet dark soy. Oh okay .... found this 'white carrot cake' on another page of hers ... white carrot cake However, this isn't fried and this version I've seen around. Can you post the correct picture of the Singapore fried carrot cake? Thanks. I found a recipe on kuali.com but it's in private collection - had to PM for permission to view.

Thanks Shiewie - this is one kuih that hasn't been adapted into a Malay kuih. I was imagining a fried 'carrot cake' literally. pics of kuih including the Chai Tau Kueh

LOL! I am an Asian and I have not heard of fried carrot cake. Did you take pics? Could you have discovered a truly Singaporean dish?

Usually, Westerners stick to the more familiar Chinese cuisine. Also because it's less spicy and milder. I hope you get to try Malay dishes. I think you'll enjoy them much. Why not try Nasi Lemak for breakfast? And you must try Roti Canai too. These 2 dishes are the most popular breakfast items. Enjoy the rest of the stay. And maybe you'll have the opportunity to visit my country Malaysia the next time.

stscam, Thanks for the heads-up. For time being, I've found gelatine powder from Australia that's Halal certified at one of the local hypermarkets. But, it's good to know something else that will work. Thanks again! (And would you be so kind so as to share your marshmallow recipe? )

Shiewie! LOL @ Uncle George. Just some additional pointers - cook the rice with extra water so that it is very soft. You cannot make Nasi Himpit with 'regular rice'. The rice should be soft that it's broken when stirred and the whole thing is like a very thick glob. Stirring the rice this way will make very fine textured Nasi Himpit. Himpit in Malay means to squeeze/wedge in between. If you can get the correct consistency, you don't even have to press it. Just put the container in the fridge overnight and it will set pefectly. Otherwise, you can put the rice in a ziploc bag, pat/form into a block with even thickness and seal while pushing out the air (must gauge the size of ziploc bag or the rice cake will be too thin). Put a pot of water on top or anything heavy. Leave overnight. Traditionally, this rice is wrapped in a cloth so that it gives off excess moisture while cooling. Just put the rice in the centre of a big enough clean white cloth and 'wrap' tightly making a square (or rectangle ) block and press. I like to use Jasmine rice when making it because it makes soft Nasi Himpit - but Jasmine rice also makes sticky Nasi Himpit so it's more difficult to handle. Like Shiewie said, use wet knife. Cutting while it's still cold from the fridge also helps. Then just nuke them to warm up the rice cubes. The traditional choice of rice is the 'broken' rice which is mainly used to make porridge. And for a more authentic accompaniment to Satay, you'll have to make Ketupat. how to weave a simple ketupat There are several shapes and I know of only 3. My Grandma knew 5 different designs but unfortunately nobody learnt it from her. But for Satay, the ketupat casing is weaved in the simplest form which is shown on the site. Try using 'paper' ribbons to practise. I made some using stiff ribbons and sent to my friends in the US and they use it to keep potpourri. edited to add - these rice cubes can also be eaten with Rendang or Sambal Kacang or Sayur Lodeh (which is the dish called Lontong in Johor) Also, you can now find ready-to-cook ketupat in packs like this one: Ketupat Nona Just boil them for 90 mins, let cool overnight and perfect Nasi Himpit every time. It also has the 'pandan' fragrance. Another brand Adabi also adds 'coconut leave' fragrance to it's ready-to-cook ketupat. Even I use this one most of the time - it's getting harder to find young coconut leaves at the wet market unless it's the Eid.

I do not bet, even if I know I'll win. I don't know what peanut you're talking about dude but peanuts as I know them do grow from the peanut seed or whatever you call them where you are. Here in Malaysia, we call peanuts, kacang tanah. And yes, these will sprout. I see peanut trees in the USA also can be grown from peanuts. And I also see that they're the same peanuts as the peanuts available here. (Actually, we also get 'American' peanuts here) I have also eaten peanuts from elsewhere and they do look and taste the same as the peanuts here. From the Virginia-Carolina Peanuts website (also scroll all the way down to learn how to grow a peanut tree) I'll visit & read the first site you linked when I have some free time as I already know that. However, the almond 'nut' we talk about is the 'nut' and not the fruit. This is somewhat like nutmeg. It has a fruit too and the 'nut' is like the almond in the fruit. And oh, cashewnut does not have a hard shell nor pods. And it grows outside of the fruit. But, it's still a 'nut' as we know it, not? Anyways ... from the second site you linked : "Although commonly thought of as a nut, peanuts are actually legumes and belong to the same family as the bean and pea. " So ... peanuts are beans then if you're talking about 'family' Anyhooo .... peanuts in Malaysia ie Kacang Tanah is considered as a bean as well as a nut. And btw, in another thread peanuts are also called Sudanese Beans. Let's get back to talking about the yummy and 'weird' dessert Ais Kacang shall we?

Nope. Err.... I don't think I should reveal the secret/myth in a thread promoting Malaysian food! My Grandma swears it's true and so does my Mom who said that my Grandma did see it with her own eyes. Curiouser? Let's see who else knows about this.

Also Pan ..... Hazel could be a girl's name and 'biji' could mean something else altogether too but I'm not saying. (I can't believe I even insinuated that much! ) How we handle the 'biji biji' thing .... here's an example. There's this red seed that's called 'biji saga'. Satu biji saga. Not satu biji biji saga. Hmph ... maybe it's easier the other way around - the fundamental similarites would be the shaved ice and palm sugar syrup. Oh now you're making me want some good cendol. Mostly cendol now is prepared at home using commercially made cendol strips (?) ie just add coconut milk and palm sugar and some ice. Making the cendol can't be that hard though. I've never attempted it but my Grandma used to make them. (insert the roll-eyes smiley appropriately ) And ...... there is a myth involving cendols and how the 'mamak' cendol don't go 'basi' (bad) considering that it has coconut milk and sits under the hot sun the whole day. This is why I do not eat cendols from hawkers. LOL!

cream

Although the word itself means "seed" it is usually used more as a numerical coefficient/classifier. Hence, Kaang Hazel sounds more appealing than Biji Hazel. Anyway, I have referred to Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and they have : hazelnut = kacang Hazel, walnut = Walnut, pecan = kekacang Pekan. Pekan though is a Malay word for a small town, although this pekan is pronounced somewhat differently.