Sweet Potato Ondeh Ondeh

Wishing one and all a very Happy New Year! I hope everyone will have a great 2014.

I simply love biting into an Ondeh Ondeh coated with coconut and Gula Melaka oozing out. When I saw these delicious snacks from Jessie of Cooking Moments, I was really fascinated as it was made of healthy sweet potatoes. 

These Ondeh Ondeh are wonderfully chewy as they are dipped into ice cold water once they are boiled. 

The sweet potatoes give a lovely colour to the Ondeh Ondeh. They are however not sweet to taste, so a little sugar added to the dough makes it better. These are really addictive and I couldn't help popping one after another into my mouth!

Sweet Potato Ondeh-Ondeh (About 24)

Recipe from Jessie of Cooking Moments

Skin Ingredients:

• 150 g Mashed Sweet Potato
• 150 g Glutinous Rice Flour
• 95 g Icy Cold Water A (I used 85 g)
• 12 g Caster Sugar

Filling Ingredient:

• 100 g Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka) – I used 90g

Coating Ingredients:

• 100 g Shredded Coconut
• 1/4tsp Salt
• 1 Pandan Leaf, tied a knot

Others:

• Pot of water for boiling 
• Another pot of icy cold water for dipping (B)

Method

Preparation ahead of time

• Fill up a bowl with room temperature water. Freeze for 30 minutes or until further use.
• Chop the gula melaka roughly. Place in a stick blender, blitz until resembles fine crumbs. Set aside.
• Mix coconut with salt. Steam with pandan leaf until soft.

Rolling method

• To make the dough, mix flour with sweet potato until resembles coarse crumbs. Add water A, starting with 50ml, knead the dough.  Add little bit of water at a time(I added 15ml each time) & knead until the dough is pliable & not sticky.
• Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a clean, wet tea towel to prevent dryness.
• Grab a small piece of dough, about 15g and roll into ball.  Either flatten it or make it into a small bowl-shape, place some gula melaka inside (Do not overfill or the skin will burst).
• Carefully seal & roll into balls again. Place on a lined tray. Cover with cling wrap. Repeat until the dough is all used up.
• Remove water (B) from the freezer.
• Cook ondeh-ondeh in boiling water until they float up.  Do this in small batches. Don’t over-crowded the cooking pot. Give a gentle stir to the ondeh-ondeh if they stick to the base of the pot for too long. They should be cooked within a few minutes.
• Very quickly, remove from hot water & place in the cold water.
• Remove from the cold water, then coat with coconut before serve.

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Coconut Bread

I'm not a big fan of using coconut in bakes. I still prefer this fruit as a cool refreshing drink with bits of its flesh floating in the sweet clear juice. However, Bill Granger's Coconut Bread had really good reviews from the bloggers who made it which convinced me to try it out. 

Instead of dried desiccated coconut, I used fresh coconut shavings which I bought for a dollar from the local wet market. 

This bread is a coconut lover's dream bread, with the scent of aromatic coconut wafting through the kitchen when it was baking. The coconut flavour and its hint of cinnamon come through  in each bite. It's more of a bread than a cake with its slightly dense texture. But very delicious nonetheless... it didn't stay around long in my house. 

Coconut Bread (1 large loaf)

A Bill Granger Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (295 ml) milk
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar (reduced to 3/4 cup)
• 5 ounces (140 grams) sweetened flaked coconut (I used fresh shaved coconut)
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted (I used olive oil)

Method

• Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray for baking pan
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add butter, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix.
• Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or coat it with a nonstick spray. Spread batter in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 50 mins to 1 hour). Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.
• Serve in thick slices, toasted, with butter.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Pumpkin Kaya

I don't normally buy Kaya - as much as it is delicious, it isn't quite healthy. My daughter has been asking for Kaya so I made this pumpkin version, which contains the goodness of pumpkins and does not have any eggs. 

Kaya is really easy to make - with kitchen gadgets such as a blender to turn the pumpkin into a fine puree. One can also use the mash pumpkin with fork method but that will take more effort. A slow cooker also really helps as this Kaya needs to be cooked for about 3 hours. An alternative is to cook it over the stove on a double boiler which is pretty tiring as you'll have to keep stirring. It also tends to burn more easily and dry up when double boiled on the stove. 

I've seen a few Pumpkin Kaya recipes which says you can cook it over the Kaya directly on the stove for about 15-20 minutes. According to Wendy of A Table for 2, if the Kaya that isn't cooked long enough would not store well and needs to be finished over a few days. Wendy's slow cooked Kaya was still good at week six and mine was fine after three weeks (I had finished it by then).

This rich and thick Pumpkin Kaya is sweet and creamy, and goes great on a slice of soft white bread. 

Pumpkin Kaya (1 medium jar)

Adapted from Table for 2

Ingredients

• 500 g pumpkin (without seeds and skin), steamed
• 100 g gula melaka
• 175 ml thick coconut milk
• 3 blades of pandan leaves

Method

• Steam pumpkin flesh until soft. Mash up and place inside blender.
• Pour in coconut milk and blend till smooth.
• Put inside slow cooker with the chopped gula melaka and pandan leaves tied in a knot
• Cook on high for 1 hour and on low for 2 hours till jam is thick and creamy. Stir occasionally.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Joceline from Butter. Flour and Me, at this post. 

Pineapple Orange Coconut Muffins

My baking friends, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY are hosting the Little Thumbs Up event and the theme for the month is Pineapple. It's a great theme for February as this is Chinese New Year month and pineapples are an auspicious fruit to have during this time. 

I am getting a little tired of making CNY cookies so instead of pineapple tarts, I decided to try out other pineapple recipes and came across a easy to make pineapple muffin. The original recipe uses lemon zest but I thought lemons and pineapples seem a little weird together and it may be too tart . 

I wanted a refreshing but lighter flavour as well as tropical touch to these muffins so I substituted the lemon for orange and added in some dessicated coconut bits.  The result was a light and fluffy muffins full of tropical flavours - the bites of  pineapple was refreshing while the coconut added a little crunch. 

I only used half the amount of sugar recommended below and the muffin was not very sweet - just the way I prefer it. I also made a glaze using a little orange juice and icing sugar to make it look more attractive and give it a little more texture. It was delicious warm with a little butter spread over it - made me feel like I was holidaying on a little tropical island far far away. My kids and friends gave the thumbs up for it!

Wishing all my friends a Happy and Prosperous year ahead! 

Pineapple Orange Coconut Muffins (9 muffins)

Recipe adapted from My Gourmet Connection

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (I used orange extract)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• Zest of 1/2 lemon (1 orange)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup of dessicated coconut (optional)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) . Prepare muffin tins by lightly greasing each cup
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, milk and lemon extract until frothy. Add the butter and lemon zest, combine well and stir in the pineapple. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients, combine thoroughly, but don't over mix.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins (approximately 1/3 cup each) and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

Banana Macadamia Chocolate and Coconut Cake

The Banana Macadamia Nut Coconut Coffee Cake from Coffee Cakes: Simple, Sweet and Savory by Lou Seibert Pappas is our latest bake at The Home Bakers  hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

I’m a big fan of banana cakes and love to make it as a healthy treat for my family. Many banana cake recipes either use too much butter or oil and I try to avoid those recipes as much as possible. I like this recipe because there is no butter used and the amount of oil needed isn’t much. The cake gets its wonderfully moist texture from ripened bananas, oil and yoghurt.

The addition of coconut and macadamia added a crunchy texture which goes well with the moist crumbs. I also added in some chocolate chips and my kids loved it so much that I’ve made this cake a few times since. 

Here is half the recipe which makes a small loaf with the addition of chocolate chip (perfect for my family) and I have included a scaled down version of the recipe including the chocolate chips. For the full recipe, please go to Kit of I-Lost in Austen.

Banana Macadamia and Coconut Cake (1 small loaf)

Ingredients

Group A

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

Group B

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp of ripe mashed bananas
• 1 large egg
• 1/6 cup of extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
• 1 tbsp dark rum or amaretto (omitted)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (substitute with yoghurt)
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Others

• 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup macadamia nuts
• 1/2 tbsp of brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder mixed

Method

• Combine Group A in a bowl and mix well.
• Blend Group B ingredients in a blender.
• Mix Group A and B ingredients together using a spatula till well combined.
• Stir in coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Pour into a buttered baking pan.
• Sprinkle with nuts and top with cinnamon-brown sugar mixture.
• Bake at 170 degrees C for about 30-35 mins till browned.

Avocado Mousse with Gula Melaka, Coconut and Coffee

Avocados – some love it, and some hate it. Even those who are not so keen on the taste of the fruit may change their minds after trying this Asian-inspired dessert. Here, rippened avocados are first blended with coconut juice into a creamy mousse, then topped with a syrup of gula meleka and espresso, and finally garnished with shreds of fresh coconut. Sounds like an unlikely combination but one that is totally delicious!

I love it that we do not need any cream to make this mousse as avocados are naturally creamy and rich. I made a non-coffee flavoured one for my daughter and she ended up wanting my coffee -flavoured one. This dessert is quick to prepare – all it takes is a couple of minutes with a blender. The most important thing is to make sure that the avocados are ripe. They need to be dark and slightly soft when you press on the skin.

The recipe suggests that you first prepare the avocado mousse and then chill it while preparing the gula meleka and coffee syrup. However,  I would not recommending leaving the mousse around for too long as may oxidise and change colour. As such, I have amended the steps by preparing the gula meleka syrup and espresso separately first. If you find that the gula meleka has thickened too much as it cools down while you are making the mousse, heat it quickly and it will become thinner.

Avocado Mousse with Coconut, Coffee and Gula Melaka (Serves 6)
Recipe adapted from Slyvia Tan

Ingredients:

• 8 ripe avocados
• 1 young Thai coconut, flesh and water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup broken up gula melaka (palm sugar) or bottled gula melaka syrup
• ½ cup expresso coffee

Method:

1. Prepare the gula melaka syrup, break up a block of palm sugar to fill a cup. Place broken pieces into a small pot. Add half cup water and heat gently till sugar melts into a brown syrup. Strain into a cup.

2. Prepare the espresso (or instant coffee granules) according to the instructions on the package. Set aside both the gula melaka syrup and espresso.

3. Cut off ends of avocados and squeeze pulp right into the blender. Add coconut water from one coconut and sugar. Blend till smooth. Set aside. (I suggest that you refrigerate the avocados and coconut first before preparing this dessert so that you get a cold dessert). Divide mousse among eight clear glass dessert cups.

3. Mix the gula meleka syrup and espresso together. If the gula meleka syrup has thickened due to cooling, reheat it quickly before mixing. Add a swirl of gula melaka and coffee syrup into the avocado mousse and stir through to create a marbled effect. Top with the freshly shaved flesh from the young coconut.

Coconut Checkerboard Brownies

While I am not a big fan of brownies, the  the Coconut Checkerboard Brownies recipe from Bon Appetit Desserts (pg 589) is no ordinary brownie. The coconut and checkerboard brownies consists of a layer of chocolate brownie at the bottom and alternating squares of chocolate and coconut brownie on the top which makes it look like a very attractive chess board.

When I first saw the recipe, I thought it looked fairly complicated and I was quite hesitant to try it out. But in the spirit of improving my baking skills, I gave it a shoot and it did not turn out as difficult as I thought, plus it was really quite delicious!

It was fairly easy to make the coconut and chocolate batter. The slightly more challenging part was laying out the checker board. First, I shaped the hardened coconut batter into squares and placed them on the chocolate brownie base. Then I spooned the chocolate mixture in between.

It has a lovely coconut fragrance and alternates between crunchiness from the coconut bites and chewiness from the brownies. It was well liked by my family especially those who like coconut.

Coconut Checkerboard Brownies (Makes a 9×9 inch tray)

Ingredients:

Coconut Batter:

• 1 7-ounce package sweetened flaked coconut (I use 200 g of desiccated coconut)
• 1/4  cup powdered sugar (cut down to 3/4 of this amount)
• 1/4  cup canned sweetened cream of coconut
• 2 ounces Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes, room temperature (57 g)
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 1⁄8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

Chocolate Batter

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces (88 g)
• 3 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (100 g)
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar (cut to 1 1/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup sifted unbleached all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt

Method

Coconut Batter: Measure 1/3 cup flaked coconut; cover and set aside. Place remaining coconut and sugar in processor; finely chop. Add cream of coconut and cream cheese to processor and blend well. Add egg, almond extract, lemon juice, and salt and blend well, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate until very firm, about 3 hours.

Chocolate Batter: Butter 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Melt butter with chocolate in heavy small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Pour into medium bowl. Cool to lukewarm. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Whisk sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl; sift over chocolate mixture. Mix until blended and smooth. Spread 1 1/4 cups chocolate batter in prepared pan (cover and refrigerate remaining batter). Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Refrigerate batter until very firm, about 3 hours.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F (170°C). Alternate 1 tablespoon remaining chocolate batter and 1 tablespoon coconut batter over chocolate layer, filling pan completely (I arranged the coconut batter first into a checkerboard then filled the chocolate batter in between the coconut squares). Sprinkle reserved 1/3 cup flaked coconut over coconut mounds; press gently to adhere. Cover pan tightly with foil.

Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake until tester inserted in center of 1 chocolate mound comes out almost clean, about 40 minutes (This is a little too long as my coconut flakes started to turn very brown after 20 minutes – watch the oven carefully). Cool brownies completely in pan on rack.

Do Ahead : Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover brownies tightly and store at room temperature.