Steamed Rice Cake (Chwee Kuih 水粿)

Steamed Rice Cake, also known as Chwee Kuih (literally translated to Water Cake) is a popular breakfast item in Malaysia or Singapore. It is made of a variety of flours and water and steamed in small metal bowls.  It is served with preserved radish topping and chilli sauce or sambal.

Ingredients:

200g rice flour

25g tapioca flour/cornflour

12g wheat starch

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

250ml cold water

750ml boiling water

3 tbsp cooking oil

• Sift flours together into a mixing bowl.  Add in sugar and salt; then pour in cold water and mix to combine.
• Pour boiling water into the mixture. Stir well to prevent lumps.  Transfer batter into a pouring jug.
• Pour batter into individual moulds.  Steam over high heat for 15 - 20 minutes.
• Remove cakes from steamer and leave to cool.
• Unmould the cakes using a small pastic knife.
• Serve with toppings.  

Topping:

200g preserved chopped radish (chye poh) 

40g dried shrimps, chopped finely (optional)

3 shallots, finely sliced

5 cloves garlic, finely minced

40ml cooking oil

sugar, to taste

soy sauce, to taste

• Wash and rinse the preserved radish a few times.  Squeeze dry.  Set aside.
• Heat oil.  Saute shallots and garlic until fragrant.  Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
• Stir fry dried shrimps with a little oil until fragrant.  Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
• Stir fry preserved radish. Then add in the sauteed shallots and garlic as well as the dried shrimps.  Add in sugar and soy sauce and stir to combine.

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread

Ingredients:

350g bread flour
10g milk powder (optional)
40g caster sugar
5g instant dried yeast
4g salt
140g mashed cooked pumpkin
145g (1 egg + milk)
35g olive oil

For brushing:
30g melted buter
30g condensed milk

Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

• Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.  In the bowl, combine all the  ingredients, except oil.  Turn the mixer on and knead until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Add in oil and continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic and passed the "window pane test" (Refer to note below).  
• Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl.  Cover with cling wrap and let it rise until doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough to release trapped air.  Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.  Roll into balls. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
• Flatten the dough and brush with melted butter and condensed milk mixture;  fold into half .  Then place into a greased loaf pan.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.  Cover and let it rise until almost doubled (90%). 
• Preheat oven to 170°C.
• Sift some icing sugar on the surface of the buns before baking.
• Bake for about 30-35 minutes or till golden brown.

Window Pane Test:  This is the best way to determine if your bread dough is properly kneaded.  To do this, take a small chunk of dough and stretch it between your fingers.  If the dough tears, that means the gluten has not developed and it needs more kneading. The dough is ready to rest and prove if it stretches without tearing (like the picture above).

Pandan Cotton Sponge Cake

This is a very soft and light sponge cake shared by MyKitchen1010.

Ingredients:
(A)
60g oil (I used Rice Bran oil)
50g thick coconut milk
70g pandan extract (blend 40g pandan leaves with 80g water and strain)
1/4 tsp salt
110g cake flour
1 egg
7 egg yolks

(B)
7 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
150g caster sugar

• Grease and line a 20cm square baking pan with baking paper.  Wrap the baking pan with 2 layers of foil.
• Preheat oven to 150°C.
• In a mixing bowl, combine oil, coconut milk and pandan extract.  Sift in cake flour, and with a balloon whisk, mix until combined. 
• In a bowl, lightly beat 1 egg and egg yolks, then gradually add into the batter.  Set aside.
• In a clean, dry bowl, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy.  Add in cream of tartar and beat until tiny, fine bubbles are formed.  Gradually beat in sugar on low speed until soft peak forms (meringue is shiny with arch shape). Add meringue into egg yolk in 4 batches, mixing gently with a balloon whisk.
• Then fold gently with a spatula until well mixed.  Tap the bowl a few times on the benchtop to burst large bubbles. 
• Pour batter into the prepared pan, tapping the pan on the benchtop a few times.
• Sit the baking pan with batter in a larger pan filled with hot water (1 inch high) and bake for about 2 hours.
• Remove the cake from the oven and tap the pan on the benchtop to minimise shrinkage. 
• Unmould the cake and cool completely on a wire rack.
• When the cake is completely cool, cut with a serrated knife.

Note: The cake is baked at low temperature to enable it to rise slowly to prevent it from over-rising then collapsing when out of the oven.  If the cake shrunk when removed from the oven, that means the temperature is too hot.