Pan-fried Crispy Banana Fritters

Pisang goreng or kinchio kueh … These were the familiar outlandish words I grew up calling that moreish deep fried banana fritters.

Choice Enough

My late Dad seemed to know his banana fritters’ stalls absolutely well. He used to buy his favourite pisang tanduk (plantain) fritters and brought home generous quantities, much to everyones’ delight. The batter that coated each banana slice was lusciously crispy with the sweet and a hint of sour and succulent inner side. Dreamy!

Where I grew up, the choice of bananas were endless. The tastes and textures also differ from one type of banana to another.

Here in Belgium, I only know of one type of banana ~ the Chiquita Banana! It’s a good banana (no choice, really) which I have used in my bakes and of course, just eating as is.
 

By the way, I have never fried banana fritters here in BE, but have always longed to eat one. People who know me will know I never deep fry my foods in my kitchen. That’s why I tend to skip a recipe that calls for deep frying.  Which reminds me of my previous post which I experimented in my kitchen, Baked Crispy Snail Nibbles *wink*

And then I saw someone posted “Banana Fritters’ Batter” recipe on FB not too long ago. I read mostly positive comments of the result of using the recipe.

I was curious and thrilled, so to speak, so I jumped on the bandwagon! I caught the kinchio kueh fever. LOL!

My initial thought was to bake the banana fritters, but knowing that Chiquita bananas do not hold their form when cooked or baked too long, ie they become mushy, but very sweet, so still edible. Uh-uh, I scrapped the idea of baking and went for a milder form of frying. I pan-fried the bananas!! It may look paler than deep-fried, but I was blown away by the crispy batter.

The batter recipe is adapted from Ellin Chong‘s recipe posted on Thermomix Truly Asian group page on Facebook while I resorted to the method I am comfortable with, id est, while deep frying is the common mode of preparing banana fritters, I opted to pan-frying mine.

Ingredients A –

• 150 g SRF
• 100 g Rice Flour
• 250 g Water
• 20 g raw sugar (I used organic raw cane sugar)
• 50 g Cooking Oil (I used Corn Oil)
• A pinch of salt (I used fleur de sel)
• 1 – 2 Tbsp sesame seeds (I did not use)

Ingredient B- 

• 5 Chiquita Bananas

Ingredient C –

• Oil for frying 

Method –

1. Weigh ingredients A in the TM bowl. Mix for 30 sec/ Sp 4/ MC. Scrape the side of the inner bowl to mix the small amount of un-blended flour with a wooden spoon. Mix well.
2. Pour the batter in a clean bowl. Set aside (in the fridge)
3. Meanwhile, peel B and cut the bananas in any shape and form you fancy. 
4. Heat some oil in a pan. Note I shallow fried the fritters, hence, not much oil was consumed.
5. Coat each cut banana in the chilled batter. Pan-fry on medium high heat until golden brown.
6. Remove the banana fritters with a slotted spoon and transfer them on absorbent papers.
7. Done!

My Verdict?

I was pleasantly surprised with the result of my shallow-fried fritters. I thought it would take ages for the batter to crisp up but they did not take long at all, with the right heat, of course. Similarly, I thought the texture of the batter would be runnier, like pancake batter, but it was a bit thicker. The right amount of rice flour did a fantastic job in crisping the fritters. My boys loved the C*R*U*N*C*H*Y bits and so did I! I did not change the measurements of the ingredients one bit, except that I omitted using sesame seeds, because I had none that day. That’s not a big deal as I was used to plain banana fritters, anyway.

Will I use the recipe again? You bet! Oh yes, the next ‘victim’ will be the sweet potatoes in my cellar. Ha ha ha …

Ellin, thanks for sharing the recipe with us. I can conclude that the recipe is fully tried and tested in my kitchen as a foolproof recipe for that amazing crunchy result.

 
Happy Tuesday evening!

Cheers!

Zesty Homemade Fortune Cookie ~ not just another Fortune Cookie

When Fortune knocks, open the door, they say. 

But why should one make Fortune knock, by keeping the door shut?

~Idries Shah (Caravan of Dreams)~ 

Now, my ‘fortune’ started at my SIL’s place when she hosted the yearly family reunion celebrating the New Year. I happened to grab one of the mags lying on a magazine rack. I flipped through the pages quickly as lunch was about to be served. There was this page that bewitched me. It was in Dutch. I stopped a little longer and then I took my iPhone and took a snapshot of the pages. They were 2 blurry pages. My SIL saw my action. 

“Oh-oh… now what?” 

She said, “Stop! I can do better. I will print the pages for you” 

Phew! That was a close one…

So yes, my SIL printed the pages for me and in colour prints on A4. What a relief I did not have to squint my eyes reading the small prints on my iPhone. 

Curious to know what my SIL printed for me?

Well, my fortune cookies, of course!

What did my Fortune tell me?

Go make more fortunes! Ha ha ha…

Seriously? Well, I’ve been wanting to make the cookies for a long time. 

Origin

The exact origin of fortune cookies is rather vague. There are 3 claimants who claimed they invented or founded the cookie, however, to this day, the debate on the real founder is still on-going. Contrary to popular belief, the cookies were not invented in China (as rumoured). It’s an American thing, created by Asian immigrants in either the LA or SF areas, migrated from Hong Kong or Japan, depending on which crystal ball you want to believe in. LOL!

Whatever or wherever the origin came from, I see it as part of an entertainment, an ice-breaker or simply, a gift! (Hint: Mother’s Day is up next … ;-))

When I left my previous job more than a decade ago, I distributed about 50 store-bought fortune cookies much to the curiosity and delight of my former colleagues. It was something to remember by and a great way to stay engaged even if it was my last day. Cool!

Oh by the way, I met up with some of my ex-colleagues recently, one of whom I have not met since I left  “Coy P” in 2003! It was good meeting and catching up with them ~ a very international reunion with 6 different nationalities out of 8 that Friday evening!

We went to a Thai restaurant, so no, there were no fortune cookies 🙂

Now I get my fortune cookie when I am at a Chinese restaurant. You can tell the fortune cookies are mass-produced. Identical in size, shape, texture and taste. You will also notice that the pastry is pretty thick, like so …

   
 
 

With the recipe my SIL printed out for me, I wanted to surprise myself that I, too, can make these cookies in the comfort of my own kitchen. By the way, it looked damn easy on paper ~ but oh dear ~ the actual execution was near to disaster. The recipe yields 10, ten-centimeter diameter cookies. I wanted 6 cookies which I wanted to bring to a small gathering the next day. Did I manage to get 6 fortune cookies? We’ll see…

Ingredients (with some modifications)

(Makes 10 fortune cookies)

• 36 g egg white (room temperature)
• 30 g superfine sugar 
• Pinch sea salt (ground in pestle and mortar)
• Zest of 1 lime 
• 55 g APF
• 28.35 g melted butter

Decoration (optional – my own addition )

• Poppy seeds
• White sesame seeds

Method 

  

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160 deg C (Note: Different ovens work differently. Frankly, this was more a trial-and-error. Cfr my verdict at the end of this post)
2. Whisk the egg white until frothy
3. Add sugar and whisk until smooth and glossy
4. Add salt and lime zest. Whisk to combine
5. Add flour. Whisk until the batter is smooth and lump-free
6. Add melted butter and whisk for the last time
7. Draw three 10 cm circles on a parchment or baking paper. Make sure to turn the paper pencil side down with the circles still visible on the reverse side
8. Scoop about 3/4 Tbsp of the batter and spread it to follow the pattern of the circle on the baking sheet. Make sure to even out the thickness of the batter with the back of a spoon or a flat butter knife or even a fish knife
9. Do not rush to bake the cookies. Make 3 at a time. Trust me, that’s plenty to keep you busy! Bake the cookies for 6 to 8 minutes. Seriously, the baking time depends on the type of oven you own. (Note, you need to work very fast as the cookie will crisp up and become brittle in no time at all)
10. Insert a fortune in a cookie and ply the cookie in half immediately. Hold the cookie at both ends and gently curve the centre of the long straight side of the cookie on the edge of a cup or glass and transfer it to a muffin tin to hold the shape until it cools.
11. Repeat the process until the batter is used up completely
12. If the cookie is not crispy or under-cooked, crisp it up by baking in a low heat oven for 3 to 4 minutes or until you are satisfied with the texture. 

   
   

My verdict : I made 10 cookies, but I managed to salvage 6 – yes, on target !! I must confess, though, that the execution was not as easy as it sounded or looked on paper! The first 3 cookies that went in the oven first were a complete disaster – not the taste – but the cookies were not pliable at all. They crisped up and turned out to be crunchy as they were, round thin cookies! BUT, they were delicious! I was so happy I added lime zest  and sprinkled some poppy seeds and white sesame seeds. My younger son, was waiting nearby like a mindless eating machine, preying for the failed cookies. Mine! Mine! Mine! And failed, I did – 4 out of 10 times! To be honest, the failure stats would have been higher. To overcome subsequent  failures, I purposely under-baked the cookies first, and then took them out of the oven and placed a fortune in the cookie and started plying and folding to form the shape of a fortune cookie. Once done, I re-baked them in the oven to crisp them up. The cookies were soft when they were still hot. Re-shaping the cookie was a must and then immediately nesting each cookie in a muffin cavity. I brought the 6 cookies for a birthday gathering the next day for lunch. I was quite disappointed that the cookie was not as crispy as I wanted it to be (btw, that’s the honest verdict from the cookie I ate that afternoon). I’m sure the other girls were too polite not to mention about some of the calamities…(?) I thought, the cookies could do with more re-baking time. After all, it was my maiden attempt in making fortune cookies and for such an “important” function *wink*. 

Happy Birthday to the Birthday Girls , and thanks “A” for hosting us and for the scrummy “mee sua”

Now, there’s someone else who’s waiting for these cookies …My SIL! I promised her that I would make these when it is our turn to host the family reunion, total 17 pax (including 4 kids)! And that’ll be this summer!!! Fingers crossed for success.

By the way, what did my fortune say? 

Lol! 

I’m linking this post to #CookBlogShare: May 3-9, hosted by Snap Happy Bakes

Happy Mid Week!

Cheers!

Steamed Buns (with Char Siew filling) #thermomix

I made my first foolproof steamed buns or paos 3 years ago. I’m glad I have gone through that pao-making journey the conventional way first before delving into the “mind” of an automated kitchen gadget early this year. This reminds me of learning to drive a manually-manoeuvred car first before going into an automatic-geared one.  

For the record, I am still a believer of manually operated cars. Call me old-fashioned, but isn’t that what we have to go through life first? Always learn and tackle the hard way first and everything else will be easy peasy? 😜

Three vs One

3 years ago, I went through the hurdles of getting the dough proofed 3 times before I could taste the fruit of my success. It was a long and winding process and the key word was ‘Patience’. My Kenwood did a fantastic job in kneading the dough to perfection…BUT it was the waiting time that consumed my day.

Here’s why …

First Proofing

Second Proofing

 

The pao on the right was proofed for the third time. The one on the left was proofed twice

With lots of patience, the paos turned out top notch in my books in terms of size and texture. 

L – R : Tau sar (red bean paste) bun and chicken bun

Then came the Thermomix.  My waiting time was reduced by two thirds as the buns required to be proofed only once for 30 mins.  That’s it!

And here’re the results…

Any difference?

    
 

Following my conventional pao recipe, I converted the method to that of the Thermomix way of cooking. Instead of vegetable shortening, I used corn oil.

Ingredients A –

• 120 g water
• 20 g corn oil
• 20 g sugar
• 1 tsp instant dry yeast

Ingredients B –

• 250 g Pao flour (note using plain flour is a healthier option but will not yield the white, soft and fluffy texture of a classic Chinese steamed buns)
• A pinch of sea salt

Ingredient C –

• 600 g water

How to prepare ?

1. Place A in TM bowl: 30 sec/ 37 deg C/ sp 3
2. Add B. Mix for 30 sec / sp 0 -> 6
3. Knead for 2 mins
4. Tip the dough on a work top and knead lightly to form a log shape. Cut 6 to 8 pieces from the dough.
5. Flatten each ball into disc-shape and add char siew filling into each flattened disc.
6. Proof the buns for 30 mins
7. While waiting for the buns to rise, boil 600 g water @ 30 mins/ V/ spoon
8. Place the proofed buns in the Varoma set (dish and tray). Steam for 25 mins/ V/ R/ sp 3. Rest for 5 mins before serving 

   
  

With homemade char siew filling

I would be lying if this was not yummy …

Verdict: The stark difference with using the TM was that, a huge proportion of my time has been saved as opposed to the conventional way. There appeared to be no difference in the texture of the pao immediately after it came out of the steamer (Varoma set), however, TM paos if left to cool too long would harden, unlike the traditional paos, which would remain soft and fluffy.  The only way to work around the TM paos was to freeze them as soon as they have cooled and steamed them when needed. Size-wise, TM paos were only slightly smaller (due to less proofing duration).  Both methods had no influence on the taste. They were equally yummy. Finally, use your imagination for the filling. It’s your pao, your call😜
I’m linking this post to Cook Blog Share Week 17 hosted by Sneaky Veg

Blessed Sunday!
Cheers

Close Up Pineapple Tarts with Not the Usual Recipe + Bonus

I was at an Asian store recently with my younger son, and was browsing the shelves in great detail, much to his chagrin.

C’mon, Mama! Don’t take too long. It’s so boring here. Let’s go…

Shhh!! I’m busy here…

 Pfff!

And then…. bingo! I was bewitched by one particular item on the shelf.

This!

  
I was beaming when I saw the familiar looking cookies and my son was delighted I finally found something after striding around for ages on end. Phew! While at the cash counter to pay for my items, the cashier looked up at me and smiled broadly 😃

He said, “You must be a Malaysian, right?”

“Huh? How can you tell?” I asked

“Because only Malaysians buy the pineapple jam cookies“, he replied with a huge smile on his face 😃

Store-bought vs Homemade

While home, I had a closer look at the plastic case and noticed the Malaysian flag on it. Ah…. that’s why!
 

  

By the way, I did not buy the jam tart because of the flag. I was, infact, as blind as a bat when I reached for the cookies at the time. Now the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

First thing’s first, the tart was crumbly from the first bite. It sort of of melt-in-the-mouth, but there was an unpleasant flavour. It must be the E-number artificial food colouring. No wonder, the pastry was too yellow for my liking. The pineapple paste filling was the stingiest I have ever seen. I could not remember how it tasted like at all, because there was almost nothing filled inside the pastry to draw a taste test. I tasted only the crumbly artificially-buttered-and-coloured pastry, which was quite off-putting, if you ask me.  On the contrary, I must admit that the shape and linear pattern on the cookies were rather impressive. 

  

 
With a lot of effort, we finally finished the store-bought pineapple tarts for more than a week. Then I challenged myself to make my own pineapple tarts from scratch. BUT, I was pampered by a blogger friend, Miss B, when she came to my house last year to pass me a packet of 500g of Redman Pineapple Paste all the way from Singapore (thanks, Miss B). Honestly, that was the best pineapple paste I have tasted ala store-bought. It was not too sweet with natural pineapple flavour and perfect consistency for making pineapple tarts. By the way, I tweaked the paste by spicing it up with some cinnamon and clove powders. Not a lot but just enough to enhance the Nyonya-ness of the paste. LOL!

Here were the results of the store-bought vs homemade pineapple tarts.

I was definitely feeling Goliath-ish that day 🙂

   
  

I have made pineapple tarts before and had always used the same recipe, however, this time, I used another recipe from a friend because I had half a kilogram of pineapple paste! I tweaked her recipe according to personal preference and availability of ingredients

Ingredients –

• 550g plain flour ( I reduced to 450g)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 350g butter (I used 250g cold butter because that’s what I had left in the fridge!)
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 Tbsp castor sugar – fine (I reduced to 1.5 Tbsp)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence (I did not use)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp hot water (I did not use)
• A few drops of yellow food colouring (I definitely did NOT use)
• 500g Redman Pineapple paste (I added freshly ground cloves and a pinch of cinnamon powder and wore rubber gloves to knead the mixed spices into the paste)

Glazing/ Egg wash

• Mix 1 egg yolk with 1 Tbsp condensed milk

Method (how I usually prep and assemble my tarts without using any flashy tart moulds)
The night or day before: Make equal size pineapple balls using a measuring spoon of 1/2 Tbsp each. Place onto a clean flat plate/ dish and cover with a cling film once done, and let rest in the fridge overnight or until ready to be used
   

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl

2. Knead cold rock solid butter into flour with finger tips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Add in egg yolks and continue kneading until a pastry is formed. It does not take long at all

  
4. Rest the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

5. Use a measuring spoon of 1 Tbsp to scoop the pastry and flatten it with the palm of your hand. Place the ball-shape pineapple paste in the centre of the flattened pastry. Close it up and form shapes to your preference. I shaped mine in a slightly rectangular form to represent the shape of a pineapple.

  

 6. Brush each tart top surface with the prepared glazing mixture

7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 deg C for 18 minutes and apply the egg wash for a second time. Continue baking for 5 minutes.

   
 8. Done!

   
    

Verdict: One thing’s for sure, store-bought pineapple tarts cannot beat homemade ones. The freshly baked cookies with the subtle aroma of the spiced up paste smelt amazing coming out from the oven. With the ‘new’ recipe I have used, it’s not as crumbly as the store-bought tarts. The baked pastry was mildly crispy on the outside but crumbly in the inside. BUT, the filling was top notch generous! In hindsight, I should have used the ingredients which I have used in my original recipe, with icing sugar, less egg yolks plus a bit of egg white and I noted that the percentage of butter to flour should be in the region of 60% or more. Only then I can shout out that I have made 99.9% melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tarts! For now, it’s 90% melt-in-the-mouth. But hey, who’s complaining? There are 4 pineapple cookie jar monsters in the house. The tarts gone in a jiffy!

  

  

Bonus

500g of pineapple paste was a LOT! There were 30 orphaned and naked pineapple balls left. Lol!

With no pastry left, the smart alec in me bought a roll of store-bought puff pastry and made 30 round-shape and 30 star-shape dough. I placed each pineapple paste on the round disc shape dough and topped it up with the star cap. They looked stunning, just like mini edible Terracotta Army . Ha ha ha..! I was so excited with my creative self.

  
 

Then I baked them in the oven….. BUT… I was in for a rude shock!!

Ring-a-ring o’ roses

A pocket full of posies

A-tishoo! A-tishoo!

We all fall down…

  
 

The puff pastry really puffed up and toppled every pineapple ball.

The poor fallen warriors. Lol!

And then the determined me quickly put them back together, while they were still hot.

   
  

Now, don’t they look pretty together?

Verdict: With not enough pastry to encase the paste, the taste of the tart was chewier when baked because there was more pineapple paste to chew on. Guess what, I crazily LOVED the taste and texture, and so did my 3 guys. Not the real McCoy, but it was only a quick fix to make use of everything. Waste not, want not 😜

The pineapple tart is one of the many favourites of all cookies served during Festive occasions in Malaysia and Singapore. Its definitely one of my favourites. With Chinese New Year round the corner, I am linking this post to Cook and Celebrate: Chinese New Year 2016 hosted by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids 

  
Have a fantastic weekend!

Cheers!
 
 

 

 

 

 

No-Bake, No-Egg Nutty Milo Batik Flapjacks without Oats

Honestly speaking, I have been wanting to make this insanely simple “cake” for a long time! It has been on my bucket list since time immemorial. The original recipe is called “Kek Batik” (Batik Cake), however, I called this “cake”,bars or flapjacks without rolled oats, for the simple and logical reason that it does not have a texture of a cake at all. It is a flattened no-bake sweet tray, a bit dense, chewy and crunchy at the same time, the same way flapjack or muesli bar or cereal bar or granola bar is made.

What makes this “Kek” special is the visual batik pattern when cut at cross-sections.

  
When I first found out eons ago that Milo was one of the ingredients in making this “Kek“, I was over the moon!

Champion of all Beverages

Remember this? Minum Milo, anda jadi sihat dan kuat! (Drink Milo, you will be healthy and strong)…

When we were kids, we believed in Milo as the winner of all beverages. I remembered being absolutely happy when the Milo van came to my school and passed round free iced cold Milo drinks on a very hot day during school sports events. 

Glug, glug, glug! It was so good…

My Precious!!!

I’m not a kid anymore, but I still love my Milo! 

Looking for Milo in Belgium is like looking for a needle in a haystack! Arghhh!

When I finally found a 200g tin of Milo recently, I felt like Sméagol clutching its PRECIOUSSSS…!

Correction ~ MY preciousss! LOL!

Green with Envy …

I was in Kuching recently. The familiar green packs were ubiquitous in every local supermarket. Yup, I was green with envy😜

  
Oh by the way, I remembered eating this “Kek” a lot during the Eid or Hari Raya Aidil Fitri celebrations in Kuching. The Malays are very good at conjuring abstract looking cakes. I was told that this “Kek” is originated in Sarawak as with the popular kek lapis Sarawak (Sarawak layered-cake) The end result of the “Kek” represents the prints and designs of edible Batik or motifs of totem poles popular with the indigenous groups of people of Sarawak.

  
LOVERLY!

I based this recipe of Kek Batik from TryMasak.my with some changes here and there. I have reduced the amount of butter quite considerably, while increasing the amount of the rest of the ingredients slightly. I chose unsalted roasted peanuts for extra crunch and texture. And I thought the last minute sprinkle of white sesame seeds made the batik Milo flapjacks  looked absolutely stunning, like magical stardust! 😍
 Ingredients–

• 200g Delacre Maria biscuits, breaking each biscuit in 2 halves
• 100g unsalted butter
• 200g sweetened condensed milk
• 120g Milo
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• A pinch of salt
• Unsalted roasted peanuts, roughly crushed with a pestle & mortar
• Sesame seeds (topping)

   

   Method –

1. On medium heat, melt the butter, followed by the sweetened condensed milk, Milo and Cocoa powder.  Stir to combine, making sure the batter is lump-free.
2. Add in the Maria biscuits. Remove pan from the heat. Stir to coat the biscuits in the brown batter. Finally toss in the crushed peanuts. Fold in lightly with a rubber spatula.
3. Line a cake tin with parchment paper. Pour in the batter and press and flatten the surface tightly. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.
4. Refrigerate overnight

  

    
  

I’m linking this post to the Little Thumbs Up September 2015 blog-hop event (MILO), organized & hosted by Doreen (Mui) of my little favourite DIY  & Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids.

 

Have a great week ahead!

Cheers!