Coconutty Sago Pearl Pudding with Palm Sugar caramel: The dessert that made all the difference

Whew!  How time flies. One year has gone by in the wink of an eye.

If you have read my post: My ambitious eleven homemade dishes gone in 30 minutes, you will know why this annual get-together has become part and parcel of my nightmare.

I ended with a BIG question mark in that post, as you may have read.  Would I replicate the same stunt?

Yeah, would I?

When the going gets tough…

…the “tough” got weaker… Sorry, folks!  I could not sacrifice another two or three days for this year’s family reunion.  Let’s say, it has been at the back of my mind 😉

This time round, my other half picked the date. Sunday, 8^th September, 2013. It was not the most appropriate timing for me as far as my office workload was concerned. Anyway, I went along with the idea for three reasons, firstly, it was just after the summer vacation and the boys have just started their new academic school year, hence, less school work, secondly, we would be sure to have a full quorum and finally, the weather would (still) be reasonably summer-ish.

Good weather we had for sure at 21 degrees Celsius, a full quorum and an early school year stage 😉

Taking it easy

While my workload soared after our summer break, we took it easy by ordering a 3-course set meal from a Traiteur – starter, soup and the main.  A typical Belgian fare of grey shrimps on a bed of salad with cocktail sauce, creamy cauliflower soup, and roasted veal served with assorted vegetables of braised Belgian endives, carrots and peas and green bean bacon bundle and croquettes. No chillies, spices or pungent smelling ingredients for once…

Wham bam! Then came the dessert:  A huge contrast to the savoury fare!!

By the way, I have never made desserts for my in-laws. In fact I seldom make desserts. I find our classic Malaysian desserts too “heavy”. Hint: glutinous rice, sweet potatoes, deep fried, beans, condensed milk, egg yolks… erm…  I could almost read my Belgian in-laws’ minds “Yuck!”

I have made bubur cha cha, tofu fah, lek tau suan many moons ago for my hubs and two boys and the end result was always identical. I ended up eating everything.  Yikes!

In order not to end up a “junkyard”, I made sure I picked the right dessert that would comply with the Belgian palates. LOL!

Jackpot!

I wish I owned that special ice machine that churns out the shaved ice. The Ais kacang or ice kacang would have stood out that day.  Mmmm…yums…

Well, wishful thinking aside, I was quite certain that there was one Malaysian dessert that would stand the test of time. I have made it twice or thrice before and my three guys loved it!

It was none other than the simple sago pearl pudding with drizzles of creamy coconut milk and caramelized palm sugar – the jackpot dessert that made all the difference in the world, my world, at least.  Really!

Easy as ABC

Only 5 or 6 ingredients, and that’s it!

All you need are sago pearls, palm sugar, coconut milk, pandan leaves (or screw pine), water and salt (optional).

I was really glad that I could get almost fresh stock of pandan leaves from our Asian (Thai) store. I used the needed amount and froze the rest.  They freeze very well, by the way.

Pandan leaves are used to aromatize desserts, like vanilla beans or pods. They are also used as natural food colouring.  I love the smell of pandan in cakes, in steamed jasmine rice, nasi lemak and even curries.

Two times Fifteen!

I am really hopeless in estimating the quantity of food for the required number of guests.  I expected 15 eating guests but it turned out that I made twice as much! Well, never mind, we ate the rest for the next four days 😀

Here’s how I made my sago pudding…

Ingredients –

• 2 x 454g sago pearls
• 2 x 200g palm sugar plus 2 cups cassonade brown sugar
• Plenty of water
• Pandan leaves (I love pandan leaves; hence I used quite a lot)
• 1 x 400ml creamy coconut milk
• A pinch of salt (optional)
• Some vegetable oil

Method –

1)      Boil quite a lot of the water in a big soup pot, and then add the sago pearls, knotted pandan leaves and stirring quite frequently with a wooden spoon, avoiding the sago pearls sticking massively to the base of the pot. The sago pearls are ready when they turned translucent.  Wash away excess starch from the cooked sago and scoop 2 tablespoons into a lightly greased mould.  I used my all-purpose muffin/ cupcake tray!  Grease lightly with vegetable oil. You will be surprise how easy they come out from the mould.

2)      In a smaller pot, pour in a small amount of water, palm sugar, brown sugar, and knotted pandan leaves.  Stir until the palm sugar melts and caramelizes while at the same time exuding the most exquisite aroma of the pandan. My three guys kept popping in the kitchen to check that magical scent floating through their nostrils. Ha ha ha!

3)      In a third pan, simmer the coconut milk with a pinch of salt. For the record, this step is optional.  I used the creamy coconut milk straight from the can, without simmering or adding salt in it. It tastes gorgeous with a more intense coconut flavour.  And oh yes, there’s one pan less to wash and 15 minutes less of waiting time!

4)      Refrigerate the sago, palm sugar caramel and coconut milk, preferably overnight.

5)      Serve the sago pearl pudding on a dessert plate or bowl and drizzle with the sticky caramel and creamy coconut milk.

Oh by the way, I had 15 thumbs up (including myself) that day 😉  I was gobsmacked!

Dreamy 😛

As a Belgian would say, “voor herhaling vatbaar”.  I couldn’t agree more. It’s (definitely) worth repeating…

I am submitting this post to the Little Thumbs up event with the September theme “PANDAN”, hosted by Joceline from Butter, Flour and Me, organized by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.

Cheers!

Steamed Lemon Honey Cranberry Sponge Cake with Lemon and Ginger Syrup (Aspiring Bakers # 25)

When I moved to Belgium in the autumn of 1995, one of the things I brought with me was a cookbook. I knew it was going to be of good use and I was right.  Look at the condition of the cookbook today.  Curled up corners and scribbles here and there inside the book 😀

By the way, I have tried the Kajang satay recipe and it was great!  The simple steps in making the Hainanese Chicken Rice turned out – always – perfect.  I have adapted the recipe by adding more aromatic herbs and spices over the years, but preserving the method.  The recipe is a definite keeper 😉

What I like about the Cookbook is the 5-part origins: Malay, Chinese, Indian, Nyonya and Eurasian. A perfect one-stop reference if you want to make a plate of Nasi Lemak one day and Braised Chicken in Ginger Wine, or Chicken Biryani or Bubur Cha Cha or Curry Kapitan the next day. I have leafed through the pages millions of times, and just last week, I was trying to look for a steamed cake recipe – and quite urgently, actually.  The plot thickens as you continue reading…

It was almost ZILCH on each origin, except for the Chinese chapter.  Only two steamed cake recipes 😦

Oh great! The idea was there, anyway, but I needed to pep up the dull looking steamed cake a bit more, hence, the quest continued.…

Chinese and Steaming

I have never steamed sweet cakes before (Steamed savoury cakes, yes); hence, I was pressed with a challenge that kept my adrenaline going.

What is it about Chinese and steaming? Which reminded me of a Chinese colleague, who relocated to Belgium in 2007 for a 3-year work contract.  During the years he was in Belgium, he rented an apartment somewhere in Brussels. His apartment was fully furnished.  His small kitchen was fully equipped with a glass-ceramic cooking stove, kitchen cabinets, pots, pans, utensils, dishwasher and oven.  Yes, oven!

My other colleagues liked to tease him.  From one conversation to another, we ended – one day – talking about cakes!  It all started when a Russian colleague brought to work a delicious homemade Poppy Seed Cake on her birthday. It was a delicious treat, without a doubt.  Okay, she baked the cake. She lived in an apartment somewhere in Brussels.  She had an oven.

And the Chinese colleague?  Well, his oven was immaculate and impeccably clean. He showed us some pictures of his apartment.

Russian colleague to Chinese colleague: “You have a nice oven, so when are you going to bake us a homemade cake?”

Chinese colleague: “Erm… I’ve never used my oven”

Russian colleague: “What? You rented a fully furnished apartment with a built-in kitchen, and you never used your oven? What if you want to eat something homemade – a home-baked cake, for instance?”

Chinese colleague: “In China, if we want to eat a cake, we go to a shop or a bakery or even a roadside hawker to buy that”

Belgian colleague: “Huh? Have you never baked a cake then?”

Chinese colleague: “Never.  In China, we do not eat a lot of cakes, and if we do, we eat steamed cakes, hence, an oven is not necessary.”

There you go!  Steamed cake is synonymous to Chinese, and the statement came directly from the mouth of a Chinese.  I did not make it up. 🙂

Oh by the way, yesterday, I steamed a cake – for the first time ever – in my 2-month old electric steamer!  I was amazed with the result and I would like to share with you my maiden experience in steaming a sponge cake. I was surprised how easy it was, and I recommend this to all busy Mums (like me ;-)) who are craving for something not too sweet, and yet light and ready in a jiffy.

I got the recipe from this book:  500 Chinese Recipes [paperback] – Jenni Fleetwood (Contributing Editor)/ page 242 with some adaptations.  I made some lemon and fresh ginger syrup to drizzle on top of the cake, as the cake on its own was quite dry. I was not at all disappointed with the result. My three guys were impressed. 😀

Ingredients –

(Serves 8)

175 g / 1.5 cups plain flour (I used self-raising flour)

5 ml / 1 tsp baking powder (I used 1.25 tsp baking powder)

1.5 ml / ¼ tsp baking soda (I did not use this, but instead increased my count of baking powder)

3 large eggs

115 g / 2/3 cup soft light brown sugar (I used Cassonade Graeffe light brown sugar – sifted to remove lumps)

45 ml / 3 Tbsp walnut oil (I used corn oil)

30 ml / 2 Tbsp golden syrup (I used MELI runny honey)

5 ml / 1 tsp vanilla extract (I used Vahiné vanilla powder)

Zest of 1 lemon (this was not in the recipe)

¼ cup dried cranberries – roughly chopped (this was not in the recipe)

 

Syrup (own recipe) –

3 cm knob fresh ginger (crushed)

Lemon (zest and juice from one lemon)

Ground seeds from 5 cardamom pods

2/3 cup water

¾ cup unrefined raw cane sugar (organic)

1.5 tsp cornflour dissolved in 2 Tbsp water

Method –

1. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Brush some vegetable oil inside the cake pan/ dish.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until thick and frothy.  Beat in the corn oil and honey, and then set the mixture aside for about 30 minutes.

3. Add the sifted flour and baking powder to the egg mixture with the vanilla powder, and beat rapidly with an electric whisk to form a thick batter that is free from lumps.

4. Add the lemon zest and chopped dried cranberries and fold these in the batter.

5. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan/ dish. Set the timer on for 30 minutes. The cake is cooked when the sponge springs back when gently pressed with a finger. Leave to cool for a few minutes before serving.

6. Making the syrup: Place sugar, ground cardamom seeds and crushed ginger knob in a pan with 2/3 cup water. Heat gently until the sugar dissolved.  Add lemon zest and juice of one lemon.  Bring to boil and cook for 3 minutes. Mix 1.5 tsp cornflour with 2 Tbsp water and whisk into the syrup. Simmer for a few minutes until the syrup thickens slightly.  Done!

 

Why I made this steamed sponge cake

A blogger friend has invited me to participate in a contest two weeks ago. I have never entered in one before, let alone, a culinary contest.  I was not sure if I had the time or even, imagination to venture into this world of steaming hot cakes. Well, as you have read my post this far, I was wrong, because my imagination went wild and I had that one hour to spare 😉

Therefore, Miss B, I am submitting this entry to the Aspiring Bakers #25 – Steaming Hot Cakes (Nov 2012) which you are hosting this month.

Cheers!

Related posts –

• My Semi-Vegetarian Radish Cake….accomplishing one of my childhood favourite dream plates…AND a tragic ending…
• My ambitious ELEVEN homemade dishes…. Gone in 30 minutes!

 

The forgotten all-in-one-bowl Chocolate Cake

When my sons were younger, we used to have LOADS of chocolate Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies lying around the house, weeks before and after Easter – all gifts from their uncles, aunties, late grandma, friends and of course from papa and mama as well.   There was a moment when there were too many of these chocolates around the house that I had to give them away to my colleagues and friends.  Now that my sons have outgrown this phase, I suddenly became fidgety and started ransacking the fridge and cupboards looking for chocolates. Zilch. Nada. Zip!

Then I saw cocoa powder in my kitchen cabinet and that’s how I ended up making this all-in-one-bowl chocolate cake.

Of Cement and Chocolates

If you were following my last post Our Veranda Project: Now you see it, now you don’t (Part 2), I mentioned that our veranda was not 100% completed, and I actually meant it. The contractors came yesterday morning and started cementing the floor of the veranda. That time, I was at home as I took the week off from work.

While the work was going on in our veranda, I decided to bake a cake! Mind you, baking a cake would have been one of the last things on my mind, if not for the measuring cups and spoons I got as a gift from a blogger friend, Chris . That became a wake-up call 😉

Scribbled past with a bright future

Alas, I couldn’t remember where I got this recipe. I had this recipe scribbled on a scruffy piece of paper since time immemorial. The only way to do justice to this scribbled past was to put a name and place for this recipe – on my blog!

I shall call it The forgotten all-in-one-bowl Chocolate Cake. I made a few adjustments and modifications here and there.

Ingredients

2 cups self-raising flour

2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup brown Cassonade Graeffe sugar and 1 cup castor sugar)

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Van Houten’s cocoa powder)

2 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

A pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 Tbsp white vinegar and filled the rest with milk measured to 1 cup. Let stand for 5 minutes until thickened)

1 cup vegetable oil (I used Culino corn oil)

1.5 tsp vanilla extract (I used Vahiné Vanillestokjes Poeder)

1 cup boiling water (I added 2 Tbsp Nescafé Gold Dessert instant coffee – trust me, you will not regret!)

Preparation –

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius

2. Lightly grease and flour the baking dish

3. Put all ingredients (except the boiling water with instant coffee) in a mixing bowl and mix well to form lump-free batter

4. Finally add the boiling water with the instant coffee and mix well for another minute.

Pour the cake batter in the baking dish and bake in the oven for 60 minutes, or insert a skewer in the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.

Et voilà !