Friday 25 December 2015

Homemade Tang Yuan

 

In my native dialect Hokkien tang tuan is nyee which means round. They are usually made in red or white colours. As a child its always been a fun festival that I looking forward to.  My mum, sisters and my grandmother would gather around the table rolling the dough into a small round balls. I absolutely loved and enjoyed playing the dough balls & I remember I used to have a special balls which I mixed with different colours ! I love tang yuan, or sweet dumplings served in pandan leaf and ginger infused syrup. In my around in the kitchen area, helping my aunt rolling the dough into small round balls. 

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup glutinous rice flour
  • 1/2 cup water for making dough
  • 1/2 tbsp caster or super fine sugar
  • food colourings
Sweet soup
  • 80g ginger, bruised
  • 1 litre water
  • 80g gula Melaka
  • 1 pandan leaf , tie into a knot 
Method :

In a large mixing bowl, add flour and sugar. Gradually add water (you don't have to use all of it) and knead the dough until soft, smooth, easily kneadable yet not sticky to the fingers (too wet), nor crumbling (too dry).

Divide the dough depending on the number of different colours you intend to make. Add food colouring, one drop at a time, to each portion and knead until the colour is well distributed. Shape the dough to even-sized balls.

Bring a pot of water (enough water to submerge the dumplings completely) to boil. Add the tang yuan into the boiling water and cook until they float to the surface. Transfer them immediately to a bowl of room temperature water until cooled or ready to serve.

To cook the sweet soup, add (A) to a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer until the sugar is fully melted.

To serve, add tang yuen to a serving bowl and ladle the sweet soup over.



Tuesday 15 December 2015

Polenta, Almond and Lemon cake


Rachel Allen's lusciously moist fragrant lemon cake is a delicious teatime treat and also makes a fabulous dessert 

For the cake tin
  • Butter
  • 2 tbsp polenta or flour
For the cake:
  • 225g soft butter
  • 225g castor sugar
  • 3 eggs, beaten 
  • 1 lemon, finely grated zest and juice 
  • Few drop of almond extract, optional 
  • 125g medium polenta
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Icing sugar to serve 
Method:

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C for fan oven.

To prepare the cake tin; place a disc of greaseproof paper in the bottom of a 20cm cake tin, 5cm deep. Butter the sides of the tin and dust with the flour, or polenta. 


To make the cake

Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the lemon zest and juice, and the almond extract if using. Fold in the ground almonds, polenta, and the baking powder.


Put the cake mixture into the prepared tin and cook for about 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Place a piece of foil on top of the cake after about 45 minutes, to prevent it from becoming too brown. 


Remove the cake from the oven when it is cooked, and let it cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing it. 


To serve; 

dust the top of the cake with a little sifted icing sugar.