Tong-tong-tong Chiang: Part 2

Physically making all these goodies for New Year has made me learn one thing.


Grandmas are AMAZING!!


How they do it year after year, slogging away in the kitchen, for the MASSES of family who come back AND virtually have enough to last for 15 days?! *shivers*


Yesterday was the day (one of many) of reckoning, where I tried out my Kuih Bunga skills. 


Steps:
1. Heat mould.
2. Shake off excess oil.
3. Dip in batter.
4. Shake off excess batter.
5. Place in oil.
6. Shake off kuih.
7. Flip to golden goodness.

OMG, you wouldn't believe how easy it sounds and how hard it was for me. Yes, we all stumble in our lives....


First batch came out like this.. WTF?!!

 Multi-coloured kuih (which soon joined the trash)

Gritting my teeth, I tried again.

Erm, not too bad la. I then scribbled down alterations to the recipe:

less sugar, less coconut milk, a little more liquid & salt.

Key is not to let the sides flip up. It's as unsightly as a well-dressed lady

with her petticoat showing.

After which, I had an arduous task of peeling gingko nuts.

Another example of long-to-make-fast-to-eat foods.

Slept at 5am, and now I'm up at 10am.

Enough procrastinating!

*clambers out of marshmallow-soft bed to face the long To-Do list*

Tong-tong-tong Chiang: Part 1

Wookay.. I finally got most of my stuff today. And after a whole day of washing, cleaning and bathing HRH Brownie-boo, 

I realised how pooped I was, and just settled for making the pickles for today. No ambitious deep-frying of crackers and cookies, because, *BLUSH*, I didn't buy any containers to keep them. Eh heh.

So thanks to this beeyewtiful gizmet I got meself last year, just for a treat after completing most of the 4-year drudgery, things were done way faster than it would be, using conventional methods. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Benriner Turning Slicer.

My first encounter with it, was when ChefDanny proudly brought it to The Dutch Mill, showing how he'd use it to make dainty salads and garnishes for the yummy Hainanese Chicken rice he made for all of us.

And then, I had the privilege of using it again, when preparing for FHM & FHA in 2009 and 2010 respectively. I HAD TO GET IT. RARR!

A source of (lame) amusement for us cooks, who face high temperatures, high tempers, higher pressure in the confinement of four walls, with like-minded individuals (hence), us liking to do all sorts of things with the remainder of the vegetable, as shown below.

A milder version would be, propping it up on the shoulder, pretending it's a parasol OR dropping it on the floor, claiming it to be someone's loose screw. 

*BWAHAHAH* (I know, I'm prolly the only one laughing at this).

And so, I did the green radish pickle

and cucumber pickle.

That's all for tonight folks. Tomorrow looms with more promise. :)

*drifts off to ZzzzzZzzland*

Oh Yes!

In relation to that previous previous post about the leftovers becoming lavly Guiness stew and whatnot.... 


I LOVE CRUMPETS!

Image courtesy of Istockphoto.com

Crumpets are similar to the American pancakes, except that the aerating agent is yeast, rather than baking powder, therefore, yielding different flavour and texture to the "pancake". It can be eaten savoury or sweet, originated from the United Kingdom, frequently mentioned in Enid Blyton's books which usually pair them freshly made, piping hot with new butter and strawberry jam.


I went to sleep, thinking about crumpets and classic English afternoon tea, and then I decided that I would make some. First thing I got up, I whipped everything up, left it to prove, and got me stomach ready for some FOOOD. 


*Sizzle sizzle* Butter in pan, ring mould in the centre, the smell was AH-MAY-ZING. I didn't have any decent jam at hand, so I ended up eating it with everything you could put on bread. Including the Guinness Lamb, to IanPenguin's great sadness. *whoops*

Menu..... Decided!

I have finally decided on what I shall be making for Chinese New Year this year.

1. Kuih bunga/ kuih Ros (both sweet and savoury)

2. Laksa cookies

3. Yee Sang

4. Pie Tee (top hats with stewed root veggies and sweet-sour-spicy chilli garlic sauce)

5. Nasi Ulam (a herb & rice 'salad')

6. Kerabu Beehoon (Rice vermicelli tossed with sambal and herbs)

7. Cabbage rolls

8. Joo Hoo Char

9. Too Thor Th'ng (Pork stomach soup, with homemade pork balls)

10. And when all the eating is over, I shall dump all the above's leftovers together with some salted veggie, throw in roast duck, dried chillies, asam keping, nutmeg, roast pork and bring it all to boil, into a tasty, spicy, absolutely yummifying broth of Kiam Chai Boey!

(Except the cookies. Lol.)

And now.... I am sitting here, planning my worklist and timelines, while sinfully taking spoonfuls of Lyle's Golden Syrup. @.@!!! It is sooooooooo addictive!

Vintage Ad : Me likey!!

Ooh, breakfast today was pancakes, with bacon and scrambled oeufs and peaches, blackberries and cherries, with the aforementioned Golden Goodness to bring everything together in a calorific combo. MMmmmmmm.....

Nomnomnom.

Christmas 2010 was decidedly quiet, but then, it all started kicking in AFTER that. Our New Year's was relatively ho-hum and pretty much under the radar, because, before and after seemed to be chock-full of blowout drinking and parties!!


Anyways, KennethTheOng got married to WifeWW and so they had a mini gathering at their house. Seeing as many people did not make it that night, there was so much leftover food, that I helped them with the storage and of course, became an a la minute Garde Manger cook. 


Item 1:
Garlic Bread --> became Crostini, either with tomato salsa or hummous.


Item 2:
The inexpertly grilled lamb slices --> became a stew, with tons of caramelised onions, some carrots and of course, Guinness with a little help from the supplied brown sauce.


Of course, sheperd's pie remained as sheperd's pie.


And so I made some mixed salad with a mandarin orange vinaigrette, linguini with pesto and roast chicken while Uncle David contributed his famous legend of Mutton Curry and unfortunately, his super-marinaded chicken wings didn't make it to the table from Klang that night.


Well, I gathered some stuff to put into the chicken for roasting, and so, it did look like a pretty picture. Was too busy to take pics of the rest. 

Had a great time, with the limited Centenary edition, 12yr old Johnny Walker Black, Chivas, Jim Beam, tons of wine & beers. NOMS!

A Daunting Task

I am very tempted to cook for this Chinese New Year. Throw in all the works, with inspiration from both sides of the family:


My dad's mom:

• Beef rendang (Grandma's famous interpretation of a rendang, which she dissected bit by bit from a shop in Penang, experimented until she got the taste just right.)
• Pork stomach soup with homemade porkballs (The porkballs must be springy, and prawn meat is minced together, for extra 'sweetness', whereas the stomach of the pig, is ever so soft and full of flavour.)
• Joo Hoo Char (literal translation: Cuttlefish Fried. Basically, jicama, carrots, mushrooms, cuttlefish, onions, lard, minced pork and tons of other ingredients sliced thinly, and cooked over medium-low heat until it has reduced, achieved a complexity of flavours through caramelization of sugars, juice from the meat and mushrooms. A warm, savoury salad, if you may call it. Eaten on its own, or for an even more yummy twist, fresh lettuce with a swipe of sambal belacan and a squeeze of lime juice, wrapped up, popiah style, with tons of texture and flavour.)

My mom's mom:

• Roti Jala with Kari Kapitan (This grandma would pile it on one whole plate, with a snipped spring onion in between each layer for easy removal. Pair this with that yummy, creamy coconut Chicken curry, and it is heaven!)
• Braised Cabbage rolls, filled with minced pork, prawns, carrots and waterchestnuts (Again, the most important is the filling, which has onions, pork, prawns, carrots and waterchestnuts - an Asian forcemeat really, rolled into blanched cabbage leafs, shaped like popiahs, and braised in chicken stock. This was the envy of my schoolmates when I was in primary school. Yum!!)

And of course, try the ubiquitous Yee Sang, Kuih Bakul (Nien Gao), Kuih Bunga, Kuih Kapit, Peanut cookies, Kuih Bangkit & Almond cookies.


And the best part about Chinese New Year?? Besides the angpows, is the Kiam Chai Boey (literal translation: "Salted Veggie End" where all leftovers are thrown into a single pot, with a leg of roasted pork and salted veggies, to make a yummy, sour, spicy stew. MMM.


I am doing this, so that I can cook for my grandmother and family, of course, waiting the final judging from Grandma herself, as well as to debunk my own fears and supposed-myths about how hard it is to cook a proper Nyonya dish. As of yet, it is quite tough, as the spices have always to be just right. Get this part wrong, and there is no turning back from facing that huge pot of steaming, not so tasty food, with everyone giving their MTHO (More than honest opinions) of how it doesn't compare to Grandma's.


Hmmmmmmm... Second thought... start small, and focus on the angpows. 


o.O


Happy Chinese New Year everyone!!! Makan time!!!