Seri Muka (Pandan Custard with Sweet Glutinous Rice) Recipe

After many disasters in the kitchen... The PERFECT final product (flavour/texture/presentation et al.)... Phewww~!

If you've seen my recent pictures on Instagram, you'll know that I've made and re-made this classic Malaysian "kuih" or bite-sized treats for 3 times the past 2 weeks. 

So what IS Kuih Seri Muka?

Well, it's basically a two-layered dessert with sweetened glutinous rice at the bottom and pandan custard at the top. The custard tastes almost like "Kaya" (a Malaysian coconut jam) because it's essentially made of pandan, coconut, eggs and sugar. Also known as "kueh salat" or "kuih salat".

I've read at least a dozen recipes on the Internet before finally deciding to combine the recipes by Terri (of Hunger Hunger) and Sonia (of Nasi Lemak Lover). Mainly because Terri's description of the perfect seri muka resonates very much with mine (so I trusted her measurements) and Sonia's method is simple and easy-to-follow. Plus, I've tried countless recipes by these 2 fantastic cooks (all have worked amazingly well) so I knew I could trust their recipes entirely. 

The PERFECT Seri Muka...

I know everyone's got different tastes and preferences, but this is how I like MY Seri Muka to be.

Custard - Surface is super smooth. Custard is soft and just set but still gives you a sharp, clean cut. Most commercial Seri Mukas are chewy and elastic (overladen with tapioca flour). That texture is more meant for "Kuih Lapis" (steamed layer cake).

Rice - Cooked through but not too much so you can still see the individual grains and avoid a lumpy/pasty texture. Just a tad salty to bring out the flavour and counter the sweetness of the custard. 

Personally, I really really prefer not to use any store bought pandan essence/paste and green colouring when making this. Keep it real, people.

Super clean cut and perfect rice/custard... Happy!

(and pls excuse my lame attempt at "food styling" with the trees in the BG)

The DISASTERS...

Unfortunately as usual, I'm super careless/unlucky/noob in the kitchen and have made every single mistake in the book when it comes to making this dessert, my gawd... I've unknowingly tried what happens when you follow a recipe correctly, made it completely wrong and involuntarily tried everything else in between. 

Lots of mistakes that I've had to learn the hard way, which I'll share so hopefully everyone can avoid the nightmares I've had in the kitchen...! 

Taste was nice, but my really ugly first attempt... 

Uneven surface, rough edges after slicing, lumped together rice

Please don't laugh =X

Mistake #1: Custard lumped on the stove from not stirring properly

I had trouble understanding what it meant when the recipe said to "stir until the mixture is shiny and slightly thickens". To me, the use of coconut milk in the mixture already made it thick and glossy, so I wasn't sure what the mixture was meant to look like and doubted myself the whole way. Got impatient and left the pot unattended momentarily.

LESSON: Stir CONSTANTLY until you start feeling more resistance in the mixture from the thickening

Mistake #2: Taking the custard out too early without thickening

As I said, I thought the mixture had thickened already (since it coated the back of the spatula) but turns out that was just the coconut milk. End result: custard barely set at the top and had to pour a lot of it out. FAIL.

LESSON: Stir CONSTANTLY until you will slowly feel more resistance in the mixture from the thickening

Mistake #3: Oversteaming the rice

Rice became so thick, pasty and all lumped together. All the recipes just said "steam for 30 minutes". But how high/low heat? It makes a big difference.

LESSON: Don't steam on high heat.

Mistake #4: Understeaming the rice

Steamed at same length of time but at low heat. Rice was tough and uncooked. Felt alright/el dente when I first took it out but continued to harden as it was cooling down. 

LESSON: Steam on MEDIUM, increase the steaming time and decrease the rice to water ratio

Mistake #5: Couldn't get sharp, clean edges when slicing

LESSON: Remember to OIL the knife first!

Mistake #6: Not using the right tool to blend the pandan leaves

I thought I could use a pestle and mortar to pound the pandan leaves but you'll find it's way too hard to do. Also, should not add all the leaves at once because only the bottom got blended (while the top remains untouched)

LESSON: Use an actual blender (and not pestle/mortar, mini blender like I did) and blend in batches

Mistake #7: Rice to custard ratio was off (too much rice)

LESSON: Decrease amount of rice, maintain same amount of liquid

Mistake #8: Fluffing the rice in between cooking process

Rice was hard to flatten after cooked (because it's so sticky) so my rice layer was uneven no matter how hard I tried.

LESSON: Don't fluff the rice in between. No point.

FINALLY! My PERFECT Seri Muka

My goodness it was honestly one nightmare after another... I seriously am no good with desserts. But after much persistence and letting my "kiasu" personality in the kitchen kick in... I've made it! Although I got lots of compliments and people seemed to really enjoy the first 2 batches (I think cause the flavour was spot on), I personally wasn't 100% happy with it until the 3rd and final batch... YAY!

Anyway, these treats really are delicious to eat and something everyone can enjoy. Plus, if you learn from my mistakes and avoid the horrors that I've experienced, you'll find that this recipe is actually very simple to make! And this is coming from a dessert noob... So anyhoo, I do hope you give these a go... Promise you won't regret it! =]

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Seri Muka Recipe 
(adapted from these recipes by Hunger Hunger and Nasi Lemak Lover)

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer:
400g glutinous rice (soaked overnight, drained)
250ml coconut cream + 250ml water
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 pandan leaves (knotted)

Custard Layer:
3 large eggs
200g caster sugar
400ml coconut cream + 400ml water

100ml pandan water (see recipe below!)

80g tapioca flour

50g plain flour

1 heaped tbsp corn flour

Optional: Few drops of green food colouring (I omitted this because I don't like the stuff)

Method:

Bottom Layer:

1. Mix the rice, coconut milk solution, salt in a 24cm springform round pan (or anything of similar size/area).

2. Add the pandan leaves on top. Steam on medium heat for 40 - 45 minutes. Set aside.

Custard Layer:

1. Whisk the eggs and sugar until sugar is dissolved.

2. Add in pandan water, coconut milk solution and (and green colouring if using). Mix well.

3. Sift in flour and whisk till well combined. Strain the mixture and let rest for 10 minutes.

4. Pour mixture into pot and stir constantly under LOW heat with wooden spatula until mixture just thickens. 

You'll know when there's more resistance in the mixture after some time. Don't cook until custard is too thick or texture won't be smooth.

5. Pour mixture over the rice and tap the pan on the surface lightly to release any air bubbles. 

6. Steam for 25 minutes under LOW heat. Make sure small opening for your wok lid is open to release any pent-up steam.

7. Allow to cool for several hours. Oil your knife slightly before cutting up to small rectangular/triangular/diamond shaped pieces. ENJOY =)

See the lumps at the top from not stirring? This is from not watching the pot. Pls ignore.

Just the perfectly smooth, clean surface I was after. Delicious!

How to: Make Pandan Water

Ingredients:

12 pandan leaves

100ml water

Method:

1. Cut pandan leaves to about 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Blend the pandan and water in 4 batches.

3. Strain the mixture.

Creamy Pasta Alfredo with Crispy Bacon, Mushrooms, Capsicum, Zucchini and Crispy Skin Salmon

Awesome, easy, delicious dinner that anyone can make! Photo taken when I made this again few months ago =)

Hello, everyone! 

Back today with another "weeknight dinner" type recipe. To be honest, I've had this recipe in my drafts folder for the longest time but never got around to posting it because I wasn't sure if it's a recipe that people might be interested in. It wasn't until I made it again earlier this week and posted a photo of it on Instagram that I felt so encouraged by all all the "likes" and warm responses from it. Thanks so much, everyone. So, there you have it. Finally releasing it from my dusty drafts folder and onto the blog at long last! =)

I don't know about you, but even though I've got a strong appreciation for various cuisines, I still find Asian food extremely comforting, especially on a lazy weeknight. That's why I still tend to cook a lot of rice at home for dinner (lol). 

But to be honest, I would still CRAVE for Pasta from time to time, just for a change. And when I do, I almost always make this Pasta Alfredo. Even though I still love my Spaghetti Bolognese, I would make this more often because Spag Bols need so much more ingredients to make whereas for this, I just need to buy the cream (cause I normally have shredded cheese in my fridge) and whatever fresh ingredients I feel like adding into it. Plus, I like to have lots of vegetables (which I can't do with Spag Bols) in my pasta to make it healthier. 

My midweek dinner that I shared on Instagram... SERIOUSLY delicious and satisfying!!

Some technical notes for this recipe:

Just as true, Italian Carbonara doesn't actually contain cream, Pasta Alfredo too, isn't meant to have cream in it. It's actually been adapted by Western countries to suit their palates. Alfredo is normally made by simply adding butter and shredded cheese to hot pasta. Hence, I'm calling it CREAMY Pasta Alfredo.

Also, I think crispy bacon, mushrooms, capsicum and zucchini make a WINNING combination, but feel free to add whatever you like. Although, when I took the step-by-step photos for this recipe months ago, I didn't have all the ingredients I wanted so the ingredients/method doesn't necessarily match the photos. See photos as a guide but READ the recipe carefully to avoid confusion. My apologies...

As for me, I am quite particular about how I like my Creamy Pasta Alfredo to be. I like it not too watery, but still having some sauce at the bottom. Semi-thick enough to stick onto the pasta, but still slippery in the mouth. Hard to explain, I know... Will try and guide you guys as much as I can. Trick is to cook everything on low so it brings out more flavours from ingredients without drying out the sauce too quickly.

Finally, I've also added a separate recipe below to give you guys tips on how to make yummy, delicious Crispy Skin Salmon. Enjoy!!! =)


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Creamy Pasta Alfredo Recipe
(serves 3 or 2 BIG eaters)

Ingredients:

250g pasta
2 entire rashers of bacon (roughly cut to 1cm cubes)
2 + 5 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves of garlic (minced finely)

3 portobello mushrooms (diced roughly) *

300ml thickened cream

1.5 tsp dried herbs

1 tsp dried chilli flakes **

1 red capsicum (diced)

1 zucchini (split lengthwise, then sliced)

3/4 cup finely shredded cheese ***

LOTS of cracked salt and pepper (to taste)

* Use portobello because they don't shrink as much as other mushrooms after cooking

** Chilli flakes actually add flavour/fragrance (besides the spiciness) if you add it early enough in the cooking process

*** Add a bit more if you're using thicker kinds of shredded cheese such as tasty, cheddar or mozzarella cheese from packets.

Method:

1. Cook pasta as per packet instructions until el dente. Strain in colander and rinse with cold water to remove the starch and avoid pasta from sticking. 

2. Heat a large non-stick pan on low until very hot (approx 5 minutes). Add the bacon straight into the pan, spreading evenly. Once brown, flip the bacon bits and cook the other side till crisp too. Remove and set aside for later. Refrain yourself from nibbling on the super yummy/crispy bacon bits as much as possible. (I can't and always fail...)

3. Add 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan. Once butter melted, add the minced garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the mushrooms to the pan. The mushrooms will absorb all the liquid in the pan in an instant. So, add another 5 tbsp of butter to the pan and let the mushrooms cook slowly for about 5 minutes to release as much juices.

4. Add the cream, dried herbs and chilli flakes then let it simmer for about 2 - 3 minutes to let the flavours infuse. 

5. Stir in capsicum, zucchini and cook for about a minute or so until almost softened. 

6. Stir in the shredded cheese until all melted. Season GENEROUSLY with lots and lots cracked salt and pepper. Try and avoid using table salt. Taste the sauce. 

7. Finally, stir in the cooked pasta. Turn off your stove. Don't further cook the sauce otherwise it'll be dry out and cheese will begin oozing a layer of oil.

8. Once salmon is cooked (see recipe below!), serve on plate. Sprinkle crispy bacon bits and top with Crispy Skin Salmon. Enjoy! 

YUMMMEH!

Sounds like a long recipe, but actually really quick and simple to do... Honestly!

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Cooking Tip: How to make Crispy Skin Salmon

Ingredients:

1 piece salmon, skin on

Cracked salt and pepper

1/4 tsp corn flour

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

Jap mayo to serve (optional but recommended)

Method:

1. Dab salmon with kitchen towel until dry to remove moisture from salmon. 

2. Crack lots of salt and pepper on the flesh. Turn over.

3. Crack lots and LOTSS of salt on the skin (very important!). Add the corn flour and rub evenly all over the skin.

4. Heat a non stick pan on low. Once hot, add butter and olive oil. The olive oil is to prevent the butter from browning too quickly.

5. Once hot, add the salmon skin side down. Cook for 2 minutes 40 seconds (approx). Turn over and cook for another minute (approx). Remove and serve on plate.

COOKING TIP:

Cooking time may vary according to thickness of fish. The trick is to cook skin side down on low, then turn the fish once you see from the side that the flesh is cooked just above halfway. 

Cook for slightly under half the time on the other side. The flesh will be cooked and still super moist, which is what you want. Nothing worse than overcooked salmon, ugh!

As you can SEE, the flesh is cooked just about past the centre of the fish. Time to turn.

Skin is super delicious and crispy.

 PERRRFECT with a small dollop of Japanese Mayo -- highly recommended!

Grabbing a small piece of flesh, skin and mayo in each bite... NOMZ

Seared fish

See that the flesh is still really moist (hence the small amount of juices on the plate)... Sooo gooood...

"Season the Bowl" Steak Recipe

Medium rare steak. Golden, crunchy DUCK FAT potatoes. Simple salad -- SET!

Hey guys,

How are we all doing? Just letting you know that I'm currently in the thick of my exams at the moment so I apologise for the less frequent updates and slower responses on blogs. As we all know, Life is all about balance and priorities so that's what I'm trying to do at the moment. For now, Exam comes first =)

First of all, I LOVE meat. The more, the merrier. Boy oh boy, do I looove my Steak or what. There's a handful or more of ways I like to prepare my steaks at home but this is definitely one of my favourite. The flavours are fresh and it's extremely simple to do. WIN.

I first got the idea of this recipe when I saw Jamie Oliver prepare his "Season the Board" Steak on Masterchef Season 2 (still my favourite season to date!). It looked absolutely mouth-watering. So I tried it out, liked it and have been using this method a LOT ever since. Jamie did it on a wooden board but I didn't have one big enough and found it more convenient to just use a bowl. Same same, to me. Anyone remember that episode when Jamie showed Jonathan and Callum this in London...?!

Any-hoo, I do hope you give this method a go next time you're serving up steak at home. I served mine with a side of simple salad and some seriously delicious DUCK FAT potatoes. And foahhhhhh where those duck fat potatoes damn good or what!! Friends and I couldn't get enough of 'em NOMMMMM.

Oh, oh! One last thing... Has anyone tried this Hibiscus salad dressing before? Believe me, I was apprehensive about it at first too until I tried it. It's got a slight nectary sweetness that balances out the sharp, acidity of the vinegar and is oh SO good.

Not sure where my sister got it from but it tastes fantastic and handy to have in the fridge. Now, I use it on almost all of my salads cause most days I'm too lazy to make my own dressing heeee...

Hope you enjoy this recipe and take care! =)

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"Season the Bowl" Steak Recipe

Ingredients:

1 handful of fresh thyme (chopped) *

3 bird's eye chillies (sliced)

5 cloves garlic (pressed) **

1/2 lemon

3 tbsp olive oil

4 - 6 slabs of cooked steak

* I find the flavours of thyme work really well with this. Plus, the leaves are small enough to be cooked/wilted by the heat from the steak. Alternatively, use fresh herb of choice

** Highly recommend using a garlic presser as it squeezes out the juices and makes it really fine (so it's not too raw). Alternatively, mince really finely and press with flat part of knife

Method:

1. Place thyme, chilli, garlic in a bowl. Squeeze in the juice from lemon and add the olive oil. Stir briefly with a fork and set aside.

2. Once steaks are cooked (see "how to" below), place them in the bowl. Pour in juices from the pan and leave it to rest for 5 - 8 minutes. Mix the steaks around in the sauce evenly. Serve and drizzle some sauce on the steaks.

Cooking Tips: How to Cook a Medium Rare Steak

Ingredients:

4 slabs of steak (approx 1" thick)

4 knobs of butter

Olive oil

Cracked salt and pepper

Method:

1. Heat a grill pan under low to medium heat for 10 minutes (or slightly less)*. Meanwhile, drizzle a bit of olive oil before cracking lots and LOTS of salt and pepper on both sides of the steak.

* I'm very careful not to use high heat on my non-stick pans so normally just leave it on the stove for 10 minutes or slightly less to get it really hot.

2. Once pan is VERY hot, place two steaks diagonally on the pan (e.g. pointing to top left corner of the pan) for 1.5 minutes. Immediately turn steaks 90 degrees (i.e. pointing top right corner) for 1 minute. This will create criss-cross marks on the steak.

3. Flip steak over and place diagonally (as before). Place a knob of butter on each steak and cook for 1 minute. Turn 90 degrees and cook for another 1 minute.

4. If layer of fats is present, tilt steaks vertically (fats side down) to cook or render for another 45 seconds. Take off heat and allow to rest on wire rack. Otherwise, place in metal bowl for the "Season the Bowl" recipe above.

COOKS NOTE:

- For a standard stove, my 1 inch steaks normally take about 2 - 2.5 minutes per side for a medium rare result

- You can use a standard non-stick pan too, but just stick to the suggested cooking time

- Adding the butter gives more sheen, flavour and jus to the steak.

For more Cooking Tips, click: here

Made these for my mates during last semester's exam... My kinda "brain food" lol!

Cake Flour Substitute

Cake Flour.

An ingredient very, very commonly used in baking recipes from the US and many Asian regions (and I guess other parts of the world, too). AMAZING ingredient to have in your pantry as it yields very soft and light sponge cakes with very delicate crumbs. Mainly due to its lower protein levels compared to the other wheat flours.

For the longest time, I've been stressing out about how come I can never find this ingredient in Australia! Fortunately, I came across a substitute from this baking forum and decided to give it a go with this Carrot Cupcake Recipe.

Let me just say, it worked SO well. Absolutely perfect!! The cake turned out so beautifully and I can now proclaim that: This cake flour substitute is true, tested and works a 100%!

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Cake Flour Substitute

Simply substitute cake flour ingredient with 1 part corn flour + 3 parts plain flour.

For example: If recipe calls for 240g cake flour, combine 60g corn flour with 180g plain flour.

Works like a charm. Hope this helps. Happy baking, all!! =)