Cari Makan @ Pahang

Keropok lekor & Otak-otak @ Kemaman

烤面包&白咖啡·Kemaman Kopitiam @ Kuantan

咖喱面·海燕茶室 @ Teluk Cempedak, Kuantan

生虾面·益记酒家 @ Karak

面包煎蛋 French Toast

面包煎蛋，是Connie 说的，我才知道是French Toast，香港人称法兰西多士。

做法很简单。面包沾了蛋汁煎熟即可。在香港，通常佐以牛油、花生酱、果酱等。

Kaya - a Step by Step Pictorial Guide

Ingredient:

sugar 70g

egg  2

flour 2ｇ

santan 25ｇ

pandan leaves / pandan extract

using a mortal, pound the pandan leaves till they are totally smashed…

mix the crushed pandan leaves with a bit of water,

with a  clean cloth, strain the pandan extract….

( to avoid the troublesome, use pandan extract )

mix the sugar with egg, santan, and flour…

using a double steamer, cook the mixture…

keep stirring the mixture until its cook.

allow to cool before storing the kaya in fridge.

Kueh vs Kuih

‘粿’ in Hokkien pronounce as ‘kùeh’, in Hakka ‘gó’, in FooChow ‘go’.   Kueh is a broad term which may include that would be called cakes, cookies, dumplings, pudding, biscuit, or pastries in English, and are usually made from mainly rice flour, glutinous rice flour or glutinous rice.  Kuehs are often steamed than baked, mostly sweet, some savoury.

Examples of kuehs include : ô kùeh ( yam cake 芋粿/糕 ),  ang ku kùeh ( red tortoise cake红龟粿 ), chai kùeh ( chives cake 菜粿 ),  chuzǘ kùeh ( cassava cake 木薯粿/糕 ),  dï kùeh ( sweet cake 甜粿 aka 年糕 ), gáo têng kùeh ( nine layer cake 九层粿/糕 ), yìu chàr kùeh ( deep fried cake 油炸粿 ) etc.

In some instances, the Chinese word粿 ‘kueh’ seems to be interchangeable with糕 ‘cake’.  But not all cakes can be labeled kuehs.

Western cakes, strictly speaking, are of mainly of wheat flour, and were baked.

Not to be confuse with Malay word ‘kuih’, ( plural kuih-muih ).  Malay’s kuih are usually made of either rice flour, wheat flour, tapioca, glutinous rice or glutinous flour.  The most common flavouring indredients are grated coconut, coconut milk, pandan leaves, and gula Melaka.   Kuihs can be steam, boiled, baked, deep-fried, and even grilled.

There are undeniably some inter-cultural influences in Malay’s kuih and Chinese kueh, there are still some distinct and blurry features set them apart.

Examples of Malay kuih are : bingka ubi, cucur, ketupat, kuih talam, seri muka, kuih pelita, lepek pisang, onde-onde, pisang goreng, etc

红龟粿 Ang Ku Kueh

Ang ku kueh is 红龟粿 in Chinese Hokkien dialect, meaning ‘red tortoise cake’.  It is made of glutinous rice flour, with vary fillings, ranging from the favorite red bean paste and lotus seed paste to the less popular green bean paste, peanut, crated coconut, to exotic taste of durian and many more.

Ang ku kueh, as the name suggested, is red in colour.  Yet, ‘ang’ doesn’t mean ‘red’ in everyone’s eyes.  ( serious colour blind duh ! ) Some like it yellow, pink, blue, purple, white, and whatever food colourings can offer. 

To make ang ku kueh, first the filling is wrap in a dough made of glutinous rice flour.  Then, the filled-dough is put in a special-made wood mould.  ( There are plastic-made mould too  ! )  The quantity of the dough-filing should be just enough to fill the mould.   The dough will be nicely shaped into a tortoise-like feature, with a big Chinese character ‘寿’, which means ‘longevity’, in the center. 

Tortoise signify longevity in Chinese.  The character ‘寿’ clearly imply that.  Just in case someone thinks its not a tortoise.  That’s how it get its name in the first place : red tortoise cake !

The dough is then put on a piece of cut banana leaf.  Ang ku kueh is meant to be steam.  Nobody deep fry or bake it so far.  So, after steam it for a while in a steamer, the dough turns slimy and sticky.  It need to be brushed with some edible oil to prevent them from sticking together.

Ang ku kuehs are prepared for CNYs, and as an offering the Chinese deities.  They are also important during birthday celebration of the elderly , and newborn baby’s first month celebration.

Yet, now one need not to wait for special occasion to enjoy ang ku kuehs.  It is now available year round, sold in stalls on the street, in both morning and night markets,  and even in shopping malls.

CNY : Kuih Kapit

Kuih Kapit is another traditional Malay kuih somehow managed to find its way into Chinese homes.   In our home, it is called “kuis’pit”, a derivative from the word ‘kuih kapit’, I guess.

I have never participated in the making of kuih kapit, but I’ve heard the story and the process for so many times, ( thanks to my mother )  that I can visualize the process, as though I've already mastered the kuis’pit making .

The main ingredient of kuih kapit are of course flour, sugar, and eggs.   Most of the times, coconut milk is added to make it more fragrant.

The ingredients are mixed into a watery batter.  Then, the batter is pour onto the scissor-like round metal plate, and kapit.  ( kapit in Malay means ‘clamp’, thus the name kuih kapit ).  After heated over charcoal for a while, the metal plate is open and the cooked-round-thin-layer batter is remove and double-fold into a quarter or rolled into a cylinder.    The folding or rolling must be done in a jiffy, while its still hot and soft.  Once its cool, it will hardened, and its impossible to shape it anymore.

Every year, one or two weeks before CNY, Grandma from Matu will send us a tin of rolled kuih kapit.  The kuih need to be stored in an air-tight container.  The most easily available one are metal tin used to store biscuits.  (  Those tins are almost obsolete now )

We used to suck MILO or milk, using a cylinder kuih kapit, as though it is a straw.  Of course, it will softened and shatter soon after in contact with liquid.  So, we will need 4-5 kuis’pit to finish a cup of MILO.  

CNY : 鸡蛋糕 Bahulu

Bahulu is a traditional Malay cake made of mainly sugar, flour and eggs.  It is normally made during festive season, but now its easily available in the market.  

Although Wikipedia says that it’s a Malay delicacy, I remember fondly as a child, my Grandma in Julau made this kuih for CNY.  It is called 鸡蛋糕 ( literally means ‘egg cake’) in Hokkien dialect.  We the cousins will help her with the chores.  It was fun as we can play with fire. 

Those days, the batter was cooked in a special metal mold over charcoal.  It was indeed a dangerous task.  Fire and kids are dynamite combinations.  That’s why, I remembered still being supervised by Uncle Yii 小叔.

The shape of the cake varies, depending on the mould.   Some butter is first applied on the mould, then the batter is pour in the mould...  The mould is then covered for a few minute with a plate with heated charcoal.   Normally, a fine stick is use to stick into the cake to check if its cooked.