Tag: caramel

Kue Bolu Sakura

snacks

KUE BOLU SAKURA
These cute little steamed cakes are a pleasure to see and eat. A no hassle recipe , which comes together quickly. These cute cakes are named after the sakura flower, because of the moulds they are made in.The texture of kue sakura  is very light and airy.
These  sweet cakes are  Included in the vast KUE  varieties available all over Indonesia.
KUE MANIS  to an Indonesian is what MITHAI  is to an Indian. Kue are small bite sized sweetmeats usually  made of rice flour, coconut milk, sugar etc and are mostly steamed. Milk is rarely used.
In todays recipe, I have also added a spice mix called SPEKUK. This spice mix has its origins from the Dutch colonial Era, and is used in some traditional cakes and biscuits here.
Familiar to the Indian taste buds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, cloves and aniseed are blended together,  with cinnamon and cloves being the dominant flavour. 
Use this mix to flavour your biscuits and cakes instead of vanila for a change.
Do try these little treats, use any tiny moulds if you can’t find the same. Any will do.

KUE BOLU SAKURA.

1st step..
Heat 125 gms of sugar with one tbsp of water to make a rich caramel.
Slowly add 250ml of hot water, and boil till caramel dissolves.
Remove from heat and cool completely.

2nd step.
Mix together dry ingredients
200 gms of  flour
25 gms cornflour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp spekuk spice mix
Sift and  keep aside.

Melt 75 gms margarine and keep aside.

3rd step.
In a mixing bowl add
2 eggs
125gms sugar

Beat till  sugar dissolves, and soft peaks form.
Add the caramel water slowly and whisk till mixed.
Now add  the sifted flour, beat once more till mixed.
Finally fold in the melted margarine.or butter.
Pour into lightly greased moulds and steam for 15 mins. Make sure the steamer is already hot.
( to prevent steam from dripping onto the kue, we normally tie a napkin on the lid)
The fragrance of spekuk will waft thru your kitchen, as the kue are being steamed.
As you open the lid, the kue looks quite puffed up, they will shrink within mins.

Cool for a few mins and remove from moulds.
Done. Enjoy with a cup of hot coffee .

Spekuk spice mix.
2 tbsps ground cinnamon
2 tbsps ground nutmeg( I grated it)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground aniseed
Blend everything together and use.
Store the remaining in the refrigerator.

Chine roast chicken

snacks

As the name suggests, this is a recipe having slight chinese origins, with a touch of indonesia in the form of chillie sambal. A very simple recipe to make and of course eat😊. It looks very pretty when served . Serve this roast chicken as a starter.

This recipe has been with me for years, and we make it ever so often. The original recipe calls for pork, but we prefer the chicken version. Pls use tender chicken fillets or boneless chicken thigh. The process calls for boiling the chicken with some spices. Very simple to put together. I would like to mention that vegetarians can use thick slabs of tofu or paneer.

Ingredients

250 gms boneless chicken fillet

1 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper powder

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sweet soya sauce( kecap manis) or honey

1 small beetroot peeled and sliced

( to impart the red colour )

6 red chillies

4 pods of garlic

4 cloves

1 inch pc of cinnamon

Lime juice and red chillie sauce.

Method

In a pan, add 3/4 cup of water, and add chicken, salt, pepper, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, soya sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soya sauce, vinegar, sesame oil , beetroot, garlic pods and whole chillies.

Bring to a boil and simmer till the water evaporates .

At this point if you feel the colour of the chicken is a bit pale, as that depends on the beetroot. You can add a few drops of red colour.

Discard the cloves cinnamon, and beetroot.

Remove the chillies and garlic, grind coarsely in a pestle and mortar. Add little chillie sauce and juice of one lime….this is your sambal dip.( I have used kaffir limes for a lovely fragrance.)

Finally, roast the chicken on a open flame to caramalize it…just few mins is enough.

I have used a steel mesh with a piece of foil and a few drops of oil.

To serve, cut the chicken , into slices at a slant to show the red and white contrast…

Enjoy with the spicy sambal dip.

Fusion Indian caramel flan

dessert, main meal, Uncategorized

Caramel, the name itself will get you imagining a beautiful golden river of sugar . Endless are the desserts which have caramel incorporated into them. Its a world wide favourite. Be it the salted caramel icecream or the luscious flans. Not to forget the alpenliebe caramel candy or the carmello cadbury chocolate both my favourites. Call this a flan, or a caramel custard , or a pudding, this dessert is always drool worthy.
Today’s recipe is my version of the caramel flan with a indian twist to it.

I have added cardamon and saffron with rose essence highlighting the pudding.
Recalling childhood days when we did not own an oven. Mummy made this pudding by steaming it . Of course she did not call it a flan, instead named it as bedhe ji pudding( egg pudding). And she always used cardamom as a flavoring . I never tried making this delicious pudding, only because either my mom or my sister always made this on my trips to India. This custard is also very popular in Parsi cuisine, called the lagna nu custard, normally served during weddings. The Parsi variation is more richly made. One of the best caramel custard pudding,I have ever eaten would be at the Dorabjee and sons Restaurant which is situated at dastur meher road , Pune. You can find the best authentic Parsi food here.
In recent years I have tried many receipes to get a good caramel flan, and this method is top rated in my diary.This flan be made by either baking it in an oven using a water bath, or by steaming it directly in a steamer.
Do try this recipe and relish it cold.

Ingredients
3 cups of full fat milk
200 ml condensed milk
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs( at room temperature)
1/2 tsp saffrons strands soaked in a little hot water
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp rose essence

Method
1. Boil milk and condensed milk together with the cardamom powder. Once it boils, shut the flame and keep aside. Cool completely.
2. To make the caramel, put 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a pan and heat on high heat untill sugar melts and starts browning .At this point lower the heat and allow the sugar to turn to a beautiful golden brown liquid. Try not to stir in between. Transfer this caramel to either one big oven proof dish or divide it into 2 dishes. Allow the caramel to cool.
3. Beat 4 eggs lightly and add to the cool milk mixture. Mix well and strain this mixture.
4. Add the saffron liquid and rose essence to the milk and egg mixture.
5. Pour into the caramelized bowls , cover the bowls with aluminium foil .
Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees celcius for 60 mins.
Cool completely before transferring to the fridge..

Overturn the caramel onto a serving platter at the time of serving.

Garnish with sliced almonds and pistas.

* For the water bath baking, I put the flan dishes in a baking tray and poured hot water into the tray , to come upto 1/4 level of the dishes.
Using this method, the flan does not dry up and retains its moisture.