Sago & Salted Gula Melaka Syrup

Of Peranakan (Chinese-Malay) origin, this dessert of Sago, which is a STARCH extracted from tropical palms and its usually found in the form of round 'pearls' of which after it has been boiled, are translucent, soft, silky smooth & spongy paired with a flood of deep, rich, sweet & aromatic Gula Melaka Syrup. Gula melaka (also known as Palm Sugar) is made by first extracting the sap from the flower bud of a coconut tree.   The sap is then boiled until it thickens & caramelised after which, it is poured into bamboo tubes and left to solidify to form cylindrical cake blocks. The best Gula Melaka, in our opinion is from Malacca, where else? 

Here is the recipe which I got from Lyn Loh & her guidance via whatsapp one Selangor Public Holiday afternoon from her office ;)

Ingredients

Sago Pearls - mini size - 250 grams
Gula Melaka - 2 cylinder blocks
Brown Sugar/Molasses - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Coconut Cream - 1st extraction from 1 coconut (about 250ml)
Fresh Coconut shavings - 2-3 tbsp
Pandanus Leaves - 4
Water

Method - Sago

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
2. Sprinkle the dried Sago Pearls into the boiling water.
3. Add in a knot of pandan leaves.
4. Stir the pearls around as not to allow them to stick to the bottom of the pot.
5. The pot of water will turn starchy very soon, continue to stir for 10 mins.
6. You will notice that the outsides of the pearls will turn translucent as you stir and the opaque whites will become tinier and tinier towards the middle. 
7. At about the 10th minute mark, the pearls will only have tiny white specks in the middle.
8. Pour in a cup of room temperature water into the pot and turn off the heat immediately.
9. Cover the pot and allow to stand for another 10 minutes.
10. After 10 minutes standing time, most of the white specks would have faded away.
11. Sieve the pearls out from the pot and wash the excess starch with cold running water. Give it several washes until the pearls are no longer as sticky Running through them with your hands will feel like thousands of tiny smooth individual pearls waiting to be popped.
12. Add in 2-3 tbsp of freshly shaved/grated coconut flesh. Mix them together. This is to add a different texture/dimension/sensation to the bite. Omit if you do not like the crunch.
13. Wet your moulds and pack in the gleaming sago pearls and coconut bits.
14. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Method - Gula Melaka Syrup

1. Shave 2 cylinder blocks of Gula Melaka.
2. Into a pot, add shaved Gula Melaka, brown sugar/molasses, salt & 2-3 tsp of water & a knot of pandan leaves.
3. Melt the sugar in low heat, keep a watchful eye over the pot so as not to burn the precious sugars!
4. Once the sugars have melted, slowly pour in the coconut cream and immediately turn off the heat.
5. Stir the syrup and allow to cool.
6. Once cooled, the syrup will thicken.

Ribbon the thick GM Syrup over the bland cold sago & magically turn the pudding into a wonderous addiction that will send anyone on a first class ticket to heaven!

Photos :-

Kuang Chiang Master Class

What in the world is Kuang Chiang?

This Teochew delicacy is rarely sold commercially. Many non Teochews and younger generation Teochews are not aware of this yummy vegetarian existence.  This is a humble snack made up of freshly shredded root vegetables like Taro (yam), yam bean (seng kuang), radish, carrot and groundnuts wrapped in bean curd skin steamed and fried to perfection! Dipped with the savoury Kampong Koh Chili Sauce is the best combination.

With MasterChef May Yee

 Stuffing Ingredients (in ratio) 

Taro (Yam) - 1

Yam bean (Seng Kuang) - 1

Radish - 1

Carrot - 0.5

Groundnuts (toasted) - 0.2 (or more if you wish)

Tips

• To know if Taro is the starchy kind, cut into taro & the blade of knife will yield a powdery film
• Small & Slim Radishes are the most fragrant. Buy local varieties
  
  

 Seasonings 

Salt, Sugar, White Pepper, Five Spice Power - to taste

Sesame Oil (a dash for fragrance), Groundnut Oil (for smoothness to entire stuffing) & Dark Soy Sauce for colour

 Binders (Ratio) 

Rice Flour - 1

Corn Flour - 1

Plain Flour - 2

 Others  

Wrapper - Dried Bean Curd Sheet (preferably non salted version)

Tool - Sushi Bamboo Roller

Edible Glue - Flour + Water

 Method - Stuffing 

1. Shred all the root vegetables with box grater. Ensure the shreds are uniform and preferable approx 2 inches in length. Too short will be turned into mash.
2. Combine all shredded vegetables and add in some salt. Mix and let sit for 15 minutes. This step is to draw excess moisture from the vegetables. We do not want soggy Kuang Chiang.
3. After 15 minutes, you will notice quite a substantial amount of liquid at the bottom of the vessel, continue to squeeze out as much liquid from the vegetables and transfer to another vessel. Best to use a muslin cloth.
4. To the squeezed vegetables, add in the toasted groundnuts, seasonings and binders.
5. Mix all the ingredients evenly with seasonings and binders. Do a taste test and adjust accordingly.
6. Leave to stand for a few minutes to rest.
   
   

 Method - Wrapping 

1. You can wrap small & delicate Kuang Chiangs like we did or you can go for giant sizes.
2. Wrap them like how you would roll a spring roll on diagonal side or lengthwise (we did lengthwise)
3. Seal the edges with a glue made out of flour & water (thick consistency please)
4. It is important to wrap the rolls TIGHTLY but do not have to use too much muscles otherwise you will smashed the roll. Loose rolls will result in stuffing falling apart when fried.
   
   

 Method - Cooking 

1. Steam the rolls for about 10 mins.
2. Allow the rolls to cool at room temperature.
3. Its best to chill the rolls for a few hours to allow it to 'set'
4. Cut to bite size pieces - 1 inch diagonally
5. Heat pan & fill with 1/2 inch oil, once oil is warm (not smoking), pan fry the pieces till golden brown, fragrant & with a nice crunch.
6. Drain excess oil, allow to cool slightly and serve with a good chili sauce!      

 Photos 

Step By Step Guide:

  

Hakka Yong Tau Foo Master Class

The Making of Hakka Yong Tau Foo (YTF)

Delicious Home Made Hakka YTF

By MasterChef Aunty May Yee

The day has come where Lyn & I dutifully reported ourselves on the dot at Aunty May Yee's house, all geared up to absorb the teachings of a Masterchef. There will be no measurements and we will post to our best abilities based on our experiences and tips & hints dropped by the Master.

 Ingredients 

• Minced pork - 1 kilo
• Whole Tenggiri - about 1 kilo
• Fried Mui Heong Salted Fish - as much or as little as you wish (remove bones and crumble)
• Chinese Shitake Mushroom - as much or as little as you wish (soaked & diced finely)
• Water - about 2 cups
• Salt - about 6 tsp
• Sugar - about 3 tsp
• White Pepper - large dash
• Sesame Oil - about 3 tsp
• Shiao Hsing Rice wine - a dash
• Corn Flour - about 2 tbsp
• Dark Soy Sauce for colouring

 Method for the stuffing 

1. Only the species of Tenggiri without STRIPES but with 'Mui Fah' Spots makes best fish paste.
• Get fishmonger to fillet the fish
• Scrape the meat off the skin gently with a spoon. Its easily removed
• There is no need to chop the hell out of the meat, just squish it with hands will be good enough
• Add a couple tsp of salt and 1 cup of water and squish the fish meat to form into paste
2. Add minced meat to fish paste and continue squishing with hand.
• Add more water once paste feels slightly hard, you will need to add water bit by bit. You will need to add in close to about 2 cups of water
• Add the rest of the seasonings
• You will need to squish the paste till you feel the bounce. Take a small handful of paste and if you are able to see the bounce when you throw the handful of paste back to the rest, you are set! It is quite a workout as the paste will tend to go hard as you squish, keep adding water little by little until you reach a gluey consistency ('hei gau') 
• Taste and adjust seasonings
3. Leave to stand for a while while you prepare the ingredients to be stuffed.

 Ingredients for Superior Stock 

• Large Pork Bone
• Pork Ribs
• Tenggiri Bones, Skin & Head

Boil the above together to make a stock for later use. Season to taste.

 Ingredients to be stuffed 

We prepared several favourites of ours : Soft TF, TF Pok, Brinjals, Bittergourds, Chilies & Ladies Fingers. Some tips we got:

1. Cut TF lengthwise and make slits with a chopstick. Do not use knife as we need the rough edge at slits to hold the stuffings better
2. Pre - blanch the bittergourd disks in order for even cooking time
3. Slit Brinjals at the sides for easier stuffing 
4. Tear the TF Pok instead of cutting it as the rough edge hold the stuffings better.

 Method - cooking stuffed YTF 

1. Pan Fry all the stuffed items
2. Arrange them in a deep serving vessel
3. Add prepared superior stock 3/4 way full
4. Arrange some dried beancurd on top
5. Steam for about 5-8 minutes
6. Sprinkle lots of spring onions and coriander and steam for another 2 minutes
7. Serve!

 

Crumbled Mui Heong Salted Fish

Tenggiri without stripes

Scrapping the Tenggiri

Ready to be stuffed

Ready to be steamed after panfried