High Fidelity

Kuih Seri Muka

Kuih Seri Muka, originally uploaded by yongtze.

Kuih are colourful sweet "cakes" in Malaysia. However, the Malay concept of "cakes" is different from that of the Western one. They are most often steamed than baked, and thus very different in texture and flavour from Western cakes. Most common ingredients are glutinous rice, coconut cream, grated coconut, pandan (for flavouring) and gula melaka or palm sugar.

More interestingly, kuih are not necessarily served as dessert at the end of a meal. Instead, they are popularly served for breakfast and afternoon tea, or as snacks at anytime of the day.

Kuih Seri Muka is one of the most popular Nonya kuih in Malaysia. It is easily recognised by the top green custard layer and the bottom white-coloured glutinous rice layer. The top green layer is flavoured by pandan and should be sweet; whereas the bottom glutinous rice layer should has a tinge of saltiness to bring out the coconut flavour.

This was actually my first attempt to make kuih. It tasted all right but looked a bit ugly. The green custard layer is supposed to be smooth and flat - I shouldn't have steamed the custard over high heat.

White base layer:

• 300g glutinous rice
• 250ml thin coconut milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 pandan leaves

Top green layer:

• 4 eggs
• 150g sugar
• 400ml thick coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• half a tablespoons rice flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons pandan juice (or 2 teaspoons panda extract, the extract already contains green colouring)
• optional: green colouring

1. Wash and soak glutinous rice overnight or at least 4 hours. Drain and place rice in a 20cm square tray, top with pandan leaves and steam over high heat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the coconut milk with salt and sugar.

2.  Add the coconut milk mixture to the steamed rice, mix well and steam for another 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Once cooked, press the rice down to compact it. Keep warm.

3. While the rice is being steamed, prepare the green custard layer. Beat the eggs together with sugar and strain into a double boiler. Sift plain flour and rice flour into a big bowl, add coconut milk graduatlly and mix to a smooth batter. Add salt, pandan juice/panda extract, green colouring, if using, to the batter and mix well.

4. Strain the coconut mixture into the egg mixture, keep mixing them over a pot of gently steaming water. Be careful not to cook the egg or it will curdle. Keep warming up and mixing until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (similar to the ice-cream making).

5. Once ready, pour the green custard onto the steamed glutinous rice, cover and steam over low heat for about 20-25 minutes or until a small stick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the custard.

6. Cool the kuih for 2 hours or until completely cooled before cutting.

Fried mackerel with ginger, garlic, leek, and black bean sauce

Fried mackerel with ginger, garlic, leek, and black bean sauce, originally uploaded by yongtze.

This is a common way to cook fish in Malaysia. Everybody does it slightly differently and I like my mum's the most. But it's roughly like this: First you fry the fish (a cutlet, or whole fish if it is small). And you make a sauce that has ginger, garlic, yellow bean, fresh chilli, and a touch of soy sauce and a little bit of sugar and this sauce is then poured over the fish. It's nothing special but that's what I used to eat when I was a kid and to this day I can still remember the flavour.

I've always missed the flavour of this home-cooked dish and decided that I would try cooking today. I didn't have yellow bean at home so I replaced it with black bean and I added some sliced leek. Black bean is much saltier and strong than the yellow bean so if you using black bean you probably only need half of the amount of the yellow bean.

Serves 1:

• 2 small Mackerel, head cut off (you can also use big cutlets of fish)
• oil for pan-frying or deep-frying
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil for the sauce
• 20g ginger, sliced or chopped
• 20g garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon yellow bean paste
• 1 fresh red chilli, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon corn flour, dissolved in
• 2 tablespoons water
• Optional: 1 tablespoon sliced leek, white part only

1. Pan-fry or deep fry the fish over a medium heat to a light golden brown. Drain on paper towels then place on a serving plate. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a wok to fry the ginger, garlic, chilli, and, if using, leek for about 20-30 seconds. Add the bean paste and cook until fragrant.

3. Add the light soy sauce, sugar and water. Bring the sauce to boil before adding the corn flour mixture for thickening. Pour the sauce over the fried fish. Optional: garnish with more sliced chilli (We love chilli).