Thursday, May 13, 2010

Apple Fritters


Fritters make wonderful tea time snacks! Banana fritters, sweet potato fritters, yam/taro fritters, tapioca/cassava fritters...these are all so easily available at many afternoon street stalls which is a common sight throughout Malaysia. But apple fritters? It's definitely not something I would think of or able to find at those afternoon fritter stalls here. Maybe because apples are not locally grown fruits and thus cost more. So when I saw this simple apple fritters recipe in my dessert book by Martha Day, I knew instantly it will be a hit! This recipe is also wonderful for me since I (as mentioned in one of my posts below) don't really enjoy eating apples as they are. Turning them into desserts or snacks seem like the perfect alternative . Coated with cinnamon sugar, the perfect perennial companion for apples, I assure you that these fritters make wonderful snacks that will delight you and your guests. It is so easy and quick to make too. So, be sure to make more if you have friends coming over! Brew some of that wonderful afternoon tea, and you're set to be the perfect host!


When I made these, I've forgotten to add baking powder in the batter as stated in the recipe. Take note of it if you plan to make some as the baking powder will make quite a difference - it'll give puff to the fritters.

Easy apple fritters recipe:
- 130g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- oil for deep frying
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2-3 large tart-sweet apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch round slices
- some icing sugar for dusting


Method:
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat in the milk and egg with a wire whisk.
- Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a plate. Toss the apple slices in the sugar mixture to coat all over.
- Dip the apple slices in the batter, using a fork or slotted spoon. Drain off excess batter. Fry in batches, until golden brown on both sides. Drain the fritters on kitchen paper.
- Sprinkle with some icing sugar and serve hot.


Have a great day!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Mushroom Braised Pork


There are several recipes for soy sauce braised pork as I'm aware. One of the authentic Nyonya recipes is 'bak tauyu', which doesn't use spices or condiments, but just light and dark soy sauces, and with a little bit of sugar. Potatoes can be added in for additional ingredient. I remember having 'bak tauyu' and rice as one of my regular meals during childhood.

Another version my late Mom used to cook is 'bak lor'. This version uses large pieces of pork belly braised in water, star anise, clove, cinnamon, light and dark soy sauce and sugar. The meat is braised until very tender and when the layers of fat have softened, giving a melt-in-your-mouth feeling. Then, the pork belly is cut to slices of about 1/2 inch thick and arranged on a plate. The thickened sweet black sauce is then poured over the pork belly slices and this is usually served with cucumber slices on the side and with home made chili sauce. If there's a heaven on earth, this must be it!!!

While 'bak tauyu' is more of a normal daily meal, 'bak lor' holds a higher 'status' in the Nyonya food hierarchy (if there is one) as it is often cooked during functions and celebrations like birthday dinners at home or on Chinese New Year days. Anyway, as cooking is always so versatile, I made braised pork as I like it - kind of combining the two versions. This goes very well with hot plain rice.



Ingredients:

- Cinnamon (about 2 inches long)
- 2 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 400g pork belly, cut into 1 inch-thick pieces
- 8 dried Chinese mushrooms (wash, then soak in some hot water for 30 minutes & cut in half if too large)
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 2 whole knobs of garlic, remove some of the papery outer layer skins, break the knobs in 2 large portions and wash clean
- 1 large piece of dried bean curd skin, wash and soak in water till softens, then tear into pieces
- 1 liter water
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce (or more or less according to preference for saltiness)
- 2 tbsps dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsps sugar

My cooking method is simple. Mix everything in a pot and cook under medium heat. Add some water from time to time if needed if the sauce dries up a bit. Cook until the meat and mushrooms are tender and finally, when the sauce has become thicker and lesser in volume, but not dried up (usually about 1-1.5 hours). Take a final taste and add a bit more sugar and soy sauce if necessary. The sauce should be a little sweet and salty, infused with the taste and smell of cinnamon, clove and star anise.


Cheers,