Pink Ribbon Cake – Day 30

Phew! A lot of emotions went into creating this Pink Ribbon Cake, my final entry for the Royal Selangor Pewter Jellyriffic Challenge . I feel both relieved that a 30-day kitchen marathon has ended and sad that I will no longer have the daily rush of meeting a deadline doing one of my favorite things. It will also be strange to not enjoy the morning ritual of excitingly checking out the amazing creations of my fellow Challenge participants. Most of all, I feel honored to have been given this unique experience by Royal Selangor Pewter that supports breast cancer awareness and welfare in its entity – proceeds from the sale of each Nick Munro jelly mould go to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA).

A friend asked me what I thought of the jelly mould after a month of using it. I did not hesitate to say, “You should buy it!” It truly is a versatile multi-purpose utensil that enhances the presentation of all dishes and makes ordinary looking desserts the centerpieces of all table settings. My list of 30 include 10 jellies and puddings, 7 savories, 3 cookies, 5 cakes, 2 kuihs, 2 breakfast items and 1 steamed bread but I still have ideas to do another 30 but not all in a month though. It was a different scenario at the beginning when jellies tumbled out in pieces, steamed cakes had wet batter and the shape of kuihs changed! Lots of laughs and some at my kitchen counter! Thankfully, it took only a few practice sessions before it was a breeze to use. The mould now has a permanent place in my collection for Royal Selangor Pewter wares.

Steamed Savory Glutinous Rice/Loh Mai Fun/Chu Bee P’ng - Day 29

Actually I have no plan to make this dish but quite a few of my readers suggested that I make loh mai kai it so after giving it some thoughts I decided to make something similar. I really appreciate all your suggestions. I am not sure if this is a typical Hokkien dish but my mom always serves this dish on special occasion especially during our family get together. We practically grew up eating this. Each time I cook this dish it makes me think of home. Being so far away from home this is sort of like a comfort food for me. I made this before and the original recipe is here but I am going to re-post it again with some minor change as I find the one I made before had too much dark soy sauce in it. So the dish does not look so appealing.

Cendol Pudding - Day 28

We are into day 28th of the Selangor Pewter Jellyriffic challenge. It is sad that it will be come to an end soon as I am growing very attached to my jelly moulds. Oh well, all good things must come to an end but for sure it won’t be the last time you see the moulds making an appearance in this blog. I am definitely going to use it again to make some of my dessert.

I like this traditional Malaysian style jelly a lot. I made this before something ago and you can get the recipe here . But for this challenge, I tried out the recipe from K.Nor of Secubit Garam . K.Nor is a great supporter of this challenge and never fails give me a lot of encouragement and ideas. Terima Kasih K.Nor. Do check out her blog as she has a lot of mouthwatering recipes there.

Milky Vanilla Bean and Strawberry Jelly - Day 27

This is by far one of my favorite among the rest of the jellies and pudding. I used Madagascar vanilla bean for the milky layer and fresh strawberries for the bottom layer. Who knows that vanilla and strawberry pair so well? The vanilla bean gives and very intense vanilla flavor and the fresh strawberries added a fantastic burst fresh taste to it. This dessert is absolutely divine for hot summer weather.

I made two of these and while snapping some pictures the phone rang and I went to answer it. Disaster strikes! The white boards fell on one of the jelly and just see what happen. I am left with one. Thank God I always make two just in case incident happens just like this one and I will always have a back up. All ends well :)

Lang Poon/Chilled Savory Salad - Day 26

I have no clue how to name this dish in English so I just name it Chilled Savory Salad. If anyone of you have suitable name for this dish please let me know and I will change it. Anyway, I remember during the 70’s and the 80’s this dish is very popular but I don't think they serve this dish anymore. They are basically meat and seafood arrange in a bowl and then pour gelatin mixture over and let it set overnight. Restaurant used to serve this during wedding banquet or Chinese New Year.

I have some problem making this dish. The gelatin just refused to set after 6 hours. Finally I have to pour the stock out of the mould and start all over again with the extra stock. I added more gelatin powder to it and it set properly this time. This is not the first time I encounter problems using gelatin powder. I threw out a few jellies as it refused to set properly. That is why I prefer to work with agar agar powder. Anyway, this is what I used for this cold dish. There are no specific ingredients here but you can basically put anything you like in this cold dish.

Bailey's Mocha Pudding - Day 25

Before going into the recipe I have an announcement to make. We will be moving back to California sometime in the month December or early January 2012 but this time it will be to San Francisco and not Southern CA. It will be a huge move again for us. This came really sudden and everything happens within the last 3 weeks.  Blogging will slow down a little bit, limited time visiting other bloggers and leaving comments until I am settling into the new place. I hope you all will understand. Hope that I am able to cope as Carlos will be in SF much earlier and will be back only during the move. Anyway, I will away for over a week as we decided to take a road trip to the West Coast and I already schedule the rest of the Royal Selangor Jellyriffic challenge posting up to day 30 as I am not sure if I will have internet access or not. Please continue to leave your comments here and I will try to reply them as soon as I can or whenever I have internet access. As for the result of the Giveaway, I will announce it on the first week of November.

Halloween Witch’s Hats - Day 24

Halloween is just around the corner, so I thought maybe I can create something for the occasion. The Jelly mould looks so much like the top part of the hat so I used them to make the hat. They are simple enough that your children can make them with you and decorate it whichever way they like it. This is my first time trying to make something with rice krispies and man, it is a challenge. It took me two days just to make these two hats and I suck at decorating it. It looks more like kids’ hats rather than witch hats. Anyway, I gave them to my friend kids and I hope they like it.

Nyonya Fried Noodles with Jicama and Pineapple Sambal - Day 23

My friend Shereen told me that almost all Peranakans/Nyonya will have a recipe like this in their family. The unique thing about these particular noodles is that it will be eaten with Sambal pineapple and cucumber. It is somewhat similar to a salsa albeit with a different taste and spiciness level. This noodle is usually eaten during happy occasion such as Chinese New Year, birthdays or family get together for a celebration. I replace the cucumber with jicama as I don’t have it in my fridge and I am too lazy to drive out just to get it.

Since the noodles and sambal were eaten together, I thought it will be a good idea to pile them up together into the jelly mould. The sweet and tangy taste of the sambal compliments the noodles really well. This is a very appetizing dish indeed. Thanks Shereen for sharing the recipes with us. I did some minor changes to the recipe to suit my taste and also the availabilities of ingredients in my fridge.

Blackberry with Coconut Juice Jelly - Day 22

I really like the look and taste of this jelly. They look really girly, isn’t it? A fresh coconut here cost around $3.00 each and I can’t bring myself to pay that kind of money so I just used the can coconut juice. I didn’t expect them to taste good but they do but of course it can’t be compare with the fresh one. I guess beggar can’t be chooser, right. By the way, that is blackberries but it turns red once it hit the warm agar agar mixture. You might notice in the 1st pictures that the jelly has an odd shape. Actually one of the jellies broke into half when I was unmolding it and I just cut it off and stack the other one on top of it. Thank God I made 2 of it so there is always a back-up.

Rainbow Steamed Cake - Day 21

I can't believe that we are into day 21 of the Royal Selangor Jellyriffic challenge. 9 more posting to go and I think most of us will have a huge sigh of relieve. This has to be the most hectic month for me because of this challenge and also some un-expected personal matters.

Now back to this cake. Does this cake remind you of the Red Indian Teepee ha ha..? The more I look at it the more it resembles a colorful teepee. This is actually my 2nd attempts making this cake. The first time it didn’t turn out well. The top and bottom part cake was cooked but not the middle. When I unmold it, it falls apart. I guess I didn’t steam them long enough. Those who knew me will know that I am not easily defeated. I mix the second batch of batter right away and this time I steamed it for 40 minutes and voila. Came out perfect!! This cake is pretty healthy as there is not butter or oil in it. Just a little bit of coconut milk.

Mandarin Orange No-Baked Cheesecake - Day 20

This is the first time I am making a no-baked cheesecake. Never done that before and you know why? It is because I need a lot of space in my fridge to let them set. You know my fridge is packed up to the door so I don’t have the space for it. Now you know the reason why ha ha… anyway, because of Jellyriffic challenge I will make space for it. I wanted to make something with cheese. Since I can’t bake a cheesecake, I don’t have a choice but to make a no-baked one. Verdict? We still prefer the baked ones. This just doesn’t have the wow factor but it looks good though :)

Pandan Kaya Cake - Day 19

This cake used to be so popular at one time. All the cake shops will be selling it. I remember this was one of the very first fancy decorated cakes I learned to make from my baking teacher. It is pandan sponge cake layered with pandan kaya/custard jelly. It has been many years since I last had this cake. So I decided to make this and I layered it with regular butter cake rather than making a sponge cake. I usually make two of the dessert with same amount of ingredients in the jelly moulds but one will usually comes out bigger than the other one. Weird isn't it :)

Carrot Juice and Soy Milk Jelly - Day 18

I just love the vibrant color of this jelly. Don’t you just want to eat it? If your kid is not a fan of carrots, make it into jelly. I am sure they just can’t resist this. Since I have a huge bag of carrots in my fridge I was thinking what I can do with it using the Jelly Mould. I can’t think of much except juicing it with my Jack LaLanne’s Power Juicer and make it into jelly. After all I love carrot juice and it should taste good to in jelly and I was right.

Spiral Shape Mantau-Day 17

I've been away for a few days so the previous posting were on schedule mode that is why I didn't reply to all your comments yet. Please give me some time and I will get to it soon. Anyway, I wanted to make bread of some kind with the Jelly mould but I can’t think of much other than doing something with Bao dough as I can steam it. This is what I can think of and they look pretty cute after steaming it. You can eat this steamed plain mantau with anything. It is sort of like mantau where you eat it with some stew meat. Actually this is the second time I am making this. The first time, I coiled the dough all the way down to the bottom of the mould and after steaming it they were huge! They look like a giant mantau. No very nice visually. So this time I made it smaller. Since I don’t have much time to prepare anything to eat it with, we just have this with some stir-fry chicken with jicama for our dinner.

Caramel Pudding - Day 16

This eggless caramel pudding tastes very much like flan but it is much lighter. I think I like this version better but Carlos prefer the eggy version. I can’t blame him as he grew up eating that type of flan that with Dulce De Leche.

How time flies. We into the 3rd week of the challenge. We have seen so many wonderful recipes and ways to use the Jelly mould created by the rest of the bloggers. Please do continue to support the Breast Cancer Awareness Month and if you are interested to purchase the Royal Selangor Pewter Jelly Mould designed by Nick Munro you can get it here . Proceeds from the sale of the jelly mould go towards the Breast Cancer Welfare Association in aid of their continuous efforts to raise awareness and support for breast cancer

Mixed Berry Smoothie - Day 15

I made this the night before and had it for breakfast. Since I have so many berries around, I just blend them up with some yogurt and freeze it. I actually had a tough time trying to keep the shape whole as it kept melting up on me. I have to snap the pictures real fast. Half way snapping I have to put them back into the freezer again. Just look at the last picture and see how fast it melts. I guess there are not much liquid in there except lots of blended fruits and a bit of yogurt. This is a great way to perk up your morning and healthy too.

Abok Abok Sago/Tapioca Pearls with Palm Sugar - Day 14

I wanted to make this kuih for the longest time but never get to do it. I always think they are very difficult to make because I have to use the banana leaves to make it into a cone casing and it is a daunting task as I’ve done that before for the Kuih Koci. Fear no more. Now I have these cone shape jelly moulds to use and they are just perfect for this kuih. The shape came out nicely.

This kuih is one of the easiest kuih to make actually. With just a few ingredients you will have perfect kuih for your afternoon tea.

Omurice/オムライス/ Rice Wrap in Omelet - Day 13

I feel like making something simple today without taking much effort. The easiest has to be fried rice with some leftover rice from two days ago. And how can I incorporate the Jelly Mould into this dish? Wrap the rice up with a cone shape omelet of course. There come the Omurice. Omurice is a Japanese word for "omelet and rice. The dish mainly consists of fried rice with whatever other ingredients you wish, wrapped in a thin sheet of fried omelets. Many restaurants serve the dish with white sauce, tomato based sauce or ketchup. Malaysia has a version of this rice too and it is called Nasi Goreng Pattaya .

Pulut Inti/Glutinous Rice with Coconut Sauce - Day 12

This is another version of Pulut Inti , Pulut is glutinous rice and inti means fillings. The rice is steamed with coconut milk and the brown filling is coconut cooked in palm sugar. I tinted some of rice blue with blue pea flower/bunga telang given to me by my friend Lesley. Instead of wrapping it in banana leaves I shape them with the Jelly mould and serve them in a bowl drizzle it with coconut sauce. This is one of Malaysian favorite tea time snacks or as dessert especially if you have guest over.

Watermelon Pudding - Day 11

No, there is no watermelon in this pudding. It is just the pudding looking like a watermelon :) This particular pudding has been floating around the local Malaysian blogs for some time now. Inspired by the beautiful results I tried creating it with the Jelly mould. It is a bit of work but I love the end results. The next time I make this again I will have to add a bit more sesame seeds to it.

Steamed Shrimp and Meat Patties - Day 10

Let’s make something savory today. After a few days of sweet dessert I decided to make these patties for our lunch. I basically used whatever I have in my fridge. This is a very versatile recipe as you can use any type of ingredients you like. It is quick to prepare and healthy too. Instead of steaming everything in a plate I steamed them individually with the Jelly moulds. If you don't have the moulds you can always use muffin pan or ramekins.

Blueberry Granola Yogurt Parfait - Day 9

Now who say you can’t have dessert for breakfast? I made this parfait over the weekend for our breakfast. Carlos thinks I was crazy serving him ice-cream ha ha..No it is something healthy. It has granola, fresh blueberries and yogurt in it. Guess what, he likes it a lot. So, if your kids are fussy about their breakfast, maybe you can prepare them this. I am sure they are going to like it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

2 slices whole wheat bread
8 oz plain yogurt
½ cup fresh blueberries
½ cup granola cluster
2 tbsp honey

Coconut Pomegranate Jelly- Day 8

We are 8th day into the Royal Selangor Jellyriffic challenge. This is the very 1st jelly I made with the moulds. On my very first tried, I completely destroyed the jelly when I tried to unmold it and I had to re-do again the very next day. The key to unmolding it is dip the mould in hot water for 15 seconds; run the butter knife along the side of the moulds before turning them out. For this Jelly I used pomegranate which is in season now. I just love them. Love the rich, ruby seeds and savoring the sweet juice when I pop them into my mouth. They make great dessert too.

Ingredients for coconut layers:

200 ml water
250 ml coconut milk
1 1/4 tsp agar agar powder
pinch of salt
3 tbsp sugar - more if you like it sweeter

No-baked Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies - Day 7

Now who say you can’t make cookies without an oven. This cookie is just perfect when you are desperately craving for something sweet and chocolaty but don’t have much time to bake. These no baked cookie has been around for years but I never make them until now. Carlos said these mounds of peanut buttery, chocolate goodness are addictive. He can’t stop eating it but I have to keep some away for the next day, if not he will finish all of it up :)

We are into the 7th day of the Royal Selangor Jellyriffic challenge and I am enjoying it a lot especially seeing everyone's wonderful creations. Who knows we can do so much with a mould.

Steamed Butter Caramel Cake with Dates - Day 6

I hardly steam any cakes as I prefer to bake them. My big steamer is at the basement as I find it too much hassle to take it out, clean it and then put it back again, but once a while it is nice to have something different from the usual oven-baked cakes. Actually I find steam cakes are moist and tender compared the bake ones and I should do it more often. Since the jelly mould is steam-proof I decided to make some steamed caramel cake. It is a bit like the Dates Pudding but instead of steam bakes this is steamed. It turns out really moist, delicious and a nice fragrant of the caramel. I am definitely going to make this again but a bigger one :)

Smoked Salmon Terrine - Day 5

Carlos and I celebrated our wedding anniversary last week and I prepared a special dinner for the both of us. I prepared this appetizer for the very special day. Many people like to add cream cheese with smoked salmon but I prefer using roasted peppers, green olives, hard boiled eggs etc. It gives the terrine a contrast of colors. So if you are having a party or celebration a special occasion, maybe you can prepare this as it only takes a few minutes to prepare but it will never fails to impress your guest.

A few days into the challenge and I am totally enjoying it. Tried out a couple jellies today and by now I am very comfortable using the Jelly moulds. No problem unmolding it :)