STEAMED PUMPKIN HUAT KUIH

I love to try smiling steamed cake [huat kuih] recipes and I expect the huat kuihs must 'smile' beautifully.  They have to remain soft and moist when cooled.

Sometimes, they smiled but turned tough upon cooling.  To me, they aren't good.  

This is one of the many attempts which I made and is happy of the outcome.  They satisfied the criteria of a good huat kuih cos' they are soft, moist, fluffy, cracked nicely and remains soft when cooled.  It tasted good and the sweetness is just nice.  

These huat kuihs are good on its own or serve with fresh grated white coconut mixed with a pinch of salt.

Recipe adapted from Fion [Xuanhommama] with modifications. For the original recipe, please check it out at Fion's blog site.

Ingredients

[makes 10 huat kuihs]

60 gm pumpkin puree

200 gm rice flour - sifted with baking powder

3/4 tsp baking powder

1.5 tbsp castor sugar

130 ml milk/water

3/4 tsp Eno salt

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a big bowl.
2. Gradually add in the milk/water and stir with a hand whisk until well combined [free of lumps].  Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Bring water to boil in a steamer.  Line plastic steaming cups with paper cupcases.
4. Add Eno salt to batter and lightly still till well mixed.
5. Spoon batter into paper case until the rim and steam over high heat for 15 minutes.
6. Remove, serve immediately.  These huat kuihs will be soft and moist after reheating.
   
   

   

   
   How not to feel good and happy looking at these smiling steamed cakes?

PANDAN HUAT KUIH [STEAMED SMILING CAKE]

No idea why the sudden urge to cook and bake food with pandan [screwpine leaves] flavour.  Perhaps, it is because I have in hand a cookbook 'In Love With Pandan'.  All recipes in the book uses pandan for flavour. This recipe is one of the first which I tried.

These smiling kuihs are lovely, very fragrant cos' of the pandan juice and the sweetness is just nice.  The texture is good, soft and moist even on the next day.   This recipe is a keeper.
BTW, no artificial colouring is used in this kuih yet the colour is bright green and remains the same even on the next day. Quite similar to my earlier recipe here but slightly different, a healthier version with less sugar and using corn oil.  The end result of the kuih is as good.

Recipe adapted from my selected Cookbook for Cookbook Countdown Event#4 - Ricky Ng's book 'In Love with Pandan' [modified]

Ingredients

[makes 12 cupcakes]

250 gm self raising flour -sifted with baking powder

1/2 tsp baking powder 

130 gm castor sugar

200 - 220 ml pandan juice [I used 200 ml]

8 pandan leaves - washed and knotted

1 egg - lightly beaten

45 ml corn oil

*Pandan Juice [blend 8 blades of pandan leaves with 200 ml water]

1. Prepare pandan juice and strain to obtain 200-220 ml. Add in sugar and whisk until sugar dissolved.
2. Lightly beat the egg and add in to sugar mixture, continue to whisk until well mixed.  Drizzle in corn oil.  Mix well.
3. Sieve flour and baking powder into sugar mixture.  fold well to combine.  Batter is of thick consistency but manageable. 
4. Scoop batter into a baking tray lined with paper cases until 95% full or to the rim in one go.
5. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes or until skewer  when inserted comes out clean.  Remove to cool or serve immediately.
   
   
   

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

SMILING STEAMED ORANGE HUAT KUIH

 This smiling steamed cake 'Huat Kuih' recipe is a slightly modified version of Aunty Young's recipe.  I used fresh orange juice instead of water and orange paste.

The preparation is easy with just a few ingredients and this is without eggs.  I am very happy with the results especially when I saw the cake smiling so beautifully when I uncover the steamer.  So lovely.  The huat kuih is moist and fluffy when warm, so it is advisable to serve them right after steaming or warm if you like fluffy, moist steamed cakes.
Chinese All Souls Day is coming soon, so these Huat Kuihs will be good for 'Pai Pai' if you can offering prayers to your ancestors.

Recipe adapted from Aunty Young's Orange Huat Kuih Recipe with modifications

Ingredients

[makes 11-12 cupcakes]
160 gm cake flour [I used low protein flour]
40 gm rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
160 ml orange juice [original uses water + orange paste]

130 gm castor sugar [I used 110 gm]

1. Stir sugar in orange juice until dissolves.
2. Sieve flours and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
3. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients, mix lightly into a smooth batter.
4. Bring water to boil in a steamer.  Line moulds with paper cases.  Scoop the batter into paper cases almost to the rim.
5. Steam over high heat for 15-20 minutes [only steam cakes when water is boiling, do not open lid of steamer during the steaming process].
6. Off heat, remove huat kuihs to cool on rack or serve warm.

PURPLE SWEET POTATO RICE CAKE [HUAT KUIH] 紫薯发糕

I have seen this lovely huat kuih recipe [prosperity cake] [here] and made some recently.  

The steamed cake rose and cracked nicely.  They are soft, moist and light even on the next day.  The sweetness is just nice for me with the reduced amount of sugar used.

If you like to try a huat kuih recipe using yeast, this one is easy to prepare.

Recipe adapted from Amiliaya Recipe [modified]

Ingredients

[makes about 20 small huat kuihs]

50 gm purple sweet potato [ 紫薯]

210 ml water [水]

180 gm rice flour [粘米粉]

75 gm sugar [糖] - I used 60 gm

1 tsp yeast [酵母]

1 tsp baking powder [ 泡打粉]

1. Steam purple sweet potatoes until soft [about 20-30 minutes].  Blend steamed sweet potatoes with water.  Pour into a big mixing bowl.
2. Mix and combine blended mixture with rice flour, sugar and yeast.  Cover bowl and let it rise for about 2 1/2 hours.
3. After resting for 2 1/2 hours, add in baking powder and mix well.  Let it rise for another 30 minutes.
4. Stir then pour into paper cups or greased moulds until the rim.  
5. Steam over high heat for 15 minutes.
   
   
   

Click here for more Huat Kuih Recipes

This post is linked to Cook and Celebrate: Chinese New Year 2016 hosted by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe

and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids

 

THE PROSPERITY KUIH [BROWN SUGAR HUAT KUIH]

I was so happy when I removed the cover of the steamer after 20 minutes of steaming the cake.  Why so happy?  Oh,  definitely it is because I had 9 pieces of ‘smiling’ huat kuih in front of me.  All 9 turned out well, the cracks were lovely and nice colour too.

These huat kuihs are moist and the sweetness is acceptable to me.  Great for giveaways too as it is a symbol of  ‘GOOD LUCK’ and ‘HUAT AH!’  hehehe!.   Moreover,  the ingredients required are just a few  and the preparation is quick and easy, about 15 minutes.  I used the brown sugar bought at Tesco store.  It gives a more intense colour than the packet brown sugar.

Do try making these if you wish to have some ‘Huat Kuihs’ as offering items for prayers.  Sure much more economical to make some instead of buying from the stalls.

The original recipe is half of this portion below.

Recipe adapted from Eating Pleasure - Little Inbox Recipe 

Ingredients

[makes 9 pieces in cupcake liners]

260 gm self raising flour – sifted

70 gm brown sugar

70 gm white sugar

50 ml coconut cream [I dissolved 3 tbsp coconut milk powder with 50 ml water]

200 ml hot water

1. Prepare a steamer with water boiling.
2. Dissolve both sugars in hot water.
3. Sieve flour into a big mixing bowl.  Mix in the coconut cream, then strain in the syrup gradually.  Stirring slowly into a gluey batter.
4. Line a baking tray with paper cases.  Fill in the batter to the rim.  Steam over medium high heat for 20 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
   

This post is linked to Cook and Celebrate: Chinese New Year 2016 hosted by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe

and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids