Browsing Tag

Fusion

Stuffed Tempura Courgette Flowers with Chilli Sauce

Stuffing Courgette Flowers with Feta

It’s peak season for courgettes right now, so I’ve been thinking of recipes to make with them. I have come across traditional Italian recipes using courgette flowers, but I thought I could also prepare them the Asian way, like stuffed and deep fried tempura courgette flowers paired with my classic chilli soy sauce dip. In Asia, fried foods are never far from our palate; most Malaysians would be familiar with fried foods like banana fritters (pisang goreng) and deep fried dumplings (wontons) because we grew up eating them. I love perfectly-airy, crispy and non-greasy tempura. I think the best ones I’ve eaten are from a Japanese-owned yakitori bar in my neighbourhood. Their deep-fried vegetable skewers are naturally sweet, light and crisp, dipped into piquant dashi sauce. What is your favourite way to eat tempura? Also, in tempura making, freshness is everything. You can make it with a wide variety of ingredients like seafood, mushrooms and seasonal root vegetables with low water content so they hold the batter well when deep fried. Namiko from Just One Cookbook has some great tips here!

I filled the squash (courgette) blossoms with feta cheese, minced garlic and mint leaves mixed with some olive oil for flavour. Then I coat them lightly in cake flour so the tempura batter will adhere to it. Just before deep frying, I make the batter with all purpose flour, ice water and eggs in an ice-cold bowl, then whisk it with chopsticks for 15-20 seconds so there was still some floury lumps left, sort of like heavy cream. I find that when you don’t overmix the batter, less gluten forms so the tempura will have a light, lacy layer. I took abit of time stuffing the flowers, so I returned the mixing bowl with the batter into the fridge to stop the gluten process. It’s always better to keep it cold so when you deep fry later, the batter clings nicely to the courgette blossoms. 

When they were ready, I heat up my Dutch oven with 3-5 cm of sesame oil. I waited until the temperature reached 160 C, lightly dipped the blossoms into my tempura batter, then it goes into the oil. The aroma of fried tempura was really wonderful while it was sizzling in the pot of oil. I cracked some salt and pepper on it. I didn’t have any dashi soup stock or mirin in my kitchen so we are going to have it with our favourite dipping sauce made with chopped chillies, chives, minced garlic and soy sauce. 

Tempura Courgette Blossoms in a Pan

Tempura Stuffed Courgette Flowers with Chilli Soy Sauce Dip

These stuffed courgette (zucchini) flowers deep fried in tempura batter make the yummiest snack any time of the day! Have them straight off the dish with your favourite dipping sauce or paired with rice or noodles. Just don't leave them to sit for too long in room temperature or they'll turn mushy. I've listed the ingredients for my classic Malaysian-Chinese style chilli soy sauce dip below (you only need four ingredients to make it), and I really hope you'll give it a try.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine East Asia, Fusion, Japanese
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 325 g olive oil
  • 100 g feta cheese crumbled to tiny pieces
  • 12 pieces courgette (zucchini) flowers washed, stems removed
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • A handful mint leaves finely chopped
  • salt and black pepper to taste

For The Tempura Batter

  • 120 g cake flour sifted
  • 120 g all purpose flour sifted
  • 3-5 cm sesame oil in an empty wok or deep frying pan
  • 1 large mixing bowl keep refrigerated (I normally use metal bowls to keep chilled)
  • 1 large egg
  • 227 g ice cold water (keep it refrigerated when not in use)
  • ice cubes for chilling the water

For The Tempura Sauce

  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 3 pieces bird's eye chillies finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 stalks chives finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Gather the ingredients. Crack the egg into a clean bowl (which has been kept refrigerated) and gently beat with a fork until the yolk and egg whites are barely incorporated.
  • Combine the water and ice cubes in a cup. Give it a quick swirl with a spoon. Strain the water (you should have one cup or 227g of ice cold water), leaving out the ice cubes. Now add just the ice water to the bowl with the beaten egg.
  • Sift the all purpose flour and add it to the bowl with the egg and water mixture. Combine it gently with a pair of chopsticks. Take care not to overmix the batter so there are still some floury lumps left. Return the bowl of tempura batter to the fridge and keep refrigerated until ready to deep fry your courgette flowers.
  • Prepare the stuffing. Combine the feta, garlic, olive oil and mint leaves in a bowl. Gently open the courgette flowers and fill each blossom with a teaspoon of the stuffing. Give the petals a gentle twist to seal it so they don't open during the cooking process.
  • Fill a wok with 3-5cm of sesame oil and turn on the heat. A second before the oil temperature reaches 180C on a cooking thermometer, coat your courgette flowers in cake flour so the batter will adhere to it, then lightly dip it into the tempura batter. Note that too much batter results in crispy exterior and mushy interior. Next, immediately place the flowers into the pot of oil to cook.
  • Deep fry the flowers until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Occasionally turn the flowers so all sides are browned. Fry them in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the pot as the oil temperature will drop quickly. While frying, keep your eye on the thermometer and ensure the temperature stays between 160C (320F) and 182C (360F). Any higher than 182C will make the tempura flowers too crispy; any lower than 160C and the tempura will absorb too much oil and won't get crispy.
  • While you're frying between batches, scoop up the excess crumbs in the oil which will burn and turn the oil darker if left in the pot for too long.
  • Once done, place the tempura on a plate lined with kitchen towel or parchment paper to absorb the excess oil. Crack some pepper on it and season with salt.
  • Prepare the tempura dipping sauce. If you'd like to make a tempura dipping sauce with dashi soup stock and mirin, Namiko from Just One Cookbook has a nice recipe for it (I have linked to her website here below!). Enjoy your tempura on the spot while it's hot and crispy!
Keyword Courgette Flowers, Feta, Fried Foods, Seasonal Vegetables, Stuffed Zucchini, Tempura, Zucchini Flowers

If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram.  

Coating Stuffed Courgette Flowers in Cake Flour Before Deep Frying
Tempura Courgette Blossoms in a Pan

Five Spice and Orange Bundt Cake with Pistachio Glaze

I don’t bake cakes often. But when I do, it’s something our family would enjoy. Like this light and moist five spice and orange bundt cake with sweet pistachio glaze. I always reach for the flavours of my ancestral cuisines in my cooking/baking. So when I developed this five spice and orange bundt cake, I wanted to use certain ingredients that are close to home, like five spice and oranges. It also has dried longan, a local Malaysian tropical fruit that is in the same family as lychees and rambutans. In Chinese food culture, we use dried longan in tonic soups together with red dates and goji berries. We believe it to replenish and improve blood circulation. But I find they go well with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg in baked goods.

Five Spice Orange Bundt Cake with Pistachio Glaze

Five Spice And Orange Bundt Cake with Pistachio Glaze

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
This bundt cake is light, moist and refreshing. Every bite has tiny candied orange peels! I used oil instead of butter so the cake has a tender crumb. It's perfect for afternoon tea or coffee. I'm a huge fan of Nordic Ware bundt tins, and I made this cake in their Heritage bundt tin!
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Course Breakfast, Coffee, Dessert, Tea
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 10 slices

Equipment

  • 1 x 10-cup (2.5 litre capacity) bundt tin or 1 x 20cm/8-inch square cake tin about 2¼-inches deep

Ingredients
  

For the candied orange peel:

  • Peel of 1 large orange
  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 8 cups water

For the cake:

Dry ingredients:-

  • 300 g cake flour sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • A pinch of salt
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg grated
  • 2 1/2 tsp five spice powder only use cinnamon, cloves, fennel and star anise
  • 100 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup dried longan finely chopped

Wet ingredients:-

  • 175 ml vegetable oil, like sunflower oil room temperature
  • 3 eggs room temperature
  • 200 ml fresh orange juice room temperature

For the pistachio glaze:

  • 102 g whole milk
  • 26 g pistachios shelled, skins removed and chopped
  • 94 g icing sugar sifted

For garnishing:

  • crushed pistachios
  • cape gooseberries
  • orange slices

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your pistachios ahead of time. Tori Avey has some great tips on how to peel pistachios (click on the link below). If you bought unsalted/unroasted pistachios, you can roast them in the oven to boost their flavour.
  • Peel 1 orange, then cut the peel into strips. Transfer to a pot, add 3 cups of water and boil the orange peel for 6-7 minutes. Discard the water and rinse the peel. Repeat the process one more time. 
  • In a pan, add 2 cups water and 1/4 cup sugar. Mix well and let it boil till the sugar gets dissolved completely. Add the boiled peels to this mixture and cook for 25-30 minutes on medium flame till there is almost no more water left in the pan. The peels should be nicely coated in thick sugar syrup. 
  • Spread the candied peels on a cooling rack with a tray at the bottom to allow excess sugar syrup drip. When the peels have cooled down, cut them into smaller pieces and set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease your bundt tin with non-stick cooking spray/butter/oil.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, five spice powder, salt and orange zest in a mixing bowl. 
  • In a separate bowl, measure the wet ingredients: prepare the oil, then crack in the eggs (one at a time). Beat for 2 minutes until well combined. Gently pour in the orange juice then stir well. 
  • In a bowl attached to your cake mixer, beat 50g brown sugar and 100g of the earlier dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, five spice, salt and orange zest) for 1 minute on medium speed until just combined. 
  • Gently trickle 1/4 cup of the wet ingredients mixture down the side of the mixing bowl into the batter, with the mixer on medium speed for 12 seconds until just incorporated. 
  • Repeat, adding the remaining sugar and dry and wet ingredients alternately for 12 seconds on low speed until just combined. Do not over-mix. Take your time, pausing the mixer in between each addition of dry and wet ingredients, otherwise you may end up with dense, gluey streaks in the middle of your cake due to rapid gluten formation. 
  • Finally, gently fold in the dried longan and candied orange peel and mix for 1 minute on medium speed until just incorporated. 
  • Pour the batter into your cake tin (it will be quite runny, but don’t worry). Tap the tin gently on your kitchen counter to burst any air bubbles. 
  • Place in the oven to bake for 45-50 minutes. When the cake is baked, it will come away from the sides of the tin and a cake tester should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 
  • To make the pistachio glaze, combine milk and pistachios in a saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes on low fire, stirring from time to time. Remove from heat, cover and allow mixture to steep for 1 hour. Strain nuts from milk and discard. 
  • Measure icing sugar, then stir it into the milk a few tablespoons at a time. Stir well until mixture is smooth. Pour glaze over cooled cake. 

Notes

Storage tips:
Wrap the cake loosely in parchment paper and foil, then transfer to an airtight container. It can be kept in cool room temperature up to 1 week.
If you're planning to freeze it, let the cake cool, then wrap it tightly in double layers of clingfilm and a layer of foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, unwrap and place on a wire rack and leave at room temperature for about 5 hours, then you can reheat it or simply enjoy it on its own. 
Keyword Bundt Cake, Coffee, Dessert, Five Spice Cake, Orange Cake, Pistachio Glaze

If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!

Soft and Moist Coconut Rolls (Chinese Bakery Style)

When I was a kid, these buns were my favourite take-home snack after school. They cost me less than one ringgit. Soft and pillowy, they were sold in vacuum-packed plastic, and always came in four pulled-apart buns. I get a little thrill all the time, when teasing apart these golden puffy pillows of deliciousness. I’d line up to buy a packet during recess from the vendor at my school canteen, then store it in my bag so I could enjoy them right after the last school bell rang. The packets are easy to pry open, and once I’ve gained access to the rolls, I’d tear them in half, and another half again before I gobble them up so I could get a little bit of the butter coconut filling and bread in each bite. These rolls also substituted as breakfast on days when I wanted a break from my mother’s oats and milk. I’ve attempted to replicate these buns at home and after a bit of experimentation, I can safely say this recipe is good to go. I live in Kuala Lumpur where it’s hot and humid so I usually make just enough for three days. I used a milk bread recipe as a base and let it rise in the fridge overnight to develop flavour. The dough base is versatile, as you can use it to wrap your preferred sweet or savoury filling (just make sure it can hold its shape at room temperature). My favourite bun fillings include dessicated coconut, coconut jam (kaya), red bean/black sesame/lotus seed pastes and potato curry.  

Soft and Moist Coconut Rolls (Chinese Bakery Style)

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
Here's a recipe for these sweet bread buns with melt-in-your-mouth butter coconut filling. I used a milk bread recipe as a base. The dough base is versatile, as you can use it to wrap your preferred sweet or savoury filling (just make sure it can hold its shape at room temperature). My favourite bun fillings include dessicated coconut, coconut jam (kaya), red bean/black sesame/lotus seed pastes and potato curry. Feel free to adjust the servings—they can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled to make large batches. You can always bake ahead then wrap them individually and freeze for up to 3 months. In room temperature, store them well in airtight containers for up to three days.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 14 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 15 hours
Course Breakfast, Snack, Tea
Cuisine Chinese, Fusion, Malaysian
Servings 18 rolls

Ingredients
  

For the buns

  • 290 g bread flour sifted
  • 40 g cake flour sifted
  • 6 g instant yeast if you're using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, you may need to activate the yeast first. See my Notes below on how to proof your yeast
  • 240 g cold milk
  • 28 g granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • edible flowers for garnishing (I pressed them a day in advance)

For the coconut filling

  • 2 egg yolks room temperature
  • 45 g granulated sugar
  • 35 g salted butter room temperature
  • 58 g dessicated coconut extra, for garnishing

For the sugar syrup glaze

  • 2 tbsp golden syrup
  • 2-3 tbsp hot water

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, add egg yolks, salted butter, sugar and dessicated coconut. Combine gently with a spatula, then using your hands, knead them until fully incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use. 
  • Combine bread flour, cake flour, instant yeast, and sugar in a bowl and whisk. If you’re using active dry yeast and have already proofed the yeast in warm milk and sugar, you can just add this to a mixing bowl, together with the remaining quantity of milk and sugar (see Notes at the bottom).
  • Transfer to an electric stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Add cold milk little by little as you knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add oil and continue to knead for another 3 minutes until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour ¼ cup at a time until the dough comes together. By this time, the dough should already come together nicely into sort of a round ball and feel soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch. Do the “windowpane” test (see my Notes below).
  • Lightly grease a container or large bowl with butter or non-stick cooking spray, and place the kneaded dough in the container. Cover with a clean cloth then refrigerate. Allow the dough to rise overnight in the fridge for 12 hours. It will rise to 1.5x its original size.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Flour a work surface and your hands with a small amount of flour, then lightly punch down the dough and knead it with your hands for 3 minutes into a small oblong roll, making sure to tuck in the sides towards the bottom as you go along. Divide into half, then each half equally into 18 pieces of dough balls (35g each). Add 1 tbsp filling then pinch to seal and shape into ball.
  • Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan or on a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or lightly greased. Space the rolls about 1/2- to 1-inch apart or if you like, 3-4 inches apart (depending on the size of your baking pan) to give them ample room to rise and expand.
  • Insert a tray filled with hot boiling water at lowest rung of the oven. Cover the rolls with a lightly greased plastic wrap, making sure it's not pinned under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down. 
  • Place baking tray inside the oven, close the oven door and allow bread dough to rise for 45 minutes - 1 hour until double or triple in size. Then remove from oven. 
  • Preheat oven to 150 C. Prepare sugar syrup glaze. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes until golden brown. Halfway through (15 minutes), remove tray from oven, brush the crust with sugar syrup, add edible flowers and dessicated coconut then bake for another 15 minutes. Once done, remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and brush the crust again with sugar syrup for a nice shine. 

Notes

How to perform the windowpane test:
Grease your fingers with a little oil. Pinch a tiny amount of dough the size of a ping pong ball with your fingers. Hold the dough between your two thumbs on the top and gently tease and stretch the dough until you get a thin, translucent membrane. It might leave some sticky residue on your fingers, but if you can roll it into a smooth ball without it sticking to your hands in a shaggy mess, you have a perfectly floured dough. However if it tears easily while you try to stretch it, it means the gluten (protein in the flour) isn’t developed enough. Just stick it back with the rest in the mixer, and knead for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat until you get the ‘windowpane’.
How to tell if your active dry yeast is working:
Check proof your yeast to find out if it’s still active. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast to 1/4 cup of warm water. Wait for 10 minutes. If the mixture bubbles and develops a yeasty aroma, the yeast is still good. 
Keyword Bread, Chinese Bakery, Coconut Buns, Coconut Rolls

If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!

Eggless Pandan Kaya Butter Bundt Cake

I have been craving cake these days, not quite sure if it’s due to work stress, anxiety or something else. I don’t know, do you bake when you are stressed? I’ve never thought I’d derive immense pleasure from sifting flour and whisking egg whites. It’s a nice kind of rush when the very act of baking forces you to focus and put your consciousness in the present. Somehow, the routine, mundane act of preheating the oven, measuring ingredients and following recipes makes for a good distraction away from the phone and computer. I want to be in control again, so I allow my sense of smell, touch, taste and sight to take over just in this precious sacred space of an hour and a half. And towards the end, when the oven door opens to envelope you in a warm hug, you’re rewarded with something so tangible, you feel like you’ve carried a child inside you for nine whole months and that child is now fully baked and ready to come out and meet you.

Here’s a recipe for an easy eggless Bundt cake you can make for yourself this week.

Eggless Pandan Kaya Butter Bundt Cake

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
If you're craving an airy, moist and eggless cake, this pandan kaya butter Bundt cake is super easy to make. Why pandan kaya? Because I'm Malaysian, and we're obsessed with pandan and kaya (a type of coconut jam)! And you know what's even better? It's got mocha buttercream frosting! I'm not a fan of heavy, rich and cloyingly sweet frosting, so you're in luck because I definitely toned down the amount of icing sugar I used for this recipe.
If you're vegan, you can replace butter with coconut oil, and whole milk or yoghurt with non-dairy milk like soy or almond milk.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Tea
Cuisine Fusion, Malaysian, Southeast Asia
Servings 9 inch Bundt pan

Equipment

  • Electric cake mixer
  • Hand whisk
  • Measuring cups
  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Oven (with top and bottom heating function)
  • Baker's Joy Baking Spray (with flour)
  • A Bundt pan
  • A cooling rack
  • Some piping tips and piping bag

Ingredients
  

FOR THE BUNDT CAKE

Dry ingredients

  • 360 g cake flour sifted, (highly recommended instead of all purpose flour; you'll get a softer cake)
  • 2 tsp baking powder (please verify the freshness of your baking powder; for best practice, use within 6 months to 1 year)
  • 2/3 tsp baking soda (please verify the freshness of your baking powder; for best practice, use within 6 months to 1 year)

Wet ingredients

  • 161 g salted butter softened to room temperature then chopped into smaller pieces
  • 129 g fine sugar
  • 315 g plain yoghurt (I used non-fat; you can use whole milk or low fat too)
  • 100 ml pandan kaya paste feel free to increase the amount as you like if you prefer a richer, pandan kaya taste

To make pandan kaya paste, see link in the instructions below.

FOR THE MOCHA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  • 227 g salted butter softened to room temperature then chopped into smaller pieces
  • 1 packet 27g Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Caffè Mocha with Cocoa
  • 5 tsp hot water
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 16 g cocoa powder
  • 301 g icing sugar sifted

Instructions
 

For the Bundt cake

  • Whisk all the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
  • To make the pandan kaya paste, check out these tips by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover.
  • To help your cake release easier from your pan post-bake, grease your Bundt pan with some oil and then dust with flour and tap out any excess. Or you can speed things up with a non-stick baking spray. Hold it 6 inches from your pan and spray an even, light coating on the inside of your pan.
  • Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Put softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl that comes with your cake mixer, then using a paddle attachment, cream both ingredients for one minute at a high speed of 5 or 6. Alternatively, an electric hand mixer does the job too on medium speed. Once both ingredients have come together nicely, lower the speed to 4 then add yoghurt and mix until combined.
  • Switch your mixer to low speed. Add the dry ingredients, alternating two tablespoons each with the pandan kaya paste. Mix until well incorporated, achieving a thick batter. Do not over mix.
  • Pour the batter into the Bundt pan, then smoothen the surface with a spatula. Lightly tap the Bundt pan on a smooth surface covered with a cloth (to avoid damaging your Bundt pan) to break any air bubbles. Put the pan into the preheated oven, on the 3rd rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cake; if it comes out clean, your cake is fully baked.
  • Remove cake from the oven. Once the pan has cooled down slightly, gently invert it on a cooling rack to release the cake. At this point, you can prepare your buttercream frosting.

FOR THE MOCHA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  • Dissolve one packet of Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Caffè Mocha with Cocoa in 4 teaspoons of hot water. Let cool.
  • Mix softened butter, coffee mixture and vanilla in a cake mixer on medium speed.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk cocoa powder and icing sugar together until well combined.
  • Add cocoa powder and icing sugar mix to the butter, coffee and vanilla combination earlier. Mix well until sugar is incorporated.
  • Decorate your cake however you like, using the piping tips and piping bag.

Notes

Best practices for storing your cake: 
  1. You can store it at room temperature up to 3 days in an air-tight container. Alternatively, leave it whole or cut it into smaller slices, then cling wrap and store in an air-tight container and it goes into the fridge for one week maximum. Avoid storing it longer than a week, otherwise the cake will loose its moisture. 
  2. The cake may harden once it's in the fridge. To soften, place it at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Or you can reheat it in a microwave for a few seconds. 
Keyword Birthdays, Bundt Cake, Buttercream, Cake, Chocolate, Coffee, easy, Eggless, Flavour, Kaya, Mocha, Pandan, Pound Cake, Recipes, Special Occasions, Vegan friendly

If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!

Hello there! I'm Deborah

I love food and photography. If you would like to find out more, head to “About Me” on the main menu.