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Malaysian Food

Crisp and Buttery Dragon Cookies

Dragon cookies (过年饼 ‘loong peng’ in Cantonese). In Chinese culture, dragons are auspicious, representing good luck, strength, health and also the male element of the “yang” energy. In olden China, they connote imperial power and authority. Dragon cookies are all the rage during Lunar New Year, but since I missed having them during the festival this year, I decided to make them now. They taste just like regular butter cookies, crisp on the edges but soft inside. They’re fun to make and you only need simple kitchen gadgets. But the challenge lies in getting the right dough consistency so that it’s not too hard (which will be tricky to pipe out) nor too fluid and soft that it looses its shape and melts in the oven, or too starchy/custard-y. The end result should be a soft, pliable dough that is easy to pipe out with just a little bit of resistance. 

You should also develop some arm muscles because it takes a fair bit of thumb coordination to get the dough out of the nozzle! 

These cookies are a perfect accompaniment to my warm matcha latte.

Crisp and Buttery Dragon Cookies 过年饼

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
Known as ‘loong peng’ in Cantonese, these cookies are popular during Lunar New Year. They have a nice crispness to them with a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Perfect for tea or snack any time of the day! Find the recipe below.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 24 minutes
Course Snack, Tea
Cuisine Chinese, Malaysian
Servings 40 cookies, depending on size

Equipment

  • Electric cake mixer
  • Hand whisk
  • Baking sheets/parchment paper
  • Baking tray
  • Rubber spatula
  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Oven (with top and bottom heating function)
  • Wilton 1M piping nozzle and thick, durable piping bag (avoid disposable bags)
  • Toothpicks
  • A cooling rack

Ingredients
  

  • 150 g salted butter brought to room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut to smaller pieces and mashed
  • 100 g icing sugar sifted
  • 2 egg yolks 18g each, brought to room temperature, egg whites separated from the yolk. How to identify eggs: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/whats-the-deal-with-grades-of-eggs/ 
  • 60 g milk room temperature
  • 250 g corn flour sifted (I used unbleached organic corn flour, which is slightly yellower in colour)
  • 50 g cake flour sifted
  • 30 g milk powder sifted
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla essence optional
  • red gel food colouring

Instructions
 

  • Cream butter for 3 minutes at medium high speed until creamy. Add icing sugar and increase to high speed. Mix well until light and creamy and icing sugar is no longer visible. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl from time to time. 
  • Add egg yolks, one at a time, then beat well until just combined. I recommend you to weigh the egg yolks beforehand as this will determine the consistency of the cookie dough. 
  • Add in milk, a little at a time, as you continue to beat everything together on high speed for 3 minutes. Whip until the texture becomes fluffy. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl.
  • Fold in milk powder, corn flour and cake flour. Using a baking spatula, gently fold in all the ingredients together, stirring firmly until well combined to form a soft, pliable dough.  
  • You can use a 1.5cm piping tip (those ideal for making churros), but I prefer the Wilton 1M nozzle to achieve a thinner, more organic shape. Fit your nozzle to your piping bag then transfer the dough to the bag. Do not overfill. Kitchn has some great tips on how to use a piping bag for beginners (link below).
    https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-use-a-piping-bag-224064
  • With a firm hand, gently press down the tip of your nozzle to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Pipe out ’S’ patterns, using your thumb to press them out of the nozzle. Try to keep to an S shape as much as possible and don’t pipe too long, otherwise it may end up looking like a snake instead of a dragon. 
  • Use a toothpick dip in red gel colouring to dot the eyes. 
  • Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate cookie dough for 30 minutes before baking.
  • Preheat oven to 150 C. Bake your cookies on the lower rack for 15 minutes till light yellow. It shouldn’t brown too much.
  • Remove and leave to cool on a cooling rack. 

Notes

  1. You don’t need to add salt as I incorporated salted butter in the recipe.
  2. I use cake flour for finer, airy and tender cookies. They’re best for baked goods like cakes, biscuits, or pastries.
  3. It's recommended to bring eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients to room temperature before mixing them. These ingredients form an emulsion which traps air, while at room temperature. While baking in the oven, that trapped air expands and produces fluffy baked goods.
  4. Chilling the cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less cookies spread out or “melt” in the oven. 
 
Best practices for storage: Arrange your cookies in layers inside a jar, lined with parchment paper in between to absorb oils. They keep well in an air-tight container at room temperature. 
Tip: Always weigh all ingredients with a digital scale for precision.
Keyword Auspicious, Biscuits, Dragon Cookies, Lunar New Year

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

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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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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.
    https://nasilemaklover.blogspot.com/2010/05/homemade-pandan-kaya.html
  • 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!

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Lion’s Head Meatballs with Cantonese Yee Mee Broth

In its birthplace in Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, these meatballs are simply known as lion’s head (狮子头 shī zī toú) owing to its impressive size that resembles the head of a ‘foo dog’, or Chinese guardian lion. This dish is usually served with blanched or stir fried napa cabbage. Someone once commented that the cabbage looked like a lion’s flowing mane, so the name stuck.

There are many ways to cook them; you can steam or boil in broth, or deep fry then braise in soy sauce (“red cooked”). Traditionally this classic Huaiyang dish requires you to make it from ground pork (shoulder cut) with large proportions of pork fat, but I’m trying to cut down on red meat consumption these days so I went with a 80:20 leaner meat-to-fat ratio. Just enough fat on it so it’s still flavourful and succulent. I usually make 8 or 9 meatballs simply because the number 8 represents wealth while 9 is longevity—quite auspicious numbers in Chinese culture!

Lion's Head Meatballs with Cantonese Yee Mee Broth

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
I was really craving Cantonese yee mee soup so I made this broth base instead of a mushroom-flavoured one. The combination of crispy noodles, meatballs and poached eggs drenched in flavoured seafood or chicken stock is incredible!
Find the recipe below for both the meatballs and the soup.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Cantonese Food, Chinese, East Asia, Malaysian, Southeast Asia
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

For the meatballs

  • 500 g ground pork 4/6 fat/lean ratio
  • 1/4 cup spring onions finely sliced
  • 1 tsp ginger peeled and grated
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Shao Xing rice wine
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil toasted
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs large
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 50 ml cornstarch
  • 1 head napa cabbage washed, cored and peeled to individual leaves

For the yee mee broth base

  • 1 liter prawn or chicken stock
  • 8 pieces sea prawns medium size, cleaned and deveined but keep the shells on
  • 4 tbsp cornstarch mixed with a few tablespoons of water to make a thick slurry
  • 4 rolls dry crispy yee mee
  • 4 eggs large
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic finely minced
  • spring onions for garnishing

Instructions
 

  • Using a sharp knife, finely chop and mince the ground meat to smaller pieces. The Woks of Life has some great tips to grind your own meat if you don't have a grinder; I've attached the link to her website below. Or get a butcher to grind the meat for you.
    https://thewoksoflife.com/how-to-grind-meat-without-a-grinder/
  • In a bowl, combine the ground pork with all the other ingredients (except napa cabbage). Using a spatula or your hands, stir the mixture with a firm hand, whipping in one direction for 10 minutes until it resembles a paste. Pick up the meat and "slap" it back into the bowl to create an elastic texture. You'll need to achieve this consistency so the meat doesn't fall apart when it goes into the boiling pot of soup.
  • Prepare your pot of prawn/chicken stock. Once it starts boiling, turn down fire to low and simmer until thoroughly heated. Add garlic then season with salt and pepper.
  • Gently break one egg into a big soup ladle, then slowly lower the ladle into the simmering stock to poach. Once poached, transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the other eggs.
  • Add prawns and napa cabbage into the stock and blanch for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to a bowl.
  • Coat your hands with a few drops of oil, then divide the meatball mixture into 8 or 9 equal portions and shape each into a ball. Carefully drop them into the simmering stock. Cook them in batches. Once they are cooked and float to the top, remove them with a slotted spoon.
  • Finally, add the cornstarch slurry to the soup and stir well until the stock thickens.
  • Place crispy yee mee in a bowl or deep plate. Add prawns, meatballs and napa cabbage, then top it with poached eggs and spring onions. Finally pour the hot broth over the noodles. Serve immediately with sliced bird's eye chillies mixed with soy sauce.
Keyword Heritage, Lion's Head Meatballs, Non-Vegan, Noodles, Pork, Recipes, Soup, Yee Mee

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

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Hello there! I'm Deborah

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