Dadih

Dadih is a Malay-style soft milk pudding that's quite commonly served in gatherings like weddings & thanksgiving feasts. During the month of Ramadan, it's also commonly sold at the food bazaars. Honestly, I was not aware of such dessert until a few years ago. But apparently,  based on the writings of some Malaysian bloggers, this modern version of dadih  has been around for decades, at least in Malaysia...... 

I call it the modern version because the traditional dadih, which originates from the Minangkabau community in West Sumatra, Indonesia, is made by pouring fresh raw unheated buffalo milk into a bamboo tube capped with a banana leaf. It's then left to ferment in room temperature for two days.  It's basically yogurt, but the traditional method of preparation gives it a more authentic flavour than that of the commercial yogurt. (Reference: Kompasiana)

I've not tasted the authentic dadih of the Minangkabau people, but I'm pretty certain that  it doesn't taste like the one I made.  This modern dadih is smooth, sweet, rich & so delicious! Eat it when it's chilled & it will soothe your throat.....

There are many recipes of dadih shared in the internet. For this maiden attempt, I've decided to use the one shared by K. Nor of Secubit Garam. She has perfected this recipe after adjusting the original one more than 10 times! Thank you K. Nor for all your  effort & generosity in sharing this excellent recipe. Die, die, must try!

Dadih

5g agar-agar powder (not instant jelly)

600 ml air

1 litre fresh full cream milk

110g sugar

1/2 st salt

1/2 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp water
vanilla paste, strawberry paste & red colouring (Flavouring or colouring is optional.)

Method:

1. In a pot, combine & boil water & milk with agar-agar powder, . 
2. Add  in salt & sugar & continue cooking until the sugar has dissolved. (Do not overcook or the dessert will become hard.)
3. Add in cornflour mixture & stir until well blended. Turn off fire & set aside.
4. Add in flavouring & colouring, if using.
5. Leave to cool slightly, then strain mixture & pour into glasses.
6. Chill before serving.

Notes:

1. You may also use agar-agar strips instead of the powder form. Use 1/6 packet (Crescent brand). Soak until soft before cooking. 
2. Keep stirring the mixture throughout the cooking process to ensure mixture is well-blended & to prevent overflowing.
3. I divided the mixture into two parts & added vanilla & strawberry flavour to each part. You may leave the dessert plain or add any flavour that you like.

Recipe by K. Nor @ Secubit Garam.

I'm submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up May 2014 (Milk) organised by Bake For Happy Kids, and My Little Favourite DIY,  hosted by Tze of Awayofmind Bakery House.

Oreo Milo Jelly

I actually prepared two types of finger foods for the barbecue. The Mini Pizza Tart was the savoury type & for the sweet dessert, I made Oreo Milo Jelly using the recipe created by  Roz of HomeKreation.  Roz called this jelly Heavenly Milo Oreo Jelly but I've modified it to Oreo Milo Jelly. The jelly sure is heavenly; it's hard not to be when the ingredients include Milo, a beverage many of us grow up with, & Oreo cookies!  

Oreo Milo Jelly
Recipe by Roz@HomeKreation.

Makes: 8" square

INGREDIENTS:
1 packet (10g) Jelly Powder (Agar-Agar Powder)
750ml Water
160g Sugar
1 can (400g) Evaporated Milk
1 tsp pure vanilla paste (I added.)
3/4 cup Milo Powder
1 pack (137g) Oreo Cookies - break into small pieces but keep the sandwich together

METHOD:

1. Place jelly powder and water in a pot & cook until jelly is dissolved.
2. Add in sugar & cook until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add in milk, stir well. Tturn off fire once mixture is boiling.
4. Separate 2 cups of the mixture into another pot & add in Milo powder. Stir well until milo is dissolved. Strain the mixture.
5. Pour 1cup of Milo mixture into a square container and let the surface set slightly. Leave the other cup of Milo mixture in the pot & warm it up on smallest fire possible.
6. Pour the plain mixture gently on top of the Milo layer. (I poured onto a spoon which I held just above the the Milo layer.) Sprinkle oreo cookies & let is set on the surface.
7. Pour the remaining Milo mixture onto the plain layer.
8. Let the jelly set completely at room temperature before chilling it in the fridge. Serve cold.

TIPS FOR LAYERING:

1. Do not wait until the layer is completely set before pouring the next layer, or else the two layers will not stick. If the jelly is already hard before pouring the next layer, scratch surface with fork before pouring the next layer.
2. Make sure the mixture is still hot when pouring onto the earlier layer so that it will stick well.

Chilled Soya Bean Pudding

Today's  dessert is  the all-famous soya bean pudding which I first made 3 weeks ago after I saw Dr Leslie Tay posted the recipe, shared by his  friend, on his ieatishootipost facebook page. He claimed that the taste was quite close to the one sold outside. I'm guessing it's the one from Lao Ban stall at the Old Airport Road Hawker Centre, the one that has sent Singaporeans going gaga over it for a period of time.

I've never bought this dessert before because I wasn't sure what kind of coagulant was used & whether it's halal. I've seen  blogger posts on the recipe but I wasn't keen to make it. So why now...? Well, recently, the famous stall started operating a kiosk in my neighbourhood. So every time I passed by it, I couldn't help but wonder how it tasted. So when I saw the facebook post, I was eager to try making it. It was so delicious!! No wonder Singaporeans are going crazy over it! The first time I made it, I couldn't stop eating it... and I thought only fried stuff can be addictive! Actually, this dessert is quite similar to dadih, a  traditional Malay food which  originated from Minangkabau in Indonesia. 

Yesterday was the second time I made the dessert. The first time,  I only made half recipe & I ate most of it! This time,  I made the full recipe & sent some to my mum's place. (I just finished one bowl as I'm typing this entry..hehe...)

As I was googling the recipe, I found the exact recipe that was shared by Dr Tay in Miss Tam Chiak's blog. So below is the recipe she posted.

Chilled Soya Bean Pudding
Source: Miss Tam Chiak.

To make Soya Milk (6 regular bowls):
120g Polleney Soya Bean Milk Powder
60g Unisoy Soya Bean Milk Powder
1400ml water

Method:
Stir everything together.

To make beancurd pudding:
1400ml of soya milk
60g of Nestle Coffeemate coffee creamer
60g of sugar to taste (not required if using carton-ed Soya Bean Milk)
28g of Phoon Huat’s instant jelly powder (note: if the pudding is still too watery, increase it to 30-32g)
1 tsp vanilla paste - I added.

Method:
1. Heat the soya milk in low heat till its hot. DO NOT BOIL.
2. Stir in coffee creamer till it is fully dissolved.
3. Stir in sugar till it is fully dissolved.
4. Stir in instant jelly powder till it is fully dissolved.
5. Sieve out the bubbles & pour into bowls.
6. Allow to cool down for 5 minutes
7. Put in fridge for overnight. Enjoy!

TIPS:
- Never add too much jelly powder, it will become too hard!

Cendol Pudding

I made cendol pudding yesterday.. just wanted to use up the big packet of cendol left in the fridge for almost a month. Besides, the weather  has been almost unbearably humid.... so I made this cool  dessert for my family's weekly gathering at my mum's place. 

This recipe has already been used by many bloggers. It's a goood recipe.... moderately sweet & rich, but that's after adding more water to the recipe, because I prefer slightly soft pudding. I added 100ml more water for each layer. 

Cendol Pudding

Recipe by tuntung15 @ My Resipi.

Bottom layer:

500ml water - I used 600ml

180g caster sugar

300ml thick coconut milk

10g agar-agar powder

500g cendol

1 pandan leave (torn) - I added.

salt

1. Combine water, agar-agar powder, pandan leave & sugar in a pot & boil. 
2. Add in coconut milk & salt & keep stirring until mixture boils slightly. 
3. Remove pandan leave & add in cendol & stir. Pour into a pan (10x10 inch) or jelly mould. Leave aside until jelly is set. Once set, gently scratch top of layer with fork. 

Notes:
-wet mould with water before pouring jelly mixture so that it's easy to remove jelly when it's set.

- you may also line pan with plastic if using square, rectangle or round pan.

- while waiting for the bottom layer to set, prepare top layer.

- I placed mould in a tray & poured ice cold water to accelerate the cooling & hardening process since the bottom layer was still soft when the mixture for top layer was ready.

Top layer:

500ml water - I used 600ml

200g palm sugar (gula melaka)

300ml thick coconut milk

10g agar-agar powder

1 egg yolk - slightly beaten

1 pandan leave - I added.

salt to taste

1. Combine palm sugar, pandan leave & part of water in a pan. Heat up until sugar dissolves. Strain the sugar solution.
2. Combine sugar solution, agar-agar powder & the remaining water in a pot & heat up until mixture boils.
3. Combine coconut milk, egg yolk & salt. Mix until well blended. Remove pandan leave.
4. Pour coconut milk mixture into the pot of jelly mixture & continue heating & stirring until it boils slightly.
5. Remove from heat & pour mixture gently onto the first layer. Set aside  to cool. Chill before serving.

Rainbow Marble Pudding

As I've mentioned yesterday, I also made Rainbow Pudding for Haslita's cousin's engagement. My plan was to make Kak Wan's Rainbow Marble Pudding but halfway through pouring the mixture into the pan, it was clear that the marble effect of  my pudding was quite messy. Right away, I decided to just pour the remaining mixture into a heart-shaped jelly mould. In the end, the pudding that was presented to Haslita was a four-layered pudding.

The marble pudding for my family's consumption! Yummy!!!

Rainbow Marble Pudding
Recipe by Kak Wan of Resipi Citarasawan.

Ingredients:
25g agar-agar powder
1350ml water
450g sugar
pandan leaves

5 eggs
1 can (400g) evaporated milk
2 tbsp custard powder

2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tbsp butter
blue & pink colouring

Method:

1. Combine agar-agar powder, water sugar & pandan leaves in a saucepan & bring it to a boil. Remove from fire & remove pandan leaves.
2. Combine evaporated milk & custard powder in a mixing bowl & mix thoroughly.
3. Add in eggs & beat, using a whisk or blender, until well blended. Strain & set aside.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the pan of agar-agar mixture & cook for a few minutes.
5. Remove from fire. Add in vanilla essence & butter & mix thoroughly. Divide mixture into 3 parts. Colour 1 part blue & another pink. Leave the third part plain.
6. Wet a 9 or 10 inch pan. Slowly, pour a ladle or plain mixture. Then pour, as low as possible, a ladle of blue mixture onto the center of the plain mixture. Then pour the pink mixture onto the blue mixture. Continue doing this until finish.
7. Allow jelly to cool & harden slightly before putting it in the fridge. Serve cold.

I'm submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #20: Asian dessert buffet! (June 2012) hosted by Moon of Food Playground.