Pineapple Jam

Chinese New Year is coming. Every year I try to make at least one Chinese New Year cookies, last year, it was peanut cookies, so yum..... the year before it was pineapple jam tarts. My household loves this jam tarts. So I try to make an effort to make this.  You would think that, one would find it easier as time goes by with the jam making. But strangely for me, not so much.

This is my second batch of jam making this week. The one that I made last week was a tad watery, I think I shall have to use it for glazing or dessert flavourings or saucing. It was just not fibrous enough, to hold the shape of a round ball to put on top of my open faced tart.

I wanted it to be drier than the first batch. No tears this time, just a lot of determination. I must be getting old because I forgot to strain it last week. It works so much better if one follows the recipe and don't just wing it! :) I blame getting old... Thank goodness, the pineapples are not too dear to buy this time of the year. I would have cried if it was. Besides, there more to CNY than pineapple jam tarts, right? Errr, NO! Not for all the Ang Pows in the world :)

Ingredients

3 - 4 Pineapples
2 cups of sugar ( you can add more but I don't like it too sweet.)
I cinnamon stick

Method

1. Remove pineapple skins, 
2. Cut into pieces
3. Process in a blender, I use chop instead of grind for coarser result
4. Put mash pineapple thru strainer
5. Collect the juice, you may need it for your Rum or if jam gets too dry. 
6. Heat up pan or wok
7. Put strained pineapple pulp into pan and leave alone to cook till soft
8. Add two cups of sugar, mix and leave alone
9. Check on cooking to ensure it is caramelising nicely and not burnt. Stir it as needed.
10. When it nice and thick and golden hue, turn heat off
11. Leave to cool. 
12. Once cooled, put in a sterile jar and keep in refridgerator till you are ready to use it.

You can use it for toast. This jam is so yummy, you shouldn't restrict yourself to just having it on the New Year. As for my other batch... hmmmm I can still use it for icecreams, cakes, or meat glazing on the BBQ. Meanwhile, ahem... need to find some use for juice, Where's that rum??

See how much juice you collect, if you strain it? If you don't strain, that works too but it takes longer for the jam to reduce the liquid and I am sure, no one wants to spend hours on it. Not when there's rum to be drunk !!! 

Chicken Char Siu Bao

I saw a Char Siu Bao post on friend's time on Facebook, couple days ago and it got stuck in my head for a while. Then I saw this recipe online and thought, "oh what the heck! let's do this." It's not like I can go Yum Cha and ask for chicken bao. They will laugh their head off at me.

You would normally get this steamed or baked in pork, not chicken at Yum Chas. I don't like or eat pork, not really. I do like crispy bacon and smoked ham, only because they have been smoked, and they don't taste like pork and I don't see that shiny bouncy gel like fat shimmering at me. Argh!

So without further ado, the recipes are on the link above. I love Christine's website, she has a lot of easy Chinese recipes if you are a fan of Chinese food. For myself, I prefer Malay food, the spicier, the better.

Here are some of my photos of the making of the bao in my kitchen. Easy, right? Those of you who don't want to spend hours in the kitchen, can follow me.

1. Buy your ready made char siu from a Chinese grocer or shop; your choice of pork or chicken etc
2. Buy a bottle of charsiu sauce and sautee the veges with diced chicken and sauce. 
3. The dough on the other hand, no easy way out, you can't buy it, you have to follow the recipe to make your own. It's not hard. And it taste delicious!

Post by YummyStuffGoesHere.

Ta da.... all done!

Chinese New Year Peanut cookies

I have so many favourites when it comes to Chinese New Year snacks. I love these especially,

• Kuih Kapit ( Love Letters) 
• Kuih Loyang 
• Peanut cookies
• Pineapple jam tarts

Just to name a few here, what are yours?

I have never made peanut cookies before so Charmaine gave me, her recipe from her blog. I want to share a couple of easy recipes with you here. I also found another recipe from Susan of http://www.chocolatesuze.com. You will need to click on the link to get to their blog.

With both recipes to study from, I still manage to forget the grinding of castor sugar...LOL. Next year, will use icing sugar. Never mind, my personal stash, it's alright, still yummy though!

Will be stuffing my face with this while I watch my korean dramas ;)