Chinese New Year Chronicles: Part III - better late than never

Okayyy, blogger just played a prank on me and the carefully composed blog post at the expense of my beauty sleep rest had just disappeared. just like that. Bummer! I've given up on re-loading the pictures that took forever to load and my brain cells which were all half-dead half-asleep while waiting.

But lucky you! I just couldn't bring myself to miss out on this post since it is also going to be my first baking video debut. yea yea, no biggie, especially since youtube has TONS of them. But no! it's special to me and I obviously hope it'd be of some help to you, you and you!

I know I know, its wayyy past CNY but hey! that doesn't mean I can't blog about CNY related stuff anymore isn't it? Well, as the saying goes, it's better late than never.

As you can tell, I've been having a serious procrastinating problem. And now, it is even affecting how much I bake. I got the kueh lapis done up just on the eve of chinese new year and D came over and helped me with the first half. Thanks to him, I've finally managed to take my our very first baking video.

Although it is just a very short video showing how to layer the kueh lapis, I thought it might come along handy for those who are trying it out for the first time. Well, at least I appreciated having videos to watch when I was figuring out the recipe the first time round. Five rounds of failed attempts was no fun at all.

A little introduction on this cake, some call it a thousand layered cake because of the multiple layers you see in there and mind you, each layer is grilled one by one which explains it being pricey if you were to buy it off the shelf. The process is not only laborious, but pretty tiring and tough in some sense. You practically have to sit and guard your oven the layers and make sure they don't burn.

If I'm not wrong, this cake is traditionally of Indonesian origin and there is some apparent debate as to who holds the real roots to the invention of this wonderful rich, sinful cake. Word has it that the lapis spice (which is a combination of spices like cinnammon, cardamon, etc etc) were obviously, asia origin (in this case, from Indonesia) and that the "cake" was actually of Dutch descent. As the story goes, Indonesia was once colonised by the Dutch and that the Dutch that settled there probably missed they way of live back in Holland and wanted to re-live the moments of sipping tea and eating cakes in the afternoon. So, poor Indonesians probably didn't really made any cakes in their lives (maybe other than kuehs) and someone possibly decided to marry the spices (Indonesian origin) and cakes (Dutch style) together and wala! you get LAPIS LEGIT. Hmm I don't even know if I got the malay terms right. But that's not the point.

The point is, this cake is special, at least to me, not because it is a festive goodie, but rather the knowledge of ingredients that go into this cake made me realise I should only make it when the festive occasion calls for it. Not only is it high in fat/butter but the amount of egg yolks that goes into it is jus scary. twenty-five yolks. Imagine the amount of cholesterol and fat that's going into your system, you'd probably have to exercise more than a lifetime to run away (pun intended) from the clingy heart disesases and wrestle with obesity.

Nonethelss, everything could be eaten. Because the key lies in moderation. Therefore, I will not hesitate to urge you to try out this recipe although I highly recommend coming up with a list of friends whom you could divide and give the cakes away to. Surely you don't wish to consume 25 egg yolks and 500g of butter, do you?

Lest you're getting impatient, I'm moving on to the recipe, NOW! This time with pictures and a short video to accompany! =D

Kueh Lapis (makes one 8" x 8" x 2.5" lapis cake)

Ingredients:

A:

25 egg yolks

100g sugar

B:

5 egg whites + a pinch of cream of tartar

100g sugar

C:
500 gm butter (Golden Churn)
1 tin condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 ½ tbsp brandy or rum
1 ½ tbsp mixed spices

D:
170 gm plain flour

Method:
1. Sieve Flour (Group D) and set aside.
2. Cream butter with condensed milk, vanilla essence, golden syrup, brandy & mixed spices (Group C) till well mixed and set aside.

Group C Ingredients ALL IN!

Creamy mess

3. Beat egg yolks with sugar (Group A) on high for about 10 mins until thick and creamy (i.e. ribbon stage).

The sinful indulgence - 25 Yolks

With 100g of caster sugar

Beat it baby!

See how it tuned pale?

Ribbon Stage

A slow thick ribbon falls on itself when the beaters are lifted and does not dissappear right away.

4. Add beaten egg yolk mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix well. Fold in sieved flour.

All ready to mix.

Fold in gently (not TOO gentle) but you don't wish to deflate all that air you beat into the eggs earlier on.

5. Beat egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar and sugar (Group B) till stiff and fold in the mixture. [Beat egg whites with pinch of cream of tartar till frothy on medium speed (speed 3 on kMix) for 1 min. Add in 1/3 of sugar, continue beating for 1-2 mins. Add in the second 1/3 and continue beating 1-2 min. Add in the rest of the sugar and beat for 1-2 min. ]

My assistant for the day ever

okay okay, I just wanted to show off my shiny red mixer.

Now this is what you wanna achieve. Stiff peaks. (NOT dry though) be careful there!

6. Preheat oven to 180 degree C. (baking mode: top + bottom heat) Grease and line an 8″ square tin and preheat tin [Just preheat for a few mins to make the tin hot, making it easier to spread the batter]. Grease bottom and line base only.

7. For first layer, spread 3 - 3 ½ tbsps of mixture in tin and bake in oven at lower middle/ lower rack at 180 degree C for 10-15 mins. Or until lightly browned. [timing may differ depending on individual ovens. Just bake till surface is lightly browned] Use a satay stick, prick holes (if there are air bubbles) into the lapis and gently press the lapis with a lapis press to ensure the layer is even.

8. Switch oven to grill mode. (i.e. top grill only)For subsequent layers, grill each layer at lower middle/lower rack for about 3 mins. Or till lightly browned. [timing may differ depending on individual ovens. Just bake till surface is lightly browned. The darker the surface, the darker the layers will be later. The brown surface is what defines each layer.] After removing from the oven, use a satay stick, prick holes into the lapis (if there are air bubbles) and gently press the lapis with a lapis press to ensure the layer is even. Repeat this for each layer.

Make sure the oven is on GRILL for the second layer onwards.

Here's a really short demo on how to bake a layer. The video starts of with a previously cooked layer and that's the kinda brown you wanna get before moving on to the next.

9. When top most layer is completed, switch oven back to baking mode (i.e. top + bottom heat), cover with a metal tray or a piece of foil and bake at middle rack at 180 degree C for a further 5 min. It will take longer if the sides are still wet.

10. When the cake is done, turn cake out onto a metal grid. The lapis with 'fall' out on it's own. Let it cool on the cooling rack completely before cutting. If cooling rack markings are not wanted on lapis surface, flip it right side up after cake has 'fallen' out and let cool completely before cutting.

adapted from Rose's Kitchen

Related Post: Kueh Lapis a.k.a thousand layered cake (千层糕)

I hope this small little post with guided pictures and a short short video urges you, (yes! you) to give this a shot. =)

9 layer steamed kueh

I was really intrigued by the colourful layers of this kueh and still am, that I decided to try it out after seeing the recipe on bakingmum and Florence's blog.

I think this kueh is easily a favourite for many kids and adults today! And I'm sure it evokes many memories of peeling off layer by layer while savouring this pretty, yummy kueh!

I had 2 packets of tapioca flour that I haven't used since cny and since this recipe uses tapioca flour, it gave me more reason to try it out. With really really simple ingredients and method (minus the laborious steaming layer by layer) I felt complied to try it =p

I used whatever colouring i had at hand and had 9 layers exactly. I used 1 cup for each layer but 1 layer ended up exceptionally thin. I'd probably used a little less than 1 cup in future to ensure i get 9 even layers. OR, i might even do more layers as i felt the layers were a little thicker than those sold outside.

So here it is for those itching to make some home-made nine-layered steamed kueh.

*use a plastic knife to cut them out to ensure nice, smooth cuts!

ang koo kueh

A traditional must-have during a child's first month celebration, commonly know as 满月. Not too sure what it symbolises though, but red is usually used in happy occasions like in weddings and all. ang koo kueh literally means "red tortise kueh". traditionally made in a mould with the shape of a tortise shell.

I came across Amanda's blog while searching for the japanese cheesecake recipe and saw that she used her mooncake moulds to make these kueh. I found it really rather interesting and thought they looked really pretty! Since I've also got those moulds, why not try them?

Im pretty pleased with how the skin turned out and i thought it remained soft even when it was cooled and not oily like what's sold outside. (i guess that's cos i didnt brush it with oil after i steamed it) But, i guess D begged to differ and thought it had a teeny weeny of crust on the edges.. hmmm..

It was my maiden attempt at these kinda things so I just wanted to prepare a fast, easy filling. Peanut filling. Didn't turn out too well though =( not too sure if it was because i used already sweetened ground peanuts or because of the sesame..

I didn't have red colouring on hand, so i just used the closest, rose pink but added LOTS of it. It doesn't look as red as what's sold, but i guess im pretty happy with the turn out =)

Ang Koo Kueh

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato Skin:

200 g sweet potatoes

300 g glutinous rice flour

2 tbsps oil160 ml water

Some red coloring (optional)

Mung Bean Filling:

200g yellow split mung beans (soaked until soft)

80g - 100 g castor sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tbsps oil

1/4 - 1/2 cup diced shallots

Water

Method:

Sweet Potato Skin:

Steam the sweet potatoes until soft.

In a bowl, mash the sweet potatoes with a fork. Add glutinous rice, oil and water and mix well to obtain a smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth and leave aside. You can add a little more water if the dough is too dry.

Mung Bean Filling: [I did not make this filling and used peanut filling instead]

Steam the yellow split mung beans until soft. Mash with a fork.

In a non-stick wok, fry the diced onions in oil. Leave aside to cool.

In a bowl, mix the mashed split peas, salt, fried onions, oil and enough water to form a soft dough.

Shaping the Ang Koo Kueh:

1. Brush the ang koo kueh mould with a little oil to ease removal of the kueh from the mould.

2. Take a small lump of sweet potato dough and using your palm or a rolling pin, flatten it, into a round shape with the centre thicker than the sides.

3. Spoon some pea filling into the dough, pinch the sides of the dough together, and using the palm of your hand, roll it into a ball.

4. Press the ball into the mould firmly, to obtain the design and shape of the mould. Tap the mould gently on the table to remove the ang koo kueh from the mould.

5. Place the ang koo kueh on a square piece of oiled banana leaf.

6. When all the ang koo kuehs are shaped, steam them in a wok over high fire for 3 minutes covered. After 3 minutes, remove the cover to release steam, then re-cover and steam for another 3 minutes over a medium fire, until the kuehs are cooked. [i used a electric steamer and steamed for 10 minutes]

7.Remove the kuehs from the wok and brush them with a little oil to prevent them from sticking to each other. Serve when cool. [i forgot to brush with oil and they were indeed a little sticky]

Notes:If you don't like the mung beans, you can use peanuts or red beans filling.I used about 26g pastry and 19g filling. [i followed her porptions for dough:filling. The mould i'm using is 4.6cm in diameter]

*I made using half the recipe with the same dough:filling proportions and ended up with 13 pieces.

adapted from Florence

Kueh Lapis a.k.a thousand layered cake (千层糕)

After slogging for five hours (preparing the ingredients till finish baking it)..finally..a post on kueh lapis. I think i've mentioned it a few time in a few of my previous posts, but it seemed as if i was only obsessed with making pineapple tarts and almond cookies.

Well, I did attempt one kueh lapis some few days back, but it was just not pretty enough for a photoshoot. This time, I made this for a friend of mine, Hui Min, who very kindly ordered a couple of cny goodies from me, including this kueh lapis. I hope she and her family likes what i've baked =)

I am pretty satisfied with how things turned out. Not too charred/black, layers visible and definitely taste like kueh lapis. Although I've upped the spice again this time, but i felt it was still lacking a little.

A little surprise from the people at home. My younger sis told me this was much much tastier than the ones i made before (though i really think it just all taste like kueh lapis, duh~) and my other sis "couldn't stop eating" it. I'm really really glad they love it. =DD

A friend commented that the layers are much thinner than what is sold outside and i kind of have to agree. Although i've increased the amount of batter for each layer from the original recipe, it still looks thin. But I guess i'm satisfied with how it is and am gonna stick to it. I have to admit its real tedious work to bake this kueh lapis. Having said that, i actually quite enjoy the process as well. And it is always the anticipation, excitement and eagerness when it is cooling to see if the layers turns out nice and visible.

Although i wouldnt say it looks really professional, but i am really really satisfied with the product. I think i probably will venture into trying out those with pitted prunes..soon..i hope..

I remember the crazy period i went through, mad about baking kueh lapis. I was just sooo intrigued by how it was done and how each and every single layer produces this fascinating looking cake. Though, i must say, i'm not really a kueh lapis fan =X

I looked for recipes everywhere, even bought a book on it. Before I had fixed my built in oven, i was using the Sharp Water Oven. Many failed attemps in there before i finally understood why. It turns out that the lapis should be grilled! Hence, as the layers built up, only the newest added layer gets cooked, preventing from the previous layers from being charred. My Sharp Water Oven didn't have a upper grill element (unlike built in ones) and that explained my multiple failed attemps. I would consider myself mad as well, having baked a lapis every single day for one week with only the last one being successful.

After that, it was lapis overdose and i never attempted it again until the trial a few days ago. The recipe I'm using is from Rose's Kitchen but i have adapted it and changed several proportions in the recipe. I have included the recipe below so those who wants a shot at this "thousand layer cake" can try it out.

*disclaimer: I have not tried a real indonesian lapis before and hence cannot comment on the authenticity of the outcome of this recipe. The lapis i have always or ever eaten are from bengawan solo. I can't give a comparison though, as it has been a while since i had them, plus, i'm not a fan of lapis. so..there you have it.

Kueh Lapis (makes one 8" x 8" x 2.5" lapis cake)
Ingredients:
A: 25 egg yolks
100g sugar
B: 5 egg whites + a pinch of cream of tartar
100g sugar
C: 500 gm butter (Golden Churn)
1 tin condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 ½ tbsp brandy or rum
1 ½ tbsp mixed spices
D: 170 gm plain flour
Method:
1. Sieve Flour (Group D) and set aside.
2. Cream butter with condensed milk, vanilla essence, golden syrup, brandy & mixed spices (Group C) till well mixed and set aside.
3. Beat egg yolks with sugar (Group A) on high for about 10 mins until thick and creamy (i.e. ribbon stage).
4. Add beaten egg yolk mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix well. Fold in sieved flour.
5. Beat egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar and sugar (Group B) till stiff and fold in the mixture. [Beat egg whites with pinch of cream of tartar till frothy on medium speed (speed 3 on kMix) for 1 min. Add in 1/3 of sugar, continue beating for 1-2 mins. Add in the second 1/3 and continue beating 1-2 min. Add in the rest of the sugar and beat for 1-2 min. ]
6. Preheat oven to 180 degree C. (baking mode: top + bottom heat) Grease and line an 8″ square tin and preheat tin [Just preheat for a few mins to make the tin hot, making it easier to spread the batter]. Grease bottom and line base only.
7. For first layer, spread 3 - 3 ½ tbsps of mixture in tin and bake in oven at lower middle/ lower rack at 180 degree C for 10-15 mins. Or until lightly browned. [timing may differ depending on individual ovens. Just bake till surface is lightly browned] Use a satay stick, prick holes (if there are air bubbles) into the lapis and gently press the lapis with a lapis press to ensure the layer is even.
8. Switch oven to grill mode. (i.e. top grill only)For subsequent layers, grill each layer at lower middle/lower rack for about 3 mins. Or till lightly browned. [timing may differ depending on individual ovens. Just bake till surface is lightly browned. The darker the surface, the darker the layers will be later. The brown surface is what defines each layer.] After removing from the oven, use a satay stick, prick holes into the lapis (if there are air bubbles) and gently press the lapis with a lapis press to ensure the layer is even. Repeat this for each layer.
9. When top most layer is completed, switch oven back to baking mode (i.e. top + bottom heat), cover with a metal tray or a piece of foil and bake at middle rack at 180 degree C for a further 5 min. It will take longer if the sides are still wet.
10. When the cake is done, turn cake out onto a metal grid. The lapis with 'fall' out on it's own. Let it cool on the cooling rack completely before cutting. If cooling rack markings are not wanted on lapis surface, flip it right side up after cake has 'fallen' out and let cool completely before cutting.
adapted from Rose's Kitchen
notes:
1. it isn't a really easy cake to make, yet not very difficult either.
2. it is important to know "how brown" should each layer be and may differ from time to time even with the same oven. So, it is best to sit in front of the oven and observe and remove it once the layer is done and proceed with the next.
3. DO NOT stir the batter during the whole process. i.e. the last time you should be stirring/mixing the batter should be when you're folding in the whites. Once the batter is ready, and you've started baking, so not stir it anymore.
4. You will notice that liquid comes out of the batter towards the end of the process. DO NOT stir to mix the liquid into the batter. Be careful not to scoop up the liquid to spread in your layers. If it becomes too difficult to scoop without avoiding the liquid, discard the batter. You should be on your last few layers by then.
5. Try not to spread the batter too fast/too slow. It is difficult to explain the consequences of doing so. Practice would probably get you accustomed to how you should do it =)
6. Lapis spice can be bought from major supermarkets, phoon huat, sun lik, etc. I get mine from sun lik.
7. The brandy/rum can be omitted if not available or if you're halal. Replace it with either orange juice or water. [updated 30 Jan '09: brandy/rum usually added to prolong "shelf" life - not too sure how true is this fact though]
I understand that it is a little difficult to visualise the whole process although you may have read through the recipe umpteen times. It is really pretty different when you are actually baking it. Here's a video which i found really really useful as I was making my numerous kueh lapis attempt last year.

Cherry's blog provides a recipe as well, but i did not really like the outcome of it and how it tasted so I switched to using Rose's recipe after trying it out. I can't really say that cherry's recipe is bad or what, I guess it just didn't suit my family and friends' taste buds. But do give it a try if you wish too.

I hope those interested would give making kueh lapis a try =)

Update  (March 6th, 2010): I've finally posted my own video HERE !

kueh bangkit - take 1

kueh bangkit - I'm sure this snack name sounds familiar to many out there (esp those who celebrate cny in Singapore and Malaysia).

Christmas has gone and very soon we'll be welcoming 2009! Not long after comes along cny, not to mentione, collecting ang baos! hehe. To get myself geared up for cny baking as well as re-start my baking engine, I decided to give this popular cny goodie a try.

Last chinese new year, while i still wasn't crazily involved in baking, I tried baking pineapple tarts and little did i know how much fun it could be. I regretted not starting earlier as my uncles and aunties really liked them and said that they'd wanna order some from me the next yr (which is 2009).I'm not too sure about baking cny goodies for sale, but i sure do not mind making them and giving it away =)

It was then, that i slowly increased my baking frequencies and started trying out more crazy stuff. well, i did start a while back but not THAT involved. At one point of time, i really wanted to slow down my baking stints as i was facing failures after failures. First it was the macarons, then i switched to doing swiss rolls. the macarons cracked, got burnt etc. I finally got decent looking ones but with airholes! sigh. my swiss rolls cracked, one after another. I finally managed to roll nice ones but it's still rather unpredictable. I had a little more success with macarons, but now i realised it was a little more like a meringue rather than a macaron.

ok, so before i bore anyone to death, i made some green tea swiss rolls sometime back. No one in my family fancies green tea so i decided to give some to my sec sch friend. Turns out, her mum asked if i knew how to make pineapple tarts so she could buy some from me during cny! Wow! happy, shocked, surprised, scared!

Now that i'm back from my holiday, christmas is over and cny jus coming right up, i decided i should venture out more into other kinds of cny goodies and try more stuff! so here..presenting my first try on kueh bangkit.

i've been asked last yr by several friends if i bake kueh bangkit (when i offered them my pineapple tarts). sadly, I jus had to turn them down and say no. Personally, i don't fancy this cny snack. Many LOVE it for its melt-in-the-mouth texture, which i prefer to describe it as "like eating chalk", which is, precisely why i don't like it! hahaa.

So this year, if there was any other cny snacks i'd try out would be KUEH BANGKIT. One of my friends got sooo excited upon hearing that i was gonna attempt it that he kept urging me to try it and let him sample.

Now, back to the attempt itself. Do a quick search on google and you'd find endless recipes for kueh bangkit. Now, which is the best? I really have no idea. From my very short brief research, there are some basic things i learnt about baking good kueh bangkits.

1. tapioca flour/tapioca starch is one of the main ingredient and is required to be roasted to remove any moisture present in the flour


2. thick coconot milk/coconut cream is what gives this sinful snack its wonderful smell and aroma + texture


3. some recipes required a small amount of butter/margarine


4. some recipes uses pandan leaves to enhance the smell/frangrance of the snack


5. as usual, different recipes call for different oven temps and different baking time

Somehow, i gather that, this being one of the "olden" day snacks, people might not have used ovens. instead, charcoal and tins were probably used and doneness was judged upon years of experience. the thickness of the dough and size of the moulds were usually not specified probably also because people of the past just passed the recipe down generations after generations.

So how would i rate my first try? It definitely smelled like kueh bangkit, it's aroma alone could generate the cny festive feeling. It LOOKS like kueh bangkit, nice and white and not burnt. phew! it TASTES...well..that's where i guess i gotta improve. it tastes kinda crispy/hard on the outside but as you sink your teeth in, the insides gives way and melts (like chalk ha!) in your mouth. I probably like it a little better this way hehe. But not many others out there.

And so...more experiments coming my way! For now, I'm satisfied. For those interested to give it a shot this chinese new year, this is the recipe i used after mixing and matching a combination of various recipes.

Kueh Bangkit makes approx 85

Ingredients:

• 6 pandan leaves


• 500g tapioca flour/tapioca starch


• 200ml coconut cream (packaged)


• 150g icing sugar


• 1 egg yolk

Method:

1. Wash, dry and cut 5 pandan leaves to about 5-7cm lengths.


2. Measure out tapioca flour. Place a paper towel/kitchen towel over a large microwave safe bowl. Depending on how big your bowl is, put about 1/3 to 1/2 of the amount of flour onto the paper towel in the bowl, making sure the flour is quite spread out. [you'd want to remove as much moisture as possible in the flour] using about 1/3 to 1/2 of the cut pandan leaves (depending on the portion of flour you used), place them in the bowl of flour, well dispersed in the flour. [you'd want the frangrance of the pandan leaves to be absorbed by the flour]


3. Place the bowl in the microwave, microwave the bowl on HIGH for 1 min, take the bowl out and stir to ensure even "drying". Repeat 5 times (i.e. totaly of 5 mins). Change the paper towels as you'd realised the moisture of the flour is being absorbed by the paper towels. Change it about once every 1 or 2 mins.


4. Repeat the process for the remaing portion of flour. Leave it to cool completely, preferably overnight.


5. Heat the coconut cream with 1 pandan leaf in a pot over LOW heat for about 5 mins. Stir and allow it to cool.


6. Measure out icing sugar, sift. Measure out 120ml of cooled coconut cream, add icing sugar, followed by egg yolk. mix to combine, making sure mixture is well combined and smooth.


7. Sift the cooled tapioca flour. Add about 350g of sifted tapioca flour to the coconut mixture and knead to form a soft, pliable dough. [do not add all the tapioca flour all at once]


8. Line a baking tray with baking paper.


9. sprinkle some tapioca flour on a clean surface as well as your rolling pin. the dough should be soft and pliable and should not look "shiny" or "spread". Should it "spread" or feels wet, add more tapioca flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, until it feels dry enough.


10. Roll the dough to a thickness of ~4-5mm. Dip a cookie cutter (i used a flower shaped one about 5-6cm in diameter) into a bowl of tapioca flour and cut out shapes from the rolled dough.


11. Use a scraper to help transfer the cut out dough onto the baking tray. Use a crimper to make patterns on the cut out dough. You can also leave it plain.


12. Preheat oven to 140C.


13. Bake for about 25 mins (depending on the thickness of your cookie). A thicker cookie would require a longer time to bake and vice versa.


14. Cookies should NOT brown.

notes:

1. it is good to have spare trays available as the dough dries out pretty quickly. So, work quickly, cut out all the dough.
2. I read somewhere that adding too much coconut milk would yield hard,dry cookies. Also, make sure your coconut cream is THICK and DO NOT add water.
3. A possible way to prevent the dough from drying out too quickly would be to cover the balance dough place in a bowl with a slightly damp cloth. (i personally haven't tried that out yet)
4. do not add the flour too quickly or too slowly. too quickly and the dough might become dry and hard. too slowly and it might be too wet. you can always adjust the texture by adding more coconut cream/tapioca flour. having said that, as mentioned above, addtion of too much coconut milk yields hard,dry cookies.
5. if you don't like to use a microwave/don't have one, you can "dry" the flour by either frying the flour with the cut pandan leaves over low heat for 20-30 mins and cool overnight OR spread the flour evenly on a large baking tray and bake it at 160C for 25 min and cool overnight (i haven't tried this. I opted the microwave option as it was faster and easier)
6. The cookie might spread and puff up during baking. The thicker the cookie, the puffier it would be.
7. [update]: The dough remaining from the cut out can be combined and rolled out again to cut more cookies. Just keep repeating untill all the dough is used up. If the remaining is too small to cut out, just pinch into small balls and bake them too! No waste!
8. [update]: The recipe only uses 350g flour in total. 500g of flour is prepared as the excess 150g can be used to flour the work surface and rolling pin. It also can be used when combining the dough to a right texture. i.e. if too much coconut milk was added and the dough becomes too wet, more flour can be added. Likewise, 120ml of coconut milk is a rough guide. More or less can be added according to the texture of your dough. add in tablespoons until the right texture is achieved.

special thanks to Aimei from Baking Cottage for pointing out certain steps which i did not make myself clear in. *read update*

adapted from:
1. Delicious Asian Sweet Treats by Oi Lin (book available in some major bookstores in singapore or order online at http://pineapple-tarts.blogspot.com/)
2. Lily's Wai Sek Hong
3. Little corner of Mine
4. aunty yochana

Final verdict, the cookies i made are light and crispy on the outside and melts in the mouth thereafter (i.e. chalky!)

I hope to be able to post a video soon, as soon as i manage to get it right =) so..stay tuned!

happy baking!