Ondeh Ondeh

I love October. The weather is gorgeous (usually!), we know that Christmas (my favourite holiday!) is around he corner, and to top it off, traditionally for us many changes occur.  It signals that I am turning older and we made the commitment to get married in October 2007.

Therefore, I think it makes perfect sense that a blog design change is due in October ;p

Ok, the above doesn't quite make sense really but I do think a fresh change is needed. Afterall, so much as happened and this blog no longer just "speak:" about food and my uni life! I read through my older posts and had a good chuckle ot myself how this blog started when I was struggling with my honours-with Mr AR still my very innocent housemate.. I read beneath the lines and realized the reading and commenting isn't as innocent as I once thought it was.  Now, he is my husband and I have moved away from whinging and being more appreciative of life and food of course!

A fresh start- I love it. The layout is the same for the time being but the links have changed-I have updated a few things on the right side of the interface. I"m trying to enlist hubby to make more code changes but that's because I'm really quite technologically challenged and prefer to use talents around me.... :p So I am hoping for more changes (for the better) in the near future.

In the mean time, I would like to share with you a dessert/tea time snack that I made recently for a pot luck party. Ondeh Ondeh is a traditional kueh for the Malays. I love the texture of this and when you bite into it, a lovely sugar squirt fills your mouth. The sweet syrup is made of gula melaka- a type of brown sugar.

I have taken this recipe from my favourite kueh book of all times by Patrica Lee.

Ondeh Ondeh

300 grams glutinous rice flour
200 grams + sweet potato
2 tbs tapioca flour
pandan leaves (I used essence-around 3-4 drops-but I can it can be increased to even 8 drops)
2-3 drops of green food colouring
pinch salt
100 grams palm sugar grated and mixed with 1 tablespoon white sugar
250 grams grated/dessicated coconut

Skin sweet potato and steam for 15 mins (I chopped them up first). Mash while warm.

Mix pandan essence and water to make around 200 ml of pandan juice (around 190 ml of water and then drops of pandan essence). add salt and green coloring

Mix both flours in a bowl. Add in mash potato. Knead the mixture with the pandan juice. Add more of the pandan water if a little dry.

Pinch dough and roll into a small ball. (I floured my hands). Put a little palm sugar into the center and seal well. Put aside.

Bring a big sauce pan of water to boil. Drop ondeh ondeh into boiling water. While it rises to surface, keep it boiling for another 2 mins. Scoop up, drain and coat in grated coconut.

PS- optional to steam coconut with pandan leaves and salt for 10 mins and cool.