Mama’s Rendang Chicken

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

8 chicken drumsticks

3 large potatoes

8 Tablespoons curry powder (Baba’s meat curry powder)

Rempah (spice paste)

2 inch galangal, peeled and cut into small pieces

3 stalks lemongrass, slice bottom stalk finely

10-12 bauh keras (candlenut), smashed with large knife

2 inch yellow ginger (turmeric), peeled and cut into small pieces

3 big cloves garlic, peeled

5-10 dried chilies or to taste

300g (over 20) small purple shallots, peeled and cut into half

1 sq inch belachan

Additional items

Oil

Salt

2 pandan leaves, washed and knotted separately

1 to 2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 cup lime juice (12-15 small limes)

2.5 cups hot water

Method 

Massage the chicken pieces with salt, wash thoroughly and set aside.

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces, wash with salt and set aside to dry.

Blend the spices together until they become a thick paste. Stir in 6 tablespoons of curry powder. Set aside.

Use a fork to poke the chicken pieces then marinade them with 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of curry powder and 2 tablespoons of rempah.  Marinade 30 min to overnight. The longer you marinade, the more flavourful the chicken will be.

Heat up a few cups of oil in a large wok. Add a pinch of salt and one of the knotted pandan leaves. When the oil is hot and ready, remove the pandan leaf and add the potatoes. Fry until golden brown and remove onto plate with paper towels to drain the oil.

Add more oil and a pinch of salt. When it is hot, deep fry the chicken pieces until golden brown and remove.

In another large wok, add a few tablespoons of oil. Add the pandan leaf and a pinch of salt, and remove when the oil is hot and ready. Fry the rempah with 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce and 1 tablespoon light sauce. Fry until fragrant and add the chicken pieces and potato to rempah. Stir everything together. Add 2.5 cups of hot water and 0.5 cup of lime juice. Taste and if needed, add another ½ or 1 tablespoon sugar. Simmer until the sauce evaporates a little more and becomes thick.

Enjoy with rice or French loaf.

Kiam Chye Buay

There are 3 steps to making Kiam Chye Buay.

Step 1: make jiew he char. You can also eat that with lettuce.

Step 2:  make chicken soup with fish maw.

Step 3: fry everything together with more vegetables and roast pork.

Jiew He Char

Time taken: 3-4 hours (if you are cooking by yourself)

Ingredients

Broth:
2 pieces pork belly
1 medium pot of water
6 cloves garlic
Salt to taste

Stir fry:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bulb garlic, chopped finely
1/2 cup shallots, chopped finely
Cooked pork belly from broth, chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
1.5 cups red onion, sliced finely
1.5 cups leek, sliced finely
1.5 cups Beijing cabbage, sliced
1 cup dry Chinese mushrooms, soaked in water and sliced
1 Tablespoon tao jio (fermented bean paste), chopped finely
1 cup dried squid, soaked in water with a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar and cut into very thin slices
2 bang kuan (jicama), peeled & cut into thin matchsticks
2.5 cups carrots, peeled and shredded
Soy sauce to taste
Salt to taste

Method:

Boil pork belly in a medium pot of water with garlic and salt to make broth. Take out the pork bellies and when they are cooled down, chop them into small pieces.

Heat up 1/2 cup oil over medium heat in large wok. Fry garlic and shallots until golden brown. Remove garlic and shallots and most of the oil. Put in a bowl.

Fry pork belly pieces with 1 teaspoon sugar in same wok.  Remove.

Fry leek and red onions for a few minutes until cooked. Remove.

Add more oil with garlic and shallots into wok.

Fry cabbage until cooked. Remove.

Fry mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Remove.

Fry tao jio with dried squid. Remove when squid is curly and browned.

Add more shallot/garlic oil to wok.

Fry bang kuan and carrots for a few minutes. Add salt to taste and broth until soft.

Mix cooked leeks and onions with bang kuan and carrots. Then add everything together into 2 big woks. Add salt and soy sauce to taste.

Kiam Chye Buay

Makes 2 large pots

Ingredients:

Chicken soup:
1 big pot of water
1 whole chicken cut into smaller pieces
2 carrots, chopped roughly
1 teaspoon peppercorn
2-3 large pieces dried fish maw, break into small pieces, boiled in water first, then washed in cold water

Method:

Chicken soup:
Boil chicken in large pot of water with carrots and peppercorn. Don't cover the pot. When boiling, remove grime that floats on top.

After simmering stock for 20-30 minutes, add fish maw and boil until ready. Set aside.

Ingredients:

Guah Chye

Mustard Greens

Note: Guah Chye is actually mustard greens too. They are both similar vegetables so it's best to bring along a photo to the market if you're unfamiliar with them.









Main dish:

Pot of already prepared Jiew he char
Pot of already prepared chicken & fish maw soup

3.5 cups guah chye, stems and leaves, chopped
4 cups mustard greens, chopped
3 cups napa cabbage, chopped
2 stems leek, chopped
2 cups kiam chye (one packet preserved mustard greens)
1/2 piglet of roast pig meat, chopped into small pieces
3 cups roast pork, already prepared and cut into small pieces
3 tomatoes, cut into fours
2 teaspoon assam peel, sliced thinly and soaked in water to soften
1 cup assam water (fresh tamarind soaked in water and filtered out)
6-8 dried chili, whole
8 lemongrass stalks, bruised
1 can abalone, sliced thinly

Method:

Separately blanch the guah chye, mustard greens, napa cabbage, and leek. Set aside in separate bowls.

Put 2 teaspoons of salt onto the kiam chye and squeeze the leaves and steams together. Wash it and cut into smaller pieces. Soak it in water to make it less salty.

Reheat the chicken soup if it's not hot.

(Make sure you have two big pots, eventually will separate out ingredients into each pot.) You can cook over charcoal or gas.

Stir fry jiew he char separately in wok to heat up.

Separate the soup into 2 large pots.

Add guah chye into pots then layer with mustard greens, cabbage, leeks, kiam chye, jiew he char, tomatoes, roast pork, assam peel and assam water, dried chili and lemongrass.

Cover pots and boil over medium high heat until boiling.

Then uncover pots and stir everything together.

Taste to see if it's sour enough, add more assam water if not sour enough. Add more dried chili if not spicy enough.

Add abalone when it is almost ready. Then simmer longer for 15-20 minutes more.

Best if eaten the next day.

Curry Powder

(for any kind of meat curry)

Mild Curry

Ingredients:

1 kati ketumbar (coriander seed)

¾ kati jintan puteh (cumin)

½ kati jintan manis (sweet cumin)

¼ kati dry chillies (seeded)

¼ kati dry saffron (or a little less)

1 ½ inch piece cinnamon

8 cloves

2 dessertspoons peppercorns

2 toh cascas

8-10 nutmeg seed

Hot Curry

Ingredients:

1 kati ketumbar (coriander seed)

¾ kati jintan puteh (cumin)

½ kati jintan manis (sweet cumin)

¾ kati dry chillies (1/4 kati seeded)

1 ½ inch piece cinnamon

¼ kati dry saffron

8 cloves

2 dessertspoons peppercorns

Popiah

Popiah

Serves 16-18 people

Filling

Ingredients:

• 8 katis bamboo shoot (boiled for 3-4 hours the day before popiah is made) – Optional
• 8 KG yam beams (bangkwang)
• 5 carrots – peeled and shredded (SK edit)
• 2 packets French beans sliced at an angle, 1 inch long (SK edit)
• 2 ½ katis prawns – cleaned and chopped. ½ kati prawns to be set aside for decorations.
• 1    kati pork (belly) boiled and shredded. ¼ kati to be set aside for decorations
• 10 pieces yellow taukwa shredded fine and fried till golden brown – 1 teacup to be set aside for decorations
• 4-5 teacups prawn stock and pork stock (boil prawn heads and pork belly for stock)

  

Ingredients to be pounded:

20 cloves garlic (some for frying, some for assembling popiah)

2 dessertspoons tauchew (optional)

1 teacup oil

Method:

Shred bangkwang and carrots.

Put oil in pan and when hot fry pounded garlic till golden brown. Add chopped prowns and when cooked add shredded pork. (Mama will add a bit of sugar when frying pork). Cook for about 10 minutes. Stir well, adding salt and some prawn and pork stock. Put lid on pan and allow to simmer for an hour.

Separately fry the carrots and French beans till cooked (SK edit).

Add shredded bangkwang, carrots and French beans and more stock. Simmer for another hour. Add the fried shredded taukwa. Allow to simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

(Mama’s method is to fry everything separately in a wok, then combine in a large wok and keep adding stock and stir frying until cooked).

Decorations:

A little of each to be arranged into two plates:

• ½ kati chopped prawns (set aside from filling)
• ¼ kati shredded boiled pork (set aside from filling)
• 1 teacupful fried shredded taukwa (set aside from filling)
• 2 eggs made into omelet and shredded
• One teacup crab meat – fried a little with salt & pepper
• ½ cup pounded garlic – fried golden brown (to prevent garlic sticking together during frying, wash and drain pounded garlic before frying

Vegetables:

• ¼ kati lettuce (center stems to be removed)
• Shredded cucumber (after removing skin from 2 cucumbers, slice off the part outside center pulp and shred)
• ½ kati bean sprouts, cleaned and scalded
• Four bundles of coriander leaves (small) and leaves from a few sprigs of the larger type
• Other ingredients:
• 1 ½ kati (1 KG) large popiah skin (from shop)
• 1 ¼ kati (bee chio) sweet soya sauce from shop
• 30-40 fresh red chillies freshly ground

Egg Skin (to make 12 skins)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 ¼ cups water
• A little salt

Method:

Put flour in basin, beat in eggs, one by one. Then add water, a little at a time. Add salt. Beat till smooth.

Heat frying pan, brush with oil and pour enough batter to cover pan. When cooked, edges will curl and begin to leave pan. Turn skins on to the pack of a bread plate which has been placed on a meat plate, face to face. 

Mama’s Ayam Buah Keluak

Ingredients:

• 30 Indonesian black nuts
• Pinch of salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1.4 KG chicken, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 340 g (12 oz) garam assam paste thawed
• 570 g (20 oz) pork ribs, cut into pieces
• 85 g (3 oz) tamarind soaked in 170 ml water, squeezed and strained
• 1-1   ½ level teaspoons salt
• 950 ml (32 fl oz) water

Method

Soak nuts in cold water for ½ hour. Brush nuts to remove sandy particles. Crack where nut is smooth and remove meat. Add a pinch of salt and sugar (half teaspoon) and pound together to form a firm smooth paste, then refill shells.

Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and leave for ½ hour.

Place the thawed garam assam paste in an enamel pan with tamarind juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 905 ml water. Bring to boil over high heat. Add pork ribs and boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and cook for ½ hour. Add the nuts and then the chicken and continue to cook for another ½ hour or till chicken is tender. Stirring occasionally.

Serve with white rice. 

Penang Pickle (Achar)

Ingredients to be ground:

40 dried chillies (some seeded)

15 slices langkwas

1 ½ teacups small red onions

2 slices blanchan 1” x 1” x  ½ “

Vegetables to be scalded in boiling vinegar & salt:

½ kati Long Beans (cut into 1 ¼ lengths)

¼ kati French beans

¼ kati ladies fingers

2 small carrots

6 large onions

3 radishes

1 large bitter gourd (if desired)

¼ kati cabbage

¼ kati cauliflower

8 cucumbers ** (Mama said after slicing, soak in water with salt, then sun it to dry)

Cut all the above into small pieces and scald in boiling vinegar to which a little salt has been added, one vegetable at a time.

Drain in colander and put aside.

Other ingredients:

1 teacup Bijan – sesame (clean, wash, drain and fry in dry pan till golden brown. Pound a little and put aside)

1 ½ teacups oil

1 large piece fresh saffrom, sliced very thin

Salt & sugar to taste

Method:

Put oil in pan when hot, fry sliced saffron until brown. Remove saffron and throw away.

Fry ground ingredients in hot oil till well cooked. Add salt & sugar.

Add vegetables which have been scalded in vinegar. Stir well all the time for about 10 minutes.

Add fried and pounded sesame, stir well. Remove to porcelain bowl to cool.

Plain Cake

Ingredients:

• ½ lb butter
• ½ lb sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 10 oz flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup milk

Method:

Cream butter, add sugar gradually. Add well beaten egg yolks. Add vanilla extract.

Add sifted flour, baking powder and salt alternatively with milk. Add well beaten egg white.

Bake in moderate oven at 375 degrees Farenheit for 25 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Sift dry ingredients together. Add shortening mixing in well with a fork. Add unbeaten eggs and flavouring. 

Roll out on floured board and cut with cookie cutter.

Bake in moderate oven at 375 degrees Farenheit for 8 minutes.

Peanut Cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup chopped peanuts

Method:

Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, add unbeaten eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Put sifted flour, baking powder, salt and peanuts together. Add alternately with milk to make soft dough. Roll on floured board. Cut with cookie cutter.  

Sugee Cake

Ingredients:

• ½ lb semolina
• 13 eggs yolks, whites from 4 eggs
• 10 oz sugar
• 10 oz butter
• 2 oz flour
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ lb ground almonds
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 dessertspoon brandy
• 4 oz milk

Method:
Cream butter and ¾ sugar till light. Gradually add in the milk, beat all the time. Add semolina. Stir well and let it stand for 1 hour.

Add egg yolks which have been beaten with remainder of the sugar, a little at a time. Add whipped whites of 

4 eggs and then almonds and flour sifted with bicarbonate of soda. Add brandy and vanilla.

Bake in moderate oven for about one hour. 

Swiss Roll

Use recipe for Sponge Sandwich, but bake cake in Swiss Roll tin.

When baked, turn cake quickly on to sugared paper, which should have underneath it a damp cloth. 

Remove greased paper from cake, spread with hot jam and roll up quickly. Cover with sugared paper and damn cloth for a little while to prevent roll cracking. 

Sweet Apricot Tart

Short Crust

Ingredients:

• 6 oz flour
• 3 oz butter
• 1 egg
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt

Method:

Rub butter into flour which has been sifted with salt and baking powder. Add beaten egg and a little water to make a soft dough. Roll and line cake tin with short crust and bake lightly in moderate oven.

Filling

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 level tablespoons flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large tin apricots, well drained

Method:

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time and beat well. Add flour which has been sifted with the baking powder. Add apricots and mix well.

Fill the baked pie crust with the above mixture and bake for ¾ hour.

Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth with 2 dessertspoons sugar. When pie is cool, spread the whites over the top and bake in cool oven. 

Sponge Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs, separated
• 3 oz fine sugar
• 3 oz flour sifted with ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons boiling water
• Pinch of salt
• ¼-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

1. Prepare oven, grease sandwich tins and line bottom with greased paper.
2. Whisk egg whites till fluffy.
3. Add egg yolks one at a time, and beat for a few minutes.
4. Add sugar and beat till thick and creamy for about 10 minutes.
5. Add boiling water and beat for another 5 minutes.
6. Add vanilla.
7. Add flour which has been sifted with baking powder and salt, folding it gradually into the egg mixture, using a spoon or the whisk.
8. Pour mixture into tins and bake in a quick oven for 10 minutes till set and golden brown in colour.
9. Turn the cake quickly on to sugared paper. Remove greased paper from cake, spread with hot jam and place one cake on the other to form a sandwich. Sprinkle icing sugar on top.

Scones

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour & 3 teaspoons baking powder sifted together OR 2 cups self-raising flour
• 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 eggs well beaten
• 1/3 cup milk (about)

Method:

1. Sift dry ingredients.
2. Rub fat into flour lightly with fingers, (avoid making an oily mixture) till flour and butter look like breadcrumbs.
3. Add eggs and milk, which have been beaten together, to make a soft dough.
4. Place dough on floured baking pan. Flatten top to make a round shaped dough, about ½ inch thick. Cut with flared knife into 8 pieces.
5. Brush top with left over milk or eggs
6. Bake in hot oven for 15-20 minutes.
7. Serve with butter and jam after separating pieces. 

Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• Minced cold chicken leftover from a roast or stew (1 cupful)
• 3-4 dessertspoons salad cream
• Melted butter or rich chicken stock or gravy to moisten
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Mix together all ingredients and use for sandwiches.

(2 dessertspoons minced ham added to ingredients above makes another good filling).

Curry Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cold beef, chicken or mutton curry, passed through a mincer
• 2 dessertspoons gravy
• Salt, if necessary

Method:

Mix all ingredients and spread on buttered slices of bread. 

Sardine Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 small tin sardines
• Yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs
• Pepper, salt, mustard, vinegar or lime juice-- to taste
• 2 dessertspoons melted butter

Method:

Remove skin and bones from sardines and mash to a paste, add egg yolks, salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar and melted butter. Mash together till smooth.

Spread mixture between thin slices of buttered bread. 

Salmon Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 small tin S&W salmon
• 4-6 dessertspoons Heinz salad cream or 3 dessertspoons Heinz salad cream and 2 dessertspoons Heinz sandwich relish
• Pepper & salt (if necessary)
• Lettuce (if desired)

Method:

Remove bones and dark skin from salmon, mash, adding salad cream and relish and pepper and salt.

Spread on thinly sliced and buttered bread, using lettuce leaves between slices. 

Sandwich Filling: Egg & Cheese Filling

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons milk (undiluted evaporated)
• Pepper
• A pinch of salt
• 1 dessertspoon butter
• 1 oz cheese
• 1 tomato cut into very thin slices (if desired)

Method:

Beat eggs, add milk, salt & pepper. Put butter in pan and pour in mixture; cook over slow fire, stirring all the time, till it thickens and becomes creamy.

Transfer to plate and mash cheese into mixture till smooth.

Spread on buttered slices of bread to make sandwiches. Use slices of tomato, if you like, between slices.

Sandwich Fillings: Sambal Goreng

Ingredients to be ground very fine: 

• 1 stalk serai sliced
• 2 thin slices langkwa (galangal)
• 3 bua kuas 
• 6 chillies (seeded)
• ½ teacup small onions

Ingredients:

• ½ kati fresh prawns, shelled, cleaned and steamed. When cool, pass through mincer, keeping prawn juice inside
• ½ cup coconut milk from ¼ coconut
• Salt 
• 2 dessertspoons vegetable oil

Method:
Put oil in pan and when hot fry ground ingredients till well cooked. Add minced prawn, stir, add prawn juice, salt and coconut milk. Cook until right consistency is reached.

When cool, use for sandwich filling with lettuce or sliced cucumber.

(enough for 1 pound of bread)

Rich Fruit Cake

Ingredients:
3 ¾ - 4 lbs mixed fruits (wash if necessary and dry in sun. Then chop a little. Dredge with some flour before using. Flour is to be taken from amount specified for cake):

• 1 lb raisins
• ¾ pound sultanas
• 1 lb currants
• ¼ lb preserved ginger
• ½ lb candied orange and lemon peel
• ¼ lb candied cherries
• ¼ lb dried figs

¾ lb butter
½ lb sugar
1 lb flour
12 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons pounded cinnamon
4-5 dessertspoons treacle
¼ cup grape juice or dark wine
2 Tablespoons brandy

Method:
Cream butter, add sugar gradually. Separate yolks from whites of eggs, and beat yolks till lemon coloured.  Add to butter and sugar, then add treacle and pounded cinnamon.

Beat white until stiff and add to mixture. Add flour, except enough to dredge mixed fruits. Add grape juice and then fruits, a little at a time, mixing well. Last of all, add brandy.

Fill tins which has been lined with greased brown paper and bake in slow oven for 3-4 hours, depending on size of tins.
(Recipe will make about 7 lbs)

Pound Cake (rich)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz flour sifted twice with 2 teaspoons baking powder or 8 oz self raising flour sifted twice
• 8 oz fine sugar (less by 1 oz if desired)
• 8 oz butter
• 6 eggs -- yolks to be separated from whites and each to be beaten separately
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:
Use creaming method, as for cupcakes.

Note:
If an orange flavour is required, leave out vanilla. Use grated rind of ½ orange and about 2 tablespoons orange juice.

Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 4 oz flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• ½ pint milk
• 2 eggs
• Butter for frying

Method:

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into basin. 
2. Add beaten eggs and about ½ the milk. Beat well till smooth. 
3. Add rest of milk and leave to stand for a while. 

To fry:
Grease bottom of frying pan. Pour in quickly enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan -- fry till golden brown on under side, turn and fry on 2nd side.

Turn on to sugared paper, spread with jam or sprinkle with sugar and lime juice. Then roll up.

Orange Cake (Quite Rich)

Ingredients:

• 4 oz butter
• 4 oz sugar
• 3 eggs, separated
• Grated rind of ½ orange
• 6 oz self-raising flour or 6 oz ordinary flour sifted with 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• Juice of ½ orange, 2 dessertspoons

Butter Icing
Beat together 2 Tablespoons butter and 3 Tablespoons icing sugar.

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add egg yolks, one at a time and beat well. Add grated rind.
3. Add egg whites which has been beaten to a stiff froth.
4. Add flour, folding it in and when smooth add orange juice. 
5. Pour batter into two sandwich tins which has been greased and lined. 
6. Bake for about ½ hour in moderate oven.
7. When done, remove cake from oven and cool on cake rack.
8. Spread on top butter icing and sprinkle over it colored sugar drops, chopped walnuts or grated chocolate. 

Mushroom Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 oz flour
• 3 oz corn flour or custard powder
• 1 ½ level teaspoon baking powder
• 4 oz sugar
• 4 oz butter or margarine
• 3 eggs
• A little milk

Method:

1. Sift flour, corn flour and baking powder.
2. Cream butter and sugar.
3. Ad eggs, one by one, and beat well.
4. Add flour etc., gradually, and if necessary, a little milk, to make a creamy mixture.
5. Half fill greased bun tins.
6. Bake 15-20 minutes in moderate oven. 
7. When cool, cut out centres with a small pastry cutter or a knife 2/3 of the way down. Fill the hollow with jam or cream, or both. Then put cut out piece on top and sprinkle with icing sugar. 

Mocha Tart

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons coffee essence
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour sifted with 1 teaspoon baking powder

Method:
Separate the eggs. Whisk whites with salt and pinch of baking powder. When stiff, add in egg yolks, one at a time. Add sugar gradually, beating all the time. Beat in coffee essence.

Fold in flour. Bake in two well greased and lined 9 inch sandwich tins in moderate oven for half and hour. Cool.

Spread coffee butter icing between layers and on top of cake. Sprinkle top with browned almonds which have been finely shredded.

Coffee Butter Icing

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons sugar
Coffee essence

Method:
Cream butter and sugar. Add a teaspoon of coffee essence at a time, beating all the time till light and fluffy. Add vanilla for flavouring.

Minced Meat Spread on Bread

Ingredients:

• ½ lb minced beef, veal, or lean pork
• ½ large onion
• 2 dessertspoons butter
• Pepper & salt to taste
• 2 potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 2 eggs
• Celery and onion leaves
• Thin slices of bread cut up into small pieces - 1 inch wide, 2 inches long
• Vegetable oil

Method:
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in pan. Fry onions till slightly brown. Add minced meat, salt & pepper to taste. Fry till well cooked.

Mix the above, when cool with:

• ½ teacup mashed potato
• 2 beaten eggs
• Chopped celery and onion leaves
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preparing the bread for frying:
Put the mashed meat and potato on slices of bread. Fry in deep fat. Drain on paper and serve.

Jam Drops

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ Tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 ¼ cup self-raising flour 
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Some jam

Method:
Beat butter and sugar to a cream. Add egg and beat well. Add flour and mix well. Form into 16 balls with fingers, using flour to enable easy handling.

Take each ball, make hole in centre with finger, fill with jam, and make into ball again.

Place on greased baking pan and bake in moderate oven for 15 minutes. This has texture of biscuits.

Gingerbread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves or nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup treacle or golden syrup
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 2 eggs

Method:
Sift all dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar. Add treacle and beat well.

Beat eggs and to them add hot water, then add to butter etc. Stir in flour gradually. Beat well.

Pour in greased and lined tin and bake in moderate oven till firm, from 30-40 minutes.

(Add sliced preserved ginger to mixture, if you like, after flour has been mixed in)

Fudge Frosting

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons golden syrup
3 Tablespoons (or less) cocoa
½ cup evaporated milk (undiluted)
A pinch of salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:
Cook sugar, golden syrup, cocoa and milk and salt on a very small fire till sugar is dissolved, stirring a little now and then to prevent burning. When sugar is dissolved and mixture is boiling, increase heat, stirring all the time.

When mixture begins to thicken, place a drop or two in a cup of cold water and if it forms a soft ball in your fingers, add butter, baking powder & vanilla, and stir well.

Remove pan from fire. Cool until lukewarm. Then beat until creamy and of right consistency to spread over cake.

Mama’s Kaya Cake

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 1 ½ cups first coconut milk from 1 ½ coconuts
• 4 oz pandan juice
• 10 oz sugar
• 10 oz flour

Method:

Beat eggs and sugar gently until sugar dissolves. Add in coconut milk and pandan juice and beat again. Put in the flour.

Bake in oven 350 degrees Farenheit or gas No. 4 for 1 hour 15 min.

Fudge

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
3 dessertspoons cocoa (more if you like a darker fudge)
3 dessertspoons golden syrup
1 cup evaporated milk (undiluted)
2 dessertspoons butter
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts and/or ¼ cup chopped preserved ginger

Method:
Put in deep pan sugar, cocoa, golden syrup, milk and salt. Stir well with wooden spoon and place pan on very small fire. Do not stir before sugar is dissolved, but with the spoon gently move sugar at the bottom of the pan once in a while to prevent burning.

When mixture begins to boil, stir, add butter and keep on stirring. Increase flame a little till mixture thickens.

When tiny bubbles appear on edge of spoon and at the bottom of pan as you stir, test drops of fudge in a cup of cold water, and if they form soft balls in your fingers, add vanilla and baking powder.

Remove pan from fire. After 5 minutes of cooling, beat mixture till it begins to harden. Add walnuts and/or ginger and quickly pour onto greased square tin. When cool cut into squares, any size you like.

Dropped Scones

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups self raising flour or 1 ½ cups flour sifted with 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Butter for greasing pan

Method:
Mix in a bowl all dry ingredients. Make well in centre, put in the eggs, mix and beat in the flour, a little at a time, adding the milk gradually. Beat until smooth.
Heat heavy frying pan on electric hot plate greased with butter. Drop batter in tablespoons onto pan. Turn quickly when bubbles appear. Brown on each side. Serve with butter and jam or golden syrup.