People are becoming restless as a result of the extension of the movement control order in every country especially in Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore, as a result of the COVID-19 issue. Because of that, people are getting more creative by finding new approaches to avoid boredom, such as becoming creative in the kitchen and testing new dishes!
There are plenty of recipes floating around on social media right now that anyone can try if they want to spice up their day with a bit extra variety and excitement. However, for those of you who want to learn how to create a simple dessert that is popular especially in Malaysia and Singapore, here are 4 easy dessert recipes that you can attempt!
1.Bingka Labu
Malaysian bingka is a unique cake in which the cake batter turns into two parts during baking: an outside crust and an interior custardy component. Consider a pie without the need to prepare the pie crust and filing separately. With one bingka batter, you may make both the pie filling and the pie crust.
Ingredients:
– 450 gram (1 lb) kabocha pumpkin flesh, cut into cubes
– 3 cup all-purpose flour
– 3/4 cup sugar
– 200 ml (half can) coconut milk
– 2 eggs
– 50 gram (1.75 oz) coconut oil, plus extra to grease the cake pan
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– black and white sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Method:
1. Steam the kabocha pumpkin flesh until it is soft enough to mash. Remove from steamer and mash into a puree with a fork. If you want, you may purée the kabocha pumpkin in a food processor or blender.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit). Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and coat with coconut oil. You can also use an 8″ square pan or a 9″ round pan. It will take 45-60 minutes to bake at the same temperature.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine kabocha pumpkin puree, all-purpose flour, sugar, coconut milk, eggs, coconut oil, and salt. I use an electric mixer, but you may also use a hand whisk.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and top with black and white sesame seeds, if wanted.
5. Baked in a preheated oven for 60-75 minutes, or until the top crust is firm and golden brown. Keep in mind that the interior section of the cake will remain fairly soft (custardy) when the cake is cooking, so your cake tester should not come out clean.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool fully till room temperature. The inner layer of the cake should firm up on its own as it cools.
7. When the cake is fully cold, take it from the pan and cut it into serving slices.
2. Pandan Agar-Agar
This is one of the desserts that are perfect for hot and summer weather like in Malaysia. Pandan agar-agar is also one of the popular desserts among the Malaysian people. The appealing pale green hue of the jelly is created from pandan leaf essence. It’s another light and pleasant agar-agar (meaning jelly in Malay) dish. If you appreciate the aroma of pandan, I am confident you will like this jelly.
Ingredients:
– 2 cups water
– 3 teaspoons of agar-agar powder
– 5 to 7 tablespoon cane sugar
– 100 ml pandan juice
– 100 ml coconut milk (preferable 100% coconut milk)
– a pinch of sea salt
Method:
1. Pandan juice is made by rinsing 8 Pandan leaves and cutting them into 2 cm sections. Combine the pandan leaves and 120 ccs of water in a blender. Remove the pandan juice from the strainer and discard the sediments. (Only 100 mL is required.)
2. Combine water, pandan juice, agar-agar powder, sugar, coconut milk, and a sprinkle of sea salt in a medium saucepan. Stir until the agar-agar powder is completely dissolved. Then, bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to low heat, and continue to cook until the sugar is completely dissolved about 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a small bowl or jelly mold. Allow it to cool fully before placing it in the refrigerator to chill. Cut into appropriate serving portions and serve cold.
3. Fries Oreos
A popular carnival food in Singapore would be an excellent choice for you to try out with your family. With just a few ingredients you can have one of the famous carnival desserts in Singapore without needing to go one. The most interesting thing is you don’t need any microwave or oven to make one, instead, you just need to have an air fryer then you are good to go.
Ingredients:
– half cup complete pancake mix
– 1/3 cup water
– cooking spray
– 9 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreo®)
– 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, or to taste
Method:
1. Combine the pancake mix and water in a mixing bowl. Using parchment paper, line an air fryer basket. Nonstick cooking spray should be sprayed on parchment paper. Place each cookie in the basket after dipping it in the pancake mixture. Make sure they are not touching and, if required, cook in batches.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200 degrees C). Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Confectioners’ sugar should be sprinkled on top.
4. Apple Pies
Apple Pies is one of the most familiar desserts around the world, especially in Singapore. The mini hand pies filled with a buttery apple-cinnamon mixture and topped with a sweet, powdered sugar glaze would make everyone go crazy over it. With this recipe, you can have your apple pie in less than 30 minutes with the help of an air fryer.
Ingredients:
– 4 tablespoons butter
– 6 tablespoons brown sugar
– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 2 medium Granny Smith apples, diced
– 1 teaspoon cornstarch
– 2 teaspoons cold water
– ½ (14 ounces) package pastry for a 9-inch double-crust pie
– cooking spray
– ½ tablespoon grapeseed oil
– ¼ cup powdered sugar
– 1 teaspoon milk, or more as needed
Method:
1. In a nonstick pan, combine the apples, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, or until apples have softened.
2. Cornstarch should be dissolved in cold water. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, approximately 1 minute. Remove the apple pie filling from the stove and set it aside to cool while you make the crust.
3. Roll out the pie crust gently to smooth the surface of the dough on a lightly floured board. Cut the dough into rectangles that are small enough to fit in your air fryer at the same time. Repeat with the remaining crust until you have 8 equal rectangles, re-rolling any scraps of dough as required.
4. Moist the outside edges of four rectangles and add some apple filling in the center, approximately 1/2-inch from the edges. Roll out the remaining four rectangles somewhat bigger than the filled ones. Place these rectangles on top of the filling and close the edges with a fork. Make four tiny incisions in the pies’ tops.
5. Coat the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Brush the tops of two pies with grapeseed oil and place them in the air fryer basket using a spatula.
6. Insert the basket and set the temperature to 385°F (195 degrees C). Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the pies from the basket and do the same with the remaining two pies.