black sesame pudding (from house kurogoma pudding mix) -- Serves 4 to 5 pax

Black sesame is my ultimate favourite. From black sesame spread to black sesame rice balls I love them all. Just that it's a little heaty for my body to take sometimes but it is said to have nourishing effect on the skin and hair.

It had been a busy week for me due to courses and weekend work assignments so I decided to cheat and bought a box of Black Sesame Pudding (Kuro Goma Purin) mix from Yamakawa Super, A Japanese mart in Tiong Bahru Plaza. 

The instructions look as easy as A-B-C. 

Recipe reflected on the box (the instructions on the box were in Japanese language so do remember to look out for English version provided near the door at the mart):

Ingredients:
The mix~!
400 ml fresh milk

Method:
1. In a pot, open a packet of the Kurogoma pudding powder. Add 400ml fresh milk. Turn on medium flame.

2. Mix well until powder melts. Once boiled, turn to small flame. Continue to boil for 1 minute.
3. Divide the mixture into small container cups. 
[please do it immediately, do not wait any longer as the upper layer of the liquid would have already started to solidify in the pot. I made that mistake and by the time I got down to divide the mixture into small cups, I had to break the upper layer into pieces. I tried reboiling it to reverse the process of solidifying but it didn't work, of course.]

That explains the pieces of dark patches, they are the broken solidified bits.

4. Cool it to room temperate for about 10min. After chilling in the fridge for more than 1 hour...

black sesame pudding

Masakthoughts: The texture is soft, close to a creamy texture. It's very sweet with an extremely milkish taste. They look hideous (nothing like the picture on the box) but the taste was decent for a quick fix like this in the kitchen :)

mini begedil (fried potato patty)

Recently during lunch, I was introduced to begedil by a colleague. It is a malay potato patty, often added to mee soto or your nasi (rice). The girls would usually scream "a lot of calories ah" but still unable to resist the temptation to order one or two when we were queuing in front of the muslim stall.

As we are approaching Hari Raya Puasa, why not try a malay dish? 

There are lots of slight variations across the different recipes offered online. This looks one of the simplest.

Recipe extracted from Annielicious Food:

Ingredients:
[yes we will be frying so some oil please!]
650g Potatoes, use slightly firmer ones. [I cooked three potatoes, quite small in the size of my fist]

50g Shallots, sliced, fried [you can buy fried shallots off the shelf, hassle-free]
2 sprig Spring Onion
1 sprig Coriander leaves (optional)
1 tsp Salt, or more [I just took a pinch of salt]
dashes of pepper [this was omitted as I forgot about it, oops]
1 beaten egg 

Method:
1. Fry sliced shallots till golden brown. Set aside. Do not discard the shallot oil. Those are good stuffs. 
[I skipped this as I already had some packet ones which you could purchase from stores]

2. Slice potatoes into thick slices, deep fry it until potato slices are cooked. Use chopstick to poke on it to test it's softness. 
[drain your potato slices after washing them (before frying) to minimize splatters. Oil's height could be just enough to cover the slices. According to Annie, there are two versions, you can either fry the the potatoes or boil the potatoes before they are mashed. The fried version originates from Johor whereas the boiled version gives you a healthier alternative I supposed. This is the fried version. :)] 

[the chips look delicious, and they are good to be eaten.]

3. Cut spring onions and coriander leaves. 
[really depends on yourself how much you would like to add, I know some friends who do not eat coriander leaves..]

4. Mash the fried potatoes. You don't have to 100% mash them. Leave some chunks (about 30% roughly mashed). It gives patties a nice bite. 
[I mashed using a metal spoon. It is difficult to mash those golden brown edges...so just leave those chunks..at this point I also added the pinch of salt.]

5. Add fried shallots, spring onions and coriander leaves into the mashed potatoes. Mix well. 
[to your preference! You might want to try adding meat or other ingredients, be creative!]

6. Scoop some of the mashed potatoes and put them into the palm. Repeatedly press and make the patties compact. Roll them into balls and press it into thick patty form. 
[as I did not have sufficient potatoes, I decided to do mini begedils, about 1.5 inches in diameter. Bite-sized begedils..]

7. Heat up enough oil for deep frying - medium heat. 
[the oil's height could be slightly lower than the begedils, just have to overturn them when they become golden brown at the underside.]

8. Beat egg in a bowl.
9. Dip the begedil into beaten eggs, one at a time. And then fry the begedil till golden brown. 
[they smell so nice!]

10. Drain the begedils of excess oil before serving.

begedil

Masak-thoughts: Potatoes potatoes, how can you go wrong with potatoes? Begedil is indeed an unhealthy snack, but by DIY-ing at home, it certainly allows you to have a certain level of control over the ingredients.. So try it! For amateur cook, it takes really long to fry and cut the potatoes but generally manageable with very minimal oil splatters (just remember to drain your potatoes after washing..). The taste is not as good as those sold outside but my tummy is just as contented!