The Seventh Recipe For Christmas

                                                           Apricot Fruit Cake 

Dried apricots have always been a tradition in our household for Christmas and I always have something with apricots every Christmas. This year, I experimented with various fruitcakes and used Dried Apricot Puree instead of burnt sugar. The result…enticing and a rich aroma pervades our house.

Recipe No 7: Christmas Fruit Cake

200 gms each of flour, sugar, tuitti fruitti, black currants, sultanas, cherries and preserved pumpkin and nuts; 5 eggs, 250 gms butter, 1 tsp. mixed spice powder, 50 gms candied peel, ½ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp vanilla; 2 tbsp whiskey (optional); ½ cup dried apricot puree Dec 

Chop fruits. Sieve flour and baking powder into large bowl. Add rest of the ingredients and stir till smooth and glossy. Bake at 150 C  for 45 minutes or till skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.

The Sixth Recipe For Christmas

                                             Incredible Sooji (Eurasian) Cake
When I first came to Malaysia I used to wonder why everyone I met raved about the sooji cake. Popular amongst the Eurasian community, every family guarded their recipes fiercely. I had the opportunity to eat a slice at a friend’s house and experimented and came up with my own. Once I had mastered it, I realised it was one of the best cakes ever. Dark yellow, moist , rich and buttery, full of almonds and made with butter and egg yolks, this is a cake fit for a king.

Recipe No 6:  Sooji Almond Cake


175 gms butter, 125 gms caster sugar; 125 gms sooji; 30 gms flour; 
50 gms crystallized melon, chopped; 11/2 tsp candied orange peel, chopped; 60 gms almond nibs; 7 egg yolks; 1/4 tsp mixed spice; 1 tsp vanilla essence; 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 tbsp brandy.

 Mix together sooji, maida, chopped crystallised melon, candied peel and mixed spices.
Beat yolks with half the sugar till light and fluffy. Cream butter with the rest of the sugar together with vanilla essence. Gently fold in the creamed yolk mixture. Add the mixed dry ingredients and brandy. Mix well. Pour into lined and greased 9 inch cake tin. Bake in preheated oven at 175º C for one hour till golden brown or when skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean.
Cool, cut and serve.

The Fifth Recipe For Christmas

 Christmas Macaroons

I am always on the prowl for Macaroon Recipes which are absolutely a must for Christmas in our family. This year I made two kinds -  Walnut Macaroons with brown sugar and Coffee Macaroons with cashew nuts, which I know will go down well with the coffee addicts in our family. The Walnut Macaroons are nearly over and the Coffee Macaroons are hidden away.

Walnut Macaroons: 500 gms brown sugar, powdered in mixer with 18 cardamoms (seeds only); 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts; white of 2 medium sized eggs.
Mix the the sugar and nuts together. Add the egg white very slowly until the mixture becomes a dough like mass. Discard remaining egg white. Make into balls and bake 2 inches apart in preheated oven at 175C for 10 minutes or until puffed out and transluscent. Makes 50.

Coffee Macaroons: 500 gms coarse sugar, powdered in mixer with 18 cardamoms (seeds only); 1 ½ cups chopped cashewnuts; white of 2 medium sized eggs; 2 tsp Nescafe dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water.
Mix the the sugar and nuts together. Add thenescafe and mix well. Next add the egg white very slowly until the mixture becomes a dough like mass. Discard remaining egg white. Make into balls and bake 2 inches apart in preheated oven at 175 C for 10 minutes or until puffed out and translucent. Makes 50.

The Fourth Recipe For Christmas

Home Made Ginger Liqueur

Making wines and liqueurs have always been part of our family tradition and I enjoy trying out various recipes and giving it away as gifts to family and friends during Christmas.  This is one I tried years ago very successfully.  Those who like it sweet may increase the sugar and the earlier you make it the smoother it is.

Recipe No 4: Ginger Liqueur
¼ cup grated ginger
750ml vodka (usually one bottle)

1/3 cup filtered water
½ cup white sugar

Grate the ginger and place it in a 2 litre glass container. Add the vodka to the container. Let the container sit in a cool, dark place for two weeks. Strain out the ginger. I did not do this as I like to have the grated ginger in the liqueur for extra flavour.
Then mixthe water and sugar in pan on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the sugar water to the glass container, close the lid tightly and give it a shake. Keep in a cool, dark place for at least two more weeks. The longer you leave it, the smoother it gets. Store in a cool place. (I made mine last year). Serve with Ginger Scrumbtious Cake.
I also used it to make my fruit cakes this year.

The Third Recipe For Christmas

Simply Scrumbtious Cake

I tried this out years ago one day when I had run out of flour and had only bread crumbs at home. It turned out great and was a hit with everyone. Make it yourself and surprise your friends and family. You can use nuts or any chopped fruit. I used ginger because I love preserved ginger.

Recipe No 3: Ginger Breadcrumb Cake

3 medium eggs; 1 cup toasted breadcrumbs; 1 cup crystalised ginger, chopped; 3/4 cup sugar.
Cream yolks of eggs and sugar till pale and thick. Add crumbs and ginger.Mix to combine.   Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake at 175 C for 35 minutes or until skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.  Cool and slice. Serve with Ginger Liqueur. This cake does not keep well, so finish it quickly.

The Second Recipe For Christmas

Mixed Fruit Relish (Buah Buah Acar)

This is a traditional Malaysian recipe and a must for Christmas especially with all the rich food around. It goes well with any kind of cuisine, is sweet tangy and hot and tastes good by itself too. It’s a knock out with any kind of rice and can be made in many different ways. Try out my version and and get addicted to it, like me.

Recipe No 2:  Buah Buah Acar
½ kg mixed fruits (I used pineapple, prunes, cranberries, mango, papaya, cranberries and strips of candied ginger); 4 dried red chillies soaked in 1/8 cup water; 1 tsp chilli powder; ½ cup white vinegar; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 large piece ginger, chopped; 12 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped; 1 star anise; 1 inch piece cinnamon; 4 cloves; salt & sugar to taste; ¼ cup olive oil for frying; 2 cups water.

Grind the onion, soaked chillies with the water, ginger, garlic, spices and chilli powder to a smooth paste. De seed all the fruit and chop into bite sized pieces. Pour the oil into a large pan and heat to smoking point. Lower flame and add the ground mixture stirring all the while and stir fry till thick and oil oozes out. Add the fruits, water, vinegar, salt & sugar and cook till mixture is thick. Cool, bottle and serve during Christmas get togethers.

The First Recipe For Christmas

Candied Orange Peel

December has always been my favourite month. Growing up in Bangalore we were exposed to a myriad of exciting things to do- carol singing, concerts, presents and of course the excitement of hovering in the kitchen on the pretext of helping our mum, and sampling all the goodies we could. Christmas is a wonderful season of bonhomie and goodwill. It was the time we shared our goodies with all the community and enjoyed different kinds of cakes, sweets & savouries. My favourite Christmas activity has always been singing and one of my favourite songs “The Twelve Days Of Christmas”. Back then we did not really know what it meant, but we mastered the song and entertained many an audience until we left Bangalore for Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia. This year I wish to share 12 recipes for the Twelve Days of Christmas. Have fun, enjoy yourself and may you be doubly blessed.

Recipe No 1: Candied Peel
Christmas Cake is a must for this season and there are numerous recipes for it. Every family has their own tried and trusted recipe and so do I.   Candied peel is an absolute must for the traditional Christmas Fruit Cake and I have been making my own for ages.   My Mum & Dad always had bottles of delicious brandied fruits in their kitchen cupboard which we kids would dip into whenever we fancied  ( unknown to them).

Rind of 4 oranges, neatly quartered.
1 cup sugar, 3 tbsp rum or whisky

Place orange rind in a heavy bottomed pan and pour in just enough water to cover it. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until soft. Stir in the sugar and bring to the boil again. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cool , cover and keep overnight. Next day boil again and simmer for 5 minutes. Repeat the third day. By this time most of the water would have evaporated and the orange peel will be dark and the syrup thick and aromatic. Completely cool and bottle. Pour the rum or whisky on top. Store indefinitely until required.
NB: This can be made earlier and stored. I usually make mine in January during the orange season.