Strawberry Heart Cheesecake Squares

I have made these dainty Strawberry Heart Cheesecake Squares a couple of months back but haven't had the chance to post it up. I wanted to make these again as they do not look camera prefect but it tasted pretty good. It would have been better if I have the right tools and jello powder. 


This no-bake cheescake was very popular in Singapore for some time and it was only available through home bakers. I guess it is easy to do and pretty to sell. :P I am sure we all can make these to impress your family, friends and neighbours. 


I wish I bought a better jello. As I got a vegan/ organic version of jello powder (from Whole Foods), it gave a translucent and blurred look rather than a transparent one. 

If you have noticed the blue dish I have used here to hold the cheese cake, it is made by yours truly "ME". It is one of my ceramic pieces which I  made during my wheel-throwing beginner class in MIT. I like the shape and colour of this dish and made several other pieces with the same colour too. :) 


Recipe (12 pieces)
Ingredients:
A) Base

• 120g Digestive Biscuits, crushed into fine crumbs
• 40g melted butter

Steps:

1. Mix the biscuit crumbs with melted butter.
2. Using a fork, press onto a rectangular baking tray. 
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before use. 

B) Filling

• 250g Cream Cheese, soften to room temperature
• 50g Confectioner's sugar
• 1 tbsp Gelatin Powder
• 40ml Boiling water
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Steps:

1. Mix the gelatin powder and boiling water in a bowl. Keep it warm by placing over a pot of simmering water. 
2. Using an electric beater, beat the cream cheese and  Confectioner's  sugar until smooth and creamy. 
3. Add in vanilla essence and mix well. 
4. Add in the gelatin mixture. Mix well. 
5. Spread the mixture over the chilled biscuit base. 
6. Chill it for 3 to 4 hours. 

C) Topping

• 1 box of Jello Crystal (Strawberry Flavor) 
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1 cup of cold water
• 6 Strawberries, cut into 12 heart shapes

1. When the cream cheese filling is chilled, prepare the jelly topping. 
2. Lay the strawberry hearts over the cream cheese. Make sure you can get at least 12 pieces. 
3. Stir the jello crystals into boiling water. Make sure all crystals have melted. 
4. Add in the cold water. 
5. Carefully pour over the cheesecake. 
6. Chill it in the fridge and serve it in cut slices when set. 

Singapore Popiah (Springroll)

I was invited to host a cooking session to showcase Singapore delicacies to the international friends here. I was stuck at that task for a couple of days. The variety of Singapore food is so great that it is very difficult to choose a few to represent Singapore uniquely. 


I remember there was a tussle between Singapore and Malaysia on the dishes which are unique to their country. Chicken rice, Chili crabs and Yu-sheng were some of the prized cuisines that were debated. Were there any conclusions? I think the line should not be drawn so clearly and good food should be shared and enjoyed. 


So in planning for my cooking session, I decided to go for home-cooked food. Food that are common and popular in Singaporeans' homes. So popiah it is! 
In Singapore, it is quite popular to host popiah parties at home during festive occasions or gatherings. It is fun to get family members and friends to get their hands busy to roll their own wraps with their preferred filling. It is simple to make and does not require the host to be busy in the kitchen and miss out the action in the main hall. 

Recipe (For approx 30 spring rolls)

A) Vegetable filling:

• 2 medium Turnips, shredded
• 2 large Carrots, shredded
• 1 handful of Green beans (optional) , shredded
• 1 medium Cabbage (optional) , shredded
• 2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp of Dried Shrimps, soaked (optional)
• 3 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
• 3 tbsp of Light Soya sauce
• 1 tsp of Salt
• 1/2 tsp of White Pepper

B) Other filling:

• Hard boiled eggs, chopped
• Boiled shrimps, halved
• 1 cup of Beansprouts, blanched
• 1 cup of unsalted peanuts, toasted and ground and add 2 tbsp of granulated sugar
• 1 handful of Cilantro, use only the leaves
• Sweet paste
• Chili paste (optional)

C) Skin:

• ·        Spring roll skin (For a twist, crepe is fine too!)

Steps:

•  In a wok, add cooking oil. Fry garlic until light golden. 
• Add dried shrimps and fry until fragrant. 
• Add in carrots, green beans, cabbage and turnips.  
• Add seasoning. Simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust accordingly. 
• To wrap the spring rolls, lay a piece of spring roll skin on a plate with one corner pointing downwards, spread 1/4 tsp of sweet paste and chili (if desired) on 1/4 of the skin.
• Sprinkle ground nuts, eggs, beansprouts on the spread.
• Place few cilantro leaves and shrimps. 
• Top it with 2 spoonful of vegetable filling. 
• To roll, fold the roll like an envelope, with the downward pointed corner to fold up and two corners at the sides to fold in. Roll the spring roll forward to meet the top corner. 
• Enjoy!