The Food Site

Who needs to go to Cameron Highlands for some English tea scones when you can make it at home? I am not really a scone fan but then, that’s because I’ve never had really good ones until I tried some really good ones in Cameron Highland’s Ye Olde Smokehouse Hotel. Those are really amazing.

So.

I decided to make it myself. I mean, if I can bake up cakes and cookies, what are scones, right? Right. So, I went searching around the net and found several recipes until I decided to take whatever I feel comfortable with and wing it from there. My main focus is on using the least ingredients and the simplest method. Well, I have to limit my baking time these days as I can’t stand for longer hours nowadays what with a big huge belly and aching back.

And do you know scones are made up of the simplest recipe ever? You only need flour, butter, milk and baking powder. That’s all!

You need to cube the butter and rub it into the flour until crumbly. Then add in the milk.

Knead it into a smooth dough. Then pat into small round shapes (the size depending on you, I like bite-size scones so I made them really small) and place on baking tray. Sprinkle them with some flour and then bake them.

Scones are best eaten with some nice jam and cream.

Oh and yeah, they are damn good hot from the oven!!

Here is the recipe:

Easy English Tea Scones Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup plain flour

40g butter, cubed

1/2 cup milk

3 tsp baking powder

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Rub the cubed, softened butter into the flour until crumbly.

3. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk.

4. Mix with a spatula until it forms a soft dough.

5. Take the dough and knead it on a floured surface but don’t over-knead it.

6. Shape it onto small rounds and place on baking tray. Sprinkle with flour.

7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

These scones are best enjoyed hot from the oven with some fresh cream and jam.

Okay, so the past few posts are calorie-loaded, fat-loaded, sinfully wonderful desserts so I think it is only right I put up a comparatively healthier dessert recipe that made its appearance only in recent years. I don’t even know what it’s called but most of the stalls selling this dessert will often label it as Soya Milk Jelly. Well, I would say it is more like a soya milk pudding than anything.

I made it with a can of evaporated milk instead of soya milk since I had that available. It is pretty easy to make actually and does not take up much time, except for the waiting time for it to firm up.

All you really need is sugar, jelly powder, water and milk or soya milk. If you like some canned longans in it, you can also have that ready and open a can.

Get the containers ready, the plastic cups with covers. I use the cup as measurements for the amount of water or sugar needed. I think each cup is about 200ml. So, if you are making 15 cups of pudding, you will need 15 cups of water, 1 cup sugar, half can of the evaporated milk and half packet of the jelly powder. First, you will need to dissolve the jelly powder, bring the 15 cups of water to boil, add the sugar, jelly solution and the milk.

Once it’s cool down, you can pour into the containers.

You then wait for it to really become firm before you add the canned longans and some of the syrup from the canned longans.

Refrigerate and serve cold. It’s great as dessert, tea time snack or for the sake of eating something sweet but not so sinful. The cups I’m referring to here are the containers we use for the pudding. Here’s the recipe and simple instructions:

Soya Milk Pudding Recipe

(This recipe is for 34 servings)

Ingredients

34 cups of water (about 200ml each cup)

3 cups of sugar (300g)

1 can of evaporated milk or soya milk (400g)

1 packet of the jelly powder (as in the picture above or about 50g)

Instructions

1. Dissolve the jelly powder in 200ml of water

2. Heat up the 34 cups of water in a pan.

3. Add the sugar and let it dissolve.

4. Add in the dissolved jelly and the milk or soya milk.

5. Stir over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

6. Remove from heat and leave to cool but before it firms up.

7. Pour into the cups and leave it to firm up.

8. Add the canned longans to each cup, then refrigerate. Serve cold.