Jade: Bitemymomo

Before I go on my usual rants, which kind, clever person did the fancy hyperlinking for the macaron references?? Thank you!!! *Hugs*

I remember my first kuih momo..I was 5 and it was huge-the size of one of those bouncy balls you get from the 20cent plastic egg machines. Although..it could've just seemed enormous because I was only 5...But whatever...Point is, I took my first bite..was hit by an instant burst of buttery, milky fragrance...and then.. at the tender age of 5..I fell in love. I was always a precocious little thing ;)

So as much as I love pineapple tarts, I think Chinese New Year just would not be complete without one of my favourite cookies~ kuih momo. [Honestly, on the basis of that endearingly ridiculous name alone, how anyone can not like it is beyond me]. Not just any kuih momo though..a perfectly made cookie should be firm enough to pick up, yet crumbly enough to shatter and melt the instant it hits your tongue...gorgeously buttery but not too rich, with a slight nuttiness to it that you'll only get by slowly toasting your flour. I love Chinese New Year..dum dee da...

Kuih momo

250g plain flour

50g milk powder

150g butter [ It's usually made with ghee..but the ghee in this country tastes like margarine..which just ticks me off; so I tried butter after reading Greg and Nee's blog and absolutely loved it...but use ghee if you prefer]

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup icing sugar

2-3 tbsp milk powder

[ I've been told to use powdered glucose to coat but I always find there's a very unsettling metallic aftertaste...maybe it's just me..but I don't like it, so there you go.]

1. Roast flour and milk powder in 150 degree oven for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Once it's turned the shade of lightest caramel, let it cool.

3. Melt the butter, takes about 30 seconds in the microwave. Let it cool and whisk in the egg yolk

4. Pour mixture into your bowl of flour slowly, mixing as you go along.

5. You'll end up with a really crumbly, slightly sandy dough.

6. Preheat oven to 140 degrees

7. Most recipes say to roll into little balls, but I find it so much easier to press the dough into spheres instead...only because it is very fiddly. And I quite like the knobbly surfaces you get by pressing.

8. Bake for about 15- 20 minutes. In the meantime, mix icing sugar and milk powder in a bowl

9. Once the cookies are done, let them cool for a few minutes..until they're warm enough to touch, and coat with sugar mix. You don't want the cookies too hot, because it'll just melt the sugar and you won't get that lovely powdery coating; too cold and the sugar won't stick too well.

10. Now pop one in your mouth and wait for afore mentioned flavour explosion ;)