Every Chinese should be aware of the special meaning behind Fatt Koh. Fatt Koh, or the "Prosperity Cake" is one of those traditional cakes that people make during Chinese New Year season. Both the chinese syllabus when pronounced sound like the word prosperity and wealth. However, the making of this cake has lots of superstitions involved.
For those past Chinese New Years, mom used to order Fatt Koh from the kuih vendor at the wet market in Ipoh. This year, as we were not balik-ing kampung for the new year and I am not a wet market goer, I initially convinced myself to do without the Fatt Koh.
I have been tossing and turning in my bed the night before CNY, thinking whether I should make Fatt Koh myself. By crack of dawn, I rummaged through my kitchen cabinet, only managed to find all purpose flour. Heck! Traditional Fatt Koh is made using rice flour or glutinuous flour. I surfed the net and found a recipe that uses normal flour with the addition of dry yeast.
I whisked the ingredients, fermented the yeast, varied the recipe by adding a spoonful of marmalade. In the absence of muffin trays or small chinese tea cups, I poured the mixture into 4 Japanese tea cups and 2 English tea cups. I then put the cups in the steamer, turned to high heat and waited. Keeping my fingers crossed as I wasn't sure whether it will fatt - crack open like a flower or not.
10 min. 15 min. 20 min. Time's up. Anxiously, I lifted the lid of the steamer and I had six fatt kohs smiling at me. Ha, ha, I know I will fatt in 2009! Love the smile when opening the steamer.
Taste wise, it smelled the floury and yeast taste eventhough I added marmalade. I suppose there is still room for improvement. When eat it straight out of the steamer, there was no floury taste. I just don't know why I bothered to make this as I personally do not like to eat it. Frankly, I just want to see them smile, symbolizing a wealthy year ahead.
Fatt Koh is rather fussy. If the batter too thick, it won't smile. The batter too thin, it won't smile. The cups too swallow it won't smile. The sides of the cup too straight, it won't smile. The water not hot enough, it won't smile. Seems like you need to have everything in condusive mood for the fatt koh to fatt.
For those past Chinese New Years, mom used to order Fatt Koh from the kuih vendor at the wet market in Ipoh. This year, as we were not balik-ing kampung for the new year and I am not a wet market goer, I initially convinced myself to do without the Fatt Koh.
I have been tossing and turning in my bed the night before CNY, thinking whether I should make Fatt Koh myself. By crack of dawn, I rummaged through my kitchen cabinet, only managed to find all purpose flour. Heck! Traditional Fatt Koh is made using rice flour or glutinuous flour. I surfed the net and found a recipe that uses normal flour with the addition of dry yeast.
I whisked the ingredients, fermented the yeast, varied the recipe by adding a spoonful of marmalade. In the absence of muffin trays or small chinese tea cups, I poured the mixture into 4 Japanese tea cups and 2 English tea cups. I then put the cups in the steamer, turned to high heat and waited. Keeping my fingers crossed as I wasn't sure whether it will fatt - crack open like a flower or not.
10 min. 15 min. 20 min. Time's up. Anxiously, I lifted the lid of the steamer and I had six fatt kohs smiling at me. Ha, ha, I know I will fatt in 2009! Love the smile when opening the steamer.
Taste wise, it smelled the floury and yeast taste eventhough I added marmalade. I suppose there is still room for improvement. When eat it straight out of the steamer, there was no floury taste. I just don't know why I bothered to make this as I personally do not like to eat it. Frankly, I just want to see them smile, symbolizing a wealthy year ahead.
Fatt Koh is rather fussy. If the batter too thick, it won't smile. The batter too thin, it won't smile. The cups too swallow it won't smile. The sides of the cup too straight, it won't smile. The water not hot enough, it won't smile. Seems like you need to have everything in condusive mood for the fatt koh to fatt.
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