Singapore Arts, Beauty and Inspirations Male Blogger

A summarized version of my report (modified)

Orh Nee Roll is my rendition of the popular Teochew dessert that goes a long way back.

Orh Nee in Teochew means Taro Paste and memories of this dish come from attending

wedding banquets, where it is almost customary for it to be served as the last course in resturants.

The main ingredient used is yam, which is one of the oldest food plants known. It is also a common plant found around the rustic and rural kampung environment in the past. Yams are a good source of potassium, manganese, copper, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and vitamin B6.

The other secondary ingredients used are coconut cream, pandan leaves, shallots and pumpkin seed (to replace the actual pumpkin flesh).   

Since the past, coconut cream is added to Orh Nee to enhance the flavor, giving it a creamier texture. As for shallots, when fried, they produce a fragrant aroma which would mask the undesirable smell of the yam. Pandan leaves are used as additional flavoring for the skin.

To further depict the kampong style, I choose to present my Orh Nee rolled up in light pandan fragrance snowskin, looking like a piece of home made traditional kueh. It is also to break the monotonous habit of serving Orh Nee in a bowl, looking like a pile of unappetizing dull looking gooey mess. The spongy texture of the snow skin with fried shallots and pumpkin seed provide a slight contrast to the rich creamy texture of the yam paste itself. This sweet as well as savory dessert is made from scratch, just like from the kampung days.

Dessert name: Orh Nee Roll (About 100 pcs)
(Adjust oil and coconut cream base on your desired consistency.)

Ingredient List

Yam Paste 

Fresh Yam        1200g

Caster Sugar        200g

Peanut Oil            300g

Shallots             15 no.s

Coconut Cream    600g

Salt                    A pinch

Snow Skin

Fried Glutinous Rice Flour (Kou Fien)          600g + (100g for dusting)

Icing Sugar                                                   750g

Shortening                                                    180g

Water (Cold)                                                 600ml

Green Colouring                                            Few drops

Pandan Leaves                                              100g

Method

1)      Peel taro and cut into thin slices. Arrange on a dish/tray and steam for 20-30 min until soft.

2)      Once the taro slices are out of the steamer, mash them up with the back of a fork, adding caster sugar at the same time. Taste and add more caster sugar if required. Tweak the level of sweetness to personal preference. Cover with clingfilm.

3)      Peel shallots and finely slice them.

4)      In a wok or wide saucepan, add oil and sliced shallots. Gently stir-fry on medium low heat until the shallot discs begin to brown and crisp up. Strain the shallots from the oil.

5)      Return oil back to the wok, turn down the flame to low. Add mashed taro paste and mix until well amalgamated. Taste again and add more sugar if required. Also, if coconut milk is used, it can be added at this point with a pinch of salt. Cut back the oil by half if so and add accordingly until the desired texture is achieved.

6)      Allow the taro paste to cool down considerably. Transfer into a food blender and blitz until smooth. Chill the mixture till firm.

7)      Sift the flour and mix with icing sugar and add into a bowl

8)      Blend the pandan leaves for its juice, add into the cold water with a few drops of colouring.

9)      Add shortening and water to the flour mixture, mix together to form a smooth dough and keep aside for 30 minutes.

10)   Roll out the dough into a rectangular flat surface, spread the taro paste across it and roll it up like a swiss roll.

11)  Chill before slicing into portion and serve.