Gie Long Gor : Foochow Favourite

Eat gie long gor and you will remember the by gone days. This is what happens to me. Whenever I see it being sold in the market, I must eat a piece. Once I was in Bintulu and I bought some. My friends were amazed and they asked me why I like something that is very VINTAGE.

I told them the taste of the cake and the knowledge that there is a lot of eggs in it would conjure up a lot of memories.

Memories  -- -- A piece of white cotton cloth is an important kitchen helper when you need to do steaming. Do you have one?

If you don't have one, it is good to beg one from an aunty. This cloth can be recycled from a old flour sack, or a cast off from a friend who has attended many Foochow funerals (close relatives are given a piece of white cloth, upon arrival when "white gold" or bah ging is presented in the past). After the burial, each attendee was given a piece of red cloth for good fortune.

And the white and red cloth have a lot of uses in the past.

The white cloth or belaju material was used for many things : pajamas, underwear, steaming cloth, pillow cases,etc

The red cloth for sarongs (for babies and bathing), towels for men,etc

And now, my own story about steaming the gie long gor -





Gie Long Gor

I took this photo at the Miri Central Market where women sell all sorts of home made cakes. Most of the women here are very friendly and chatty, so they allow me to take photos but because of the big crowd I have to make a quick exit. Most of my photos so far do ot do justice to the cakes!!

The recipe I am sharing here is from a Singapore blog and I have not tried it myself.

Years ago I saw my neighbours making with 8 eggs and she beat up the eggs with the sugar using a hand beater. She had a good aluminium bucket for her mixing bowl. Having said all that, her gie long gor always came out well.

Always use a good piece of belaju material /white cotton cloth to prevent the steam from dropping into the cake. And later, have another piece of white cloth to cover the cake....

• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 150g castor sugar, with some extra for lining the surface
• 180g self raising flour, sifted
• 50ml ice-cream soda / Sprite / F&N Orange
• ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 2 4-inch bamboo baskets/or a tin 

1. Beat the eggs and 150g castor sugar in a mixing bowl on medium speed until the batter is thick and creamy.
2. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the flour in 3 additions, allowing the mixer to mix briefly for around 8 to 10 secs after each addition.
3. Scrap down the flour round the mixing bowl gently and add in the 50ml of soft drink and vanilla extract if using. Using a spatula, mix in the drink gently in a few quick strokes to incorporate.
4. Prepare a piece of cling film by hanging it over each of the bamboo baskets.
5. Pour in the batter from Step 3. Using some extra sugar, sprinkle them in a "+" pattern on the surface of the batter.(to make the cake open up or "smile")
6. Steam the cake on medium high heat for approximately 20 minutes.
7. Place some damp cloth over the cover of the steaming wok (to cover whatever holes that's on the steaming cover) to prevent any steam from escaping.
8. When a skewer inserted comes out clean, the cake is cooked and the flame can be turned off. Serve hot.ng film are generally heat resistant and they do not stick to the cake, so they can be used to hang over the bamboo baskets.
   
   
   Extra : Remember no jinx words whilst steaming !! (tips from EAT WHAT TONIGHT BLOG)