East Meets West ~ Well Almost

Had a meet-up with some good friends for lunch on Saturday. As I had a class on Friday night that ended pretty late, I was unable to prepare anything fancier and so decided to make an Oriental Lasagne. The original name for this kueh is Teatime Snack. I renamed it as Oriental Lasagne after slight modification to the ingredients and also because it is similar in style to the Western Lasagne. Try it! You will be amazed how the humble luncheon meat and cream crackers can yield such a delightful treat.

Ingredients:
36 pcs cream crackers
5 eggs
1 can lowfat evaporated milk

Fillings:
1 can ham-luncheon meat
2 large onions (white type)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
4 chilli padi (chopped) - optional
1 tbsp Cilantro(chopped)
1/2 tbsp curry powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Method - Fillings:
1)Dice luncheon meat & onions in cubes about the size of green peas.
2)Heat 1/2 tbsp of oil till hot and saute onions till translucent.
3)Add garlics and continue frying for further 1 minute.
4)Push onions to the side of the frying pan, add 1/2 tbsp of oil to heat.
5)Add curry powder and chillies and fry till fragrant.
6)Combine with onions and add in the luncheon meat.
7)Fry till evenly mixed and season with salt and pepper.
8)Lastly add in the cilantro.
9)Divide into 3 portions and set aside.


Method – Assembling
1)Grease and line a 23 x 23cm square tin. Meantime, bring steamer to the boil.
1)Beat eggs and evaporated milk well. Season with salt and pepper.
2)Soak 9 pieces of cream crackers briefly in egg mixture.
3)Line the tin with the soaked crackers in a 3 x 3 fashion.
4)Top with one portion of the fillings.


5)Repeat with 2 more layers of soaked crackers/fillings, ending with a layer of soaked crackers on top.
6)Pour the balance egg mixture into the tin and leave to soak for about 3-5 minutes.
7)Compress gently with a spatula.


8)Steam for 20-25 minutes over high fire.
9)Cool before removing from tray