Kueh Bengka Ubi

烤木薯椰浆糕

Also known as Baked Tapioca with Coconut

In the past where there was no electricity, Nyonyas used charcoal to bake Kuih Bengka (Cassava). The top of the kueh would become dark brown. These days, you can still get the same top crusty effect in a fan forced oven which is caused by the baking process. The kueh is light yellow in colour and has a sweetly scented coconut flavor. You can even bite into the grated coconut.

Ingredients

500g grated fresh tapioca

225g fine sugar (1 cup)

30g butter (softened, abt 2 tbsp)

60 to 70g grated white coconut

250ml coconut milk

1 to 2 tbsp gula melaka syrup

1 to 2 tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the grated tapioca with softened butter, fine sugar and beaten eggs. Blend it thoroughly till well mixed and sugar dissolved.

2. Then add gula melaka syrup followed by the coconut milk.

3. Lastly add in the white grated coconut and vanilla essence, mix well and bake it at 180 degC for about 45 minutes.

4. Cool it on a rack and then cut into pieces and serve.

Source: 爱上小娘惹 by Baba Philip Chia

Onde-Onde

班兰糯米球

Also known as Glutinous Rice Balls

Onde-Onde is one of the traditional kuih in Malaysia (kuih is term for Malaysian cakes, pastries if you will). They are either made from sweet potato or glutinous rice flour…

The cute little onde-onde–also spelled as ondeh-obdeh–are infused with pandan (screwpine leaf) juice and filled with “Gula Melaka” or palm sugar and then rolled in with some fresh grated coconut. The palm sugar that’s in it literally bursts in your mouth when you take a bite. They are sweet and delicious

Ingredients

250g glutinous rice flour

200ml pandan juice

100g grated white coconut

1/2 tsp salt (mix with grated coconut)

250g palm sugar (finely chopped)

few drops pandan paste food colouring

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, place in glutinous rice flour, add pandan juice little by little and knead well till form smooth pliable dough.

2. Pinch a small amount of dough (about the size of a calamansi lime) and roll it in your palm to form a smooth ball. Make a small well in the centre of the dough and fill it with chopped palm sugar. Pinch dough to seal, roll into balls again.

3. In a pot of boiling water, drop the "balls" in the simmering pot and when it floats, remove them with a slotted spoon and allow the excess water to drip off.

4. Drop the balls gently on the grated coconut and coat it evenly, then transfer to a plate and serve.

Note: To make pandan juice, blend 10 pandan leaves with 220ml water.

Source: 爱上小娘惹 by Baba Philip Chia

Kueh Puteri Sarlat

双层班兰糯米糕

Also known as Glutinous Rice Sarlat

Nonya cuisine is also famous for it's Kueh (Cake or dessert ). Nonya desserts are varied and extraordinary. They are strongly Malay influenced - made from local ingredients such as sweet potato, yams, agar agar, gula Melaka (palm sugar), coconut milk, glutinous rice - and Chinese ingredients such as red beans, green beans or mung beans. The ubiquitous vanilla bean used for essence is replaced by a local plant leaf Pandan or Pandanus (Screwpine leaves), giving Nonya desserts it's signature quintessence!

Kueh Sarlat is a two-layered dessert with glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk and topped with rich custard made from eggs, pandan juice and satan.

Ingredients

Bottom layer

500g glutinous rice (soaked 2 hours)

150ml coconut milk

200ml water

1/2 tsp salt

some blue-pea flower colouring

Top Layer (coconut egg custard)

5 eggs

500ml coconut milk

200g sugar

1/2 tsp pandan paste

50g rice flour

2 tsp corn flour

1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Bottom layer: Drain glutinous rice, place it in a cake tin with a bed if pandan leaves. Add coconut milk, water, salt and stir.

2. Steam it for 30 minutes, then sprinkle with the blue-pea flower colouring. Continue to steam for another 15 minutes till cooked. Allow to cool slightly, then press the warm glutinous rice using a piece of banana leaf to make it compact.

3. Top layer: In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar till dissolved. Add the coconut milk, pandan paste and continue to whisk, gradually add the rice flour and corn flour bit by bit till completely well mixed. Add salt.

4. Pour the mixture by shifting on the warm steamed cooked glutinous rice. Steam it for 25 to 30 minutes till set. Leave to cool completely before cutting into pieces.

**I used a 8x8 square pan.

Source: 爱上小娘惹 by Baba Philip Chia