Kuih Koci Pulut Hitam

Another traditional malay kuih with a sweet coconut filling.  I added both glutinous rice flour and black glutinous flour into the dough.  To top up, I added a teaspoon of coconut sauce before packing them up in banana leaf parcels for steaming.  The resulting taste is a mixture of sweetness and saltiness, which is deliciously awesome.

Dough Ingredients (yields about 25 pieces):
250 g glutinous rice flour
125 g black glutinous rice flour
1 tsp salt
250 ml coconut milk
enough water to form a pliable dough

Filling Ingredients:
200 g freshly grated skinless coconut (or dessicated coconut)
100 g gula melaka (palm sugar)
100 g granulated sugar
1/2 cup water (add more water if mixture is dry)
2 pandan leaves, to be tied in a knot
1 tbsp glutinous rice flour
1 tbsp cornflour

Coconut Sauce Ingredients:
250 ml coconut milk
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp tapioca flour
salt to taste

banana leaves, to be cut into 14 cm x 14 cm square and soften over open fire

Method:
In a bowl, add both types of flour, salt, coconut milk and enough water to form a pliable soft dough.

In a medium-sized pot, add gula melaka, sugar, water and pandan leaves.  Bring to a slight boil, then add grated coconut and mix well.  Add water if the mixture is too dry. Once mixture is heated up, add glutinous rice flour and cornflour.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool down.

In a small saucepan, add all sauce ingredients together.  If mixture is too thin, cook over medium heat until slightly thick.

To form kuih koci:  Take dough the size of a pingpong ball.

Flatten dough and add a teaspoon of filling.

Then, pinch the sides and form into a ball.  Repeat procedure until dough is used up.

Place a ball in the centre of a banana leaf.

Add 1 teaspoon of coconut sauce over dough ball.

Fold bottom part of banana leaf over dough ball, followed by top half.  Then, tuck in the sides to form a parcel.

Arrange the kuih kocis on a tray and steam for about 15 minutes.

Serve warm or cold.

Happy Steaming!

Kek Lapis Mangga

Another variation of Kek Lapis where I added cooked pureed mango.  This cake is known to be one of the most leceh (troublesome) cake because of its multiple layers. I took slightly more than 2 hours to bake all 19 layers.  The taste is rich due to the 30 egg yolks which I added and the texture is extra moist.  If you decide to bake this cake, please read the recipe carefully, especially the preparation method.

Ingredients:
500 g butter
100 g condensed milk (thick)
120 g pureed mango (see preparation below)

30 egg yolks
220 g fine sugar
1 tbsp ovalette (optional)

100 g cake flour
30 g milk powder
1 tsp mango flavour (optional)

extra condensed milk
150 g melted butter

an 8"x8" baking pan

Method:
Sift cake flour and milk powder into a bowl and mix well.  Set aside. Grease the bottom of baking pan with butter and line with baking paper.  Make sure that the baking paper fits the pan exactly! There is no need to grease the sides of baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix a little condensed milk with 2 tbsp of melted butter.  You need to prepare this mixture again whenever needed.  This mixture is used to grease between the layers of batter.

In a mixing bowl, whisk butter and condensed milk until light and pale in colour.

Then, add the pureed mango and mix well.

In another mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, fine sugar and ovalette together at high speed until thick and creamy.  Important note:  Ensure that bowl and whisk are CLEAN and FREE of butter or oil!!! Or else, your egg yolks mixture would not triple in volume!

Add butter mixture to egg yolks mixture and whisk at low speed until well mixed.  Do NOT overmix! Your batter should not curdle.  If it starts to curdle, add a tablespoon of the flour mixture.

Lastly, fold in flour mixture carefully, a tablespoon at a time, until well mixed.  Take about 80 g of batter and transfer to a small bowl.

Preheat conventional oven (with top & bottom heat) to a temperature of 170° C with the empty baking pan inside the oven.  Do NOT use convectional (fan) oven!  Once required temperature is achieved, remove baking pan from oven.  Immediately change your oven setting to TOP HEAT ONLY (small grill) and adjust the temperature by taking the lowest possible temperature available. My Miele oven has a lowest temperature of 200° C for grilling.  Place your oven grate on the second rack from bottom. 

Add 80 g of batter in baking pan and by using the back of a tablespoon, spread batter evenly to cover the base.

Bake in oven for about 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.  Kindly note that your baking time might differ from mine.  So, please stay by the oven and observe!  Once ready, remove from oven. By using the kek lapis presser, press evenly all over.  If there are bubbles on the surface, poke them with a toothpick before pressing it with the presser.

Then, brush evenly with the condensed milk/butter mixture by using a pastry brush.

Once done, add 80 g of batter and spread evenly on the baked layer.  The hot baking pan will melt your batter and spread it evenly.

Repeat procedure until all batter is used up.  Once the last layer is baked, brush evenly with condensed milk/butter mixture.  From my baking experience, I will get either 18 or 19 layers from this recipe.  Invert baking pan over a wire rack and remove pan. Leave kek lapis to cool down completely.

Remove baking paper and place kek lapis on a cake tray.  Before serving, cut into slices.

Happy Baking!



Pureed Mango Ingredients:
2 ripe mangos, to be peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes
150 g fine sugar (reduce sugar if mangos are sweet)
about 200 ml water (add more if mixture is too dry)

Method:
In a mixing bowl, add ingredients together and blend into a smooth puree. I used my favourite kitchen gadget.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick.  Leave mixture aside to cool down completely.  Scoop out the portion which you will need for the kek lapis.  The balance of mixture can be stored in the fridge or freezer or eat with bread.

Kek Lapis Legit

Another popular cake which is served during Chinese New Year and Eid Mubarak celebrations.  I used to be crazy of Bengawan Solo's Kek Lapis and always carried one cake on our return flight home, but I have stopped doing so since 3 years ago.

Kek Lapis is known to be one of the most leceh (troublesome) cake because of its multiple layers. I took slightly more than 2 hours to bake all 18 layers and I enjoyed every minute or I should say, every layer of it.  This cake is rich in taste, just look at the number of eggs which I added!  If you decide to bake this cake, please read the recipe carefully, especially the preparation method.

Ingredients:
500 g butter
100 g condensed milk (thick)

30 egg yolks
220 g fine sugar
1 tbsp ovalette (optional)

100 g cake flour
30 g milk powder
1 tsp rempah kuih or spekkeok powder (mixed spices)

extra condensed milk
150 g melted butter

an 8"x8" baking pan

Method:
Sift cake flour, milk powder and rempah kuih into a bowl and mix well.  Set aside. Grease the bottom of baking pan with butter and line with baking paper.  Make sure that the baking paper fits the pan exactly!  There is no need to grease the sides of baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix a little condensed milk with 2 tbsp of melted butter.  You need to prepare this mixture again whenever needed.  This mixture is used to grease between the layers of batter.

In a mixing bowl, whisk butter and condensed milk until light and pale in colour.

In another mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, fine sugar and ovalette together at high speed until thick and creamy.  Important note:  Ensure that bowl and whisk are CLEAN and FREE of butter or oil!!! Or else, your egg yolks mixture would not triple in volume!

Add butter mixture to egg yolks mixture and whisk at low speed until well mixed.  Do NOT overmix! Your batter should not curdle.  If it starts to curdle, add a tablespoon of the flour mixture.

Lastly, fold in flour mixture carefully, a tablespoon at a time, until well mixed.  Take about 80 g of batter and transfer to a small bowl.

Preheat conventional oven (with top & bottom heat) to a temperature of 170° C with the empty baking pan inside the oven.  Do NOT use convectional (fan) oven!  Once required temperature is achieved, remove baking pan from oven.  Immediately change your oven setting to TOP HEAT ONLY (small grill) and adjust the temperature by taking the lowest possible temperature available. My Miele oven has a lowest temperature of 200° C for grilling.  Place your oven grate on the second rack from bottom. 

Add 80 g of batter in baking pan and by using the back of a tablespoon, spread batter evenly to cover the base.

Bake in oven for about 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.  Kindly note that your baking time might differ from mine.  So, please stay by the oven and observe!  Once ready, remove from oven. By using the kek lapis presser, press evenly all over.  If there are bubbles on the surface, poke them with a toothpick before pressing it with the presser.

Then, brush evenly with the condensed milk/butter mixture by using a pastry brush.

Once done, add 80 g of batter and spread evenly on the baked layer.  The hot baking pan will melt your batter and spread it evenly.

Repeat procedure until all batter is used up.  Once the last layer is baked, brush evenly with condensed milk/butter mixture.  From my baking experience, I will get either 17 or 18 layers from this recipe.  Invert baking pan over a wire rack and remove pan. Leave kek lapis to cool down completely.

Remove baking paper and place kek lapis on a cake tray.

Happy Baking!

Kuih Cara Manis

A change from the usual german cakes during the weekend, I prepared this traditional malay kuih for our tea-time today. I have been wanting to make this kuih for such a long time but had to shelf my plans due to the absence of the proper mould.  During our last trip home in August, I bought a few types of moulds and of course, other baking stuff as well - all carefully packed to be sent off.  The seafreight journey took almost six weeks and I am very happy that all my barangs arrived safely without any damage.

This particular mould is made of aluminium and in order that your kuih do not get stuck in the mould, one have to "season" it first.  Please do NOT wash the mould with water and soap!  What I did was to fill the mould with cooking oil and "bake" it in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 180° C for about 20 to 30 minutes.  Once done, pour out the oil into another metal container (oil to be thrown away) before pouring the batter.  Kindly note that the following recipe yields about 50 "doubled" kuihs, each measuring about 5.5 cm in length.  Just cut the recipe in half to adjust to your requirements.

Ingredients:

8 pandan leaves, to be washed, dried and cut into pieces

2 cups water

440 g plain flour

4 medium-size eggs

80 g castor sugar or to taste

a pinch of salt

1 cup coconut milk

a few drops of yellow colouring
1 tbsp ghee, for greasing mould

Method:

In a blender, blend both pandan leaves and 2 cups water until smooth.  Pass through a fine sieve into a small bowl.

In a mixing bowl, add plain flour and salt.  Pour pandan leaves juice a little at a time while keep stirring.  Then, add coconut milk, castor sugar and eggs (one at a time). Mix thoroughly and then, add a few drops of yellow colouring (optional).  Pass mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl to get rid of any lumps.

After "seasoning" the mould and removing the oil, heat mould over an electric stove. Grease mould with ghee by using a small brush.

Add batter to mould as shown below.

Put on the lid and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes or until cooked.

Once done, remove the kuihs by using a toothpick and a tablespoon.  Leave to cool down on a tray before putting two halves together.  Serve either warm or cold!

Happy Baking!