Lepat Labu @ Steamed Pumpkin Parcels

Lepat Labu is one of my favourite Malay kuih. 

But, it’s not easy to find one that is not too heavy with flour. 

I prefer it soft and supple, and with plenty of coconut filling. 

It’s easy to make. 

Ji Jor

Chee Jor or Ji Zhor depends on how one is going to romanize it..It's a chewy sweet potato finger.

The non-muslim community in Kuala Kangsar will know of this snack.This is sold at a small hawker stall near the town's supermarket, only available evening onwards, made by a Hokkien lady who resides few doors away from my old residence, a family friend.. It's like those sweet  potato balls, but made into fingers.

Talam Keladi Berlauk ~ Taro Cake, Malay Style 马来芋头糕

The Chinese community in Malaysia has a kuih called WooTauGou 芋头糕 or some call it as Yam Cake or Taro Cake. Usually sold at old fashioned breakfast joints, or tea break stalls, or some even sell it as supper fare. It's a flavourful savoury kuih loved by many.

This talam keladi berlauk, translated as 'Taro Tray with Savoury Toppings' is not the same as the Chinese version. The flavour is richer, much richer, although it looks similar.

Steamed Sweet Potato Gems

This is an easy kuih and it's nice to eat. I can finish the whole lot of it myself! LOL.

Previously, I have eaten the pumpkin version of this, and having it in sweet potato form is an interesting change.

Ants' Nest Cake ~ Kek Sarang Semut

I first had a piece of this, not too long ago, maybe 5 years back? And I was smitten by the taste and texture. My SIL baked it for the 2nd time and I asked her if she put in any cocoa powder, because it felt like I was eating a bouncy chewy chocolate cake. She said no, it’s just caramel. I was totally taken by surprise.

Then 3 years ago, I had this sudden “want” to bake this cake and eat it too, I asked my SIL for the recipe. She actually got this recipe from a fellow church friend Mrs Elaine Wong. My SIL was smitten by Elaine’s cake and that got her to request for the recipe. The love bug for this spreads....

Mrs Elaine Wong  ~~  SIL  ~~~  Me  ~~~~  Annielicious (after she ate this)

Kuih Koci Pulut Hitam 鸡脚指~ Black Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Coconut

Kuih Koci is a chewy dumpling wrapped in banana leaf, with sweet coconut filling. The 'skin' can come in green, purple or white, depending on the ingredients used.

The Cantonese community here calls this as 鸡脚指 'gai geok jee' that means Chicken Claws. It's just a nickname due to the similarity in the sound 'Kuih Koci' with 'Gai Geok Jee'. I'm not sure if there are any other names for this kuih.

Kuih Ketayap

This kuih goes by many names

Kuih Ketayap
Kuih Dadar
Kuih Gulung
and my ex students from Selancar calls them kuih hijau

Malaysian school's home science textbooks calls this kuih ketayap.
Period.

Sweet Potato Balls with Red Bean Filling 红豆番薯蛋

When I was a small kid... around 4 or 5. My grandaunt used to buy sweet potato balls from an elderly neighbour for my breakfast. This neighbour, whom we call as "Sou Cheh 苏姐' is a single lady, in her 70's with an adopted son. She sells traditional Cantonese snacks in the market, like sweet potato balls, jeen doy (煎堆 sesame balls) and dan shan (蛋散 syrupy egg crackers) to make a living.

Kuih Bakar Pandan

Kuih Bakar Pandan is a dense and rich baked cake, almost like a tropical clafoutis, but better.

Some people do it in a flower shaped mould and hence the name changes to Kuih Bakar Kemboja. I'm not sure the Kemboja here refers to the Frangipani (Plumeria obtusa) or Cambodia, the country. In the Malay language, the same word is used for both flower and the country.

Anyway, I'm just baking it in a pan, so, it just stays with Kuih Bakar Pandan. :)
Easy, no confusion.

Kuih Lompang Pandan

I do get occasional cravings for this kuih. No food colouring used, all natural.

Bad. As my pandan plant is half dead, so I need to buy the leaves and now that I'm working, it's not that easy for me to drive out and get it as I wish. I have time constraints.

Some northern Nonya cookbooks will call this as Kuih Kosui Pandan, but in Home Science books, they are called as Kuih Lompang, the kuih in a cup that comes with a crater filled with grated coconut. Kuih Lompang is the general name used in the Malay community.

Guangxi Banana Leaf Dumplings 广西蕉叶糍

Today is my mother's birthday. I will try to post one Guangxi dish each year on her birthday to honour her heritage.

Guangxi is one of the few places in China where banana leaves are abundant, and I saw on the internet that some are so huge, you can go all bare behind a frond and not get seen.

Kueh Sarlat - AFF Singapore #4

My final AFF entry.....

Kuih Sarlat is known as Seri Muka here in Malaysia,  generally comes with white rice and green custardy layers. Seri Muka is the favourite of my man.. and also my little man now, haha!

This time, I shall try it with some blue pea extract, like how it's common in Singapore. I heard this colour combo is also found in Malacca... but it's for Singapore this round. No arguments please. Acknowledge the similarities, and embrace the differences.

Taiwanese Mugwort Dumpling 草仔粿 - Sticky #1

Chinese Mugwort 艾草 (pronounced "ngai chou” in Cantonese) is a household herb that is usually used in omelettes and soups. It can also be used to add colour and flavour to dumplings. This herb is said to be good for women and to dispel wind from the body

This dumpling is also found in China and Malaysia as well. In China, it can go with many names like 清明粑，清明糍，艾草粑粑 and quite a few more that I can't remember. There are some differences between the Taiwanese version and the rest.

Liang Yuan (Cool Rounds) 凉圆 - AFF Taiwan Chewies # 1

Liang Yuan is an old time snack in Taiwan. Sold by uncles on pushcarts, displayed on blocks of ice. But of course.... not all are sold that way nowadays.

I didn't know of this, until my mom, an avid fan of Taiwanese cooking shows told me about it.
My friend said, it's not that nice to eat.. hmmm.... So, should I try?
I thought.. no harm to try. And so I did.

Maja Blanca @ Coconut Pudding with Corn - AFF Philippines~ Merienda #2

Maja Blanca is a popular merienda/meryenda (tea time snack) from Philippines. The taste isn't unfamiliar to us. And the topping Latik (fried coconut curds) gives it a wonderful touch, although looking deceivingly unimportant, but I do not recommend leaving it out as it imparts a beautiful flavour and textural contrast to the merienda. Latik is what we locally know as tahi minyak found on top of kuih kole kacang.

Cassava Bibingka - AFF Philippines~ Merienda #1

July is the month of Philippines delights! Hop over to Swee San's blog to read up more about our event this month.

For the past few months you have been reading so much savoury recipes on my blog and this month I'm going to turn sweet tooth. I know many of my fellow Facebook friends are waiting for this month.

Hoon Kuih - Penang MFF # 8

My friend HM who is born and bred in Penang sent me a recipe for Hoon Kuih, and told me, it's a kuih found in Penang that is very popular.
She told me it is usually tinted pink and smelled of infused pandan. I looked at the recipe and it looked quite simple. Almost like making kuih tako, but a lot lot easier. But then I suspected the flavour.. starch, sugar and infused pandan.... should be ok I think. Just like old fashioned agar-agar without the coconut.

Tee Nya Kuih - Penang MFF #1

This month's MFF is Penang's turn. One of the most famous spots for good food in Malaysia.

If you ever ask me about Penang food that I can't find out of the state, this will be the first answer from me.

Famous Penang cuisine like Asam Laksa, Prawn Noodle, Char Kway Teow or Nasi Kandar is found all over Malaysia, and in almost every Malaysian restaurant overseas. But not Tee Nya Kuih.

Fish Satar, Kelantan Style- MFF Kelantan #8

I had Satar many times before.
Flaky fish parcels that bursts with sweetness from the coconut and onions.
It's origins are from Terengganu. But they are sold almost everywhere nowadays.

When I went to Pantai Bachok in Kota Bahru, I saw this satar stall and as usual, I will buy some. To my surprise, there was a crunch factor in it, and it was green! I asked the lady what was the green crunch and was told it was water convolvulus or locally known as kangkung. Being the inquisitive me, I asked whether this was Kelantan's style and she happily said YES.

I find it hard to forget... crunchy, juicy and fragrant. I love it

I tried to replicate it and I'm glad mine tasted alright, but sadly without the smoky fragrance as mine were oven grilled. The texture was soft and flaky, unlike fishballs were we expect them to be  bouncy and very smooth. And they were juicy. Not spicy. But I think I should use more shallots.
I also chose to use aquatic kangkung as these grow on water and are known to have crunchier stems.

Kelantan Fish Satar
by WendyinKK

100gm fish flesh (from 250gm fresh sardines)
2 shallots
1 small piece of ginger (7gm)
1/2 red chilli
60gm freshly grated coconut
1 tsp asam pulp mixed with 50gm water, rubbed to dissolve.
1/2 tsp salt and some black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
4 sprigs of aquatic kangkung

6 pcs of banana leaf (6X6inches)

1. Pound shallots and ginger until pasty, then add in chilli and coarsely pound it. Remove all these and set aside
2. Put in coconut together with fish. Add in salt, sugar, pepper and asam water and mix until combined.
3. Thinly slice kangkung and mix it in. It's is now ready for wrapping.
4. Wilt banana leaf over open flame or blanch it in boiling water.
5. Fold banana leaf into quarters and open up a pocket. Fill in one heaped Tbsp of fish mixture. Press the mixture to fill the corner on the bottom. Fold the top to close up.
6. Grill at 220(fan forced) or 240C for 15 minutes until the parcels release juices and the leaves start to  char.

*Traditional recipes call for pounding, but I used my chopper to do all the pounding work, with the same sequence.

Pulut Lepa Kelantan - MFF Kelantan #7

A lot of us are used to Pulut Panggang.
Those that I ate before are either filled with  a spicy coconut sambal or a dried shrimp sambal.

But on the east coast.... this is not the usual case.

In Terengganu,  the rice is infused with fenugreek and filled with a moist coconutty fish filling, whereas in Kelantan, the rice is just with the usual coconut milk and salt, BUT, sweet. Yes, it has a heavy tinge of sweetness, but not sweet like dessert. And the filling is no other than the famous beef serunding.