Mini Malysian Cakes and Desserts
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The publisher wishes to thank the following for the use of their
tableware: Chinoiserie, Aseana, Suria KLCC, page 60; Lotus Arte,
Suria KLCC, pages 12, 20, 24, 28, 33, 43, 44, 51, 56 and 59 (plate);
Ombak, Suria KLCC, pages 10, 16, 19, 54 and 59 (mat and
napkins).
ISBN: 978-1-4629-1111-0 (ebook)
Printed in Singapore
15 14 13 12 11
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Distributors
Asia Pacific: Berkeley Books Pte Ltd,
61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12
Singapore 534167
Tel: (65) 6280 1330; Fax: (65) 6280 6290.
[email protected]
www.periplus.com
Indonesia: PT Java Books Indonesia,
Kawasan Industri Pulogadung
Jl. Rawa Gelam IV NO.9
Jakarta 13930, Indonesia
Tel: 62 (21) 46821088; Fax: 62 (21) 4610206.
[email protected]Photography: Suan I. Lim
Food Styling: Christina Ong, Rohani Jelani, Suan I. Lim
Recipes Tester: Angie Ng
Design: Periplus Design Team
Malaysian
Cakes & Desserts
Rohani Jelani
This collection of over 30 delicious cakes and desserts
highlights the tastiest sweet offerings of Malaysia's multi-
ethnic community. Learn how to make classics such as
Bubur Ca Ca (Sweet Potato Pudding), Kuih Dadar (Sweet
Coconut-Filled Pancakes), Onde-Onde (Glutinous Rice Balls
Stuffed with Palm Sugar) as well as more unusual sweets
such as Wajik (Sticky Celebration Rice Cake) using these
easy-to-follow homestyle recipes.
PERIPLUS EDITIONS
Singapore • Hong Kong • Indonesia
Basic Ingredients
Agar-agar is a tasteless dried seaweed widely used to thicken soups, sauces
and desserts, as it sets without refrigeration. Commonly sold in small
packets of fine, white powder, agar-agar is also available in the form of
bars, strips and flakes. Powdered gelatine may be used as a substitute
although it gives a slightly different texture.
Alkaline water, also known as lye water, is a dilute alkaline solution made
from sodium or potassium carbonate that is added in small amounts to
noodle, rice dumpling or cake recipes to give a sheen and springy texture to
the starch. Small bottles of alkaline water are sold in grocery shops. If you
cannot find it, replace with the same amount of baking soda solution (made
from 1 part baking soda dissolved in 1 part water).
Banana leaves are used to wrap foods when steaming or grilling them. The
moisture within the banana leaf lends texture and flavour to the food, but if
you can't find fresh or frozen banana leaves, use aluminium foil. Before
using them to wrap food, the leaves should be softened for easy folding,
either by pouring boiling water over them in a tub and allowing them to
steep for 1 to 2 minutes, or briefly heating them over a low flame.
Coconut cream and coconut milk are widely used in Asian desserts. While
freshly pressed coconut milk has more flavour, coconut cream and milk are
now available in cans and carton packets that are quick and convenient to
use. Consistencies vary from brand to brand, so use your judgment and
dilute with water as needed. Thick coconut milk is obtained from coconut
cream by diluting by half with water; and thin coconut milk is half again
as diluted as thick milk. If preferred, you can make your own from fresh
coconuts. For fresh coconut cream, add ½ cup water to the grated flesh of 1
coconut, knead it a few times, then strain it with your fist or using a muslin
cloth or cheesecloth. This yields about ½ cup of coconut cream. Thick
coconut milk is obtained by adding 1 cup of water to the grated coconut
flesh, which will yield about 1 cup of thick coconut milk. Thin coconut
milk is obtained by adding another cup of water to the already pressed
coconut flesh and squeezing it a second time; this will yield 1 cup of thin
coconut milk.
Grated coconut is obtained by grating fresh coconut flesh. Freshly grated
coconut can be purchased in many Asian markets. Packets or cans of dried
or desiccated coconut, both sweetened and unsweetened, are widely
available in supermarkets. To make your own, you first need to open the
coconut by tapping firmly on the centre with the blunt end of a cleaver until
a crack appears. Drain the juice and continue tapping until the coconut
cracks into two. Place the coconut halves in a moderate oven for 15 to 20
minutes until the flesh shrinks away from the shell. Remove the flesh and
use a vegetable peeler to shave off the brown outer skin, then grate it in a
blender or food processor. This will yield about 4 cups of grated coconut.
To toast the grated coconut, spread it on a baking sheet and bake it in the
oven at 175°C (350°F) for about 5 minutes until golden brown.
Dried bean curd skin is a thin, cream-coloured sheet made from soybean
milk solids. It comes in flat sheets and is sold in plastic packets in the dry
goods sections of food stores. Dried bean curd skin packed in plastic bags
will keep for up to a year when stored in a cool, dry place.
Durian has attracted a cult-like following. It is called the King of Fruits by
aficionados in Southeast Asia, but Westerners usually don't care much for
its sweet oniony flavour. Once cut open, the durian gives off a strong odour.
Look for it in Asian markets.
Gelatine is an odourless, tasteless and colourless thickening agent that
forms a jelly when dissolved in hot water and then cooled. Unlike agar-
agar, it is made from boiled animal bones and tendons. Used in jellied
desserts, salads and cold soups, gelatine is commonly sold in small packets
of fine, white powder, although it is also sold in sheets or granules. Both
flavoured and unflavoured gelatine are available.
Gingko nuts are oval and cream-coloured, with hard shells that must be
cracked open with a nutcracker. The inner meats have a nutty, slightly bitter
flavour and must be soaked in boiling water to loosen their skins. There is
also a germ within the gingko nut which needs to be removed as it is bitter.
This can be done by either splitting the nut into half and removing it, or by
gently pushing it out using a toothpick. Shelled nuts may be purchased
frozen or refrigerated in vacuum-sealed packs in Chinese grocery stores.
Canned gingko nuts are also available but have far less flavour—add them
at the final stages of cooking.
Glutinous rice or sticky rice is a variety of short grain rice that is more
starchy than normal rice when cooked. Two types of glutinous rice are
commonly used in cakes and desserts: the white grain (beraspulut) and the black
grain (pulut hitam). Glutinous white rice is readily available from Asian food
stores, while glutinous black grain rice is sold at speciality stores.
Glutinous rice flour is made from white glutinous rice grains that are
ground into a powder. It is stickier than normal rice flour and is generally
used in dumplings, buns and pastries. Glutinous rice flour made from black
sweet rice is black or dark purple.
Mung beans (kacang hijau) are small yellow beans with a bright green seed
coat. They are most often sold shelled and sometimes split in dried form.
Before using, soak the beans in cold water for several hours and then boil
until tender.
Mung bean flour is made from ground roasted mung beans. Commonly
mixed in with rice or wheat flour, it improves the texture of rice cakes and
noodles. It can be purchased in small paper packets that come in various
colours.
Palm sugar (gula Melaka) is a type of sugar made from the sweet sap of sugar
or coconut palm trees. Palm sugar varies in colour, consistency and
sweetness from a soft, creamy beige type which is sold in plastic jars to a
crystalized dark brown palm sugar sold in round disks or blocks wrapped in
clear plastic or paper wrappers. The dark brown palm sugar is generally
sweeter and more fragrant than the others. Any type can be used as they
have the same flavour. If you cannot find it, substitute dark brown sugar or
maple syrup.
Pandanus leaves (daun pandan) are the long and slender, blade-like green
leaves of the pandanus palm. They impart a fresh floral fragrance and are
used as an air freshener across Asia as well as to perfume desserts and rice
dishes. Their intense green colour is also used as a natural food colouring.
Look for fresh leaves in Asian markets. If unavailable, substitute bottled
pandanus essence or rose or vanilla essence.
Sago pearls are tiny dried beads made from the starch of the sago palm.
They soften and become transparent when cooked, and have a gluey texture
but very little flavour of their own as they mainly consist of starch. Sago
pearls are widely used in desserts and puddings in Asian cooking, generally
combined with sugar and coconut cream. Dried sago pearls are available in
packets. Tapioca pearls may be used as a substitute.
Red beans are also known as azuki beans. They must be soaked before
using and are readily available dried in Asian food stores.
You can also buy a canned version that is pre-cooked and sweetened.
Rice flour is made from uncooked rice grains that are ground to a powder.
It is often used in desserts. Fresh rice flour can be made by soaking rice
grains overnight and then grinding them slowly in a blender. Dried rice
flour is readily available in packets.
Taro (ubi keladi) is a starchy root vegetable that is often prepared like a
potato. It has a brown and hairy outer skin that must be removed before
cooking. Its flesh may be pinkish, purple, beige or white, with the texture of
a potato but a unique taste and flavour. It is normally boiled, baked, fried or
steamed. There are two kinds of taro—a larger one and a miniature taro
similar in size to a baby potato. Choose taros that are dry and firm. They
may be stored in a cool and dry place for up to a week. In Asia, taro is often
mistakenly referred to as "yam"—although it is not related to yams or sweet
potatoes, which are quite different in flavour and texture. The closest
substitute is potato.
Sweet Coconut Filling (Inti)
100 g (½ cup) palm sugar, roughly chopped
75 ml (5 tablespoons) water
1 pandanus leaf, knotted
100 g (1 cup) grated coconut
1 Place the palm sugar and water in a pan and cook until the sugar
dissolves. Simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid starts to thicken and
become syrupy.
2 Add the pandanus leaf and grated coconut and continue cooking over low
heat for 10 to 15 minutes until the coconut filling is thick and glossy. Most
of the liquid should have evaporated. Cool and use as desired. Keeps well if
stored in a covered container in the fridge.
Makes 1 cup
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Palm Sugar Syrup
200 g (1 cup) palm sugar, roughly chopped
250 ml (1 cup) water
1 pandanus leaf, tied into a knot
1 Place the palm sugar and water in a pan, together with the pandanus leaf.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
2 Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until liquid thickens slightly and
is 'syrupy'.
Makes 1 cup
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Pandanus Juice
6-8 large pandanus leaves
150 ml (2/3 cup) water
1 Rinse the pandanus leaves and, using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut
the leaves into 2-cm (¾-in) lengths.
2 Place the leaves and water in a blender and process until pulverized. Pour
through a fine strainer and discard the solids. Measure out the required
amount of juice called for in the recipe.
Makes ½ cup
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
For maximum flavour and colour, choose mature, dark green leaves over younger, light
green ones.
