"Kueh Kueh!" is a familiar, nostalgic sound many of us heard ring through the streets when we were kids
It is still an uphill battle to introduce the concept of "kueh" to the local Cake Bake Shows. Not everyone has heard of these delectable traditional sweet or savoury cakes from South East Asia. BUT...those who have dared to venture into unfamiliar territory have never regretted it! Kueh is often a hit with the Aussies, especially after they've taken their first bite of Kueh Lapis or Seri Muka, or if they've ever popped a whole Ondeh-Ondeh in their mouths...it's like ascending to heaven! It simply melts in your mouth!
That is why our team at My Blue Tea simply love sharing about these beautiful kuehs and their recipes, and simply starting a conversation about these amazing kuehs. We really hope the organisers of such events realise that the concept of "cake" is a lot more than just the typical "western" cakes, and there are so many beautiful cake recipes from different cultures we can learn about and enjoy. We love our Asian steamed cakes and the majority of them are even vegan, with flour and coconut milk as common ingredients.
Why not open your minds, hearts (and mouths!) to try these "kuehs"? You may just fall in love with them and want more.
Photos from yesteryears: Kueh sellers from the 50s, 60s and 80s. It's a heritage and a tradition to enjoy good food. You will find them in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. As the languages are quite similar, we call these traditional cakes "kueh or kuih or kue". About kueh and its history, read our Little Nyonya Blog. (Photos courtesy of Pinterest).
Recipe for Steamed kueh lapis with pandan and dragonfruit
Our favourite Catherine the Great chef is back to share this gorgeous recipe with us."I made this traditional steamed layer cake with layers of dragonfruit, white coconut and pandan using all natural powder/extract from @my.blue.tea The texture, the taste, the aroma, the flavours, the sweetness, the saltiness are all perfect. It's not oily and the chewiness is just right! 😍
Follow Catherine on her Instagram !
#kuihlapis #kuehlapis #dragonfruitlover #pandankuihlapis#pandankuehlapis #pandan #homemadekueh #foodinstagram#asiandessert
We are delighted to have Catherine on board as our Brand Ambassador! She absolutely hands-down makes the prettiest kuehs and cakes! We know some of you have actually taken these ideas and commericalised them! Give us or Catherine a thumbs up or send us a message if you have! We'd love to hear from you. Good food is most delicious when it's shared, so we're happy that many people all over the world can get to taste these kuehs!
Ingredients:
*300ml Coconut Milk - 2 packs @my.blue.tea Spargo Coconut milk powder diluted in 200ml water
*150g Caster Sugar
*180g Tapioca Flour *40g Rice Flour *1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
*1/2 tsp salt *250ml boiling water *1 tbsp @my.blue.tea Dragonfruit Powder
*1 tbsp @my.blue.tea Pandan powder
*food colouring 1 drop (optional if you wish) * 5″ x 5″ x 3″ Pan
Scroll through these gorgeous recipes from Catherine - "Pulut Tai Tai" and "Kueh Angkoo with Purple Sweet Potato". Find out more about Angkoo on our FB Page. The Kueh Ketayap and Kueh Serimuka was a hit with our Melbourne fans at the Cakebake & Sweets Show! And you really have to try Catherine's Ondeh Ondeh. It's to die for!
Method: 1. Prepare the cake batter. Mix coconut milk, sugar, vanilla extract (if using). Give it a good stir. Pour in the boiling water (make sure the water is boiling hot) and stir until sugar dissolves. Mix tapioca starch and rice flour and stir to mix. Add this to the coconut milk mixture. Continue to stir until you get a smooth batter, then strain it. 2. Divide batter and add colors. I used My Blue Tea dragonfruit and pandan powder/extract. Strain and divide the batter into roughly three equal portions in separate bowls. 3. Now for the steaming. Prepare the steamer by bringing water to a boil. Wrap the lid with a cloth (to prevent condensation from dripping back to your steamed cake). Lightly brush all sides of the pan and bottom with cooking oil. Pour about 100 ml of the white batter into the pan. Lower the heat to medium (Do not steam over high heat).
4. Let it steam for about 7 min for the first layer AND then leave it open for 1 minute to dry up (sometimes there is a bit of liquid on top). Then pour the next layer. Repeat this sequence until you get 9 layers.
5. From the second layer up to the 9th layer, steam for 5 minutes each layer and leave it open for 1 minute to dry up the layer before pouring the next layer.
6. Cool well before cutting. It takes about 3 hours or so to cool down completely. Brush the top layer with a bit of oil.
It is often said making kueh lapis takes skill - steady hand and certainly lots of time and patience for each layer to be equally made. It's like eating a work of art!
And there you have it! Steamed kueh lapis with pandan and dragonfruit. Almost too pretty to eat! It is an impressive recipe to try out. Do share with us your experience making this beautiful kueh!
About Catherine :
Thank you Catherine for so many beautiful recipes! Catherine has been sharing a lot of recipes along with beautiful photos of her creations. She considers herself to be someone who loves baking and not so good a cook. Catherine works as a specialist psychologist during the week and enjoys baking over the weekend. She sees baking as an extremely healthy and healing activity as it helps calm the senses and restore the mind and spirit, not to mention it absolutely delights the stomach as well!
Catherine has contributed quite a few recipes containing our Superfood Powders and the most shared and viewed is her Blue Butterfly Mochi recipe. That is one recipe you'd really want to sink your teeth into! And 2 beautiful Durian recipes for you to try are Durian Butter Cookies, Durian and Pandan Crepe. She is clearly not shying away from fruits that have very strong flavours!
Catherine has contributed a lot to our baking community. Quite a few small businesses are selling her creations such as Pandan Ondeh Ondeh Cookies and Pandan Ondeh Ondeh cupcakes, Pandan Gula Melaka Swissroll and Pandan Cendol Cake. Clearly another Pandan + Durian Addict!! Join the club!
Follow Catherine on her Instagram for inspiration, recipes and ideas: https://www.instagram.com/catherine_cang/