KUEH
Kueh (sometimes Kweh or ,especially in Malaysia and Indonesia , Kuih) is the Malay name for cake and refers to any number of small sweet concoctions , confectioneries , cakes , breads , pastries and other snacks and desserts , that are usually Malay or Peranakan in origin but there are also chinese pastries that have kueh in their names . Kueh is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be calledcakes , cookies , pudding , biscuits or pastrie in English. Kueh (plural kueh-mueh) are more often steamed than baked, and thus very different in texture, flavour and appearance from Western cakes or puff pastries. They are mostly sweet, but some kueh are savoury.
In almost all kuehs, the most common flavouring ingredients are grated coconut (plain or flavoured) , coconut cream (thick or thin), pandan leaves and gula melaka(palm sugar). While those make the flavour of kuehs, their base and texture are built on a group of starches –rice flour , glutinous rice flour, glutinous rice and tapioca flour .They play a most important part in giving kuihs their distinctive soft, almost pudding-like, yet firm texture. Wheat flour is rarely used in Southeast Asian cakes and pastries .
Nyonya (Peranakan) and Malay kuehs are very hard to distinguish. The Peranakans, especially those in Malacca and Singapore, were heavily influenced by Malaysia and its Malay culinary and cultural heritage. Therefore there are many kuehs that are identical in both cultures except, perhaps, in name. With the passage of time, the lines of distinction between the two groups of kuehs have blurred even more. Few Malaysians and Singaporeans will be able to tell you precisely which kuehs are exclusively Nonya and which are exclusively Malay or Indonesian.
Kuehs come in different shapes, colours, texture and designs. Some are filled, coated, wrapped, sliced and layered , most kuehs are steamed, with some being boiled or baked , they can also be deep-fried, and sometimes even grilled.
Some of the types of Kuehs :
Gao Deng Kueh is a Peranakan dish and literaly means nine-layer cake. This dessert comprises different coloured layers made from rice flour, sago flour and coconut milk , each layer is stacked one on top of the other and steamed, one layer at a time.
Ondeh Ondeh are green-coloured glutinous rice balls with a gula melaka filling rolled in desiccated coconut.
Kueh Lapis is rich, multi-layered cake-style kueh using a large amount of egg whites and studded with prunes made from eggs, butter and sugar with each layer being laid and baked separately.Lapis Sagu is also a popular kueh with layers of alternating color and a sweet, coconut taste.
Kueh Dadar is a type of sweet crepe where the wrap is made from eggs, flour and coconut milk, then coloured green and the filling is grated coconut cooked with gula melaka.
Kueh Salat is a two-tier cake with compressed glutinous rice at the bottom, and a rich pandan flavoured custard on top.
Kueh Talam is a two-layer cake where the top is made from rice flour and coconut milk and tends to be richer while the bottom is made from rice flour and flavoured by pandan leaves.
Kueh Pie Tee, a thin and crispy pastry tart shell filled with a spicy, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns ,a popular Peranakan dish.
Ang Ku Kueh known as red tortoise cakes in Hokkien, is a common breakfast item among Singaporeans. It is one of the common chinese pastries found in Singapore like Soon Kueh and Beng Kueh.
As the name says, basically it is shaped like the shell of a tortoise because it was believed that eating these long-living creatures would bring longevity to the person eating it. The traditional Ang Ku Kueh has fillings like grounded peanuts, salty bean paste and green bean paste but it has move on to other innovative fillings like durian and coffee. Basically the skin of the Ang Ku Kueh is made from glutinous rice flour. Dough is made from it and and the fillings is put in before it is rolled into a large ball. Then the ball is pressed into a mould to create the "look" akin to a tortoise shell. Then the whole batch is steamed to create Ang Ku Kueh.
A good Ang Ku Kueh is one where the skin does not stick to the teeth and gives a good chewy feeling. The fillings should be smooth, mixed very well with the skin and should not obstruct the chewy feeling. For peanut filling, the peanut must be roasted to create the nice aroma that will spread in your mouth, and the peanut should be grounded but not too fine so that it can give one a crunchy feeling when eating it.
Soon Kueh is a steamed Chinese dumpling made of rice flour skin with chopped turnips strips as filling. Although the word 'soon' is a Chinese dialect word for bamboo shoot , practically all modern versions of this dish are made with turnip. It can be eaten steamed or fried (to make the skin crispy), with sweet dark soya sauce and chilli paste. Soon Kueh is actually a dumpling that is shaped like semi-circle similar to Curry Puff. Its ingredients are, similar to that of Popiah, turnip/jicama, strips of carrots, black mushroom and beancurd and small shrimps . The skin is made of rice flour .
A good Soon Kueh is one where the skin is slighty translucent, you are able to see the fillings inside. and the strips of fillings should neither be too thin nor too thick because this would affect the chewing process. And if you can take spiciness, you should add chilli to Soon Kueh, best to actually coat the whole Soon Kueh with a thin layer of chilli (the chilli should be slightly tangy or sour) and also dark sweet sauce .
Ming Jiang Kueh is a thick chewy pancake with a ground peanut and sugar filling. Other variations include grated coconut and red bean paste and nowadays this traditional snack is also served in blueberry, cheese and chocolate varieties .
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs
In almost all kuehs, the most common flavouring ingredients are grated coconut (plain or flavoured) , coconut cream (thick or thin), pandan leaves and gula melaka(palm sugar). While those make the flavour of kuehs, their base and texture are built on a group of starches –rice flour , glutinous rice flour, glutinous rice and tapioca flour .They play a most important part in giving kuihs their distinctive soft, almost pudding-like, yet firm texture. Wheat flour is rarely used in Southeast Asian cakes and pastries .
Nyonya (Peranakan) and Malay kuehs are very hard to distinguish. The Peranakans, especially those in Malacca and Singapore, were heavily influenced by Malaysia and its Malay culinary and cultural heritage. Therefore there are many kuehs that are identical in both cultures except, perhaps, in name. With the passage of time, the lines of distinction between the two groups of kuehs have blurred even more. Few Malaysians and Singaporeans will be able to tell you precisely which kuehs are exclusively Nonya and which are exclusively Malay or Indonesian.
Kuehs come in different shapes, colours, texture and designs. Some are filled, coated, wrapped, sliced and layered , most kuehs are steamed, with some being boiled or baked , they can also be deep-fried, and sometimes even grilled.
Some of the types of Kuehs :
Gao Deng Kueh is a Peranakan dish and literaly means nine-layer cake. This dessert comprises different coloured layers made from rice flour, sago flour and coconut milk , each layer is stacked one on top of the other and steamed, one layer at a time.
Ondeh Ondeh are green-coloured glutinous rice balls with a gula melaka filling rolled in desiccated coconut.
Kueh Lapis is rich, multi-layered cake-style kueh using a large amount of egg whites and studded with prunes made from eggs, butter and sugar with each layer being laid and baked separately.Lapis Sagu is also a popular kueh with layers of alternating color and a sweet, coconut taste.
Kueh Dadar is a type of sweet crepe where the wrap is made from eggs, flour and coconut milk, then coloured green and the filling is grated coconut cooked with gula melaka.
Kueh Salat is a two-tier cake with compressed glutinous rice at the bottom, and a rich pandan flavoured custard on top.
Kueh Talam is a two-layer cake where the top is made from rice flour and coconut milk and tends to be richer while the bottom is made from rice flour and flavoured by pandan leaves.
Kueh Pie Tee, a thin and crispy pastry tart shell filled with a spicy, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns ,a popular Peranakan dish.
Ang Ku Kueh known as red tortoise cakes in Hokkien, is a common breakfast item among Singaporeans. It is one of the common chinese pastries found in Singapore like Soon Kueh and Beng Kueh.
As the name says, basically it is shaped like the shell of a tortoise because it was believed that eating these long-living creatures would bring longevity to the person eating it. The traditional Ang Ku Kueh has fillings like grounded peanuts, salty bean paste and green bean paste but it has move on to other innovative fillings like durian and coffee. Basically the skin of the Ang Ku Kueh is made from glutinous rice flour. Dough is made from it and and the fillings is put in before it is rolled into a large ball. Then the ball is pressed into a mould to create the "look" akin to a tortoise shell. Then the whole batch is steamed to create Ang Ku Kueh.
A good Ang Ku Kueh is one where the skin does not stick to the teeth and gives a good chewy feeling. The fillings should be smooth, mixed very well with the skin and should not obstruct the chewy feeling. For peanut filling, the peanut must be roasted to create the nice aroma that will spread in your mouth, and the peanut should be grounded but not too fine so that it can give one a crunchy feeling when eating it.
Soon Kueh is a steamed Chinese dumpling made of rice flour skin with chopped turnips strips as filling. Although the word 'soon' is a Chinese dialect word for bamboo shoot , practically all modern versions of this dish are made with turnip. It can be eaten steamed or fried (to make the skin crispy), with sweet dark soya sauce and chilli paste. Soon Kueh is actually a dumpling that is shaped like semi-circle similar to Curry Puff. Its ingredients are, similar to that of Popiah, turnip/jicama, strips of carrots, black mushroom and beancurd and small shrimps . The skin is made of rice flour .
A good Soon Kueh is one where the skin is slighty translucent, you are able to see the fillings inside. and the strips of fillings should neither be too thin nor too thick because this would affect the chewing process. And if you can take spiciness, you should add chilli to Soon Kueh, best to actually coat the whole Soon Kueh with a thin layer of chilli (the chilli should be slightly tangy or sour) and also dark sweet sauce .
Ming Jiang Kueh is a thick chewy pancake with a ground peanut and sugar filling. Other variations include grated coconut and red bean paste and nowadays this traditional snack is also served in blueberry, cheese and chocolate varieties .
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs