They Come Wrapped in Leaves

While we have various Western cakes made of flour, sugar and butter, our local cakes of varying culture breeds incorporate their very own resources and hold a history back to the past.
Most of the local Malaysian kueh; which are bite or snack-sized cakes, come from a diversity of cultural backgrounds and each of the race and ethnicity living in this country has their very own culinary delights to offer and they just blended in harmony with each other.

Many of the kueh came from their origins from the mix of the culture; particularly the Peranakan which was a mix between the Malay and Chinese from the foreign settlement in the straits in history. This gave birth to the introduction of the breed of both unique culinary delights to form what we see in the many varieties of food we have here today; making the country Malaysia a world-famous food paradise.

What is there more to say, when we have so much to choose from for a simple meal of breakfast, or lunch, or dinner? There is no wonder that Malaysians are often found enjoying a drink or a snack at any time of the day; and it is true, if you are a tourist traveling to Malaysia, you will be amazed to see the many stalls open at all odd hours and it is like the people never stop eating!

Alright, back to the kueh, I have introduced many different local kueh/cakes in my many posts previously and today, I have a list of kueh which I have had the chance to learn about them recently as I visit a relative's house after the Qing Ming festival in the previous post.
These kueh/cakes, are unique in their own ways as they come wrapped in their leaves.

Yes, banana leaves or lotus leaves are usually favorites or preferred wrappers for the cakes due to its natural fragrant aroma emitted which gives an additional appetizing flavor to the cakes.

Kuih Kochi (or Koci) is a traditional Malay kueh/cake which is made of glutinous rice and is rather sticky in its form.

The color of the cake is usually dark or dull; or sometimes white (recent variant) on the outside, but inside is stuffed with a sweet filling of grated coconut with brown sugar.
This version of the cake; even scattered a little of the filling to fill the surface of the cake.


This traditional Kueh is rather popular in states along the East Coast of Malaysia; but can also be found around the country and in our neighboring countries like Singapore and Indonesia.
The older community passed down this sweet delight, but sadly, it is no longer found in abundance as in the past although there are many recipes out there in the cyber world sharing the way to make this cake.
It is also unique that this cake is known as a Passover cake; or a type of dumpling among the foreigners in the country and is often seen at funerals. The dark color of the kueh symbolizes the solemnity of death while the sweet filling offers hope of resurrection.
As mentioned, the cake is popular from its origin and though for many reasons it is consumed, it still remains a delightful snack for many especially when spotted at roadside stalls/carts selling traditional cakes.
In fact, there is poetic song/saying from the East coast singing praises for this cake whereby it describes the simplicity and sweetness of the cake which makes it a suitable snack for the toothless elders.
"Ada sejenis kuih tiga segi.... Di luar tepung di dalamnya inti... Makanan orang tiada bergigi..."


The following cake is probably an adaptation from the famous Vietnamese Banh Tet; or a type of sticky rice cake originating from Vietnam and is highly popular in the country including Thailand and Cambodia.
It is rarely found here; although it can also be an innovative twist of flavor to our local cakes.


Whatever it is, this is a sticky rice; probably made of sticky glutinous rice again and wrapped in banana leaves.
Like most of the local cakes, what differentiates each of their type is the filling and the flavor inside the cake and this is creatively made into three small mounds and tied in two parts to create the three small partitioned mounds.



The filling of the cake is sweet banana; cut into large slices and stuffed into the sticky rice.
A rather unique type of cake, I must say.




The Bak Chang; or the glutinous rice dumpling is a common type of dumpling found among the Chinese community as it originates from China.
Contrary to its sweet dessert-like dumpling counterparts above, the Bak Chang is one that is filled with pork or chicken meat, and the glutinous rice is fried with condiments like nuts, mushrooms till it is brown and fragrant.
The dumpling is then wrapped with lotus leaves; to add to the aroma of the taste of the glutinous rice and meat.



The dumpling can be found in stalls around Malaysia, but it is extremely popular during the fifth month of the Lunar calendar when the Chinese community celebrates the double fifth festival; known as the Duan Wu Jie or the Dumpling Festival/Dragon Boat Festival which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese Lunar calendar.


I have posted on this Bak Chang before, but expect to see more details of this dumpling when the festival comes again:)

Salty, sweet, and the different filling in the cakes just creates the whole new varieties of local delights available in the country, and how can Malaysians ever tire of eating when the list of food is just endless?

The Hybrid Kueh Talam

Surrounded with the rich and diverse culture in my country, there is no end to the list of local delights and tasty cakes for snacks nicknamed as 'kueh' can be found almost anywhere; in all sorts of forms, tastes and colors.

Therefore, it is no surprise for us to find a new little green cake at our usual deli stall nearby which we have not come across before.



Claimed to be a new creation by the homemaker who made this to make a living, it was a creative twist of pandan flavor and sticky smooth pudding in one single bite-sized cake.
While most of the kueh are of longtime origins and screams familiarity at most of the fans, they did not stop the creative bakers from injecting their ideas and innovation into the existing recipes or making a new type of cake altogether; like this one.

The cake was a tad too sweet, but aromatic in its pleasant pandan scent and flavor while the texture of the cake is just smooth and chewy.



Like most of the kueh, there is also a mixture of coconut milk in its taste; thus creating that blend of sweet and slightly salty in its taste.
The aunty who sold us this told us that it was like a Hybrid Kueh Talam; maintaining the original color and ingredients of the original Kueh Talam, but changing the appearance and texture of the cake; not to mention the taste.

It was really a unique cake, and I applaud the success of the maker's creativity.




Who says we are running out of traditional stuffs?
We are not, but there are even more new additions with the creativity juices of the new generation and I believe that there will a wider array of culinary delights as these juices get flowing, and I don't see that as a bad thing, at all.

Red Tortoise Cake

In conjunction with the celebration of the Jade Emperor's birthday on the 9th day of the Lunar New Year, the Hokkien clan in the Chinese community are busy with the preparations for the thanksgiving prayers and worship of the deity in heaven.
(Jade Emperor is the ruler of all the deities in heaven and is highly regarded as the figure of authority in the Taoism belief).

The Hokkien clan in the Chinese community places priority on this celebration as they are thankful to the Jade Emperor for his act of kindness in their times of distress.
The story goes that there was an ongoing war between the Hokkien and Teochew clan in the past, and the Hokkiens were on the losing end and they had to run and seek refuge from the pursuing Teochews. With no place to hide, the Hokkiens ended up hiding in a sugarcane plantation.
As we very well know (or have probably seen), a sugarcane plantation is barely any good hiding place with the wide gap between each of the sugarcane plants. However, the miracle is that the Hokkiens managed to hide there for the entire Chinese New Year and finally came out of their hiding place on the 9th day of the Lunar New Year, which coincided with the birthday of the Jade Emperor.
Grateful for their safety, the Hokkiens vowed to thank the Jade Emperor for protecting them from the Teochews and have since observed the 9th day of the Lunar New Year as a day of celebration in remembrance of their gratitude to the deity.
Therefore, it is not a surprise to see a rather extravagant mood lingering in the air towards the 8th day of Lunar New year as the Hokkiens prepare for the celebration.
To the Hokkiens, the 9th day also marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year as they have finally come out of the hiding.
(This is a version of the story told to me by my grandmother and parents)

To commemorate the Jade Emperor's birthday celebration, the Hokkiens go to great lengths to make the preparations for the midnight celebration and that included worship items such as joss sticks, paper gold offerings, dragon joss sticks, and food items such as glutinous/sticky rice cakes, fluffy rice cakes, fruits, poultry, pork, tea, and not forgetting the most important of all; sugarcane.

The feature of this post is one of the type of kueh, or rice cakes commonly seen in the local stalls and often used for the prayers and worship.
The Red Tortoise is a direct translation from its Chinese name; 'Ang Koo Kueh' or also steamed sticky glutinous rice cake.

Looking at the picture, I am sure it is not hard to comprehend how this cake derived its name from.
The kueh is shaped like a tortoise shell; and is pretty much made of sticky glutinous rice and colored with red.
(Red is always an auspicious color for the Chinese, and even more so during important celebrations such as birthdays and weddings. Yes, this kueh is also found in Chinese weddings)

The kueh contains a mung bean paste inside, and then stuck on a piece of banana leaf.
Of course, despite being popularly/originally known as the Red Tortoise kueh due to its shape, this kueh can also be found in many different shapes and colors.



There is also another popular version of the kueh which is in green; and is known as, you guess right, the Green Tortoise kueh. However, this is not as common as the red one, but still equally as favored by most kueh lovers.


Almost everyone around me is a fan of this kueh and will just squeal in delight at the sight of these.


Anyway, just to be clear, no tortoise was colored or harmed in the production of this kueh everywhere :)

Coconut sago with Gula Melaka layered kuih

I am not sure how many have heard of sago; which is a type of starch produced from by sago palm, and the starch is extracted from the pith of the palm.
It is probably rare in other countries, but in the largest state, Sarawak, on the east coast of Malaysia, this is one of the main produce for export.

I love sago, and it is so versatile too that it can be used for so many different types of dishes; but mostly dessert.
I am not a cook per se, but I did use the slow cooker to cook sago once as taught by my mummy.

Oh, in case you are wondering, this is NOT made by me.
We found this in one of the stalls outside the typical coffee shops and it was priced at 60 cents per piece.
(A piece of Kuih used to cost only 30 cents!)
Kuih (pronounced as Koay) is a Malay word referring to little sweet cakes meant for snacks/desserts like this one. (Hopefully I can run through a list of Malaysian kuih someday:)

You can see the glistening and round little sago 'beads' forming the kuih, and the brown colored layer is made with Gula Melaka; a type of palm sugar which is thick and sweet.
Oh, when you take a bite into the kuih, you can taste grated coconut in slices amidst the flavorful and sweet temptation.

It is not easy to find this kuih everywhere on the streets of Malaysia, but if you do spot a stall selling cute little snacks in yellow/blue or metal boxes covered with plastic sheets, do ask them for it :)


A sweet treat to leave you for the weekend; we are enjoying a long weekend in conjunction with His Royal Highness's birthday; Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (title in Malay for the ruler of the country) which falls on Saturday (tomorrow).
We are getting Monday as a replacement holiday too; for some/most of the companies :)

Have a lovely weekend...I will be back, if not on Monday, then Tuesday it will be :p

Kuih Kosui

Found this at a morning market in Penang; the lovely Kuih Kosui.

This is a Nyonya kueh, which is a soft and sweet cake and can be found in two flavors; pandan and brown sugar.
The right way to eat this is with freshly grated coconut sprinkled on the cake.

It is shaped like a small bowl as that was the way it was made; by shaping the mixture mould in the bowl.


It can be quite sweet too, as the Nyonyas/Peranakans have a sweet tooth for their desserts and cakes (sweet treats).
Not one for sweet stuffs, I enjoyed this particular version very much as it was not too sweet and was just right for my taste.

Priced at RM0.60-0.80 per piece, this is definitely a great choice for afternoon snack or morning bite :)
Maybe someday, I will learn how to make it too ;)

Homemade Kueh

I have some colorful Malaysian kueh which were made by a caterer (NOT by me) to share.

Bee Ko Moi (Black glutinous rice dessert)

A rather sticky and creamy concoction of a sweet dessert soup enhanced by the sticky glutinous rice

Colorful kueh No 1


Colorful kueh No 2 - Sago Kueh with gula melaka



And one deep fried with sambal shrimps filling


Do you have any nice kueh to pass around?

DISCLAIMER: Again, I must emphasize that I didn't make this kueh!

Colors of Sri Ayu

A traditional Malay kueh which steals my heart with its adorable outlook and innocence with the flourish of a ruffled skirting while it sits with a charming persona.

Today, she, famously known as Sri Ayu is no longer the one in green anymore, for she, has taken an approach to expand her wardrobe and her great sense of fashion, to dress herself in other colors and don ornaments to beautify herself.

Presenting to you, Ms Sri Ayu in her pandan chiffon dress


With a spritz of the all new pandan flavoured perfume
She is our Miss Environmental friendly


Look at her, the grace and the wonderfully pleated skirt she wears which exudes elegance and confidence.
And look at the raisin she is wearing, a sweet assortment to her demure outlook


A striking pose, which displayed her true color and charm.

Sweetly exotic with her creative raisin ornament, not to mention the softness of the fluff; she is a true winner.


Thank you Ms Sri Ayu Pandan~

We will vote for you


Next comes Ms Sri Ayu in yellow

A sweet little thing in royal color; and without any spritz of perfume, she takes on her natural and light yolk scent, cleverly disguised to exude her simplicity.

Ms Sri Ayu pink is her twin; with the equally charming persona and the adorable pink-lady look, she is no doubt another wonderful winner in the making



Next comes Ms Sri Ayu Choc

Slightly tanned, but definitely not a bitter girl as she immediately smiles with her natural poise and her raisin companion adds to her sweetness; charming the crowd by the dozen.


And the winner goes to?
..................
..................
..................
..................
..................
..................
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Ms Sri Ayu....
Pandan!~

The lovely Ms Sri Ayu Pandan, in her conventional dress as her predecessors, still stands tall in the winning aura of her heritage trail set by her ancestors.
Stunning from the outside, she has a great personality in the inside too

A cross section of our wonderful winner which beckoned the most votes, she is a clear winner from the start


It was a great contest, and I thank you, the all-new innovative batch of Sri Ayu


You still melt my heart at your sight; the sweet sweet charming outlook...

Tiny bites of Nyonya Kuih

One of the unique part living in Malaysia is the variety of food we have here; besides the disaster factor - us being on a stable platform which keeps us away from the life-threatening disasters.
So, away from disasters, we have all sorts of food; coming from the different ethnic background and culture.
Even those local delights in the form of bite-sizes can already form a minor continent on their own!~

In Penang, these bite-sized food in the form of local kuih can also be found in another unique crossing of the culture known as the Nyonya.

Nyonya kueh are actually in smaller sizes compared to the normal variant of kueh; which was where the bite-sized food term first came about.

When Auntie bought some kueh for breakfast the other day,I immediately reminisced about those times when Mummy brought me to the kuih stall when I was a little kid of less than a feet tall and in ponytails with little ribbons flying in the wind:)
(look at the variety of breakfast we can have here in Malaysia - from nasi lemak to roti canai to noodles, porridge and even western breakfast, we can have even kueh for smaller bites!~)

Kuih Talam (Tray cake)

This is a two-layered cake which are distinguished by the thin white layer on top and the thicker green layer at the bottom.
The white layer is made of rice flour and also a concoction of coconut milk; hence the white color (like duuuuh:p)

And the green layer is made from pandan leaf extract; made into juice and I also found out that there was an essence of green pea flour as well (whatever that is)


How to eat this kuih, my way?
I usually eat it 2 ways;
Number 1: I will peel off the white coconut layer and throw them aside.
Then I will polish the top and make sure there is no residue of the white layer left on the green layer.
Then I will start, savoring the nice green layer:D


Number 2: I will bite my way into the green layer, carefully avoiding the white layer and then voila, i am left with the white layer which I will tactfully toss aside:)


Such discrimination to the coconut layer, I know...I am mean:p

Then again, wonder why I am pickyeater? Found your enlightenment?:)

Hmmmm, I have to be honest, much as anyone loves the following 2 kueh, I am definitely not a fan (sorry!)
The Bingka Ubi (Sweet tapioca cake)

Apparently this kueh was baked; from the sweet tapioca itself and forming the sweet custard layer in the form of the yellowish portion.
There is a light brown crust-like piece on top of the kueh which was due to the baking process.

Anyone of you a fan of bingka ubi?

This, definitely I know is a highly populated favorite among ALL I know
Kuih Seri Kaya pulut

This was tri-coloured; different from the usual bi-coloured of white and blue kueh
This kuih is almost always accompanied with a serving of kaya (a concoction of coconut milk with extracts of pandan leaf)

Since everyone is a fan of sweet glutinous rice and sweet stuffs, I bet almost all of you are also fans of this (I am merely the photographer, I am not tempted!)

But this one, ladies and gentlemen is something I like and I can only find this in Penang, somehow!
The Steamed radish cake or known as Chai Tau Kueh in Hokkien

It is really tasty and the saltish taste with the sticky custard-like radish cake was really nice!:D


Wait, did I forget the sprinkling of the peanuts on the cake?
Oh I did!!
But I did it deliberately...somehow it tastes nicer to me;)


So with all these additional options for breakfast and tea and even for light supper, is there any wonder Malaysia is a food haven?
I don't....and that makes me proud of our culture...all the time;)