With many of us still under lockdowns and movement control orders all over the world, it's pretty much confirmed that the yearly Ramadan bazaars we all look forward too are going to be postponed.
But although the street markets may be closed, our kitchens (and our stomachs) remain open.
And you know what that means.
It's time to try making your own batch of kuih-muih at home!
Loosely translated to "desserts," here are some recipes for nine familiar Ramadan bazaar kuihs from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. We've translated many of these video recipes to English step-by-step guides for easy viewing.
1. Kuih Ketayap
A popular traditional kuih in Malaysia and Indonesia that's also often included in many dinners when Muslims break fast. The origins of its name may be unknown but it's still loved nonetheless.
You'll need:
Crepe batter
- 180g plain flour
- ? tsp salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 4 pandan leaves
- 360ml water
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp corn oil
Filling
- 200g grated coconut flesh
- 60g palm sugar (commonly known as gula melaka)
- 40g caster sugar
- 50ml water
- 1 pandan leaf
- ? tsp salt
And here are the steps:
Crepe batter
1. Cut the 4 pandan leaves into small pieces and fully blend together with 360ml water. Use a strainer to sieve out the pandan juice from the pulp.
2. Mix the 180g plain flour, ? salt, and 1 tbsp caster sugar in a bowl. Add in the pandan juice, one egg, and 1 tbsp corn oil before whisking thoroughly and leaving the batter aside for 30 minutes.
3. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and pour 1 scoop of the crepe batter, immediately tilting the pan to evenly spread the batter into a circle shape.
4. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the batter has solidified before flipping it to the other side to cook for 30 seconds.
5. Remove the crepe from heat and let cool. Finish cooking the rest of the crepe batter one by one.
Filling
1. Add 60g palm sugar, 40g caster sugar, 50ml water, and 1 knotted pandan leaf into a pan and stir on medium heat until fully dissolved.
2. Once sugar has dissolved, add in 200g grated coconut flesh to the pan and mix until flesh has fully absorbed the sugar mixture.
3. Remove from heat and discard pandan leaf before leaving aside to cool.
Assembly
1. Lay out one crepe on a flat surface. Scoop up roughly 2 tbsp of the coconut filling into the crepe.
2. First roll up the crepe till the fillings are covered, before folding in the sides and rolling the crepe up all the way.
2. Kerbau Guling
A sweet and soft Thai delicacy made with burnt coconut ashes. Do note to only consume this snack in small quantities as it could be dangerous health-wise.
You'll need:
- 250g rice flour
- 150g corn flour
- 3 tbsp glutinous rice flour
- 200g sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 3 tsp lime water
- ? cup concentrated coconut milk
- 3 tbsp burnt coconut shell powder (mixed with a bowl of water and filtered)
- 1? litres water
And here are the steps:
1. Mix all the ingredients into a large bowl, adding the 1? litres of water into the bowl slowly as you mix the dry ingredients into a grey mixture.
2. When everything's mixed thoroughly, heat up the mixture on medium heat. Keep stirring occasionally and break up the clumps.
3. After 25 minutes, the mixture should turn into dark grey paste.
4. Transfer the dark grey paste into a circular pan. Let it cool fully.
5. Once cooled, cut into bite-size pieces and roll in coconut shavings.
3. Onde-onde
Known as Klepon in Java, Indonesia, these bite-sized chewy pandan balls are filled with sweet sugar that burst in your mouth when you bite through.
You'll need:
- 5 to 6 pandan leaves
- 1? cup water
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- Palm sugar
- Water
- ? grated coconut flesh
- Salt
And here are the steps:
1. Roughly cut the 5 to 6 pandan leaves and add into a blender with 1? cup water. Sieve the mixture and put the pandan juice aside.
2. Add 1 cup glutinous rice flour and 2 tbsp rice flour into a bowl. Slowly pouring in the pandan juice. Mix and knead the mixture into a dough. Leave the dough aside.
3. Cut the palm sugar into small pieces.
4. Leave out ? grated coconut flesh onto a plate and add salt to taste.
5. Grab a small piece of dough and wrap it around a piece of palm sugar. Round it out to a bite-sized ball.
6. Boil a pot filled ? with water. Drop the small dough balls into the pot and let them boil.
7. Once the dough balls float to the surface, use a strainer to strain them from the water. Immediately roll the now-cooked balls of kuih into the coconut shavings.
4. Kuih Keria
Little doughnut-shaped kuih popular in Malaysia and made from sweet potatoes with a sugar frosting that's guaranteed to please any sweet tooth out there.
You'll need:
- 2 large sweet potatoes (boiled until soft)
- 1 cup wheat flour
- 1 tsp potato flour
- Salt
- Oil to fry
- 100g sugar
- 60ml water
And here are the steps:
1. Peel, cut, and boil the sweet potatoes in a large pot of water.
2. Once soft, mash the sweet potatoes in a bowl. Add in the 1 cup wheat flour, 1 tsp potato flour, and a pinch of salt. Mix and knead until a dough is formed.
3. Separate a small piece of dough, rolling it into a ball before puncturing a hole in the middle similar to a doughnut. Repeat this for all the dough until finished.
4. Deep fry the small doughnuts in oil until they're nice and golden brown.
5. In a separate pan on high heat, add the 100g sugar and 60 ml of water and mix until it has a thick consistency. Then turn off the heat and mix for 10 seconds.
6. Add the deep-fried kuih into the pan and mix until the sugar is hard and crispy.
5. Kuih Suji
Also known as ghee cookies in some regions, these biscuits are often coated in either sugar or milk powder in Brunei.
You'll need:
- 200g wheat flour
- ? tsp baking soda
- 50g icing sugar
- 100g ghee (also known as minyak sapi)
- 20g ground almonds
- ? tsp salt
- red, green, and yellow food coloring (optional)
And here are the steps:
1. Mix 100g ghee, 50g icing sugar, 20g ground almonds, and ? tsp salt into a bowl. Stir until combined.
2. Add the wheat flour slowly as you mix the ingredients into a dough.
3. Split the dough into four even pieces and color three of the pieces using the red, green, and yellow food coloring.
4. Heat your oven to 130°C while you roll the dough into small bite size pieces. You can combine multiple colors to make colorful balls. Bake the small dough balls for 10 minutes in the oven at 130°C. Take them out and let them cool to room temperature.
5. Coat the biscuits in sugar. You can place them in individual wrappings to prevent them from sticking to one another.
6. Kuih Lapis
Easily identified by its multi-colored layers, which somehow compells kids to separate and eat individually, it's a familiar Nyonya kuih available all-year round.
You'll need:
- 2 cups rice flour
- 3 tbsp wheat flour
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- ? cup sugar
- 4 cups coconut milk (also known as santan)
- Salt
- Red food coloring
- Oil
And here are the steps:
1. Spread some oil on a plastic sheet before using it to line a baking tin to prevent the kuih from sticking. Then heat the baking tin in a steamer.
2. While it's heating, add the 4 cups coconut milk, ? cup sugar and a pinch of salt to a pot. Cook until the sugar dissolves.
3. Mix the 2 cups of rice flour, 3 tbsp wheat flour, and 2 tbsp corn flour into a bowl with the sugar and coconut milk mixture. Stir until completely mixed.
4. Separate the mixture into two parts. Add the red food coloring to one of the mixtures and stir thoroughly.
5. Pour the white mixture into the baking tin and steam until cooked.
6. Then pour the pink mixture into the baking tin (on top of previous white mixture) and steam again until cooked.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you're satisfied with the layers.
8. Once done, remove the baking tin from the steamer and let it cool fully before cutting it into slices.
7. Kuih Seri Muka
A popular two-layered dessert in Malaysia that loosely translates to "pretty face cake." This kuih was also listed as one of Malaysia's 100 heritage foods and drinks by the Malaysian Department of National Heritage in 2009.
You'll need:
Pulut/Glutinous rice
- 350g glutinous rice
- 400ml coconut milk
- Salt
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 pandan leaves
Custard layer
- 300ml concentrated coconut milk
- Salt
- 150g sugar
- 100g wheat flour
- 150ml pandan juice
- 4 eggs
And here are the steps:
Pulut/Glutinous rice
1. Wash and soak 350g glutinous rice for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Mix the pre-soaked glutinous rice with 400ml coconut milk, a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp cooking oil. Stir until dissolved.
3. Prepare a baking tin lined with plastic and coated with oil to prevent sticking. Add 2 pandan leaves to enhance the aroma. Add the glutinous rice into the baking tin and level its surface.
4. Add the coconut milk mixture to the glutinous rice in the baking tin and ensure that the glutinous rice is completely covered in order to get the right texture. Steam the combined mixture for about 25 minutes until cooked.
4. Fluff the glutinous rice and remove the pandan leaves. Press the glutinous rice to ensure an even layer and lightly score it to help the custard layer stick well.
Custard layer
1. Combine 300ml of concentrated coconut milk with a bit of salt, 150g sugar, 100g wheat flour, 150ml pandan juice, and 4 eggs into a bowl. Stir thoroughly.
2. Strain the mixture into a pot to prevent lumps. Cook until steam rises up. Turn off the heat.
Assembly
1. Pour the custard layer on top of the glutinous rice. Make sure to pour slowly and ensure even distribution.
2. Remove and pop air bubbles to get a smooth surface.
3. Cover the baking tin with aluminium foil to avoid water droppings. Steam for roughly 25 to 30 minutes or until fully cooked.
4. Once cooked, let cool completely before cutting the kuih into slices.
8. Kuih Sagu
Also known as Kuih Sagu Kelapa and Kuih Telur Katak (which loosely translates to 'Frog egg cake') in Indonesia, this dessert may look a little bit like caviar, but has a much sweeter twist.
You'll need:
- 1 cup sago (also known as sagu)
- 2 ? cups water
- ? cup sugar
- Red food coloring
- 1 pandan leaf
- 1 cup grated coconut flesh mixed with a pinch of salt
And here are the steps:
1. Begin by boiling water with pandan leaf and add the red food coloring.
2. Once boiled, add the 1 cup sago and ? cup sugar. Cook until the sago becomes translucent and sticky.
3. Remove the pandan leaf and place the dough in a plastic wrap or small mold.
4. Steam for 20 minutes.
5. Once cooked, cool the kuih completely before cutting into slices. Mix them with the grated coconut flesh.
9. Kicak
A snack originating from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It can also also be enjoyed with a slice of jack fruit on the side.
You'll need:
- 2500g parched cassava
- 250g brown sugar
- 4 pandan leaves
- 100g sugar
- 70g sago flour
- 70ml pure coconut milk
- 100g margarine
- 200g parched coconut
- Food coloring of your choice
- Salt
- Water
And here are the steps:
1. Mix the 2500g parched cassava, 1? tsp salt, 70g sago flour, 100g parched coconut, and 100g margarine in a bowl.
2. Separate the dough into as many sections as needed if you plan to dye it using the food coloring.
3. Place it into a mold and steam it with 100g parched coconut for an hour.
4. Meanwhile, mix 250g brown sugar, 4 pandan leaves, 100g sugar, and 100ml water in a separate pan on high heat. When the sugar mixture reaches a boiling point, strain it.
5. Allow both to cool for an hour before serving the kuih with more parched coconut and the boiled brown sugar as topping.
There you have it! These nine recipes are just begging to be made in your kitchen.
If you're not able to find some of these kitchen tools, you could considering using your rice cooker to make these kuih recipes as well!
Will you be trying out any of these recipes?
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Cover image sourced from Resepi Che Nom and CookPad.
