Pandan Green Or Gula Melaka Brown, You Decide–Kuih Kosui or Kuih Ko Swee (卡穗糕 or Kuih Kaswi)

INTRODUCTION

First of all, I have to apologize that the images were not as satisfactory as I wanted it to be as it was captured at night after I prepared the Kuih. I made the wrong decision of preparing it at evening.. As the kuih cannot be kept for long (preferably not overnight), I have decided to have my photo shooting session at night.

Kuih Kosui or ko swee or 卡穗糕 or kuih Kaswi is a type of nonya cakes steamed in small Chinese tea cups. It was usually served with freshly grated coconuts. It is supposing to have a springy texture and sweetened by the aromatic coconut sugar. However, in recent years, pandan flavour have developed have I have decided to share both variations in the same post.

As compared to our Malay brothers, most nonya recipes uses alkaline water, rice and tapioca flour where as Malay recipes uses kapur (edible calcium carbonate or chalk), rice and wheat flour.

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WHAT IS REQUIERD

Recipe 1 – For Gula Melaka or Gula Apong Kuih Kosui – prepare 20 small cups

• 50 grams of rice flour (粘米粉）
• 50 grams of tapioca flour （木薯粉）
• 450 grams of lukewarm water （温水）
• 80 grams of gula melaka or gula apong （椰糖或其他棕榈糖）
• 20 grams of white sugar （白糖）
• 1 teaspoon of alkaline water or lye water or kansui（碱水）

Recipe 2 – For Pandan flavour Kuih Kosui – prepare 20 small cups

• 50 grams of rice flour (粘米粉）
• 50 grams of tapioca flour （木薯粉）
• 450 grams of lukewarm water（温水）
• 5-6 stalks of Pandanus Leaves or screw pine leaves (香兰叶）
• 100 grams of white sugar（白糖）
• 1 teaspoon of alkaline water or lye water or kansui（碱水）

For both recipes

• 200 grams of freshly grated coconut （椰丝）
• Pinches of salt   （盐巴）
• 2-3 pandan leaves cut into smaller pieces (香兰叶）

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Lightly greased 20 Chinese small teacups suitable for steaming.

• Heat the gula melaka or gula apong, white sugar and water in a microwave for about 1 minutes (until the sugar dissolved). Add the rice flour, tapioca flour and alkaline water, stir until well mix. Return the solution back to the microwave, heat for another 1-2 minutes. In the interval of 0.5 minute, take out the bowl and stir. As long as the solutions starts to thicken, you can take out from the microwave and transfer to the greased cups. Note that depending on individual microwave oven, it can be rather fast. Keep an eye and as long as it is thicken (but can still be poured, it is consider done).

• If you do not have a microwave oven, perform the same procedures over the stove. Note that  you must use medium to low heat to heat the sugar and rice flour solution. Constant stirring is required until it thickens.

• For the Pandan Kosui, extract the pandan juice using the lukewarm water.  Once the juice is extracted, add all remaining water (if any), white sugar, rice flour, tapioca flour and alkaline water. Stir until well mix. Put the pandan flavoured rice solution in the microwave and heat for 1-2 minutes until it thickens but can still be poured. If you do not have a microwave oven, perform the same over the stove using medium to low heat and constant stirring is required until it thickens.

• Once the partially cooked rice solution is ready, transfer it to the greased cups. Steam in a steamer for about 10 –15 minutes under medium to high heat. It is consider as cooked when colour changes and a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Leave it to cool completely and use a toothpick to unmould the steamed cake.

• For the grated coconut, steamed the grated coconut in a steamer,pinches of salt and the pandan leaves. Steam in the steamer for about 10-15 minutes or until the pandan leaves are soft.

• For servings, scoop some grated coconut and put on top of the kuih kosui. Best served as a snack item.

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CONCLUSION

Happy to add another Nonya kuih to my recipe list. I would say this is not difficult to prepare but taste is very nice. Do give it a try and see if it suits your taste buds.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have nice day.

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