Sunday, September 12, 2010

Angku Kueh/Steamed Glutinous Rice Cake with Sweet Filling

I made a lot of western dessert but sometimes I like our good old traditional Kueh too. Carlos is not a fan of it so sometimes it is difficult to make it just for myself. I am glad some of my Malaysian friends love it as much as I do so I get to make it with them. I made these Angku kueh with a friend of mine not too long ago.

Angku Kueh known as red tortoise cakes in Hokkien dialect is a common breakfast item among Chinese Malaysian or Singaporeans. As the name says, it is shaped like the shell of a tortoise because it was believed then, that eating these long-living creatures would bring longevity to the person eating it. It is also a must have on special occasions like celebrating the first-month of newly born baby, wedding days, birthdays etc for the Chinese.

Basically the skin of the AngKu Kueh is made from sweet potatoes and glutinous rice flour. You can put fillings like red bean paste, mung bean paste, coconut or roasted peanuts into it. A good angku kueh is one where the skin is thin, soft, and chewy and a nice contrast with the sweet fillings. We were pretty satisfied with the angku kueh we made as the skin turn out well and the filling is not too sweet. Here are some pictures taken when we were making these to share it with you.


Ingredients for the dough:

300g sweet potatoes - cut into chunks
180 g glutinous rice flour
2tbsp rice flour
2tbsp sugar
3tbsp vegetable oil
some water (to bind the dough together but if your sweet potatoes are soft you might not need it)


1. Steam sweet potatoes till soft, takes about 20 minutes.
2. Use a potato masher or a fork, mashed the cooked sweet potatoes, add in glutinous rice flour, rice flour, sugar, and oil, slowly add in water bit by bit to form a soft dough, cover and set it aside and rest for 30mins.
3. Shape into 30g small ball (depend on the size of your mould)

Ingredients for Mung Bean filling

250g mung beans/green beans – wash and soak overnight in cold water
130g sugar
3tbsp vegetable oil

1. Drain dry the mung beans, place the beans on a steaming tray and steam over medium heat until soft. It should take about half an hour.
2. While beans still hot, place beans, sugar and oil in a food processor, process till fine and become a paste.
3. Shape into 10-12g balls (depend on the size of your mould) and set it aside.

To make the Angku Kueh

Some banana leaves – cut into round shape
A bit of oil for brushing

1. Grease the angku kueh mould by brushing on some vegetable oil.
2. Flatten the sweet potato ball, place a mung bean ball to the center and shape it into a round ball.



3. Place the ball in the mould, press evenly, then knock to relased the dough and place on greased banana leaf.
4. Arrange on a steaming tray and steam for 10mins over high flame. Take it out from the steamer and brush it lightly with some oil.


Note : Different sweet potatoes will have different texture and water content. Some you might need to add more water to the dough and some you might need to add more glutinous rice flour to it.
Nate and Annie from House Of Annie will be hosting the September event. They have set up a form for all submissions.

41 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

I would love them! Wish I could find some sweet potatoes.
These look fabulous!

My Little Space said...

The same thing with me too! But lucky I can just grab 2-3pcs from the stalls here. hehe.... The kueh is very lovely. I like your mould. Hope you're enjoying your day.
Cheers, Kristy

ijayuji said...

Hi there,

I tak pernah makan kuih ni, tp bila tgk dia punyer bahan mcm similar dgn kuih koci, kan? correct me if im wrong :D . Saya suka makan kuih yg berasaskan tepung pulut tp i tak de mould dia, kalau buat bulat2 ajer tak kisah kan? :D

Jeannie said...

Very nice angku, love the patterns, still intact after steaming.

ann low said...

Really like that mold. So beautiful especially the color, can't wait to make it :)

Little Corner of Mine said...

I loved this, it came out so pretty too!

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Wah, very nicely done Gert! The mould prints are very clear, not "blurry" after the steaming. Glad you still have some good friends to share this with you. :)

PlumLeaf 李葉 said...

These look good! Fancy making some for our son's "Full Month" party next Sunday? Oh & by the way I'm in UK ;0)

Actually, have some steamed butternut squash that I was wondering what to do with them....

Wendy said...

Love your mold. I do not have anyone to share, or else I want to make some, too.

Unknown said...

Too pretty to eat!

Shereen said...

Your Kuih Ku look so pretty and senonoh.I tried making it once but it didn't turned out well.I will try this recipe out and will let you know.If got extra,pan fry them also nice.

lemongrass said...

Hi ICook4fun,
Saw your post on kuih angku which is my most favourite kuih. Everytime I go back to M'sia, this will be the only kuih that I have to have, no matter what :-).
You make it look so easy to make this kuih which makes me want to try making it, hehehe...

Sarah said...

So lovely to look at, and so lovely to eat too. Leftovers are just as delicious when pan fried.

3 hungry tummies said...

I bought some the other day and they were awful :( Perhaps I should try making some too. They looks fabulous!

Tastes of Home said...

Angku kueh is I think my favourite kuih - your homemade ones look yummy and so pretty!

Elin said...

Gertrude, I would like to try my hands at making these ' ang koo ' one day :) Lot of work ya :))

busygran said...

The kueh is very well-done! Lovely mould patterns!

Noob Cook said...

now I learnt how the name was derived. your kueh is beautiful in brown :)

Anonymous said...

Ah....I wish I could own one of those lovely wooden molds! I probably don't have the skills nor the talents to make these cakes as beautiful as you have, but I would just like to hang those wooden molds around the kitchen for inspirations anyway!!!

Shirley @ Kokken69 said...

The Ang Ku Kueh will always have a special place for me because it was the first posting that attracted some interesting comments...:)

mycookinghut said...

I really don't remember the last time I had ang ku kueh.. it has been too long I think.. remember I love the texture and the filling... so good!

pigpigscorner said...

wow, they are beautiful! I havent had this in awhile!

ICook4Fun said...

Angie, how come you can't find sweet potatoes there? You mean people in Germany don't eat sweet potatoes? You actually can use only glutinous rice for this kueh.

Kristy, yes living you can get this easily in S'pore :)

Ijyuji, memang sama dengan kueh koci except for the filling. Tapi you can put filling kelapa jugak for this. Dulu I pun tak ada mould so I buat bulat bulat saja, Next trip you balik Malaysia remember to get one of the mould ya :)

Jeannie, I too prefer this mould than the plastic one.

Anncoo, thank you.

ICook4Fun said...

LCOM, thank you.

Bee bee, thanks.

Plumleaf, I am sure you can use butternut squash for the skin as they are pretty similar to sweet potatoes except more watery. You might not need to add any water to it.

Wendy, thank you. YOu can always make some and freeze some of it.

Jennifurla, thanks.

Shereen, oh yea. I kept a few of it just to pan fried it the next day. My grandma and mom used to do that for us.

Lemongrass, you pun suka kuih ni. Senang actually buat kuih ni. Hope you will try it out one day.

Sarah, yes I like to pan fried them too.

ICook4Fun said...

3 hungry tummies, yes you should :)

Tastes of Homes, thank you.

Elin, not really. Is actually pretty easy :)

Busygran, thank you.

Noobcook, actually it is more of orangy color.

Anon, if you are living in Malaysia or Singapore you are able to get it from the cake supply store.

Shirley, ha ha I went back and read the comment :)

Leemei, you didn't eat any when you went home the last time?

Pigpigcorner, thank you.

Florence said...

Very nice.
I like your photo setting for this angkukueh.

Anonymous said...

I always wanted to make this kuih but don't have the mould :(

House of Annie said...

Gertude,

stunningly beautiful kueh! Nice job.

Thank you for your MMM entry!

Bakericious said...

very nicely none, the color very nice too.

Beachlover said...

your angku kuih look really great!! I guess you bought the mould when you was in Msia..

shaz said...

Wow, they look so beautiful. My mum used to make this but I've never tried to becasue I don't have a mould. Must go mould hunting now :) Then I'll try the recipe, thanks for sharing and thanks for taking part !

R said...

These are lovely!! Do you freeze the ang koo kueh before or after steaming? If you freeze them before steaming, will they crack when you do thaw them out to steam? Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe.

- Rowena

Amelia said...

Hi, I try your recipe today, the texture was very nice. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

these are nasty, i see im the only one who dint like them?! oh well.. sorry!!.(:

ICook4Fun said...

Anon of PA, this is very interesting. I see that you google for angku kueh filling at 9.57am and by 10.06am you left a comment about this kueh being nasty. Now you make me wonder if you actually make this or you are just a troll who like to leave nasty comment everywhere.

Anonymous said...

HELLO CAN I HAVE THE SAME ANGKU MOULD LIKE YOU???? CAN U BUY IT AND SEND FOR ME???

ICook4Fun said...

Anon, you can get it at any bakery supply store in Malaysia and Singapore. By the way, it is RUDE to be writing everything in caps. It is like you are shouting at me!

Anonymous said...

Sorry i didnt mean that ur way...
from now onwards i`ll be using everything in off caps...tq to inform to me...sorry once again...

YM said...

Hi, I was thinking of microwaving the sweet potatoes instead of steaming them. How long do you reckon they need to be cooked this way?

ICook4Fun said...

YM, I never microwave sweet potatoes before so I can advise you on how long it will take to cook. Sorry about that.

YM said...

Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I made these last Friday and they turned out very nicely :)
I microwaved diced sweet potatoes (tightly wrapped with clingfilm so no steam escapes) for about 7-8 min. And the same way for mung beans as well. Definitely saved me some time! :)