Kueh yang sangat aku gemari,
Di luarnya pulut,
Di dalam berisi inti."
Translation:
Kueh koci,
my most favourite kueh,
glutinous rice outside,
fillings inside.
This is the only jingle I can remember when it comes to a particular traditional delicacy or kueh which is also one of my favourite delectable delights to eat, but one which I never attempted to make until now.
The reason I never made any attempt is because it takes too long to make but only a couple of bites to finish one piece of kueh. Hence, it is not something worth doing unless I really have a craving for it, which I did, the other day.
Any food (even if it is one of my favourite foods) that involves fillings, wrapping of banana leaves and steaming would fall into "my least favourite food to make" list.
Nevertheless, after googlooking (googling + looking) through all the possible recipes from the internet, I came to the conclusion that to make this traditional kueh, I only needed to make the dumplings which consist of some white glutinous rice flour, a little black glutinous rice flour (to enhance the texture, colour and flavour), some coconut milk and a pinch of salt to taste; fill them with any kind of fillings I liked i.e. sweetened grated coconut, red beans paste, etc.. and not forgetting, some cut-out banana leaves to wrap the already-filled dumplings before steaming them for 20 minutes or so.
(Sounds tiresome? Wait till you have finished reading what I am about to write...)
Since I have all of the above ingredients in my pantry to clear, I decided to make my version from scratch scratch, meaning, instead of using glutinous rice flours (most of the recipes called for), I would be grinding my own flours from glutinous rice grains, both white and black.
But the entire process had to start by first, picking out debris from the white and black glutinous rice (rice grains, bad grains and stones), rinsing and then drying them well (one day in advance) before they were even ready for grinding.
The banana leaves also needed to be washed, parched and then cut to the appropriate size, big enough to wrap each dumpling at a time.
Thankfully, with extra hands, the whole process went by like a breeze because wrapping the dumplings in banana leaves was done entirely by my mom, who is the expert. I did the rest - the dough, 2 types of fillings i.e. sweetened grated coconut and red beans paste; and the steaming, of course!
By tea time, the kueh koci was ready for consumption. My mom liked the ones with the red beans paste better than the ones with sweetened grated coconut. I liked both!
For the texture, there is no difference from the store-bought ones (which were probably made from store-bought glutinous rice flours).
As for the taste, mine tastes much better, of course! Because, there is no thickener or unknown ingredients, even the coconut milk I used was hand-squeezed by me.
My kueh koci can also be frozen and still maintained the texture and flavour, even after I re-steamed them. So, no more frozen store-bought kueh koci for me!
So, if you have all the time in the world (with a little passion and patience), like I do, here's how I made them...
Kueh Koci (makes 27)
What you need to have:
Ingredients
Dumplings
250g white glutinous rice
2 Tsp black glutinous rice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup thick coconut milk (1st squeeze)
1/2 cup water
Sweetened grated coconut
1/2 cup grated coconut (endocarp (shell) removed)
3 Tsp gula melaka or palm sugar *
3 Tsp raw sugar *
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tsp water
3 strands pandan leaves (cut into quarter strips)
Red beans paste
1/4 cup red beans
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup raw sugar *
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tsp thick coconut milk (1st squeeze)
oil for greasing the surface of banana leaves
* the sweetness depends on your taste buds
Apparatus
kitchen scale
measuring cups and spoons
strainer
aluminium foil
paper towel
high-speed grinder or miller
large bowl
cling wrap
saucepan
wooden spoon or spatula
2 medium-sized bowls
washed and blanched banana leaves, cut into 4x6 " (depending on the size of each dumpling)
steamer
wire rack
zipper bag
What you need to do:
Day 1
Prepare the glutinous rice
Remove unnecessary debris from each glutinous rice separately. Combine both the glutinous rice and place them in a strainer and wash under running water. Place on aluminium foil lined with paper towel and leave to dry in a warm area or under direct sunlight.
Prepare the fillings
Sweetened grated coconut
Place all ingredients, except grated coconut, in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until all sugars are dissolved. Add grated coconut and mix well. Continue stirring until the sugar-coconut mixture reaches a sticky consistency. Remove from heat and transfer into a medium-sized bowl to cool completely. Remove the strips of pandan leaves and cover the surface completely with cling wrap to avoid sweating. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Red beans paste
Place red beans and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until red beans are tender. Remove from heat. Drain excess water and mash into a paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cook over medium heat and continue stirring until the mixture reaches a sticky consistency. Remove from heat and transfer into a medium-sized bowl to cool completely. Cover the surface completely with cling wrap to avoid sweating. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Day 2
1. Grind the combined glutinous rice into a powdery form. (it is alright if there are some rice grits because the grits will eventually soften and blend in during steaming)
2. In a large bowl, mix the glutinous rice, salt and coconut milk. Add a little water at a time, to form a non-sticky dough. Cover with cling wrap and set aside for a few mins.
3. Remove the fillings from the fridge and make small balls (about 1 rounded tsp each ball).
4. To make the dumplings, form the dough into bite-sized balls. On one palm of your hand, flatten a dough ball, place one of the fillings in the middle and cover the fillings completely with dough, by pinching the sides, to form a ball of dumpling.
5. Oil the surface of a cut-out banana leaf, place the dumpling in the middle and wrap the dumpling (like you would a candy or sweet) with both ends tucked under the middle section.
6. Repeat until all balls are filled and wrapped.
7. Bring the steamer to a boil.
8. Arrange the wrapped dumplings in the steamer and steam for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the kueh koci sit in the steamer until ready to serve.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack before freezing leftovers in a zipper bag.
Enjoy!
Dumplings
250g white glutinous rice
2 Tsp black glutinous rice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup thick coconut milk (1st squeeze)
1/2 cup water
Sweetened grated coconut
1/2 cup grated coconut (endocarp (shell) removed)
3 Tsp gula melaka or palm sugar *
3 Tsp raw sugar *
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tsp water
3 strands pandan leaves (cut into quarter strips)
Red beans paste
1/4 cup red beans
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup raw sugar *
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tsp thick coconut milk (1st squeeze)
oil for greasing the surface of banana leaves
* the sweetness depends on your taste buds
Apparatus
kitchen scale
measuring cups and spoons
strainer
aluminium foil
paper towel
high-speed grinder or miller
large bowl
cling wrap
saucepan
wooden spoon or spatula
2 medium-sized bowls
washed and blanched banana leaves, cut into 4x6 " (depending on the size of each dumpling)
steamer
wire rack
zipper bag
What you need to do:
Day 1
Prepare the glutinous rice
Remove unnecessary debris from each glutinous rice separately. Combine both the glutinous rice and place them in a strainer and wash under running water. Place on aluminium foil lined with paper towel and leave to dry in a warm area or under direct sunlight.
Prepare the fillings
Sweetened grated coconut
Place all ingredients, except grated coconut, in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until all sugars are dissolved. Add grated coconut and mix well. Continue stirring until the sugar-coconut mixture reaches a sticky consistency. Remove from heat and transfer into a medium-sized bowl to cool completely. Remove the strips of pandan leaves and cover the surface completely with cling wrap to avoid sweating. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Red beans paste
Place red beans and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until red beans are tender. Remove from heat. Drain excess water and mash into a paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cook over medium heat and continue stirring until the mixture reaches a sticky consistency. Remove from heat and transfer into a medium-sized bowl to cool completely. Cover the surface completely with cling wrap to avoid sweating. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Day 2
1. Grind the combined glutinous rice into a powdery form. (it is alright if there are some rice grits because the grits will eventually soften and blend in during steaming)
2. In a large bowl, mix the glutinous rice, salt and coconut milk. Add a little water at a time, to form a non-sticky dough. Cover with cling wrap and set aside for a few mins.
3. Remove the fillings from the fridge and make small balls (about 1 rounded tsp each ball).
4. To make the dumplings, form the dough into bite-sized balls. On one palm of your hand, flatten a dough ball, place one of the fillings in the middle and cover the fillings completely with dough, by pinching the sides, to form a ball of dumpling.
5. Oil the surface of a cut-out banana leaf, place the dumpling in the middle and wrap the dumpling (like you would a candy or sweet) with both ends tucked under the middle section.
6. Repeat until all balls are filled and wrapped.
7. Bring the steamer to a boil.
8. Arrange the wrapped dumplings in the steamer and steam for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the kueh koci sit in the steamer until ready to serve.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack before freezing leftovers in a zipper bag.
Enjoy!
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| my kueh koci |
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| my bite-sized kueh koci exposed! |
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| my kueh koci with sweetened coconut filling |
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| my kueh koci with red beans paste filling |
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