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Kue bangkit
Tapioca coconut flower cookies
Melt-in-the-mouth tapioca and coconut milk flower cookies from Riau
Jars of kue bangkit sit on coffee tables across Riau and the Sumatran coast at Lebaran, and Chinese-Indonesian families bake the same little white flowers for Lunar New Year. They are made from tapioca starch slowly roasted with pandan leaves, then bound with sugar, egg yolk and thick coconut milk and pressed into tiny flower shapes. When they are right they feel crisp and light in the hand and then dissolve instantly on the tongue, leaving the taste of coconut and pandan. The step people rush is roasting the starch; it must be dry-fried until feather-light, or the cookies bake hard and chalky. Chef's tip: keep the dough covered with a cloth while you work, because tapioca dough dries in minutes and then crumbles in the mould.
- Total time
- 106 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the starch
- 9 oz tapioca starch
- 4 pandan leavesknotted
For the dough
- 3 ⅛ oz icing sugar
- ½ cup thick coconut milkfrom the top of the can, as needed
- 1 pinch salt
To finish
- 2 tbsp tapioca starchfor the moulds
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 9 oz tapioca starch and 4 pandan leaves in a wide pan over low heat. Stir constantly for 25–30 minutes, until the pandan leaves are dry and brittle and the starch feels very light and squeaks when pressed between your fingers. It must not colour.
28 minStep 2: Discard the pandan, sift the starch and leave it to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Whisk 2 egg yolks and 3 ⅛ oz icing sugar until thick and pale, about 3 minutes, then whisk in 1 pinch salt.
3 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper.
Step 5: Stir the yolk mixture into the cooled starch, then add ½ cup thick coconut milk a spoonful at a time, kneading lightly, until it forms a soft, smooth dough like play dough that does not crack when pressed. Cover with a damp cloth.
Step 6: Dust a small flower mould or cookie cutter with 2 tbsp tapioca starch. Press small pieces of dough into it, level off and tap out onto the trays, or roll the dough 1 cm thick and cut flowers. Mark the tops with tweezers or a toothpick if you like.
Step 7: Bake for 15–18 minutes, until firm and dry with only the faintest tinge of colour on the base; they should stay white on top.
18 minStep 8: Cool completely on the trays, then store in an airtight jar. They keep crisp for up to a month.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 85 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kue bangkit take?
- About 106 minutes in total: 70 minutes to prepare and 36 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of thick coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
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