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Kue satu
Mung bean flour sweets
Toasted mung-bean flour sweets pressed in carved moulds for Lebaran
Kue satu are the little pale sweets that fill glass jars on Javanese and Sumatran tables when families open their doors for Lebaran visits at the end of Ramadan. Mung-bean flour is dry-toasted until it smells nutty, mixed with icing sugar and a whisper of pandan, then pressed into carved wooden moulds of flowers and leaves and left to dry until crumbly. They melt on the tongue with a sweet, beany, vanilla-like flavour and are offered with tea to every guest. Chef's tip: toast the flour until it is a shade darker and smells like popcorn, because raw-tasting flour is the most common reason kue satu taste flat.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the sweets
- 5 ½ oz icing sugarsifted
- 2 pandan leavesknotted
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tbsp wateras needed
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 9 oz hun kwe (mung bean starch) and 2 pandan leaves in a dry wok over a low heat and stir constantly for 12–15 minutes, until the flour is a pale biscuit colour and smells toasty. Stirring nonstop stops it scorching at the bottom.
15 minStep 2: Tip the flour onto a tray, discard the pandan and leave it to cool completely, then sift it to break up any lumps.
10 minStep 3: Mix in 5 ½ oz icing sugar and 1 pinch salt. Sprinkle in the 3 tbsp water a teaspoon at a time, rubbing it in with your fingertips, until a handful squeezed in your fist holds its shape but still feels like damp sand. A common mistake is adding too much water, which makes the sweets hard instead of crumbly.
5 minStep 4: Dust a kue satu mould (or a small cookie stamp) with flour, pack the mixture in firmly, level the top and knock the sweet out onto a tray.
20 minStep 5: Bake at 250°F for 15 minutes, or leave uncovered in a dry room overnight, until the sweets feel firm and dry on the outside. Cool fully and store in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kue satu take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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.
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