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Kueh kosui
Palm sugar tapioca cakes
Kueh kosui: bouncy palm sugar and tapioca flour cakes rolled in salted coconut
Little brown domes of kueh kosui sit beside the kueh lapis and ondeh-ondeh at Peranakan and Malay kueh shops in Joo Chiat and Bedok, bought by the plastic tray for breakfast or tea and taken to Hari Raya open houses. The cakes are firm, springy and slightly translucent, with a deep caramel flavour from gula melaka and a scent of pandan, and every piece is rolled in fresh grated coconut seasoned with salt so it tastes sweet and savoury at once. A few drops of alkaline water give the classic bounce. The usual mistake is cutting or unmoulding them while warm; they are soft and sticky until fully cool and only then set clean. Chef's tip: strain the batter and stir it right before each pour, as the starch sinks to the bottom in seconds and gives you a hard base with a watery top.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the palm sugar syrup
- 5 ½ oz palm sugar (gula melaka)chopped
- 1 ⅜ oz dark brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 pandan leavesknotted
For the batter
- 2 ⅛ oz rice flour
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ½ tsp alkaline water (lye water)food-grade; handle with care
- 1 pinch salt
For the coconut
- ¼ tsp salt
For the moulds
- 1 tbsp vegetable oilfor greasing
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Simmer 5 ½ oz palm sugar (gula melaka), 1 ⅜ oz dark brown sugar, 1 cup water and 3 pandan leaves in a pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the sugars melt completely. Strain and cool for 10 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Whisk 3 ½ oz tapioca starch (tapioca flour), 2 ⅛ oz rice flour, 1 pinch salt and 1 ¼ cups water in a bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk in the warm syrup, then add ½ tsp alkaline water (lye water) and stir well.
Step 3: Strain the batter through a fine sieve into a jug to remove any lumps or palm sugar grit.
Step 4: Grease 16 small kueh cups or a 20 cm square tin with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and heat them in a steamer over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes.
3 minStep 5: Stir the batter thoroughly and fill the cups about 90% full (or pour it all into the tin). Cover, with a cloth wrapped round the lid, and steam for 15–20 minutes for cups or 30–35 minutes for a tin, until the cakes are set, glossy and translucent, with no milky centre.
30 minStep 6: Meanwhile, toss 5 ½ oz freshly grated or frozen white coconut with ¼ tsp salt and steam in a separate bowl for 5 minutes. Spread out to cool.
5 minStep 7: Lift out the cakes and cool completely at room temperature, at least 2 hours. Don't refrigerate, or they turn hard and white.
Step 8: Ease each cake out with an oiled knife (or cut the tin into 16 squares with an oiled knife) and roll in the salted coconut until coated. Eat the same day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kueh kosui take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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.
- What can I use instead of palm sugar (gula melaka)?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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