Kuih Kaswi Pandan/ Kuih Kosui Pandan 香兰卡穗糕

I made this Kuih Kaswi Pandan talam style (in a tray) and then cut it into individual pieces. This is how it is supposed to be; cut and rolled in fresh shredded coconut. Some does it in mini cups that makes it similar to Kuih Lompang. Similar but not the same. The main difference besides its appearance is the flour used. Kuih Kaswi uses wheat flour whereas Kuih Lompang does not. Taste wise, there is not much of a difference. If you are curious about Kuih Lompang, I blogged about it here a couple of years ago.

Kuih Kaswi Pandan is a traditional Malaysian/Indonesian delicacy. Like most of our local desserts, it uses plenty of coconut and pandan leaves (screwpine leaves). There is another variation that uses gula melaka (palm sugar) that is equally as good. Kuih Kaswi Pandan has a dense and bouncy texture . It is sweet with a hint of saltiness from the salted shredded coconut. It is also spelled Kuih Kosui.

Pandan Swiss Roll (Cooked Dough Method) 班兰瑞士卷

If you have ever tried an original Pandan Swiss Roll, you will not be contented with just pandan essence. Nothing beats the natural taste and flavour of the pandan (also known as screwpine leaves). Primarily found in the South East Asia, the Pandan Swiss Roll is insanely popular with variations like Ondeh Ondeh Roll, and Pandan Kaya Roll. Today, I'm just introducing a simple Pandan Swiss Roll with fresh cream. Once you have the basic sponge mastered, you can easily adapt your filling.

Water Chestnut Coconut Pandan Pudding/Kuih Tako 香兰马蹄糕

A traditional Malay dessert, it is actually a pandan and milk coconut pudding with water chestnuts inside. It is made of mung bean flour or more popularly known as hoen kwe flour in this region. This pudding is beautifully encased in a pandan leaf box for its aesthetics and its aroma. What I like about our local kuih-muih is its simplicity and diversity. Most of them do not require much technique or baking but tastes fabulous. And most often, it comes in vibrant colours.

Ever since I started blogging, I have started to explore different types of food and this time, I bought some kuih tako to try. I have seen this a lot but have never bothered to taste it.  And I was in for a pleasant surprise. Now I know what I have been missing all these while. Yes, I admit my ignorance.

Whenever the Ramadhan month approaches, I will see lots of these selling in temporary bazaars. This is a surprisingly refreshing dessert, flavoured by its natural pandan juice. It has water chestnuts at the bottom to give the pudding an additional crunchy texture. Not too heavy and not too light, it is especially delicious when served cold.

It is even more delicious if you make your own as the ingredients used are fresh and natural, especially the pandan juice. I do love the little basket. It is authentic and artsy. It looks dainty and cute. Making the baskets is well worth the trouble. Too tedious for you? Chill the pudding in little glasses to give it a more chic appearance (like the picture above). Ain't it a beauty? You could actually save a lot of work too. Whichever way you prefer, the bottom line is, this is addictively good.

Water Chestnut Coconut Pandan Pudding/Kuih Tako 香兰马蹄糕

Adapted from WendyinKK

Ingredients

Pandan Layer

25 g green hoen kwe flour (also known as mung bean flour)
250 ml pandan juice (2-3 pieces pandan blended in 250ml water)
50 g sugar
3-4 waterchestnuts, peeled and diced

Coconut Layer

20 g white hoen kwe flour
250 ml fresh coconut (one coconut added with water until 250 ml)
50 g sugar
1/4 tsp salt (a pinch)

Cooking Instructions

1. Make tako cases from pandan leaves (see illustrations below).

2. Prepare pandan juice. Cut pandan leaves into small pieces. Add leaves and water into blender and blend finely. Sieve pandan juice and measure 250 ml. If lesser, add a little water. (I used leftover pandan pieces from making the case for the juice.)

3. Add everything except water chestnuts into a saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly. Mixture is cooked when it turns transparent and bubbles. Remove from fire immediately.

4. Add a few pieces of water chestnut into the panda case. Using a spoon, scoop mixture into pandan cases. Fill up half the case only. Repeat until finish.

5. Using a fresh saucepan, mix everything for the coconut layer. Stir constantly until mixture is cooked. Mixture is cooked when it thickens and bubbles. Remove immediately.

6. Using a spoon, scoop mixture onto green layer. Fill up the case. Repeat until finish. Chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.


*pandan leaf = screwpine leaf
*garnishing = srewpine leaves, not edible raw

Cassava Cake/ Getuk Ubi 木薯糕

UPDATE: 13/7/2017

Made this Getuk Ubi (some call it getuk-getuk) again because I just harvested a lot of cassava from my garden. This time, I made a whole tray of it. Recipe has been updated as I find the previous recipe a bit soft. This recipe turned out to be of my liking. If you notice, the cassava used here is of another species and is yellow in colour making the cake looked all the more beautiful. Loving the darker hues of both top and bottom.

Coconut Tartlets 椰挞

If you ask me to choose between an egg tart or a coconut tart, I would most probably choose the later. Maybe it is the texture but I do find coconut tartlets to have more bite and chew to it. And when it is cooked correctly, the smell of the baked coconut plus the sweetened taste of the filling will keep me satiate for a very long time. Simply put, eating a coconut tart would make me a very happy woman.