Beans Revisited - Bubur Cha Cha with Large Sago 摩摩喳喳跟大西米

Some Chinese make this on the 15th of the Lunar New Year. This recipe is from my previous shop's menu. Hope you like it.

Bubur cha cha is a famous nyonya dessert in Malaysia. It is so famous that you can actually find it in places like Hong Kong (lewdly pronounced as mo mo ja ja which also means touching and holding), China and some Chinese restaurants in Australia and the States. The authentic bubur cha cha consists of an array of sweet potatoes with yam and black eye beans sweetened by fragrant fresh coconut milk sweet soup. If you are not wooed by its rich unique taste, you would definitely be captivated by its burst of colours such as orange, yellow, purple and sometimes red (from the coloured tapioca jelly bits) from the result of the use of various types of sweet potatoes and yam.

Bubur cha cha used to be one of the best sellers amongst the 15 odd type of desserts or sweet soup in my shop. It shows the popularity of this unique dessert. I suspect it is also due to the difficulty in preparing this dessert. An authentic bubur cha cha would have different types of colours and also the tapioca jelly bits that adds a chewy texture to the dessert. I admit my bubur cha cha lacks colour as I only use orange sweet potatoes (the Indonesian type as it tastes better than the yellow ones). I do not really fancy purple sweet potatoes either as it will taint the sweet soup with its natural purple pigment if left too long, making the water purplish.

Buah Melaka (Onde onde gula melaka)

Let me just give you a brief introduction to this unique Malay dessert we call buah melaka. This bite-sized green glutinous rice ball is coated in grated coconut (yes, fresh grated coconut and not dessicated coconut please) with oozing gula melaka (palm sugar) syrup in the middle. Hence, the name buah melaka. It is normally served on its own as a snack, or as a dessert. What I absolutely love about buah melaka is the chewiness of the ball and the sudden burst of palm sugar syrup when you bite into it. Mixed with the slightly salted coat of grated coconut, you get all the flavours and textures in just one bite. Are you convinced yet? Read on...

Malay Traditional Kuih - Kuih Lompang

I consider myself blessed to be staying in Malaysia. It has a mix of ethnicity and a diverse culture. Kuih is no stranger to any Malaysian and we have a vast array of it coming mainly from the Malays, the Nyonyas, the Chinese and some from the Indians. The word kuih represents primarily sweet cakes but at times, also include savouries such as pulut panggang, kuih cara lauk and cucur badak. Although diverse, it is made primarily of flour, rice flour, pandan leaf, coconut, sugar and palm sugar. The stark difference with western cakes is that there is normally no use of leavening agent and the texture is more often chewy than fluffy.

Smooth Creamy Pandan Kaya (Pandan Flavoured Coconut Egg Jam) 香兰咖椰

Kaya basically means coconut egg jam. Its texture is thick and rich, hence, the name kaya which means rich in Malay. I dare not claim this jam to be authentically Malaysian as it is also found in other parts of Southeast Asia....but it is madly popular in Malaysia. I haven't met a Malaysian who doesn't love kaya.