It has been a very long time since I last wrote on my blog. Today I decided it is time I start again after being unwell.

I chose to post this old Nonya kuih – Bingka Beras. This seem to be a forgotten Nonya Kuih which I love with all my heart. As a young child I remember wanting this always whenever I was taken to the morning market where the hawker sold this. I just love the aroma of the coconut with the slightly burnt bits on top! The coconut sweetness, the banana leaves smell, the slightly caramelized top and sometimes the taste of a bit of bitter burns is FABULOUS. I just <3 <3 <3 this “fei chui yuk” aka fat pork belly, in Cantonese because they resemble a piece of fat pork.

Luckily my husband, though British born and bred loves all kuih-muih. Makes life a lot easier for me. I can make a kuih and he’ll eat it all day long and I don’t need to cook anything else.

This kuih is so easy to make so I hope those who have rice flour handy will try it out. Especially more so now we are still staying at home. This lockdown due to Covid19 have seen such a lot more baker, home chefs, gardeners, hairdresser, dressmakers as well as teachers and many other skills. Amazing what we can do when we have to.

TIP – Melt some butter and mix with the reserved 1 tbsp coconut milk. Brush on top of the kuih for that extra ummmph before you grill. kekekekeke

Pulut Tai Tai with gula malacca kaya (gift from a friend) Pulut Tai Tai according to Wikipedia – Pulot Tartal is Malacca-based dish where white coconut milk sauce is served with glutinous rice (pulut)

I have always been a bit of a rebel deep down. Hence a green coloured Pulut Tai Tai

I am steamed my glutinous rice the same way I did for my Seri Muka recipe. https://www.julieolive.co.uk/2018/12/26/kuih-seri-muka-special/

Compress the rice lightly but firmly. Do NOT press to hard until your rice are tough! I prefer my glutinous to have a little give myself. However this is again arguably to personal taste.

I also like my rice slightly more salty as it goes so well with the sweet kaya. Again you can adjust to your taste.

If you soak your rice a longer time, say more than 8 hours you might need less coconut milk and less steaming time. It is entirely up to you to try.

Of course it stands to reason then your steaming time also depends on your heat. I used medium. Happy trying.

This traditional Indonesia/ Malay/ Nyonya kuih is semi-soft, it’s chewy and most important of all it’s fragrant. It has an inviting aroma from the banana and pandan leaves, the eggs and the coconut milk. The most important thing is that it is so easy to make and your whole house smell nice when it is baking in the oven! It is also extremely delicious to me.

This version is a tad healthier than the Pinoy (Philippines) version which I have tried many times and love too due to my work with a lot of Philippines nurses before. The Pinoy version had added evaporated milk, condensed milk and cheddar cheese. What I love is the shredded coconut strands on top. It is also delicious! Oh I need to make one soon too. Must wait till I have guests with sweet tooth.

I was thinking of making a kuih for the last month. In recent year there opened a new Asian eatery place 15 minutes drive from my home and it has been so easy to get my Asian fix. There are many stalls there and just like a big eating hall in Malaysia. However I do realised not only do these food contains lots of sugar and it is just a bit lacking.

Lacking in theirs is the traditional kuih bingka, the way I like it with both the aroma from banana leaves and pandan leaves. To get my fix I just need to bake it at home myself.

Last night when this was in the oven, the daughter who was asleep woke up and came downstairs – “mum what are you baking at this time of the night? I can smell it in my room!” It was barely 22.00 and I was watching Chernobyl (highly recommend watching, by the way)

This morning a happy hubby ate a big chunk with his black coffee for breakfast. All the sliced pieces in this pic were shared between the 2 of us (shocker)

p/s This recipe is based on trail and error and if you live in a country where freshly grated coconut is impossible to get. Hence it’s a 1 tin 400ml can used.