Kuih Bangkit pictures (1 of 3)
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My contributor Siew Loon is baking up a storm for Chinese New Year and today she is sharing a traditional Chinese New Year cookie recipe: kuih bangkit. I remember many childhood days when I helped my family making this goodies. For other Chinese New Year recipes, don’t forget to check out my posts at Rasa Malaysia: soy sauce chicken, ginger and scallion fish, crab noodles, and more.
Contributor: Ho Siew Loon
I am back again with my new year goodies. I have always enjoyed making the new year goodies as this is the time all family members will get together and help. This time around it is the traditional nyonya Kuih Bangkit. This little figurine goodies has lost its popularity among the younger generation and has been taken over by western cookies such as chocolate chips cookies, butter cookies, etc. I remember that Kuih Bangkit is a must for Chinese New Year and every house that you visit, you will sure to find it…(get kuih bangkit rcipe after the jump)
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Otak-otak pictures (1 of 4)
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Otak-otak. Otak-otak!
The mere mention of otak-otak and the visual picture of perfectly steamed and moist fish custard wrapped with banana leaves often sets my mouthwatering. Otak-otak is a classic Nyonya dish—brightly flavored with various aromatic herbs, exotic spices, and infused with the sweet fragrance of rich coconut milk.
In Southeast Asia, there are variations of fish custard in the neighboring countries: in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore it’s known as otak-otak, in Thailand, there is a similar dish called Hor Mok that includes an assortment of seafood—fish fillet, shrimp, and squid, and in Cambodia their variation is called Amok. And needless to say, I have bias in favor of Malaysian otak-otak—be it Nyonya’s or the famed Muar grilled otak-otak…
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Bubur Cha Cha pictures (1 of 4)
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Bubur Cha-Cha is probably one of the more well-known Nyonya desserts, so much so that they are commonly found in Hong Kong/Cantonese-style cafes. Even here in the United States, I can find it on the menu of some Asian cafes as Nanyang Bubur Cha-Cha or 南洋摩摩喳喳. Nanyang means “south of sea,” generally known as Southeast Asia in Chinese.
Each country in Southeast Asia has its own variation of this dessert—a medley of sweet potatoes (in yellow, orange, and purple color), yam (taro), black-eye peas, etc., cooked in a sweet coconut milk base. Bubur cha cha is a colorful and sweet dessert, and is generally prepared during festive seasons in Penang, and a must have on Chap Goh Meh (the 15th and last day of Chinese New Year). My aunt loves making Bubur Cha-Cha; she is immaculate when it comes to the balance of colors and its presentation. She would make a pink color tapioca jelly to complement the yellow, orange, and purple color in her bubur cha-cha. To me, the tapioca jelly—chewy and stretchy in its texture—is the best part of it all, I love it more than the sweet potatoes and yam…(get Bubur Cha Cha recipe after the jump)
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Bee Koh Moy (Bubur Pulut Hitam) pictures (1 of 4)
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Nyonya and Peranakan are known to have sweet tooth; their penchant for everything sweet is most pronounced in their skills in making very delicate, sinfully sweet, and utterly delightful Nyonya kuih—local sweet cakes that are eaten throughout the day—and many decadent desserts.
My mother was the biggest sweet tooth in my family. She loved sticky-sweet foods and was notorious in my family as she added sugar to everything she made, even savory dishes. I remember grandma and aunt always joked that we constantly ran out of sugar because mother used too much sugar in everyday cooking! So, growing up, we were fed tons of sweet foods—kuih, pancakes, and various kinds of hot desserts such as this bee koh moy or black sticky rice dessert…
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