27.10.2013 - Batam. Steamed Kueh Lapis is one of my favourite kueh since my childhood. I know it wasn't easy to make as it seems to be. I wanted to make this kueh so badly a very longtime but i am so not ready. Since i have seen this Kueh Lapis video from Kitchen Tigress, she makes every thing seems so easy to do.
Today i have everything ready, so thought of trying out her recipe. and one thing that i also found her experiment reading her blog about making this kueh several times which she experiment with it. it was quite interesting.
Since she has did her homework, hardwork and experiment, from there i knew where I should put more attention to when making this kueh. It is the coloring, tapioca flour quality, steamed timing and no peeking when steaming, the kueh elasticity and the chewy texture consistency. Finally my first ever kueh was done! It was so good.
Considering this is my first attempt and i thought it was good and successful. But however, it does look a little ugly thick and thin layers. Well, i don't really mind that, as long as is tasted good, the texture is perfect, chewy and elastic, for me it is perfect. If you use this recipe for your kueh lapis, just do your 7 or 9 layers nicely. :P
However, my kueh lapis didn't come out as much as 9 layers as in this recipe because i used a 22cm round tin instead of a 15cm square tin from her recipe. The only round tin i have that could fit in to my pan steamer and as well as for certain layers I could have gone too much amount on each layers, so that could be the reason that i have least layers form.
Anyway, i have no problem in my layers steaming, all steamed perfectly in 5 minutes each and never add boiling water until the end. All stick to each layers very well perfectly and i could peel off each layer when i eat. Overall i was so satisfied with the taste and the whole kueh. This recipe is good to keep.
Happy cooking!!
I know it does look ugly! lol.....but its a successful texture result, elastic and chewy! I love it.
KUEH LAPIS (九层糕, NINE-LAYER CAKE)
Adapted from Kitchen Tigress, Recipe from Cooking for the President
(Recipe for 10 pieces)
4 pandan leaves, wash and cut 10 cm long
185 g sugar
⅓ tsp salt
400 ml freshly squeezed coconut milk, undiluted
( i used a box 200ml coconut cream 200ml, added water to 400ml )
200 g tapioca starch
50 fresh bunga telang (blue pea flowers)
( I omit this ingredient which i do not have. i used red and green coloring )
rinse gently and remove ants if any; drain, then blot gently with paper towels
1 piece parchment paper, 15 x 15 cm
Pound flowers finely. Strain to yield 2-3 tsp juice. Set aside. Discard pulp.
( if you use this flower for coloring )
In a small pot, make pandan water by gently simmering pandan leaves for 5 minutes, covered, in just enough water to cover. Discard leaves. Measure 160 ml from the pandan water and discard excess, or top up with water as necessary if you're short. Put pandan water back in the pot, along with sugar and salt. Stir till salt and sugar dissolve, over low heat if you like. Add coconut milk and stir till even. Add tapioca starch and mix thoroughly. Strain into a mixing bowl. Push undissolved starch through strainer.
Measure 270 ml from the batter. Add flower juice. Stir till colour is even.
( i separate into 3 colors, red, green and original. I used a toothpick to dip little color straight from the coloring bottle and with a toothpick i dip and mix into the batter. My Green color is actually pandan paste )
Bring kettle to the boil and set aside.
Rinse 15-cm square cake tin
( i used a 22cm round tin ) to make it wet. Line bottom with parchment paper. Bring steamer to a rolling boil. Pour enough white batter into cake tin to form a layer 3 mm thick, about 100 ml. Place tin in steamer. Steam 5 minutes over rapidly boiling water. Steam another layer of white, then blue and continue with the rest of the color.
Repeat the white-white-blue sequence twice
( or your own color ), making 9 layers in total. Other than the first one, each layer needs about 90 ml batter. Stir batter to mix starch evenly before measuring each round of batter.
Have measured batter ready before lifting lid on steamer. Once lid is removed, quickly pour batter into cake tin and cover steamer. Every layer is steamed 5 minutes except the topmost, which gets 10 minutes.
Make sure steamer doesn't boil dry. To top up steamer: 1) wait till previous layer of batter is cooked; 2) reboil water in kettle; 3) add boiling water to steamer as necessary; 4) bring steamer back to a rolling boil, covered. After step 4, proceed to steam more layers as described above.
( my steaming process no added boiling water till end )
When all 9 layers are done, remove kueh lapis to a wire rack to cool down completely and set, about 3 hours.
To unmould kueh, loosen edges with a knife. Cover top of kueh with parchment paper to keep it clean, then turn cake tin upside down and knock firmly against chopping board till kueh falls out. Discard top piece of parchment paper. Cut kueh by pressing knife downward, i.e. do not saw. Discard bottom piece of parchment paper.
Serve kueh lapis as a dessert, snack, or for tea. Leftovers should be refrigerated. Steam on a perforated tray till just heated through, then cool to room temperature before eating.
Chewy texture!
look at that, it stretches so well!!
