Kuih

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Kuih
کوءيه‎‎
Nyonya Kuih in Different Colour.jpg
Colourful kuih
Alternative names Kue (Indonesia), Kueh (Singapore, Hokkien and Teochew)
CourseSnack
Region or state Southeast Asia and China
Associated cuisine Brunei, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Kue)
Main ingredientsVarious traditional snacks
Similar dishes Mont, Khanom, Bánh, Kakanin

Kuih (Jawi: کوءيه‎‎; Indonesian: kue ; derived from the Hokkien and Teochew kueh  粿 ) are bite-sized snack or dessert foods commonly found in Southeast Asia and China. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called cakes, cookies, dumplings, pudding, biscuits, or pastries in English and are usually made from rice or glutinous rice. [1] In China, where the term originates from, kueh or koé (粿) in the Min Nan languages (known as guǒ in Mandarin) refers to snacks which are typically made from rice but can occasionally be made from other grains such as wheat. The term kuih is widely used in Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, kueh is used in Singapore and Indonesia, kue is used in Indonesia only, [1] all three refer to sweet or savoury desserts.

Contents

Similar snacks are found throughout Southeast Asia, including the Burmese mont , Filipino kakanin , Thai khanom and Vietnamese bánh . For example, the colourful steamed kue lapis and the rich kuih bingka ubi are also available in Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Kuihs are not confined to a certain meal but can be eaten throughout the day. They are an integral part of Malaysian, Indonesian, Bruneian and Singaporean festivities such as Hari Raya and Chinese New Year. Many kuih are sweet, but some are savoury. [2] In the northern states of Perlis, Kedah, Perak, and Kelantan, kuih (kuih-muih in Malay) are usually sweet. In the Southeast Peninsular states of Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Selangor, savoury kuih can be found. Kuih are more often steamed than baked, and are thus very different in texture, flavour and appearance from Western cakes or puff pastries.

Description

In almost all Malay kuih, the most common flavouring ingredients are grated coconut (plain or flavoured), coconut cream (thick or thin), pandan (screwpine) leaves and gula melaka (palm sugar, fresh or aged). While those make the flavour of kuih, their base and texture are built on a group of starches: rice flour, glutinous rice flour, glutinous rice and tapioca. Two other common ingredients are tapioca flour and green bean (mung bean) flour (sometimes called "green pea flour" in certain recipes). They play the most important part in giving kuihs their distinctive soft, almost pudding-like, yet firm texture. Wheat flour is rarely used in Southeast Asian cakes and pastries.

For most kuih, there is no single "original" or "authentic" recipe. Traditionally, making kuih was the domain of elderly grandmothers, aunts and other womenfolk, for whom the only (and best) method for cooking was by "agak-agak" (approximation). They would take handfuls of ingredients and mix them without any measurements or any need of weighing scales. The end product is judged by its look and feel, the consistency of the batter and how it feels to the touch. Each family holds its own traditional recipe as well as each region and state.

Nyonya Kuih Akaka handmade original in Melaka Nyonya Kuih .jpg
Nyonya Kuih Akaka handmade original in Melaka

Nyonya (Peranakan) kuih are sometimes presented as distinct from Malay and Indonesian kuih. However, many Nyonya kuih are identical to Malay or Indonesian kuih, with only minor variations in spelling. This flows naturally from the fact that Malay and Indonesian cultures are parent cultures to the Nyonya culture. Malay and Indonesian kuih include varieties which spread beyond the commonly known Peranakan kuih. An example is the wide variety of kuih talam in Malay culture, such as talam suji and talam durian, which are not made by Peranakans who are often associated with kuih salat (called puteri salat or kuih seri muka in Malay). [3]

Malay and Peranakan kuih

Borasa, a traditional kuih for the Bugis community in Tawau Division of the Malaysian state of Sabah Borasa.jpg
Borasa, a traditional kuih for the Bugis community in Tawau Division of the Malaysian state of Sabah

Chinese kuih

See also

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References

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