Anncoo Journal - Come for Quick and Easy Recipes: Purple Sweet Potato Ang Ku Kueh

Ang Ku kueh is one of the popular Asian Snacks among the Chinese and Peranankan. Ang Ku kueh literally means Red Tortoise Cake. It is moulded to resemble a tortoise shell and is presented resting on a small piece of banana leaf. The Chinese traditionally believe that eating this 'Ang Ku Kueh' would bring longevity to those who are eating it and bring about good fortune and prosperity. But my 'Ang Ku Kueh here is in the shape of a peach shape (add in the Chinese word 'tao' 桃) and the purple colour is from the purple sweet potato.
I've to thank sweet May of 厨苑食谱 for sending me this double sided pretty mould which has the shape of a peach on one side and the word 'shou' 寿 on the other. These two shapes bearing the 'shou tao' 寿桃 should be made in red which symbolises a long, healthy life with great fortune for many generations.

I adapted the recipe from May with slight adjustment. This version is definitely healthier and easier to make compared to the one I made last time whereby the dough was made with coconut milk and the mung beans fried with shallot oil. I like this recipe as the dough skin and filling are smooth and soft. But my kueh looks quite transparent due to the thin dough skin. If you want to try this recipe and make a perfect ang ku kueh remember to make a thicker dough skin. Adjustment will be based on your own ang ku kueh mould.

Purple Sweet Potato Ang Ku Kueh

Ingredients: Makes about 14-15 pcs

Dough skin

125g Glutinous rice flour

90g Purple sweet potato

1/2 tbsp Caster sugar (or a little more sugar if you want a sweeter dough)

20ml Vegetable oil

100ml Water (boil 300ml water with 1 piece of pandan leaf for few minutes, leave to cool,
then measure to 100ml)

Filling

150g Spilt mung beans (skinless)

2 pcs Pandan leaves

90g Caster sugar

3 tbsp Vegetable oil

15 small pieces clean banana leaves, cut to the size larger than the cavity of the mould. Grease some oil on the banana leaf before placing the angu ku kueh on top before steaming

Method:

Rinse mung beans several times and soak with water in a large bowl (water about 3 inches above mung beans) for 1 1/2 hours, drain well and steam together with 2 pieces of pandan leaves for 15 - 20 minutes or till soft.
Immediately place cooked mung beans, sugar and vegetable oil in a food processor and blend till fine and smooth and cool down a little. Roll mung bean mixture into small balls for about 22g each and set aside for later use.
Cut sweet purple potato into chunk and steam for about 15 minutes or till soft. Remove skin and mash with sugar till fine.
In a large bowl mix glutinous rice flour, mashed sweet potato and vegetable oil together and slowly add in the pandan water. Knead dough to smooth, add a little more glutinous rice flour if you find the dough is still sticky.
Roll dough into small balls, about 23-24g each. Flatten the dough and wrap the filling into it. Roll into ball and dust with some glutinous rice flour. Press firmly into the mould. Knock out the kueh and place it on to the greased banana leaf.
Heat up the steamer or wok with boiling water, place the kueh on the steaming tray and steam for about 10-12 minutes.Open the lid to let the steam to escape after 3 minutes of steaming and place the lid back on the wok. note: Wrap the lid with a big cheese cloth to prevent the water drips from the lid onto the kueh , this also prevent the kueh pattern faded after steaming.
The kueh will change to darker a colour and slightly expanded. It will shrunk after cooled.
Remove the kueh from tray, grease some oil on it and leave to cool.