Going Back To Roots

Hello all! When the title mentions 'going back to roots', I am actually thinking of the delicious and mouth watering 'kuih' that my late grandmother used to prepare for us. She was well-known for her 'kuih koci', 'kuih genggang'(layered 'kuih') and 'pulut tetal'(compressed glutinous rice cake steamed in coconut milk and coloured using the butterfly pea('bunga telang'), eaten with durian sauce. The taste was out of this world! Fortunately, my mother managed to master some of her skills in making these delicacies.

Talking about traditional 'kuih',I finally managed to include the recipe of one of my favourites in this entry. I've promised this recipe to my dear Mareena. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update the recipe because my version is using the 'agak-agak' method. I've found a recipe in MyResipi.com so, Mareena, if you are reading my blog, I hope that you will try the recipe and let me know the result! One important info, in Melaka, this 'kuih' is not called 'Buah Melaka' but 'ondeh-ondeh'. The same goes for the palm sugar, which is called 'gula tuak' and not 'gula Melaka'. Anyway, to cut my blabbering short, here's the recipe.

ONDEH-ONDEH/ BUAH MELAKA

Ingredients:

10 screwpine leaves (blend with some water and squeeze out the juice)

2 small blocks of palm sugar (cut into small cubes)

2 cups of glutinous rice flour

1 grated coconut (to be mixed with 1/2 tsp of salt)

Method:

• In a bowl, put in the flour and add the screwpine leaves juice gradually and knead well. The dough should be soft but pliable.
• Take a piece of dough (the size of a marble) and flatten it.
• Put in a piece of the palm sugar in the middle of the flatten dough and cover the sugar completely with the remaining dough. Repeat the process.
• Boil 3 cups of water in a pot and put in the balls into the boiling water.
• When the balls are afloat, sccop out and shake the excess water.
• Roll in the grated coconut.
• Serve.
  

Whew! When it comes to traditional 'kuih' I find it quite difficult to describe the process in English! Please pardon my language if my instructions appear illegible to you!