Black Rice Pudding (“Bee Koe Moy”)

Give me a bowl of sweet black rice pudding topped with luxurious coconut milk and I go inside my happy place. This magical bowl is my definition of comfort food.

Black rice pudding topped with coconut milk

The true magic of black rice is unlocked with slow heat … and patience.  It takes time to cook through the grains to where they split open and release their starch. The result is this beautiful purple-black transformation that’s all at once nutty, smoky and comfortingly starchy.

Black rice, sometimes called black glutinous rice (or “pulut hitam” in the Malay language), is commonly sweetened and made into a dessert in Southeast Asia. This porridge-like dessert, called bee koe moy in my local dialect, is a staple in the nyonya-baba cuisine on the island of Penang where my family is from.

It’s pretty much an all-occasion food, perfect for the afternoon pick-me-up, after-dinner sweet, or even breakfast. The best thing is, it’s so simple to make. You just need slow heat and patience.

The sweet perfume of the pudding comes from pandan leaves. Pandan (or screwpine) leaves are long, slender and pointed leaves widely used in Southeast Asian cooking. The sweet-smelling leaves (sort of a cross between jasmine and vanilla) are widely used in many dessert recipes; just think of it as the “Asian vanilla.”

Whole pandan leaves

I often get asked why add salt to the coconut milk for what is obviously a sweet dish. The practice of adding salt to coconut milk is a long tradition, something I learned from my mother, and I suspect, something she learned from hers. The idea is to contrast the sweetness of the black rice pudding, and indirectly, tease out the sweetness of the pudding. You could compare it to today’s popular salted caramel flavor where the dichotomy of sweet and salty play off each other to new delicious heights. I should confess I’m partial to more coconut milk rather than less, as you can see in the picture.

Enjoy this satisfying treat hot, chilled or at room temperature.  What better way to warm up in the winter months than a hot bowl of this sweet, creamy and dreamy goodness?

Black rice pudding ingredients (clockwise): sugar, black rice and knotted pandan leaves

Black Rice Pudding ("Bee Koe Moy")
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
6-8 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6-8 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes
Black Rice Pudding ("Bee Koe Moy")
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
6-8 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6-8 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Rinse black rice in water three times and drain. Put rice in a pot and add water and knotted pandan leaves.
  2. Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, and lower the heat to a slow simmer. Let simmer for about an hour, or until the pot has the consistency of porridge (or oatmeal). If you like it a little thinner, simply add more water.
  3. When you have the desired consistency, lift the pandan leaves out. Add the sugar, stir and turn the heat off.
  4. In a separate bowl, add the salt to the coconut milk and mix throroughly.
  5. To serve, spoon rice pudding in a small bowl, then drizzle about 2 tablespoons coconut milk over the bowl.
Recipe Notes

This recipe is easily adaptable to the crock pot. Put rice, water and pandan leaves in a crock pot and cook on “low” for about 5 hours. Then sweeten with sugar and follow the rest of the instructions above.

Colombian Tamales for Lunch

“It feels like Sunday mornings,” she said, her eyes smiling and looking at the tamal in front of her.

This is what the tamal does to my friend – it transports her to her childhood in Bogota, Colombia. I was just happy to be there on a Tuesday afternoon to get some of that homemade tamales she offered to share with me.

Ximena (pronounced hee-meh-na) offered to share homemade tamales her Colombian friend made with (lucky) me for lunch. Namely, tamales Tolimenses (from the Tolima region in Colombia).

Unlike Mexican tamales wrapped in corn husk, this tamal was wrapped in plantain leaves which imparted a smoky-leafy flavor to the masa (corn filling). The bundle was then wrapped in aluminum foil for reinforcement.

The visible ingredients in the bundle were: chicken, beef, pork (rib meat and belly), garbanzo beans, carrots, and a blast of flavor (which I’m told, comes from the magical blend of garlic, onion, scallion, bell pepper and other secret ingredients). If I somehow get the recipe from my friend’s friend, I’ll post it. Promise.

Now back to the eating. Every bite registered comfort – savory, tender and packed with complex flavors. The kind that permeates your soul and gives it a warm hug.

“We would eat this with arepa and hot chocolate on Sunday mornings,” Ximena continued. Apparently, it’s common practice to preorder tamales from shops or bakeries in Colombia and then pick them up for breakfast on the weekends. It’s a different matter though on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve – many households buckle down and make their own.

By the way, “sweet water,” a simple concoction of hot water and panela valluna (unrefined cane sugar), proved to be the perfect drink with the tamales.  Not bad for Tuesday lunch.

The Seedy Goodness of Pomegranates

One of the things that gets me out of my winter funk is the promise of pomegranates. These ruby globes are ready for harvest just when it starts to get cold outside (October-ish) until around February.

I’m a total pomegranate fangirl. They’re tasty, pretty, and a powerhouse of antioxidants. Of course I didn’t know the last bit of detail when I was chomping down on the juicy arils (the edible stuff inside) as a kid. In case you were wondering, it’s okay to eat the seeds with the arils.

As kids, we ate it like a snack along with some of the rind and membrane (not by choice), stained our hands, faces and clothes, and tried to follow along as we sat with the women in our family for the latest installment of family gossip.

Aside from its tasty virtues, it’s also a symbolic fruit. In Chinese tradition, which my family maintained with some fusion of local Malay customs, pomegranates (石榴 – pronounced shí liú) symbolize fertility. Just look at the clusters of arils – luscious, red and many…well, you get the idea.

Maybe you’ve not had a pomegranate before. I admit, they are a little intimidating; how on earth are you supposed to get to the good stuff inside? I’ve been asked so many times, I decided to make a video about it.

Why not kick off your new year with this delicious dare: crack open a pomegranate (somehow!), pick the arils out, and contemplate life for a minute as you munch on hundreds of those sweet arils.

It’s easier than you think. Let me say now anyone who’s ever opened up a pomegranate has their favorite technique. That’s okay – there’s more than one way to skin a…er, pomegranate.

Unless you’re after pomegranate juice, here are some ground rules:

One: Avoid cutting into the seeds

Two: Do not cut into the seeds

Three: Don’t murder the seeds. (They will bleed and stain you.)

What I’m saying is, avoid cutting straight through the fruit if you want nice, intact seeds. So here goes:

  1. With a paring knife, make a shallow cut to remove the “crown” from the fruit. Be careful not to cut too deep into the seeds.
  2. Using the tip of the knife, cut out the top inner core of the fruit.
  3. Make a shallow cut at the bottom of the fruit.
  4. Look for ridges on the fruit and lightly score along each ridge, from top to bottom. (The ridges signal the natural segments of the fruit.)
  5. With both hands on the fruit, pull the fruit open. It will naturally open along the scored segments.
  6. Immerse the segments in a bowl of water and gently “roll” the arils away from the segments. The water will help to gently ‘float” them away.
  7. Lift out any floating membrane (white stuff) from the water then pass the contents through a sieve.
  8. And there you have it, your hard-earned reward of sweet, scrumptious pomegranate arils.

Dig in and enjoy the fruits of your labor (bad pun here), or sprinkle some of those gorgeous arils on salad or even rice.  Well done! Let me know how it turns out for you !

A Coppin’s Thanksgiving

Today, Coppin’s Restaurant and Bar offered its first Thanksgiving buffet. Once a fashionable department store and more recently, the city building, the 106-year-old building on Madison Avenue and Seventh Street in Covington, Kentucky, opened on September 27 as Hotel Covington. What lies within is a stylish yet comfortable 4,000-square-foot restaurant and bar.

imag8143
Hotel entrance looking into the restaurant area

The menu was not super extensive but curated to reflect the chef’s affinity for locally sourced ingredients and thoughtful preparation.  The “cold” menu items included:

  • Locally curated cheese with traditional accompaniments
  • *Roasted cauliflower salad
  • Smoked salmon with Lil’s Bagel crisps, cream cheese
  • Fresh sliced fruit
  • *Broccolini salad
  • Classic Caesar salad crispy capers, parsley, citrus
  • *Brussels sprout slaw

(Items marked with * were my favorites.)

imag8098
The “cold” buffet station

Cold menu items usually end up playing supporting roles to the hot food section but not so at Coppin’s. Each offering was properly seasoned, thoughtfully prepared and always looked fresh at the buffet table (the spacious bar top in this case). The chef’s attention showed – down to the toasted chick peas that gave the Brussels sprout slaw that unexpected “nutty” crunch, contrasting nicely with the pomegranate seeds and the rest of the green ingredients.

imag8114
Brussels sprout slaw

The broccolini in the broccolini salad was perfectly cooked – done but still slightly crunchy – and popped with flavors. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted cherry tomatoes this flavorful; they added a briny richness and a hint of tang that completed this ensemble.

imag8097
Broccolini salad

The hot foods included:

  • Carved Bowman Landis free range turkey gravy, cranberry chutney
  • *Prime Rib with au jus, horseradish sauce
  • Hot Traditional Stuffing
  • Whipped Potatoes
  • Sweet Potato Casserole Oat marshmallow streusel
  • Green Bean Gratin
  • *Roasted Salmon Tomato gravy, black eyed pea salad
  • *Fried Chicken with Collard greens
  • Cooked-to-order omelette station

(Items marked with * were my favorites.)

imag8131
Carving station: turkey and prime rib; cooked-to-order omelette station

The desserts were down-to-earth and proudly showed off their Kentucky roots. There was a certain Fall theme of maple, pumpkin and apple in the selection:

  • *Bourbon pecan pie
  • Spiced sweet potato pie
  • Apple Streusel Pie
  • Cranberry Gingerbread
  • *Pumpkin Brownies
  • *Maple Cheesecake

(Items marked * were my favorites.)

imag8123
Pumpkin brownie, cranberry gingerbread and maple cheesecake

It’s quite obvious quality and attention to detail mattered. The chef, Brendan Haren, often perused the dining room, sometimes with a cloth in hand to wipe any smudges off plated foods. As I talked to the staff, it became apparent the crew is informed and top-notch. For example, the omelette station cook was a young man who is on his way to Purdue University to earn his PhD in food science.

It was a pleasure to dine in the “jewel box,” a 1,400-square-foot space encased in glass reminiscent of a greenhouse. The space visually opens up to the outdoor dining space, complete with a sizeable fireplace, outdoor heaters and inviting furniture.

imag8106
“Jewel box” dining area looking out into outdoor seating (with a fireplace)
imag8149
Another point of view: Looking at the “jewel box” dining space from the outdoor seating area

I broke with tradition this year and went out to eat instead of cooking an elaborate Thanksgiving meal. I’m glad it was at Coppin’s – the warm, gracious and curated hospitality was palpable.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m giving thanks to the hardworking crew for a memorable first.

 

 

Congee at Home

Congee… its silky warmth has the power to unfurl the most knotted of feelings. In its most basic form, congee is a simple white porridge of rice and water. It’s soft, mushy and almost soup-like texture makes it easy to digest, making it a customary food for the infirmed in Asia. I remember being served thin congee with just a drizzle of soy sauce – for flavor – when I was sick as a kid.

congee-plated

The appeal of congee lies in its flexibility. With rice porridge as its base, the choice of ingredients and toppings transform this very humble meal into crave-able street food, or even elevated nosh at a swanky congee bar.

Now that it’s autumn, the allure of steaming hot congee is almost irresistible. No matter how you choose to serve it, you can always count on the deep, fulfilling comfort of congee. Please enjoy this congee recipe from my kitchen to yours.

congee-ingredients

Congee at Home
Print Recipe
This recipe is just one of many ways to make congee. You can customize the ingredients, adjust the amount of liquid, and even make it vegetarian.
Servings Prep Time
6-8 servings 1 hour
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
6-8 servings 1 hour
Cook Time
1 hour
Congee at Home
Print Recipe
This recipe is just one of many ways to make congee. You can customize the ingredients, adjust the amount of liquid, and even make it vegetarian.
Servings Prep Time
6-8 servings 1 hour
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
6-8 servings 1 hour
Cook Time
1 hour
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. Porridge:
  2. Cut bulbous part of green onions into 1-inch segments, and save the rest for the topping. To make ginger slivers, thinly slice ginger root, and make long thin cuts across the slices.
  3. Put ginger, green onion and 6 cups of water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts and turn the heat down to a slow simmer.
  4. Rinse the rice 3 times to remove any excess starch and drain. When the chicken is cooked, lift it out of the pot and transfer to a bowl to let it cool down. Add the rice and chicken stock.
  5. With the pot partially covered, simmer until the rice grains break and turn starchy. The longer you allow the mixture to simmer, the starchier it becomes and the consistency will continue to thicken. You can control the starchiness and thickness of the congee by regulating the simmering time.
  6. You can also make the congee more flavorful by replacing water with chicken stock. You can also increase or cut back on the amount of liquid depending on how you like your congee consistency.
  7. When the congee is almost ready, add salt to taste and stir in the sesame oil.
  8. Toppings:
  9. Radish-garlic topping: Rinse the Chinese dried radish (see picture) a few times and drain. The radish is potently salty, so if you want to remove even more salt, soak it for a couple of hours and then rinse and drain. Mince the radish. Peel the garlic cloves and then mince. Mix the minced garlic and radish and set aside. Heat cooking oil in a pan, and slowly brown the garlic/radish mixture. Set aside when ready. The ratio of radish to garlic is fully customizable. If you don’t care for garlic, feel free to leave it out. I usually make the radish-garlic mixture in bulk and store it in a jar (under a thin layer of oil) in the refrigerator for future use. It’s good for up to a month.
  10. Green onion topping: Thinly slice the green part of the green onion – on the bias, if desired. Set aside.
  11. Roasted salted peanuts: I usually use store-bought peanuts, but if you wish you can roast your own.
  12. Chicken: When the cooked chicken is cool enough to handle, break up and shred the meat with your hands. I like to add a little salt and a little white pepper to season the meat, but that’s optional.
  13. To serve:
  14. Ladle the congee in a bowl. Add the toppings and serve. Alternately, you can serve the toppings separately and allow the diner to make it their way.
Recipe Notes

Other toppings/ingredients:

This is why congee rules - it’s so flexible and customizable, there are very few things that would not work. Here are some of the more traditional ingredients typically used for the porridge: thousand-year-old egg, dried scallops and clams and minced pork. Other possibilities for toppings include: chopped kimchi, bacon bits, crispy sliced shallots and even fermented tofu.

Mooncakes Recipe: How to make basic “doll” Chinese mooncakes

Mooncakes are normally filled with a sweet center like lotus nut paste, red bean paste or assorted nuts and candied melon. The prized ones even contain salted duck yolk for a nice salty-sweet balance.

finished-mooncakes

My daughter, alongside many other children, generally prefer their mooncakes without filling. There’s something about the dense filling that’s not appealing to young palates. I was the same way when I was a kid.

This recipe is for basic mooncakes. In our household, we sometimes call them “doll” mooncakes, an acknowledgement of the young eaters. These beauties are soft yet slightly chewy. (They are not light and airy in the traditional sense of the word “cake.”)  You could also use cute animal molds for this recipe; in fact, many Asian bakeries do, and the kids’ love it.

The sweet component of this recipe is the golden syrup. I’ve chosen to make it from scratch, which involves bringing sugar syrup to a rich brown color (or a “soft crack” stage at 285 ⁰F  – for all you confectioners out there!), and then “loosening” the syrup by adding water to bring it to a pourable consistency similar to honey. If you’d rather not work with high-temperature sugar, you could simply buy premade golden syrup at your favorite grocery store. I should mention I have not tested this recipe with store-bought golden syrup.

I hope you enjoy making these treats. Put your own spin into it and make the mooncake tradition your own. If you have kids, get them to help you mold the mooncakes; they’ll love seeing a ball of dough “magically” transform into a pretty cake with intricate design.

Please take pictures and show me how yours turn out!

mooncake-ingredients

Mooncakes (basic "doll" mooncakes)
Print Recipe
Mooncakes are baked goodies. When it comes to baking, it's best to stick with weight measurements for more consistent results. However, I've also provided the approximate volumetric equivalents. I've chosen to go the way of metric measurements (grams) for better accuracy with some of the small amounts of ingredients.
Servings Prep Time
18 pieces 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour
Servings Prep Time
18 pieces 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour
Mooncakes (basic "doll" mooncakes)
Print Recipe
Mooncakes are baked goodies. When it comes to baking, it's best to stick with weight measurements for more consistent results. However, I've also provided the approximate volumetric equivalents. I've chosen to go the way of metric measurements (grams) for better accuracy with some of the small amounts of ingredients.
Servings Prep Time
18 pieces 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour
Servings Prep Time
18 pieces 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour
Ingredients
Servings: pieces
Instructions
  1. Golden Syrup: The first 3 ingredients listed are all you need to make your own golden syrup. A candy thermometer is not a requirement but helpful if you have it. If you're comfortable working with high-temperature sugar, you could do this by sight. Or you could simply buy premade golden syrup like Lyle's Golden Syrup at your favorite grocery store. They run around $5 - $6 (ish) for an 11 oz bottle. I have not tested this recipe with store-bought syrup.
  2. Put water, sugar and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. Continue on a slow boil while monitoring the temperature of the syrup. Bring the temperature up to 285 ⁰F (the syrup will be a rich brown color), then very slowly add water to the pot to gradually bring the temperature back down to 235 ⁰F. Allow syrup to cool completely before using.
  3. CAUTION: Because the syrup is considerably above the boiling point of water (212 ⁰F), much of the added water will immediately flash and possibly cause burns. Be extremely careful. Be sure to trickle the water into the pot very slowly. You could cut back on the flashing by adding hot or off-the-boil water.
  4. Dough: Lye water is an alkaline solution, usually found in Asian markets as potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate solution.
  5. Put oil, golden syrup, vanilla and alkaline solution in a bowl. Whisk the mixture until well-mixed (emulsified). Fold the flour into the liquid mixture. As the dough starts to form, use your hands to mix in the rest of the flour.
  6. You should get a soft but workable dough once the flour has been incorporated. Avoid overworking the dough. Cover the dough and let rest for an hour in the refrigerator.
  7. Preheat convection oven to 375 ⁰F.
  8. Divide the dough out into 30 g (1 ounce) portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
  9. Dust the mooncake mold with flour, then insert a dough ball. Place the mold upright, then press down, and release the molded cake. (I use a 50 g mold purchased on ebay.)
  10. Arrange cakes in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mist top of cakes with water (to avoid cracking). Bake for 6 minutes, then remove from the oven. Brush the cakes with egg wash, return to the oven and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown.
  11. Do not overbake. The cakes will be very soft when they’re hot off the oven. They will stiffen (but still remain soft) as they cool.
  12. Cool the cakes and store in an air-tight container. The cakes are best served after they’ve rested for 24 hours.

Street Style Pourover Coffee – A Story

This is a story of how the more things change, the more they stay the same.

There’s coffee and then there’s coffee. These days, how you make coffee is just as important as your choice of coffee beans.

Have you noticed more and more independent coffee bars, “labs” and lounges popping up in your neighborhood? In the world of coffee magnificence, manually brewed coffee by-the-cup is a thing. If you want to be coffee-cool, drinking pourover coffee is pretty much mandatory. You know, coffee made with swanky gear like the V60 and Chemex.

I got an in-depth tutorial of these pourover contraptions when I talked to the president and co-founder of Deeper Roots Coffee, Les Stoneham, for a story on WCPO more than a year ago.

V60
The V60 Brewing Method. Photo taken by Grace Yek at Deeper Roots Coffee.

The whole idea of pourover coffee is, to pour hot water over ground coffee. The process requires coffee and water to be precisely weighed out, and coffee filters with specific porosity to be used. Hi-tech gear like the V60 and Chemex basically comprise a cone typically made of ceramic or glass, and lined with conical filter paper on the inside. Ground coffee goes inside the cone, hot water gets poured over the coffee, and voilà – you just brewed some coffee gold. Oh, I should mention the water temperature should stay in the range of 195ºF to 205 ºF. Anything hotter, and you risk bitter coffee.

If you think this sounds like science lab, you’re not too far off. Coffee has risen to a science, not to mention an art form, what with the very talented baristas wielding latte art on a whim.

Makeshift coffee street stall 3 by Kat (1)
Streetside coffee vendor making pourover coffee with the muslin “sock.” The coffee stand is makeshift – the vendor puts it up and breaks it down daily. Photo by Kathleen Ong.

Now what about the epiphany I had that early morning hour? Well, it is that the coffee vendors in Malaysia have been doing pourover coffee for generations. You find them selling their brew street side, or in a kopitiam (a no-frills coffee shop where the diehard locals go).

The ones who do their thing in a kopitiam are a little bit like coffee jockeys, working everything from coffee-based drinks, to freshly-squeezed fruit juice drinks, to shaved ice desserts.

Kopitiam Pour Over Coffee (photo by Jenny Seng)
Coffee “barista” in a Malaysian kopitiam. She’s holding the muslin coffee “sock” over a pitcher, after having poured hot water over the ground coffee inside the sock. Photo by Jenny Seng.

These coffee vendors don’t get anywhere close to the status modern baristas enjoy, and really, their coffee setup is pretty crude.

There’s the muslin “sock” with a round wire frame to hold open the mouth of the sock, a wire handle, and a pitcher or a cup under the contraption to catch the brew. The vendor spoons ground coffee into the sock, pours hot water over the coffee, and fills the cup or pitcher with the dribbling brew.

There you have it: brew by-the cup coffee, 100% handcrafted (just like the V60 or Chemex), although admittedly, without the precision of gram scales and thermometers.

Les Stoneham told me it’s important not to douse the coffee with all of the hot water at once when making pourover coffee. Gases trapped in the coffee should be allowed to escape first, leaving more coffee-to-water contact for better extraction with the subsequent pour of water. The no-frills Malaysian coffee vendors rarely use the first pass-through of the coffee sock. Instinctively, they’re doing the right thing by science.

Here’s to the coffee jockeys and baristas, young and old, near and far. The coffee-drinking crowd needs and appreciates you more than you know.
A note of thanks: I have awesome Malaysian friends who swiftly responded to my call for hometown coffee photos. Thank you Jamie, Jenny, Esene, Kathleen and Joyce. You made this story possible!

Kuih Kodok – the curious case of toad cakes

Kuih Kodok Finished Product

“Toad cakes.” That’s the literal translation of its name from the Malay language. But don’t stress, no toads were harmed in the making of these snackable goodies.

Its name sounds dubious, but there’s no doubt kuih kodok (kway-ko-dok) is as tasty and popular as they come in Malaysian street food. These deep fried dollops of mashed bananas, flour and sugar used to sell for 10 cents each at street side push carts – when I was growing up in the 80s, anyway. The same street hawker would also sell other deep fried goodies, like goreng pisang (battered and fried whole banana), and goreng cempedak (battered and fried cempedak fruit – a stringier, more fragrant cousin of jackfruit).

My mother didn’t cook a whole lot, but this was always a favorite whenever she did make it. She’d stir the thick batter with a spoon in a big Chinese rice bowl – that deep muffled sound – with the occasional clang whenever the spoon hit the rim of the bowl.

Kuih kodok is an anytime food – breakfast, snack, tea time or any other time. It’s best served straight out of the fryer for maximum crispiness. Speaking of which, I’ve incorporated tapioca flour to ramp up the crispy factor.

Oh, why the curious name? It simply refers to the imperfect shape of these fritters. Somewhat round, but irregular and sometimes knobby. Like a toad.

Click here for the recipe.

Recipe: Kuih Kodok (Banana Fritters)

These easy-to-make banana fritters are a street-side favorite in Malaysia. Slightly overripe bananas are ideal for this recipe – they inject maximum flavor and natural sweetness. The use of tapioca flour ramps up the crispy factor.

Kuih Kodok Ingredients
Kuih Kodok Ingredients

Click here for the story about this street food favorite.

Kuih Kodok (Banana Fritters)
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Kuih Kodok (Banana Fritters)
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: pieces
Instructions
  1. Combine all dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder and sugar) in a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to properly mix the dry ingredients.
  2. Using the back of the fork, mash the bananas and add to the flour mixture. Mix with a spoon and add water to loosen the consistency.
  3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan on medium to medium high heat. Using a tablespoon, gently drop batter into oil. Fry until golden brown, drain, and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes

Use a portion scoop to drop the batter into the hot oil for easier dispensing, and more even portioning. I use portion scoop #30, which has a 1-7/8” scoop diameter.