Angku Kuih (Red Tortoise Cake)

Angku Kuih – This Oval Nyonya delicacy consists of glutinous rice flour coated with green bean filling in dark orange color.

Siew Loon, a long-time contributor to Nyonya Food, visited me in Southern California during the Thanksgiving break. We spent a lovely day speaking about Nyonya food and heritage, not to mention dining out and shopping to our heart’s content.

See Siew Loon’s recipe for Nyonya Angku Kuih, or red tortoise cake, a Penang-centric Nyonya staple.

For our readers, thank you for your ongoing patronage. Over the New Year’s holiday, I decided to cook some Angku and Kuih Kochi to satisfy my yearning for good Nyonya Kuih.

For the Lunar New Year, we use Angku extensively in Chinese prayers, and I thought it would be fun to share it with our Nyonya Food readers.

WHAT IS ANGKU KUIH?

Nyonya delicacy angku is glutinous rice flour wrapped around a green bean filling in a dark orange oval shape. In China, angku is used in prayers and offered at infant full moon banquets because of its religious significance.

It becomes much better if you have a Chinese teacup with your angku. It’s much better the next day since you can pan-fry the angku until the skin is brown.

The average number of calories in one serving

• Each serving of this recipe contains only 412 calories.

With this recipe, what are the accompanying dishes?

Kuih is a delicacy in Malaysia, with various flavors and textures. Recipes for preparing kuih at home may be found in this post.

• KUIH BENGKA (TAPIOCA OR CASSAVA CAKE)
• Mini KUIH DADAR (KUIH TAYAP)
• KUIH KODOK (MALAYSIAN MASHED BANANA FRITTERS)
• KUIH BANGKIT

INGREDIENTS:

GREEN BEAN FILLING

• Split green beans, soaked for six hours, 300 g (10 oz.)
• Refined sugar: 200 grams (7 ounces)
• 4 tbsp. of olive oil

ANGKU SKIN

• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 500 g (17 oz.) glutinous rice flour
• 100 g (3.5 oz.) mashed orange color sweet potato
• 250 g (8 oz.) water
• 120 g (4 oz.) cooking oil
• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/8 teaspoon Wilton orange coloring
• 200 g (7 oz.) wheat starch, Tung Mein Fun
• 150 g (5 oz.) water
• 500 g (17 oz.) boiling water

ANGKU:

• 1 banana leaf, trimmed to match the angku mold’s rectangular shape
• 3 tbsp. of cooking oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

GREEN BEAN FILLING

1. Using boiling water, cook the green beans for 30 to 40 minutes until they are tender.
2. Green beans should be pureed or mashed until they form a paste.
3. Add green bean paste, sugar, and oil to a wok and stir to mix. It should be thick and not stick to your hands at this point.
4. After it had cooled, 30 20-gram balls were formed. You’ll need a more extensive filling if you have a large mold.

ANGKU SKIN

1. Add food coloring, wheat starch, and water to a bowl and stir to combine. Stir until well combined.
2. It’s time to add the boiling water and stir until it’s smooth and clear.
3. Add the sweet potatoes, glutinous rice flour, and water in stages. Get everything all mixed up.
4. You should keep kneading the dough until it is smooth and doesn’t stick to your hands. Then, slowly add in the oil.

ANGKU

1. Make sure the sliced banana leaves have some oil on them.
2. Make 30 pieces of skin dough. Using a 1/4-inch thick square of dough, stuff each piece with the filling. Make a ball out of it.
3. Glutinous rice flour can be used to lightly dust the Angku mold. Knock the dough out of the mold with a light smack.
4. To serve, place Angku on the banana leaf.
5. Cooked Angku should be brushed with oil to give it a shiny appearance.