Kuih Tradisional: Onde-Onde, Ang Ku and Pulut Inti

About This Recipe

Kuih tradisional (traditional kuih) is the umbrella term for Malaysia's vast family of bite-sized sweets found in morning markets across the country. Unlike Western pastries, traditional kuih are steamed, boiled, or pan-fried — rarely baked — and depend on rice flour, glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, pandan, and palm sugar as their core palette. This recipe covers three of the most beloved: onde-onde (glutinous rice balls filled with molten palm sugar, rolled in fresh coconut), ang ku kuih (red turtle-shaped sweet potato cakes filled with ground peanut paste), and pulut inti (steamed sticky rice topped with caramelized coconut). Each represents a different technique and texture. Making all three in one session gives a panoramic view of Malaysian kuih craft. These sweets appear at every major celebration and at the breakfast table on any ordinary Tuesday — kuih is democratic food, priced low, made with love.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 200 gglutinous rice flour (for onde-onde)
• 100 mlfresh pandan juice
• 30 mlwarm water
• 100 ggula melaka (palm sugar), finely chopped (for filling)
• 100 gfreshly grated coconut, steamed 3 minutes with 0.25 tsp salt
• 150 gorange-fleshed sweet potato, steamed and mashed (for ang ku)
• 50 gglutinous rice flour (for ang ku dough)
• 1 tbspsugar
• 1 tbspneutral oil
• 100 groasted peanuts, ground with 2 tbsp sugar (ang ku filling)
• 150 gglutinous rice, soaked overnight and steamed (for pulut inti)
• 150 mlcoconut milk
• 80 ggula melaka, for coconut topping
• 2 tbspwater (for topping syrup)
• banana leavescut into rectangles and wilted, for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Make onde-onde dough

   Combine 200g glutinous rice flour with pandan juice and warm water. Knead until smooth and pliable — it should not crack at the edges.

2. 2

   Fill and cook onde-onde

   Divide dough into 20 balls. Flatten each, place 0.5 tsp palm sugar in the center, pinch firmly closed. Roll into a smooth ball. Cook in boiling water 3-4 minutes until they float, then 1 more minute. Drain and roll in grated coconut immediately.

   Seal airtight or the molten palm sugar will leak into the water.

3. 3

   Make ang ku dough

   Mix mashed sweet potato, 50g glutinous rice flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tbsp oil into a smooth dough. Divide into 12 balls, flatten, fill each with 1 tsp ground peanut, seal, and press into a greased turtle mold. Unmold onto pandan-leaf-lined steamer tray.

4. 4

   Steam ang ku

   Steam ang ku for 10 minutes. Remove and brush with a little sesame oil for sheen and to prevent sticking.

5. 5

   Make pulut inti

   Mix steamed glutinous rice with coconut milk and 0.5 tsp salt until absorbed. In a small pan, cook gula melaka with 2 tbsp water until dissolved, add grated coconut (80g) and stir until nearly dry. Scoop rice onto banana leaf squares, top with coconut mixture, and fold into parcels.

6. 6

   Arrange and serve

   Arrange all three kuih on banana-leaf-lined plates. Serve at room temperature.

Variations

• •

  Onde-onde with pandan-flavored coconut filling for double pandan intensity.

• •

  Ang ku with red bean paste filling instead of peanuts — the traditional Hokkien version.

• •

  Pulut inti with blue butterfly pea flower-tinted rice for a striking visual presentation.

Storage

Onde-onde: best within 2 hours (coconut coating absorbs moisture). Ang ku kuih: room temperature up to 1 day. Pulut inti: refrigerate up to 2 days; steam 5 minutes to refresh.

Frequently Asked Questions