Kuih Tutu

'Deep dish' Tutu gives me more of the good stuff

My girl loves this, but I have boycotted all the kuih tutu sellers since the exorbitant price increase a year ago.

Imagine her joy when she learnt that I would be trying this recipe. I used mini pie tins, which she approved, because the deeper the mould ( to hold all the yummy bits ) the better.

If there was any part that I did not enjoy doing, it would be pressing the wet flour through the sieve. The original recipe called for too much water, which caused a soggy clump of flour. I remedied it by adding more rice flour and pulsing it in a processor to 'revive' coarse crumbs. To add insult to injury, I had flour everywhere struggling to push it through the sieve. I almost gave up and took photos of a near disaster, ending up with 3 steamed tutu kuih with coarse crumbs ( which was only fit to be consumed by the incorrigible cook )

Still, diligence won, if rarely, and the rest of the tutus were cooked with finely sieved moist flour. For novices like me, it would be better to reduce the amount of water ( starting from 100 ml ). Also, waiting  for the flour to dry out a little before pressing through the sieve will help reduce the sieving process.

Ps. If there is any deviance  from the quality of photos, that is because my residence photographers are too busy to take/ process  pictures ( which they like them taken raw ). But like any instant food or photos, my point and shoot offers instant gratification, if you ignore the less than perfect picture quality.

Ingredients :

Kuih: 

2 cups of rice flour 

120 ml ( adjustable ) water dissolved with a generous pinch of  fine salt

6 pandan leaves  

Filling: 

1/2 cup of desiccated coconut with 1/2 tsp of salt

150 g gula melaka, grated

Serving :

Pandan leaves strips, microwaved 30 sec and cooled

Method：

On a big wok, dry fry rice flour with pandan leaves over medium high heat, 3-4 minutes. Discard leaves and cool the flour. 

Microwave the coconut and salt, 1 minute. Cool well before combining grated gula melaka.

Drizzle water evenly over the roasted flour, stirring with a fork. The flour should just be moistened and not soggy, forming big crumbs.

Press the crumbs through a sieve, with the back of a ladle. It  should yield a fine crumb  texture. For ease , do in very small batches.

Spoon rice crumble into the mould. Add 1 tsp of gula melaka-coconut mix. Do not allow the gula to touch the base of the mould.

Top with another spoon of rice crumbs. Press gently with palm for a smooth finish.

Steam , 15 minutes, with a cloth cover.

Credits : adapted from http://li-shuan.blogspot.com

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker.