This recipe is an old traditional one which is unlike the new ones which has sago/tapioca flour added, making the kuih very bouncy (ngan). Fresh pandan leaves are not available here, so i have to resolve using pandan paste for flavor and there is no choice of color except green.
Ingredients:
150g rice flour
30g mung bean flour (lek tau tung hoon)
560 ml coconut milk(big can Mae Ploy brand)
For the syrup
180g castor sugar
150ml water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pandan paste
A few drops red colouring
Method:
Combine sugar, water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Strain and set aside to cool.
Put rice flour and green bean flour into a large mixing bowl. Pour in coconut milk gradually and leave aside to soak for 40–45 minutes.
Add salt to the rice flour and mix well.
Stir in syrup.
Strain the batter to ensure it is free from lumps.
Measure 16 fl ozs batter and add in the pink coloring . Measure another 16 fl ozs batter and add in the pandan paste which will be green. The remaining batter will be red.
Place a greased 8 inch tray in the steamer and heat up for 4–5 minutes.
Pour half cup(4 fl ozs) of the green batter on the heated tray. Cover and steam over medium heat for 5–6 minutes or until set.
Pour half cup of the pink batter over the green layer and steam covered for 5 minutes.
Repeat the procedure, alternating green and pink batter until all the batter is used up. Lastly, the final layer which is red.
After the final layer is set, steam the kuih for a further 12–15 minutes. Halfway through open the lid to release the steam, then cover again until the end of the steaming process.
Cool the kuih thoroughly before cutting into small diamond-shaped pieces.
Serves
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Kuih Lapis
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
83 comments:
hi:
i've tried your kuih lapis recipe and very delighted to see that it turned out well: taste and physical outlook of the kuih.
thanks for sharing.
mrs.zurin
mrs zurin
i am glad you liked the kuih lapis. This is one of my favorite kuihs. i will make them, cut into pretty pieces, eat the edges and leave in the freezer for friends who drop by and crave for it.
Hi, what should I do if I want to use fresh pandan leaves instead?
(Thanks for all the recipes! Absolutely fantastic that you're doing this. :) I'm particularly glad because I'm headed to the states next month and -- OF COURSE! -- will miss m'sian food like mad...)
ashan
if you wish to use fresh pandan leaves, you have to use 2 -3 leaves and boil them together with the sugar. btw i have only found frozen pandan leaves here in the states and the cost a bomb, they do not have the same fragrance as the fresh ones. to me the paste is better.
Hi Lily,
Is there another 'name' for Mung Bean Flour? I couldn't find it at my local Chinese grocery store.
Tricia
tricia
in cantonese it is called 'look tau tung fun'.
the brand i am using is pine brand from thailand.
email me lilyng_2000@yahoo.com so that i can sent you a pic of the pkt of mung bean starch
Hi Lily
I 'googled' for a kuih lapis recipe and was extremely pleased to find it on your blogger. Looks really good and you've got rave comments as well. Can't wait to try it out! The rest of your recipes look really yummy too! (rotiboy, kuih talam, mee siam etc) I've clicked on to practically eveyone of your recipes. Have bookmarked this site!
Will let you know how I get on with your recipes.
Ewah (fm Melbourne)
Hi lily,
Can you please send me a pic for the pkt of mung bean starch? My email is alelina2003@hotmail.com
I had tried a few of your recipes and won alot of praises from my guests (definetly credit went to you!!!)
Thanks for sharing.
Lena ( Arizona )
lena
you are the third lena i know. my cousin in australia is lena and my dear friend in singapore is lena, now you.
you might find this kuih lapis very different from the ones that you are used too in singapore which uses sago flour and is more crunchy. my recipe is the traditional nyonya and is softer.
Hi Lily,
Finally made this last night. Had to wait till this morning to try ... came out really-really nice!
Unfortunately, there were only 4 layers ... eventhough I made more ... LOL!!!
I think I put too little on each layer!!!
Anyway, Thanks for sharing!!!
Tricia
Hi lily,
I live in Colorado and wonder where can I get the pandan paste?
thanks
Hi Lily
can you tell me where to get the pandan paste?
anonymous
i have seen them in Viet hoa supermarket, it is in alameda square where pacific ocean and king's land restaurant are.
hiya, i cant seem to get grean bean flour over here. would there be any substitute for it? cos it seems that a lot of kuih requires it. =(
anonymous
you can still make a delicious kuih without mung bean/green bean starch. just substitute with cornflour
Aunty,
I've tried making ur kuih lapis. It turns out very nice every time I made it. Actually, I don't like coconut milk, so I only made it when my youngest daughter asks for it. BTW, do you happen to have any recipe for American Chocolate Cake? I've been searching for one coz I would like to make it for my father (who likes chocolate cake) on Father's Day. Thanks!
delia
try this cake http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/2007/03/renees-chocolate-cake.html. i don't know if it is american or not but it is really easy. the cake is very loose and it cuts better if you leave in the fridge for a few hours before frosting.
i frosted it with a chocolate sour cream frosting but i forgot to take pic so cannot post until i make the next one.
you could try the two german choc cake in my blog - it is very american
I would like to know what is the different between rice flour and glutinous rice flour? Because i think I use the wrong type of flour
(glutinous rice flour) for the kuik lapis. It turn out too soft
and i can't even cut it. It stick to my hand and knife all over.
Sign. Hope lily can help me.
sally
i am afraid that you have definitely used the wrong type of rice flour.
if a recipe calls for rice flour , it is flour ground from long grain or jasmine rice. while glutinious rice flour is ground from the sticky rice.
Hi Lily,
Thanks for your help. I had found the right type of rice flour.
Finally my kueh lapis has success.
Thank you.
Hi Lily... great blog! Even more impressive as you're a grandma :-). I've bookmarked several of your recipes to try. What size pan do you use for this lapis? Asking because you use a 1/4 cup batter for each layer, and I want to make sure I get it to a similar thickness. Thanks!
Sorry Lily! Please ignore my other comment - I missed your instructions to use an 8" pan. Is this lapis very soft and sticky? If I want it soft and fine but slightly bouncy, can I substitute a little of the rice flour with tapioca flour, weight for weight? Do you get a total of 7 layers? Do you think if I did 9 layers they would be too thin? Or could I try a 6" pan to achieve 9 layers? Thanks in advance for your advice!
anonymous
i thought that i mentioned the tray size in the recipe - it is 8 inch cake pan.
anonymous
this recipe will give you 9 layers - 16 ozs pink, 16 ozs green and the top layer red. 4 ozs for 1 layer so 4 layers pink and 4 layers green.
anonymous
oops, forgot about the tapioca flour - i think you could use 15 gm mung bean and 15 gm tapioca flour.
Hi Lily - me again, the anonymous previous poster. I made the lapis today, scaled down for a 6" pan. Must have miscalculated as layers came out extremely thin and the entire kueh was pretty low. Also found out my pretty colours intensified on steaming so have to be judicious with colour next time :-)
It became a little hard when it had cooled down (at room temp.) - wonder if it's because I was keeping to the 5 minutes steaming per layer even though each layer was too thin. Couldn't have been the tapioca flour could it? (Only used half as you'd suggested).
shadylady
did you half the recipe for the 6" pan? if you did, you should have used 3/4 recipe to obtain the same height and the amount to a layer would have to be calculated.
yes, be light handed with colors if you wish the pastel oolors as colorings tend to intensify when steamed.
since you are making such a small recipe, a slightly more in the flour will be measured and that the alter the texture of the cake or sometimes the coconut milk has more cream than liquid thus making the cake harder than expected.
the steaming part is fine, if you oversteamed, there will be valleys and hills and understeamed the colors will get mixed up.
Hi Lilly,
Loved that kueh recipe and the pic. Will try it out. Will the rice cooker do a good job to make this? or even a simple large pot of hot water covered tightly with a lid will do?
lskshmi
using the rice cooker is ok if you have a very large rice cooker as it is an 8 inch pan recipe and you will need a 10inch diameter rice cook to allow steam to cook the kuih. use a big 10 inch pot, raise the 8 inch pan so that the hot water does not get into the kuih.
Nice. I like kuih lapis too. Nice blog.
Hi Auntie Lily
I have a quick question about mung bean flour are they the same as green bean starch?
Thanks
Hi Auntie Lily
I just would like to know if mung bean flour the same as green bean starch? If you do have a picture of the package could you please e-mail it to me @jenny_chua@hotmail.com. I have been looking all over to find this.
Thanks
Jen
jen
yes, mung bean starch is green pea starch.
do not be mistaken for green pea flour
Hey Lily,
Tried yr kuih lapis. Was really good. Tried the second time but this time the top looks cracked everywhere when cooled. Why ? Help please !
Geetha
Kansas
geetha
i think the last layer could have dried out from oversteaming
Hi! I've recently discovered your wonderful blog! I love Malaysian food -- I think Malaysia is the best place to eat in the whole world!!
I've got a question on kuih lapis...Is it possible to cook the layers using a microwave? What I want to do, is make it in sort of parfait glasses. How do you think that will look? Does it have to be steamed?
Thanks! Alia
august moon teahouse
i do agree with you that malaysia is the best place to eat. i presumed that you must have tasted kuih lapis before. the texture should be firm and yet soft and very rich from the coconut milk. it can be done in a microwave and you should have a tray of water to create steam otherwise the kuih will be very hard. it is not worth the hassle unless a wok or steamer is not available.
as for using the parfait glasses, i would suggest using agar agar with coconut milk.
I've never used agar-agar, though I've been meaning to try. Any tips on using it? Thanks! Alia
august moon teahous
check out the new post 'rainbow agar agar'. i posted it for your benefit. using the parfait cup to make will give the same layered effect
i tried using cornflour but it was really soft.Do i use the same amount of cornflour as to the grean bean flour or do i use a bit more...thanks...
anonymous
use 50 gm cornflour to sub the grean bean flour.
you could test a little of steaming it and test to see if you need more cornflour. Even green/mung bean flour has different strength depending on the brands
lily!
i recently tried out your recipe. However i failed to make it. It came out like coconut pudding instead.
Also, i know jen has asked you the difference between the mung bean flour and green bean starch. But i just want to clarify, is starch the same as flour? because i went to the asian store and could only find mung bean starch...
help! i am planning to make this for an international event in my university to promote malaysian foods.
Thank you!
Amy
amy
grean bean starch is correct and i don't think you failed cos this recipe is the traditional type which is not the 'q' 'q' type. look for another recipe which has sago flour
Hi Lily,
I tried making kuih lapis today but failed :( Each layer is own, it's not stuck together. Why is that so? Did i overcook each layer?
favbabe
yes, you have answered your own question.
the batter is so rich with coconut milk which will turn oily if oversteamed and therefore the layers will not stick.
Dear Lily,
This is my second time trying this recipe and I failed! :( I halved the recipe and steamed using medium heat. The colours not only got all mixed up, the centre portion seems to be watery too.. I guess this time i under steamed. Sigh...I will try again!
favbabe
the layer has to be totally cooked before another layer of batter can be added.
Hi,
I tried your recipe last week and served them to my friends. They like it. I would prefer it to be softer. How can I make it softer a bit? BTW, do you have recipe for yam kuih lapis? I like them very much.
h2o
you could have used a shy bit less liquid. increase a little more liquid to the texture you like.
i am sorry i do not have yam kuih lapis and if any readers have one, i hope they can share
Thanks Lily for your all your wonderful recipes. I love to read your blog. I have made your Kuih Lapis for a potluck and it turned out beautifully. THANKS for sharing!!! May, malaysian in Melbourne.
Lily, thanks for sharing your kuih lapis recipe. My husband and I have both tried your recipe and both times it has turned out wonderfully. My family have also commented on how nice your lapis recipe is. Sydney, Australia.
Hello Auntie,
I tried your recipe today and it turned out quite nicely except I detect a slight, raw taste of the mung bean flour. Is there anything I could do to get rid of that aftertaste?
Thank you!
Rowena
r
aftertaste to the mung bean starch, that's strange?????
did you use mung bean starch cos it is different from mung bean/green bean flour. Mung bean starch is white and mung bean flour is yellowish
Oh! I guess I was using mung bean flour ("look dow fun" from HK, it's yellowish). Should I have used mung bean starch instead?
Thank you!
r
i am so sorry about the confusion.
use look tau tung fun - mung bean starch which is white
No problem, I'll give it try again if I find mung bean starch (I haven't really seen it around here). Otherwise, I might have to substitute it with, say, tapioca starch. Thank you so very much for sharing all your wonderful recipes.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I made the kuih lapis, but it came out quite soft, I think it is because I didn't use mung bean flour. What can I use to replace mung bean flour? and how much?
Also for the coconut milk, do I have to use the think and creamy one or thin one?
Many thanks.
anonymous
you could replace the mung bean flour with tapioca starch/cornstarch.
the thicker the coconut milk the richer the kuih. The amount for thick or think remains the same.
Great recipe! After several years..now I have the perfect kuih lapis...thank you very much.
I have been craving for KUIH LAPIS.
Do you know where i can get lek tau hoon that u mentioned? I am staying in brisbane, Australia.
Thank you for your wonderful receipe. Once i can get all the ingredients i will try it
Amanda
amanda
ask for mung bean starch in the asian stores, they will definitely have it.
you could make without it, just sub with cornflour or tapioca flour and increase it by 1 more tablespoon
looking for kuih lapis recipe and bump into ur blog.. wow! ur blog makes me drooling..
i've made this kuih twice but not really sucessful. 1st time da bottom layer stuck on da tray and it's too soft & sticky. 2nd time is is better but still too soft n sticky. i can't tear out layer by layer.. it juz all stuck together.. i might try da 3rd attempt according to ur recipe as i found u! thanks fo sharing..
twins mama
making this kuih seems easy but to achieve what you like is hard. the coconut milk should be old enough if you are using freshly grated coconut and if using the ones from the can, use one which has the most saturated fat - i now am using Savoy brand which has 70%.
Steam the layers until it is fully cook before adding the next, then you might get the layers peeling.
using a good brand of mung bean starch is desirable too , some brands are softer
I was introduced to your sight by a friend and am trying this recipe for the first time. It is still in the steamer but so far it looks good! I hope it tastes as good as my friends when she makes it!
JN (Tokyo)
HI Lily,
I have tried this recipe and a few others from your website before and it has been great all the way through.
I was wanting to ask what you thought if tice flour was replaced by glutinous rice flour instead for this kuih? Would it make a big difference or just be more 'gooi'?
Thanks
Elaine
elaine
glutinous rice is like you said, will be gooey and will not be firm. itis not good for this recipe.
I have tried your kuih lapis recipe and it taste good but unfortunately some layers do not stick well and comes off easily.Please advise.
anonymous
you have oversteamed the layer that is why it does not stick. Try and put in the next layer as soon as the bottom layer is just cooked.
Lily,
can U send me the picture of mung bean flour (lek tau tung hoon)
coz I don't know how to tell the provision uncle to get me this item in "Mandarin". Am in Singapore.
Thx
Cute (email : justhoneydew@yahoo.com )
Hi Lily
I managed to buy a pkt of "Hun Kwee" flour. Is the Hun Kwee the same with "Green Bean Powder (Hoen Kwe)" ? Am I using the right flour as instructed by U - mung bean flour ?
BTW, using :-
(a) 30g mung bean flour (lek tau tung hoon); or
(b) 15 gm mung bean and 15 gm tapioca flour ?
What's the difference using (a) or (b) ?
Pls advice. Thx a lot.
Lily,
I found yr another Rainbow Kuih Lapis which U use 10 layers to make it. Thought both shd b d same but take a look at yr recipe, very different. Yr rainbow using :-
A:
80 gm rice flour
80 gm all-purpose flour
180 gm tapioca starch
2 x 400ml cans coconut milk(SAVOY brand)
100 ml water
240 gm fine granulated sugar
1/8 tsp potassium carbonate & sodium bi-carbonate solution aka 'kan sui'
1/4 tsp salt
B:
Food colorings
Pandan paste
Vanillin
May I know which one BETTER ?
The old version in 2005 or the Rainbow recipe that using vanillin & "kan-sui" ?
What's d use of vanillin ? Is it a "must" ?
cutehoneydew
if you have read the text on the rainbow kuih lapis you can get an idea on the difference. This first recipe is the traditional nyonya and does not use tapioca starch but has mung bean starch aka hoen kwe.
vanillin is only a flavoring. you can sub with rose essense if you like for the pink and pandan essense for the green.
where did you buy the mung bean starch? thanks
Hi,
Could you please advice what should I use instead of mung bean flour? I am living in Japan and couldn't get mung bean flour here.
Thanks in advance.
joanne
just sub with cornflour/cornstarch
Hi Lily
I made kuih Lapis and it came out well.I used 22gms of tapioca starch and 28gms of corn flour as i could not get moong bean flour.Tnx for posting the recipe.My family love onde onde.Can you pls.post a good recipe for onde onde in which I can easily stuff gula melaka in to the dough .The recipe i have uses only glutinous rice flour along with pandan juice.
Saleema
here is my onde onde post http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/2005/10/onde-onde.html
My 3 year old son likes nyonya kueh lapis so I wanted to make it myself. Found a few recipes and decided to try yours. The kueh turned out very good. Just the right texture and sweetness. (I used 170gm sugar) My family likes it. I wouldn't use another recipe for the same kueh. =)
My next attempt will be your sri muka, cos that's my girl's fav. kueh. ...Thank you.
Hi Lily, You said you cut the kuih and keep them in the freezer. Do you steam them before serving?
anonymous
i will usually zap in the microwave to bring it back to room temp. or you can steam them before serving
Hi Lily
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I tried the kuih lapis recipe but ran into a couple of issues
1. I replaced the mung bean flour with corn flour but did not get enough batter for even the 2 parts of 16 ozs.
2. I used the 8x8 inch tray but 4oz seemed to be too little to cover the surface. The layer came out extremely thin and parts of the tray were not covered.
Would you know what i'm doing wrong?
Thanks again
anonymous
this recipe is meant to be steamed in an 8 inch round cake pan, if you would like to a square pan then, it should be 7 inch square.
My mom use to make me kuih lapis when I was little. I want to make it for myself now. People usually eat the same foods over and over again. Boring!
Post a Comment