Kueh Bangkit

Bangkit isn't a kit for banging. "Bang" is "香" in Teochew and Hokkien; "kit" is "cake" mangled; "kueh" is . . . (just about) anything edible any local delicacy served kinda snack size. In short, "kueh bangkit" means fragrant cookies.

How to make "fragrant cookies" that are not only fragrant but also melt-in-the-mouth?

First, bake or nuke the tapioca (or sago) starch till its weight is reduced by 13% (or 12% if it's a newly opened bag). This is a crucial step because H₂0 is the #1 enemy. If the starch isn't dry enough, the kueh bangkit will not crumble in the mouth and melt. Instead, it'll be hard and crisp.

Second, use coconut cream instead of coconut milk because cream has less water than milk, and is more fragrant. It doesn't make sense to remove the moisture in the starch, then put it back by adding watery milk, right?

Third, there must be enough eggs because eggs have a leavening and softening effect on the dough.

Can you use canned instead of fresh coconut cream? Pandan essence instead of pandan leaves? Well, there're many roads to Rome. Do you want to arrive in Rome in a Ferrari or Toyota?  Or, god forbid, Proton?

The recipe I'm sharing is from Cooking for the President. It's the only kueh bangkit recipe I've tried but I feel I don't need to search further. This is "the one" for me. Me being me, however, there're a few minor changes to the original recipe. I have:

1. Added 1/8 tsp salt to cut through the sweetness. Don't underestimate the importance of a large pinch of salt. It improves the taste of the cookies significantly.

2. Omitted stirring the eggs and sugar with pandan leaves, unheated, because I don't think much pandan flavour would be released just by stirring.

3. Replaced undiluted coconut milk with coconut cream. The original recipe uses part milk and part cream whereas I use only cream.

4. Changed the method for drying tapioca starch. Baking is better, I think, than dry-frying in a wok over low heat. I'll try the traditional method when I want to change my kitchen's colour scheme to white!

5. Increased the baking temperature to 160°C from 150°C. The higher temperature makes the cookies puff up a bit. The slight puff helps make the cookies more crumbly. And the hairline cracks created as a result are quite pretty, don't you think? Of course, if you're a stickler for tradition, you may still want to make patterns on the cookies by pinching each and every one of these little suckers with tweezers. Hey, be my guest, have fun; don't let me stop you, you go right ahead; enjoy yourself . . . .

Here's my video to walk you through the recipe:



5 February 2015 Update
Bake for Happy Kids, in a post dated January 2014 (here), says the kueh bangkit made with Mrs Wee's recipe is crunchy, not crumbly, and not melt-in-the-mouth. Here's my comment posted on the blog:

"Please refer to my video, 4:22-4:27. It shows me crumbling my kueh bangkit between two fingers. And 4:15-4:18 shows me breaking it with a pair of chopsticks. The recipe I use isn't mine but Mrs Wee Kim Wee's. I leave it to your readers to judge whether my kueh bangkit is anything remotely like yours that uses the same recipe."

Bake for Happy Kids' reply to my comment:

"I must admit that the texture might be different depending on the type of coconut cream used . . . some might prefer Mrs Wee Kim Wee's recipe (published at your blog) if they prefer a dough that is easier to handle and use the kind of coconut cream that you have suggested . . . ."

What kind of coconut cream does BFHK use? Canned. What's specified in the recipe? Fresh. My response, which BFHK has censored:

"I use the coconut cream specified in Mrs Wee's recipe. I suggest you do likewise before throwing her recipe to the dogs. Changing her recipe and then saying it's crap, without mentioning you've changed it, is . . . . Well, I leave it to your readers to judge whether your review is fair, underhanded or just plain stupid."

So BFHK doesn't dare to let her readers to read my comment. What a coward, and a stupid one at that!

KUEH BANGKIT (KUIH BANGKEK; COCONUT COOKIES) Source: Adapted from Cooking for the President (Recipe for about 150 pieces) 380 g tapioca starch 1/2 tbsp plain flour 50 g young pandan leaves rinse and cut finger length; dry thoroughly with paper towels 170 g coconut cream refrigerate 350 g undiluted fresh coconut milk undisturbed till cream separates, at least 3 hours; skim 170 g cream and place in a small pot; refrigerate till ready to proceed 120 g sugar  1/8 tsp salt 1 egg, about 50 g 1 yolk, about 15 g 5 g butter Sift tapioca starch and plain flour into mixing bowl. Weigh and take note of weight. Tuck pandan leaves in mixture. Bake at 160°C  for 1 hour. Discard pandan leaves. Re-weigh bowl and contents. If not lighter by 45 g or more, continue baking. When target weight is reached, turn off oven. Leave bowl in oven till almost cool. Re-sift starch and flour, inside a plastic bag unless you enjoy dusting your kitchen. You should have about 335 g starch mixture. Leave till completely cool. Whisk coconut cream, sugar, salt, egg and yolk till smooth. Cook over low heat, whisking, till sugar just melts. Turn off heat. Add butter. Whisk till incorporated. Leave till cool. You should have about 360 g coconut syrup. Set aside 20 g baked starch for dusting. To remaining 315 g, add 315 g coconut syrup. Mix till well combined. Knead thoroughly till smooth and even, drizzling with remaining syrup as necessary, about 2 tbsp, so that dough just comes together. Cover and set aside 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly dust parchment paper with baked starch. Lightly dust worktop and rolling pin with baked starch. Working with golf ball-sized  amount each time, roll dough 3 mm thick, dusting as necessary to prevent sticking. Cut dough with dusted cookie cutter measuring about 3 x 2 cm. Place cookies on baking tray spaced 1 cm apart. Bake cookies till bottom is slightly brown and top has hint of colour around edges, about 15 minutes. Remove cookies to wire rack or plate to cool down. Serve immediately or store airtight.

Butterscotch Popcorn

To make corn pop, the moisture in the kernel must be heated and turned into steam. When the steam builds up enough pressure, it bursts through the wall of the kernel, creating popcorn. The heat mustn't be too strong or the outside of the kernel would harden and stop the corn from exploding. It mustn't be too gentle either or the steam would leak out of the kernel and not explode.

You can pop corn on the stove or in a microwave. Is there another way? Oh yes, there is, in a cannon! That is, I swear, the coolest way to make corn pop. . . .

Popcorn may be American in origin but a Chinese wok is perfect for making it. A wide, deep and hot wok is ideal for tossing popcorn with caramel because there's lots of space and the sugar stays liquid.

If you don't have a wok, or a very big pot, you'd have to toss the popcorn and caramel in a mixing bowl. Because the bowl can't be heated on the stove, the caramel cools down very quickly. A dark caramel would turn hard too fast, so you have to use a light coloured caramel that stays liquid when it's cold. After the popcorn is coated with pale, soggy sugar, it's baked in the oven till the caramel is well browned. That's how wokless Americans do it, the long way.

Have you noticed a Chinese spatula is quite different from its western cousin? The triangular part is wider, longer, and has a raised edge along the two sides on the inside. The design is made for stir-frying meat and veggies efficiently, so popcorn and sugar fit right in. Why? Because they're both vegetables. Yup, corn is a vegetable, and so is sugar since it's made from beets. Vegetables are good for you, you know?

With homemade popcorn, you can adjust the sweetness to your preference. If you don't have a sweet tooth, go for a deeper shade of brown when you're making the caramel. If you do, aim for a lighter shade. Don't change the amount of sugar because any excess will just be left in the wok if there's too much, and the popcorn won't be crunchy if there's too little.

Don't forget to add some salt to the popcorn. With a big pinch, the caramel would be sweet but not sickly sweet. Or you might like more salt so that the popcorn tastes both sweet and savoury. A bit of cinnamon powder wouldn't hurt, I'm sure. Hey, how about cheese powder, five-spice powder, curry leaves, paprika, chilli flakes . . . . Customized coffee is so yesterday, you know? Let's customize popcorn! (Cinemas, take note. This is a big money spinner, bigger than the regular popcorn already selling at obscene prices.)

'Tis the season for feasting. Have a good one, people!

BUTTERSCOTCH POPCORN ((Recipe for 1 wokful) 150 g corn 185 g sugar 40 g unsalted butter 4 tbsp toasted peanuts finely ground to yield 5 tbsp ¼ tsp salt Put corn in warm wok that's 30 cm wide or bigger. Stir 2 minutes over low heat. Spread corn evenly in 1 layer. Cover and wait 1 minute. Check if there's water under the cover. Wipe dry with paper towels if there is. Wait another 3-4 minutes, till corn starts to pop. When popping starts, increase heat to medium. When popping slows down, turn off heat. Wait till popping stops completely (which is when you think it's stopped, plus 30 seconds) before removing cover. Transfer corn to a bowl. Clean wok by wiping with paper towel. Pour sugar into wok. Over medium heat, cook till sugar starts to melt. Swirl wok to heat evenly, till melted sugar is brown like dark honey. Reduce heat to low. Add butter and ground peanuts. Stir till thoroughly mixed. Add salt and stir through. Tip popcorn into wok. Caramel may now thicken because popcorn is cold or at most warm. Increase heat to medium-low to keep caramel liquid. Toss till corn is evenly coated. Turn off heat. Transfer popcorn to a bowl. Break into small pieces. Taste and sprinkle with more salt if necessary. Serve immediately or keep in airtight container.