Growing Up in Nonya kitchen

1. Boil the mugwort leaves in a cup of water until
leaves are thick and soft and the liquid is concentrated to
2 tablespoons’ worth. Strain the liquid and set aside. Then
pound the leaves until very fine.

2. Combine the pounded leaves, concentrated liquid,
coconut milk, sugar and gula melaka in a saucepan. Bring
to boil over low heat until the mixture is thick and pasty.

1. Boil sweet potatoes until tender. Mash while still hot.

2. Meanwhile, bring the coconut milk and sugar to a boil.

3. Combine 90 g or 3 ounces of glutinous rice flour and
water to form a paste.

4. Place the remaining glutinous rice flour in a bowl and
make a well in the centre. Add the paste of glutinous rice
flour and water into the well, followed by a slow stream of
coconut milk mixture. Knead to form a fine dough. Blend
in the mashed sweet potatoes. Divide the dough into
two portions.

5. For the first portion, add the red food colouring and
a teaspoon of pandan essence. This is for the red dough.

6. For the second portion, add the black essence prepared
earlier. This is for the black dough.*

7. Place the dough in their individual bowls and cover
each bowl with a damp cloth.

1. Divide the dough into round balls, each about 4 cm
or 1½ inches in diameter.

2. Brush the inside of the wooden mould with oil.

3. Flatten one ball of dough into a disc using both palms.
Place a ball of bean paste in the middle of the disc, overlap
the edges and roll back into a ball, covering the mashed
bean paste. Place the ball in the middle of the wooden
mould and press down firmly with your palm such that
the ball fills up the entire cavity of the mould and the base
flattens out. Place a banana leaf over the flat base. Gently
tap the kueh out of the mould by knocking the top with a
teaspoon or tapping the mould against the table surface.
Arrange the kueh on a tray.

4. Prepare a steamer. Steam the kueh gently over low heat
for 10 minutes. Do not turn the heat too high, otherwise the
dough will lose its shape and its design. Tie or wrap a damp
cloth under the lid of the steamer to prevent condensed
water from dripping onto the kueh.

5. Transfer to a rack and lightly brush the top of the kueh
with some oil. When cooled, trim the excess banana leaf.
To keep the kueh moist, cover with a large banana leaf
brushed with oil.

*NOTE: You can skip the black pastry dough and substitute an extra
5 drops of red food colouring and 1 teaspoon of pandan essence instead.

1. Fill a pot with enough cold water to cover the eggs and
add salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Add the eggs and boil for
15 minutes. Scoop each egg out gently and transfer to
a colander. Let the eggs cool completely.

2. Prepare red dye. Combine red food colouring, hot water
and vinegar. Mix well.

3. Dip one egg into the red dye. Roll the egg around with
chopsticks or your fingertips to coat evenly. Gently remove

the egg with a pair of tongs or a wire scoop. Transfer to a
plate lined with absorbent paper or back to the cardboard
egg tray to prevent smudging.

4. Check the shade of red on the first egg to see if it is too
dark or too light. If too light, add more colouring. If too dark,
add an equal amount of hot water and white vinegar to
dilute the colouring mixture.