Kuih Koci, from Jelutong Market (14 February 2013)
Kuih Koci are glutinous rice dough stuffed with grated coconut. They are wrapped in banana leaf to form pointed cones. What makes Kuih Koci delicious is the grated coconut sweetened with palm sugar. It is a popular snack among the Baba Nyonya of Penang, and is still widely available at stalls selling Nyonya kuih in most major markets in Penang, particularly in the morning.
You can also make Kuih Koci yourself, following the recipe below.
Kuih Koci Recipe
Utensils
Steamer
Banana leaf
Pot
Wok/second pot
Mixing bowl
Cooking oil for greasing
Ingredients
Dough
150g glutinous rice flour
50g tapioca flour
200ml thin coconut milk (santan)
pinch of salt (app. 1/4-1/3 teaspoon)
Filling
3 pandan leaves, knotted
200g palm sugar (gula melaka)
60ml water
250g grated coconut
pinch of salt (app. 1/8 teaspoon)
Banana leaves - scalded, cleaned and cut into 20 cm round shape, greased the surface.
Steps
Scald the banana leaves to soften them. The fastest way to do it is to hold it over an open flame. You will see the leaf change from dull to shiny. The alternative method is to scald it in hot water. Cut into round shape, 20 cm in diameter. Grease the surface with oil.
In a pot, add in palm sugar, water and pandan leaves. Bring to a boil and sieve the mixture. Pour it back to the pot.
Add in grated coconut and salt and cook until mixture is moist and 'shining'. This takes about 10 minutes. Dish out to cool and shaped into lime-sized balls.
In a mixing bowl, sieve glutinous rice flour and tapioca flour. Add in salt and mix well.
In a small pot, heat up the coconut milk but do not boil it. Once the coconut milk is heated up, pour the mixture into the flour. Knead until a soft dough is formed. Leave aside.
To assemble the kuih koci: Take some dough and roll it into round ball. Flattened the ball and place a piece of filling in the center. Then reshape the dough to cover up the filling. The thickness of the dough should be inconsistent, with some parts almost showing the filling within.
Arrange the dough into the steamer tray and steam for about 10 minutes, then allow to cool.*
Grease the inside of banana leaf and form a cone with it. Put the cooled dough ball into the cone, then fold in the sides of the banana leaf to enclose it. Then return the Kuih Koci to the steamer and steam for 5 minutes.
* This step is a tip from my mother-in-law. Most recipes state that you should straight away steam the dough balls in the banana leaf. However, prolong steaming will yellow the banana leaf. So if you pre-steam the dough ball, you ensure that the banana leaf retains its colour.
皮料:
150 克 糯米粉
50 克 薯粉
200 毫升 揶浆
1/4-1/3 茶匙 盐
馅料:
班兰叶 3片 - 打结
200 克 椰糖/ 黄糖
60 毫升 水
250 克 白椰丝
1/8 茶匙 盐
香蕉叶15 片 - 烫软,剪成直径20 公分圆形,涂油。
馅料做法:
把椰糖,水和班兰叶放入锅内,煮至糖溶解,过沥后捯回锅中。
加入椰丝和盐,继续煮至材料发亮,大约10分钟。
待冷后搓成酸柑般的圆球,待用。
皮料做法:
把糯米粉,薯粉及盐混合。
在另一个锅内把揶浆煮热但别煮滚,然后捯入粉料中,搓成光滑粉团, 待用。
糕的做法:
取少许粉团搓成小丸, 压扁, 包入一粒椰丝馅, 然后包起搓圆。
把香蕉叶做成沥斗状, 放入包馅的粉团, 对折封口成三角状,
放在蒸盘上。
大火蒸10 分钟。 待冷享用。
Kuih Koci Santan, from the Jelutong Market (14 February 2013)
My wife tried making Kuih Koci for the first time yesterday. She discovered that the most challenging step was to wrap the banana leaf over the dough balls. She straight away steam the balls in the banana leaf, as a result, the banana leaves came out over-steamed. Other than that, the Kuih Koci she made was very tasty. She brought her Kuih Koci to her mother, who then told her the tip to steam the dough ball separately before wrapping.
Here's the Kuih Koci that my wife made yesterday.
My wife's Kuih Koci (17 February 2013)
My wife's Kuih Koci with its filling (17 February 2013)
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.