Traditional Hainanese Buah

When I was young, I was cared for by my maternal grandparents, who are hainanese. After interacting closely with my grandparents from my early childhood, I consider myself half-hainanese. :p

One of the traditional kuehs that my maternal grandmother makes is the hainanese ‘buah’, which is a sticky glutinous rice cake with a sweet coconut and peanut filling, sitting in a cute little cup made of folded banana leaves.

Recipe:
Ginger 60g
Preserved candied mandarins (kat pehng) 2 big pieces
Peanuts 300g
Sesame seeds 65g
Coconut 2 nos (dessicated)
Gula melaka 600-700g
Glutinous rice flour 4 packets, 500g each
Banana leaves (for wrapping)

A) Prepare the banana leaves
Cut the banana leaves into strips about 2 inches thick. In a basin of water, wash the banana leaf pieces. Next, scald the banana leaves in a pot of boiling water with a little oil added. This is to make the leaves less likely to break during wrapping later. Remove from boiling water and set aside.

B) Prepare the filling
1. Fry peanuts and sesame seeds till fragrant
2. Pound the fried peanuts into smaller pieces
3. Mince preserved candied mandarins and ginger finely
4. Melt the gula melaka in a pot with some water (enough water just to cover the sugar). There may be some impurities at the bottom so it might be good to filter the gula melaka syrup before using.
5. In a wide pot over medium fire, add the minced ginger to the melted sugar. Wait for the mixture to boil, add minced preserved candied mandarins. Wait for mixture to boil again then add coconut. Cook for a while to prolong shelf life of the filling. Mix in the crushed peanuts and cook the filling for a while. Set aside and let the filling cool down.

C) Prepare the glutinous rice flour dough

1. Put the glutinous rice flour into a big mixing bowl. Add water and mix with hands, until a ball of dough forms.
2. Oil hands thoroughly to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands when wrapping.
3. Take a small piece of dough and flatten it out into a round piece. Place some coconut and peanut filling in the middle and seal up the dough.
4. With the smooth side facing down on your palm, wrap a strip of banana leaf around the kueh, folding down the sides neatly, making a little cup. If you like, you can use some red food coloring and adorn each Buah with a red dot in the middle.
5. Steam for about 7 mins.

The thing about traditional kuehs like this is that there is no right recipe and unlike cakes and breads, exact measurements are usually not needed. Watching my grandmother make this, she mostly went by estimated quantities, and how much of what to put was based on taste and approximation.

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