24 June 2015

Kueh Tutu / Putu Piring 嘟嘟糕


Kueh Tutu or Putu Piring or Kue Putu Ayu is a round shaped steamed rice flour cake with shredded coconut and palm sugar/ gula melaka as its filling, but nowadays it has peanuts or even red beans filling too. I have not taste it since young, recently a friend of mine told me it tastes really good, she gamely challenge me to bake-along with her. As I don't have the special Kueh Tutu mold, I used tart mold it seems a great choice to do this work  too! 

Thanks to my friend, this lovely, a bit soft chewy texture of steamed rice flour cake is here. This is my second attempt, the first one came out too dry as I steamed the Kueh Tutu together with the tart mold on. By the way, the rice flour I used is the local brand rice flour.  

Notes:
1. The rice flour mixture has to be wet enough to hold into a rough dough yet able to break into fine crumble. When the flour is put through a sieve, it will turn into very fine powder like in my photo.
2. Transfer of rice flour cake dough from mold to the steamer has to be very careful as I am not using the individual muslin cloth. Some loose rice flour crumble may break off but as long as it still in one piece during steaming, it will come out one piece and not break into crumble in your hands. 
3. If you do it right, the kueh tutu will stay soft and will not turn hard. (I checked my last piece of Kueh Tutu after 4 hours, it stays soft and fluffy)









Recipe adapted from Back To My Kitchen, I made half of the ingredients
Yield: 8 pieces

1 cup of rice flour
80~90ml of water (add gradually)
2~3 pandan leaves, cut into short length
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
75g dark brown sugar (Cane Sugar)/ gula melaka/ palm sugar
some shredded coconut +1/4 teaspoon salt, steamed

For Serving:
Banana leaves
some shredded coconut + dark brown sugar/ gula melaka/ palm sugar 


Method:
1. Pan fry the rice flour together with pandan leaves without oil for 5 mins. Set aside for cool. Discard the Pandan leaves.
2. Add the salt to rice flour, gradually stir in water, use the finger tips to rub the flour together, it should be able to hold it into rough dough yet able to break it into fine crumble. Add a bit more water if the dough is not able to hold into rough dough. 
3. Sieve the flour, it will turn into fine rice flour powder. 
4. Heat up the steamer, wet a piece of muslin cloth and place it in the steamer
5. Scoop some flour into the Kueh Tutu mold, fill up 1/3 of it. Place a teaspoon of filling over the rice flour then cover it will more rice flour. Level the rice flour in the mold.
6. Gently transfer the Kueh Tutu mold with open side downward to the steamer. Dislodge the mold, leave the Kueh Tutu in the steamer, cover it with wet muslin cloth and steam for 5~6 mins.
7. When it is done, take the Kueh Tutu out from steamer and serve it on banana leave with shredded coconut and sugar.