Lepat Ubi (Steamed Tapioca Cake)

After making Bengkang Ubi Kayu three weeks ago, I froze the remaining grated tapioca. Then last Saturday, I decided to use it up & make Lepat Ubi, a traditional steamed cake. Just love this kuih.... it's soft & gooey with just enough sweetness & richness. To top it off, there's the mild flavour & fragrance of the banana leaf which makes this kuih a delectable treat.

Lepat Pisang

Ingredients:
80g gula Melaka (palm sugar)
40g water
1 pandan leaf (torn)
400g grated raw tapioca
100g thick coconut milk
2 tbsp dark brown/black sugar (gula timbang)
1/2 tsp salt
banana leaves (softened & cut into rectangles)

Method:

1. Prepare a steamer.
2. Combine gula Melaka, water & pandan leaf in a small pot & cook until the gula Melaka melts. Strain & leave the syrup aside to cool.
3. Combine tapioca, coconut milk, brown/black sugar, salt & gula Melaka syrup. Mix well.
4. Take a piece of banana leaf & place some mixture on it, at the center. Fold the leaf in thirds, then fold the two ends. Place on a steamer. Do the same to the rest of mixture until finish.
5. Steam on medium fire for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool before serving.

Notes:

1. I defrost the frozen grated tapioca completely before mixing it with the other ingredients.
2. To soften the banana leaf, wash & wipe the leaf dry. Then pass the leaf over direct fire until the leave is soft.
3. Once you have mixed all the ingredients, you may taste it & adjust the amount of sugar accordingly.

Bengkang Ubi Kayu (Tapioca Cake)

I accompanied my mum to the wet market in Bedok last Friday. One thing I like about the wet market is that things are generally much cheaper there than those from my neighbourhood market. There's also a stall that sells freshly-grated tapioca, something that's not sold in all markets. So I bought 1 kg of the grated tapioca, even though I had no plans to make anything with grated tapioca. I also bought a couple kilos of pisang tanduk with which I made banana chips.

Every time I think of what to make with grated tapioca, I always end up making some traditional kuih. Honestly, I can't think of anything else. This time, I decided to try a recipe from a book by Mdm Hasma Noor Basir. As I looked through her book, her beautiful Bengkang Ubi Kayu really tempted me into baking it. As you can see, the kuih is so beautiful...... It tastes great too, not overly sweet or rich. The only thing I would change is, I would add about 50 ml more coconut milk or water as I like my kuih to be softer.

Bengkang Ubi Kayu (Tapioca Cake)

Ingredients:
270 ml coconut milk
500g grated & strained tapioca
2 tsp tapioca or sago flour
160g granulated sugar
1 tsp coconut powder or milk powder
1 egg
10g butter or margarine
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I added.)
a few drops of yellow colour
butter for greasing the baking pan

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan & mix until well blended. Then heat up the mixture on a stove over low fire. Keep stirring & cook until the mixture becomes thick.
2. Pour the mixture into a greased baking pan measuring 6x6 inch.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg C for about 45 minutes or until the cake turns golden brown.
4. Leave the cake in the pan to cool completely. Remove the cake from the pan & slice using a plastic knife.

Notes:

1. The above recipe is just 1/3 of the recipe in the book.
2. I lined the bottom & sides of my baking pan with a piece of aluminium foil, leaving it to overhang from the pan. Then I greased the aluminium foil before pouring in the mixture. To remove the cake from the pan, I just lifted the aluminium foil.
3. I baked the cake for 45 minutes using top & bottom fire. Then, I left it to continue baking for another 5 minutes using only the top fire.

Adapted from Talam Klasik Malaysia by Mdm Hasma Noor Basir.

Banana Chips aka Kerepek Pisang

It's already the end of the month. This means that it is almost the end of the LTU event which I'm hosting. So my last entry for the event is about my attempt at making the addictive Banana Chips, also known as Kerepek Pisang.

Kerepek pisang brings back memories of my younger days... To supplement the family income, my parents made kerepek pisang at home & supply it to shops & snack stalls at the market. My mum would use a huge kuali into which bottles of oil were poured. She would fry the chips while my father & I helped to pack them. Now, my mum still fries the chips but only for home consumption. 

My family loves snacking on kerepek pisang but we usually just buy the ready made ones since it's so widely available in shops & markets.  Last week's attempt was really my first time frying the chips myself. I wanted to use pisang tanduk but since I could not find any green ones, I decided to use pisang kepok/nipah instead. I think pisang tanduk  tastes so much better.

Update (5 April 2015):
I managed to find some green pisang tanduk on Friday. Below is a shot of the pisang tanduk chips. Not only do the bright yellow chips look prettier but also taste better! 

Banana Chips a.k.a. Kerepek Pisang

Ingredients:
bananas (young & green)
salt
water
vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Peel the bananas. Set aside.
2. Mix salt & water. Set aside.
3. Heat up the oil in a deep frying pan or kuali.
4. Using a handheld vegetable slicer, slice bananas directly into the hot oil.
5. Sprinkle a few tsps of salt solution onto the sliced bananas.
6. Fry until crispy.
7. Leave to cool completely. Then store in an airtight container.

Notes:

1. I've not included the amount for the ingredients used as I think you can just estimate it.
2. I used pisang kepok/nipah. You may also use pisang tanduk, another preferred type of banana when making banana chips. I prefer the taste of pisang tanduk.
3. The amount of salt & water needed will depend on your preference & the amount of bananas.

I'm linking this post to the Little Thumbs Up (March-2015 - BANANA) event organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Mui Mui (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by me, Faeez of BitterSweetSpicy.