Well, in my previous post, I planned to make kuih Ee or tang yuen with fillings. I tried it and it worked.
I filled it with peanut butter, yam and cashew nut butter as I happened to have all of them in my larder and freezer.
In fact I just needed to clear my freezer space to put all the Christmas food. I had 2 slices of yam (taro) so I thought I should use it. I only used 1 piece.
Yesterday I experimented with the 3 flavours. I had to make the Ee a bit larger than usual. There is this tradition of making big round Ee and smaller ones as well. The big ones are known as ‘Ibu’, or mother; and the small ones are the ‘anak’, or the children. It makes sense.
What I did:
I made the dough as usual. Then I added a small blob of peanut butter in the centre, sealed it and rolled it into a ball. It was a bit tricky as the peanut butter was a bit sticky. I did the same with the cashew nut butter ( this is not so sticky)
As for the taro filling, I decided not to mash the taro and seasoned it with a pinch of salt. I steamed it for about 10 minutes until cooked. You can test it by pricking it with a fork. If it yields, it is done. I then cut it into small cubes (for easy handling). I placed the taro in the dough and rolled up as before.
I then cooked it the usual way.
Note:
I did not want to add extra calories to the taro, so I left it plain.
The Verdict:
They tasted quite good. The peanut butter had a slightly salty taste but daughter number 1 felt that it should be more salty. The cashew nut filling was so-so. The yam filling was a bit hard and but flavoursome.
I only managed to use less than a quarter of the yam as I made a small quantity of the dough. Since I have left-over yam, I decided to make yam mash or ‘Or Nee’. I mashed whatever left-over yam I had and added some sugar (about 15% of the weight). I microwaved it to melt the sugar. I mixed it thoroughly and added 1 -2 teaspoon of warm water and a pinch of salt and mixed it so that I get a dough that can be shaped and not too sticky. I kept it in a container in the fridge for the next day.
Today I made the Ee with the taro mash filling. And it was very tasty. The sweet syrup and the rice balls complements the sweet and salty taste of the taro mash. Now that is what I call good food!!
Daughter number 1 agrees. She has a great sense of taste, smell and touch.
Here is the link to the original recipe – click here – Kuih Ee
How to make taro mash:
Ingredients:
1 slice frozen or fresh taro
Caster sugar
Some water.
Method:
- Steam the taro for about 10 minutes. Check that it is done by pricking it with a fork.
- Cool and mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Add sugar, about 15 to 20% of the weight of the taro and mix well.
- Microwave for a 1/2 to 1 minute to dissolve the sugar. Stir with a spoon and add a tea-spoon or 2 of warm water and mix until you get a pliable dough that is not sticky and easy to shape.
- Make the taro into small balls. Wrap the taro with the dough .
- Then, cook as normal.
Enjoy!!
Note:
The usual quantity of taro to sugar is 1:1 weight to weight. I am not using this ratio as I am cutting down on the sugar – weight control.
I hope you enjoy making the different types of Kuih Ee, as Much as I have fun experimenting with them.
Do like and share this post if you find it useful. Please link to my blog instead of copy and paste, so that my authorship is not compromise.
Wishing you a happy winter solstice with your family.
Cheers
Penang Lassie.
