Carla's Humble Kueh Pisang

With the kitchen in full swing, we have been experimenting with lots more recipes and one of them which I have perfected is the humble Kueh Pisang - a local dessert that you can find at Bengawan Solo (a small piece about the size of my palm costs $1.70!). I first learnt to cook it during Home Economics in secondary school and have always loved how easy it is to prepare and how delicious it tastes.

This dish is easy and cheap to make in the sense it only needs 4 main ingredients - Green mung bean flour, Coconut milk, Sugar, and Banana (Pandan leaf is optional) and it can serve 4 to 6pax although L and I can easily finish the portion.  You can find the Tree Brand Hun Kwee flour (as seen in the picture above) easily at most supermarkets. The only thing is you will learn from experience when the mixture thickens and when to turn off the fire. Well practice makes perfect!

Carla's Humble Kueh Pisang
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1 Pack of Tree Brand Hun Kwee green mung bean flour (90g)
180g White sugar (approx 3 big heaped tablespoons)
2 cups Thick Coconut milk mixed with 1 cup water
Generous pinch of salt
1 Pandan leaf (optional)
1 Ripe Banana (or 2 also can) - sliced
* You may substitute the banana with half cup of corn kibbles which make sit Corn Kueh :)

Method:
- Mix the flour, sugar, coconut milk, water, pandan leaf and salt in a small saucepan.
- Stir gently with a wooden spoon to make sure most of the flour has dissolved well in the mixture before putting the pot on the stove at low heat.
- Stir the mixture gently for about 8 to 10mins till the watery mixture starts to thicken and coats the back of the wooden spoon. You should also taste the mixture to tell if it's ready - it should taste smooth, rich and not floury.
*Tip: the stirring part is important so that the mixture doesn't become lumpy. See the pictures below as a guide.
- Once it's ready, remove the pandan leaf and let the mixture cool for a couple of mins while you slice the banana and place them into one mould**. Then pour the mixture into the mould and let it cool for another 5mins before chilling in the fridge for at least 30mins to an hour. To serve, you can slice the kueh into pieces. I find that it tastes better when served within the day.

 

**Fun Fact: we used to fold pandan leaves into tiny square boxes which will hold the mixture and impart the fragrance of pandan as you chomp into it.  I think it's a great idea if you also set it in silicon mini cupcake moulds or soft icecube trays which you can easily turn upside down and remove the kueh! For me, I set it in a cat-shaped shallow mould as it is so cute :)

**For an extra touch of decadence, L and I decided to cook up a durian sauce for the Kueh Pisang. We mixed a cup of Mao Shan Wang fresh durian pulp, a cup of coconut milk and 2 tablespoons of sugar and let it simmer on low heat till it's well mixed. We then blended the puree so it reaches a finer consistency but not too fine till it becomes juice! We served the warm sauce with the cool kueh which is DA BOMB :D