Bringing back Malaysia’s heritage kuih

RAYA open houses are incomplete without several balang of kuih to serve guests! Every year there are more innovative and creative variations of kuih raya on offer.
But what about those elusive traditional kuih that are fast disappearing from the stores?
In a quest to preserve these traditional Malay heritage kuih recipes, FriedChillies.com, with the support of Yayasan Hasanah from Khazanah Nasional Bhd, visited kampung kitchens and spoke with kuih artisans in the nine states on the West Coast.
The team photographed and catalogued 80 recipes of fast-disappearing Malay kuih, ranging from the sweet to the savoury.
These recipes have now been compiled in the Projek KWIH Cookbook: Around West Coast Malaysia in 80 Kuih.
Here are five rare and delicious kuih taken from the cookbook:
Bunga pudak
Originating from Kedah, this crisp kuih with a sweet coconut filling is named after the ‘pudak’ tree and requires a skilled hand in the making. Best eaten straight out of the oven!
Serak jagung
A kuih fit for royalty, grated corn is mixed with coconut, sugar and salt before being rolled in corn husks.
This kuih used to be made and served exclusively only in the Perak royal palaces.
Tepung kulit
This chewy kuih has a signature swirl pattern which is formed by mixing together two different batter mixes.
It’s usually only made with banana leaves from the nipah tree, which won’t damage the kuih during the process.
Halwa maskat
A Penang classic, this sweet treat could be considered our version of Turkish delight!
The process is one of the most time consuming as the mixture needs to be kept overnight before being stirred over low heat for five hours.
Kacau keledek
This Johor delicacy is usually reserved for special occasions such as a hantaran or for royal functions.
The name comes from the fact that the mixture has to be stirred for two hours constantly until it thickens.
To order the book, visit the Yayasan Hasanah Facebook or Instagram pages.