Kueh Lapis Beras
Labels: asian food, small bites
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
To kick off my personal asian food fest, I made Kueh Lapis Beras (Rainbow Layer Cake) yesterday. It was rather time consuming as each layer (9 in all, without counting the white base) had to be steamed till cooked before the next layer is poured over it and so on. I didn't mind though as it turned out delicious. One bite brought back childhood memories of my Dad going down to a coffeeshop in Katong to buy these treats for the family. I would always make a beeline for Kueh Lapis because I enjoyed peeling back the layers. I still do. *blush*
If there's one thing I've learnt about Nyonya cooking, it's this: It's never straightforward. Ever.
There is always something to pound to make rempah(spice paste), or something to squeeze to extract milk or juice. Taking that into account, I'm almost certain Nyonya cooks have formidable strong arms and hands. I'm proud of my Peranakan heritage and have been honouring it by learning her cuisine. Sometimes I go completely old school, pounding away at my batu lesung (mortar and pestle). Sometimes I cheat by throwing everything into the food processor. Shhhhh....
Another thing I've noticed as well is this: If the preparation is 'able-to-do-it-with-one-eye-closed' easy, then the actual cooking time or procedure is time consuming or complicated. Likewise, if the preparation has more steps than putting a rocket together, the cooking bit will be easy peasy. You just have to work, there's no short cut and it's precisely what I love about it. You can't go round it without compromising on taste. I always have a deep sense of achivement when I ace a Peranakan dish because of all the hard work that goes behind it.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 12:24 pm
: November 22, 2006 9:24 pm
