Angku Kueh (Red Tortoise Cake/Steamed Glutinous Rice Paste with Mung Bean Filling)

Angku Kueh is a kind of Chinese Nyonya kueh usually serve during religious event or auspicious occasion such as baby's full moon or birthday. Still remember the days when I was young and lived with my grandma in Penang, we often received Angku Kueh from relatives on occasion such as child birth. People give Angku Kueh together with yellow glutinous rice and curry to relatives to inform them of the arrival of newborn. The relatives will know whether the baby is a boy or girl by looking at the shape of the Angku! If there is round Angku in the gift box, it means the baby is a boy. In Hokkien Angkoo or Angku means Red Tortoise. Kueh means Cake and tortoise symbolizes longevity.

The filling for the Angku can be mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes, or sometime mung bean. Recently I saw Lena posted her beautiful Purple Sweet Potato Angku, however, I've run out of purple sweet potato I decided to used beetroot, an ingredeint used in ReeseKitchen's Angkoo. This is my first Angku and I'm very exciting about the result, thanks ReeseKitchen for the recipe! 

I pureed my beetroot. It was bright red, after mixing it with the glutinous rice flour, the mixture turned pink. The Angku was pinkish before steam, when it is hot it was orange, then it turned red when the Angku has cool down.

Beetroot

The colour in different stages.

I'm submitting this to Malaysian Muhibbah Monday Event hosted by Test With Skewer.

Recipe adapted from ReeseKitchen

Ingredients for pastry:

200g beetroot puree (cooked, mashed and blended)

300g Glutinious flour
1 tbsp Rice flour
2 tbsp Sugar
3 tbsp Cooking oil
200ml Water (gradually add in, I used ~80ml)


Ingredients for filling:
250g Split Mung beans
140g Sugar
4 tbsp Cooking oil

Steps for filling:
1. Soaked the Mung beans overnight.
2. Steam the beans for 45-1hr, with pandan leafs on top if desire.
3. While its still hot, add in oil & sugar, blend till fine. (I mashed my mung beans)
4. Make into small balls.

Steps for pastry:
1. Mixed all ingredients by hand.
2. Make into a dough, leave for 20-30 minutes.
3. Grab a portion (as the mould using) then wrapped in the paste(ball)
4. Dust the mould with some rice flour or oil before pressing in the dough.
5. Knock out & place on the cut & oiled banana leafs.
6. Brush a bit of oil on top of the cut banana leafs before placing the dough on top.
7. Use a steamer, steam on medieum heat for 8-10 minutes.
8. When its done, brush oil on top of each kueh to prevent sticking together.