My aunt makes awesome traditional kuehs, little morsel of teatime delight that seems to satiate a lot of sugar cravings in between meals. I grew up with gorgeous homemade snacks, so much so that none of the kuehs in the shop appeal to me anymore, as I knew I could get tastier ones at home! I took it for granted, alas, never bothered to learn the old-fashioned variety of sweet treats, instead focusing on the so-called modern delight of cakes, cookies and buns.
That was, until one day we had a fabulous trip to the local market which sells bountiful of sweet potatoes and the like, I was too fascinated with the appearance of sweet potatoes that immediately went to the shopping basket. I wanted to learn to make keria out of those sweet potatoes, to recapture my childhood days by learning from the maestro herself. My aunt, ever so obliging, took it to her stride and start prepping the ingredients. Showing me each and every step in her caring manner, whilst I absorb her movement in the kitchen, all done with love, tirelessly.
That afternoon, we had servings of kueh keria, ready in no time. Some like it with hot piping tea, whilst I, as usual go for my black coffee to cut out the sweet taste of syrup flakes, which is the signature of my aunt' kueh keria. Down the hawker's centre, keria is usually served with dusting of powdered (icing) sugar, just like donuts. Only this is way better than donuts, less yeasty too.
Whilst I make a mental list of the next kueh to prepare for our chai time soon, i know that this shall always remain one of my favourites. The perfect morsel that has seen through the years of me growing up, and maybe one day would be my daughter's favourite too.
Kueh Keria
300g sweet potatoes (the white flesh, not the yellow one)
80g plain flour
3/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp vegetable shortening
2 tbsp warm water
Vegetable Oil for deep frying
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Method
1. Boil the sweet potatoes until tender. Mash with fork or masher until fine.
2. Mix the warm water and instant yeast and leave for 5 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed potato with flour, yeast, vegetable shortening and salt. Using clean hands, mix well until it resembles soft dough.
4. Leave the dough in the bowl, covered with cling film for about 1 hour.
5. Take a golf ball size dough and form a flattened patty with a hole in the middle. For easier handling, use parchment paper as a liner.
6. Heat the oil and deep fry the sweet potato donuts until golden brown. Set aside.
7. Prepare the syrup by boiling the sugar and water together in a heavy bottomed pan until a thick syrup is formed. This usually takes around 10 minutes.
8. Gently add the golden keria into the hot syrup until all sides are covered with sugar. Repeat this for the remaining kerias.
9. Alternatively, kueh keria can also be served with dusting of icing sugar, but I personally like the taste of syrup flakes on the kuehs:-)
p/s: Sending this to Malaysian Muhibbah Monday
