Kueh Keria, down my childhood memory lane..

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

Malaysian Muhibbah Monday: Murtabak/ Keema Paratha / Erachi Porotta

Malaysia is a melting pot of different cultures, different ethnic backgrounds and inevitably, this brings out an eclectic mix of cuisines, rated as one of the best in the world. One such cuisine that remains ever so popular amongst Malaysians is 'Mamak' cuisine, best found in 24 hour cafes and restaurants. Alas, not many Malaysians even know the origin of Mamak, which found its heritage in Malabar, amongst the Malabaris who made their voyages within the Far East and rooted a big settlement in Malaysia. Neither is this fact known to many Malabaris in Kerala. 

Given my ancestry, Mamak food is our everyday food at home. Better than restaurant, and certainly more varied and spiced than what most Malaysians knew. First time when I cooked Malabari food and presented to my husband, he was shocked to find out that the so-called Mamak dishes are stuff that he finds in Kerala! Such is tradition. It lasts through generations and generations, and the palate is never changing. There is one example of how diverse the countries might have been, but what is famously known as Murtabak in Malaysia is actually known as Keema Paratha in Kerala, (or erachi porotta) a fact that I only discovered last week!

Sometimes, I do have a 'Conflict of Country-neither here nor there' as I have lived in England for so long, yet the tradition of Kerala and Malaysian food have always intertwined in our daily choice of food. Just like I cannot live without my Scottish oats porridge in the morning and scones for tea, I still yearn for some Mamak food ever so often that I usually would follow my heart's desire and cook it fresh at home. Murtabak as I knew it, or Keema Paratha as The Husband is accustomed to it, is one of Malabar dishes that we both savour with delight.

 

I am not surprised if most Malaysians do not know how to make Murtabak from scratch, but I will certainly be surprised if a Keralite can't do a keema paratha! Also, the Malabar paratha (porottha) is way different than a North Indian paratha, though both version taste just as delicious.

 

For Malabar paratha, there is a art to tossing and spinning the dough until it becomes a really thin layer. Murtabak is simply upgraded from the plain paratha by filling it with spiced minced meats and fold the sides into an envelope. They are tasty and very filling on its own or could also be served with yogurt or dhal curry.

Murtabak

For the dough
2 cups plain flour
3 tbsp ghee
1 egg
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup water (approximate)
3 tbsp warm milk

Mix all the ingredients except the water. Add the water gradually whilst kneading the ingredients into a sticky dough. Divide into small balls and oil the dough balls with some ghee. Keep aside in a container for at least 4 hours.


For the meat filling
250 g minced lamb
1 medium sized onion
2 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 chopped tomato
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garam masala
a pinch of salt
few twigs of curry leaves
1 cinnamon bark
few cloves and star aniseeds
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
3 tbsp oil

Heat the oil in a pan. Fry the curry leaves, cinnamon, cloves and aniseeds until fragrant. Add in the chopped onion, tomato, ginger and garlic. Fry until onion turns golden brown. In a bowl, mix the turmeric, coriander powder, paprika and cumin with few tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add into the pan and fry for few minutes.

Add the meat and well coat with the spices. As the meat will produce some water, simmer on low heat until the meat is well cooked and almost dry. Add some water accordingly if the meat becomes too dry. Cook for about 30 minutes. Add the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves just few minutes before turning the hob off. Cool the filling prior to use.

Assembling the Murtabak

After about 4 hours, take out the dough balls. Using oiled hands, stretch the dough, toss and spin on air (this takes a bit of expertise but do-able) until it becomes a circle and as thin as a tissue paper. Drizzle some oil on the dough. Beat an egg (optional) and spread the egg on the dough before putting the meat filling on the centre of the circle. Fold the edges into an envelope so a rectangle is formed.

Heat a skillet and spray with some oil. Fry the murtabak until golden brown on both sides.

Serve warm with dhal or yogurt and pickle. Enjoy!

Note: Submitting this recipe to Malaysian Muhibbah Monday, hosted by Sharon from testwithskewer and Suresh from 3hungrytummies.