Kanom and Kueh
J.E. Clarke (Gaijin Girl)
Copyright 3/5/05
Americans need to learn about Thai and Malaysian desserts. These sweet tidbits don’t get half the good press that they deserve, at least not on our continent. The average introductory website will tell you that in Asia, dessert consists of fresh fruit. More daring pages will introduce newcomers to bananas or black sticky rice with coconut milk. No mention is made of the truly exotic and wildly colorful desserts available from the Asian palette. Forget mango flavored ice cream; in Southeast Asia there is a world of sweets far more deserving of attention. In Thailand, it is called “Kanom”. In Malaysia it is “Kueh or Kuih”*. The best English translation of either concept is “snack” – little sweet or savory bites that can be eaten throughout the day. Both Thais and Malays are fond of street food--the best of these eats are found at hawker stalls which serve everything from candies to fried noodles. (It's like NYC hot dog carts on steroids.) My primary exposure has been to the sweet variety, so consider the following a taste of Khanom/Kueh--not an exhaustive list. Despite the language barriers that need be crossed, there is a whole new world of food here to explore. Kanom
(aka Khanom) Consider the Royal Thai desserts (Portuguese inspired) known as thong yib, thong yod and foi thong. The word thong means gold, and all three are variations on the same theme of egg yolk mixed with syrup. Yib are pinched to resemble flowers, Yod are spherical, and foi thong are wisp-thin threads that resemble strands of angel hair. A fourth dessert is Med Khanon, which is named after the jackfruit seeds that it resembles – mung bean filling encased in a golden sweet shell. Most Thai desserts are variations on a common theme – steamed rice/cassava flour, the ubiquitous coconut milk and pandan (screwpine) leaves, which impart a vivid green coloration. For a taste of these greener pastures, try Lod Chong Nam Ka-Ti, or Kanom Chan. The former of these are emerald noodles swimming in a broth of coconut milk. The latter resemble green layered pettifours. Other desserts with a similar composition include Ta-Ko, Salim, Peake Poon, Khao-Noew Tud, and my favorite, Kanom Thien. Served during Chinese New Years, Thien is wrapped in banana leaf, a glutinous outer layer encasing the peppery mung bean filling inside. Coconut milk not your thing? There are other options. Pisang Goreng (grilled banana) is a favorite hawker treat. And there's tamarind fruit candy; beads of tamarind pulp flavored with salt, pepper or sugar. Careful, the seeds are usually still in place. Which saves the prettiest for last. Luk Chup is Thai Marzipan—miniature candies shaped like fruit. Molded works of art, luk chup consists of mung bean, coconut milk, and sugar in Day Glo colors. The name means little magic – which is rather apt. Keuh (aka Kuih) Fortunately for the Western world, a primer on Kueh already exists and is available online. The site is called Shiokadelicious, written by the inestimable Renee Kho. Living in Singapore, Ms. Kho has experienced the essence and breadth of keuh, and I bow to her greater knowledge. As a New Yorker—however—a few observances are still in order: Where to find Kueh? Kueh is one of the true buried treasures of New York. In my explorations, I have found it in only two locations. In Manhattan, the site is Sanur. Located at 18 Doyers Avenue, this restaurant offers a small selection of Kueh, displayed demurely in their picture window and steamed fresh daily. The sampling is nice, but not exhaustive. The better location--as always--is in Queens. The establishment is called Curry Leaves, located on 13531 40th Road. There you will find the Kueh mother-lode. Although the selection mutates regularly, on the right day you can find six or more varieties of Kueh – more than enough to satisfy both belly and curiosity. As with Thai confectionaries, the sweeter varieties of Kueh tend to linger on steamed rice flour, sugar, coconut and pandan flavoring.What follows is a sampling of the more distinctive breeds to be found at Curry Leaves (and sometimes at Sanur)**: Kueh
Talam: a slab of green and white tapioca flour
injected with coconut milk – the texture and taste differ with each
layer. In my experience, the white layer feels
thicker and richer.
Kueh Lapis: Nine individual layers, in vivid red, green and white primary hues. Traditionally, the Kueh is eaten one layer at a time, peeled off and eaten in sheets. Ang Ku Kueh: A bright red dot, composed of glutinous rice flour and coconut – filled with mung bean paste and served on a banana leaf. Sort of a ravioli with attitude. Kueh Dadar: My favorite Kueh to date – a Malaysian dessert crepe. The wrap is a combination of flour, eggs, and coconut milk. The filling is grated coconut, sweetened with gula melaka – natural cane sugar. Onde Onde: Sadly, onde onde is a variation that I have not yet found. Extremely popular, this kueh consists of boiled balls of rice/tapioca dough, colored with pandan and rolled in grated coconut. In the center of each – a molten nugget of cane sugar. They’re delicious, so I have been told. Pulut Inti (Blue Glutinous Rice Cakes): A wedding speciality, these keuh follow the familiar rice flour, coconut and pandan formula – but are colored blue by the addition of bunga telang flowers. Bright blue, these cakes really stand out. The list continues – further Kuehs include: Roti
Jala (sweet lace pancakes)
Koleh Kacang (green bean flour with fried coconut cream) Nagasari (rice, tapioca flour and banana) Kueh Salat (pandan custard, topping glutinous rice and coconut milk) …and more. The list really doesn’t end. It’s enough to make you wish to learn Bahasa Melayu (the official language of Malaysia).There is a deep and varied world of Asian sweets out there, largely unknown to those of us in the Western hemisphere. While hardly comprehensive, it is my hope that this list can offer a humble diving off point for further exploration. For there is so much more to learn – and to taste! In the meantime - if you find that Onde-Onde, let me know? --Janet Clarke
(Gaijin
Girl)
* In Vietnam, the concept is called ‘Bahn’. ** Many of these are of Nyonya origin – a subsection of Malaysian food culture, mixed with an immigrated Chinese population |
