Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Nyonya Bee Koh [Kuih Pulut]

The following write up on Bee Koh is from Penang Travel Tips. It explains well of this Nyonya kuih. "Bee Koh are Nyonya glutinous rice cakes. The Bee Koh is also known in Malay as Kuih Pulut, and is often made by the Malays particularly during Hari Raya. Sweet and sticky, the bee koh comes in two types, white or brown, depending on whether white sugar or brown sugar is used. The difference between the Nyonya bee koh and the Malay kuih pulut is in the texture of the rice grains. In the Nyonya bee koh, the rice grains are fully softened while in the Malay kuih pulut, you can still feel each grain.
In Penang, it is one of the desserts offered by the Taoists to the Jade Emperor on his birthday, which falls on the 9th day of the 1st lunar month, coinciding with the 9th day of Chinese New Year."  
The original recipe is double of this portion.  In my opinion, this is not a difficult Nyonya Kuih to make at home.  Minimal ingredients and quick to do kuih, Step 3 is the most crucial step as whether the Kuih will set well depends on this step.  But I believe, practice will make perfect.  Use less sugar than 180 gm if you prefer the kuih not too sweet.  Next time, I'll try with brown sugar.

Recipe Source - Bee Koh Recipe - Penang Nyonya Kuih
Ingredients
[makes 6 inch round plate]
200 gm glutinous rice (pulut bee)
150 - 180g white sugar or brown sugar[I used white sugar]
200 ml thick coconut milk 
  1. Soak the glutinous rice overnight. In the next day, drain the rice and steam it until fully cooked. 
  2. Mix the sugar with coconut milk, and stir it in a saucepan or pot until the sugar fully dissolves. Strain it and return it to the saucepan. 
  3. Add the glutinous rice to the saucepan, gently stirring it until it thickens and leaves the pan clean [about 20 minutes].
  4. Lightly grease trays, then pour the mixture into the trays. Use a spoon to press over the surface to make it even, then leave it to cool.
  5. Once the bee koh has cooled down, cut it into rhombus-shaped cubes (a rhomboid or rhombohedron). They are ready to be served.
Notes: Visit this site for Its' Nutritional Facts [here]
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15 comments:

  1. PHMay 7, 2014 at 1:11 PM

    Hi Kimmy! I don't think I have eaten Bee Koh before. But I have eaten something similar made by the Malay lady and it is served with grated coconut. It is called Pulut Cawan in Terengganu. So is Bee Koh eaten just like that or dipped in coconut or sauce?

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  2. KimmyMay 7, 2014 at 2:36 PM

    Hi Phong Hong, Bee Koh is eaten just like this, no dipping sauce. The pulut cake is soft, moist and chewy. Also very fragrant cos' of the coconut milk. This kuih is more popular in the North.

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  3. UnknownMay 7, 2014 at 4:32 PM

    Correct me I think the Malay name is wajid

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  4. KimmyMay 8, 2014 at 9:54 AM

    Hi Alan, I remember the name starts with a 'W'. The Malay version of the kuih pulut is not as soft as the Bee Koh and dark brown sugar is used.

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  5. mettateohMay 12, 2014 at 5:06 AM

    Thanks for the recipe. I really miss Bee Koh. When I was young many decades ago, neighbours and my mother offered it for prayers to Tien Kong.Sapu a lot...so nice, soft and fragrant. The ones sold at the market are too dry, salty and not fragrant. Think I will try to make it following yr recipe.

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  6. KimmyMay 12, 2014 at 2:46 PM

    Hi Metta Teoh, I have the same experience as you. My mom and MIL will prepare this for prayers during CNY but past years, they have stopped making them. I made these cos' this kuih is getting expensive and not 'lemak' enough.

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  7. UnknownFebruary 24, 2016 at 9:09 PM

    I m also trying to practice and learn to make it...because during recent festive praying it was damn cut throat selling at a costly price, so expensive yet not good to taste coz traders stinge on santan thus its not lemak and also tasted uneven hard glutinose rice grains. Outragious these fly by night hit & run fast buck traders

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  8. KimmyFebruary 24, 2016 at 9:50 PM

    Hi Unknown, I fully agree with you and it is for this reason I decided to make some myself with various recipes. Recently, I tried another recipe of Amy Beh and I like it too and I'll be sharing the post probably in April. I managed to make several plates of it with about 1/2 kg glutinous rice.

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  9. AnonymousFebruary 14, 2019 at 10:15 AM

    Hi Kimmy, may i know how long do you steam your glutinous rice and what heat do you use, high or low? thank you.
    Amelia Lau

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  10. KimmyFebruary 15, 2019 at 8:25 PM

    Hi Amelia, steaming over medium high heat for about 45 minutes [can fluff up rice in between steaming time for even cooking]. Sprinkle some water and steam for another 20-30 minutes, the rice should be cooked. Depends on the quantity too.

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  11. AnonymousOctober 21, 2020 at 4:20 PM

    I just made kuih seri muka following a recipe I found on YouTube. In this recipe, the lower glutinous rice layer was steamed together for 30 minutes with pandan leaf, diluted coconut milk, a bit of sugar and salt. The rice came out soft and chewy. If i can extrapolate my experience, I think we can also do the same for the Bee Koh. I would suggest steaming the soaked glutinous rice with pandan leaf, coconut milk, sugar (lots more for Bee Koh) and a little salt for 30 minutes and then remove from heat, press down the rice to compact in a tray then steam again for 10-15 minutes. I might try that and see the results. Theoretically will work okay.

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  12. KimmyOctober 22, 2020 at 5:43 PM

    Hi Anonymous, thanks for sharing your experience. No harm trying new ways that can help to ease food preparation. Looking forward to know the outcome. What is the rice portion that you have steamed for the Seri Muka Kuih?

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  13. AnonymousOctober 23, 2020 at 11:52 AM

    Hello, Kimmy. The Seri Muka recipe says 400g glutinous rice(soaked in water for 2-3 hours) and then steamed with 500ml diluted santan.

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  14. AnonymousNovember 4, 2020 at 1:57 PM

    Hello again. I can finally report on my experiment with steaming bee koh. 250g glutinous rice, soaked overnight. 250mL of diluted santan (around 200mL thick santan + 50mL water) 150g caster sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2-3 pandan leaves, knotted. Mix the sugar and salt in the santan and stir until dissolved. Mix the glutionus rice with the santan mixture and place the knotted pandan leaves in a tray (I used around aluminium cake tin). Steam for about 30 minutes then stir to mix the residual santan into the rice. Remove from heat and place cooked rice in another well-oiled tray lined with baking paper (or banana leaves, the traditional way)and compact down with the back of a spoon. Steam again for 30-40 minutes. I covered the rice with aluminum foil when steaming to prevent condensation getting into the rice. Results were good. Soft, chewy and fragrant. Reviews from family members were positive:)

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  15. KimmyNovember 7, 2020 at 1:50 PM

    Thanks Anonymous for sharing your experiment. I will give it a try. Looks like we can enjoy Bee Koh more often. You know, buying Bee Koh from the vendors are rather expensive and does not taste as good as home made. Thanks again.

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