Nine Layer Kueh 九层糕 (Jiu Cheng Gao)

Sis brought me my child-hood favourite kueh Jiu Cheng Gao or Nine Layer Kueh on Saturday from Bengawan Solo. Almost immediately, I was just behaving like an eagle swooping down on this irresistible "prey". She said she enjoyed looking at how I peeled them layer by layer and putting them in my mouth. She said I looked exactly how I looked when I was a little girl hee heee... well I always told her I am still a little child in everyone's eyes as long as I am not married ; )

I remembered watching my auntie's torturous effort - steaming the kueh layer by layer and I would help her stirred the mixture after she has added the colouriing in the mixture. The fond memories just flooded to my mind. I always wonder why this kueh always starts with a white layer and ended up a red layer. Would someone tell me why? Is there any auspicious string attached to this kueh?

Since I was so obsessed with this kueh lately, I "rummaged" my bookshelf and found a kueh muih book. I followed the recipe and made the kueh - recipe from the book but steps and methods based on my memory on how my aunty did hers.

Here is the kueh I made:




Recipe goes this way:
260g rice flour
115g tapioca flour
35g green pea flour
1350ml coconut milk
375g caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 pandan leaves

1. Add rice flour, tapioca flour and green pea flour together. Add in 1000ml coconut milk and stir till well mixed. Sieve the mixture
2. Cook 350ml coconut milk with sugar, pandan leaves and salt and add into No. 1 when it is still hot.
3. Divide the mixture into 9 different bowls. Add colours... For me I added red, green, purple, orange, yellow, blue.
4. First layer is white and I use 7 X 7' tray and steam for 10 minutes. Subsequent layers steam the mixture for 5 minutes. Last layer is red and steam for 10 minutes.