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<p>[QUOTE="Shangas, post: 9871360, member: 360"]The things you find at markets, eh? </p><p><br /></p><p>I found this on a market-stall table piled high with all other kinds of random junk and old tatt. I recognised it immediately for what it was, and, after deciding that the price was something I could bear to part with, I bought it! </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]495419[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This curious, circular item, made of brass, and approx 8 inches across, is a traditional Straits-Chinese kueh mould. </p><p><br /></p><p>A "kueh" (literally "cake" or "cookie" in Malay) is any type of small, sweet, individual, usually bite-sized dessert which is either steamed, or baked, prepared by the people of the Peranakan / Straits-Born Chinese culture.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are loads of different kinds of kueh, developed over centuries of culinary experimentation, and range from slices to cookies, cakes to dumplings, buns, and rolls. </p><p><br /></p><p>This particular mould is used to produce a dessert known as "Kueh Bulu", also known as "Kueh Bolu" - literally 'Feather Cake' or 'Sponge Cake'...for some reason, it's also known as "Kueh Bahulu", which literally translates as "Grandmother's Cake"...I have no idea why. </p><p><br /></p><p>It got the name "Kueh Bulu/Bolu" because the resulting little cupcake-sized morsels are crunchy outside, but soft and squishy within...like a sponge, or a clump of feathers! </p><p><br /></p><p>This mould dates back to the mid/late 19th century. The seller (who had no idea what this actually was, so I take what he said with a grain of salt) said it dated to around 1850, which it might well do, but there's no real way to determine that. What I do know just from looking at it, is that it's been around the block more than a few times! </p><p><br /></p><p>Making Kueh Bulu, like all Peranakan kueh, is a real exercise in patience! Nothing about Peranakan cooking is fast, or simple! </p><p><br /></p><p>The main ingredients are flour, cornstarch, baking-powder, and a pinch of salt, and then eggs and sugar. The flour, starch and powder are mixed and sifted, and the eggs and sugar are beaten into a foam. The wet and dry ingredients are mixed together to form the cake-batter. This is also when you can stir in your flavourings, like vanilla essence, or pandan extract, etc. </p><p><br /></p><p>To actually BAKE the stuff, you have to swill oil or melted butter inside the mould, pour away the excess, and then heat the mould up in the oven while you make the batter. By the time you've done that, the mould is piping hot! </p><p><br /></p><p>Take it out of the oven, fill each little cup with the batter, and then bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown. </p><p><br /></p><p>Then you take out the pan, poke the little cakes out, and then re-lubricate, refill, and go for the next round, etc etc etc. </p><p><br /></p><p>Most of these moulds only do 6-8 little cakes at a time (and they're TINY!! Each little cake is about 2 inches across), so to produce any decent amount, you're looking at, at least 3-4 bakings! </p><p><br /></p><p>Between heating the mould, oiling it, and baking it, and reheating, reoiling, more baking...you're looking at 2-3 hours of work...and that's not including making the batter! </p><p><br /></p><p>Once you've done ALL THAT WORK...you end up with this: </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]495420[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I haven't actually tried doing it yet (I found that image on Google), but I really want to. Unlike a lot of kueh recipes, this one is actually surprisingly simple, which is definitely NOT true of most of them![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Shangas, post: 9871360, member: 360"]The things you find at markets, eh? I found this on a market-stall table piled high with all other kinds of random junk and old tatt. I recognised it immediately for what it was, and, after deciding that the price was something I could bear to part with, I bought it! [ATTACH=full]495419[/ATTACH] This curious, circular item, made of brass, and approx 8 inches across, is a traditional Straits-Chinese kueh mould. A "kueh" (literally "cake" or "cookie" in Malay) is any type of small, sweet, individual, usually bite-sized dessert which is either steamed, or baked, prepared by the people of the Peranakan / Straits-Born Chinese culture. There are loads of different kinds of kueh, developed over centuries of culinary experimentation, and range from slices to cookies, cakes to dumplings, buns, and rolls. This particular mould is used to produce a dessert known as "Kueh Bulu", also known as "Kueh Bolu" - literally 'Feather Cake' or 'Sponge Cake'...for some reason, it's also known as "Kueh Bahulu", which literally translates as "Grandmother's Cake"...I have no idea why. It got the name "Kueh Bulu/Bolu" because the resulting little cupcake-sized morsels are crunchy outside, but soft and squishy within...like a sponge, or a clump of feathers! This mould dates back to the mid/late 19th century. The seller (who had no idea what this actually was, so I take what he said with a grain of salt) said it dated to around 1850, which it might well do, but there's no real way to determine that. What I do know just from looking at it, is that it's been around the block more than a few times! Making Kueh Bulu, like all Peranakan kueh, is a real exercise in patience! Nothing about Peranakan cooking is fast, or simple! The main ingredients are flour, cornstarch, baking-powder, and a pinch of salt, and then eggs and sugar. The flour, starch and powder are mixed and sifted, and the eggs and sugar are beaten into a foam. The wet and dry ingredients are mixed together to form the cake-batter. This is also when you can stir in your flavourings, like vanilla essence, or pandan extract, etc. To actually BAKE the stuff, you have to swill oil or melted butter inside the mould, pour away the excess, and then heat the mould up in the oven while you make the batter. By the time you've done that, the mould is piping hot! Take it out of the oven, fill each little cup with the batter, and then bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown. Then you take out the pan, poke the little cakes out, and then re-lubricate, refill, and go for the next round, etc etc etc. Most of these moulds only do 6-8 little cakes at a time (and they're TINY!! Each little cake is about 2 inches across), so to produce any decent amount, you're looking at, at least 3-4 bakings! Between heating the mould, oiling it, and baking it, and reheating, reoiling, more baking...you're looking at 2-3 hours of work...and that's not including making the batter! Once you've done ALL THAT WORK...you end up with this: [ATTACH=full]495420[/ATTACH] I haven't actually tried doing it yet (I found that image on Google), but I really want to. Unlike a lot of kueh recipes, this one is actually surprisingly simple, which is definitely NOT true of most of them![/QUOTE]
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