Of Random Things #181: Pumpkin Huat Kueh

I had an early day today and woke up before 7AM. Two colleagues of mine invited me for breakfast at Yang Seng Restaurant & Catering. Prior to meeting them, I went for a jog at Tasek Lama alone.

There was no parking space nearby and I had to park the car at the Water Department and walked into Tasek Lama. Good thing was that I sweated. It wasn’t much but sufficient enough. LOL! I came home to rest for a short while before getting ready to meet San Diann for lunch.

Anyways, making Pumpkin Huat Kueh was in my agenda for the day. I intended to make it before lunch but timing was a bit tight. Hence, I made it when I came home in the afternoon.

Pumpkin Huat Kueh (adapted from GUAI SHU SHU)

This is a completely vegan recipe as no egg is used. It makes a perfect recipe if you do not consume egg during the first or fifteenth day in the lunar months. Without further ado, let’s get today’s blog entry rollin’!

Ingredients:

• 100g pumpkin, steamed and mashed
• 150g hot water or coconut milk *coconut milk*
• 130g fine granulated white sugar
• 30ml melted butter or vegetable oil *canola oil*
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Steam the pumpkins until they turned soft.
2. In a clean mixing bowl, combine together self-raising flour and baking powder. Sift the mixture and set aside for later use.
3. In a heatproof bowl, dissolve sugar with coconut milk over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Do not let the mixture come to a boil or simmer.
4. In a blender, pour in steamed pumpkins, coconut milk mixture and canola oil. Blend till you get a fine and smooth mixture. This step is completely optional though.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the wet mixture in three batches and mix until well combined.
6. Scoop batter evenly between cupcake liners, approximately 95% full and steam over high heat for about 25 minutes or until an inserted cake tester comes out clean.

I was excited to see that my Huat Kueh splits into the form of a flower 10 minutes into steaming. Texture wise, it was soft and almost fluffy when hot. These Huat Kueh are best eaten while still hot. The texture might turn dense when cooled down. Sugar level has to be adjusted as they were too sweet in my opinion.