Kuih Lapis (Malaysian Layered Steamed Confection)
Photo: Pudding4brains, Public domain
Kuih lapis is a Malaysian steamed confection built from thin, alternating colored layers that you can peel apart as you eat. The batter pairs wheat flour with cornstarch and is loosened with four cups of coconut milk, which gives the finished cake its chewy, springy bite. The technique is simple but patient: each layer steams for just 3 minutes before the next goes on, so the stripes stay distinct.
Instructions
Set a baking pan inside a steamer over a pot of simmering water so the pan heats up while you mix the batter.
Put the flour, cornstarch, sugar, coconut milk and salt in a blender and process until the batter is completely smooth. Pour it through a strainer to catch any lumps.
Split the batter between two bowls. Stir food coloring into each bowl to give two different colors.
Pour a thin, even layer of one batter into the hot pan. Cover the steamer and steam for 3 minutes.
Uncover and pour an equally thin layer of the second color over the first. Cover and steam for 3 minutes.
Keep alternating colors, steaming each layer for 3 minutes, until all the batter is used.
Lift the pan out of the steamer and let it cool completely. Unmold the kuih, then cut it into pieces.
Make it personal.
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