Nonya Kueh and Cake Recipes Index

Nonya Kueh or Straits Chinese Kueh(cakes) are made from a variety of fulsome and flavourful ingredients such as coconut milk, sweet potatoes, tapioca, palm sugar and pandan leaves.

Presented together, they make up a colourful, pleasing platter, and thus are among the most popular items to be enjoyed during tea time, as a sweet dessert, and as part of the menu at festive occasions.

Traditionally Peranakan girls or Straits Chinese were trained to perfect the art of making nonya kueh — skill in the culinary arts could, along with other skills, lead to a better marriage. Many Nonya or Peranakan still spend time making kueh for their families, as they believe the more effort you put into preparing food for your family, the happier all will be. Below are some of the Nonya Kueh and Cake Recipes that I have collected and hope to share with everyone who are interested in.

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Almond Layered Cake
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Ang Koo Kueh
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Banana Cake
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Balls
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Fried Curry Puffs
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Fruit Cake
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Kueh Jongkong
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Kueh Koci
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Kueh Kosui
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Kueh Rengas
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Kueh Talam
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Layered Santan Jelly
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Nonya Kueh Bingka
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Nonya Kueh Dadar
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Nonya Kueh Lapis
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Onde Onde
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Pandan Cake
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Pandan Layered Cake
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Pumpkin Onde Onde
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Sultana Cake
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Tako
Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Tapioca Kueh

Tako

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Tako Bottom Layer Ingredient:
1. 30 g. green pea flour
2. 90 g. castor sugar
3. 300 ml. water
4. 6-8 pieces water chestnuts (skinned and cubed)

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Tako Top Layer Ingredient:
1. 15 g. rice flour 10 g. sugar
2. 170 ml. coconut milk
3. 90 ml. water
4. ½ teaspoon rose essence
5. a pinch of sak

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Tako Topping and wrapping Ingredient:
1. red cherries (chopped)
2. pandan leaves (cut to form into little cups)

Tako Method Step By Step:
1. To prepare bottom layer: Boil green pea flour, castor sugar and water until the mixture thickens.

2. Add water chestnut cubes and half fill pandanus cups.

3. To prepare top layer: Boil rice flour, sugar, salt, coconut milk and water until the mixture thickens.

4. Fill pandanus cups and decorate with chopped cherries.

5. Refrigerate before serving.

Tapioca Kueh

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Tapioca Kueh Ingredient:
1. 1.5 kg fresh tapioca
2. 1½ tsp salt sufficient water mixed well to boil tapioca
3. 400 g palm sugar/gula melaka (dissolved in 50 ml hot water)
4. 1½ coconuts (grated white part)

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Tapioca Kueh Method Step By Step:
1. Peel tapioca and cut into bite-sized pieces. Boil tapioca in salted water till softened. Drain water.

2. Mash tapioca while still hot.

3. Mix in the melted palm sugar and combine mixture well.

4. Dish out tapioca mixture onto a flat tray. Leave mixture to stand for 2 hours.

5. Cut tapioca into small squares; roll in the grated coconut. Serve.

Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Balls

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Sweet Potato Balls Ingredient:
1. 500 g sweet potatoes (peeled, boiled & mashed)
2. 100 g cornflour
3. 20 ml water
4. 150 g roasted sesame seeds (roasted in a dry pan)
5. 2 tbsp cornflour (for coating)
6. oil for deep-frying

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Sweet Potato Balls Filling Ingredient:
1. 1 coconut (grated white part)
2. 100 g palm sugar/ mixed gula melaka (finely chopped)
3. (Mixed the above mention coconut and sugar together)

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Sweet Potato Balls Method Step By Step:
1. Combine the mashed potatoes with cornflour and water.

2. Roll the mixture into small balls. Press flat and put a little filling in the centre. Seal dough and roll again into balls.

3. Roll sweet potato balls in sesame seeds and dust with cornflour.

4. Deep-fry potato balls till golden brown.

5. Remove from heat. Drain well on a paper towel.

6. Serve while potato balls are still warm.

Layered Santan Jelly

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Layered Santan Jelly Ingredient A:
1. ½ tablespoon agar powder 60 g. castor sugar
2. 250 ml. water
3. ½ teaspoon pandan essence red, yellow and green colouring

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Layered Santan Jelly Ingredient B:
1. ½ tablespoon agar powder
2. 70 g. castor sugar
3. 200 ml. water
4. 50 ml. coconut milk
5. ½ teaspoon pandan essence red, yellow and green colouring

Nonya Kueh & Cake Recipes - Layered Santan Jelly Method Step By Step:
1. To prepare A:
a. Boil agar powder, water, sugar and pandan essence.
b. Keep it hot on very low heat.

2. To prepare B:
a. Boil agar powder, water, sugar, coconut milk and pandan essence.
b. Keep it hot on very low heat.

3. Wet a mould. Take 50 ml. of hot agar A and add a drop of red colouring. Stir and slowly pour into the mould.

4. When half-set, take 50 ml. of hot agar B and colour it red. Pour on top of the hardened agar.

5. Repeat process 3 and 4 with other colours and leave to set.