Walking through the market last weekend, I couldn't help but notice the rows and rows of kuih bakul or Nian Gao at the various stalls. There were the traditionally "home made" ones wrapped in banana leaf and the mass manufactured ones in plastic wrap.
Either way, I was never a fan of kuih bakul. My mum and sister loved the stuff. They'd eat it plain, steamed and coated with coconut, steamed and without coconut, steamed and in between cream crackers ... they just could not get enough.
I liked it only in one form: sandwiched between slices of two equally thin (2 cm) slices of yam and sweet potato, coated with a batter and deep fry it for a few minutes. Just genius, this dessert!
So on Sunday, I bought myself a small Nian Gao and one sweet potato. I had some yam at home. I skipped lunch so that I could truly enjoy my tea and I wasnt dissappointed. It tastes as good today as it did the first time I tried it when I was 16 (yes, I do remember important occasions like this in my life).
One thing to remember is to fry the Nin Ko in hot hot oil over med to hot flame. Don't cut the yam/sweet potato too thick (the kuih bakul can be thicker) as they take longer too cook.
I tried two types of batter. The first used a mix of 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup rice flour, 50 mil water, 1/2 egg (beaten) and 1/2 tsp salt. (Add more water if necessary to get the right consistency: thick enough to bind the sandwich together but not too thick its not crispy)
The second batter was a mix of 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 an egg anda pinch of salt.
To make things even easier for you, you can buy the ready made batter mix for Pisang Goreng or fried banana fritters.
Stack the layers (Sweet potato, nian gao and yam) and then coat them with the batter and deep fry. Drain. Eat.
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