INTRODUCTION

At times, I did not have a chance to taste some Malay delicacies because it has beef that I do not consume and I knew I have missed out a lot of Malay delicacies.

When there is a Malay wedding or important occasion, I always saw Malay members prepared this dish to bring to gathering or party. I am unsure if these was sold in the stores but apparently, it is a common item during Malay buffets. The colour captured my attention and it is very beautiful with patches of dark coloured meat.

I goggled the recipe and after analysing the ingredients, I knew it will taste great and of course, I used chicken instead of minced beef. Well the taste is much better than my expectation. I especially love the cumin and curry flavoured savoury custard cake.

Kuih bakar berlauk literally translated as a baked savoury dish cake.  Lauk means meat or vegetable dishes and therefore the dish is definitely savoury but there is also a sweet version version as well. My recipe called it kuih bakar pandan but some recipe called it kuih cara pandan.

If you are interested to get the recipe of the sweet version of kuih bakar, you can refer to this post: Local Baked Custard? Kuih Bakar Pandan Or Kuih Kemboja （香兰烘糕）

The difference is because of the type of mould one uses. Traditionally, both kuih bakar berlauk and kuih cara pandan was prepared using a big brass flower mould. However, some have also used the kuih bahulu mould for the preparation. Both these methods will require to cook the cake over the stove. Since I do not have the traditional mould, for this recipe, I have used egg tart mould and baked in the oven. It is much faster than over the stove.

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: About 15 egg tarts size bakar berlauk

• 150 grams of minced beef or minced chicken or other meats of your choice
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 shallots (chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon of meat curry powder
• 1 red chilli , sliced thinly
• 2 sprigs of Chinese celery , chopped
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• Sugar to taste
• Pinches of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon of dark soya sauce (optional but preferred if chicken is used)

• 200 grams or ml thick coconut milk
• 200 grams of plain water
• 150 grams of plain flour
• 3 eggs
• Pinches of salt
• Pinches of turmeric powder

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• In a frying pan, put one tablespoon of oil, sauté the minced garlics and shallots until fragrant. Add the cumin and curry powder, stir fry for 1 minute, add the minced meat, stir fry until the meat is soft . Add pinches of salt, dark soya sauce, and sugar to taste. Stir until well mixed. Off the heat and keep aside.

• Heavily greased 12-15 cupcake cups or egg tarts cup and pre-heat the oven to 200 degree Celsius.

• In a bowl, sift in the flour, turmeric powder and put pinches of salt. Crack the eggs and stir until it form a thick paste. Gradually add the coconut milk and water until it forms a watery batter.

• Pour some batter on the mould, put a tablespoon of the minced meat, some chilli and Chinese celery. Pour more batter until it reaches about 90% full. Bake in the pre-heated oven of 200 degree Celsius for 10-15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.. Timing will very much depends on size of the mould and thickness of the batter. Note that it is common that the custard may puff up during baking and it will drop again when cooled.

CONCLUSION

If you have never tried this delicious snack before, I strongly recommended you to give it a go. If personally you do not like cumin powder, just omit it and it will be equally delicious. Remember that the original recipe is beef based but if you can’t take beef, feel free to change to chicken or other meats.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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