5 Easy-to-Make Kuih Raya Recipes

By Ameera Rosli  •  01 May 2020 in Features

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While Phase 4 of the MCO looks like it’s going to be the last, Raya this year is set to be a stay-at-home occasion as the usual activities such as visiting friends and family, attending open houses and balik kampung are forbidden.

But even if a physical Raya is cancelled, that doesn’t mean the spirit of Raya is forgotten. Obviously we’re gonna have video calls with the whole fam! And to further make lemons out of lemonades, some people have been acquiring baking and cooking skills during MCO (some more successful than others) which will come in handy when making their own kuih raya. Of course, you can order your kuih from friends or sellers but how about making some of your own and sending them to your loved ones before Raya?

JUICE has compiled 5 newbie recipes for delicious kuih raya that will surely make your Raya at home feel more meriah than sendu. Without further ado, here are the recipes ranked from least difficult to boleh tahan lah…

1. Agar-agar fruit cocktail

There’s nothing more satisfying than a cold, refreshing serving of agar-agar (jelly) and you don’t have to be Chef Wan to make it! Here’s how you can impress your family with a sweet treat:

Ingredients

1. 1 packet of agar-agar mix
2. 1 can of mixed fruit cocktail/longan (I prefer longan, but it’s your choice- I won’t tell you what to do!)
3. Water
4. Sugar

How to prepare

1. Separate the liquid from the can of mixed fruit into a measuring cup. Add water until it reaches 1 litre of liquid.
2. Pour the liquid into a pan and turn on the heat.
3. Add the agar-agar mix into the pan and stir.
4. Once it begins to simmer, add sugar to taste.
5. Neatly spread the fruit from the can onto a tray.
6. Before it reaches a boil, pour the liquid into the tray and let rest for at least 10 minutes.
7. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours and enjoy!

2. Kek Batik

Of course, we have to pay homage to the easiest dessert to make which is Kek Batik. This, like the Dalgona coffee, has been permeating social media timelines, sometimes for the wrong reasons, but mostly because it’s so goof-proof. Despite being the easiest, it’s still delicious and decadent enough to land itself on the list of must have kuih raya. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

1. 1/3 of unsalted butter
2. 2 cups of Ovaltine powder (or any malt drink of your choice- I prefer Ovaltine because it has a rich chocolate flavour)
3. Condensed milk
4. 1 cup of milk
5. 1 box of Jacob’s Weetameal (or any cracker of your choice- I have Weetameal because my family likes to pretend we’re healthy)
6. Sugar

How to prepare

1. Melt the butter in the pan on low heat.
2. Put in your Ovaltine powder and stir. It’s important to stir always so the mixture doesn’t clump and harden in the pan.
3. Pour in half a tin of condensed milk. If the mixture is too thick, add in milk until you get a creamy consistency. Most people would add in water, but that’s too healthy for me. We’re here for a good time, not a long time amirite, folks?
4. Taste your mixture. You can adjust to your liking before adding in the biscuits.
5. Crush your biscuits into halves/quarters and add them to the mixture. Make sure that each biscuit is coated with the chocolate.
6. Pour the finished mixture into a baking tray that is either pre-covered with butter or covered with parchment paper.
7. Pat the mixture down compactly so it’ll be easier to cut into once it’s done.
8. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and it’s ready to eat!

3. Chocolate chip cookies

Okay, I know what you’re about to say… Chocolate chip cookies? Is this a gentrified version of Raya? My answer to that will be: maybe? I can’t help but love chocolate chip cookies because that’s what I usually eat during Raya. So, instead of keeping this easy recipe (that even I can execute) to myself, I’ll share how to get that perfect gooey, chewy yet crunchy cookie sans the stress.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (room temperature)
2. 1/2 cup brown sugar
3. 1/2 cup sugar
4. 1 small egg (or you can use half of a large egg)
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
6. 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
7. 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional but preferred!)
8. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
9. 1/2 teaspoon salt
10. 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

How to prepare

1. Add unsalted butter, brown sugar and sugar into a bowl and blend them together until it becomes a creamy mixture.
2. Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix.
3. Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt into the mixture. Now, it should be a doughy texture. For those who used salted butter in the beginning, you can skip the salt.
4. Taste the dough and adjust according to taste before adding the chocolate chips into the dough.
5. Set the oven at 160c-170c and bake the cookies for 15 minutes exactly! I’m serious, one minute off and you could end-up with burnt cookies. This is serious business!
6. Let rest for at least 5 minutes and then… they’re gone (especially if you have kids)!

4. Trifle

So, you think that agar-agar cocktail was amateur hour, huh? Think you’re better than that? Well, I challenge you to a trifle! Essentially the upgraded big-brother of agar-agar, trifle complements the tangy and fresh element of jelly with a creamy and slightly savoury bread and cream base. Enough with the adjectives, here’s how to make it…

Ingredients

1.  3 cups of water
2. 1 tin evaporated milk
3. 1/2 cup sugar
4. 1 cup custard powder
5. Chocolate Apollo Layer Cakes
6. 1 tin mixed fruit
7. 1 litre water
8. 1 packet agar-agar mix
9. Sugar

How to prepare

1. Pour water, evaporated milk, sugar and custard powder into a pan on low heat. Once it’s a creamy texture, you can take it off the stove to cool down.
2. Slice a bunch of Chocolate Apollo Layer Cakes (or anything similar to that. I chose Apollo because they’re delicious, nostalgic and top-tier!) and place them into a tray to act as the base for the trifle.
3. Pour the custard we made before onto the Apollo cakes but save some to use for the finishing cream.
4. Then, since you’re an agar-agar expert, make your own version of agar-agar that you feel complements the base and pour it onto the base of custard and Apollo cakes.
5. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours and voilà… you’re done! Is it a masterpiece or just a trifle? Let your friends and family decide.

5. Kuih Semperit

Let’s kick it back with a traditional kuih that every open house has to have. Don’t worry, if you miss being in your rumah kampung, you can mimic it by creating your kampung in The Sims and following this quick and easy recipe for kuih semperit!

Ingredients

1. 1 cup of salted butter
2. 1/2 cup of sugar/icing sugar (if you don’t want it to be too sweet, icing sugar is better!)
3. 1/3 cup beat egg
4. 6 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate
5. 2 tablespoons of orange zest (for extra tanginess)
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
7. 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
8. 1/2 cup cornflour
9. 1/2 cup custard power
10. Sugar

How to prepare

1. Add butter and sugar into a bowl and mix until it becomes creamy.
2. Pull out the whisk and pour in the egg, orange juice concentrate, zest and vanilla essence while whisking the batter.
3. Add the flour, cornflour and custard power and mix using a baking spatula until it becomes a dough.
4. If you have an icing bag, you can use this to create swirls on a baking tray covered with parchment paper for your kuih. However, if you’re a newbie like me, just use a spoon to scoop the dough before rolling and flattening to create a cookie-like shape. You can buy some cute cookie cutters if you’re feeling fancy!
5. Sprinkle a bit of sugar on top of the kuih so it’ll caramelise and give it a sweet finish.
6. Set the oven at 150c for 18 mins.
7. Let rest for a few minutes and enjoy!

Good luck in your baking/cooking endeavours! And let me know when you open your own bakery after this MCO is over.

Stay safe at home!

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