PROUDLY PRESENTS...

The Birth of EUQINUMAI!

Three great minds were cracking their brains hard on a Tuesday afternoon about the themes pertaining to Southeast Asian life and society. Several disputes aroused during the discussion and caused three great minds to enter into a debate to derive at an ultimate outcome. Dessert is pronounced the new winner of Southeast Asia. The attractiveness of dessert in Southeast Asia is the uniqueness of ingredients used and cultural aspects practiced as compared to the rest of the world. It is increasingly amazing of how the desserts are interrelated in Southeast Asia and how the traditional culture established a firm base and became known till today. Ever wonder how our all time favourite “Ice Kachang” in Singapore come about? Why is it named Ice Kachang and not Ice colourful or Ice rainbow? Now our unique blog will clarify your doubts and provide you with rich and priceless information. These information embarked upon your WHAT, WHY, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE and HOW questions.

Without further ado, let’s get STARTED!!! Gentlemen start your engine! VROOM!!!

The Amazing Race!

Click on the countries to discover the heavenly taste of desserts in Southeast Asia! BOO =)

Desserts in Southeast Asia

The video above largely demonstrates the common desserts in general. Common desserts shown in the video include cakes, cookies, fruits, pastries, ice cream and candies. As such, desserts in Southeast Asia can be considered as unqiue in terms of cultural rationality, national identity and the ingredients used.

Desserts in Southeast Asia are usually not consumed at the end of the course. There are several reasons in the consumption of desserts in Southeast Asia. Desserts participate in events like celebration of festive seasons, wildering off bad luck in replacement of achieving succes, wealth and good life and identification of particular ethnic group.

Desserts in Southeast Asia are a form of national identity. For instance, when we mention about the traditional desserts red ruby and ice kacang, it is easily identified that they resemble the states of Thailand and Singapore respectively. These desserts are originated from their respective home countries and became formerly known in every countries as part of the tourist attraction.

The ingredients used in Southeast Asia's desserts distinguishly segregated themselves from the Western desserts. The common ingredients include coconut, lemon grass and tropical fruits. These ingredients are naturally grown in the Southeast Asian countries and thus commonly used in the creation of Southeast Asian desserts.

After a brief introduction of Southeast Asian desserts, let's move on by clicking on the countries on the map to explore further on the traditional and famous desserts in each individual Southeast Asia countries.

The departure of euqinumai!

The entrance of the Southeast Asia Department of the National Library.




Finally a beautiful photo was being captured. This took the security guard of the national library almost 5 times to successfully accomplished his job as a photographer.




Some funky and cheeky SHOT after one freezing afternoon at the national library! BOO! =)




The dessert stall at the marina square food banquet.




SLURPS! An accomplished task!


We ended the journey of the exploration of the Southeast Asian desserts by indulging in the ice mango available at the marina square dessert stall. The picture above clearly shows that Singapore is subjected to influences of globalisation during the colonialism period.


We certainly hoped that you readers have gained much knowledge from this blog.
Congratulations! you have now become an expert on desserts in Southeast Asia.
Sponsored by euqinumai! =)

Brunei

Desserts in Brunei and its uniqueness in Southeast Asia

Brunei's culture mainly derived from the Old Malay World which emcompassed the Malay Archipelago and the Malay civilisation. Mainly, the diet in Brunei consists of rice and curries of vegetables, fish, shellfish and fruits. Many kinds of Malay rice cakes and confections are also consumed in Brunei. The local drink, iced unripe coconut milk, is widely and popularily consumed daily too. Desserts in Brunei often have ingredients such as glutinous (sticky) rice, rice flour, ambulung (sago flour), palm sugar, eggs and coconut milk. In addition, fruits are eaten daily in Brunei owing to an abundance of locally grown ones such as the countless varieties of bananas, as well as jackfruit, rambutans, mangosteens, and mangoes and other fruits found only in Borneo. There is also a great variety of sweet potatoes which come in different colours and sizes. These have all been incorporated into desserts such as pisang goring (banana fritters), bubur kacang, bubur ubi and pengat pisang. In these desserts, pandan leaves play a major part in helping to accentuate aromas and flavours. The Bruneians usually contribute desserts to family or friends as a spirit of giving during the festive seasons. Since Brunei is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, the traditional desserts in Malaysia are overlapped in Brunei.



Pandan Leaves

The traditional desserts in Brunei include:

1. Mangoes with Sticky Rice
2. Black Rice Pudding
3. Spiced Fruit Salad
4. Kue Mangkok
5. Custard Tarts
6. Coconut Sweet Potato Cake
7. Es Cendol

Brunei’s local rice desserts are kalupi and kueh koci.

Kueh Koci

Kueh koci is a pyramid of glutinuous rice flour filled with a sweet peanut paste. The pale green kueh, Kueh Koci, is presented as a small upturned cone in a banana leaf wrapper. It is made of the glutinous flour, grated with coconut and gula melaka, and has a smooth grasy texture. It is not extremely sweet and most every age will love it.

Kueh Koci wrapped with pandan leaves



Kueh Koci with grated coconut fillings

Burma

Desserts in Myanmar and its uniqueness in Southeast Asia

Food plays an important role in Myanmar life, particularly at family celebrations and religious festivals. In Myanmar, a life in harmony with the environment depends upon the family. It is common for three or four generations to live under one roof and due to this custom of togetherness, cooking becomes a collective effort. It is said that most Myanmar people have very sweet tooth and desserts are usually called for at times of celebration and festive seasons. The most popular and favourite desserts are fruit pastes and preserves; diamond-shaped stiff jellies iced with coconut cream; semolina rice, and rice noodle puddings, sweetened with palm sugar. Desserts such as sweet fritters, doughnuts, and hot steamed cakes are consumed frequently during the day as snacks.



Fresh fruits are the most commonly eaten dessert in Myanmar. The favourites are mango, the red husked mangosteen, and the controversial durian, a large, sharp-spiked fruit with soft pulp and a disagreeable smell. Because of the strong aroma, people either love durian or detest it.


The traditional Myanmar desserts include:

1. Gin Thoke (Ginger Mix)
2. Palm Sugar Sago
3. Rich Semolina
4. Coconut milk with sago
5. Wrapped bananas



Semolina cake with coconut

This is a very famous dessert in the city of Bassein, a major part in Myanmar’s delta area. When people visit Bassein, they always bring this dessert back as a gift. The semolina flour is called shwegi in Myanmar.

Ingredients

2 cups of semolina flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups canned coconut milk
0.5 cup of milk
1 cup granulated sugar
4 cups of water
Three quarter cups of vegetable oil
0.5 cup of golden raisins
0.5 cup of slivered blanched almonds
0.5 cup of white poppy seed
0.5 pound butter, melted

Method

1. Heat a dry frying pan over medium low heat.
2. Add the semolina flour and stir constantly until light brown, for about 3 minutes.
3. Place the flour in a mixing bowl and mix in the eggs, coconut milk, milk, sugar and water.
4. Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
5. Add the semolina mixture and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until the liquid evaporates and the mixture becomes pastry, for about 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat a broiler.
7. Mix the raisins into the semolina and then pour the mixture into a 12 inch square, 3 inch deep flameproof baking dish.
8. Smooth the surface with the back of a wooden spoon.
9. Sprinkle the almonds and poppy seed on top and then pour the melted butter evenly over the surface.
10. Place dish in the broiler and broil until lightly browned, for about 3 minutes.
11. Transfer the dish into a preheated 250 degree F oven and bake until firmly set, for about 15 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and let it cool. To serve, cut into 2 by 3 inch pieces.

Agar Agar with coconut

This Myanmar dessert is served at almost all ceremonial occasions. It is a light and produces a pleasant taste dessert. The coconut milk rises to the top and the agar agar settles at the bottom of the dessert, forming two distinct attractive layers.

Ingredients

1 packet of agar agar in strand form
6 cups of water
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of rose water
One quarter teaspoon of salt
4 cups of canned coconut milk

Method

Combine the agar agar and water in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring continuously, until the agar agar dissolves.

Add the sugar, rose water, salt, and coconut milk.

Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes.

Pour the agar agar mixture into a 12 inch square 3 inch deep baking dish and let cool until set.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

To serve, cut the mold into 2 inch long diamond shaped pieces.

Cambodia

Desserts in Cambodia and its uniqueness in Southeast Asia

Khmer food is tasty and cheap and is invariably accompanied by rice. Cambodians love a stronger sour taste in their dishes. Khmer desserts, pong aime (sweets) are available in most khmer towns. Tuk-a-loc, a blended drink of fruits, raw egg, sweetened condensed milk and ice is also popular in Cambodia. Herbal tea and Cambodia-style desserts are sold in specialty shops. Both are consumed as refreshments between regular meals. To the southern Cambodia, herbal tea, chrysanthemum tea and other plant extract drinks are vital for their healing functions like relieving internal heat and helping digestion. A bitter-tasted specialty called "Tortoise Jelly" is even said to be able to detoxify our body. On the other hand, Cambodia-style desserts, often creamy and slightly sweet soups, are loved for their nourishing functions. With main ingredients like beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, eggs and milk, etc., it is believe that desserts can enhance our health by maintaining a high level of body fluid and moisturizing our internal organs as well as the hair and the skin.


The traditional Cambodian desserts are:

1. Kuay Namuan
2. Banana Rice Pudding
3. Mung Bean Pudding
4. Taro Root Pudding
5. Sticky Rice and Mango
6. Baked Coconut Rice Pudding

Baked Coconut Rice Pudding

Ingredients

• 90g3oz scant 1 cup short or sround-grain pudding rice
• 600ml/1 pint/2.5 cups coconut milk
• 300ml cups milk
• 1 large strip lime rind
• 60g/2oz cup caster sugar
• stick of butter (40z)
• pinch of ground star anise
• fresh or stewed fruit

Method

1. Mix the rice with the coconut milk, milk, lime rind and sugar.
2. Pour the rice mixture into a lightly-greased 1.4 litre shollow ovenproff dish and dot the surface with a little butter.
3. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.
4. Remove and discard the strip of lime.
5. Stir the pudding well, add the pinch of ground star anise, if using, return to the oven and cook for a further 1-2 hours or until almost all the milk has been absorbed and a golden brown skin has baked on the top of the pudding.
6. Cover the top of the pudding with foil if it starts to brown too much to wards the end of the cooking time.
7. Serve the pudding warm or chilled with fresh or stewed fruit.

Boua Loy

Ingredients

• Glutinous rice flour
• Brown sugar
• Healthier sweetener
• An egg
• Coconut milk
• Salt

Method

1. Make some dough from the rice flour.
2. Start out with some of the flour that you mix with some water in a big bowl and mix it well until you have something that resembles a dough.
3. Start to knead it by adding small amounts of the flour, until the dough transforms into a big blob that you can knead without it sticking to your fingers any longer.
4. Now form little balls of about half an inch from the dough.
5. Now boil some water and put the little dough balls into it.
6. They will magically float up when they are done.
7. Take them out, drain them, and put them into some boiling coconut milk.
8. Add sugar and a little salt till it's just right for your sweet tooth.
9. Add an egg or two into the boiling coconut milk without stirring so that they are poached.
10. That's it for this little mouth teaser - the feel of the little balls in your mouth is really unusual and - yes - funny.
    
    
    
    

Mung Bean Pudding

Green mung bean pudding with palm sugar is a delicious Khmer Krom dessert. One of many fine products made by Khmer Krom is palm sugar,the best palm sugar is from Mott Chrouk (Chau Doc) province.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups already cooked green mung bean
• 1 Package 3.5 oz of dried tapioca pearl, peas or shredded tapioca
• 4 Cups of water
• ½ Cup of palm sugar
• ½ Cup of sugar
• ½ Teaspoon of salt
• 1 Teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Method

1. Soaked dried tapioca peas in hot water for 15 minutes.
2. Drain and set a side.
3. Place water in a soup pot, when the water boiled add cooked bean and tapioca peas.
4. Cook till tapioca is tender.
5. Seasoning with palm sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.
6. Serve hot or warm.

Indonesia

What is so unique about desserts in Indonesia?

In Indonesia, a dessert does not always have to be something sweet, and it certainly does not have to be eaten at the end of a meal. The strict sequence of dishes to which royal banquets and other formal occasions were once subjected has long since become more relaxed. Steamed rice cakes, fried banana, fruit salad- these delicacies have all passed into the popular culture. The Indonesians have an interesting name for these sweet snacks- cuci mulut, which means roughly “ something with which to cleanse the palate”.




Pisang Goreng

Most visitors to Southeast Asia think of bananas fritters as dessert. In Indonesia, however, they are also enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. The fritters are best when made with the small thin-skinned bananas found in Southeast Asia. Indonesians are partial to the larger sweet king banana or raja. "Pisang" is banana and "Goreng" is fried in Indonesian.

Ingredients

• 4 Eating bananas
• 2 cups rice flour
• ¼ Tsp salt
• 2/3 cup( 150ml) water
• Oil for frying

Method of Preparation

1. Combine the rice flour with the salt and water to make a smooth batter.
2. Heat enough oil for frying shallot ( about 4 Tbs).
3. Coat the bananas in the batter and fry until they are golden brown.
4. Drain and serve. A stronger flavour can be obtained by mixing the rice flour with coconut milk instead of water.
5. Rice flour makes for a particularly crispy batter.
   
   

Laos

Desserts in Laos and its uniqueness in Southeast Asia

Lao food is distinct in Southeast Asian cuisines. The staple food of the Lao is sticky rice and the national dish is laap. Sticky or glutinous rice is an atypical preference in every meal. Glutinous rice, in all other Southeast Asian countries, is kept for making desserts or snack foods. Majority of the Laos community lives near the forest, or at least near a wooded area, which provides a wealth of edible leaves and berries. These leaves and berries are used to decorate the table and essentially for food wrapping.

Coconut, mak phao in Laos, distinctively occupies a primary importance in Lao cookery. Given the importance of the coconut, and the fact that it is not always easy or inexpensive to buy fresh coconuts in the west, it is a blessing that coconuts are available as an easy source of ingredient in Laos. There are several uses of the coconuts in Laos.

1. Coconut liquid is used for the preparation of soft drinks which is called nam mak phao in Laos.
2. Coconut oil is used for frying.
3. Coconut flesh is used for preparation of coconut cream or coconut milk.

Lemon is not present in Laos but lemon grass, named as citronella, is found in Laos. It is used throughout Southeast Asia and it is also used for medicinal purposes. Most edible fruits found in Laos are eaten as dessert or for snacks. One example is banana. Banana is named kuay in Laos, and for unripe banana kuay dip. Bananas are widely used in many Laos’s recipes. Jackfruit is another example. Jackfruit is very popular in Southeast Asia and there is a wide spread use in the recipes of desserts.

The traditional desserts in Laos:

1. Sticky rice and mango – ‘Khao Nieow Ma Muang’
2. Baked coconut rice pudding
3. Oranges in syrup
4. Light orange blossom oranges
5. Bananas in coconut cream
6. Banana rice pudding

Nam Van Loi Mak Teng – ‘Swimming Melon’

Ingredients

• The grated meat of 1 coconut (or the equivalent of desiccated coconut)
• 200g (7 oz) sugar
• 1 melon

Method

1. Make two extractions of coconut milk.
2. Mix the sugar into the second extraction, and add the melon, cut into small, thin strips.
3. Pour the mixture into individual bowls and top each with a share of the first extraction of coconut milk. Very refreshing!

Khao Niao Thu Lien – ‘Durian with Sticky Rice’

This dish bears some resemblance to the preceding one, but is more substantial and less likely to please everyone; the durian is a fruit whose aroma is notorious, although those who have acquired the taste like eating it very much.

The procedure in preparing this dessert is simple.

1. Cook some sticky rice in an extraction of coconut milk.
2. Cut up the flesh of a durian and mix it with sugar to taste and with some more coconut milk.
3. Then pour this mixture over the cooked sticky rice, either in a single shallow bowl or in individual bowls.

Nam Van Mak Kuay – ‘Banana with coconut milk and tapioca’

Ingredients

15 dessert bananas (the kind called mak kuay nam would be used in Laos)

2 coconuts – grate the meat and make 10 cups of coconut milk in all from it, reserving 1 cup of the first extraction

1.5 cups of sugar

0.5 cup of tapioca

Method

Peel the bananas and cut each into three parts.

Pour the 9 cups of coconut milk into a large cooking pot.

Boil it after adding the pieces of bananas and sugar.

Then add the tapioca and continue to boil gently for 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from the fire and add the reserved cup of thick coconut milk.

Serve while it is hot.

Khao Khob – ‘Sticky rice biscuits or cakes’

Ingredients

• 0.5kg of sticky rice, previously soaked overnight
• 2 pinches of salt
• 100 to 150g of sugar

Method

1. Drain and steam the rice, then allow it to cool a little and form it into round shapes like crumpets, about 8cm in diameter and fairly thin.
2. Allow these to dry in the sun, which may take 1 or 2 days. They should become completely dry.
   
3. After this, deep-fry the biscuits in vegetable oil or pork fat.
4. Meanwhile, heat the sugar until it reaches the ‘caramel’ stage.
5. As soon as this has happened, ‘whirl’ the caramel on top of he biscuits.
6. This expressive Lao instruction simply means that the caramel is quickly applied in concentric circles to the biscuits, giving them a sweet topping.
7. Keep the biscuits in an airtight container for a day or two before eating them.

Malaysia

Desserts in Malaysia and its uniqueness in Southeast Asia

Nyonya food, also referred to as Straits Chinese food, is an interesting amalgamation of Chinese and Malay dishes thought to have originated from the Peranakan (Straits Chinese) of Malacca over 400 years ago. This was the result of inter-marriages between Chinese immigrants and local Malays, which produced a unique culture. Here, the ladies are called nyonyas and the men babas.

Nyonya cuisine is also famous for its Kueh [cake or dessert]. Nyonya desserts are varied and extraordinary. They are strongly Malay influenced - made from local ingredients such as sweet potato, yams, agar agar, gula Melaka [palm sugar], coconut milk, glutinous rice - and Chinese ingredients such as red beans, green beans or mung beans. The ubiquitous vanilla bean used for essence is replaced by a local plant leaf Pandan, giving Nyonya desserts its signature quintessence!



Cendol is a traditional dessert originating from Java, Indonesia, however it is very popular in Malaysia. Cendol has become a quintessential part of cuisine among the multi racial population in Southeast Asia. A malay dessert adopted by the nonyas, every Southeast Asian country has a version. Indonesia adds giant red beans and Myanmar adds sago pearls. In Singapore, we can find red beans, herbal jelly and even durian puree in the mix. In Malaysia, cendol is usually sold on the roadside by the Indian Muslim vendors. The first Indian Muslim vendors learnt the skills of making the cendol from the Javanese in Indonesia and brought the recipe and preparation methods to Malaysia. Cendol is also a very popular snack particularly after Friday prayers among the Muslims.

Ingredients of Cendol include:

1. Shaved ice
2. Coconut milk
3. Starched noodles with green food colouring
4. Palm sugar
5. Red beans
6. Glutinous rice
7. Grass jelly
8. Creamed corn

style="color:#ffffff;">

Lepat Pisang

Lepat Pisang is one of the Malaysian traditional desserts. Lepat Pisang literally means “Wrapped Bananas” in Malay language, the national language of Malaysia.

Ingredients

• 15 small bananas
• 500g flour
• Sugar
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• Salt
• 100g desiccated coconut

Method

1. Mash or blend the bananas until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together until combined.
3. Place about 5 fairly large spoonful of the mixture in the middle of each banana leaf square.
4. Arrange in rectangular longish shape about 5 inches.
5. Wrap or fold leaves over the lepat pisang completely covered.
6. Continue with the rest of the mixture until its finished.
7. Arrange all the wrapped bananas in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes.
8. If banana leaves are unavailable, pour the mixture into a cake pan and steam for 30 minutes.
9. When cooked, the lepat pisang should ideally be slightly mushy.
10. Cut in rectangular longish squares. Serve.

The traditional desserts in Malaysia include:

1. Buhur Pulut Hitam
2. Kue Mangkok
3. Multilayered Butter Cake
4. Sticky Rice Cake
5. Sweet Dodo
6. Cendol
7. Coconut Sweet Potato Cake
8. Banana Fritter

Philippines

A BRIEF idea of Pilipino food/ desserts

In general, Pilipino cuisines are very much influenced by many different countries, some of which include Malay, Spanish, Indian and Chinese influences. Food is an important part of the whole communal Philippines existence and is part of the traditions left by ancestors ( http://www.cookbookwiki.com/Filipino_Cuisine). Dating back to the colonial days, the Philippines were very much subjected to the influence of western countries. As such, I have specially chosen a dessert that is not only close to the hearts of many Pilipino but also illustrate evidence of the western and eastern culture.

Halo Halo



What is Halo Halo and what does it consist of?

Halo-halo (from "halo" = mix) is a favorite Filipino dessert or snack. It is basically a mixture of sweet preserved beans(red beans, chick peas), coconut meat (macapuno), jackfruit (langka), pounded dried rice (pinipig), sweet yam (ube), cream flan (leche flan), shreds of sweetened plantain (saba), filled with crushed ice, milk (or coconut milk) and topped with ice cream.

When do people consume Halo Halo?

In the past, Halo Halo was consumed only in the summer but now, it is available all year round at most food courts.

So what's the big deal about Halo Halo???

The interesting thing about Halo Halo is that the Filipino culture may be likened to a halo-halo. The ice cream, which is a Western ingredient, may be on top of the concoction, but that is just the surface of the dessert. The ice cream melts, and it blends with the Asian tropical fruits and beans underneath, which forms the bulk and substance of the mixture, the ones that are to be eaten first with a spoon. Drinking the melted ice cream and milk later is the final act and passion of consuming the halo-halo, the creme de la creme in its liquid form.

To say that Filipino culture is primarily Western is like taking the ice cream as the main ingredient of the halo-halo, thereby missing the colorful Asian substance of the whole mixture. Likewise, to say that Filipino culture is essentially Eastern is the same as taking only the Asian tropical fruits in the halo-halo and failing to drink the melted ice cream in the mixture. One then misses passion, which is the creme of Filipino culture. (http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Tagalog_Default_files/Philippine_Culture/halo_halo.htm)

What's so unique about Halo Halo that makes it Uniquely SE Asian?

As mentioned previously, Halo Halo is a typically a result of many cultures and traditions. This can reinforce the notion of multi-racial and multi-culture South East Asia. South East Asia is traditionally described as one of the 'crossroads of the world' i.e. a place where people from many cultural, ethnic and religious background meet (SE 1101E Course description). Therefore, in my opinion I would say that the different ingredients of Halo Halo (as discussed above) can justify why this dessert is uniquely SEA!



In the making of Halo Halo..ENJOY!






Just for you: The ingredients of Halo Halo (http://www.recipezaar.com/68328)


1 gallon vanilla ice cream
2 bananas, sliced and quartered
1honeydew melon, balled
1 cantaloupe, balled
1 papaya, balled
1 young coconut, shredded (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup tapioca
1 package strawberry Jell-O gelatin dessert
8 cups crushed ice

Singapore

Desserts in Singapore and its uniqueness in Southeast Asia

Singapore is a food paradize and desserts are something that should not be missed out on in Singapore. The desserts in Singapore can be either in the form of hot desserts or cold desserts. As Singapore is a multi-racial country, the desserts here are ethnically based. Therefore, the different racial desserts represents the different cultures in Southeast Asia. There is a meaning in every desserts in Singapore. For example, the Chinese eat mooncake and rice dumpling during the mid-autumn festival and dragon boat festival respectively.

Mooncake

Rice Dumpling

However, with the proliferation of common dessert stalls in hawker centres and food courts, it is common to have one stall offering desserts from a wide spectrum. One exception to this are Indian desserts which are almost exclusive to Indian outlets. Little India offers a variety of desserts namely burfi, ladoo, gulab jamun, gelabi, jangiri, kesari and halwa. Chinatown is another popular hideout for traditional desserts in Singapore. This link: http://www.goodfood.sg/dessert would guide you on the famous desserts in Singapore. Nonya desserts are typified by kueh and they are originated from the Malays Archipelago.

Desserts in Chinatown

As Singapore was being colonialised by the British during colonialisation, the West had brought along many cultures inclusive of desserts to Singapore. One notable popular Singaporean oddity is the ice-cream sandwich, dished out by mobile ice-cream vendors and enjoyed by young and old alike. This consists of a thick slab of ice cream folded into a slice of bread, though sometimes it's served between the more traditional wafer slices.

Ice Kacang

Ice kacang or Ais kacang literally means red bean ice, is a dessert served in Malaysia and Singapore. It is also popularly known as air batu campur in Malay or ABC for short. It is sweet-tasting and is primarily ice served with sweet flavoured syrup and jelly. The word Kacang is a Malay word for bean, and the word "ais" is a translation of the english term "ice". Formerly, it was made of only shaved ice and red beans.



Today, ice kachang generally comes in bright colours, and with different fruit cocktails and dressings. To cater to the palates of the modern customer, some stalls have even introduced novelty toppings like durian, chocolate syrup and ice cream.



Many South-East Asian coffee shops, hawker centres and food courts offer this dessert. Ais kacang tends to be patronised by tourists and locals alike.

Enjoy the makings of ICE KACANG!!! SURPS! =)





Sago Gula Melaka




Sago pearls before it is cooked



Sago Gula Melaka



Steamed Sago Cake

For a long time sago sat quietly in kitchen drawers only to be used for desserts. In Singapore, that really seems to be the only way it is eaten. Besides Sago Gula Melaka, it can also be found in the sweet Indian dessert of payasam, the Chinese “xi mi lu” a delicious chilled dessert of honey dew melon, sago and coconut milk, and the Nyonya snack of steamed sago cake. So it is once upon a time, in the Malay Archipelago, sago was eaten regularly as a staple in this land, until it was displaced by rice. However it continued to be eaten many centuries ago in areas where rice was expensive or not available, such as Timor. It came to be seen as food for the poor.

During the heydays of the East India trade, it was a product traded in the region, and was even considered a superior substance when it was first imported to Britain in the 18th century. It was added to soups and made into puddings and desserts, with its plainness relieved by the use of fruits.

However in colonial Singapore in the 19th and 20th century, it valiantly captured the palates of the British in the form of Sago Gula Melaka. Popular at home and at dinner parties, it was also the traditional dessert to be served in grand households and hotels in the Dutch East Indies and Malaya. The British continued to rave about it even during the post-war period.
Sago is a natural food that had been in existence for centuries. Although it is widely used in Singapore for desserts, the Thais invented a savoury twist to this unglamorous substance. It can be found as a bite-sized snack, saku sai moo, which has a cooked filling of pork, coriander, garlic, peanuts, fish sauce and palm sugar inside a sago covering.

Thailand

The background of Thai desserts

Thais are particularly fond of Desserts. In Thailand, Desserts can be classified into 2 categories namely liquid and solid. Solid referring to jelly-like sweetmeats while liquid refers to all types of fruits and vegetables, in coconut milk sweetened with palm or white sugar. Examples of solid desserts include cakes and sweetmeats made from rice, tapioca flour, roasted mung bean flour, glutinous rice and agar agar. Examples of fruits and vegetables in include banana, jackfruit and young coconut combined with diced water chestnuts, taro yam, pumpkin, tapioca root (also known as cassava), sweet potato and a great favorite sweet corn. Although fresh fruits may be a perfect conclusion to a Thai meal however, do try several of these desserts, none of which are complex or particularly time consuming. (You can refer to the video on the preparation of red rubies and mango sticky rice below). (Hutton, 1991, p83)

What is so unique about desserts in Thailand?

Thai desserts can be considered uniquely South East Asia (SEA) because most of its desserts have meanings behind them. For example the 9 different desserts each signifies different meanings upon consumption as shown below . This illustrates the superstitious side of SEA and this is not only evident in the Thai society. For example, people eat glutinous rice dumplings (tang yuan) in Singapore because the Chinese word tang (meaning 'soup') sounds like tuan which means reunion, while yuan means round, signifying "yuan man" (complete / 圆满 ). The entire phrase tang yuan therefore symbolises "tuan yuan" (family reunion / 团圆 ), and eating tang yuan on Dong Zhi represents family reunion and harmony, and also signifies family unity and family prosperity.
For good luck, some families prefer to have some pink tang yuan to mix with the white ones. (http://www.huayinet.org/culture/culture_festivals_dongzhi.htm)

What about other cultures?

In comparison to the western culture, they do not really attach meanings behind their desserts. For example, an ice-cream name is derieved mainly from its ingredients, namely ice and cream. Therefore, there is really not much history to and significance to the western dessert ice cream.

Let me convince you with my Superb 9 layers Thai Dessert!

To further reinforce my argument, the Superb 9 layers Thai Dessert (Shown below)is an example of different desserts each having a specific meaning behind them.This shows the rich cultural background of SEA being very superstitious even in the type of food they eat.

Superb 9 layers Thai Dessert



Besides being artistic, Thai Desserts still have meanings and it is valuable that's why many auspicious ceremony still use Thai dessert as a need menu. In the above example, the Thai people celebrated for the Queen's 74 years of age with this superb 9 layers of Thai desserts. I will explain the dessert in each layers.

First layer
From the bottom, this is called Kha Nom Chan which has the meaning of promotion of your job.
Second layer
This is called Khanom Tuay Fu which has the meaning of progress of work and life.
Third layer
This is called Phoy Thong which has meaning of longevity.
Fourth layer
This is called Thong Yib which has the meaning of being rich and wealthy.
Fifth layer
This is called Thong Yod which has the meaning of mantaining wealth in the long run.
Sixth layer
This is called Med Kha Noon which has the meaning of support in your life and work.
Seventh layer
This is called Thong Eak which has the meaning of the one.
Eighth layer
This is called Sa Neh Chan which has the meaning of love and beautiful.
Ninth layer
This is called Ja Mong Kut which has the meaning of the top, you will be on top.


PrEsEnTiNg...the making of mango sticky rice and red ruby. YUMMY!


Sweet sticky rice with mango.




Red Ruby