Hello Kindness,

Kue mangkok (Steamed Cake) for #fareastfridayfeast and #joylucksupperclub Lunar New Year edition! 

If you celebrate LNY, what are you looking forward to eating during the Lunar New Year celebrations?

In South China, Fa Gao - a steamed cupcake made mostly of rice flour, and yeast is a popular dessert. The cake's unique attribute is the protruding split at the top, resembling a large blossom-signifying overflowing wealth. The more it splits, the more prosperous year you will have!

In Indonesia, Kue mangkok is popular during the LNY. Their colourful shades bring festive mood and good luck colours. They are often placed on top of Nian Gao to complete the dessert table. How come they look so similar in appearance with Fa Gao you ask? Good observation! They are in fact a local adaptation of Fa Gao brought over by the South Chinese Immigrants and traders to Indonesia. Although similar in appearance with Fa Gao, Kue (cake), mangkok ( bowl), have almost a completely different taste partially due to local ingredients used such as coconut milk, palm sugar, and fermented cassava. The fermented cassava acts as a flavouring and leavening agent, giving the cake a particularly unique yeasty taste. They are rich, smooth, slightly sweet, best served warm, topped with fresh shredded coconut. Would you try it?

I made some the other day with some pomegranate juice to give it a nice pink shade, fitting for the occasion. I added an overripe banana to replace the fermented cassava ( since this will need time to make on its own). It worked very well, and tasted just as delicious!

You can find the recipe here:

If you would like to learn more about Lunar New Year food or share your favourite traditional dishes during the celebration, we invite you to join the potluck @joylucksupperclub. Throughout this month, we will be celebrating Lunar New Year Food from all over Asia. The 3 favourite dishes will be re-cooked, styled and photographed by yours truly and @saveurmalaisie. You can find the guidelines on our highlights up there. Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Xx, M