Red Bean Talam Kuih

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

200g rice flour

1 Tbsp tapioca flour

1 Tbsp green bean flour (lok tau fun)

150ml water

100ml thick coconut milk

1/8 tsp rose pink colouring

Syrup

150ml water

125g castor sugar

½ tsp salt

2 screwpine leaves, knotted

Combine rice flour, tapioca flour, green bean flour, water and thick coconut milk in a mixing bowl. Strain the batter to remove any lumps. Add colouring to mixture.

Put sugar, salt, water and screwpine leaves in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and heat until sugar dissolves. Strain the syrup into the batter to mix. Add 2 tablespoons of cooked red beans to the batter. Cook the batter over low heat for 1 minute.

Red Bean Layer

60g red beans, soaked for several hours

100g rice flour

1 Tbsp tapioca flour

100ml water

50ml thick coconut milk

Syrup

100g castor sugar

100ml water

1 tsp salt

2 screwpine leaves, knotted

Pressure-cook the red beans until soft. Drain the beans and set aside.

Combine rice flour, tapioca flour, water and thick coconut milk in a mixing bowl.

Put sugar, salt, water and screwpine leaves in a saucepan. Bring to a simmering boil and heat ingredients until sugar dissolves. Strain the syrup into the batter. Add remaining beans to mix. Cook the batter over a low heat for 1–2 minutes.

Lightly grease a 22cm square cake tin. Warm the tin in the steamer for 1–2 minutes. Pour in two-thirds of the pink batter and steam over medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes. After the batter has set, add the red bean batter. Steam for 10-15 minutes. Add remaining pink batter and continue to steam for 30–40 minutes over medium-low heat until the kuih is firm. Remove and leave to cool completely before cutting into slices.