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Kue Koci Gula Kelapa (Kue Bugis/Kue Mendut)- Traditional Indonesian snack/dessert made with glutinous rice flour and stuffed with sweetened coconut and palm sugar filling, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed.
Kue Koci Gula Kelapa (Glutinous Cake with Coconut Filling)
Kue koci and I go all the way back to childhood. It’s like one of my favorite childhood’s snacks. My dad bought them over. Dad had such a sweet tooth and soft spot for kue kue, our term for any savory snack or sweet dessert. We had them for afternoon snacks usually. Not much considered a dessert, at least not in our family. Kue koci is sweet, but like many other Indonesian kue kue, it is considered a snack.
KUE KOCI GULA KELAPA
Kue koci is made with glutinous rice flour, in this case, both white and black glutinous rice flour. A sweetened coconut filling is stuffed into the dough, wrapped in a banana leaf and then steamed. The purple color of the kue koci comes from black glutinous rice flour. There are also varieties without using black glutinous rice flour. Majority of it is made with white glutinous rice flour, the black glutinous rice flour is mainly for “coloring”.
The dough has a texture of mochi if you are wondering, because the Japanese mochi is also made with mochiko flour (similar to white glutinous rice flour). The origin of this cake is unclear, but definitely popular across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
HOW TO MAKE BLACK GLUTINOUS RICE FLOUR
Black glutinous rice flour is not readily available where I am. I actually grind my own.
The recipe only calls for 40 grams of black glutinous rice flour, but you can grind extra. Let’s say we use 100 grams. Place them in a coffee grinder or blender and then grind until really fine. Sieve the flour and then grind again. You need to grind several times until you get a really fine flour. Any extra can be stored in a dry air-tight container for up to one month at room temperature.
The recipe only calls for 40 grams of black glutinous rice flour, but you can grind extra. Let’s say we use 100 grams. Place them in a coffee grinder or blender and then grind until really fine. Sieve the flour and then grind again. You need to grind several times until you get a really fine flour. Any extra can be stored in a dry air-tight container for up to one month at room temperature.
INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE KUE KOCI
1. White glutinous rice flour
2. Black glutinous rice flour (homemade)
3. Palm sugar or coconut sugar
4. Coconut milk
5. Coconut cream
6. Cornstarch
7. All-purpose flour
KUE KOCI WITH COCONUT SAUCE
The version I grew up with wasn’t served with coconut sauce, but I love it with coconut sauce. Anything with coconut really! Some people will spoon the coconut sauce into the banana leaf, place the dough in, and steam it with the coconut sauce.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT LEFTOVER KUE KOCI
They can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze them if you want to store it longer. They can be reheated in a microwave for few minutes until warm or in the steamer. If reheating the frozen kue koci, do not thaw, steam in the steamer for 10 minutes and they are as good as new.
Kue/Kuih Koci Gula Kelapa (Kue Bugis Ketan Hitam)
Ingredients
Dough:
- 160 gr glutinous rice flour
- 40 gr black glutinous rice flour
- 170 ml coconut milk
Coconut filling:
- 180 gr palm sugar or coconut sugar
- 50 ml coconut cream
- 200 gr grated coconut
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp corn starch
Coconut sauce:
- 180 ml coconut milk
- 1 tsp rice flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
For wrapping:
- 12 pieces 15x20 cm banana leaves
- Cooking oil for brushing
Instructions
- Soak the banana leaves in warm water for 30 minutes while preparing other things. Wipe them dry before wrapping and brush with some neutral tasting cooking oil
Prepare the filling:
- Place the palm sugar and coconut cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Let the sugar melts. Stir in grated coconut and salt. Stir to mix everything. Sprinkle in the cornstarch and stir to mix again and cook until the mixture is rather dry. Set aside to let it cool down before wrapping
Prepare coconut sauce (optional):
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan and whisk until smooth. Put on the stove and cook over medium heat and keep whisking until the sauce is thickened slightly
Prepare the dough:
- Microwave the coconut milk until it's hot, but not boiling hot. You can do so on the stove too. Place both flours and hot coconut milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix everything. The dough should come together into a non-sticky dough and pliable
Shaping the dough:
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Divide the dough into equal portion. The dough and the filling portion should be about the same in weight. For example 20 gr of dough with 20 gr of filling
- Flatten the dough with your palm into about 4-inch circle. Place the filling in the middle and wrap the dough around it and roll into a smooth ball
Wrap into cone-shaped:
- Get one banana leave and shape into a cone
- Place the dough ball in the cone. Gently push it into the cone
- Fold one side over
- Then the other side over
- Fold the two sides over
- This is a cone-shaped kue koci
Wrap into parcel:
- Place the dough ball in the middle of the banana leaves
- Fold the opposite side over
- Fold the other side to overlap
- Fold the right and left side
- Fold the two sides underneath
- You have a parcel
Easy no wrap:
- Just place the dough ball on a small piece of banana leaves
Steaming:
- Place the kue koci in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes
Serving:
- Serve with coconut sauce
2 comments
Hi Marvellina, is black glutinous flour ketan hitam? Do you think I should be able to grind it in flour mill?
Hi Grace, yes, it’s ketan hitam. I use my Vitamix blender to blend it until really fine, took several rounds, but it’s doable. If you have a flour mill, it should work I think.