Grated tapioca/cassava and coconut milk mixture are colored and steamed to give you a super easy and beautiful rainbow steamed kuih. The cake is naturally gluten-free and vegan.
Cassava or tapioca is one of the quintessential ingredients in Southeast Asian pantry. They are often used to make kueh/kuih, desserts, and some savory food, but more commonly used in sweets and kuih/kueh. One of the great things about this kueh is that it’s naturally gluten free and dairy-free.
Why you’ll like this recipe
1. The recipe is extremely simple, just stir to combine everything and add the colors in
2. The kuih is just lightly sweetened
3. It has that nice dense and slightly bouncy texture, which is typical of steamed kueh like this
4. The kueh doesn’t have to be steamed layer by layer, which is time-consuming
How to make steamed rainbow tapioca kuih
1. I used frozen grated tapioca. Thaw before using and squeeze out excess water as much as you can.
If you use fresh tapioca root, you may want to start with about 1 to 1.2 kg of the root before peeling. Grate the tapioca and then squeeze out excess water as much as you can
2. Mix the grated tapioca with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. It will be a wet batter
3. Divide the batter into 6 equal parts and put a few drop of food gel or food coloring of your choice. For rainbow I use pink/red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The intensity of the color depends on how many drops you put. I just want a nice pastel color, nothing too intense
4. Bring the water in the steamer to a boil. Oil the pan on all sides. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Spread the first layer, which is pink/red and use the back of the spoon to make it level
5. Gently spoon the second layer, take care not to press or pack it down, just gently spread it on top and level the surface out with the back of the spoon
6. Continue with the third layer up to the sixth layer. I used a 6 inch round pan here, which was a bad idea because it’s too full and some of the top batter overflowed a bit during steaming. So you will need at least 7 inch round pan or 6 inch square pan to avoid batter from overflowing if you do a full recipe
7. Put the pan in the steamer and steam over medium heat for 1 hour. The cake will appear to be very soft. Let it cools down completely in the pan. Do not attempt to cut until it has cooled down completely, which may take 3-4 hours
8. Loosen the sides of the cake and then carefully remove from the pan and cut into the size you want using a plastic knife or knife rubbed with some oil to prevent sticking
9. The tapioca kuih can be stored in an air-tight container for 1-2 days at room temperature if it’s not humid where you are. If humidity is high, keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to one week. They may harden after refrigeration because of the coconut milk. Simply reheat in a microwave for a few seconds until just warm
Did you make this rainbow steamed tapioca kuih recipe?
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Steamed Rainbow Tapioca/Cassava Kuih (Kueh Ubi Kayu)
Ingredients
- 900 gr grated tapioca see notes
- 200 gr granulated sugar
- 450 ml thick coconut milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- 25 gr cooking oil
- 35 gr tapioca starch
Instructions
Prepare the batter:
- I used frozen grated tapioca. Thaw before using and squeeze out excess water as much as you can
- If you use fresh tapioca root, you may want to start with about 1 to 1.2 kg of the root before peeling. Grate the tapioca and then squeeze out excess water as much as you can
- Mix the grated tapioca with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. It will be a wet batter
- Divide the batter into 6 equal parts and put a few drop of food gel or food coloring of your choice. For rainbow I use pink/red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The intensity of the color depends on how many drops you put. I just want a nice pastel color, nothing too intense
Layering:
- Bring the water in the steamer to a boil. Oil the pan on all sides. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Spread the first layer, which is pink/red and use the back of the spoon to make it level. Gently spoon the second layer, take care not to press or pack it down, just gently spread it on top and level the surface out with the back of the spoon. Continue with the third layer up to the sixth layer
Steaming:
- Put the pan in the steamer and steam over medium heat for 1 hour. The cake will appear to be very soft. Let it cools down completely in the pan. Do not attempt to cut until it has cooled down completely, which may take 3-4 hours
Serving:
- Loosen the sides of the cake and then carefully remove from the pan and cut into the size you want using a plastic knife or knife rubbed with some oil to prevent sticking
Store:
- The tapioca kuih can be stored in an air-tight container for 1-2 days at room temperature if it's not humid where you are. If humidity is high, keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to one week. They may harden after refrigeration because of the coconut milk. Simply reheat in a microwave for a few seconds until just warm
