When it comes to kuih Raya, sugar is often a compulsory ingredient. Kuih must be very sweet to taste good, right? Well, no they don’t! Who says people who don’t like things super sweet out of preference or simply can’t take too much sugar due to being diabetic can’t enjoy a good kuih Raya. I am here to help you find an alternative yet still yummy solution.
Malaysians love spices, so spicing things up is a great solution to delectable kuih. Since not everyone has a sweet tooth, come and take a leap of faith with me and try something different with these spicy kuihs:
1. Kerepek Gunting
If you are looking for something crunchy to munch on than look no further because kerepek gunting is the ultimate crunchy snack. Kerepek gunting is so full of flavour that it leaves your taste buds tingling for more. I have looked far and wide to bring you the crunchiest and spiciest kerepek gunting recipe that I could get my hands on.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of wheat flour
- 4 dry chilies (blended)
- ½ teaspoon of blended dry shrimp
- ½ teaspoon of cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
- 115ml of water
- 7 curry leaves
For the best method to make these chips, click here!
2. Spiced Chocolate Cookies (Biskut Coklat Berempah)
To those who crave something chocolatey and spicy, than this cookie is the way to go. Not only is it rich in chocolate but the combination of spices used enhances the flavour of the cookie. It is perfect with a cup of hot tea. Don’t believe me, try it with your guests this Raya. If they do not think the biscuits are posh enough, well, serve them more tea!
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup of unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cup of fine sugar
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups of cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1/3 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 cup of cinnamon powder
To those who wish to bake these cookies, learn how to make them here.
3. Spiced Ginger Cookies (Biskut Halia Berempah)
If you have ever eaten ginger bread biscuits and enjoy the taste, then you will definitely find this cookie a delightful treat. The spicy and gingery after taste will bring back great memories. Like the ginger bread, the spiced ginger cookie goes well with warm milk or even hot tea with no sugar. Who says you can only enjoy ginger bread during Christmas? This is Malaysia, everything and anything goes!
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup of corn flakes
- 1 ½ cup of wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder
- ¾ cup of margarine
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
Method:
- Mix corn flakes, flour, baking powder, salt, ginger and cinnamon powder.
- Then add in the butter or margarine and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix well.
- After that, add in the egg yolks and vanilla essence. Mix well and then add in the corn flakes mixture.
- Scoop out a tablespoon of the mixture and placed it in a baking tray that has been spread with butter.
- Bake at 160 degrees for 10 minutes or till the cookies turn a golden yellow.
4. Kacang Tepung Berempah
For the peanut lovers out there, this recipe is especially for you. Kacang tepung berempah is a nutty treat is in many ways a comfort food. The mixture of the flour coating the peanut gives a dough-like after taste and every bite has that extra perfect crunchiness that you may desire. Apart from an explosion of flavour, it is also an easy snack to make and great for Raya.
Ingredients:
- 500g of ground nuts (cleaned, dried for a day before cooking)
- 5 cloves of garlic (pounded)
- 1 spoonful of chilli powder
- 2 spoonfuls of sugar
- 3 teaspoons of salt
- 2 eggs
- 5 spoonfuls of wheat flour
- 1 spoonful of rice flour
Method:
- Add in and mix all of the ingredients except for the two flours.
- Then, add in both flours into the mixture and mix well.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat and fry all the coated peanuts.
- Once the fried peanuts look crispy, take the out and put them on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
- Leave the fried peanuts to dry before storing them in an air-tight container.
5. Kuih Siput Rangup
Kulit siput rangup is the definition of an explosion of flavours. Don’t be alarmed though, despite its name, you are not really eating snails. The snack is just shaped like a snail shell, that’s all. Curry leaves are added to enhance the flavour which makes every mouthful more flavourful than the one before. Like the kacang tepung berempah, kuih siput rangup is also another easy kuih to make.
Ingredients:
- 500g wheat flour
- 150g margarine
- 2 spoonful of dried shrimp
- 2 cloves of garlic (thinly cut)
- 1 spoonful of curry powder
- 1 spoonful of chilli powder
- 1 ½ spoonful of fennel powder
- 1 ½ spoonful of cumin
- 1 egg
- 5 stems of curry leaves (separate leaves from stem)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 150ml of water
Method:
- Fry the garlic in oil before adding in dried shrimp. Once cooked, take them out of the pan and let it cool slightly before blending. Set aside.
- Melt the butter and leave it to cool.
- Take the earlier blended ingredients and add flour, curry, chilli, cumin and fennel powder.
- Add the melted butter into the mix, bit by bit. The butter should combine well with the flour to produce a crunchy kuih siput.
- Gently beat the eggs and add them in the flour mixture. Alternatively, add water into the mixture.
- Mix until it becomes a soft dough. (Add in water into the mixture if it is too tough)
- Let the dough rest for a while.
- Sprinkle a bit of flour on a tray. Put the mixture in a kulit siput mould and place it in the tray.
- Finally, fry the shells with curry leaves till it turns golden yellow. Leave it to cool down and store in an air-tight food jar.
6. Kuih Loyang
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” and just how Shakespeare said it, we end our list of spiced kuih raya with kuih loyang or its angmoh name, rose cookie. It is one of the biscuits that is best eaten with hot tea. In some places, people eat it by dunking the kuih loyang into hot milo. Kuih loyang is one of the biscuits that I am sure each and everyone of us looks forward to eating as it is a tasty and crunchy biscuit to just, well, munch on.
Ingredients:
- 1kg rice flour
- 3 eggs
- 5 cups of coconut milk
- 2 spoonfuls of chilli powder
- 100g of dried shrimp (blended)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 3 spoonfuls of sugar
- 1 spoonful of fennel powder
- ½ spoonful of cumin powder
- 2 spoonfuls of corn flour
- Rose mould
Method:
- Beat egg and sugar.
- Then, add in rice flour, chilli powder, dried shrimp, cumin, fennel and corn flour.
- Mix well all the above ingredients with coconut milk.
- Next, add in sugar and salt. Then mix them well.
- Then, dunk the rose mould in the mixture and fry it on a high heat oil.
- Take out the kuih once it is floating in the oil and set it aside.
- Strain the excess oil and eat it once it is cooled.
There you go! Try and see if you can spot all of them on the coffee table whenever you visit a relative or friend. Happy munching!