KUIH AKOK

Kuih Akok is a traditional snack that is very famous along the Eastern Coast states of Malaysia, especially in Kelantan and Terengganu. Kuih Akok is well-liked and enjoyed by the locals. Besides, it is also very popular during Ramadan Festival. Originally, the community that made ​​up this food was those people who come from Pattani or the surrounding area that already has a kinship with the people of Kelantan. They prepared this food in a special cooking utensil called "Copper Kitchen" made with solid brass of which it will be placed surrounded with charcoal. Kuih Akok also can be made by using a makeshift oven consisting of just pieces of bricks and fire from coconut husk.

However, these two baking methods are very rare to be used nowadays. There are several types of making Kuih Akok from different aspects. One of the way that common used from now is making it by using oven. I had interviewed a dessert lover, called Tan Siew Yen who usually likes to bake dessert at her leisure time. 

Here will be the current recipe of Kuih Akok prepared by Aunty Siew Yen

The ingredients:

• 5 eggs
• 30gm plain flour
• 200ml coconut milk
• 125ml water
• 150gm palm sugar
• 2 blades of pandan leaves, torn to thin shreds or snip with scissors
• 1/8tso salt
• Oil as needed

Step-by-step procedures:

Firstly, prepare a non stick small muffin mould pans, drop few drops of oil into the pans. After that, put the pans into the oven to preheat together at the temperature of 220 C. Secondly, chop the palm sugar into small pieces, put into a saucepan together with water and pandan leaves. Bring to a boil and gently simmer it for 5 minutes. Discard the pandan shreds for ready to use. Thirdly, whisk the eggs vigorously and then add in flour and salt.  Whisk well until no lumps are seen. Fourthly, strain the coconut milk and palm sugar syrup into the mixture. Lastly, pour the mixture into the prepared pans and then baked them for 12 minutes until the surface is golden brown. 

Kuih Akok of Aunty Siew Yen 

Here is the online recipe of Kuih Akok

The ingredients:

•  5 eggs
• 30gm plain flour
• 200ml coconut milk
• 100ml water
• 150gm Melaka sugar
• 3 pandan leaves (cut into small pieces)
• 2 pinches of salt

Method to making up Kuih Akok:

Firstly, cook the Melaka sugar with water and pandan leaves in a small pot until all the sugar dissolved. Secondly, add the coconut milk into the mixture. Wait a few minutes to let the mixture to be cool. At the same time, preheat the oven at 200 C. Next, add flour, eggs and salt into the mixture, mix well. Fourthly, pass the mixture through a sieve to remove the clumps of flour and the pandan leaves. Lastly, grease the muffin tray then pour the mixture into the tray and bake it in the oven for at least 20 minutes until the surface is golden brown.

The differences between this current recipe and the online recipe

• Availability of ingredients
  
  This current recipe by Aunty Siew Yen is uses palm sugar to make Kuih Akok but the online recipe uses Melaka sugar to make it. Moreover, the online recipe uses 100ml water to boil with the sugar and pandan leaves, however the the current recipe uses 125ml water. This causes the mixture of second recipe will be relatively thin compared to first recipe as the other ingredient remain the same.

• Time constraints
  
  The online recipe needed at least 20 minutes to bake the Kuih Akok but the current recipe just needed 12 minutes to bake it. This is because the temperature of oven set by the online recipe is 200 C, however at the current recipe set the oven to 220 C. Besides, the size of muffin tray used by both recipes is different. The online recipe used the muffin tray which mixture is poured more into the tray compared to the small muffin mould pans used by the current recipe. When the mixture is more in the tray, it needed more time to bake until it can be edible.

•       Meal
• 
  
  From the Malay prospective as the online recipe, they usually served Kuih Akok during the Ramadan Festival as an Iftar snacks. However, as the current recipe prepared by Aunty Siew Yen which is a Chinese, she usually served Kuih Akok as a dessert during high tea.

•       Cultures
  
  Different cultures have different ways to prepare Kuih Akok. From the Malay prospective, they always served Kuih Akok on the plate with banana leaves to improve the flavor. Yet, Chinese will only served Kuih Akok without any wobble.

• Taste
  
  
  From the Malay cuisine, there are three main types of ingredients must be included which are Melaka sugar, pandan leaves and coconut milk. However, from the current recipe which prepared by Aunty Siew Yen, she replace the Melaka sugar by using the palm sugar as she does not like the taste of the Melaka sugar.