ANG KU KUEH (TURTLE CAKE)--How can it become a 'Long Lost Tradition'?

When I proudly distributed Ang Ku Kuehs to my friends in  Brisbane to mark baby B's first month (or Man Yue/Moon Yut/)celebrations together with 2 chocolate eggs in a 'goody bag' inclusive of an announcement note complete with the significance of her Chinese name, many were astounded by this unexpected gesture to preserve an age-old tradition. So was I trying to make restitiution for another collateral damage of cultural modernisation? I baulked at hearing how bakery vouchers were now conveniently presented to friends and family in place of giving out Ang Ku Kuehs, so that people could select what they actually preferred and at their own time.  My ears rang from the mere frivolity of this suggestion--I mean, imagine others giving out deli vouchers at Christmas instead of the traditional Christmas turkey roast, ditto the Christmas puddings and Christmas cookies--yes why not get 'em all replaced with pattiserie vouchers! Granny'll just hang up her apron ths year! I pictured myself hovering picket stake signs that screamed 'BRING BACK ANG KU KUEH', with other like-minded sensible people in a march, and was all ready to become a 'voucher-burning-culturist' (borrowed from 'bra-burning feminist').


While migration had meant I'd forsaken my birthplace, I wasn't quite so ready to forsake my Chinese culture.  I stood as one Singapore-born Chinese adamant not to acknowledge that my favourite childhood kueh (cake) popularly served at milestone birthdays has become elbowed out by modernisation. 


Here's my favourite Nyonya Ang Ku Kueh recipe. Please keep it going. For all our sakes.


Ingredients for KUEH SKIN:
120g glutinous rice flour
150g sweet potatoes--steamed and mashed while hot, skins removed
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 T vegetable oil
1/4 C very hot water to seal


Other materials required:
1 Ang Ku Kueh mould
Banana leaves/dried lotus leaves soaked and cut into mould size/ if you can't find any of these,
use baking paper which I did in the picture above


FILLING FOR KUEH: - PEANUT FILLING
200g crushed peanuts
100g castor sugar, or less according to taste
1/2 tsp salt
water to mix into a thick dry paste


MUNG BEAN FILLING:
150g dried mung beans (boil till split and mash while hot)
100g castor sugar
1/2 tsp salt
120ml pandan juice


METHOD:
1. Steam split green peas and blend immediately/ mix up peanut paste filling
2. Add glutinous flour, sweet potato puree, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl.  Whisk or beat (add water to stop it getting overly dry)well to make a soft pliable dough. Add cooking oil a little at each time. Ensure that the dough is not sticky to the touch.
3. Roll the dough into a long log and divide into 12 equal pieces. 
4. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten each piece. Insert filling of preference into centre and seal up ball.
5. Dust mould with excess flour and carefully shape and press ball of dough into the mould.
6. With a few light taps to the side of your hand, tap out the sough and place onto leaf/baking paper cut to size.
7. Arrange on a steamer and steam on low for about 5 minutes. Uncover the steamer and steam kueh, this time uncovered for another 3 minutes till cooked fully.