Just One Food - Tepung Pelita

It's the month of Ramadhan.....and I like it!  Coz that's when I can indulge in all kinds of yummy snacks and food sold at the ramadhan bazaar in my neighbourhood.

 

This post will be the first (of a few) showcasing some of my favourite food from the Ramadhan bazaar in Pandan Indah.  So, first up, I'd like to share with you one of my favourite Malay kuih....and that is the Tepung Pelita...or is it Kuih Tako?  For now, let's just call it Tepung Pelita since that's what their banner says!

 

The confusion with these two kuihs is because they both look exactly the same.  A little research online yielded the following information:

 

The Tepung Pelita has a white layer on top made of creamy, salty "santan" (coconut milk) mixed with rice flour and a pinch of salt.  The green bottom layer is made with rice flour, juice from "pandan" (screwpine) leaves and sugar (but no water chestnuts).  They're steamed in moulds made from banana leaves.

 

On the other hand, the Kuih Tako is made with a top layer of white Hoen Kwe (or mung bean) flour, santan and a pinch of salt while the bottom layer is made from green Hoen Kwe flour, sugar and chopped bits of water chestnuts.  Some recipes substitute the water chestnuts with jicama (aka Chinese turnip or "sengkuang") but it won't taste as good as sengkuang lacks sweetness compared to water chestnuts.  The kuihs are steamed in moulds made from pandan leaves.

 

Now you see why there's a confusion....they're almost identical!  This Tepung Pelita retails @ RM0.50 a piece and these ones from my neighbourhood's ramadhan bazaar are really good.  The stall focusses on selling only just this one kuih...they can afford to as they're so popular that long queues form every day.  They're probably the busiest stall here but service is very fast and the queue moves quickly and orderly.
 

I love the creamy, slight salty santan top with the not overly sweet but fragrant taste of pandan and the crunchy texture of the bits of chestnuts in the bottom layer (though I wished that there were more chestnut bits...there used to be more).
 

I find the texture of Tepung Pelita softer than Kuih Tako...and breaks apart easily when you spoon it.  It's even better eaten chilled.....yum! ;-)

So, who cares what they're called...you can call it whatever you want....Tepung Pelita or Kuih Tako....as long as they taste good!  You can make a Tepung Pelita and put chestnuts in them (like a Kuih Tako)...and still call them Tepung Pelita like this stall did! :D