Mama Irene's Kueh

03/08/2026

efinitely not a kueh.

Chicken and sausage gumbo.

Not quite instagram- plating, not quite insta-picture
But something I’m so proud of

I used to live in Louisiana in Lafayette, in Cajun country for a good few years.

Gumbo was a staple, something someone else always cooked.The housemate, the academic faculty who invited the poor international students for a good feed, the local diner serving it with smothered greens, kind friends who initiated us into the local culture.

No pictures of the process. It was too intense cooking up the roux until it turned the colour of a dark copper penny. A dark roux, smelling of almost burnt popcorn (as per the recipe instructions). The onions, green pepper, and celery, aka the trinity base of Cajun cooking, cooked down. Chicken and sausage. Cook and simmer for an hour.

It was almost 2 hours of cooking, Good old slow cooking. Good old Cajun cooking. Laisses les bons temps roule.

Back to kueh programming soon.

28/07/2026

When you accidentally bring down an extra pack of frozen grated cassava

You get cassava pancakes.

Cassava/tapioca pancakes. I used to get this at a pasar malam. These days I make most things myself

No recipe.
A pack of frozen cassava, a few spoonfuls of grated coconut, one egg, leftover coconut milk.
I'm sure there's a kueh name for this. I just don't know it. What do you call this?

25/07/2026

Kueh talam ubi Kaya
Tray of cassava with palm sugar and coconut layers

There are multiple combinations of different talam layers. Different tweaks in the texture, firmness, bite, softness to create contrast in the layers. The coconut layer in one talam is not the same in another - maybe only discernable to the fussy kueh auntie.

Not everyone can tell the difference. Poor husband was repeatedly questioned after each tasting. It tastes the same, it is delicious, so he said. I can't remember what the other one tasted like.

🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️. Guess who's going to be making different talam all at the same time now.

14/07/2026

Kueh kosui (kwasi), also known as kue lumpang.

I usually make this in a big tray but decided to go the teacup way. Well, actually, these were steamed in sake cups.

Kueh tip. Steaming in different vessels means tinkering with cook times.

Also, basic kueh ingredients mean that the quality shows. I'm getting a bit high-so, now relying on organic coconut sugar. Swipe right to see my palm sugar library! I used to have more!

Tell me, if you are in Melbourne, where do you get your palm sugar from please.

06/07/2026

And they are back...

Back to how it all started.
The ang ku kueh workshop

https://www.ycc.net.au/shop/cooking-hospitality/traditional-south-east-asian-sweet-ku-kueh/

Planning in progress for more to come.

04/07/2026

Kueh Talam
Literally a tray kueh

Here a tray of pandan and creamy coconut layers. Classic.

When it's this basic, make sure you get the best quality pandan and coconut milk.

Recipe from Christopher Tan Yu Wei
Poster from Xin Li | 李欣立

28/06/2026

Ways to use up leftover soybean pulp after making soymilk.

Black sesame okara cookies

This is really one of those agak agak type things, adjusting as you gauge how much moisture is left in the okara pulp.
It's not really cookies in the familiar sense. The texture was somewhat similar to a coconut macaroon, with a slight chew on the inside, although by day 2, we lost the crisp on the outside.

23/06/2026

21/06/2026

Black sesame and peanut ku kueh.
Inspired by the black sesame and peanut brittle flavours.

You can't see the peanut. But it's there, in the filling.

Black sesame can be bitter. A extra touch of sugar can help balance the flavours.