 Minang version of coconut sugar flavoured kue talam with white-brown colour, cut in rectangular form | |
| Alternative names | Talam, kuih talam |
|---|---|
| Type | Steamed sweet coconut layered cake |
| Course | Snack |
| Place of origin | Indonesia |
| Region or state | Nationwide |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Rice flour, coconut milk, sugar |
Kue talam is anIndonesiankue or traditionalsteamed snack made of arice flour,coconut milk and other ingredients in a mold pan calledtalam which means "tray" inIndonesian.[1] The cake mold used to create kue talam are either larger rectangular aluminium tray or smaller singular cups made from ceramics, aluminium, melamine or plastic.[2]
Kue talam and its variations are commonly found in various Indonesian regional cuisine traditions; fromBetawi,Minang,Malay,Batak, toSundanese andJavanese. Kue talam was introduced by theSino-Burmese toLower Myanmar, where it is known askway talan (ကွေတာလန်း).[3]
Kue talam usually has two layers; the top one is white made from savoury creamy coconut milk, while the bottom one is coloured according to each variant's recipe. The greenpandan flavour, the yellow yam and the brown coconut sugar flavours are the most common one.
The basic ingredients of kue talam arerice flour,coconut milk, granulatedsugar,salt, and pandan leaves.[4] Other ingredients might be included to create the lower coloured part.
The top one is white and made simply using more coconut milk, rice flour, sugar and salt, and usually tastes savoury, mild sweet with softer creamy consistency. The bottom one is a little bit firmer and has colours according to added ingredients. The bottom coloured layer are poured first into the mold. After being half cooked being steamed for some times, the white layer is added on top and steamed further.[5]
Themold being used traditionally is rectangular aluminium tray mold, hence the nametalam (tray), thus the cake is required to be cut into rectangular or square shape prior of serving. Today however, the singular small cups akin tochawan (Chinese teacup) are often used as mold; either made from ceramics, aluminium, plastic ormelamine.
Kue talam normally tastes sweet and consists of two layers, white top and coloured bottom. Kue talam could be made in various flavours which contributes to the colours of the bottom part, they are:
Most of kue talam tastes sweet, however there is also a salty and savoury variants that usesebi ordried shrimp for flavour, which is calledtalam udang or "shrimp talam" in Betawi cuisine of Jakarta.[8]
