Kuih or sometimes called Kueh is the equivalent of a Western dessert but vastly differentiated by definitions. The Western desserts are made from cakes, pastries and puddings. The Malay kuihs are quite different in texture, flavour and appearances as they are very often steamed instead of baked and sometimes special moulds are used to shape the kuihs.
Unlike Western ingredients like butter, cream, milk, cheese, castor sugar, pastry margarine, jams, cake flour and many more, Malay kuihs are made from coconut milk for creamy effect, palm sugar for natural sweetness ad great colour, edible tubers such as yam or sweet potatoes which are boiled and mixed with plain flour and used as base or beans which have been processed into flours such as green bean floor etc and can be found easily in Asian supermarkets.
Most of the recipes are passed down from one generation to the next and the average Malay household would usually inherit the interest and skill to make kuihs. Kuihs are eaten any time of the day and not just as desserts. The Malays are more comfortable eating kuihs than cornflakes or toast for breakfast and during tea-time.
Recipes are usually shared among the Malays and passed down in the Malay language and so limited its reach to those outside the community. Kuihs have recently gained popularity through international hotels in Asia which have begun to introduce them in their buffet dessert spreads.
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