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One of my favorite Malay kuih-muih (local cakes and sweet treats) is Cucur Badak.
Much like many other Malaysian creations, Cucur Badak calls for really basic ingredients–sweet potatoes, flour, and grated coconut–but it’s the preparation method of these everyday ingredients that makes the taste ingeniously flavorful…
If you’ve tried Pulut Udang before, you will get the idea of how Cucur Badak tastes like.
Filled with grated coconut seasoned with turmeric, lemon grass, red chilies, and dried shrimps, the fillings are wrapped with sweet potatoes dough instead of glutinous rice.
And instead of grilling them over fire, they are deep fried to golden brown…well, you get the idea.
I am constantly amazed by the art of making kuih-muih: the techniques, the shapes, the ingredients, and the plain creativity behind each recipe.
I am learning the how-to’s slowly but surely; hopefully I will be able to make more of these delights in the near future.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 628 calories per serving.
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Cucur Badak
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 lb. sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed
- 10 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Small shrimps for garnishing (with shells and heads on)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling
- 4 cups grated coconut*
- 1/2 cup dried shrimps*
- 1 garlic
- 3 shallots
- 6 fresh red chilies or dried red chilies
- 1 lemon grass (use only the white part*)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder
- 5 slices peeled fresh ginger
- Salt to taste
- Sugar to taste (palm sugar preferred)
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
For the dough
- Boil the sweet potatoes in hot boiling water for 15 minutes.
- Peel the skin off the boiled sweet potatoes and mash them in a big bowl
- Mix the mashed sweet potatoes with flour, sugar, and salt till a soft dough is formed. The dough shouldn't be too sticky. If too sticky, add more flour to the mixture.
For the filling
- Pound all the (*) ingredients.
- Soak the dried shrimps in hot water for 15 minutes and then pound them. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and add in the pounded ingredients plus the pounded dried shrimps. Fry till fragrant.
- Add in the grated coconut and mix well.
- Add in salt and sugar to taste.
- Set aside and let it cool.
For the wrapping
- Dust your hands with some flour and take a bit of dough (about the size of a small ball), flatten it and put the filling in the middle.
- Cover the filling and press one small shrimp on top of the dough.
- Heat oil and fry till golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Looks so yummy.I’m drooling all over the place
Keropok Man,
Yeah, they are not easy to find even in Malaysia and it’s getting tougher and tougher to find nowadays :(.
I am not sure about Singapore, but you can try out Malay kuih stalls and ask them for Cucur Badak. :)
hmmm i have never seen these cucuk badak before. is it a North Malaysia food? Maybe I should specifically look out for it. :)
that looks so tasty
*drool*
Anonymous – they are a kind of Malay kuih. You can find them at Malay kuih stalls. Try them, they are delicious.
CP – Imagine no more…pack up and go to Malaysia for your next vacation.
Teckiee – yes, they were good. I still have a couple frozen ones in my freezer.
WMW – Cucur Udang is good.
Lucia – you can certainly go out lunches and dinners with me as we love the same kinds of food (I will call you up when I go back to Penang for CNY!). LOL!
strangely enough, i prefer malay kuih to chinese kuih (i never like those nyonya kuih except kuih talam), and cucur badak is one of my favourite (because of the shrimp. haha).
Yum yum! One of my fave snacks (along with the other cucur, cucur udang). Looks so lovely!
wahhhhh looks really good …i think i can smell the aroma thru my monitor!
I can sorta imagine what that tastes like, and it just sent me to my happy place.
– Chubbypanda
As born and raised Malaysian, what is this snack looking food?