Kue bugis is a traditional snack made from glutinous rice flour wrapped in banana leaf, filled with grated coconut cooked with palm sugar until rich, fragrant, and sticky-sweet. The texture is chewy on the outside and sweet-savory on the inside, making it a perfect afternoon snack paired with warm tea. This treat is popular throughout Southeast Asia under various names and variations, yet it always keeps its simple, irresistibly addictive flavor.
🧂 Ingredients
🍽️ Servings: 20
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- 250 grams white glutinous rice flour
- 180 ml warm coconut milk
- 3 tbsp pandan-suji leaf water (from 5 pandan leaves blended with a little water)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 200 grams coarsely grated coconut (semi-mature)
- 120 grams finely shaved palm sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 leaf pandan leaf, for boiling the filling
- 50 ml water
- 20 leaves banana leaves, for wrapping
- 1 tbsp cooking oil, for greasing
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👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 Make the filling first: combine the grated coconut, shaved palm sugar, granulated sugar, pandan leaf, and water in a skillet. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and is absorbed into the coconut, and the texture becomes slightly dry and sticky.
- 2 Remove the coconut filling from the heat, discard the pandan leaf, and let it cool. Then roll it into small balls about the size of a large marble. Set aside.
- 3 For the dough, mix the glutinous rice flour with salt in a large bowl. Gradually pour in the warm coconut milk and pandan-suji water while kneading with your hands.
- 4 Knead the dough until smooth, no longer sticky, and easy to shape. If it's too dry, add a little more coconut milk; if too wet, add a bit more glutinous rice flour.
- 5 Take about 25 grams of dough, flatten it in your palm, and place one ball of the coconut-palm sugar filling in the center.
- 6 Shape the dough around the filling and seal it completely so none of the filling leaks out. Form it into a slightly oval shape resembling the classic kue bugis shape.
- 7 Prepare the banana leaves and lightly grease them with oil to prevent sticking. Place the cake on the banana leaf, then wrap it in a tum-style parcel or a simple fold, securing with a toothpick if needed.
- 8 Heat a steamer over medium heat and steam the kue bugis for 20-25 minutes until cooked through and the skin feels chewy when pressed.
- 9 Remove from the steamer and let cool slightly before serving so the texture sets and the wrapping is easier to peel off.
💡 Tips
• Choose semi-mature coconut — not too young, so the filling isn't too watery, and not too old, so it stays tender.
• Use warm coconut milk when kneading the glutinous rice dough so it becomes smooth and elastic more easily.
• Banana leaves that have been briefly wilted over a flame will be more pliable and less likely to tear when shaping.
• Kue bugis can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; simply re-steam briefly before serving to soften it again.
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
110
Calories (kcal)
1 g
Protein
4 g
Fat
18 g
Carbs
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