Malaysian Favourites: Loh Mai Chi (Take 1)

When it came to Malaysian sweets and desserts, I was living in a perpetual black hole, choosing to whine about not eating my favourite goodies instead of learning how to make it! But the winds of change are coming my friends and I'm ready to face the likes of glutinous rice, agar agar and all those frightening condiments that I've cowered from in days past. I want to learn as much as I can from the Mother and I aim to ease my homesickness, one kuih at a time. After all, I can't rely on my mother and relatives to provide me with Malaysian goodies forever.

I started off easy with the heavenly Apam Balik. This time I had my eyes on another nutty treat that I crave for and makes me ache for the hot streets of Kuala Lumpur: Loh Mai Chi. Also known as snowball or glutinous peanut ball (hence why I've dubbed it glutinous snowball heh), this is a favourite in the morning markets and like the Apam Balik, it's just another glorious way to encase peanuts and sugar.

Clockwise from top-left: Adding water to glutinous rice flour / mixing it like the way Momma use to / the cooked dough / placing it in the steamer

Oh the exquisite pleasure of biting into the soft, pillowy dough complete with a obligatory puff of the glutinous rice flour coating on the face and a powdery moustache...bliss. Even picking it up, touching it, groping it and poking at it - the texture of the glutinous ball is just pleasurable. I'm also amused quite easily.

I don't remember if my Mother ever made it for me but she recalls trying it once and giving up because of the impossibly sticky dough that she couldn't work with. Well I'm pleased to report that my first attempt at Loh Mai Chee was a relative success with the Fathership declaring it tasted better than the shops and my Mother requesting I make it with her next time so she can learn. It meant a lot to hear her say that, seeing as she is the queen of Malaysian cooking.

You're not a true Malaysian unless you own at least one banana leaf plate!

Of course, much much more practice is needed because there's a real art to working with the super gluey dough to form something resembling a circle then filling it and sealing it properly into a neat little ball. There's also the matter of determining the best size circle to make the right sized ball and the art of filling it to the brim with peanuts and wrapping it without it spilling everywhere so it actually forms a ball. As you can see, my snowballs were looking a little flat - a clear indication that I didn't fill it enough. And lest not forget that the dough has to be the right thickness so there's a good ratio of dough to peanuts. Too thin, and the peanuts will tear through the dough. My Mother tells me that the Loh Mai Chi masters in Malaysia can form them virtually one handed! I have a long way to go, me thinks!

Also, apologies for the lack of photos or intricate details of the process but I'm still learning! After some much needed practice (and when I learn to take photos while elbow deep in glutinous rice flour!), I'll definitely elaborate on this part of the process and share my progress with you. Yep I'm going to have to churn out a lot more Loh Mai Chi to get up to absolute peanut ball mastery. And my family is salivating at the thought.


Ingredients

200gm glutinous rice flour
2 Tbl cornflour
300ml water
2 Tbl peanut oil

200gm roasted peanuts (unsalted)
100gm granulated white sugar (us more or less...whatever you prefer) - extra peanut mixture can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

* extra glutinous rice flour - pan fried over medium heat for about 3-4 mins or until cooked and cooled. (You could probably buy packets of cooked glutinous rice flour or 'koh fun' from Asian supermarkets if you don't want to do your own).
* dessicated coconut to coat (optional if you don't want to coat with cooked glutinous rice flour)

Method

Boil a pot that's filled halfway with water. In the meantime, pour the 300ml of water into the glutinous rice flour (in a heatproof bowl), and stir until completely mixed.

Add the peanut oil and mix until it's all blended and smooth. At first it'll look like the oil doesn't want to be mix in but it will all eventually blend in. A little hand whisk should do the trick but you can mix with chopsticks if you're feeling a little 'traditional'. :P

Place the bowl in the steamer over the pot of rapidly boiling water, close the lid and steam for 20-30 minutes or until the glutinous rice flour is cooked. To check, grab the chopsticks and mix through the dough, which should be a dull white in colour, sticky but 'solid' all the way through. If the centre is still white and liquidy or soft, replace the lid and steam for longer.

When ready, remove the bowl and set aside to cool. While you wait, place the peanuts and sugar in a food processor and grind until finely chopped (but not powdery).

To assemble

Place a thick layer of the cooked glutinous rice flour in a flat plate or dish. Spoon small blobs of dough (size will depend on whether you want smaller or bigger balls) into the bed of glutinous rice flour and coat well so it's not sticky. Form these blobs into a palm-sized circle about 2-4mm thickness (thereabouts). This can be rather tedious as the dough isn't exactly pliable but perservere and show them who's boss.

Alternatively you could coat the entire portion of dough with flour, place it on the table and cut into equal portions then proceed from there (about 10 portions to make med-large Loh Mai Chi).

Place a heaped spoonful of peanut filling in the centre, then gather the edges over the filling, pinch together and seal. You could also seal half and stuff more peanut in if the ball's looking a little flat. Give it another light dusting of cooked glutinous rice flour (or coconut if using) and place on a plate or paper cupcake cases.

The Loh Mai Chi can be stored in an airtight container in a dry place at room temperature for a couple of days. But it's best eaten immediately.