Red Tortoise Cake or Ang-Ku-Kue (adapted from Teochew language)--Salty Filling

I am not very sure why people call red tortoise cake. It's not made of tortoise, and to related to tortoise at all. It's because the mold is similar form with the tortoise shell. 

Ang-Ku-Kue has a soft sticky rice and glutinous flour skin wrapped around the sweet or salty feeling in the center.The cakes are traditionally red in color. In my home town Indonesia, there is another shape of the mold, an asymmetry leaf shape.  

I am going to make the Salty Tortoise Cake, with taro and peanut as the filling. I don't pretty like the food coloring for food, as far as I can to avoid the food coloring for this cake. The performance is not much interesting, but the taste is yummy and healthy for my family. I Love It!

Ingredient for filling:

1 small medium size Taro or yam, skin removed, washed and shredded

100 gr peanut, cooked with pressure cooker before mix-up with taro

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

Salt 

Pepper

In some occasion, i could change the filling with the glutinous rice (the similar filling as Zongzi or Bakcang).

Ingredients for pastry skin :

500 gram rice flour

75 gram tapioca flour

3-5 tbsp of oil

1 tsp salt

2-3 cups of water

Prepare the Tortoise mold and Banana leave for cover the steam tray.

Instruction for the filling:

1. Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic until light brown.
2. Add shredded taro or yam, followed by peanut and other seasoning.
3. Stir-fry for about 10 minutes.
4. Dish out and set aside to cool.

Instruction for the pastry skin:

1. Put rice flour, tapioca flour and salt in the mixing bowl.
2. Pour water and stir until dissolved.
3. Add boiling water gradually and stir with a wooden spoon. Add in the oil and knead into a smooth dough.
4. remove dough out on to a lightly floured tabletop. 
5. Cut the dough into small pieces, and roll it into a small ball.
6. Flatten each ball of dough and slightly and add 1 tbsp of filling.
7. Pinch and seal the edges to enclose the filling.
8. Spread some oil over the mold, and press the dough into the mold.
9. Knock mold lightly to dislodge the dough from the mold, and place on the leaves of banana.
10. Steam the tortoise cake in a medium heat for about 5-8 minutes.

Serve this cake while warm. I prefer to have it fried after put in the fridge for a night. The flavours are rich yet the dish is wholesome. Nothing says special for the Sunday breakfast, served with apple juice.