Ingredients
Dough
- 400 grice flour
- 100 gplain flour
- 250 ggula melaka or gula apong, chopped
- 200 mlwater
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 1/2 tspbicarbonate of soda
For frying
- 1 litrevegetable oil
Equipment
- a small sharp knife
- a rack for draining
Directions
- Chop the block into small pieces so it dissolves properly. Put it in a pan with the water over a medium heat. Stir until it dissolves completely into a dark syrup.
- Strain it through a sieve, since palm sugar often carries grit. Let it cool to lukewarm before it meets the flour. Mix the rice flour, plain flour, salt and bicarbonate in a bowl. The small amount of plain flour is there to give the dough enough stretch to shape.
- Pour in most of the warm palm sugar syrup. Mix it with a spoon and then with your hands. Add the rest of the syrup only if it will not come together. Knead it in the bowl for eight minutes. It should become smooth and firm, like modelling clay. Cover it with a damp cloth and rest it for an hour. Take a piece of dough and roll it into a rope about a centimetre thick.
- Roll it evenly, since thin spots will break in the oil. Cut the rope into lengths of about twenty centimetres. Take one length and bring the ends round to form a ring. Press the ends together firmly and smooth the join. Now the traditional pattern, which takes practice. Make a larger outer ring first from a longer rope.
- Press every join hard, since they open up in the hot oil. A plain single ring is perfectly acceptable if the pattern defeats you. Set the shaped rings on a floured tray as you go. Keep the unused dough covered so it does not dry out. Now the oil, which needs a moderate steady heat.
- Heat the oil in a deep pan to about 160C. Hot oil will burn the sugar before the middle cooks through. Fry them for six to eight minutes. Turn them occasionally with a slotted spoon. They will darken further and firm up.
- Lift them onto a wire rack over paper. Do not lay them flat on paper, which traps steam underneath. Let them cool completely, over about half an hour. Pack them into an airtight tin once completely cold. They keep for several weeks and go soft in humid air. Serve them with tea, piled in a bowl for guests to take.
Technique
- Fry at a cool 160C, since the palm sugar burns before the middle cooks at higher heat.
- Press every join hard, as they open up in the hot oil.
- Drain on a rack rather than flat on paper, which traps steam underneath.
Substitutions
- Dark muscovado in place of palm sugar, though the smoky note is lost.
- A plain single ring if the looped pattern is too difficult.
Variations
- Made as a simple single ring.
- With a little grated coconut worked into the dough.
- Made smaller, as bite-sized rings.
History
Ring-shaped fried cake of rice flour and palm sugar, a Brunei and Sabah festival sweet sold in stacks at markets.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kuih Cincin?
Kuih Cincin is a snack from Brunei: ring-shaped deep-fried rice-flour and palm-sugar biscuit. Ring-shaped fried cake of rice flour and palm sugar, a Brunei and Sabah festival sweet sold in stacks at markets.
How long does Kuih Cincin take to make?
Kuih Cincin takes 40 min plus 1 hour resting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 24 rings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Kuih Cincin?
Yes, within limits. Dark muscovado in place of palm sugar, though the smoky note is lost. A plain single ring if the looped pattern is too difficult.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kuih Cincin?
Lift them onto a wire rack over paper. Do not lay them flat on paper, which traps steam underneath. Let them cool completely, over about half an hour. Pack them into an airtight tin once completely cold. They keep for several weeks and go soft in humid air. Serve them with tea, piled in a bowl for guests to take.
