Saturday, May 26, 2007

Purple Onde Onde



Everyone tends to get highly superficial when it comes to things that go into their mouths. Just like natural selection in the human world, the selection of foods we consume has alot to do with colours.

Come on, there's no need to deny the fact that you like good-looking food. We all do. It helps that the curry chicken is of a fiery orange red hue, and the punnet of strawberries, a deep crimson red. Foods have colours attached to them. You wouldn't expect a chocolate brownie to be green would you? Likewise, I don't think you'd be expecting a green steak when you order a medium rare ribeye.

However, it is fun to expect different colours when you know it's a food that's fun and cool. A food like onde onde.

We all know onde onde and most of us like it because of the oozing molten gula melaka (palm sugar) that squirts out if we bite too hard. Made out of glutinous rice flour, these mini balls usually come in green. But the green is usually not from natural colouring.

Onde onde is something that I love making because you get to see the balls developing from being a mere dough to something soft and sticky and filled with sweet lava. Ever since I came across an onde onde recipe that used sweet potatoes, I got hooked. Adding sweet potatoes to your onde onde dough just gives it a softer bite. The texture is pleasant and not so tough on your jaws - you need not chew as if it was bubble gum.

The previous times that I made these sweet potato onde onde, I used the traditional sweet potato we all know and love - the orange ones.

Orange onde onde seems to be passe because I've discovered how cool it'll be to have purple onde onde. The most amazing thing is that it's au naturel.

If orange sweet potatoes give you orange onde onde then purple sweet potatoes gives you purple sweet potatoes no? hahaha... yes, it's quite obvious.

These sweet potatoes are really purple mind you. Purple on the outside and purple on the inside:





I kid you not! I didn't dye these potatoes. They're just purple by nature.

Purple happens to be my favourite colour and you should have seen the look on my face when I saw how beautiful the shade of purple was...

As purple as can be, and as purple as grapes and my retainer box.

Try as I might, I couldn't shake off that look of awe on my face as I mashed the potatoes before adding them to the glutinous rice flour.

Trust me, there was no drop of artificial colouring. None, zilch, zero! Just 100% purple sweet potato.

After mixing the mashed up purple sweet potatoes with the flour, you'll get a lovely purple dough which you roll into balls, stuff with gula melaka and boil in a pot of boiling water until it floats. Then you take them out and coat them with grated coconut, like so:



You'll have to agree with me on this one, even if you're not a fan of the colour purple - these onde onde are special aren't they? Damn, the colour's so cool! I know I sound like a fascinated school girl but hey, it's not everyday you get to have natural purple coloured onde onde...

Seriously, I'm still amazed at the possibilities that await these coloured foods. I'm contented with my purple onde onde for now. Let's see what else I can play around with... *rubs hands together in anticipation*...

Go here for the onde onde recipe.

15 comments:

  1. Hi, do you mind to tell me where did u buy the purple colour sweet potatoes? As i didn't see it in any local supermarket here..except in Malaysia. :p Thanks in advance!

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  2. Ooh what a gorgeous hue of purple.

    The only thing i ever do with these purple potatoes is steam them. They're really good, not to mention nutritious :)

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  3. What a gorgoeous shade, and the onde onde looks really tempting, if I can only reach into the screen and pick one to pop into the mouth..

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  4. HI, I tried yr Brownie recipe...was very good! Also I saw u on Sat at Clarqe Quay station. hehehe

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  5. Hi, I'm a Sg student living in Japan for 4yrs. I came to your blog by chance n I really love to see pics of all the goodies in Singapore. Ps: i wk in a top Japan patisserie's chocolate shop as part time.
    i love onde onde! Hope to try yr recipe when i get back to sg.

    here's some of the links to some Japan's website

    www.lcdh.jp (i wked part-time here)
    www.ms-clair.co.jp (the chef's HQ shop)

    And seriously, I saw the donut crowd in Sg and i really dun understand it. Look at the kind of donut we have here in jpn!!

    http://www.misterdonut.jp/menu/index.html
    http://www.misterdonut.jp/download/index.html

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  6. Wow! The colour so pretty!

    i wanna make as well!!! But first, must go find the purple sweet potatoes first. It's japanese sweet potatoes right? =x

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  7. such a lovely colour! bet they tasted as good as they look.

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  8. I stumbled upon your blog by accident, just want to tell you I am very impressed with your culinary skills. Keep it going!

    I esp love the wedding cupcake that you made. v beautiful. ~ Mint

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  9. My fav colour - PURPLE!!! And now, it's edible!?! :O

    Lovely stuff you posted. Hope to try it out one day. :) In the meantime, keep up the great work - love the glorious food pix & raves about food. ;) One of my fav topics & life's pleasures too!

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  10. lovely hue of purple! i was looking at your recipe and wondered if its ok to omit the pandan leaf juice? doesnt it affect the colour? thanks!

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  11. That is one tempting onde onde, with the unusual purple body. Creative I must say. Keep baking!

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  12. Nice colour of Onde-onde, very nice blog :)

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  13. Hi!!! I tried your purple onde onde recipe and it was a sucess!!! My first attempt at onde onde and it turned out pretty well. I was so pleased! Thanks for the recipe!!! :)

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  14. hi!
    yup, i saw ur post in The Sunday Times. i like the idea that u likes to share good things with all.
    oh, btw, where can u purchase the purple sweet potatoes. Purple is my fav col too! so i would really lurve to try ur purple onde onde. :)
    i m waiting to order from you. =)
    warmest regards,
    margaret.

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  15. this purple onde onde is available in www.sgkueh.com 's amoy and ubi outlet.

    the filling is yam paste.

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