Indonesian Bamboo Cake also known as Kueh Putu/Putu Bambu as its English name suggests is a traditional Indonesian snack made of rice flour and filled with gula melaka (palm sugar). The ingredients are poured into a hollow bamboo tube and steamed to form a cylindrical shape.
It is served with desiccated coconut and granulated palm sugar. Sounds pretty familiar?? It does if you had eaten our local Singapore snack of Kueh Tutu and Putu Piring before.
Lao Beng last visited this stall in Chinatown with my mother (she had cravings for it!) a few months back but was left disappointed as we were there too early (they open at 12pm).
Fast forward to end October, I happened to be in the vicinity and took the chance to buy the Indonesian Bamboo Cake.
Traditional Indonesian snacks like tapioca cake, sago cake and kueh kosui are available as well. You can mix and match the different kinds of kueh as you desire.
The uncle will make the Indonesian Bamboo Cake only upon your order thus ensuring they are hot and fresh before it is served.
I bought 3 pieces at $2.00 and quickly rushed home after my purchase.
Once home, I placed the Indonesian Bamboo Cake onto my old school enamel plate. I purposely removed the desiccated coconut and palm sugar that were clinging on the bamboo cakes for a better picture to show the cylindrical kueh.
The melted gula melaka center was sweet and tasted fantastically good together with the steamed rice flour. The taste and texture of the Indonesian Bamboo Cake are much better than Kueh Tutu as the flour is not as compact and has a much looser and soft fluffy texture.
Coupled with the desiccated coconut and granulated palm sugar, they gave the bamboo cakes an extra chewy texture and added flavour.
Lao Beng’s Verdict
I must say simple comfort food like this makes me smile. Try it if you have not done so and preferably consume them right on the spot.
Address
Indonesian Bamboo Cake
Opening Hours: 12pm – 8pm
Trengganu Street (The stall is located near the Chinatown Complex Food Centre)
Singapore 058464