Kueh Belandah (Love Letters)

Kueh Belandah is also known as love letters or kueh kapit. Kueh Kapit translates loosely to cupid cakes in Malay, and these wafer rolls were believed to be the medium for star-crossed lovers to communicate back in the olden days. They printed their secret words of longing on the kueh, which they would exchange and immediately consume, thereby destroying all traceable evidence.

These delicate wafer rolls are a must-have at Chinese New Year. But it's not easy to get the evenly brown perfect shaped cylinders. The kueh belandah hardens in no time once cooked, so be sure to roll it up as quickly as you can. Warning - Prepare for sore reddened fingers.

Recipe: Kueh Belandah (Love Letters)
Makes: 70 rolls

Ingredients:
• 300g sugar (i use 240g)
• 300g plain flour
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 500ml coconut milk (use freshly squeezed if possibile), plus extra for thinning out batter
• ¼ tsp vanilla essence
• oil for greasing

Method:
1. Place the sugar in a bowl and pour in just enough hot water to cover the sugar, stir to dissolve.

2. Stift the flour into a large bowl or pot. Pour in the sugar syrup and stir to combine. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, and then mix in the coconut milk and vanilla essence until you get a smooth batter.

3. Grease your electric mould, place 1 tbsp batter in the middle. Press the cover down and cook the kueh until golden, opening it slightly to check every 15 secs.

4. Once golden brown, gentle peel the kueh off with a knife. Place it on a wooden board or clean flat surface and quickly roll with the thicker end of a wooden chopstick to form a slim log. Remove the chopstick and place the kueh belandah immediately into an airtight container.

6. Repeat until all the batter is used up. Store the kueh belandah away from direct sunlight for up to 1 month.

*note:
The batter tends to thicken the longer it stands, so thin it out with a spoonful of coconut milk whenever necessary to get a pancake-like consistency.

Another alternative is to fold it twice over to form a fan, it also makes more room for storage.

Recipe inspired by: BBC Good Food