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I don’t think anyone in my family ever planned to make getuk ubi. It just sort of happened — I have some leftover cassava after making kueh bingka ubi kayu, grated coconut and pandan leaves. Getuk ubi is really easy to make and it doesn’t need a long process to make it, compared to making other Nyonya kueh, this requires one of the least time and effort.
You don’t need any special skills nor fancy tools to make this kuih, no kneading or making of any dough as well. The texture is honestly the whole game. You want the cassava soft but not fall apart when you eat it. Like making any delicious Nyonya or Indonesian kuih, all you need is a bit of patience and love for the people you cook for.
What is Getuk Ubi
Getuk Ubi is a very simple Nyonya or Indonesian kuih, made with main ingredients cassava and grated fresh coconut. The cassava is steamed and seasoned with a bit of unrefined brown sugar. The main flavour comes from the top layer of pandan coconut cooked with gula melaka, it complements the mild earthy taste of the cassava perfectly.
You might not always find getuk ubi where vendors sell kuih. It’s not as popular as the ang ku kue, kueh kosui, kue lapis, kueh salat, or ondeh ondeh, but this humble looking kuih tastes just as good. Some vendors might use a type of orange coloured sugar to fry the coconut so instead of the brown top, you get an orange coconut top. I have modified this recipe slightly to use unrefined brown sugar instead.
Ingredients for making getuk ubi
As this is not a complex recipe, the ingredients are:
- Cassava or tapioca – a starchy root vegetable with rough brown skin and white flesh. Its flavour is rather mild and earthy. This forms the base of the kuih.
- Fresh grated coconut – added to the top part of the kuih. If you are not able to find fresh coconut, you can try using desiccated coconut.
- Gula melaka – the soul of most Nyonya kuihs, it’s a type of unrefined palm sugar made from the sap of coconut palm flower buds. This kind of sweetener has a very unique rich smoked caramel flavour. You can’t substitute this with anything else.
- Pandan leaves – used widely in most Nyonya kuihs, pandan is also called the ‘vanilla of the East’. It has a sweet, flora, nutty aroma, nothing else quite comes close to this.
- Unrefined brown sweetener – my preference of unrefined sweetener for most of my recipes on this website.
- Salt – just a bit to elevate the taste of the kuih.
Tips on storing getuk ubi
Getuk ubi can be left at room temperature in a container for up to 2 days. After 2 days, it’ll be better to be stored in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can enjoy it chilled or just steam or microwave for a short 30 seconds or 1 minute will do too. I won’t recommend freezing it as the texture will not be good after freezing and thawing.
Pin now, cook later
Getuk Ubi (Pressed Cassava/Tapoica Kuih with Coconut) 木薯椰丝糕
Ingredients
Bottom layer – cassava / tapioca
- 500 g cassava / tapioca, about 750g before peeling
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unrefined brown sugar
Top layer – coconut
- 200 g grated fresh coconut
- 100 g gula melaka
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 pandan leaves, washed
- 3 ½ tbsp water
Instructions
Steam the cassava
- Cut 500 g cassava / tapioca by trimming off both ends. Cut the cassava into 2 parts or 3 parts (about 3-4 inches long for each part). Cut a slit lengthwise across the tapioca. The thick bark can be peeled off by hand easily.Rinse off the dirt from the cassava. Then slice the cassava. There should be 500g of cassava.
- Steam the cassava for about 30 minutes over high heat until fork tender.
- Once the cassava is cooked, immediately transfer into mixing bowl. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tbsp unrefined brown sugar. Mash the cassava while it's still hot. Then set aside and let it cool.
Cook the coconut
- In a frying pan over medium-low heat, add 100 g gula melaka, 1/4 tsp salt, 3 1/2 tbsp water and 5 pandan leaves, until the gula melaka completely melts.
- Add 200 g grated fresh coconut and mix well. Continue to cook for about one minute until all ingredients are well-combined and the liquid is not visible.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
Assemble the kuih
- Line a cake or loaf pan with baking paper. Add in the mashed cassava and spread it evenly in the pan. Gently press to compress the cassava.
- Add the gula melaka pandan coconut on top of the cassava. Press hard to compress it.
- Hold the baking paper on two sides and remove from the pan. Slice into desired size and serve warm or cold. Keep leftovers in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 4 days.
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