Have ready all the ingredients to make the steamed Huat Kuih.
First cut pumpkin into thick slices. Then using a metal spoon, remove the seeds. Next remove the skin. Then cut the pumpkin flesh into thin slices. Place the thin pumpkin flesh on a steaming plate.
Then prepare steamer. On high heat, bring water in a steamer to a boil. Then place the plate of pumpkin into the steamer. Cover with lid and steam for about 15 minutes. Then make sure the pumpkin flesh is fork tender. Remove from heat. Immediately add in sugar and salt. When hot, mesh into pumpkin puree.
Pour pumpkin puree into a smaller bowl for easier mixing. Add in water and vegetable oil. Stir to mix well and set aside.
Preparing Pumpkin Batter:
Then sieve all-purpose flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Stir to mix well. Then using a spatula, gently fold in the pumpkin puree mixture into the flour. Mix till the flour is just well mixed with the puree. Do not overmix. The batter should be a bit sticky. Then rest the batter for about 10 minutes.
Making Steamed Huat Kuih:
Meanwhile line 12 tart shell moulds with paper liners. Using an ice-cream scoop, spoon batter till 3/4 full into the tart shell moulds. Then tap the filled moulds to remove air pockets.
Prepare steamer by bringing water in the steamer to a rolling boil. Place the batter into steamer and steam on high heat for 15 minutes. Then remove from steamer and place on cooling rack.
Remove steamed cake from tart mould and they can be served warm or at room temperature. Enjoy with a cup of freshly brewed tea!
Be very careful when cutting the skin off pumpkin as its hard.
Cut the pumpkin flesh into thin slices for easier mashing into puree.
Add sugar and salt into the steamed pumpkin flesh when its hot from the steamer so the sugar and salt can melt.
Make sure the baking powder used is still fresh and active. Otherwise the pumpkin batter will not rise.
Do not add the wet ingredients separately into the flour mixture as overtaxed flour mixture form gluten and the steamed Huat kuih will have a hard and stiff texture.
Gently fold in the wet pumpkin mixture into the dry flour mixture till they are just combined and there are no traces of flour visible. Do not overmix. Otherwise the pumpkin huat kuih will not be soft and fluffy.
Leave batter aside for 10 minutes so the batter has time to rise before steaming.
It is not recommended to use extendable paper liners for the moulds as they can easily go out of shape and expand when steamed.
Fill the batter till 3/4 full or 90% full. This will ensure maximum blossoming of the pumpkin Huat kuih.
Tap the tart mould before steaming to remove any air pocket.
Steam the pumpkin Huat kuih on very high heat steamer so the top of the pumpkin kuih will crack more and have pretty blossoming effect.
Do not open the lid half way during the steaming process. Otherwise the blossoming effect may be affected.