It is believed these tarts were once reserved for the royalty of Bengkulu in Sumatra, but have since become popular among the general population, especially during Hari Raya.
Salmah Munap and her daughter Nurul Atiekah Azman, aka Angah, are third- and fourth-generation Bengkulu tart makers, respectively. Together, they run Tat Bengkulu Sg Choh, which offers melt-in-your-mouth tarts with four filling options: coconut, pineapple, coconut durian, and strawberry.
Here, Angah shares a recipe for Bengkulu tarts with coconut, perfect for impressing your guests this Hari Raya. The tricky part, however, is that she doesn’t provide accurate measurements for the grated coconut filling, saying it has always been “guesstimated”, and the sweetness can be adjusted to taste.
So, if you’re keen on giving this recipe a try, do consider that the dough ingredients are for 100 tarts, and each piece should fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.
Good luck, and check back in this weekend for FMT Lifestyle’s full story on Tat Bengkulu Sg Choh!
Ingredients (serving: 100 tarts)
- 1kg wheat flour
- 500g icing sugar
- 30g baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 500g thick coconut milk
- fresh grated coconut
- brown sugar
- salt
Method
For the dough
- Sift the wheat flour until smooth. Add the icing sugar and baking powder. Mix well.
- Add the eggs to the coconut milk and stir.
- Now add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Stir into a dough and knead well.
For the coconut filling
- Cook the brown sugar in a bit of water until it boils.
- Add the grated coconut and stir until the mixture thickens. Add a pinch of salt.
Making the tarts
- Take a small amount of coconut filling and wrap it with a small portion of dough. Each tart should be round, not over- or underfilled, and should sit comfortably in the palm of your hand.
- Using food tongs, create patterns in the dough. Once done, brush a little egg yolk on top and it’s ready to be baked.
- Set the oven to 175°C. Bake until the tarts are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and enjoy!
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