Kuih Keria (Sweet Potato Donuts)

Deep-fried sweet potato rings encrusted with crystallized sugar

These doughnuts (or potato-nuts?) are a common breakfast or teatime snack in Malaysia. Made from sweet potatoes, they are slightly chewy with a crunchy sugary crust and are best eaten on the same day. Eating these brought back memories of how my mum used to buy them (along with epok-epok and other "kuih") for breakfast and I would slowly nibble around the doughnut, crunching on the flaky layers of crystalized sugar that coats the deep-fried sweet potato rings.

The recipe for making these is pretty standard, and it's super easy to make. Here's what I used:

Kuih Keria (Sweet Potato Donuts)

Ingredients:

600g yellow sweet potatoes
100g plain flour
Pinch of salt

Sugar coating:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Method:

1. Steam or boil potatoes until soft, then mash them finely with a fork. Combine with flour and salt and lightly knead until it comes together.
2. Wet hands and pinch off some dough, pat it to flatten slightly, then push a finger through to make a hole in the centre. Spin it around your finger to form a ring. Place on a floured surface and continue with the rest of the dough.
3. Heat up oil in a wok and deep-fry the rings until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
4. Sugar coating: Place sugar and water in a wok and bring to boil until it reduces to a thick clear syrup. Lower the heat and toss the doughnuts in the syrup, stirring until the sugar is dry and forms a white coating on the doughnuts. Transfer doughnuts to a plate and serve warm.

Piped these out using a star nozzle and dusted them with icing sugar



Here's one coated with sugar and black sesame





Deep-fried sweet potato balls filled with pineapple jam and rolled in black sesame