Meet your new favourite sweet treat-Kuih Keria! Sweet potato doughnuts coated in crystallised sugar, perfectly soft and chewy.
Who loves doughnuts?! Say hello to your new favourite: Kuih Keria, or Sweet Potato Doughnuts! This is a traditional kuih/kueh or sweet treat that combines the sweetness of sweet potatoes with a crispy, crystallised sugar coating.
This is a classic Malay/Malaysian favourite at street markets and food stalls, with its unique texture and flavour – soft and chewy, with a crispy bite. It’s a stand out among other doughnuts! If you love doughnuts but want to try a new twist with simple ingredients and steps (no proofing needed!), Kuih Keria is sure to win your heart.
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What is Kuih Keria?
Kuih Keria is a traditional Malaysian and Singaporean dessert made from mashed sweet potatoes, flour, and a hint of salt, all formed into a ring-shaped doughnut.
It’s deep-fried until golden and then dry fried with sugar that crystallises as it cools.
The result? A chewy, soft, sweet doughnut with a crisp, crystallised sugary coating!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Key Ingredients
The Donuts
- Sweet Potatoes: The star of the recipe, providing natural sweetness and a soft, chewy texture. A tip is to find the most orange sweet potatoes you can find, to get a gorgeous naturally bright colour.
- All-Purpose Flour: Plain, all-purpose flour is all you need! This binds the dough together.
- Salt: Just a pinch to balance the sweetness and enhance flavors.
- Baking Powder: Optional, but this gives the donuts a fluffier lighter texture. Without it, the donuts are still good, the texture will be slightly denser, which to be honest, I sometimes prefer.
The Crystallised Sugar Coating
- Sugar and Water: For the crystallised coating, giving Kuih Keria its sugar crystal look and crunchy bite. Regular white sugar will work.
- Pandan Leaf (Optional): Adds a floral, fragrant aroma to the sugar coating!
Key Steps to Making Kuih Keria
1. Prepare the Sweet Potatoes
- Peel and roughly chop the sweet potatoes to about 1-inch cubes.
- Steam or boil the sweet potato cubes until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. To check if potatoes are ready, poke a fork through. If the fork pierces effortlessly, sweet potatoes are ready. Remove from the water or drain any excess water if boiling.
- While still warm, mash the sweet potatoes until smooth. Use a potato masher, fork or a food processor.
- Once mashed, let the potatoes cool completely. It’s important to let it cool completely, and any residual steam to escape. This is so that no additional flour is unnecessarily added.
Tip
Mash potatoes while they’re still warm, it’s far easier.
2. Form the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed sweet potatoes with salt and the baking powder (if using).
- Gradually add in the flour – do not add ALL of the flour at one go.
- Knead the dough gently until it forms a soft dough. Stop adding flour once the dough does not stick to your hands; it’s ok if it still feels wet. We do not want to add too much flour.
- Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, or while you prepare your station.
TIP! The secret to soft donuts is to add the least amount of flour – the potatoes keep it soft instead of doughy.
3. Shape the Doughnuts
- Before shaping donuts, prepare a plate brushed with oil. Prepare a bowl with oil to dip fingers in to easily handle the sticky dough.
- Pinch off about a golf-ball size amount.
- Roll each portion into a ball.
- Flatten slightly and use your finger to poke a hole through the center, creating a doughnut shape. Dip fingers in oil for easier handling, as needed.
- Place each doughnut on the oiled plate while you work through the rest of the dough.
4. Fry the Doughnuts
- Heat oil in a deep pan or pot to about 175°C (350°F).
- Fry the doughnuts in batches, about 2–3 minutes per side, until golden brown. The donuts are done when it feels firm to the touch.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
5. Prepare the Sugar Coating
- In a large skillet or wok, combine sugar, water, and the pandan leaf over medium heat.
- Stir constantly until the sugar melts and forms a thick syrup, allowing the pandan leaf to infuse for added fragrance.
- Reduce heat to low, continuing to stir until the syrup thickens and slightly crystallizes and be slightly opaque. Remove the pandan leaf before coating the doughnuts.
6. Coat the Doughnuts
- Turn off the heat and immediately add the doughnuts to the wok.
- Toss the donuts in the sugar syrup until each is well coated, and the sugar on the donuts crystallize. It might take a while, be patient!
NOTE: If you don’t have patience, you can remove the donuts once they’re coated, and let it cool on a tray. This can get slightly messy, and you’d find the donuts stick to each other. They will easily come off, but then you’d lose some of that pretty crystallisation on the surface.
- Remove the doughnuts from the pan and let them cool on a tray.
7. Serve & Enjoy
- These are best served while still warm!
- Enjoy these warm with a cup of tea or coffee.
How to Serve Kuih Keria
Serve Kuih Keria warm with a cup of tea or coffee. The doughnuts are best enjoyed freshly coated, while the sugar is still slightly warm and crunchy.
They’re great for sharing at gatherings or as a sweet treat at the end of a meal.
Kuih Keria Variations
- Instead of sugar, melt palm sugar or gula melaka instead. This is a traditional method, and yields delicious Kuih Keria with a caramelised sugar coating.
- Want to skip the sugar crystalising step? Dust the fried donuts with icing sugar!
Tips and Tricks
Storing and Reheating
Storage
- Kuih Keria is best enjoyed fresh, but if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- You can also refrigerate them so they last longer, but do note the doughnuts may be a little tougher.
Tip for Humid Climates: You might find that if left overnight, especially in hot and humid climates (like Singapore!), the sugar may melt and soak into the doughnuts.
While the doughnuts will still taste delicious, this will affect the texture and look of the sugar crystals. If you want to keep that signature, opaque sugar coating, store the doughnuts after frying without the sugar coating. Then, do the sugar coating step just before serving.
Reheating
- Generally Kuih Keria is served at room temperature.
- You can’t really reheat Kuih Keria; the sugar will simply melt off. And no, they will not crystallise back.
Kuih Keria – Sweet Potato Doughnuts (top tips for soft donuts!)
8
servings15
minutes40
minutesMeet your new favourite sweet treat-Kuih Keria! Sweet potato doughnuts coated in crystallised sugar, perfectly soft and chewy.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- For the Doughnuts:
450 g (1lb) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder (optional)
oil, for frying
- For the Crystallised Sugar Coating:
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
1 pandan leaf, tied into a knot (optional, for fragrance)
Directions
- Prepare the Sweet Potatoes
- Peel and roughly chop the sweet potatoes to about 1-inch cubes.
- Steam or boil the sweet potato cubes until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
To check if potatoes are ready, poke a fork through. If the fork pierces effortlessly, sweet potatoes are ready. - Remove from the water or drain any excess water if boiling.
- Mash the sweet potatoes
- While still warm, mash the sweet potatoes until smooth. You can use a potato masher, fork or a food processor.
- Once mashed, let the potatoes cool completely. This allows any excess steam to evaporate.
- Form the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed sweet potatoes with salt and the baking powder (if using).
- Gradually add in the flour – do not add ALL of the flour at one go.
- Knead the dough gently until it forms a soft dough. Stop adding flour once the dough does not stick to your hands; it’s ok if it still feels wet. We do not want to add too much flour.
- Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, or while you prepare your station.
- Shape the Doughnuts
- Before shaping donuts, prepare a plate brushed with oil. Prepare a small bowl with about 2-3 tablespoons of oil to dip fingers in to easily handle the sticky dough.
- Divide the dough into 8-10 equal portions (around the size of a golf ball).
- Roll each portion into a ball. Flatten each ball slightly and use your finger to poke a hole through the center, creating a doughnut shape. Dip fingers for easier handling, as needed.
- Place each doughnut on the oiled plate while you work through the rest of the dough.
- Fry the Doughnuts
- Heat oil in a deep pan or pot over medium heat to about 175°C (350°F).
- Fry the doughnuts in batches, about 2–3 minutes per side, until golden brown. The donuts are done when it feels firm to the touch.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Prepare the Sugar Coating
- In a large skillet or wok, combine sugar, water, and the pandan leaf over medium heat.
NOTE: Using a large wok is preferable, it would be easiest to toss the donuts in the sugar. - Stir constantly until the sugar melts and forms a thick syrup, allowing the pandan leaf to infuse for added fragrance.
- The syrup should be slightly opaque. Remove the pandan leaf.
- Reduce heat to low, continuing to stir until the syrup thickens and slightly crystallizes (it should have a sticky, grainy texture).
- Coat the Doughnuts
- Turn off the heat and immediately add the doughnuts to the wok.
- Toss them in the sugar syrup until each is well coated, and the sugar on the donuts crystallize.
- Remove the doughnuts from the pan and let them cool on a tray.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
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