You will enjoy these soft and fluffy Malay-style sweet potato doughnuts coated in crystallized sugar. The doughnuts are easy to put together and don’t use any yeast. The doughnuts can be fried, baked, or air-fried.
This kuih keria made with sweet potatoes (or known as keledek in Malay or ubi jalar in Bahasa) is one of the easiest donuts you can make. You can easily make the dough with your hands without any machine. You don’t need a yeast for this recipe. Some people do not use leavener like baking powder too, it’s optional. I use it because it helps to give that extra fluffiness to the donuts.
Ingredients
1. Sweet potatoes
2. Cake flour
If you don’t have cake flour, you can use all-purpose flour, however, the texture won’t be as soft. You can replace 20 grams of the all-purpose flour with cornstarch to make your own cake flour
3. Rice flour
The rice flour also adds to some softness to the dough.
4. Baking powder
This is optional, but I strongly suggest that you use it so give you soft fluffy doughnuts
5. Cinnamon powder
You can omit this if you want. I like the aroma of cinnamon in donuts and it pairs well with sweet potato too
6. Sugar
I use granulated sugar to make the crystallized sugar. You can use caster sugar too
7. Salt
A small pinch of salt helps to bring out the overall flavor
How to make kuih keria
1. Cut the sweet potatoes into cubes and then steam on medium-high heat for 5 minutes
2. Mash while they are still warm and then set aside to cool down
3. Combine the all-purpose flour, rice flour, salt, baking powder (if using), and cinnamon powder. Sift this over to the sweet potatoes and knead into a dough. If you find that the dough is too dry, you may add a bit of water, teaspoon by teaspoon. If the dough is too wet (some sweet potatoes contain more moisture), then add a bit more all-purpose flour, one tablespoon at a time until you can get a soft dough that just slightly sticky to touch
4. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Oil your palms with some oil or spray with some cooking spray. Roll them into a ball and then slightly flatten into a disc and then use your index finger to poke a hole into the middle to make them look like donuts with holes
5. For deep-frying: Preheat oil in a heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. When you dip a skewer in there, you’ll see bubbles around it. Lower the heat to medium and add the donuts into the oil, 3-4 at a time. Gently flip them over as they cook to prevent the donuts from getting burn. The donuts will float to the top when they are cooked through. Remove to an absorbent paper towel and continue frying the rest
6. For baking: Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper. Spray some cooking spray on the donuts or brush with oil. Preheat the oven at 350 F (180 C) and bake for 15 minutes at middle rack and then turn over and bake for another 10 minutes or until the inside cooked through
7. For air-frying: Spray the basket with some cooking spray or brush with oil. Brush some oil on the surface of the donuts or use a cooking spray. Arrange the donuts in a single layer inside the basket of the air fryer and air fry at 350 F (180 C) for about 2-3 minutes. Flip over to the other side and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the donuts are cooked through
8. Put water and sugar in a large pan and bring to a boil over low heat
9. Once it starts bubbling, add the cooked donuts and keep stirring and you will start seeing the sugar turns “whitish” in color because the sugar starts to form crystals. It may appear a bit wet at first, but it will dry up and turn even whiter after it cools down completely
How to store leftover kuih keria
1. Let them cool down completely after coating with crystallized sugar
2. Store in an air-tight container for 3-4 days
3. Fon longer storage, you can freeze them by placing them on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper/wax paper and put in freezer for about 1 hour (flash freezing) and then transfer to a freezer bag, push out all the air and seal. They can be kept in the freezer for 1 month
4. Simply thaw at room temperature before serving
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Kuih Keria /Kuih Gelang (Sweet Potato Doughnuts)
Ingredients
- 300 gr sweet potatoes (weight is without skin)
- 80 gr cake flour plus more for dusting
- 30 gr rice flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder optional, but adds a nice aroma
- Water as needed
For frying:
- 2 cups cooking oil such as canola, grapeseeds, vegetable oil, etc
Crystallized sugar coating:
- 100 gr granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp water
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- Cut the sweet potatoes into cubes and then steam on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Mash while they are still warm and then set aside to cool down
- Combine the cake flour, rice flour, salt, baking powder (if using), and cinnamon powder
- Sift this over to the sweet potatoes and then knead into a dough. If you find that the dough is too dry, you may add a bit of water, teaspoon by teaspoon. If the dough is too wet (some sweet potatoes contain more moisture), then add a bit more all-purpose flour, one tablespoon at a time until you can get a soft dough that just slightly sticky to touch
Shaping:
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Oil your palms with some oil or spray with some cooking spray. Roll them into a ball and then slightly flatten into a disc and then use your index finger to poke a hole into the middle to make them look like donuts with holes.
Deep-frying:
- Preheat oil in a heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. When you dip a skewer in there, you'll see bubbles around it. Lower the heat to medium and add the donuts into the oil, 3-4 at a time. Gently flip them over as they cook to prevent the donuts from getting burn. The donuts will float to the top when they are cooked through. Remove to an absorbent paper towel and continue frying the rest
Baking:
- Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper. Spray some cooking spray on the donuts or brush with oil. Preheat the oven at 350 F (180 C) and bake for 15 minutes at middle rack and then turn over and bake for another 10 minutes or until the inside cooked through
Air-frying:
- Spray the basket with some cooking spray or brush with oil. Brush some oil on the surface of the donuts or use a cooking spray. Arrange the donuts in a single layer inside the basket of the air fryer and air fry at 350 F (180 C) for about 3-4 minutes. Flip over to the other side and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the donuts are cooked through. The time is just a reference, you may have to experiment with the timing on your air fryer
- The air fryer and baked version won't have nice even golden brown like the deep-fried version, just so you know
Prepare the crystallized sugar coating:
- Put water and sugar in a large pan and bring to a boil over low heat, once it starts bubbling, add the cooked donuts and keep stirring and you will start seeing the sugar turns "whitish" in color because the sugar starts to form crystals. It may appear a bit wet at first, but it will dry up and turn even whiter after it cools down completely
2 comments
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ve tried to make it using the air fryer method but the donuts were all flat … I’m not sure why 🙁
Hi Jo, how’s your dough felt like? was it very soft? if it’s too soft, it may lose its shape during baking or air-frying