Chwee Kueh 水粿

My kiddo and hb love Chwee Kueh very much and the kiddo has been bugging me to make it for him. Both of them used to eat it at the hawker centres at least once or twice a week! We used to go to Ghim Moh market for the chwee kueh; the kueh is excellent, but my kiddo doesn't like their savoury type of chai poh. Alternatively, we would go to Clementi or West Coast markets where their chai poh are the sweet type. Well, now they can only get to eat this when they request and if I feel like making it :p

Frankly I've never make this in SG before because it's simply too convenient and much quicker if we were to eat it at hawker centres. For a batch like this, it took me around 1.5hrs! But now that we are in Thailand, cravings could only be satisfied by homemade I guess, which means OT for me in the kitchen -_-"

I like to make my chwee kueh mini size because I can literally put the whole piece in the mouth and munch away without the chai poh falling all over the place =D

The size of the mini chwee kueh is around 4.5cm and the chai poh topping is around 1 heap teaspoon, it's like a golden proportion to me ;p

I started off with cooking the chai poh or preserved radish first. I like my chai poh to have some crunch, not too oily and well-balanced between sweet and savoury. In Thailand, I can only find the sweet type of chai poh; it's actually not very sweet after rinsing and soaking in water for 15 mins.

Basically add some cooking oil to a pot, sautee minced dried shrimps, garlic and shallot till fragrant, then add the preserved radish and stir-fry on medium heat for about 10 mins. Thereafter add seasonings like light soy sauce, fish sauce, white pepper and sugar to taste; add a little bit of dark soy sauce for the colour, and also some toasted sesame seeds for the fragrance. Continue to simmer for about 10 mins on medium low heat and the chai poh is ready.

The chwee kueh or "water cake" is the trickier one to make as it's not easy to get the correct texture and consistency. The batter mixture of rice flour, wheat starch, corn flour, salt and water (room temp & boiling) might seem so simple but I realised that following proper steps are actually quite important. 

After mixing the flours and water (first room temp then boiling) together to form the batter, it's crucial to stir the batter each time you want to use it, otherwise the flours tend to settle at the bottom with the top being more diluted. As a result, chances are the initial batches of kueh will be very soft, and towards the end very hard.

Hence it's also important to work fast when filling the batter into the moulds, otherwise by the time all the moulds are filled, once again the flours settle at the bottom. Hence to overcome this, I oil the moulds and place them in the wok steamer as the water is boiling. Then using a jug/measuring cup with spout, I quickly pour the batter into the moulds (water is still boiling at the bottom of the steamer) and stirring the batter after a few pours to ensure it remains homogeneous.

And after the chwee kueh are done steaming, it's important exercise some patience and let the chwee kueh cool down slightly and set before unmoulding because otherwise the whole piece of kueh is too mushy and will break!

I learnt all these through trial and error. Actually I wonder how the hawkers do it as they prepare such large batches of chwee kueh daily!

Anyways, I'm glad that I could satisfy my family's cravings for this quintessential hawker food of Singapore from time to time.

Chwee Kueh 水粿
*reference from Bear Naked Food, Eat What Tonight
(makes 50 pieces, using mini moulds measuring 5cm top, 2.5cm bottom)


Ingredients
Chai Poh

• 200g sweet preserved radish, rinsed and soak for 15 mins.
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp, soak in hot water till softened then minced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pcs shallot, minced
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• 1/2 cup cooking oil (I used 1/4 cup shallot oil, 1/4 cup coconut oil)
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce, for colour, adjust according to preference
• 1/4 tsp white pepper

1. In a pot, heat cooking oil on medium heat. Add minced dried shrimp and stir-fry till fragrant for a minute. 
2. Add garlic and shallot and stir-fry for a minute.
3. Drain the preserved radish and add into the pot. Stir fry on medium low heat for about 10 mins.
4. Add the seasonings and adjust according to taste. Add the toasted sesame seeds. Mix well.
5. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 mins on medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
6. The chai poh is ready to use.

Kueh

• 135g rice flour
• 4 tsp wheat starch
• 4 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp salt
• 400ml room temperature water
• 400ml boiling water

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, starches and salt and mix well.
2. Add the tepid water and whisk till the dry ingredients are dissolved.
3. Add boiling water in a steady stream, whisking the mixture at the same time, till batter is well-mixed.
4. Prepare a steamer and bring water to boil (I'm using a wok with steamer insert). Wrap the cover of the steamer with a piece of towel/cloth to prevent water from dripping into the chwee kueh.
5. Brush the mini moulds thoroughly with oil, and place the moulds into the steamer with the water boiling.
6. Pour the batter into a jug with spout (stirring constantly to make sure batter consistency is homogeneous). Then quickly pour the batter into the mini moulds (with the water still boiling), stirring batter after every few pours. Repeat until all batter used up.
7. Cover and steam the chwee kueh for about 15 mins. *if mould is larger, steam for 3-5 mins more.
8. After 15 mins, remove the steamer insert from heat and let the chwee kueh cool down slightly and set. 
9. Use a mini spatula or butter knife, insert in into the sides of the mould and lift the chwee kueh out of the mould. The chwee kueh should be able to be removed easily.
10. Top the chwee kueh with about 1 heap tsp of chai poh each.
11. Enjoy by popping one whole piece of chwee kueh with chai poh into the mouth!