Ah Ma's Collection 4: Teochew Soon Kueh 1 潮州笋糕

What're u eating? 在吃什么?
吃不饱的. 想当SQ空姐.

Fetish

Teochew heritage ...Out in the market place many versions of soon kueh are available. I grouped them into two - lots of rice flour or totally starch flours. The first kind is that of teochew origin and the rest are made by other dialects chinese. Teochew use at least 80% rice flour and then 20% starch flours to soften the dough. Teochew recipes call for rice flour and tapioca flour only, which I find the softness lacking.

thai rice flour

The other recipes that only use starch flours are truly soft but dive my digestive system into topsy-turvy (teo dou). Hence I avoid this category at all costs. A fortnight ago, I was cajoled to eat a  " famous" soon kueh costing@$1.50 a pc. One bite.."Oh mama, what on earth is this ?" Too impolite to split out, I swallowed it ! The pi had texture of mashed potato and drowned the luxurious filling of purely bamboo shoots. Since that moment, day in day out Soon Kueh predominated my thoughts when I set feet into the kitchen. Knew had to roll sleeves and get into some rectification process.

These non-gluten flours - rice, tapioca, wheat starch, sweet potato, corn, chestnut and many more, I adore playing with them. Understanding the characteristics of each flour allows you to balance the mix to suit your palate...very much same as composing a tune with the different keynotes. You can run to the store at anytime and pick up a package of soon kueh premix, and instant success your  kueh will be .  A word of caution - high dependancy on  premix retards your cooking development. I stood firm not to use a singe teaspoon of the premix . 

Through three rounds of trials using the classic teochew recipe of rice flour and tapioca flour as the base, I incorporated wheat starch, glutinous rice flour and cornflour to the mix. Bingo!!! This morning breakfast, I (a weekend parent) was proud to surprise the chompers (weekend children) a plate of soft and slight springy Teochew soon kueh with glossy and a tint of crystal shine on the surface, definitely must be steaming hot as well. Traditional teochew ah ma, ah sim, ah chek like some firmess to final product. The newer generation prefer non-springy texture, read  yam soon kueh, the technique is slightly different.

Sweet black sauce and belachan chilli definite. Home-made ones are fully stuffed with filling (liao pok pok) while out there ones are hollow (kosong kosong) n thick dough skin (pi hou hou)...certainly this weekend was well spend.

Cabbage Soon Kueh (click here)

oil d scapper

hot water dough - firm soft n springy

shape into 45g ball

flatten ball

turnip

flavour enhancer

do not over fill

use fork to decorate edges

Teochew Soon Kueh 潮州笋糕

Directions:

Dough -

• 100g rice flour

• 20g tapioca flour
• 10g corn flour
• 5g wheat starch
• 15g glutinous rice flour

• 250g boiling water direct from stove
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cooking wine
• 1 1/2 tbsp oil

Filling:

• 100g cooked bamboo shoots
• 100g turnip 
• 6 pcs carrot 
• 2 pcs mushrooms
• 1/4 length leek
• 10g dried prawns
• 4 springs chinese celery
• 50g pork minced - belly pork or "see no sky"
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp soya sauce
• 1/2 tbsp cooking wine
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 1/2 tbsp oil
• salt sugar pepper to taste

** skip any vegetables if you don't like, add any others you like.

Preparation:

Filling:

1. Shred the vegetables and chop garlic.
2. Rinse dried prawns - no soaking
3. Fry the garlic mushrooms dried prawns till nice smell.
4. Add in minced pork and continue frying 3 min.
5. Add in sauces n wine.
6. Add in the rest of vegetables n fry.
7. Mix cornflour with water and pour into vegetables.
8. Stir fried and stop when vegetable start to shrivel.
9. Off the fire. Vegetable will continue to cook.
10. Salt sugar pepper to taste.
11. Cool completely .

Dough Making:

1. Mix the five flours together.
2. In boiling water add salt and sugar .
3. Pour water all over flours and mix with chopsticks to a little rough dough.
4. Rest dough 5 mins to cool down
5. Pour oil and knead dough till smooth.
6. Rest dough again at least 15mins.
7. Divide dough into 45g each and lightly floured with corn flour.
8. Put small dough between plastic sheet and flatten into thin round sheet.
9. Scoop 2 tbsp filling and placed in center. 
10. Seal the edges by pinching and press edges with fork or use a kueh mould.
11. Grease steaming tray or place baking paper and steam kuehs for 15 mins medium high fire and 5 mins low fire.
12. Brush shallot oil on kuehs after steaming when still very hot.
13. Serve them steamed or panfried for nicer flavour and crispy skin.
14. Stay fresh in fridge at least 3 days.

Cook's important pointers:

• Pouring water must be boiling hot.
• Sieve flours or whisk the flours before adding water.
• Oil the scapper bf mixing the hot flours.
• Rest dough at least 15 mins.
• Use corn flour/ tapioca flour to dust very lightly. 
• Cover dough balls while working.
• **Can use a small heavy bottom pot to flatten small dough instead of rolling pin.
• Best eat them all within the same day. Once starch sets in fridge, softness changes even you resteam to invert it. Or wrap the uncook kueh in fridge, steam before serving.

even glossy top

Workshop @ Palate Sensations Singapore - 65-6589 8843


food quote:   A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.” ― Elsa Schiaparelli

Cook as to how you like to eat it, join me if we share the same taste.  PaulaCookingFingers