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Also commonly referred to as "p'ng (rice) kueh" or "Teochew red kueh", the Teochew Peach-shaped Kueh is traditionally known as "红桃粿", pronounced as "ung toh kway" in Teochew (a dialect of Chinese) which means "red peach snack/cake/pudding/dumpling". Essentially, this Teochew delicacy is shaped like a peach, features a pink coloured sticky but tender skin that is stuffed with the most fragrant glutinous rice.
I've eaten this kueh since childhood but it was only last Saturday, that my mum handed down the recipe to me. We spent all day in the kitchen, talking about her perfection of the recipe over the years as we pumped out 40 beautiful pieces.
In our household, we've always eaten this during the Chinese New Year celebrations because the peach is regarded in Chinese lore as a symbol of longevity.
Makes approximately 20 pieces
Ingredients
500g Erawan brand rice flour
½ cup tapioca flour
750ml hot water mixed with ½ tsp red or pink food colouring
4 shiitake mushrooms (if using dried variety, rehydrate), diced
3 lup cheong, diced
300g pork rashers, diced
25g dried shrimp
500g glutinous rice
5 spring onion stems, finely chopped
3 tbs vegetable oil
4 tbs oyster sauce
2 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs dark soy sauce
2 tbs light soy sauce
Method
Put the glutinous rice in a large pot filled with cold water and soak overnight.
The next day, steam the glutinous rice for 20 minutes, stirring half way.Keep it covered and warm until you need it.
Combine the rice flour and tapioca flour. With a wooden spoon, gradually stir in the hot water.
While still hot, knead the mixture until smooth, adding the tiniest amount of rice flour if it's too sticky, or drops of hot water if it is too dry. Place the dough in a plastic bag to ensure it doesn't dry out while you work on the filling. It is crucial you set the dough aside to rest after kneading. Allow half to one hour which is generally enough time to prepare the glutinous rice.
Heat the oil in a wok or pan and fry the pork. mushrooms, lup cheong and dried shrimps until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients (spring onions and seasoning) and steamed glutinous rice and fry until mixed well.
Divide dough into twenty small portions. Flatten with a rolling pin and place in the kueh mould. Add spoonfuls of the filling then fold in the edges, sealing the top of the mould and removing any excess dough as you go. Knock out the kueh from the mould and place on a lined steamer tray. Continue until you have enough to fill the tray. You will need to work in batches.
Steam for 8 minutes and lightly brush with oil.
Serve steamed or pan-fried.
Once cooled, the steamed kueh can be stored in the fridge or freezer.
The seductive aroma of the fried pork, lup cheong, shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimps and soy sauce will mesmerize you.
Pay special attention to your quantities of flour and water as well as steaming time. Imbalances of the flour in the dough can cause the skin to be tough and rubbery and steaming it for too long may cause it to fall apart. But when you do get it right, the Teochew peach-shaped kueh is pure comfort food.
These can be eaten straight from the steamer or pan-fried for a crisp texture. You can guess which I prefer ;)
I've also observed that there are a few different sauces which the Teochew peach-shaped kueh is commonly eaten with - a black coloured zesty sauce of vinegar, soy sauce and chilli; a sweet dark soy sauce, or a Vietnamese nuoc cham sauce of fish sauce, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar and chilli. My theory is that the latter was developed as tastes changed when some Teochew families (like my grandparents on both my mum's and dad's side) left their homeland for Vietnam. I quite enjoy all of these sauce versions but more importantly, I am glad I have ten of these steamed Teochew peach-shaped kueh left, safely stored in the freezer for when I crave a taste of my heritage.
P.S. The glutinous rice can also be eaten by itself, naked. Simple serve with fresh coriander sprigs for a hearty meal.
Wow! These are beautiful. They look like so much work, but they definitely seem worth it!
oh this is a very interesting dish.
The ingredient inside is just like the one being use for the Glutinous Rice (bacang)?
It looks so yummy. I am not good with flour, hence never dare to try baking or etc...
Yes, but different in texture and taste
Fantastic, I've never tried these before! For a moment, I thought the charring on your kueh was gold leaf that you'd applied!
LOL, i don't think i'd ever go into that style of home cooking!
oh man this looks so good...esp the glutinous rice filling with the mushrooms and pork! hehe i've never had this before in my life! deprived! :P
How cool are they? Love the colour; happy Chinese New Year again!
They look absolutely Stunning!
Hectic recipe. I was surprised to find it was savoury.
This looks nice. At first I thought it would be savoury. Where did your purchase the mould from?
Hopefully you can post more Teochew recipes, so I can get in touch with my Teochew side. :)
Oh wow - that's pretty spesh! I've never seen anything savoury in that colour :)
Wow, I've never seen those before but they look awesome!
You can eat these naked??? =D Aww so pretty!
I love watching mum when she's cooking in the kitchen, so precise and with such speed. Then I get to eat what she cooks! I'd like to document alot of my mum's dishes too but she's always cooking when I'm not around to photograph and pen it all down1
hahaha i hope you didn't interpret that the wrong way, as in the food being naked without the skin, not the person eating it being naked! LOL
These looks nice. Was it an effort to get the recipe from your mother?
Not so much getting it off her, but trying to measure everything and document the process was tough! I'm sure your mother is the same - they cook from the heart and have an intuition for things
Amazing, first time I've read details of how its made. The end result is mind blowing!
Beautiful! Except I'd be too afraid to try making these, when I've never even made a dumpling before. Is there anywhere you can go to buy them?
These are just out-of-this-world ! They look so perfect, your mum must be a good teacher :) very pretty.
Incredible - they're so unusual, I've never come across these before! And what a beautiful colour.
So beautiful! Stunning colour :)
These look wonderful ;)
My mom makes this too but only once a year it tastes great too bad I only know how to eat instead of making it haha I'm bad at cooking lol