Soon kueh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- rice flour
- tapioca flour
- jicama
- bamboo shoots
- dried shrimp
 Assorted Teochew kueh, with soon kueh at bottom left | |
| Place of origin | Southern China |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients |
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Soon kueh (simplified Chinese: 笋粿; traditional Chinese: 筍粿; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sún-kóe; pinyin: sǔnguǒ; lit. 'bamboo shoot cake'), also spelt soon kway, is a type of steamed dumpling in Teochew cuisine.[1] The dumpling is stuffed with julienned jicama, bamboo shoots, and dried shrimp, and is then wrapped in a skin traditionally made of rice and tapioca flour before steaming.[2] Soon kueh is often eaten for breakfast or as a snack, served with both sweet soy sauce and chilli sauce.[3]
Dumpling wrapper
The dumpling wrapper is a hot water dough primarily made by combining flour, hot water, salt, and cooking oil. Sugar may also be added.
The dough is often made with a combination of different flours, as a single flour-based dough results in an overly soft dough that is not pliable and prone to breakage.[4] Most use a combination of two flours, which may often be rice, tapioca and wheat. The types and ratios of flour used vary between recipes that change the look and texture of the cooked product. For example, a variant made with a mixture of rice and tapioca flour yields a whitish, opaque dough while another variant made with wheat and tapioca flour produces a translucent dough.[3]
A traditional Teochew-style soon kueh uses a combination of rice and tapioca flour in a four-to-one ratio to achieve a dumpling wrapper that has a glossy, crystalline finish and a slightly firm and springy texture when cooked.[5]
Filling
Soon kueh is traditionally made with bamboo shoots as the primary ingredient of the filling, which is also its namesake. Today, most soon kueh made and sold commercially use jicama as the primary ingredient as it is cheaper and more readily available.[3] Another reason for using jicama over bamboo shoots is for a sweeter flavour and crunchier filling.[6] Some home recipes may include a combination of both, with varying ratios. Common additions to the filling include dried shrimp (hae bee), garlic, shiitake mushrooms and carrots. Black fungus and pork meat may also be added in modern variants.
A vegetarian version of the filling is described by heritage researcher Kelvin Tan as originating from the Hai Inn See temple in the Choa Chu Kang area of Singapore in 1950.[7] The abbess at the time, Yang Qincai, was inspired by the vast amount of bamboo growing on temple grounds to make these dumplings, which are later sold at a nearby kopitiam and became a popular breakfast item. Garlic is omitted in this variant as Buddhists do not consume garlic due to religious beliefs.[8]
