Steamed Chive Snack

Steamed Chive Snack or Ku Chai Kue is a traditional Teochew snack. It is one of the varieties of Teochew Chai Kue (vegie snack). When I was growing up in Pontianak (West Borneo), these little 'kueh's were a favourite for mid-day snack. There were some children selling them door-to-door, all neatly stacked up in a pan, and served with some garlic oil and chilli sauce poured over. However, my favourite then was the Ou Kue, which has shredded yam filling. Here is the Ku Chai Kue I adapted from Linlin's mother's recipe.



Ingredients for the skin:
300g rice flour
30g tapioca flour
300ml cold water
300ml boiling water

Ingredients for the fillings
600g chives
About 8 tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste (1 tsp)

Method:
1. Wash chives & dry them out.
2. Chopped the chives & add in oil & salt to taste. If mixture is too dry, add in some more oil.
3. Set fillings aside.
4. To make the skin, mix both flour together in a big glass bowl.
5. Pour in cold water & mix using a wooden spoon until a smooth paste/liquid is formed.
6. Heat up 300ml water, when it starts to biol lower the heat to simmer. Pour the dough into the boiling water while continue stirring. When the dough is half cooked and starts to change colour, remove from heat. Trasnfer the dough into a large bowl
7. Grease the palm of your hands and knead dough for about 10 to 15 mins until the dough is smooth and elsatic.
8. Prepare steamer.
9. To wrap the kuehs, pinch out a small round of the dough, about the size of a shelled walnut. Sprinkle some rice flour on work table and roll the dough out to about 1-1.5mm thick. Cut with the largest round cookie cutter (98mm).
10. Wet the dough around its circumference. Put in about 1 tbsp of fillings into the middle of the dough. Seal the edges by lightly pressing around the half circle.
11. Continue with the rest of the dough, while covering the kuehs with damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
12. Place them onto a large steaming plate (or pizza pan) lined with cling wrap. Steam for 15 mins.
13. When kuehs are cooked, let them cool down & grease them with garlic oil to prevent them from sticking onto one another when stacking up.