Chen Xiuhuan learns how to make rainbow ang ku kueh - here's the recipe

Singaporean actress Chen Xiuhuan recently took to Instagram to share her newly acquired skill: mastering the art of cooking rainbow-hued ang ku kueh. The mum-of-three tried her hand at the dessert at the popular Ji Xiang Confectionery at Everton Park in Singapore. 

For the unaware, ang ku kueh or red tortoise cake is an oval-shaped Chinese pastry. It is made up of soft, sticky glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around a sweet filling in the centre. It is moulded to resemble a tortoiseshell and is usually red in colour. 

In fact, Xiuhuan shared that she was never a big fan of this snack. So what made the actress reach out to the boss of Ji Xiang Confectionery with a request to teach her the recipe? Let’s find out. 

Chen Xiuhuan learns how to make ang ku kueh

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Those following the popular actress on social media know that she is fond of cooking. In fact, she frequently posts photos of exquisite dishes. 

So this time, when she saw a picture of the rainbow-hued ang ku kueh, she not only had a strong urge to try the dish, she wanted to learn how to create rainbow effects. 

“I love colours and I find it very special, so I was very happy when Ji Xiang’s boss agreed to show me how to make it. Ji Xiang is one of the best places for ang ku kueh in Singapore,” she shared. 

Rainbow-hued ang ku kueh recipe

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Ingredients (for 16 pieces):

Sweet mung bean filling (8 portions)

• 3 pandan leaves, knotted
• 8 portions of sweet mung bean filling
• 100g split mung beans. This needs to be weighed when dry. 
• 70g sugar

Peanut filling (8 portions)

• 300g of roasted peanuts
• 100g sugar
• Take a little bit of vegetable oil

Dough  

• 30g rice flour
• 250g glutinous rice flour
• 30g vegetable oil
• 15g sugar
• 240g water
• You can keep up to 6 desired food colours

You will also require a banana leaf. Cut into small rectangles slightly bigger than the ang ku kueh mould.

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Steps:

How to make the mung bean filling

1. Drain all the water from the soaked mung beans.
2. Then line a steamer with cheesecloth and place mung beans with knotted pandan leaves on cloth.
3. You can cover and steam over medium heat for the next 30 to 45 mins. This needs to be done till the beans get soft.
4. Take the beans out from the steamer and then place them into a bowl. Now, mash the beans till they turn into a smooth paste. 
5. Take some oil and heat it in a pan. Add the mashed beans, sugar, salt and then sprinkle some water, if it gets too try. Keep stirring it so that the paste turns thick and no longer sticks to the wok. Remove it from the flame and allow it to cool. 
6. After it cools down, then divide into 25g portions. Roll each piece into a ball.

How to make the peanut filling

1.  Take a blender and grind roast the peanuts until morsels are around 2 to 3mm in size.
2.  Add some sugar and a bit of oil to the peanuts to moisten and blend briefly till it comes together. 
3. Segregate the crushed peanuts into 25g portions. Roll each piece into a ball.

How to make the dough

1. Add all the ingredients to a clean bowl and knead it into a dough. Don’t add the food colouring to the mixture at this step.
2. To achieve a soft texture, add some oil.
3. Keep on kneading it until the dough becomes smooth and doesn’t stick to your hands.
4. Now, section the dough according to the number of colours you desire. Add a drop of colouring to each of the different sections. Make sure to not add too much colour. 
5. Roll each of the coloured dough into a long strip.
6. Cut them into thin strips of around 6cm long.
7. Now line the strips according to how you’d like the colours to appear. Then join them to form a rectangle. The total weight should add up to 35g.

Final assembly of the ang ku kueh

1. Flatten one part of the dough lightly until it’s about a quarter-inch thick.
2. Place it on your palm.
3. Now, flatten the filling slightly with palm and place it in the middle of the dough.
4. With the help of your thumb and index finger, now gently fold the edges of the dough to seal the filling.
5. Keep the assembled piece in the mould. Make sure to flatten and level the top
6. Gently take the kueh out onto your hand and place it on the shiny side of the banana leaf.
7. Now, place the prepared kueh in a steamer for around 5-7 minutes over medium heat.
8. You should consume this delicious pastry within 24 hours. If you are planning to keep it overnight, then store it in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Save this recipe for the next time you want to try something sweet and colourful!

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This article was first published in theAsianparent.