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5 Secrets to 20 Minute Dinners!
Tips, tricks, and recipes for dinner in a hurry!
Contributor: Ho Siew Loon
Happy New Year! Last week, my neighbors and I had a wonderful potluck party to usher in 2010 and one of the special traditional delicacies that I learned from a neighbor is her ever popular Chai Kueh.
Her Chai Kueh has always been a hit at all our gatherings. I have always enjoyed the chewy texture of Chai Kueh and since it is steamed, it is a rather healthy snack to enjoy…
Chai Kueh (Vegetable Dumplings) is a typical Chinese snack. This snack is very popular among the Teochew and Hakka especially the older generation.
The skill in making Chai Kueh lies in the skin as to achieve the soft, chewy and translucent-like sheen. Stir fried jicama (yam bean) is then wrapped in the crystal like skin.
The soft chewy skin blended together with the slightly crunchy vegetables makes it a simply irresistible snack at any time of the day.
If you like this recipe, please also check out other similar recipes: kuih kosui, spiral curry puff, layer cake (kek lapis).
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 440 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
Chai Kueh Recipe
Ingredients
Fillings Ingredients
- 300 g jicama, yam bean (optional up to 400g)
- 3 tablespoons dried prawns (optional)
- 100 g carrots
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- salt
- pepper
Pastry/Skin Ingredients
- 165 g wheat starch flour, tung mein fun
- 85 g tapioca flour
- 420 g hot boiling water
- 5 tablespoons oil
Instructions
Fillings
- Wash and soak dried prawns for 10-15 minutes. Chop it coarsely.
- Shread yam bean (jicama) and carrots into long strips.
- Heat up 4-5 Tbsp oil and stir in garlic till fragrant.
- Add in dried prawns and fry till fragrant.
- Add in yam bean (jicama) and carrots. Stir fry for about 5 minutes and let it simmer till vegetable is soft and cooked. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
- Leave it to cool.
Pastry/Skin
- Mixed wheat starch flour and tapioca flour in a large mixing bowl.
- Add in boiling water and mixed it thoroughly with long wooden spoon till you get a translucent like dough.
- Close it up and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Add in oil gradually and knead into a smooth dough.
- Rolled out dough into a long sausage roll and divide into about 30 pieces.
To make Chai Kueh:
- Prepare the steamer.
- Lightly oiled the steaming tray.
- Roll out the skin pastry into a circle with about 7 cm diameter.
- Put 1 Tbsp filling in the center.
- Pleat the edge of the skin and wrapped it up tightly.
- Arrange the Chai kueh on the steaming tray. Brush with some oil before steaming.
- Steam for 12 minutes or until the skin is translucent.
Nutrition
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I made these tonight. I substituted white radish for yam beans and garlic chives for carrots. It turned out really well. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Do you really use 5 tablespoon oil for the dough? Seems a lot. I have seen other recipes using less oil or none at all.
Yes, a good chai kueh should be greasy on the surface.
Any advice on the chilli sauce to use with the chai Kueh?
Lingham hot sauce.
Hi,
Is wheat starch flour the same as corn starch flour?
I used corn starch flour with tapioca flour and dough is super sticky until failed.
Wasted
Wheat starch is NOT corn starch.
I made these tonight. I substituted white radish for yam beans and garlic chives for carrots. It turned out really well. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Awesome!
Made this today. Lovely texture and so delicious. Followed the instructions and found the dough very manageable. Wish I could post a photo here. Thank you for the recipe
Thanks for trying my recipe! :)