Friday 16 September 2011

muah chee

Muah Chee...a common street food in this part of the world, is a simple sweet snack made with glutinous balls coated with a mixture of grounded peanuts and sugar.



I am not a big fan of this local snack, neither do I dislike it. So, naturally, I have never thought of making it. Pardon my ignorance, I didn't even know that it is something we can make easily at home. Not until Laueen posted her muah chee at her blog Eat and be Happy. Her beautiful post got me really interested, and I started googling about muah chee. To my surprise, many bloggers have posted their homemade muah chee!

Since it is one of my husband's favourite street food, I decided to make some for him when he was back home. I followed this recipe by Sunflower Food Galore as it comes with very clear instructions. Thanks to her, my first attempt at making muah chee was a great success!


Initially, I thought only my husband was going to enjoy this snack, but it turned out that both my kids love it. They helped themselves with the muah chee when I was trying to scoop the cooked glutinous dough and roll them over the peanut-sesame mixture. The texture of the muah chee is really good, soft and not too chewy. The only minor point is, I find the peanut-sesame mixture a bit on the sweet side, will cut down on the sugar amount the next time. Also, I used up only half of the peanut mixture, but there is no issue with this since I could keep the leftover and use it for the next batch.

So, if you or your loved ones like muah chee, why don't you give this a try? I am sure you won't be disappoint :)



Muah Chee
Ingredients:
(serves 4)
200g glutinous rice flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shallot oil
250ml water

1 teaspoon shallot oil for brushing

150g roasted peanut powder (I used ready made ones)
40g toasted sesame
75g granulated sugar


Method:
  1. To make shallot oil, thinly slice 2 shallots, fry with 4 tablespoons oil (about two parts of oil to 1 part of shallot) till golden brown. Leave to cool.
  2. Mix glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt, shallot oil and water in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine, make sure flour mixture is completed dissolved.
  3. Pour the mixture into a deep dish (I used a 8" corelle dinner plate). Steam over medium heat for about 25mins. Test the centre to ensure it is cooked through. Brush the surface with shallot oil and leave to cool.
  4. Mix peanut powder, toasted sesame and granulated sugar in a plate. (Note: I only used up half the portion of the peanut mixture).
  5. When ready to serve, scoop small pieces of muah chee with a spoon and toss them in the peanut powder mixture. Serve immediately.
Recipe source: adapted from Sunflower Food Galore

27 comments:

鲸鱼蓝蓝蓝 said...

喜欢你盛MUA CHEE的碗
怎么办
我爱上你家的杯杯盘盘了:P

Kitchen Corner said...

I love this dessert! But havent make it before. Normally I would buy the (tang yuan) and boil until soft then coated with the ground peanut sesame. Lazy me!! :)

PiggyMummy said...

When I was back in Singapore for a visit last year, my friend's father showed me how to make it! It was so simple that I told myself I would have to make when I returned to the States. But I didn't write down the amount, as he estimated the ingredients. After the long flight and jetlag, I totally forgot about it till I saw your post! Thanks for posting the recipe! WIll definitely give it a try =D

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB, I would like to thank you for all your wonderful posts! You're a great inspiration to me and my baking buddy. We have tried many of your recipes and with your detailed explanation and tips, we managed to achieve pretty good results on most occasions. I really admire your photography skills too. I also tried making muah chee not too long ago. It's very soft but it lacked elasticity. My mum said we need to use a wooden spoon to mix the steamed muah chee vigorously before cutting it up. How's the texture with this recipe?
Cheers,
Butterfingers

Janine said...

Oooh I love muah chee too, and i use the microwave method instead, same results but faster hehe. I love your wooden spork - it looks adorable next to the muah chee and perfect for eating the muah chee with the peanuts!

Anonymous said...

1. do you need to grease the plate first before pouring in the flour mixture to steam?
2. i have seen some recipes that use a mixture of cornstarch/tapioca flour with the glutinous rice flour. Do you know if it makes a difference?
3. after the muah chee is cooled, will it be very sticky on our hands when you try to mix it with peanut mixture?
thk you, HHB :)
May

quizzine said...

I love this when I was a little kid! I'm going to make this soon ;))

The Experimental Cook said...

Hubby and kid loves this too but I cook by microwaving it to save on the steaming time. My folks hate shallots, which I have to omit. Otherwise, it will be a 100% yummy Teochew snack. Sigh.

hanushi said...

I love the ground peanuts!!! It has been a while since I last eat this muah chee... :)

Unknown said...

Wow another Great snack....

Blessed Homemaker said...

My husband likes Muah Chee and I've made this for him a few times. However the pics are still in my hard disk :p

Btw, mine's the lazy method, using microwave. I have another one by AMC by I prefer the MW as don't need to watch over the fire :p. Thanks for the reminder, going to make this for DH when he comes home next week.

Gloria Baker said...

Love this, look delicious! gloria

Happy Homebaker said...

鲸鱼蓝蓝蓝, 那个碗几年前在Daiso买的,已经登场好几次了 (^^)

Kitchen Corner, tang yuan is my favourite too :)

Piggymummy, hope you will like this recipe!

Butterfingers, thanks so much for your comment, I am so happy to hear that whatever I have posted in my blog is for good use to fellow home bakers :)
After steaming, the glutinous rice dough is quite 'set', meaning, there is no way to stir it. Maybe because the steaming time is longer for this recipe?? The texture is soft and not very chewy. My husband said it is good.

Janine, I saw the microwave method, but since I do not have a microwave at home, I opt for this method.

quizzine, hope you will like it!

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi May,
1. No, I didnt grease the plate, yes, I have seen other recipes (posted by Chinese bloggers) that requires the plate to be greased.
2. I don't know the difference, maybe it will contribute to the texture of the muah chee?
3. the muah chee will be sticky, dont use hand, I used a small spoon to scoop and roll it over the peanut mixture.
Also, dont make it in advance, otherwise the muah chee may become soggy. Thanks May for your questions, it helps me to learn more things about this snack ;)

Happy Homebaker said...

The Experimental Cook, if I have a microwave oven, I will use it to make this too :) I dont like shallot oil actually, there is just a slight hint, I think if you add, no one will know ;)

hanushi, my younger son likes the peanut mixture too!

Blessed Homemaker, hope to see your post soon :) I will go for the lazy method too if I have a microwave oven ;)

happybowl said...

yummylicious...:-)

Edith said...

Long long ago, I done a batch with a slightly different method. It was taught by someone we befriended on our one and only tour group. It was heavenly. Perhaps if my memory still intact, I shall whip up some. THanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB
Another way of making is via the Microwave method,I learnt if from The Little Teocheaw- Ju's blog
375ml of water, 250g glutinous flour, 2 tbsp shallot oil, cover and mircorwave for 7 mins.
Pour the mixture (water and glutinous flour into the greased the bowl with shallot oil, cover it and microwave.

It's nice and yummy :)

Emily

Happy Homebaker said...

Edith, hope to see you blogging about it soon :)

Emily, thanks for sharing your recipe :) It will be great for those who have microwave ovens, as for me, I'll have to stick to the stove method ;)

thecoffeesnob said...

Isn't muah chee just the simplest and most delicious thing to make?

My boyfriend was so amazed when he learnt I learned how to make it as a kid and requests it all the time now :)

MnYfoodtalk said...

i make this few years ago. it was really delicious and simple.

qyan said...

Hi may I know where can i buy toasted sesame?

I just bought a packet of white sesame and I am not sure if it is the type that u are referring in yr receipe. Do I need to grind the sesame into powder form?
Many thanks :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi qyan, it will be stated on the packaging if the sesame you bought is toasted. If not, just place them in a pan and lightly toast it over very low heat until it starts to brown a little. It takes only a couple of mins. No, you dont need to grind it into powder form. Hope this helps.

CE said...

Just to share a tip... Oil the spoon or scissors to prevent the dough from sticking to it. I cook on a non stick pan and use sesame oil. Thanks for sharing the steaming method. :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Thanks CE for your useful tip, will do just that the next time I make this :)

Unknown said...

Hi, I am planning to make your wonderful Muar Chee recipe for a potluck and I was wondering can I make this ahead of time and bring it with me? I plan on making this in the morning and then the party is in the evening. TIA

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Jennifer, this is best eaten within a few hours at room temperature, coat the peanut powder mixture just before serving. If you make it in the morning, the dough texture may turn hard by evening.