Soon kueh & gu chai kueh, S$0.70 each

Being a true-blue Teochew who grew up helping Mom to make authentic Teochew kueh, I’m very particular about how it should be. Normally, I prefer the traditional Teochew opaque-white dough skin variety over the Hakka-style translucent dough skin type. But I must say that Poh Cheu’s Hakka-style soon kueh is more than decent enough for me to go back for repeat purchases.

Jicama/turnip "soon" kueh

Smooth, even, and with a pleasant springiness, the kueh skin encases a generous amount of moist and flavorsome filling. They have both jicama/turnip (“mang guang” in Teochew) “soon” kueh, as well as the authentic bamboo shoot soon kueh. Both fillings are mixed with chopped carrot, black fungus, beancurd puff, and dried shrimp.

Gu chai (Chinese chives) kueh

The gu chai kueh is equally tasty, except that the chives tend to be a little fibrous.

I’ve also tried their glutinous rice “png” kueh, but that one isn’t really worth the trouble cos the glutinous rice filling lacks fragrance and is too mushy for my liking.

Poh Cheu Handmade Soon Kway Ang Ku Kway
127 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-230 (Alexandra Village)
Singapore 150127

Mon – Sat: 8am to 6pm
Closed: Sun & public holidays

The images in this post were captured with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V (review unit from Sony Singapore).

Due to its labor-intensive and time-consuming nature, handmade Teochew kueh is getting increasingly hard to find. Thankfully, there are still a handful of worthy Teochew kueh specialists who persevere in making this traditional snack. Check out this list for some of the best Teochew kueh in Singapore!

Of course not. First of all, dear monster-in-law mother-in-law would have killed me! Secondly… Hmm ok, there’s no secondly, heh!

A box of yummy Teochew kueh awaits!

It’s just that I got lazy. So breakfast was mostly DIY sliced bread with peanut butter/jam/butter/Nutella. Nothing exciting to share.

But here’s finally something worthy of sharing. I’ve found a Teochew kueh that tastes close to what my grandma used to make.

Glutinous rice "png" kueh, S$0.90

For png kueh, besides glutinous rice, other ingredients like dried shrimp, Chinese mushroom, and peanut are typically added for aroma and flavor.

Though not as chockful of ingredients like our family’s homemade version, Yong’s png kueh was sufficiently aromatic and flavorful (sans mushroom).

Chinese chives "gu chai" kueh, S$0.90

Compared to Kuehs And Snacks, Yong’s gu chai kueh is so much bigger! The skin is thicker, but still acceptable because of appropriate stuffing-to-skin ratio.

Also, this would be excellent for pan-frying, cos the skin won’t easily break and you could fry it till a thick, crisp crust develops.

Jicama/turnip "soon" kueh, S$0.80

Finally, a soon kueh without that mushy, translucent skin! But the filling wasn’t very impressive. Not much flavor, and turnip was shredded a bit too fine for my liking.

Cabbage kueh, S$0.80

Now this is something that we hardly see! Even at home, I vaguely remember my grandma or mom making cabbage kueh just once.

I actually enjoyed this more than the soon kueh. The cabbage was sweet, juicy, and full of bite! They were very generous with the stuffing too.

Do try this if you haven’t before. It’s rare to find a Teochew kueh stall that sells cabbage kueh.

Conclusion: Would definitely patronize Yong’s Teochew Kueh again. The skin is on the thick side, but has a rustic, home-made quality. Very reasonably priced for hearty size and generous filling.

We found the kueh to be tasty enough without sweet sauce or chilli. Also, they were so big that just two pieces were filling enough (that explains why the loot was divided into two days worth of breakfast – #027 & #028).

Yong’s Teochew Kueh 榮潮州粿
150 East Coast Road
Singapore 428837
Tel: 65-6345  6798

Open daily: 7am till sold out (best to go before 5pm, or call to order)

Head branch:
1022 Upper Serangoon Road
Singapore 534760
Order hotline: 65-6287 4328

Clockwise from bottom: Soon kueh (bamboo shoot), gu chai kueh (Chinese chives), png kueh (glutinous rice)

I was drawn to this shop ‘cos of its quaint Chinese name. In Teochew, 老婶 [lau sim] is “grandaunt” and 阿嬷 [ah ma] is “grandma”.

Sadly, the Teochew kueh here tasted far from what my two beloved grandmas used to make (I’m a pure Teochew!). I was hoping for the traditional, opaque-white type of dough skin, but here, it’s the mushy, translucent kind. The stuffing is rather generous, but veered towards the bland side, and could be more fragrant.

To compare, I think those from Fatt Soon Kueh were tastier and more value-for-money.

Besides these regular-sized Teochew kueh, Kuehs And Snacks also sell bite-sized, mini versions. Ang ku kuehs and steamed radish, yam, and pumpkin cakes are also available.

Pricing for above kueh: soon kueh 笋粿 (S$0.70), gu chai kueh 韭菜粿 (S$0.80), png kueh 糯米粿 (S$0.90).

Kuehs And Snacks 老婶阿嬷潮州粿
Blk 125 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-164 Alexandra Village
Singapore 150125
Tel: (65) 6273 5875

Open daily: 8am – 7pm

Soon kueh 笋粿 and gu chai kueh 韭菜粿

Was at Bedok yesterday, so I bought these Teochew kueh from Fatt Soon Kueh for brekkie today. The filling was tasty and generous in amount. The soon kueh had thickly-cut strips of yam bean/jicama, carrot, and black fungus. Only thing I didn’t quite like was the dough skin. I prefer the more traditional type, which is opaque and white, rather than the translucent variation. But hubby enjoyed today’s brekkie very much.

To heat these up, I put the kueh on a plate, covered them with a plastic microwave cover (so that the dough doesn’t dry up), and microwaved for 2 minutes on medium heat.

The soon kueh kueh and gu chai kueh are sold at 4 pieces for S$2.00. They also have png (glutinuous rice) kueh, ang ku kueh, and Hakka yam abacus beads.

Fatt Soon Kueh 发笋粿
Blk 207 New Upper Changi Road
#01-51 (food centre next to Bedok Interchange & MRT)
Tel: (65) 6446 4616 / 8222 5840
Open daily: 7am – 11pm