These Exotic Ang Ku Kuehs Are On A Kueh-st To Conquer Your ‘grams And Tastebuds
Before all the fad foods that exist today, there were good old traditional pastries like Ang Ku Kueh.
A traditionally red pastry consisting of a sticky, chewy skin, wrapped over a sweet filling, this kueh was a regular feature on the dining table when many of us were children.
Kueh Ho Jiak, which literally translates to ‘kueh nice to eat‘, hopes to bring the humble kueh to the ‘gram-loving, health-conscious generation by changing up its flavours and appearance.
[caption id="attachment_27986" align="alignnone" width="5184"]
Kueh Ho Jiak[/caption]
Located in the CBD, at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre, every one of the kuehs here is handmade with love.
[caption id="attachment_27989" align="alignnone" width="1296"]
Kueh Ho Jiak storefront[/caption]
Think multi-toned kuehs in purple, brown, yellow, and black hues. These kuehs come in a variety of shapes: bear, Hello Kitty, flower, heart, and circle. This facelift feels fresh, while still pointing to the kueh’s traditional roots with the banana leaf at the base of each one!
A Fresh Spin On Kueh
While Ang Ku Kueh skins are traditionally made of glutinous rice flour, the skins of Kueh Ho Jiak’s Ang Ku Kuehs are made of 5 different varieties of sweet potatoes: Japanese sweet potatoes, Purple sweet potatoes, Jewel sweet potatoes, Hannah sweet potatoes, and Garnet sweet potatoes.
The different coloured sweet potatoes are also what give these kuehs their unique hues. No artificial colourings are used in the making of these little snacks!
[caption id="attachment_27994" align="alignnone" width="5184"]
Kueh on display[/caption]
Appearance aside, what lies within the skin is even more intriguing. Some of the more unusual flavours include durian ($1.60) and hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimp) ($1.60). Other flavours you’ll find are mung bean ($1.20), red bean ($1.20), peanut ($1.20), coconut ($1.20), and yam ($1.60).
While hae bee hiam Ang Ku Kueh may sound odd, don’t write it off without giving it a try! Spicy without being overly salty, this is likely to be a winner among those of you who love your savoury foods.
Generally, the kuehs here are less sweet than those you may be used to eating. While this threw us off at first, the more we had of it, the more we grew to like it! The skin of these kuehs is also softer than others we’ve tried – another thing we really like.
The crowd favourite here is the durian Ang Ku Kueh, so make sure to give that a try if they’re available when you stop by!
Made With Love
Everything at Kueh Ho Jiak is handmade with love.
In the evening, the people at Kueh Ho Jiak start making the kuehs. At around 1am, they start to steam them, and at 6am, the kuehs are delivered to the coffee shop to be sold. Some of the kuehs are brought to the store uncooked and are steamed fresh at the store once the previous batch is sold out.
[caption id="attachment_27987" align="alignnone" width="5184"]
Kuehs ready to be steamed[/caption]
Aside from Ang Ku Kuehs, some of the other things you must try while you’re here are the Bomb Puffs ($1.50) and the Ubi Kayu (cassava) ($2.20).
[caption id="attachment_27995" align="alignnone" width="5184"]
Bomb Puffs[/caption]
The Bomb Puff is the bomb. A curry puff with a crispy, fluffy pastry, its filling is chunky and very flavourful. Eating it, you can tell that the people at Kueh Ho Jiak have put a lot of effort into perfecting every element of the puff.
[caption id="attachment_27997" align="alignnone" width="5184"]
Ubi Kayu[/caption]
The Ubi Kayu here is delicious as well. Served with a fancy pair of toothpicks, these cassava balls are fragrant and so soft, they melt in your mouth!
A New Lease Of Life
Kueh Ho Jiak is all about inventing new recipes and giving traditional kuehs a new lease of life. A novel idea, these photogenic kuehs are sure to capture your heart and tastebuds!
[caption id="attachment_27985" align="alignnone" width="5184"]
Kueh Ho Jiak[/caption]
Made with no preservatives, no pork, and no lard, you can even request for vegan versions to be made! Every kueh is made using healthy, fresh ingredients, so you can be sure you’re putting only good things into your body.
Looking to get your hands on these goodies? Place an order with Elizabeth at 9028 4359 because the kuehs here tend to sell out quite fast. While officially, Kueh Ho Jiak opens until 2pm, most days, it is closed by noon because it has run out of kuehs to sell!
Affordable, delicious, and so photogenic, you won’t regret trying these little treats!
Kueh Ho Jiak
Address: 6 Tanjong Pagar Road, #02-20 Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre, Singapore 081006
Opening Hours: Mon – Sat: 7am – 2pm; Closed on Sun
Contact no.: 9028 4359
Facebook
Also read We Tried Glamping For The First Time And It Was As Awesome As It Looks
