Chestnut Ang Ku Kueh - a delectable treat

one for our street food heroes!

as a millennial Singaporean, my childhood memories of the city’s streets involved prancing by makeshift chestnut stalls, often run by middle aged uncles continuing the already dying trade. the toasty scent of caramelised chestnut and the smoke from the charcoal was always a sign that a chestnut peddler was close by and it was often impossible to resist getting a bag of chestnuts to bring home for an post dinner snack.

I used to see these stalls aplenty - in night markets, right by MRT stations, some even at void decks. however, roasted chestnut stalls have dwindled in the past years as no one wanted to continue the trade, especially with rising rental prices in Singapore’s food spaces.

recently we purchased chestnuts from Uncle Arh Orh (a.k.a Uncle Black) who has been running Bugis 103 Roasted Chestnut since the 1970s. starting in Bugis Street, he relocated to Chinatown, at the intersection of Trengganu Street and Smith Street. as a gesture of establishing friendship and celebrating 50 plus years of his business, we sat down with him for a chat and used his roasted chestnuts as a filling for our Ang Ku Kueh, which we brought back to him to try.

we’re glad that those Ang Ku Kuehs past his taste test!

@nomies.cowhat do you mean chestnuts made you forget about marriage uncle?? 💍 🌰 link in bio for the recipe! 🐢 #fyp #food #sgfoodie #sgfood

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Chestnut Ang Ku Kueh (紅龜粿)

(makes 30-35 pcs)

dough
300g glutinous rice flour
250ml water
220g orange sweet potato, peeled, steamed until soft, and mashed
40g rice flour
food colouring, optional

dough paste
4 tsp rice flour
1 tbsp sugar
80ml water
2tbsp peanut oil

chestnut paste
400g roasted chestnuts flesh, shell removed
3 pandan leaves, knotted
100g sugar
100 ml peanut oil
200ml coconut cream
100ml water
1/2 tsp salt

to assemble
banana leaves, as needed
5 tbsp peanut oil
150g rice flour

directions

preparing chestnut filling

• in a food processor, combine the roasted chestnut flesh with oil, coconut cream and water. blend into a smooth puree.

• transfer the chestnut pure into in a non-stick pan / wok on low heat. add the pandan leaves and sugar and reduce the mixture to a stiff paste, stirring constantly to avoid burning. this could take about 6-10 minutes.

• transfer the paste onto a tray to cool it down completely. remove the pandan. roll the paste into 22g balls and set aside.

  making the dough

• push the mashed sweet potato through a sieve for form a smooth texture.

• to make the dough paste (roux), whisk rice flour with sugar, water and oil. cook over low heat on a non stick pan, whisking constantly, until it become a thick, translucent paste. cool it down.

• in a mixing bowl, combine the sweet potato with glutinous rice flour, water, 40g rice flour and the cooked paste. mix everything with your hand until it forms a stiff, pliable dough which is not sticky. you may add your desired food colouring at this point & knead it in. portion the dough into 22g balls.

  

forming the kueh

• to form the kueh, flatten a piece of dough with your thumbs and index fingers. place a chestnut paste ball in the middle and and enclose it fully. smoothen the ball by rolling in between your palms.

• dust the ball with a little rice flour (too much and the surface might crack and be too dry). press the ball firmly into an ang ku kueh mould and knock it out.

• grease a rectangular piece of banana leaf, just slightly bigger then the kueh, with peanut oil. carefully position the kueh on the banana leaf.

• repeat until the dough and paste finishes. arrange kuehs on a steaming rack and steam for 8 minutes. transfer to a plate and immediately brush the surface with a little oil.

• let kueh cool down to room temperature before serving.

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  if you’re looking to fulfil your sweet tooth, check out our other kueh recipes below!: