Bedok Chwee Kueh @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

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After having the wa kuih from Ah Kong Wa Kuih at Chinatown Market & Food Centre, I realized it was not satisfying enough as I am still hungry. I walked past Bedok Chwee Kueh stall and decided to have some to "fill the gaps".

While wa kuih and chwee kueh may seem similar, they are in fact two different things even though both are steamed rice cakes. The wa kuih, of Hokkien influence is usually steamed with fillings such as mushrooms and dried prawn then served with gravy while the chwee kueh, of Teochew influence is steamed plain and served with chye poh (preserved radish).

There are several Bedok Chwee Kueh branches around Singapore. The unique thing about their chwee kueh compared to the other brands such as Tiong Bahru Jian Bo Chwee Kueh is their larger than usual size. Their rice cakes costs 50¢ each with a minimum purchase of two pieces. I suggests getting four pieces instead because two will never be enough.

From my observations to the various branches I have visited, the staff always work in pairs; one will retrieve the piping hot chwee kueh from the steamer then deftly scooped them out from the aluminum mould and place them onto a piece of brown waxed paper while the other one will add chye poh on top of your rice cake and chili sauce by the side.

If you have noticed, behind the staff are stacks of wicker baskets containing the chwee kueh still in their moulds. There is no information as to where they get their supply of chwee kueh from. Whether they make it themselves at a central kitchen or from a supplier, the supply of chwee kueh needed for the day arrived ready-made in these baskets. The staff would then heat up the chwee kuehs in their steamer.

The empty moulds would then be thrown back inside the empty baskets and brought back to their central kitchen or supplier.

I normally try to avoid stalls that steam their chwee kueh in plastic moulds because plastic and heat are not a good combination.

The wobbly chwee kueh is bland by itself. This is why you eat it with chye poh.

With hints of garlic and toasted sesame seeds, the sweet and savory chye poh may be finely minced but still contained some bite to complement the softness of the rice cake. The toasted sesame seeds also provided some burst of nutty flavor.

Do not forget about their umami chili. Add a dollop to the chwee kueh with chye poh for more satisfaction!

Being simmered in a pot of oil means the chye poh is oil rich. In the short while that I walked to a table from the stall, the oil has already seeped into the brown waxed paper. If you are going to takeaway, you may want to consider topping up an additional 30 cents (with minimum purchase of four rice cakes; $2 + $0.30) for a container to pack the chye poh separately to avoid having a pack of oily package by the time you get home.