It's been a very long time I buy Soon Kueh 笋粿, as I do not really like those selling at the hawker centre or food court. Therefore my kids also do not get the chance to taste this kueh before hahaha...I was always wondering why there is no fresh bamboo shoots inside this kueh though is commonly known as Soon (笋）Kueh :P The reason may be the cost of turnip is much cheaper than bamboo shoots and the taste of turnip is much more acceptable as it is sweeter and crunchier compare to bamboo shoots.
I've bookmarked this recipe from Fong's Kitchen for quite sometime :D Quite a number of ingredients to shred and cut but the cooking process is very simple and straight forward. I've reduced the turnip quantity and replaced it with the same amount of fresh bamboo shoots! The dough skin is also easy to handle too, no messy dough sticking all over my palms when kneading :D Most important is the taste yah :D All my family members loves this Soon Kueh! It stays soft and non-sticky even after leaving in room temperature for over 2 hours.
Fillings (enough for 30 pcs)
Ingredient
- 500gm turnip, thinly shredded
- 250gm fresh bamboo shoots, thinly shredded
- 150gm carrots, thinly shredded
- 6 dried shitake mushroom, soaked & sliced (retained liquid)
- 2 heap tbsp dried shrimps, soaked and finely chopped (retained liquid)
- 500ml water
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 6 shallots, sliced
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Method
- Bring a pot of water to boil. add in shredded bamboo shoots and boil for 5 mins. Drain away water. Set aside.
- Heat 1/2 cup oil in wok, add shallots and deep fried until golden brown. Remove fried shallots and retain about 2 tbsp shallot oil in wok. Reserve the rest for later use.
- Add ginger and saute till fragrant.
- Add garlic, dried shrimp & mushroom, fry till fragrant.
- Add in shredded turnip, bamboo shoots & carrots and stir briefly. Add about 500ml water, bring to boil. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for about 45mins until the turnip are softened. Stir in-between simmering time. In the last 10mins, add in seasoning and half of the fried shallots, mix evenly. Add some water if mixture is too dry. Adjust seasoning accordingly.
- Cool completely before using for wrapping.
Wrapped Soon Kueh before steaming! I must say that I'm so tired after wrapping 30 dumplings! hahaha
Dough Skin (approx 30 pcs)
Ingredient
- 200gm wheat starch
- 100gm tapioca starch
- 100gm premixed soon kueh flour
- 600ml boiling water (I used approx. 575ml water)
- 3 tbsp shallot oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp sugar
Method
- Mix all the flours into a mixing bowl. Combine salt & sugar into boiling water. Pour in the hot water at one go into the flour mixture and quickly stir with a wooden spoon. Mixture will be crumbly. Cover and rest for 10mins.
- Add in 3 tbsp shallot oil into the flour mixture and knead till smooth and non-sticky (caution : mixture will be hot to touch).
- Divide dough into approx. 35gm each, cover the divided dough with a damp cloth to prevent the dough from drying out.
- Dust a working surface and rolling pin lightly with tapioca starch. Take a small dough and roll out thinly.
- Spoon some filling onto one side of the dough skin, fold it over to form a semi-circle and pinch the edges firmly to seal the filling. Repeat till dough completed.
- Place the soon kueh on a well-greased steaming plate, brush the soon kueh with a little shallot oil and steam over medium high heat for 10 minutes till dough skin turns translucent.
- Brush another thin coat of shallot oil on the soon kueh after steaming. Cool down slightly before removing from steaming plate. Serve with toasted sesame seeds, fried shallots and dark sweet sauce.
hmmm...Leftovers Soon Kueh for next morning breakfast :D It taste nice too when pan-fried till golden brown!
