Sticky, chewy and gooey rice morsels coated with crunchy nuts awesomeness is how I would describe Muah Chee 麻糍 (known as the Hakka Chee Bah in Malaysia). Perhaps not the most enticing adjectives to describe a snack if you are not used to those texture. Like faced with a trembling jelly, some might quiver at the thought of the tucking into such strange elastic texture. But to those who are more used to the Japanese equivalent - Mochi. This will be an absolute delight.
Unlike it's Japanese counterpart, this is no refined sweets. You do not go to a fancy counter adorned with beautifully crafted gems for these but instead, you'll find them served casually by a street hawker. The prepared elasticated dough will be snipped and coated with a nutty mixture to order. The only acceptable way to eat them is by using the toothpicks provided, spearing into each morsel of golden nuggets and pop them into your mouth. These are so addictive, once you get past that distinctive gooey-ness, you'll be wondering how on earth have you never had them before.
The good news is that Muah Chee are an absolute doddle to make. You mix some glutinous rice flour, water and oil together and then you steam it. The hardest part is the beating of the cooked dough to stretch and smoothen it. If you have a particularly tough day in work, this will be no problem at all. Vent all you frustration on this, don't worry, the dough will take it. In fact, the harder you beat it, the smoother it will become and the better texture it will be.
So not just a great treats but also a great way to introduce some workout/exercise into your busy life. You might just burned off enough calories to justify munching through a bowlful of these Muah Chee.
Ingredients
250g glutinous rice flour
350ml water
2 tbsp groundnut oil, plus more for greasing
For the peanut coating:
300g peanut, roasted and chopped
50 g toasted sesame seeds
50g granulated sugar
Method
In a large mixing bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour, water and groundnut oil and mix well. Set aside to rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare a steamer and bring the water to a boil.
Lightly grease a cake tin, pour the mixture into the tin and steam over medium heat for 30 minutes, until cooked through. The mixture should turn from translucent to completely opaque when cooked.
Remove from the steamer and tip the dough into a large mixing bowl. Now it's time to exercise your arm muscles and give the dough a good beating with a wooden spoon. Think of all your frustrations from the day in the office. Believes me, it helps. Beat the dough for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Brush the surface of the dough with oil, this stop the dough from hardening. Leave to cool.
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the coating thoroughly together.
To serve, grease your hand with some oil and pinch the dough. Stretch it while snipping them into small bite-size chunks with a pair scissors with greased blades. If you can't bear to touch the gooey dough, use a pair of greased tong instead to pinch the dough while you snip away. Drop each pieces into the peanut coating and turn to coat thoroughly before serving.
ooh these look cool! pinned to try later!
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