Soft and slightly chewy peach-shaped steamed kueh filled with the savory goodness of sticky rice filling is not only eye candy but it's such a delicious snack and comfort food to many, including myself. The dough is easy to work with and stays soft and has the right amount of chewiness.
If cooking on the stove or rice cooker, soak the glutinous rice and peanuts for at least 4 hours or overnight. You can skip soaking them if you use a pressure cooker
On the day of cooking:
Rinse the mushrooms and dried shrimp with clean water and then soak them in warm water (separately) until they are soft. Save the soaking liquid to cook the rice later. Finely chop the dried shrimp and cut mushrooms into tiny pieces
Cooking the rice using steamer or rice cooker:
Drain off the soaking liquid. Place the rice and peanuts on a steaming dish and add water. Steam on high heat for 25-30 minutes. If using a rice cooker, place the soaked rice and peanuts in the inner pot and add water. Use a sticky rice function if there's one, otherwise, just press cook and cook until they are soft
When the rice is cooked through. Fluff the rice and set it aside to let it cools down before wrapping
Cooking the filling (this is where you add the unsoaked rice and peanuts if you use a pressure cooker):
Preheat a large wok or skillet. Add cooking oil. Stir fry shallots, garlic, and dried shrimp until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir fry again for another minute. Add the cooked glutinous rice and peanuts here followed by 2 Tbsp of liquid from soaking mushrooms and dried shrimp and continue to stir until they are well combined. Break up any lumps from the rice. Have a taste and adjust to your preference
If you are using a pressure cooker to cook the rice, add the rice and peanuts (which have not been soaked) here too. Make sure you stir well to combine everything. Have a taste on the filling to see if it is salty enough and adjust accordingly. Turn off the heat. Add 450 ml of liquid here and stir to combine. Transfer to a round container, preferably aluminum or stainless-steel (anything that transfers heat well). Pour 1 cup of water into the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Put a trivet in there. Place the container on top of the trivet. Close the lid and turn the pressure release valve to sealing. Press "pressure cooker" and make sure it's on "high pressure". Set the timer to 30 minutes and then wait 10 minutes before releasing the pressure
Carefully unlock the lid and fluff the rice with a fork and let it cools down completely before wrapping
Prepare the dough:
Combine rice flour, tapioca flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Pour 400 ml of water in a saucepan. Add a small drop of red food coloring so we get a pink liquid. Bring the water to a rolling boil (make sure it's really boiling). Pour this into the flour mixture and use a spatula to stir into a rough dough. When it's cool enough to handle, add 2 Tbsp of oil and knead with your hand until you get a smooth elastic dough. Divide the dough into about 30 grams each (I get 27 pieces). Keep them covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying out
Assembling:
Dust the mould liberally with some tapioca starch. Shake out any excess. Lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin with a bit of tapioca starch. Take one dough out and use a rolling pin and roll into a circle, it doesn't have to be perfect, about 4 mm in thickness
Drape this dough over the mould with the sides overhanging and lightly press into the cavity of the mould, to follow the shape. Scoop the filling in and gently press the filling to follow the shape of the mould and then gather the overhanging dough to seal the kueh. You can trim off excess dough with scissors so the bottom won't be too thick. It will not look neat or perfectly smooth, it's ok. This will all smooth out after you steam them
Flip the mould over and gently tap on the counter top to release the dumpling
Place this on top of a banana leaf that has been brushed with a bit of oil. You can also use parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling. Dusting the mould each time to prevent sticking
Keep the shaped kueh covered with a damp cloth while you are working with the rest
Steaming:
When you are done with wrapping. Bring the water in a steamer to a boil. Arrange the kueh in a steaming basket or a plate. Place this inside the steamer and steam over medium heat with the lid of the steamer slightly ajar. This is to prevent the imprints on the png kueh from being blurred. Steam them this way for 15 minutes or until the kueh are cooked through
Remove from the steamer and brush with some shallots oil (if you have any) or use neutral-tasting oil. They can be served warmed or at room temperature. You can also pan fry them with a bit of oil on the pan until they form a bit of golden-color crust on them
Serving:
Serve them with drizzle of dark soy sauce and some fried shallots and your favorite chili sauce