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| Ngee Heng Chwee Kueh Mobile Stall 義興水粿 Motorbike # JAM1315 | 1, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru ☎ +6012 737 7970 🕣 7am - 11am |
There is something magical about the humble chwee kueh for me. And my favourite, Ngee Heng Chwee Kueh in Johor Bahru, still comes around on a motorcycle 😄
Sam and his trusty motorcycle chwee kueh stall can be seen scooting around JB and pasar malam (night market). In the morning, he is stationed at Pelangi food centre. I guess the easiest way to look for Sam is at Pelangi food centre, but if you chance upon him at a pasar malam, don't pass up the chance to try his home made chwee kueh.
Look out for JAM 1315.
The menu today (2 Oct 2024). All traditional breakfast staples.
Chwee kueh literally "water cake" are milled rice solution filled into little moulds and cooked by steaming (which turns them into rice cakes). Ngee Heng Chwee Kueh uses milled rice from milling rice grains (not from rice powder / flour).
When I was a child, chwee kueh moulds were still made of clay (which made a clacking sound when the chwee kueh man threw them together after extracting the rice cake). Those were breakable and have since been replaced by aluminium moulds like these above.
Sweet preserved turnip are finely diced and stewed in either lard or vegetable oil. Ngee Heng Chwee Kueh offers both options.
I just got the minimum 6 pieces for RM6 to get my chwee kueh fix. Sam was generous with the chai poh and slathered in some chili sauce as well.
Sam's chwee kueh is quite dense, soft tender but not jiggly soft like those in Singapore. It tasted subtly sweet with a hint of rice fragrance. Enjoying it felt very comforting and satisfying.
The soft lard stewed chai poh was robustly savoury lardy with a bit of sweetness. When eaten with the much milder sweet tasting chwee kueh or rice cake, the savoury and sweet flavours were deliciously balanced 😋
I don't know any better chwee kueh in Johor Bahru now.
Stall name: Ngee Heng Chwee Kueh Mobile Stall 義興水粿 Motorbike # JAM1315
Address: 1, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru
Tel: +6012 737 7970
Hours: 7am - 11am
Written by Tony Boey on 7 Oct 2024
I have seen this popular mobile chwee kueh 水粿 stall for some time outside the Sri Terbrau market in the morning. There is always a crowd of customers standing and waiting to take away small packets of chwee kueh. Many are "drive thru" customers waiting in their cars or motorbikes.
Today, this chwee kueh stall was the first stop of our Johor Bahru food trail :D
Chwee kueh 水粿 is a simple Teochew staple / comfort food common in Johor and Singapore, mainly eaten during breakfast.
Traditionally, chwee kueh is made with broken rice and chipped grains which are not suitable for normal serving. These are ground or milled into a milky flour with water and cooked by steaming in little clay or aluminium cups to make small rice cakes.
To make the rice cakes palatable, chwee kueh is eaten with a savoury relish (cai poh 菜脯). Diced preserved radish (or daikon) is used instead of meat as it can provide a savoury flavour just like meat but at much lower cost. The diced radish is stewed in lard oil over low fire for that extra layered savouriness. (At Ngee Heng, they provide a non lard option as well.)
Chwee kueh 水粿 is a simple Teochew staple / comfort food common in Johor and Singapore, mainly eaten during breakfast.
Traditionally, chwee kueh is made with broken rice and chipped grains which are not suitable for normal serving. These are ground or milled into a milky flour with water and cooked by steaming in little clay or aluminium cups to make small rice cakes.
To make the rice cakes palatable, chwee kueh is eaten with a savoury relish (cai poh 菜脯). Diced preserved radish (or daikon) is used instead of meat as it can provide a savoury flavour just like meat but at much lower cost. The diced radish is stewed in lard oil over low fire for that extra layered savouriness. (At Ngee Heng, they provide a non lard option as well.)
Though people's lives have generally improved much since the early days, chwee kueh continues to be a popular comfort food, especially with the older generation.
Third generation owner, Sam 何修万 is a very cheerful and friendly stall holder.
Here Sam was scooping the small white rice cakes onto pieces of wax paper for customers to take away.
Sam then added preserved radish (kept warm with low fire) to the rice cakes before wrapping up the little packet.
I asked Sam the obligatory question, "How long have you been in this business?"
Before Sam could utter a single word, one of his loyal lady customers answered on his behalf "他从十几岁就在这里作到现在 He has been working here since his teens till now."
Sam's chwee kueh is tender with some firmness, relatively dense and felt slightly grainy in the mouth. We can taste the flavour of rice in Sam's chwee kueh. Slight graininess and rice flavour are signs that Sam's chwee kueh are make the old way with ground rice.
Here Sam was scooping the small white rice cakes onto pieces of wax paper for customers to take away.
Sam then added preserved radish (kept warm with low fire) to the rice cakes before wrapping up the little packet.
I asked Sam the obligatory question, "How long have you been in this business?"
Before Sam could utter a single word, one of his loyal lady customers answered on his behalf "他从十几岁就在这里作到现在 He has been working here since his teens till now."
Sam's chwee kueh is tender with some firmness, relatively dense and felt slightly grainy in the mouth. We can taste the flavour of rice in Sam's chwee kueh. Slight graininess and rice flavour are signs that Sam's chwee kueh are make the old way with ground rice.
Ngee Heng chwee kueh has built up a multi-generation, loyal following. Sam said he won't lightly change the recipe or cut corners as customer's trust is precious.
Commercial "chwee kueh" have other starch added as fillers making it smoother, bouncier, has a glossy sheen but lacks rice flavour.
Sam's savoury radish relish was not overly salty nor too oily. Overall, it's a nice, simple, affordable breakfast.
Sam also sells other breakfast items like chee cheong fun and yam cake too.
Sam's savoury radish relish was not overly salty nor too oily. Overall, it's a nice, simple, affordable breakfast.
Sam also sells other breakfast items like chee cheong fun and yam cake too.
->> A good place to try simple Malaysian style breakfast food. Real milled rice cakes topped with braised turnips with just the right tenderness and savouriness.
Sam moves around morning markets and pasar malam in JB. If you spot him and his trusty bike JAM1315, give it a try!
Stall name: Ngee Heng Chwee Kueh Mobile Stall 義興水粿 Motorbike number JAM1315
Address: 1, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor
Tel: +6012 737 7970
Hours: 7am - 11am
Previous Address
Address: Outside Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre, Jalan Keris, Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.487056,103.768063 / 1°29'13.4"N 103°46'05.0"E
Hours: 7:00am to 10:00am (Closed on Monday)
Date visited: 17 Sep 2014
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Wow cool, a naturally vegan dish! I will definitely be looking for this next time I'm in Malaysia :)
ReplyDeleteNo this has lard in the toppings.
DeleteCorrection. There is no lard.
DeleteThis has no lard , i am the eldest son of Ngee Heng Chui Kuih
ReplyDeleteNoted. Thank you for pointing out.
DeleteLong time ago, Chwee Kuih stalls would use lard oil only. It’s amazing really. After tabao and wrapped in leaves, it can stay warm for a few hours because lard oil is that hot.
ReplyDelete