In Asia, “rice bowl” is a familiar metaphor referring to one’s livelihood or source of income. The staple food holds deeper meaning for two families whose rice bowls are literally rooted in rice: Kim Choo Kueh Chang and HarriAnns. The former with their Nyonya rice dumplings and the latter for their nuo mi fan or Teochew-style sticky rice.
KIM CHOO KUEH CHANG
My Makan Kaki Chef Melvyn Lee and I made our first stop at the East Coast Road branch of Kim Choo Kueh Chang, home of the famous Nyonya rice dumpling. There, we met third generation owner Edmond Wong, who joined forces with his brothers Desmond and Raymond to take their grandmother’s food legacy to the next level.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang's owner Edmond Wong (right) with Chef Melvyn Lee and Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan for a meal of chap chye and rice. (Photo: Mediacorp)
According to Edmond, the brand was founded in 1945 by their grandmother Lee Kim Choo, who started off as a street hawker selling food her grandmother had taught her to make.
“After the world war, they had to find means to survive and the only skillset they had back in those days were their culinary skills,” Edmond said.
Operating out of a makeshift stall by a banyan tree on the corner of Joo Chiat Place and Everitt Road, Kim Choo’s rice dumplings stood out.
With encouragement from her neighbours in the community and a bank loan secured with the help of then-MP for Joo Chiat Dr Fong Kim Heng, she moved into a shophouse at 60 Joo Chiat Place. Her focus on perfecting her rice dumplings paid off and her name has become a beacon of excellence for her descendants.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang in East Coast Road. (Photo: CNA/Khoo Bee Khim)
Kim Choo Kueh Chang in East Coast Road. (Photo: Mediacorp)
On the second floor of their East Coast shophouse, we were welcomed with a simple Peranakan lunch of chap chye and rice homecooked by Edmond’s mother Helen.
“It’s actually survivor food for my family. My grandma, together with her maternal grandma, would go to the wet market to buy scraps of vegetables that had been discarded, and they would make a vegetable stew,” he shared.
“My mum learnt cooking from my grandma and she’s like the version of Little Nyonya where she had to pound and learn everything from the start.”
Homemade chap chye made by Edmond's mum Helen. (Photo: Denise Tan)
From the second generation to third, Edmond’s mum has taught him well and he obliged us with a lesson in the art of wrapping their famous kueh chang. The first step involved pandan leaves, but not the aromatic type I was familiar with.
“So these are mangrove pandan leaves. These are the huge, gigantic ones,” Edmond explained.
At Kim Choo, two leaves layered and fanned atop each other, are used to create a wider surface area for the filling. They need to be pre-soaked the day before, then boiled to prevent splitting during the wrapping process.
XO chang and Nyonya chang with the ingredients in the background. (Photo: Denise Tan)
The leaves were folded and held in a cone shape, then premium glutinous rice that had been soaked in water for eight hours was spooned in. A lean pork and winter melon mixture that had been cooked in lard was added, then topped with a second spoonful of the seasoned and spiced rice.
Even under Edmond’s expert tutelage, folding the leaf parcels into the distinctive pyramid shape of kueh chang required a dexterity neither Chef Melvyn nor I possessed. But we had fun trying.
Next came the tying. At Kim Choo, they use 100 per cent cotton food grade twine in place of coloured nylon strings. The twine was wound twice round each parcel to secure the leaves, then tied with what Edmond referred to as a live knot. This was so customers can conveniently unwrap the kueh chang with one tug of the string.
Denise with the Nyonya kueh chang ingredients. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Edmond also emphasised the importance of tying and hanging the dumplings from the same height to prevent tangling and to ensure they cooked evenly in boiling water. He also recommended eating them at ambient temperature, not hot out of the pot. This was to better judge the quality because flaws can’t be hidden at ambient temperature.
I found the glutinous rice tasty on its own, its savoury notes complemented by the spiced meat filling. Little chunks of candied winter melon added a touch of sweetness to each toothsome bite. For variety, chicken and vegetarian options are also available for Kim Choo’s signature Nyonya chang.
Nyonya kueh chang. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Cross section of XO chang. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Another best-seller was their XO Traditional Salty Chang, made from the same premium glutinous rice stuffed with dried scallop, dried oyster, whole chestnut, shitake mushroom, fatty pork belly and salted egg yolk. Larger in size due to its abundant meat and seafood filling, this rice dumpling was my favourite. It was a purely savoury treat with a luscious mouth-feel.
Chef Melvyn agreed: “I feel that a lot of people will have their own creation and rendition of ‘chang’ nowadays, right? But catching the balance of flavour, I think you guys did a fantastic job.”
Kim Choo Kueh Chang's kueh chang. (Photo: Mediacorp)
Kim Choo Kueh Chang's kueh chang. (Photo: Mediacorp)
Speaking of which, Edmond and his brothers previously held jobs in other fields but spurred by their passion to preserve their Peranakan heritage, they returned to help their parents. Each brother oversees different aspects of the business. Desmond is the director of operations and quality control, while Raymond, an authority on kebaya, beading techniques and repair, is in charge of marketing and the boutique.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang's owner Edmond Wong (centre) with Chef Melvyn Lee and Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan. (Photo: Mediacorp)
With an interest in heritage and community, Edmond manages business development and Corporate Social Responsibility. Kim Choo Kueh Chang provides job opportunities to the marginalised or disadvantaged and offers them a safe place to work.
The family have retained grandma’s original Joo Chiat shophouse as their food factory and the East Coast Road branch serves as a retail and workshop space, as well as an official Singapore Visitor Centre for tourists.
Preparing kueh chang or bak zhang in the kitchen. (Photo: Mediacorp)
Preparing kueh chang or bak zhang in the kitchen. (Photo: Mediacorp)
“The whole purpose is so that we can have this platform to share more about what it means to be Peranakan. When you translate the word ‘Peranakan’ to English, it literally just means ‘locally born descendants of foreigners’. It’s not so much about the marriage of races, it’s actually about the marriage of cultures that defines who we are,” Edmond said enthusiastically.
At Kim Choo, the vision is to stay local, yet go global, so that grandma’s legacy and culture is amplified beyond Singapore’s borders for generations to come.
HARRIANNS
Sharing their family's culinary heritage with a broader audience is also the goal for the third generation owners of HarriAnns, Alan Tan and his wife Sharon. The HarriAnns story also began with rice and the toil of a matriarch relying on her culinary skills to overcome tough times.
From left: Chef Melvyn Lee and Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan with HarriAnns' owners Sharon Goh and Alan Tan at their Suntec City cafe. (Photo: Denise Tan)
After the tragic loss of her husband, Alan's grandmother Chia Nguk Eng began selling nuo mi fan (glutinous rice) from a pushcart along Tiong Bahru Road in the 1950s. His father began helping from the time he was five, enduring hardships and learning his mother’s trade. By 1964, Alan’s grandma had saved up enough to afford a stall in Tiong Bahru Market, which his father took over in the 1980s. He extended their repertoire to include Nyonya kueh, made from recipes taught by grandma.
In his early teens, Alan began helping at the family stall. Noticing its lack of a name, he devised a portmanteau to distinguish it from the rest.
“Dad is Harry, mum is Annie, so I coined the name ‘HarriAnns Delights’, not knowing that 40 years later, I’d be taking it back, doing this for a living,” he shared. “I was working for a multinational company and dad was saying, ‘you said you’re coming back to help me. Is this going to really happen?’”
So in 2013, after eight years working in Malaysia, Alan returned to Singapore with his family to fulfil his dad’s wishes, swiftly expanding the business to multiple outlets.
Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan and Chef Melvyn Lee getting ready to to have a HarriAnns meal. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Chef Melvyn and I met up with Alan and Sharon at their Suntec City cafe, for a taste of the dish that started it all.
Glutinous rice was soaked overnight, drained and dry-steamed for up to an hour, then stir-fried in vegetable oil with peanuts. Garnished with crispy shallots, a dollop of sambal and a side of sweet glutinous rice, the dish looked deceptively plain.
HarriAnns' sweet glutinous rice (foreground) and savoury glutinous rice with peanuts and fried shallots with sambal. (Photo: Denise Tan)
“That’s how the Teochew style is being done. Although it looks simple, but it’s all full of flavour,” Alan assured us.
He was right. The sweet-savoury combo was undeniably delicious. Each fragrant, glossy grain was separate and pleasantly chewy, with a spicy kick from the homemade sambal. It was my first encounter with Teochew-style white glutinous rice and I was sure it wouldn’t be my last.
Fans of Nyonya kueh will be spoilt for choice with the selection at HarriAnns. We devoured the classics in rapid succession, starting with a childhood favourite, brightly tinted rainbow lapis steamed layer by colourful layer. Sharon explained that freshly squeezed coconut milk gave their desserts a natural sweetness, so their recipes required less sugar.
Kueh salat and rainbow kueh lapis at HarriAnns. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Ondeh-ondeh at HarriAnns. (Photo: Denise Tan)
“Back then, the kueh lapis wasn’t this colourful. It was just very muted colours like pink and white, just very simple fare. Then when we took over, we wanted to appeal to the younger generations,” Alan said. “We wanted to modernise the Nyonya kueh,” Sharon added.
Green orbs of pandan-perfumed, coconut-coated perfection, the ondeh-ondeh was best eaten whole. Their liquid gula melaka centres explode with a gush so delightful, I had to stop myself from reaching for a third helping.
Besides their popular kueh-kueh, HarriAnns’ dine-in menu now includes hot food like babi pongteh, ayam buah keluak and their signature Nyonya laksa.
Babi pongteh at HarriAnns. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Ayam buah keluak at HarriAnns. (Photo: Denise Tan)
“We do one-dish Peranakan meals at our outlets, very symbolic of the Peranakan culture. So, we’re doing grandma really proud. All done from scratch,” Sharon said.
Made to Alan’s exacting standards, the Nyona laksa was served with prawns, fishcake slices, half a hardboiled egg, taupok (tofu puff), beansprouts and a sprinkle of chopped laksa leaves. The gravy, chunky from its rempah (spice mix) of herbs, spices and hae bee (dried shrimp), was packed with umami flavour. If you like your Nyonya laksa really “lemak” (rich), HarriAnns’ rich and coconut-creamy version will appeal.
Reflecting on his decision to return a decade ago, Alan said: “I told dad, for the past 50 years, you have been doing very well in the market stall so what will happen in the next 50 years? So I decided that we should bring HarriAnns to a mall and perhaps to let more people know about us.”
Besides their Suntec City location, HarriAnns Nyonya Table can be found at Bugis Junction and Keppel Bay Tower. The brand also supplies to several five-star hotels in Singapore, but in a nod to their humble beginnings, their Tiong Bahru stall remains.
Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan and celebrity chef Melvyn Lee flanked by HarriAnns' owners Alan Tan and wife Sharon Goh (holding a book their son Ethan wrote about the family business. (Photo: Denise Tan)
The HarriAnns story has been documented in a book written by Alan and Sharon’s son Ethan, whose interest hints at the possibility the brand might continue into the fourth generation. The then-12-year-old was inspired by UNESCO’s recognition of Singapore’s hawker culture to interview his grandpa Harry and preserve his legacy.
Ethan’s heartfelt gesture holds profound significance for the family, given Harry's passing in June last year. More than just the book title or their tagline, “Happiness is Handmade” is a reminder of their purpose and honours the generations that preceded them.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang (Singapore Visitor Centre East Coast branch) is located at 111 East Coast Road, Singapore 428800. It’s open daily from 9am – 9pm.
HarriAnns Nyonya Table (Suntec City outlet) is located at 3 Temasek Blvd, #01-416A, Suntec City West Wing, Singapore 038983. It’s open daily 8.30am - 8pm.
Catch Makan Kakis with Denise Tan every Thursday from 11am on Mediacorp GOLD 905.
Continue reading...
KIM CHOO KUEH CHANG
My Makan Kaki Chef Melvyn Lee and I made our first stop at the East Coast Road branch of Kim Choo Kueh Chang, home of the famous Nyonya rice dumpling. There, we met third generation owner Edmond Wong, who joined forces with his brothers Desmond and Raymond to take their grandmother’s food legacy to the next level.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang's owner Edmond Wong (right) with Chef Melvyn Lee and Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan for a meal of chap chye and rice. (Photo: Mediacorp)
According to Edmond, the brand was founded in 1945 by their grandmother Lee Kim Choo, who started off as a street hawker selling food her grandmother had taught her to make.
“After the world war, they had to find means to survive and the only skillset they had back in those days were their culinary skills,” Edmond said.
Operating out of a makeshift stall by a banyan tree on the corner of Joo Chiat Place and Everitt Road, Kim Choo’s rice dumplings stood out.
With encouragement from her neighbours in the community and a bank loan secured with the help of then-MP for Joo Chiat Dr Fong Kim Heng, she moved into a shophouse at 60 Joo Chiat Place. Her focus on perfecting her rice dumplings paid off and her name has become a beacon of excellence for her descendants.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang in East Coast Road. (Photo: CNA/Khoo Bee Khim)
Kim Choo Kueh Chang in East Coast Road. (Photo: Mediacorp)
On the second floor of their East Coast shophouse, we were welcomed with a simple Peranakan lunch of chap chye and rice homecooked by Edmond’s mother Helen.
“It’s actually survivor food for my family. My grandma, together with her maternal grandma, would go to the wet market to buy scraps of vegetables that had been discarded, and they would make a vegetable stew,” he shared.
“My mum learnt cooking from my grandma and she’s like the version of Little Nyonya where she had to pound and learn everything from the start.”
Homemade chap chye made by Edmond's mum Helen. (Photo: Denise Tan)
From the second generation to third, Edmond’s mum has taught him well and he obliged us with a lesson in the art of wrapping their famous kueh chang. The first step involved pandan leaves, but not the aromatic type I was familiar with.
“So these are mangrove pandan leaves. These are the huge, gigantic ones,” Edmond explained.
At Kim Choo, two leaves layered and fanned atop each other, are used to create a wider surface area for the filling. They need to be pre-soaked the day before, then boiled to prevent splitting during the wrapping process.
XO chang and Nyonya chang with the ingredients in the background. (Photo: Denise Tan)
The leaves were folded and held in a cone shape, then premium glutinous rice that had been soaked in water for eight hours was spooned in. A lean pork and winter melon mixture that had been cooked in lard was added, then topped with a second spoonful of the seasoned and spiced rice.
Even under Edmond’s expert tutelage, folding the leaf parcels into the distinctive pyramid shape of kueh chang required a dexterity neither Chef Melvyn nor I possessed. But we had fun trying.
Next came the tying. At Kim Choo, they use 100 per cent cotton food grade twine in place of coloured nylon strings. The twine was wound twice round each parcel to secure the leaves, then tied with what Edmond referred to as a live knot. This was so customers can conveniently unwrap the kueh chang with one tug of the string.
Denise with the Nyonya kueh chang ingredients. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Edmond also emphasised the importance of tying and hanging the dumplings from the same height to prevent tangling and to ensure they cooked evenly in boiling water. He also recommended eating them at ambient temperature, not hot out of the pot. This was to better judge the quality because flaws can’t be hidden at ambient temperature.
I found the glutinous rice tasty on its own, its savoury notes complemented by the spiced meat filling. Little chunks of candied winter melon added a touch of sweetness to each toothsome bite. For variety, chicken and vegetarian options are also available for Kim Choo’s signature Nyonya chang.
Nyonya kueh chang. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Cross section of XO chang. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Another best-seller was their XO Traditional Salty Chang, made from the same premium glutinous rice stuffed with dried scallop, dried oyster, whole chestnut, shitake mushroom, fatty pork belly and salted egg yolk. Larger in size due to its abundant meat and seafood filling, this rice dumpling was my favourite. It was a purely savoury treat with a luscious mouth-feel.
Chef Melvyn agreed: “I feel that a lot of people will have their own creation and rendition of ‘chang’ nowadays, right? But catching the balance of flavour, I think you guys did a fantastic job.”
Kim Choo Kueh Chang's kueh chang. (Photo: Mediacorp)
Kim Choo Kueh Chang's kueh chang. (Photo: Mediacorp)
Speaking of which, Edmond and his brothers previously held jobs in other fields but spurred by their passion to preserve their Peranakan heritage, they returned to help their parents. Each brother oversees different aspects of the business. Desmond is the director of operations and quality control, while Raymond, an authority on kebaya, beading techniques and repair, is in charge of marketing and the boutique.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang's owner Edmond Wong (centre) with Chef Melvyn Lee and Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan. (Photo: Mediacorp)
With an interest in heritage and community, Edmond manages business development and Corporate Social Responsibility. Kim Choo Kueh Chang provides job opportunities to the marginalised or disadvantaged and offers them a safe place to work.
The family have retained grandma’s original Joo Chiat shophouse as their food factory and the East Coast Road branch serves as a retail and workshop space, as well as an official Singapore Visitor Centre for tourists.
Preparing kueh chang or bak zhang in the kitchen. (Photo: Mediacorp)
Preparing kueh chang or bak zhang in the kitchen. (Photo: Mediacorp)
“The whole purpose is so that we can have this platform to share more about what it means to be Peranakan. When you translate the word ‘Peranakan’ to English, it literally just means ‘locally born descendants of foreigners’. It’s not so much about the marriage of races, it’s actually about the marriage of cultures that defines who we are,” Edmond said enthusiastically.
At Kim Choo, the vision is to stay local, yet go global, so that grandma’s legacy and culture is amplified beyond Singapore’s borders for generations to come.
HARRIANNS
Sharing their family's culinary heritage with a broader audience is also the goal for the third generation owners of HarriAnns, Alan Tan and his wife Sharon. The HarriAnns story also began with rice and the toil of a matriarch relying on her culinary skills to overcome tough times.
From left: Chef Melvyn Lee and Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan with HarriAnns' owners Sharon Goh and Alan Tan at their Suntec City cafe. (Photo: Denise Tan)
After the tragic loss of her husband, Alan's grandmother Chia Nguk Eng began selling nuo mi fan (glutinous rice) from a pushcart along Tiong Bahru Road in the 1950s. His father began helping from the time he was five, enduring hardships and learning his mother’s trade. By 1964, Alan’s grandma had saved up enough to afford a stall in Tiong Bahru Market, which his father took over in the 1980s. He extended their repertoire to include Nyonya kueh, made from recipes taught by grandma.
In his early teens, Alan began helping at the family stall. Noticing its lack of a name, he devised a portmanteau to distinguish it from the rest.
“Dad is Harry, mum is Annie, so I coined the name ‘HarriAnns Delights’, not knowing that 40 years later, I’d be taking it back, doing this for a living,” he shared. “I was working for a multinational company and dad was saying, ‘you said you’re coming back to help me. Is this going to really happen?’”
So in 2013, after eight years working in Malaysia, Alan returned to Singapore with his family to fulfil his dad’s wishes, swiftly expanding the business to multiple outlets.
Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan and Chef Melvyn Lee getting ready to to have a HarriAnns meal. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Chef Melvyn and I met up with Alan and Sharon at their Suntec City cafe, for a taste of the dish that started it all.
Glutinous rice was soaked overnight, drained and dry-steamed for up to an hour, then stir-fried in vegetable oil with peanuts. Garnished with crispy shallots, a dollop of sambal and a side of sweet glutinous rice, the dish looked deceptively plain.
HarriAnns' sweet glutinous rice (foreground) and savoury glutinous rice with peanuts and fried shallots with sambal. (Photo: Denise Tan)
“That’s how the Teochew style is being done. Although it looks simple, but it’s all full of flavour,” Alan assured us.
He was right. The sweet-savoury combo was undeniably delicious. Each fragrant, glossy grain was separate and pleasantly chewy, with a spicy kick from the homemade sambal. It was my first encounter with Teochew-style white glutinous rice and I was sure it wouldn’t be my last.
Fans of Nyonya kueh will be spoilt for choice with the selection at HarriAnns. We devoured the classics in rapid succession, starting with a childhood favourite, brightly tinted rainbow lapis steamed layer by colourful layer. Sharon explained that freshly squeezed coconut milk gave their desserts a natural sweetness, so their recipes required less sugar.
Kueh salat and rainbow kueh lapis at HarriAnns. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Ondeh-ondeh at HarriAnns. (Photo: Denise Tan)
“Back then, the kueh lapis wasn’t this colourful. It was just very muted colours like pink and white, just very simple fare. Then when we took over, we wanted to appeal to the younger generations,” Alan said. “We wanted to modernise the Nyonya kueh,” Sharon added.
Green orbs of pandan-perfumed, coconut-coated perfection, the ondeh-ondeh was best eaten whole. Their liquid gula melaka centres explode with a gush so delightful, I had to stop myself from reaching for a third helping.
Besides their popular kueh-kueh, HarriAnns’ dine-in menu now includes hot food like babi pongteh, ayam buah keluak and their signature Nyonya laksa.
Babi pongteh at HarriAnns. (Photo: Denise Tan)
Ayam buah keluak at HarriAnns. (Photo: Denise Tan)
“We do one-dish Peranakan meals at our outlets, very symbolic of the Peranakan culture. So, we’re doing grandma really proud. All done from scratch,” Sharon said.
Made to Alan’s exacting standards, the Nyona laksa was served with prawns, fishcake slices, half a hardboiled egg, taupok (tofu puff), beansprouts and a sprinkle of chopped laksa leaves. The gravy, chunky from its rempah (spice mix) of herbs, spices and hae bee (dried shrimp), was packed with umami flavour. If you like your Nyonya laksa really “lemak” (rich), HarriAnns’ rich and coconut-creamy version will appeal.
Reflecting on his decision to return a decade ago, Alan said: “I told dad, for the past 50 years, you have been doing very well in the market stall so what will happen in the next 50 years? So I decided that we should bring HarriAnns to a mall and perhaps to let more people know about us.”
Besides their Suntec City location, HarriAnns Nyonya Table can be found at Bugis Junction and Keppel Bay Tower. The brand also supplies to several five-star hotels in Singapore, but in a nod to their humble beginnings, their Tiong Bahru stall remains.
Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan and celebrity chef Melvyn Lee flanked by HarriAnns' owners Alan Tan and wife Sharon Goh (holding a book their son Ethan wrote about the family business. (Photo: Denise Tan)
The HarriAnns story has been documented in a book written by Alan and Sharon’s son Ethan, whose interest hints at the possibility the brand might continue into the fourth generation. The then-12-year-old was inspired by UNESCO’s recognition of Singapore’s hawker culture to interview his grandpa Harry and preserve his legacy.
Ethan’s heartfelt gesture holds profound significance for the family, given Harry's passing in June last year. More than just the book title or their tagline, “Happiness is Handmade” is a reminder of their purpose and honours the generations that preceded them.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang (Singapore Visitor Centre East Coast branch) is located at 111 East Coast Road, Singapore 428800. It’s open daily from 9am – 9pm.
HarriAnns Nyonya Table (Suntec City outlet) is located at 3 Temasek Blvd, #01-416A, Suntec City West Wing, Singapore 038983. It’s open daily 8.30am - 8pm.
Catch Makan Kakis with Denise Tan every Thursday from 11am on Mediacorp GOLD 905.
Continue reading...