Ang Ku Kueh

Ask someone who knows about Ang Ku Kueh (literally translated from Hokkien as Red Tortoise Cake), and what is conjured in his/her mind could be someone's baby has reached one-month old (that's the month old celebrations, and angkukueh is one of the spread of goodies given to relatives and friends who have given gifts - jo gueh lai in Hokkien, meaning, giving something within the one month of the baby's birth), or there's a temple celebrations, where angkukueh is a must, or some celebrations in the home, especially for prayers to the Deities.

Ang means red, Ku means tortoise, and these two are important ingredients of the Chinese tradition, red meaning prosperity and tortoise meaning long life.

Angkukeuh is a rice-flour cake (I think) typically filled with bean paste or chunky groundnuts. They are covered with cooking oil and steamed. The taste would be in the bean paste or the groundnuts. But the texture of the fillings and the flour is important.

In Everton Park, Ji Xiang is probably one of the best, if not the best Angkukueh in town. To me, this is the best angkukueh what I would go all the way to buy. For my two kids' month old celebrations, I buy them to give to relatives and wellwishers.

The way they make the angkukueh in Ji Xiang is still very traditional and laborious. And so when you eat, you are also enjoying the patience and love put in by the an-ums (old aunties). There are other fillings available, such as corn and coconut.