Ingredients
Shells
- 100 gplain flour
- 50 grice flour
- 1egg
- 250 mlwater
- ½ tspsalt
- oil, for deep frying
Filling
- 600 gturnip or jicama, julienned
- 150 gcarrot, julienned
- 200 gprawns, chopped
- 150 gpork belly, diced, optional
- 4shallots
- 3 clovesgarlic
- 1 tbspfermented soybean paste
- 1 tbspoyster sauce
- 200 mlstock
- white pepper
To finish
- 1egg, made into a thin omelette and shredded
- coriander leaves
- fried shallots
- sweet chilli sauce
Equipment
- a pie tee brass mould on a long handle
Directions
- Whisk the flours, egg, water and salt into a thin, smooth batter and rest it 30 minutes, then strain it. Straining the batter is worth the minute it takes.
- Heat the oil to about 180°C (355°F) in a small deep pan. Now heat the brass mould in the oil for a full minute, until it is as hot as the oil around it.
- Lift the mould out, shake off the oil, and dip it into the batter to about three quarters of its depth. Never let batter go over the top rim of the mould. Shake it gently or nudge it with a chopstick and it slides off.
- Fry the freed shell a further 30 seconds until pale gold and crisp, then drain it upside down. The shells keep two weeks in an airtight tin, which is why they are always made well ahead.
- Add the julienned turnip and carrot with the stock and oyster sauce, and braise for 25 to 30 minutes until soft and the liquid has almost gone.
- Cook the filling genuinely dry. Any liquid left in it soaks through the shell within a minute and the whole thing collapses. Cool the filling before it goes anywhere near the shells.
- Fill the cups only at the moment of serving, and top each with shredded omelette, coriander, fried shallot and a dot of sweet chilli. Assemble to order, in front of people if you can. A filled pie tee has a working life of about five minutes.
Technique
- The brass mould is sold in every Singapore and Malaysian kitchen shop and lasts a lifetime.
- Ready-made shells are widely sold and are what most households buy for a party.
- The filling is essentially the same as popiah filling, and the two dishes share a kitchen.
Substitutions
- Ready-made pie tee shells.
- Jicama in place of turnip, which is what is usually meant anyway.
Variations
- Vegetarian, with mushroom in place of prawn and pork.
- With crab meat on top.
- Popiah, the fresh spring roll with the same filling.
History
A Peranakan party dish; the cups are fried on a brass mould dipped into batter, then dried and stored.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kueh Pie Tee?
Kueh Pie Tee is a snack from Singapore: crisp pastry cups filled with braised turnip, prawn and sweet chilli sauce. A Peranakan party dish; the cups are fried on a brass mould dipped into batter, then dried and stored.
How long does Kueh Pie Tee take to make?
Kueh Pie Tee takes 45 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 cups. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Kueh Pie Tee?
Yes, within limits. Ready-made pie tee shells. Jicama in place of turnip, which is what is usually meant anyway.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kueh Pie Tee?
Lift the mould out, shake off the oil, and dip it into the batter to about three quarters of its depth. Never let batter go over the top rim of the mould. Shake it gently or nudge it with a chopstick and it slides off.
