Steamed Chinese Matcha Muffins (Green Tea Huat Kueh 绿茶发糕) is a light, fluffy and pillow soft rice cake. As the name implies, it is steamed instead of baked. The process and duration of making these rice cakes may be slightly longer, however the end results are definitely satisfying.
These otherwise simple steamed rice cakes (Huat Kueh 发糕) are made special with addition of matcha (green tea) powder. The green tea powder gives the rice cakes a unique rich and refreshing look and taste as well as sweetness. The green tea flavour is apparent but not overpowering. The aroma is further enhanced with a touch of pandan flavour in it.
A definitely delicious Huat Kueh recipe to try at home! As usual, enjoy!
Matcha Steamed Rice Cake (Huat Kueh)
Steamed Chinese Matcha Muffins (Green Tea Huat Kueh 绿茶发糕)
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Ingredients
To ferment cooked rice
- 250 gram cold, cooked rice, 1 rice bowl
- 1 sweet wine yeast, 1 tsp, crushed to crumbs
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
To make rice cake batter
- 500 gram rice flour
- 30 gram Tapioca flour
- 250 gram sugar
- 600 ml pandan water
To add to batter
- 1 tbsp green tea powder
- 2 tsp eno/fruit salt
Put a piece of sweet wine yeast into a plastic bag and crushed/pound till fine.
Place cooked rice to cool in a casserole and prepare other ingredients needed to ferment the rice.
Sprinkle the pounded sweet wine yeast on top of the rice followed by sugar and water.
Mix to ensure the ingredients are well combined with the cooled cooked rice.
Cover and leave the rice to ferment for 48 hours (2 days) at room temperature.
After 48 hours (2 days), make some pandan (screw pine) juice by blending some pandan (screw pine) leaves with water.
Strain the blended pandan juice.
Add the strained juice with water to top up to 600ml.
Then place the fermented rice into the blender.
Add in 1 cup (250 ml) of the green pandan water.
Blend the fermented rice with the pandan water.
Then have ready the dry ingredients to make the batter. Be sure to sift the rice and tapioca flour.
Using a whisk, mix the rice and tapioca flour as well as sugar in a large bowl until everything is well combined.
Add the blended fermented rice and the balance of the pandan water into the dry flour mixture and stir until it becomes a smooth batter.
Strain the batter into a clean pot.
Cover and leave to ferment further for another 11 hours.
Next, have ready ENO (fruit salt) and green tea powder.
After 11 hours, add the green tea powder into the plain batter and stir to mix well.
Then add Eno (fruit salt) into matcha batter and stir well.
Immediately transfer the matcha batter into a measuring cup for ease of pouring into steaming cups.
Quickly line the steaming cups with paper liners.
Pour batter into the cups until 90% full.
In batches, steam the batter in steaming cups over simmering water in a covered wok.
Steam over high heat for 15 minutes. And we're done!
Remove from heat and leave to cool. Then remove the lined rice cake from the steaming cups.
Cool before serving with a cup of hot chinese tea or roasted green tea.
