Kueh Pai Tee (easy version)

I am on the roll with local delights lately. :) There is my recent post of the delicious Curry Mee, followed by the Soon Kueh. And now I am making Kueh Pai Tee. Well I strongly feel keeping the local food heritage alive is important. So being able to cook and share this with everyone, in a way we help preserve what our forefathers have handed down to us. :) And in turn we can hand down to more people. Share the love, share the food ya? 

Though I did make some short cuts of not making the cups myself, I feel we do need to start somewhere right? Plus these cups are readily available in major grocery stalls like Cold Storage and NTUC at a reasonable price. I bought mine for 30 cups at S$10.40 at Cold Storage. Crisp and delicious! It stayed crispy for a good hour and held up the filling really well. I would totally buy again next time haha! Anything to make the busy mummy's life easier!

But, if you die die must make the Kueh Pai Tee shells yourself, try out this recipe from my fellow blogger Alan. 

Else, let's get on with my easier version shall we? And here is what we need:

If you want to add red carrot, by all means. If you want to add ground peanuts, feel free to! As I mention, this is a quick version which you can whip up in an hour's time. 

Ingredients for Filling: (enough for 30 cups)
1.5kg jicama (aka Bang Guan), peeled and shredded
4 cloves shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked and minced

150-200g fresh mini shrimps (I didn't want to use normal ones because it will too big and overwhelming, and thus "ruining" the whole Kueh pai Tee crispy texture.

handful of wolf-berries/Goji (not shown here and it's optional, added for extra sweetness and colour, its good for your eyes!)

  Seasoning:
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp chicken powder 
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp white ground pepper
1/4 cup water

Cilicuka sauce (Shermay's , highly recommend! It is halal certified, non GMO, no artificial flavoring and no MSG!)
30 store bought kueh pai tee shells 
2 hard boiled eggs, cut into small cubes
some washed parsley or cilantro leaves for flavor and garnish 

• In a large cooking pan, add 2 tbsp oil over medium low fire. Add in garlic and shallots. Cook till soft and aromatic.
• Next add in the minced dried shrimp and cook for another 3 minutes till slightly toasty.
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• Next add in the shredded jicama / Ban Guan and the water. Stir fry a little and then add in the seasoning to the mixture.

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• Combine well and cover the mixture and cook for 5-6 minutes over medium low fire till the jicama is soften. Off fire and dish out the filling. Sprinkle in the rinsed goji and combine. Set aside to cool a little for use later.
• For the small shrimps, wash and devine them. Then place them in a steamer to cook for 3 to 5 minutes at medium fire till they turned pink. Set aside for use later.
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• Once you get all the filling and topping ready, you are ready to fill those shells and enjoy the kueh pai tee!
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It ain't rocket science when it comes to filling these babies... 

My little kiddo was really excited about having this for dinner and eager helped me filled the cups. You first off fill the cups with the jicama mixture, then top it off with chopped egg and the mini shrimp. Then add a cilantro for good measures haha. You can fill them up and enjoy all in one shot or alternatively, make one at a time as you eat...to enjoy the crispiness to the max heehee.

Remember to top it off with Shermay's Cilicuka sauce to add that extra "oumph" and kick in the flavor. :9 I am in love with their Cilicuka sauce which is spicy, tangy and a hint of sweetness, a perfect condiment not only for thie Kueh Pai Tee, but also in many local cuisine like carrot cake and chicken rice, yum!

If you are interested to try it out, do drop by TANGS at Orchard on the Feb 1st 2014 from 11am to 8pm for a tasting. But if you can't make it down that timing, don't fret. This Shermay's Cilicuka sauce will be available in TANGS from now onwards. :) Each bot cost S$9.90. 

This is indeed a fun and easy meal to prepare for the family over a lazy weekend. Plus my kids had as much fun filling the pai tee cups as eating them! Kids.... :P I am sure an adult will enjoy these too!

So feel free to give this a try. :) Happy weekend all!