Steamed plain rice-noodle sheets rolled to resemble pig intestines, served cut up drenched in a three-sauce combo of sweet sauce, sesame paste and chili. A localized Malaysian street-hawker interpretation distinct from Hong Kong dim-sum style.
Chee cheong fun is of Cantonese origin, but the Malaysian street-hawker version is typically served plain, unfilled, and drenched in the distinct three-sauce combo of sweet sauce, sesame paste and chili sauce, plus fried shallots. This localized interpretation is distinct from the Hong Kong dim-sum style, which is filled with shrimp or char siew and served with a single soy sauce. It is a common Malaysian breakfast and snack, found at every hawker centre.
Soft, slippery, neutral rice-noodle sheets in a glossy mix of sweet sauce, nutty sesame paste and a bright chili edge, the fried shallots crackling on top. Eaten in a few bites, it is smooth, sweet-savoury and gently spicy.
A thin rice-flour batter is spread on a flat tray, steamed for a minute until just set into a soft sheet, then rolled while still hot into the pig-intestine shape that gives the dish its name. The rolling is done with a flat spatula into a tight cylinder. The Malaysian distinction is the three-sauce pour: a sweet, dark sauce, a runny sesame paste, and a chili sauce, each contributing sweet, nutty and spicy notes that the neutral noodles carry.
Variations
A char-siew-topped version adds barbecued pork. Some stalls include a sweet bean paste.
On the Palate
Where Chee Cheong Fun Malaysian sits in the Malaysian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
6 steps · 25 min
- 15 min
Mix 150g rice flour, 30g tapioca flour, 1 tbsp oil, 500ml water and a pinch of salt to a thin batter; rest 30 minutes.
- 210 min
Lightly oil a flat heatproof tray; pour a thin layer of batter, swirl to cover, and steam 2 minutes until set into a soft sheet.
Watch outPour a thin layer, swirl to cover, and steam just two minutes until it barely sets into a soft sheet — over-steam and it turns rubbery and won't roll.
- 38 min
Loosen the sheet with a flat spatula and roll it up into a cylinder.
Watch outRoll the sheet into a tight cylinder with the spatula while it's still hot — once it cools it won't roll cleanly.
- 46 min
Repeat to make 8-10 rolls; cut each into 4-cm pieces.
- 55 min
For the sauces: mix 4 tbsp sweet dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp runny sesame paste and 2 tbsp chili sauce in separate bowls.
- 62 min
Arrange the cut rolls on a plate, drizzle all three sauces over, scatter fried shallots, and serve.
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