Min jiang kueh is a nostalgic tea-time hawker snack of Hokkien and Teochew origin that also overlaps with Malay apam balik, embodying the cross-cultural Singapore hawker milieu. A thick, soft, pillowy griddle pancake is folded over a generous filling of crushed roasted peanuts and sugar (now also coconut, red bean, cheese and chocolate). It is a specifically Straits-region creation rarely found in China itself, and the peanut-sugar filling is the classic version.
A thick, soft, slightly spongy pancake with a thin crisp bottom, folded around a generous layer of crunchy roasted peanuts and sugar that spills out. Eaten warm in strips, it is sweet, nutty and the nostalgic taste of a Singapore afternoon.
The batter is a yeasted wheat and rice-flour mix, thicker than a crepe, that rises into a pillowy pancake on a covered griddle. The bottom crisps against the hot pan while the top steams soft under the lid. The filling is added when the pancake is just set, the pancake folded in half, and cut into strips. The covered griddle and the leavened batter are what give the spongy, soft texture.
Variations
A coconut version uses sweetened grated coconut. Modern flavours include cheese and chocolate.
On the Palate
Where Min Jiang Kueh sits in the Singaporean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
6 steps · 20 min
- 18 min
Mix 200g flour, 50g rice flour, 1 tsp yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 egg and 300ml water to a batter; rise 1 hour.
- 24 min
Crush 150g roasted peanuts; mix with 80g sugar.
- 33 min
Heat a flat lidded pan with 1 tbsp oil; pour half the batter; swirl to a 20cm round.
- 46 min
Cover and cook over low heat 5 minutes until the top is set and bubbly, the bottom golden.
Watch outKeep it covered on low heat until the top sets bubbly and the bottom is golden — the lid steams the top soft while the pan crisps the base; lift it too soon and the middle stays raw batter.
- 55 min
Scatter half the peanut-sugar over; fold in half; cut into strips.
- 64 min
Repeat with the rest; serve warm.
