Kueh Ko Chee is a nostalgic Peranakan steamed dessert featuring soft glutinous rice paste wrapped around sweet coconut filling – perfect for tea time in Singapore homes.
Discover the authentic taste of Kueh Ko Chee (also known as Kueh Koh Chi), a traditional steamed glutinous rice cake with fragrant coconut filling. This bite-sized treat combines chewy outer dough made from glutinous rice flour and pandan-infused water, encasing a luscious mix of fresh grated coconut, gula melaka, and subtle spices. No oven needed—just steam for that signature soft, springy texture!
Why You’ll Love It:
Glutinous rice paste stays moist without cracking, while the coconut filling delivers shiok sweetness balanced by pandan aroma. Ideal for festive occasions or casual snacking.
This Kueh Ko Chee recipe captures the chewy-coconut bliss of hawker stall favorites—simple steaming yields professional results every time.
Kueh Ko Chee
Ingredients
SOFT GLUTINOUS RICE PASTE
- 20 pcs 20 cm square Banana leaves –
- 200 ml Coconut cream
- 115 ml Coconut milk
- 115 g skinned Sweet potato
- 400 g Glutinous rice flour
- A pinch Salt
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Cooking oil
- 2 drops Blue Pea Flower Extract or food colouring
INTI (Fragrant Gula Melaka Coconut)
- 240 g gula melaka palm sugar
- 100 ml water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 600 g fresh grated coconut white part only
Instructions
SOFT GLUTINOUS RICE PASTE
- Wipe banana leaves with a wet cloth and scald in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain.
- In a saucepan, boil sweet potato gently until cooked, then mash until smooth. Mix well with 225 g (8 oz) of the glutinous rice flour and set aside
- In another saucepan, combine coconut milk, salt, sugar and cooking oil and bring to a boil. Add the blue pea extract, remove from heat and add the remaining flour. Stir lightly Cool for 1 minute.
- Put the sweet potato mixture in a saucepan, add the coconut cream and stir with wooden spoon until it forms a paste
- Add the coconut milk mixture and knead the paste lightly to form a smooth firm dough. Add a little flour if dough is too soft
- Divide dough into 4 portions and cut each portion into a further 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, put in a tsp of coconut filling and seal.
- Fold each banana leaf into a cone, put in dough, and fold the top of the banana leaf cone over to form a triangle Staple the ends to secure
- Repeat with the rest of the paste and steam over moderately high heat for 15 minutes.
INTI (Fragrant Gula Melaka Coconut)
- Cut gula melaka (palm sugar) block into small pieces
- Cut 6 pandan leaves and crush them by twisting
- Add water into pan
- Add the cut gula melaka pieces
- Stir gula melaka and water over low heat
- Add salt
- Add crushed pandan leaves to pan and continue stirring until the gula melaka melts
- Turn off the heat and remove pandan leaves from pan
- Add grated coconut into pan
- Mix grated coconut with the melted gula melaka over low heat
- Cook thoroughly until all the grated coconut is coated with the melted gula melaka
Notes
- A simpler way of wrapping kuin ko chee is to put filling in the centre of each piece of dough, roll it into a ball, then place on a piece of softened banana leaf and fold into a neat bundle. Staple the ends and steam.
- Any leftover filling can be stored in the freezer for future use
- Store in airtight container up to 2 days; steam briefly to refresh.