Friday, September 29, 2006

Chee Cheong Fun with Thim Jeong ~ Steam Rice Rolls w' Sweet Sauce

I was not happy with the result of my last attempt at making chee cheong fun. Trying to scrape and roll it from the cloth was tedious. Hence the long break since my last trial.

Armed with tips from kc members, this time I got better results and was more successful by using a plate to steam the batter. The chee cheong fun turned out thinner and much smoother.




Makes 500gm

Ingredients
150g rice flour
1½ Tbsp Wheat starch flour
2 Tbsp Corn flour
1 Tbsp Oil
450ml Water
½ tsp Salt


Method
1. Mix the rice flour, wheat starch and corn flour together.
2. Add water slowly and stir continuously.
3. Add the oil and salt and mix thoroughly.
4. Set batter aside for at least an hour.
5. Prepare your steamer. Place an oiled plate onto a tray.
6. When the water is boiling, ladle and spread a thin layer of batter onto the hot plate. Steam for about 4-5 mins on high.
7. Remove the plate from the steamer and use a scrapper to roll up the chee cheong fun.


8. Arrange on a serving plate.
9. Continue with the rest of the batter.
10.Serve with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seed , fried onions and thim cheong or chilli sauce.


Update (4/3/08) - video : Improved version for making chee cheong fun. Follow the method as per the homemade kway teow video but use the ingredients here.


Thim Jeong ~ Sweet Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
7 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp soya sauce
1 Tsp black soya sauce

Mix all ingredients together and cook over medium flame until slightly thick.

Recipe : cwl @kitchencaper (adapted)

79 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, I've been a keen browser of your blog and am very appreciative with your sharing. TQ

Miso said...

HI

I was looking around for wantan mee recipes and found your page.
Your cooking looks delicious!
Makes me miss Singapore`s food..
I want to try your chee cheong fun recipe!!

Anonymous said...

Hi

I was craving for some Chee Cheong Fun and was glad to come across your receipe! Tried it out but wasn't successful.

Question: Why was the Chee Cheong Fun mixture breaking up when I was steaming it? I steamed it in a non-stick frying pan, with boiling water under the pan.

Any tips on how I could improve this?

Since I am living in Europe, I am really looking forward to a successful Chee Cheong Fun.

Thanks in advance!
Pat

Sinner said...

Pat

Was your frying pan hot when you pour the batter in?

The batter must be steamed on high heat with the cover on. Pour onto your hot pan a very thin layer only.

Did you substitute any of the 3 flours ?

The problem most of us usually encounter is the cooked chee cheong fun sticking onto the pan.

Let me know if you still have a problem, I can make some more and take more pictures.

Anonymous said...

Hi again!

Thanks for your feedback!

As I didn't have all the mentioned flours, I used the following:
- Tapoica flour instead of wheat starch flour
- normal flour instead of corn flour

Does it have a big influence?

Your photo of the chee cheong fun looks soooo good! I really would like to be sucessful, so that I could eat it!

Maybe it is possible, to steam this batter in a Tim-Sum basket lined with a baking paper, and the batter inside, with hot water boiling underneath the basket?

How to prevent this batter from cracking? The non-stick frying pan was hot enough...I believe.

Kindly help and advise!
Thanks!
Pat

Sinner said...

Pat

Golden rule when trying out a new recipe for the 1st time - never substitute ingredients. After you have tried it successfully, then by all means substitute and experiment.

For the different flours you have replaced with, it will not work. Even if you were successful in cooking the batter - it will not taste like chee cheong fun. The only variance in this recipe would be the quantity of water.

Can you not get wheat starch and corn flour in Europe ?

With your frying pan on top of boiling water - you could just be 'double boiling' the batter - not steaming it. The batter needs to be steamed.

You can experiment with your dim sum basket - place a steel plate, baking pan or even a glass plate in it. See what works for you.

I now prefer to steam the batter using a non stick baking pan. I can peel it off easily.

Anonymous said...

Hi there

Is Pat again.
Finally found CORN FLOUR! But I can't find Wheat Starch? Can I use Corn starch instead? possible?
Or Wheat flour?

I would really love to try this receipe again but I can't get WHEAT STARCH?! Help...

And you mentioned steaming your batter in a non-stick baking pan. Which means, there is boiling water heating up,(under the baking pan) and the batter is in the non-stick baking pan, rite?
Hmm....not sure, if I can do that.

Thanks again for helping!
Pat

Sinner said...

Hi Pat,

Good to see you again.

You can still make the ccf without the wheat starch but you must bear in mind that your ccf will not have the 'bounce' or 'chew' when you bite into it - it will still be edible!

Don't substitute with wheat flour. Add in 1½ Tbsp more of rice flour instead. If you can, try and keep your eye out for wheat starch.

I went through my kitchen to see what I could use for a diy steamer. This is what I manage to come up with : http://neckredpantry.blogspot.com/2007/03/pot-steamer.html

The water in the pot must be boiling rapidly during the steaming process or else it will take much longer to cook the ccf.

If you do not have a non stick baking tray, try a casserole lid (I used that quite successfully) or even a dinner plate.

Would love to hear how you get on.

Anonymous said...

Hi again

Thanks for your reply!

Question, isn't it possible for me to use corn starch instead of wheat starch?

I mean...both are still starch, just that one is corn and the other is wheat. And the taste might be different but the 'chewy' taste should still be there.

If is not possible, (and why not?), I have rice flour and could use it.

Thanks for putting up the pixs of the steaming and the wheat starch flour! Hmm...somehow, I have not seen this wheat starch flour around...

Cheers!
Pat

Sinner said...

Hi Pat,

I do not have the answer to your flour substitution question.

This chee cheong fun recipe have worked very well for me.

You will just have to experiment, do the taste test and come to your own conclusion.

hiha12 said...

Hello Sinner
i also made this "fun". i used tapioca starch instead of corn starch though, whishing a whiter "fun". and it was.
it was worth a praise. although the texture was a bit chewy for my weak teeth. next time i'll put a bit more water i guess
what will i try next? so many things to choose from.
Thanks so much Sinner.

Sinner said...

Hi Hiha12

I have a feeling the chewy texture could have been caused by the tapioca flour. I remember we used to starch clothes with tapioca flour.

However the chewy texture might be perfect for char kway teow ;)

Thanks for the feedback. Happy cooking !

Anonymous said...

Hello, I look forward to trying your chee cheong fun recipe as the noodles are only available frozen where i live. By corn flour, do you mean corn meal, masa harina (like for tortillas) or corn starch? Thank you for posting the recipes and pictures. All the best :)

Sinner said...

Hi Lling,
Cornflour as in cornstarch. I have posted the link of the one I am using - not that you would be able to get the same brand unless of course you are in NZ.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the info! I can't wait to try these...have a great day!

Nate @ House of Annie said...

Hi,

came here from belachan's site. Thanks for posting the recipe!

Saved to del.icio.us.

Sinner said...

Hi Annie *waving*, good to see you :)

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Good morning, I was browsing through belachan blog yesterday & found you & your chee cheong fun, I tried it last night & was very successful, though at the beginning it was a bit thick but I manage to make it thinner subsequently. When I saw it pop up I knew it was cooked, by the way do I have to wait to it to cool first before removing it from the pan. Thanks.

Sinner said...

Delphine,
You do not have to wait for the ccf to cool before removing if you don't want to.

But I find that leaving it to cool down makes it much easier to remove and the ccf came out much smoother.

So glad you were successful. Thanks for the feedback.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sinner,
Thanks for your reply, yes I found that leaving it cool alittle is much easier to remove it, it us just that I need an extra pan to take turn. I used a non-stick pizza pan & grease it a little. Ya, I forgot to ask you can the ccf be left overnight. Thanks & sorry to bother you.

Sinner said...

Delphine,
I totally understand about not having spare pans. That was my problem too when I first started experimenting with ccf. The black baking pans are a really good option. Cheap too plus can use it to make cakes.

You can keep the ccf overnight in the fridge in an airtight container. Next morning, you can either steam it or if you are lazy like me just nuke it in the microwave gently.

No worries ... ask away :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Sinner,
I am very keen to try out this chee cheong fun of your and today I went shopping just to get the two black baking pan =) I had all the other ingredients as well. And will try out your receipe hopefully tomorrow and I also bought ingredients for making siew pau and also curry puffs =p

Anonymous said...

Hi Sinner,
Thanks for your reply & advice. Ya, the black baking pans are quite cheap & will take note of it. Last two days I tried again & this time I used the casserole lid too & found that the CCF much smoother maybe glass surface. As mentioned, after mixing it should be left aside for at least an hour, could it be left long, as the last 2 times I mixed it first & went out so as to save time. Thanks.

Sinner said...

Delphine, yes it can be kept aside for a few hours.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sinner,

It took me ages to find a ccf recipie and i'm very thankful to have found yours... :D

I am trying it now...and am very excited to see the outcome.

Being away from Malaysia makes it hard to find our favourite foods so it's very exciting to be able to make them myself. :)

Will keep you posted.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sinner,

I was so happy to find your blog. Those food look delicious... Have tried your Chee Chong Fun with all your clear instruction, but it did not turn out well :(... I followed all the ingredients listed...the noodle was not able to roll at all, please help.... Thanks

RW

Sinner said...

RW,
I need a bit more info. When you said the ccf can't be rolled :
1. did it break up ?
2. was it sticking to your finger ?
3. did it stick to the pan ?
4. what type of steamer did you use ?

Anonymous said...

Sinner,
To answer your Q's:
1. did it break up ? Yes, in big pieces...
2. was it sticking to your finger ? No.
3. did it stick to the pan ? Yes, and not easy to remove.
4. what type of steamer did you use ? two-layers stainless steel steamer.

I oiled the pan very well. Could cooling down make rolling any easier...?

Thank you.

RW

Sinner said...

RW,
Leaving the batter to cool down first would definitely solve all your rolling problems.
As per the kway teow video, I leave mine to cool in a tray of cold water.

Anonymous said...

Hi
Made the ccf yesterday.We enjoyed it but wonder how to improve the texture.It's a bit too sticky; would reducing or adding more of one of the 3 flours make a difference? Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Audrey

Sinner said...

Audrey,
Sticky as in too sticky to roll or still sticky to eat ?

Anonymous said...

Hi again
Sticky to eat.Want to get a firmer and smoother texture.Followed exactly your recipe.Thanks.
Audrey

Sinner said...

Audrey, I have a feeling your batter needs more cooking. Try steaming yours a bit longer and see whether it loose its stickiness.

Anonymous said...

hi i'm michelle . i tried the chee cheng fun recipe .. is a great success . thank you so much

Michelle said...

hi i think the chee cheong fun recipe is great . my kids love it
thanks

Sinner said...

Michelle, so glad to hear the recipe worked for you as well and that your kids love the chee cheong fun :)

Appreciate the feedback.

Unknown said...

hi...when you said corn flour.. did you mean the cornstarch.(the kind that is used as a thickener in cooking. I've also seen other corn flour used to make tortillas(yellow + also in white) corn flour is the only ingredient i am missing. I cannot find the one on your website.

Sinner said...

Raymond,
Both cornflour and cornstarch can be used as a thickener. But are they the same thing ? Some say they are, some say they are different.

Edmonds ingredients only has maize cornflour. Gluten free.

The other brand they sell here 'Pams' which is cheaper is labelled as Wheaten Cornflour. But the ingredients are wheat starch and water. Contains gluten.

I haven't tried using Pams wheat starch to make my chee cheong fun. Wouldn't want to tempt faith.

If you are looking to buy either cornflour or cornstarch, try to look at the ingredients and see if you can get one that says 'maize cornflour'. Otherwise I guess you have no choice but to use cornstarch and hope for the best. It might still work :)

However, don't mistake cornflour or cornstarch with cornmeal. They are totally different.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sinner,
Do you have a recipe for gnau cheong fun (beef noodle? I love your blog and videos!

Sinner said...

Hi Harriet,
Thanks for dropping by. I don't think I have eaten gnau cheong fun before. Remembered only ngau yook yuen fun and ngau lam. Sorry can't help.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sinner,
I am having a hard time finding WHITE corn flour. Would using YELLOW corn flour be okay, you think? And just so I am clear, corn flour and corn starch are NOT interchangeable?

Harriet

Anonymous said...

Dear Sinner,
I just made the kway teow with the yellow corn flour. I think it is okay, but they seem to turn out too thick, even when I don't cover the entire bottom of the pan.

Any suggestions?
Harriet

Sinner said...

Harriet,
I am wondering whether the yellow cornflour you used is actually corn meal. Do you still have the packet it came in, what is the ingredient ?

Did your kway teow taste alright ? Maybe try adding a bit more water to the batter next time.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Your ccf looks great. I tried to make this yesterday and was not successful. The top of the ccf had cracked lines. Also when ccf was cooling, the top became dry and hard. I don't know why.
Thanks.
Mimi

Sinner said...

Hi Mimi,

Did you make any changes or substitute any ingredients in the recipe? What did you use to steam the ccf?

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I didn't have corn flour so I didn't use that, but everything else I follow. I steamed the ccf in a large pan.
Mimi

Sinner said...

Mimi,

From what I can see, the only reason you were not successful is because you did not follow the recipe.

If this is your first try of the recipe, it is advisable to use all the ingredients listed without omitting any item. The only items you can change in this case (add more or less) is water and salt.

Once you have succeeded, by all means experiment....add, omit or change.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sinner,
May I know what difference would it make if I steam the ccf directly without setting it aside for an hour? Is it OK if I omit this step? Thanks!
Debbie

Sinner said...

Hi Debbie,

I wouldn't recommend you to omit the resting. Most batter recipes needs the 'rest' to give a better texture.

Unknown said...

Hello, I have tried you recipe. But the Chee cheong fun is not as soft as the one we have in the restaurant. Is it because you like it that way ? Thank you

Sinner said...

Hi Ivy,

If you had follow the recipe here, it should be soft.

I would never dare to compare my homecook food with that from a good restaurant. They are trained chefs using professional equipments in a commercial kitchen and they cook the same food on a daily basis.

moufat said...

Hi Sinner,

Its me again, Moufat!

Thanks for your wonderful recipes! Really love your site.

I tried making Chee Cheong Fun just now. And I really couldnt find the wheat starch in Singapore so I decided to just use the rice flour as a substitute as you mentioned before.

The results was ok but:

1. The CCF was not soft enough
2. The rice flour taste is rather strong, I havent put it with the sauce yet.

So my questions are:

- Are the CCF not soft enough because of he wheat starch that I did not put in?
- Can I do something about the overwhelming rice flour smell?

Will try my very best to look for the wheat starch if the answer to the first one is yes!

Otherwise, I guess the CCF came out alright...

Thanks!

Sinner said...

Hi All,

If you have a problem or a question regarding this recipe, do have a read through the comments.

The questions and answers have been repeated that many times, I feel like a parrot saying the same thing over and over again.

Most of the problems on omission, substitution or deviation from the recipe have been covered and talked about.

Thanks for dropping by and I really do appreciate all the feedbacks.

Mei said...

Thank you for sharing. I finally tried your recipe yesterday and it work perfectly! Taste 100% koey teow. Looks like I'll survived here in Denmark ;)

Keep up the good work.

Mei, Denmark said...

I would also like to add that the quality of the flour is very important too so it does not taste weird or have one kind of odour.

Sinner said...

Thanks Mei for your feedback. So glad it worked perfectly for you.

I absolutely agree about the quality. There must be a reason why prices differ so much for the same product !

Anonymous said...

Mate,

Just for this, you deserve a place in heaven! Going to try tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Busybee

Anonymous said...

Rushed back from the stores with all the ingredients to make the recipe. Plonked everything down into a bowl, got the kettle on the boil, and then read that part of the recipe that said Let Batter Rest For AT LEAST ONE HOUR....sheesh...So set the kitchen alarm, took a nap for an hour, and then woke up and got cracking. Guess wot? You're on the mark, mate, perfect rice noodles (although my noodles turned out a bit too thick for some darned reason)! Ahh, the soul is at peace today...thanks again! (And yep, I'm from Oz.)

BB

123isme said...

Hi Sinner..
First of all, why the name 'sinner'?(I think you've been asked million times on this)
Second..thanks a million for sharing this recipe. My first tryout was a success and in fact, my first tryout, I invited my friends to come by and try the results. It was excellent! Or probably a beginner luck i think. Anyway, some improvement which I think I should share to everyone who visit this page. Do make sure your steamer is boiling hot before you place your batter into it. Your batter base(i.e. a plate or some uses non stick pan) must be well oil and must be hot enough before pouring the batter. As suggested by Sinner, place the pan/plate in the steamer for a while(1 to 2 minute) before pouring the batter.

I made some Penang Har Kow (prawn paste) sauce and some dried chilly sambal to create a Penang Chee Cheong Fun. i've posted some photos of my results in my facebook. http://www.facebook/simonwan.com
welcome to make some comment there.

Thanks a million Sinner!!

Simon Wan
Kuching.

Sinner said...

Hi Simon,

Don't you think Sinner is an 'unforgetable' name. lol

Jokes aside I am glad you had a great outcome with your chee cheong fun. Thanks for the feedback.

Anonymous said...

Hello,
I am just wondering how many people this recipe would serve.. how about the sauce? The sauce seems like a lot.
thanks!

Evelyn

Sinner said...

Hi Evelyn,

The recipe makes 500gm. Should serve 2 person with normal appetites.
If you think the sauce is too much, make half. Easy enough to make more if not enough to go round.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sinner,

I am hesitant to use my non-stick baking ware to steam because I am afraid the quality might deteriorate and become not suitable for baking later. Will it be so? What about yours?

And my 2 non-stick baking pans at home come with 4 little rubber studs at the bottom acting as "legs"...I'm not sure...maybe for non-slip purpose. But do you think if they are suitable for baking in the oven, they will also be able to withstand the steaming hot temperature too?

Thanks for the video and recipe. If my pan works I will be trying out this soon!! Can't wait liao....hehehehe

Annie (Australia)

Sinner said...

Hi Annie,

No utensils were 'harmed' in my recipe! lol I didn't notice any change in their condition. Looks the same.

You were very brave to buy bakeware with rubber studs on them. I would have hesitated.

I wouldn't dare tell you whether to use your rubber studded bakeware or not. Too big a responsibility if anything goes wrong ;) You decide !

Anonymous said...

Hi Sinner,

I bought the bakeware with rubber studs without seriously considering the consequences. But I have used it to bake cakes before and the studs are still as good. Just wondering if it will remain as good if used for steaming. I will try out the recipe and let you know the outcome!!

Good luck to me...kekekeke...

Annie

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm in Sydney and I just finished trying your CCF recipe exactly down to the non-stick baking trays. It worked perfectly and made me 9 rolls.

I did waste some mixture:
I poured 2nd batch into a non-stick pie tray (thinking it was round and I could lift out the mixture) and it set but would not roll (broke up). Mind you it is a different brand to my circular non stick baking tray. I just swapped over to my square non stick baking tray and all was perfect.

Thank you very much for sharing your recipe and technique. I will be very happy to continue to make my own CCF again... and may experiment with swapping corn starch for potato starch.

Dunia

Sinner said...

Hi Dunia,

Glad you found the perfect tray. Yes, it does take a bit of experimenting to see which tray works best.

Thanks for the feedback.

Unknown said...

Hi how much is 150g of rice flour equals to cup measure? Thanks, so happy to find this recipe so i can make this for my family on weekends !!! Thank you for sharing!!! xoxo

peonylady said...

Hi Lling,
Cornflour as in cornstarch. I have posted the link of the one I am using - not that you would be able to get the same brand unless of course you are in NZ.

Just want clarification with your response above. I have corn meal, corn flour and corn starch. And I know it's not corn meal. So which one do you mean?

Unknown said...

Hi there. Just found out your blog. I want to know what is the difference between Chee Jeong Fun and Kway Teow? Please email the reply to itran1@hotmail and at subject, please put down cheong fun so I know it's from you. Thank you.

Issy

Anonymous said...

hi sinner,
looks yummy can't wait to try..no need to look for cookbooks anymore...
thanks

Lilian said...

Could i use an oiled stainless steel plate to steam it?

Sinner said...

Lilian, when I first started making this, I took out every metal utensil I have to see which one works best for me. I guess you will just have to try. If that plate does not work, try another one. Good luck.

Lilian said...

i think i'll probably go with the glass casserole cover. How big should it be? About 8 inches? Also, i tried searching everywhere but i can't seem to find wheat starch. I am hesitant to substitute it with an extra 1 1/2 tbsp rice flour cos one of the other commenters said it turned out a bit chewy. What do u think i should do, go ahead with the extra 1 1/2 tbsp rice flour?

Lilian said...

btw, i saw a recipe that substituted wheat starch with tapioca flour. Would this work?

dkalbermatter said...

Hey,

thanks for the recipe. Since retourning to Switzerland from Singapore I have been trying to get a good recipe for my favourite breakfast. I have been able to make the Chee Cheong Fun (from the wikipedia recipe ;-)), but the Thim Jeong has been the missing ingredient.

Thanks a lot
Daniel

jackiensync said...

Hi, I am visiting my son and family in Trinidad and as you cannot get fresh koay teow here, I used your recipe for koay teow and made them Penang fried koay teow. The koay teow turned out so good. As for the Chee Cheong Fun I diluted your recipe to make Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun, steamed it in non-stick square trays added in the shrimp or chopped Char Siew. It turned out so good! Thanks for sharing your recipes.

Jackie

Sinner said...

Hi Jackie. Thanks for the feedback. Your family is so lucky to have you visit them....they get to eat chee cheong fun ! :)

singa said...

Hi
With regards to making Tim Jeong, if I can find Hoisin sauce, what can I replace it with?

Thim Jeong ~ Sweet Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
7 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp soya sauce
1 Tsp black soya sauce

Mix all ingredients together and cook over medium flame until slightly thick.

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