These soft and moist Muah Chee (Fujianese Mochi) coated with chopped peanuts make a great tea time treat or snack. Only 4 ingredients needed.
Muah Chee is a Southern Chinese (Fujianese) dessert that is the stuff of childhood memories. This humble treat can be found in many Fujianese communities in South East Asia, especially Malaysia and Singapore. There are two ways in which this dessert can be made. The “open” version with the cooked glutinous rice flour dough rolled in ground peanut and sugar is commonly associated with Penang. The “closed” version with the dough formed into a ball filled with the peanut mix is also found in other parts of Malaysia. The latter looks more like a mochi. It is interesting to note that both the Fujianese Muah Chee and Japanese mochi sound very similar.
The closest Japanese cousin to the Muah Chee in terms of taste and texture is the Shingen mochi found around Yamanashi region in Japan, home of Takeda Shingen’s (a 16th century war lord) clan. This mochi is covered in soy bean flour (kinako) and drizzled with dark syrup (kuromitsu) in place of ground peanuts and sugar. It usually comes in a plastic container beautifully packaged in a cloth gift bag.
A Treat
The last time I had Muah Chee was when I visited Penang some years back. It is one of the many things I missed from the old country. When I saw the recipe on Anncoo Journal yesterday, I could not wait to give it a try. I made them this morning and I am glad I did as they were delicious. The sticky dough was soft, moist, and chewy. The dry roasted peanuts I used gave the coating a sweet and salty taste which complemented the dough perfectly. Thank you Ann for this wonderful recipe. There are many, many more delicious recipes on Anncoo Journal. Please do check it out.
Now, let’s start cooking! This is a simple recipe with few ingredients. I did make minor adjustments to Ann’s recipe.
Similar Tools Used in Making This Muah Chee
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KitchenAid 9-Cup Food Processor
INGREDIENTS
Dough
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour or Mochiko flour (250g)
- 3 tbsp sugar (40g)
- 1ยฝ cups water (360ml)
Topping
- ยฝ cup dry roasted peanuts (80g)
- 3 tbsp sugar (40g)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place a metal stand in a large pot. Fill it with an inch or so of water. Bring it to a rapid boil. Lightly oil an 8-inch cake pan with vegetable oil. Set aside. When water comes to a boil, place pan on the stand.
- In a large bowl, combine glutinous rice flour and sugar. Gradually add water. Stir until a smooth batter forms. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and steam for 40 minutes.
- In the meantime, process or chop peanuts until fine. Mix with sugar and set aside.
- When dough is ready, remove and allow it to cool. Scoop sticky dough with an oiled teaspoon and drop into peanuts and sugar mixture. Coat well and serve immediately.
NUTRITION
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! ๐
Visitor from BC?
Have not had muah chee for decades, centuries … this certainly is something from childhood.
Wow…that’s a long time! ๐ This simple but delicious treat is not easily found in North America.
hehee Biren, you really fast to make this muah chee! Good write up, so much better than me ๐ My family requested me to make this again for coming weekend as we have friends over for lunch. I must remember to serve them with a pot of Chinese tea too:)
Thanks Ann for the recipe. As soon as I saw it on your blog, I had to make it as I do miss eating it. I am surprise at how easy it was to make. ๐
Delicious muah chee and lovely presentation.
Thanks Amelia!
This is really inviting! Loved the making of Muah Chee…yummm ๐
Many thanks! I was surprised at how easy it was to make. ๐
My hubby will love this! Better don’t let him see this or he’ll make me do this. Hahaha!
Haha! At least you can just walk out and buy some but homemade is the best.
It is quite easy for me to buy this muah chee in nearby shop thus I never though of making them..But i should try this one day since homemade always the best and fresh..Hmm, yours look as nice as Anncoo.
Yes, it is nice to be able to walk out and buy some but we have to make most of these goodies here ourselves. I do agree that homemade is the best. Maybe you should try it sometime as it is really easy to make.
Biren,
I ddin’t know muah chee is so “do-able” – thank you for sharing this recipe. I love muah chee and because I don’t know how to make them, I’ve always buy a small portion whenever I go to the local chinese store. I will certainly give this a try as i do have all the ingredients in the store cupboard.
Me too, until I saw it on Ann’s blog. It is really easy with very few ingredients. Great for a quick dessert on short notice.
I saw those, too and they just seem to look absolutely inviting. Thanks for sharing the context – I never knew!
You are welcomed, Belinda! ๐
These look like so much fun! I’ve never tried them, but I have tried mochi and I love the texture so I can imagine these would be fun to try ๐ I also love anything that can be served with tea. Love your teapot! We’re so on the same page ๐
The texture is the same as mochi as it uses the same glutinous rice flour. Defintely serve it with tea. Those are the tiny Yixing teapots. We can talk tea the whole day. ๐
I’ve bookmarked this! I’ve never had muah chee before but it looks so good!
I hope you give it a try. It is delicious! ๐
I went to a cooking demonstration at a local college here a couple months ago. The woman who put on the demo was from Singapore. She was a teacher at a culinary school in Singapore. She made us these! They were good! Very different texture, but good!
Yes, the texture is very different from any dessert commonly found here. I am glad you enjoyed it. ๐
This is so new to me and looks absolutely delicious
Thanks Sarah!
Biren, You make it look so easy to make! When I saw the pic it reminded me of a Japanese dessert and then you ended up comparing it in your post! Your photos are beautiful and makes the dish even more delectable! Great job!! Kay
It is interesting that many of the Asian cultures share similar types of food. I understand the Koreans have their version of mochi as well. Thanks Kay for your sweet words! ๐
I saw these on Ann’s site as well and I loved them…yours look equally wonderful ๐
Thanks Alisha!
OMG you know Shingen Mochi!! I love that and I ate a lot when we visited Yamanashi for hot springs last November. My dad used to buy these for souvenir when he went golfing in Yamanashi. So I have an interesting child memory toward this sweet. I saw this at Anncoo Journal too, but didn’t realize it’s the similar type of dessert then. You ALWAYS make good stuff Biren. Always. I won’t tell you how much I ate Shingen Mochi because you will have to hide this muah chee!
Shingen mochi is quite delicious and I have a few of those lovely cloth bags they come in. Actually I like all kinds of mochi and wagashi. I think you will enjoy muah chee very much as it has a very similar texture. ๐
I have never in my life seen anything like this, but it’s beautiful. I love the process of steaming the mixture and then making it into ball shapes covered in peanuts. Thank you for sharing your cuisine with us. I learn so much from you every time I visit.
You are most welcomed, Christiane! I am glad to hear that you find the food and posts interesting. ๐
I ate these when I lived in Singapore, and I miss them now! Yummy… Thank you for sharing ๐ I cannot wait to go out and buy some glutinous rice flour and try making these! THANK YOU, Biren! ๐
You must be familiar with some of the food I prepare since you have lived in Singapore. I hope you get to make this muah chee soon. ๐
Somehow I missed Anncoo’s post but I’m happy you made them too.
I have never heard nor see this type of dessert until now, but is something I’d like to try.
Thanks for sharing Biren.
Fujian…that’s where Iใcome from ;-))
Those mochi of yours look divine!
You are from Fujian? How interesting! There are many Fujianese in Malaysia and Singapore. The dialect may sound a little different with the local influences there. ๐
Wow! Really quick huh! I just saw this in Ann’s blog lastnight! Looks as good as hers! Now I can’t wait to try this too!:D
WOW I never new that this was from Southern China! I use the lazy method of microwaving though :p Anyway, your pictures look really great ๐
Biren, Yum! Those little rice desserts looks delicious! I’m so inspired by your photography. You such a pro with food styling and lighting. I’ve been trying to get better with my photography lighting but get frustrated with my camera and lack of knowledge. I know it’s not the camera that’s the issue, I just need more training. Oh well, folks that visit my blog will have to deal with emperfect photos, but I know they won’t be disappointed with the recipes! I really do admire your professionalism!!
Thanks Rebecka! You are always so sweet and supportive. I am still learning and constantly struggle with the lighting. Lighting is my biggest issue as it changes with the seasons and can be extremely frustrating.
Your recipes and write-ups are excellent. The photography will come when you get to know your camera a little more. ๐
Biren now you’ve got me curious. I saw Ann’s post too and I have a bag of glutinous rice flour in the cupboard. I must try making it, but I have nothing to compare it to. ๐ Maybe I’ll use almonds instead of peanuts just to switch it up a bit!
The texture is very similar to that of mochi. I mention mochi because I know the people here are more familiar with mochi. If you like mochi, you will like this muah chee. ๐
Thanks for sharing this, Biren. I’ll try making this over the weekend! We have a Filipino snack called palitaw which makes use of glutinous rice flour but it’s flat and instead of peanuts, we used shredded coconut & sesame seeds to coat it with. I made it for 24×24 last week, so I still have glutinous rice here and I have some roasted peanuts too…so I can definitely try this recipe of yours! I’m excited!
they look awesome I thought I had just seen them somewhere you both have amazing blogs
I think I had something similar at Yumcha once, but I’m not sure, but I love mochi so I’m sure I’d love this too.
I have not eaten this for quite sometime now. My grandma and aunt did that often awhile ago. I enjoy both kinds. You are delightful!
I am not sure abt the “open” and “closed” versions of muah chee…I only know how to eat! lol
Hey Biren ๐
What a coincidence! The last thing I made before going to Tokyo was mua chee! I was experimenting with it and found out that you can actually cook it in the microwave! It’s so much faster and it turned out surprisingly well. Sometimes, the microwave is a real miracle worker LOL Your mua chee looks wonderful!! And for me too, it has so many associations with my childhood.
I hope you had a wonderful trip. I can’t wait to hear all about it. ๐
You must share with me how you did it in the microwave. It will definitely cut down on the steaming time. Looking at the pictures again make me want to make another batch soon. I used to take these foods for granted but absence has definitely made the heart grow fonder! ๐
Hi again Biren – I just wanted to give you the link to the recipe I found and tried out for microwaved mua chee. Hope you have fun with it!
http://belachan2.blogspot.com/2006/09/microwave-muah-chee.html
Hey Denise, I am so glad you are back. I missed you. ๐ Thanks for the link. Will definitely check it out.
I didn’t know that muah chee is so easy to make and thot we have to keep pounding to get the texture! LOL
Definitely must try this! Tks for sharing Biren! ^.^
btw, I don’t really understand the first part whereby you put a rack … do you mean we need to use the double boiling method to steam the glutinous rice flour?
Pounding(?)…that’s a cute idea…LOL! Lyn, you have to give this a try as it is really good and very easy to make.
I have changed the rack to stand. You place the pan on the stand to steam it. I am sorry I confused you with the rack. Thanks for pointing it out.
You’re always welcome Biren. ๐ Now I understand what you mean after you changed it. Tks! ๐
Oh the pounding part is what I saw in the tv show, in some parts of Taiwan, Japan or China (I’ve forgotten where bcoz I watched it quite some time back), they made muah chee by pounding the steamed glutinous rice continuously in a very big and huge stone mortar until they got the right texture. So I always thot that making muah chee is so difficult and tedious! lol
This looks really simple, I have rice flour at home and will try this. I will perhaps also try baking it. I love simple desserts!
And to think, I JUST bought some glutinous rice flour! Perfect timing…it’s as if I knew you were going to post this!
‘Open’ or ‘Close’ version ….. I love both. But Penang ones seem to taste a bit different, but also yummy. Love your teapot and cup, sooooooo cute!
I have not eaten muah chee or mochi since last xmas! haha… Mochi reminds me of the brown sugar mochi that my brother brought home from Taiwan. Super delicious!Slurp…
Hope you’re having a great day.
Kristy
Hi Biren!
I really need to try this. Thank you for always sharing such lovely and delicious ideas! XO Nicole
Hi! I’m 10 and I’ve made this recipe about 3 times and was always loved by my family. I love to bake and I am a dessert maker. Even though I don’t like this dessert, my family does and the ingredients are super easy to find! Thank you very much!
Hi Sarah! Thank you for coming back to let me know that the recipe worked out well for you. Very glad to hear your family enjoys it. ๐
Really soft and chewy at the same time!
Glad you enjoyed it! ๐