KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 — Believed to be Teochew in origin, the humble chai kuih makes a satisfying light bite or even a meal. Since it takes a lot of time and energy to make, this often only appears on festive occasions. 

But Madam Lim Seok Moy, 70, and her family are continuing their legacy by making the delicate chai kuih almost every day in Ampang.

Previously from Alor Setar where they ran a cafe, Madam Lim and her family moved to KL in 2000 to seek their fortune here. Encouraged by relatives, they opened a shop selling char kway teow, curry laksa and prawn noodles at Jalan Alor. She recalls that it was hard work which took a heavy toll on the family.

In her younger days, Madam Lim would often make chai kuih with her family during the Chinese festivals or weddings. Everyone would pitch in to help making it easier to churn out the huge batch of chai kuih. 

Everyone in the family pitches in to make the chai kuih on a daily basis.

Once it was ready, it would be distributed to family and friends. It was tedious work as the rice had to be soaked, then pounded with their feet and dried before it was turned into rice flour. Many hands made the work easier, since the dough had to be kneaded without any machines.

One day, her son asked her to make chai kuih as he missed eating it. The excess was sold at their shop where customers bought and clamoured for more. 

Surprised by the good response, the family decided to switch their business to selling chai kuih. Following their friend’s advice, they gave up their shop and decided to ply the pasar malam to sell their kuih which soon became very popular with the locals. 

The dough for chai kuih is cut into smaller pieces and flattened.

Nowadays, they have stalls at the pasar malam in Taman Connaught, Overseas Union Garden, Taman Desa Waterpark and Taman Paramount. Out of Madam Lim’s five children, four of them are involved in the business. Even the third generation — her grandchild who is 14 — helps out during the holidays.

At their Taman Muda premises, the day starts early at around 5am with the preparation of the ingredients. Keeping their recipe close, the fillings are fried by her two sons. Previously a task undertaken by Madam Lee’s husband, he has since passed on his legacy to the second generation since handling the heavy wok and frying has become too tedious for him.

You can get freshly made chai kuih at their Taman Muda premises or the various pasar malam sites in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur.

Once their doors open from 9am, they would have trays and trays of the beautifully pinched chai kuih ready for customers. Throughout the day, it’s a hive of activity inside the place where everyone gathers around a long table and makes the dainty chai kuih.

In the middle, two women would cut the soft dough into small pieces. Each piece is pressed flat with their palm and with lightning speed, the other hand would also use a rolling pin to flatten it. 

On both sides, there will be people picking up the flattened dough and scooping the filling onto the middle. With quick deft fingers, they pinch the dough to close the filling to form the chai kuih’s signature leaf-like pattern. 

One of the traditional fillings for chai kuih is chopped chives with dried prawns (left). The many varieties of chai kuih are available throughout the day from the steamer (right).

According to Madam Lim, traditionally the chai kuih is round shaped like a pau but they introduced this pattern on the advice of her friends, as people here prefer prettier things. Moreover as the skin is thinner, there is also more filling in the chai kuih.

Each of the chai kuih is placed on large trays and drizzled with oil, the secret ingredient that makes the skin smoother before it is steamed. Customers trickle in throughout the day up to 5.30pm. 

Some buy small batches or even place orders. You also see large batches being whisked away for delivery to customers — an order for a minimum of 120 pieces ensures you free delivery if you are located in PJ, Subang Jaya, Kajang, Kepong and Selayang. Demand for chai kuih is also high during Chinese New Year or festivals.

There are five types of chai kuih available here — yam, yam bean, chives, pumpkin and sweet potato. The sweeter-tasting pumpkin and sweet potato was introduced about four months ago after much R&D was conducted. 

At their Taman Muda premises, the day starts early at around 5am with the preparation of the ingredients.

The chai kuih is pork free and uses dried prawns to give it flavour. As the chai kuih has no preservatives, you can store them in the refrigerator up to one day and steam them before you eat. If you prefer, you can also deep fry the chai kuih.

In the old days, Madam Lim remembers that they used lard to cook the filling so it was more flavourful. Some fillings like glutinous rice, coarsely ground peanuts and green beans (luk tau) have disappeared.

Throughout the years, they have stuck to the same recipe for their chai kuih and it has been priced at 80 sen per piece for the last five years. “If the taste changes, they will not come,” explained Madam Lim.

Kuih Teochew No. 27, Jalan Bunga Cempaka 10, Taman Muda, Ampang, Selangor. Open: 9am to 5.30pm. Closed for Chinese New Year from February 7. They reopen for business on February 14. Tel: 012-8885180 / 012-6271371 / 016-6765833.