SINGAPORE: I learnt of the upcoming closure of a long-standing kueh shop while on my yearly trip to Singapore. I got up early and boarded a bus on their last Cuisine day of business. Despite the hour, there was already a lineup, and the aunties in it were removing whole trays of the kueh that were on exhibit. I waited in line and, when it was my turn, grabbed a selection of the candy.
Naturally, I had high expectations because the store had been in business for decades and was well-liked in the community. Instead, though, I was met with a healthy dose of disappointment.
Instead of being custardy as its title implies, the otak-otak had the consistency of a fish cake and tasted more like starch than fish or aromatics. Each cigar’s filling was so dry that it may have been created with desiccated coconut instead of freshly grated coconut, making the kueh dadar equally disappointing. In contrast to my grandmother-in-law’s handcrafted, thin-skinned ones, the thick skin of the ang ku kueh gave the impression that it was abrasive. The lack of pandan scent in her beloved steaming kueh lapis disappointed even my aunt.
Also Read:
Vietnam’s Quarterly Export and Investment Growth Reaches a Two-year High
