Muah Chee

Mua Chee is the Chinese version of ‘mochi’. This glutinous rice snack is coated with sesame seeds or peanuts. It‘s a favourite street snack across China, Taiwan, and even Malaysia and Singapore.

5 stars

Preparation 15 mins
Cooking 20 mins

Snack

Chinese Mochi, Glutinous Rice Ball Snack with Sesame Seeds, 麻糍

Malaysian, Cantonese, Singaporean, Chinese, Taiwanese

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Nutrition per Serving

379 kcal
41 g
21 g
9 g


If you have not tasted it before, ‘Muah Chee’ is very similar to mochi. Muah Chee is usually displayed in big trays and then cut into smaller pieces before being coated with sesame seeds or grounded peanuts with sugar. The cutting and coating of the soft and chewy snack is done very quickly with a rhythm that is simply interesting to watch.

Muah Chee making is actually rather simple. Most importantly, it has got to be chewy and springy at the same time.

Differences between Mochi and Muah Chee

Both are made using glutinous rice flour. Muah chee uses long grain glutinous rice flour while Mochi uses short grain glutinous rice flour. The latter is much more stickier and starchier than long grain glutinous rice. Besides that, there are other notable differences which is explained below:

Muah Chee Mochi
Long grain glutinous rice flour Short grain glutinous rice flour
Corn starch is added in to the batter Corn starch or potato starch only used when shaping mochi
Oil added to batter No oil
Dough is firmer Dough is very wet

Of course, you can flavour the batter according to your preference but most importantly,

The secret to bouncy muah chee

The secret to making the best muah chee lies in the step after steaming the batter. Once it is removed from the steamer, the dough has to be stirred thoroughly until it becomes springy. Take note that this step is a must and should not be skipped.

This glutinous rice snack is rather sticky but the additional oil helps make the dough smooth and makes cutting them easier. Using Homemade shallot oil definitely made the muah chee very aromatic.

Ingredients to prepare in advance

Prepare the sugar and sesame seeds/peanut mixture in advance and store them separately in airtight containers. Do note that sesame seeds and peanuts release oil that melts the sugar. As for muah chee, it is best to prepare it on the day of consumption.

How to store muah chee

If there are leftovers, they can be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days. Steam them before serving because this glutinous rice snack tastes best when served warm.

Different flavours

Muah chee comes in various flavours. The last time I had some was during my trip to Penang. I am sure you watched the part in my Penang food tour video where I raved about the delectable muah chee I had. That delicious warm and sweet muah chee still lingers in my memory.

When I was younger, this glutinous rice snack was plain but these days, there are so many different flavours such as pandan, mango, lychee and many more to choose from. If you want to, add a few drops of flavouring of your preference to the batter in step 2.


Ingredients

Servings:  
5 tbsp
sesame seeds
50 g
peanuts
80 g
sugar
5 tbsp
black sesame seeds
1 tbsp
oil
10 g
corn starch
120 g
glutinous rice flour
1⁄4 tsp
salt
200 ml
water

Steps to Prepare

Muah Chee Step 1

Step 1 of 4

    • 5 tbsp sesame seeds
    • 50 g peanuts
    • 50 g sugar
    • 5 tbsp black sesame seeds

Toast sesame seeds and peanuts separately. Crush/blend them after toasting. Mix sugar with black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds or peanuts according to the ratio of 2:1. This will prepare three different flavours.

Muah Chee Step 2

Step 2 of 4

    • 1 tbsp oil
    • 10 g corn starch
    • 120 g glutinous rice flour
    • 1⁄4 tsp salt
    • 200 ml water
    • 30 g sugar

Add corn flour, glutinous rice flour sugar and salt into a bowl and mix evenly. Then, pour water and oil into the bowl. Using a spoon, mix batter thoroughly until salt dissolves.

Muah Chee Step 3

Step 3 of 4

Steam batter in a steaming pan or plate for 15 minutes. Check if the batter is ready by using a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, then muah chee dough is ready.

Muah Chee Step 4

Step 4 of 4

Using a pair of chopsticks, stir the muah chee dough until it reaches a springy consistency. Then, cut or pinch dough into bite-sized pieces and coat with sugar and sesame/peanuts mixture.

Published: July 7, 2017


3 Discussions

Leng
4 years ago

Leng

Hi may I know why there are oil secreted after I leave it in room temperature after sometime. I do understand that sesame and peanut releases oil but is it normal? How can I do better Thanks

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
4 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

Was it very oily? We haven't had that experience with our dough. Perhaps try to lessen the oil in the batter. It might also help to ensure that the dough is mixed evenly at step 4.

Karen
4 years ago

Karen

Hi, kindly advise the amount of sugar added to the batter (shown in the video) but Step 2 did not mention that sugar is required. Thank you

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
4 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

Hi Karen, you will need 30 g sugar of sugar.

Tan Lee eng
5 years ago

Tan Lee eng

Done! Successful on first try. Taste authentic

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