We are hopeless..when we find something we like, we keep searching and searching..
When we came back, along we brought out Tutu kueh craving.
Tutu kueh, a seemingly easy to make, anytime of the day, perfect snack is made of rice flour and whatever filling you want.
As a kid, we always got excited when there was a pasar malam just at the bottom of the hill on which my house stands. We always came back with bags full of goodies. Green and chewy tapioca cakes for my Nanay, colorful steam cakes for my elder sis, a packet of muah Chee for my second sis and a charred Taiwan sausage for me. What we always had in common was the tutu kueh. Fighting over how many pieces we should get or who should get the last piece.
We always bought a mix of coconut and peanuts. Peanut being the more popular among us children and coconut for my Nanay. Sweet sweet memories.
Now, I like eating plain tutu. Occasionally, one or two brown sugar ones brings some sweetness into the picture but my plain wins hands down.
What makes a good tutu?
In my opinion, a non crumbly exterior that's slightly chewy with the hint of aroma from the pandan leave that it sits on top of perfects it.
People who like the filling would say, the coconut has to be noist and fragrant.
I believe they use to use Gula Melaka (coconut sugar) but nowadays, they've downgraded to the sad ol cane sugar..
Or the peanut has to be fresh and not soggy.
I had forgotten all about my tutu kueh until S's adamant insistence that we find it left us options of
driving out 20 minutes away just to find this white little cloud of yummines, we found some...
I will keep updating this list as we try more and more stalls..
Here begins, the eternal search of the best tutu.
1. Heartland Mall, Kovan
The nice auntie here, always mixes up our orders. We bought from her 3 times in a row and twice, some coconut replaced the peanut tutu we ordered. Haha but she's a kind lady who always offers to remake them for us but we enjoy whatever so we usually decline.
Sometimes she will add one extra ugly one in the pack just cause it's not perfect.
Tutu kueh wise, I love hers. The skin is nice and chewy as it should be and she always makes them fresh so eating them piping hot, we get the pandan aroma that comes form the relation of the hot tutu and the pandan leaves.
9/10
2. AMK hub
We bought all plain ones so I don't know about their filling. As much as the auntie did make it fresh on the spot for us, I was left unfazzled by the crumbling of the tutu kueh. It was not packed enough and kept falling apart. Being this way always made it melt off in the mouth unlike the chewy exterior it's suppose to have. Very upsetting tutu in my opinion...
4/10
3. Queensway Shopping Center
This supposedly famous tutu shop was very disappointing. The skin was made too thin that the fillings peeked out from the supposedly snow white skin. Also, of all the 10 that i bought. 5 fell apart.
The flour was not packed together enough to keep the tutu in shape. I was told however, that i had gotten from the wrong tutu shop in Queensway as there were 2 shops there. one upstairs and one downstairs. I went to the first floor one TWICE and it failed the basic tutu test. The next time, i will head to the second floor one. Stay tuned.
3/10
update 13/11/2015
i finally went to Queensway second floor for the tutu kueh,
the shop looks more purportedly famous.
it was 3 for 2 dollars for the plain ones.
Thats quite expensive..
and it was so dry and hard.
very very disappointing.
the skin felt dry and when you bit it,
its so hard and the flour isn't smooth at all,
it was rough and crumbly.
disappointing.
2/10
4. Yishun Pasir Malam ( temporary fixture )
After being spoiled by the thick made in shops tutu, trying the pasir malam tutu taught me one thing. You pay for what you get. Pasir Malam tutu is very thin IMO. maybe two if these tutus make one solid shop tutu. They are also less particular about the flour they use. So if you're not fussy, this can act as a taster tutu
4/10
