What Is Muah Chee? Singapore's Chewy Peanut Snack Explained

Warm, soft, chewy and rolled in crushed peanuts and sugar: muah chee is one of Singapore's most loved old-school snacks. You will find it at pasar malams, hawker centres and, more and more, at weddings, carnivals and office parties. Here is what muah chee is, where it came from, how it is made, and how to serve it to a crowd.

What is muah chee?

Muah chee (麻糍) is a snack made from glutinous rice flour. The flour is mixed with water and a little oil, steamed into a soft, stretchy dough, cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed in a coating of finely ground roasted peanuts and sugar. It is eaten warm with a toothpick or skewer, straight from a paper tub.

It is sometimes compared to Japanese mochi, and the two are cousins. Both are chewy glutinous rice doughs. Muah chee, though, is served as loose, bite-sized pieces and gets its flavour from the peanut coating rather than from a filling.

Where does muah chee come from?

Muah chee has Hokkien (Fujian) roots, and the name comes from the Hokkien pronunciation of 麻糍. Glutinous rice cakes like this have been made across southern China for centuries, often for festivals and offerings, because the sticky rice stands for togetherness.

In Singapore, muah chee became a street snack. Older residents remember the muah chee man cycling through the kampung and HDB estates, scissors in hand, snipping warm dough into a tub and shaking it with peanuts to order. That live, made-in-front-of-you style is still how muah chee tastes best.

How muah chee is made

1. Mix the dough. Glutinous rice flour, water and a little oil are stirred into a smooth batter.
2. Steam it. The batter is steamed until it turns into a soft, translucent, stretchy dough.
3. Add shallot oil. A traditional touch: the dough is brushed or kneaded with fragrant fried shallot oil, which gives muah chee its savoury edge.
4. Cut and toss. The dough is snipped or cut into small pieces and tossed in ground roasted peanuts mixed with sugar until every piece is coated.

Good muah chee is soft and pillowy but still chewy, and never hard, dry or gluey. The secret is fresh dough, served warm, coated just before it is eaten so the peanuts stay crunchy.

Peanut vs black sesame

There are two classic coatings:

• Classic peanut: roasted peanuts ground with fine sugar, with minced fried shallot for a sweet-savoury balance. This is the version most Singaporeans grew up with.
• Black sesame: roasted black sesame ground to a fine powder with sugar. Nuttier, darker and a little less sweet, with a toasty, almost smoky flavour.

Which is better? Peanut is the crowd-pleaser and the safe choice for kids. Black sesame is popular with adults and anyone with a peanut allergy. At a party, offering both is the easy answer: guests love choosing, and the two look striking side by side.

Muah chee for parties

Muah chee makes a great party dessert because it is light, handheld and fun to watch being made. There are two ways to serve it:

Make it yourself with a DIY set

Our DIY Muah Chee Set comes with soft Fortune glutinous rice dough, grated peanuts mixed with fine sugar, and minced fried shallot. You cut the dough and toss it at the table, which is a hit with children. Sizes serve about 4 to 5, 8 to 10 or 15 to 20 guests. Leftover dough keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days: reheat it and it is a fragrant snack again.

Have it made live at your event

For 50 guests or more, our muah chee live station brings a cook who cuts and tosses each portion to order, in classic peanut or black sesame, from $3.50 a portion plus crew and delivery. It pairs well with a popiah live station as the sweet finish to a savoury spread. See all our food live stations.

How much muah chee per person?

Plan on 1 serving per guest as a dessert or snack. If muah chee is the only sweet at a long event, such as a carnival or family day, allow for a few repeat visits: about 1.5 portions per guest. Our Party Planner works out quantities for any headcount.

Muah chee FAQ