🍽️ Layered Rice Kueh

Layered steamed rice cake, savory or sweet.

Layered Rice Kueh is a traditional rice cake of the Hailufeng region in Shanwei, named for its method of steaming one thin layer at a time. Rice is ground into batter; a ladleful is spread in a steamer and set, then another layer poured on, repeated to build a stack. It may be savory (sprinkled with dried shrimp, minced pork, preserved radish) or sweet (with brown sugar syrup and sesame). Cooled, it is cut into squares and dressed with soy-garlic oil or sweet syrup. Each piece is smooth, distinctly layered and purely rice-fragrant: savory ones are briny and appetizing, sweet ones soft and gently sweet. It works as breakfast or afternoon tea, found both at street kueh shops and homemade kitchens in Hailufeng. Layer by layer, it embodies the region's quiet devotion to rice.