Cook up a storm for CNY #8: Swordfish & Soursop Kueh Pie Tee

One treat whenever we visit our relatives during CNY is kueh pie tee. As kids, we'd sometimes see how much filling we can heap into those cups before it became a big mess.

Well, author-chef Pamelia Chia has taken this familiar favourite and given an innovative treatment of this treat in her book, Wet Market to Table: A Modern Approach to Fruit and Vegetables. Instead of the usual filling, her suggestion is to use swordfish sashimi and soursop instead. This makes a fantastic appestiser that will surely be the talking point at meal time. 

According to Pamelia, this is actually a take on kokoda, a Fijian ceviche of raw fish marinated in coconut milk and lime, garnished with very finely diced onions and chillies.

"Soursop stands in for coconut milk here, lending a sweet, tropical undertone, which balances the lime and salt," she says. "As a substitute for the swordfish, you can use any other firm white-fleshed fish. If kueh pie tee shells are unavailable, wonton skins shaped into cups in a muffin tin and baked till crisp and brown make a fine substitute. If you can't get swordfish, you can use any other sashimi-grade firm white-fleshed fish."

Since the pandemic has pushed many of us out of our comfort zones, why not continue riding the wave and explore new foods?

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Serves 6 

What you need
Sashimi-grade swordfish (cut into small cubes no larger than 6mm), 120g 
Salt, 1 tsp
Juice from 10 calamansi limes
Starfruit (cut into small cubes no larger than 6mm), 1 
Caster sugar, 1 tsp 
Shallots (peeled and micro-diced), 2
Green chilli (deseeded, micro-diced), 1
Coriander leaves (chopped), 2 tbsp 
Soursop (deseeded, blitzed and sieved), 100g
Kueh pie tee shells, depending on the size, 15-20 

How to make

In a small bowl, mix the swordfish with the salt and lime juice. Allow the fish to cure for 2 hours or until the fish turn opaque. 

Meanwhile, put the starfruit in a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar. Toss and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.

Set a sieve over a large bowl, and drain the fish and starfruit to remove excess moisture. Discard the liquid, and transfer the fish and starfruit into the bowl.

Add the shallots, green chilli, coriander leaves and soursops. Toss and season to taste, adding more salt or lime juice if necessary.

Transfer the ceviche to an attractive bowl and serve separately from the kueh pie tee shells. When ready to eat, fill the kueh pie tee shells with the ceviche and serve immediately before the shells soften.

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