BiblioAsia+

Kueh pie tee is not a pie that goes with tea. So where did the name (and dish) come from? Award-winning cookbook author Christopher Tan combs through old newspapers and cookbooks, in search of the origins of the dish.

PS: Dates back to 1570!

Christopher Tan is an award-winning writer, cooking instructor and photographer. His articles, columns, recipes and photographs have appeared in many publications, including Singapore's Sunday Times and Straits Times, The Peak magazine, and America's Saveur magazine. He has authored and co-authored many cookbooks, most recently Nerdbaker 2: Tales from the Yeast Indies (Epigram Books, 2024). He loves making meaning with words, images and food. 

What Christopher Talked About

• 02:11 – The origins of the dish kueh pie tee
• 11:43 – Why make kueh pie tee shells when they can be bought
• 13:29 – Christopher's tips for deep-frying
• 13:54 – What's special about Susie Hing's 1956 cookbook In a Malayan Kitchen
• 16:39 – How Christopher connected with Hing's family
• 18:03 – Hing's background
• 18:55 – Different influences in Hing's recipes
• 21:36 – Why Christopher shares old recipes and cookbooks on his Instagram account
• 23:48 – The value of local vintage cookbooks
• 25:20 – Christopher's latest cookbook, Nerdbaker 2: Tales from the Yeast Indies
• 29:07 – Why toddy (fermented palm sap) is used in baking
• 35:50 – Christopher's dream filling for kueh pie tee
• 36:57 – The dish Christopher wishes he can master
• 38:21 – How Christopher tests his recipes
• 38:58 – What Christopher would rather buy than make on his own
• 40:23 – Food is...

Transcript and Resources

• Read the transcript: biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/podcast/kueh-pie-tee/transcript/
• Watch Christopher make kueh pie tee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFO2cLUDagE

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This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Osman Ahmad and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Christopher for coming on the show.

BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library of Singapore.