homemade recipe: char kuay (2019)

Commission: SYC Ensemble Singers

Instrumentation: 12- or 24-voice acapella choir (SSSAAATTTBBB)

Duration: 9 minutes

Program Information:
homemade recipe: char kuay is a sonic reimagination of a cooking tutorial for char kuay. Char kuay (also known as chai tow kuay or fried carrot cake) is a popular dish in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan of Teochew origin. It begins with the bustling sounds of a noisy hawker center, before focusing on making the dish of char kuay. This recipe begins with making the kueh batter by mixing rice flour, water, and a little salt. This kueh batter is then steamed and cut into bite-sized pieces, before it is fried with garlic, preserved turnips, fish sauce, and lots of egg.

Text:
zeg ua hung // one bowl of (rice) flour
zeg ua zui // one bowl of water
dik kia // a little
chieo // mix
kio // take
ke // go
lai // come
dim // steam
law // add
xng tao // garlic
chai bou // preserved turnip
he lou // fish sauce

Premiere: August 23 2019 | SYC Ensemble Singers | Singapore