Why have the regular version where there is an XL one?
Du Du Shou Shi 嘟嘟熟食, meaning Du Du Cooked Food, does Tutu Kueh with a little something special.
Rather than having a single size for all of the rice cakes, there is an large version only found at this very stall.
Located in 505 Jurong West and Havelock Road Food Centre, the stall had always been run by an uncle who has more than 50 years of selling Tutu Kueh under his belt.
The stall is also recently included in the Singapore Michelin Guide 2023 with a Bib Gourmand.
These days, a younger guy can sometimes be seen keeping the stall going.
(Just a quick note: even though the opening hours of the Havelock branch starts 7am, I have been there at 8am+ a couple of times, and they were still setting up.)
Just a little tidbit about this heritage snack: the name is thought to have come from a “tutu” sound made by charcoal steamers that are used to prepare the rice cakes.
With just a few ingredients that are mainly rice flour and a coconut or peanut filling, I sometimes wonder how it can be this good.
The choice is simple: get some Tutu Kueh in Small ($3 for 5pcs) or Large ($1.20 for 1pc).
After the decision is made (why not both?), stand back and watch the rice flour get packed into the mould, steamed, removed, and laid on a piece of pandan leaf.
The small version, or the size found in every stall around the country, has the distinct flower shape with ribbed patterns.
In comparison, the large version does not use the same mould.
The metal mould for this size was made by the original owner himself, who chose to leave it flat and without the ribbed pattern.
All that matters is that the large version is indeed twice or thrice the size of the mall one.
At the end of the day, they both taste almost the same.
I actually liked the larger one better – the cake itself was soft, delicate, slightly moist, creating an almost cloud-like, melt-in-your-mouth feel.
Because it is larger, it tasted like there was more filling-to-rice flour ratio.
The coconut filling was made from grated coconut and palm sugar – homely. It was lusciously sweet, with a hint of saltiness that strikes a beautiful balance.
Likewise, the ground peanut with sugar is a familiar flavour with nothing to complain about.
Before Du Du Shou Shi, there was Haig Road Putu Piring that made the Michelin-Recommended List in 2017.
Visit the newcomer on the list – as long as the snack continues to exist, foodies will remain happier than ever.
Du Du Shou Shi 嘟嘟熟食
Jurong West Food Centre #01-19, 505 Jurong West Street 52, Singapore 640505
Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm (Mon – Sun)
Du Du Shou Shi 嘟嘟熟食
Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre #01-10, 22B Havelock Road, Singapore 162022
Opening Hours: 7am – 1pm (Tues – Sat), Closed Mon
Read: DFD Singapore Michelin Bib Gourmand Reviews
* Written by Daniel Ang and Dean Ang. Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
