Inside Kueh Ho Jiak: How Sandy Tan Is Keeping Singapore’s Kueh Tradition Alive

How one hawker family keeps kueh alive for a new generation

Before sunrise at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, the lights come on and the steamers heat up. In those quiet hours, founder Sandy Tan is already at work shaping soft dough, weighing fillings by feel, and checking each tray with an experienced eye. Her stall, Kueh Ho Jiak, has become a touchstone for how traditional kueh can evolve while staying true to roots. The approach is careful and practical. It favors natural colors, light sweetness, and a commitment to handwork that is rare in a fast moving food scene.

Kueh Ho Jiak’s signature is sweet potato ang ku kueh, a bite sized pastry shaped in the outline of a tortoise shell. The colors are drawn from ingredients rather than bottled dyes. The skins are supple but hold their shape. The fillings are familiar but layered with playful ideas. This balance between heritage and experimentation is why fans line up early and why new customers keep coming back.

What ang ku kueh means to Singapore

Ang ku kueh, often translated as red tortoise cake, is a staple at family celebrations in Chinese communities. Its shape recalls the tortoise shell, a symbol of long life and good fortune. In Singapore it is often given out during a baby’s first month, birthdays, and festive gatherings. The appeal runs deeper than nostalgia. A well made ang ku kueh has a tender, chewy skin and a filling that feels both indulgent and homely. It is easy to eat, easy to share, and loaded with memory.

Modern tastes have shifted, and many diners look for lighter sweetness, cleaner labels, and exciting flavor twists. Kueh Ho Jiak speaks to that shift. The stall avoids preservatives and artificial coloring. It relies on sweet potatoes for color and texture, and keeps the sugar under control. That philosophy makes the kueh approachable for younger eaters without losing the gentle richness that gives the snack its charm.

A family story shaped by women

Sandy learned by watching and doing. She grew up around women who cooked and sold simple food from small setups. Over time she absorbed their methods and their sense of care, then combined those instincts with her own ideas. After working overseas, she returned to Singapore in 2010 and began making ang ku kueh again. Word spread, and home orders turned into a hawker stall, then into a small but steady enterprise.

Today, three generations of the family chip in during peak periods. Sandy’s daughter, Elizabeth Chan, oversees digital operations and the online store. Her granddaughter helps during busy festive seasons. The bond is practical and emotional. It keeps the craft rooted at home while opening the door to new formats, new packaging, and new audiences.

Elizabeth describes the grind in plain terms and frames it as a lesson in grit and purpose. She has spoken about the ups and downs of building a business with her mother and the role of persistence.

After reflecting on the demands of running a stall and a brand, Elizabeth Chan said:

“The journey to being an entrepreneur is never easy. Even though it may seem tough, I believe that through perseverance and passion, it will definitely lead you to success.”

The family dynamic matters. It allows Sandy to concentrate on the physical craft while Elizabeth grows the business, answers customers online, and manages logistics. That division of work is one reason the stall’s standards hold steady at daily volume.

From hawker stall to workshops and an online community

Kueh Ho Jiak operates from Tanjong Pagar Plaza and runs a dedicated workshop kitchen in Chai Chee. The workshop started with a small handful of classes and now runs seven sessions a week. Families, friends, and corporate teams gather to learn how to mix dough to the right texture, portion fillings, press patterns in molds, and steam without drying out the skins. It is part cooking class, part culture lesson, and most participants leave with a new respect for the labor behind each piece.

A tight team of five part time staff support the stall and the workshop. Scheduling is lean. Everyone doubles up across tasks such as shaping, packing, and orders. The result is a business that runs on craft and careful planning. It is also a gateway for young people to learn the basics of kueh in a setting that feels hands on and welcoming.

Innovation with respect for tradition

The core principle is simple. Preserve the form and soul of kueh, and use modern ideas to make it appealing to people who might skip it otherwise. The most visible shift is color. Instead of synthetic coloring, Sandy uses sweet potatoes and other natural ingredients to achieve vivid skins. The stall keeps the sweetness in check. Textures are tuned so that the skin yields easily but does not stick. Fillings are familiar but never dull.

The flavors show how creativity pairs with heritage. Bestsellers include Lotus Biscoff, D24 durian, and a haebeehiam sweet potato that brings a savory kick to a snack better known for sweetness. There is also a mugwort and mung bean blend. Seasonal trays often feature kueh shaped like teddy bears or koi, made with customized molds. These shapes catch the eye of younger customers, which is exactly the point.

Kueh Ho Jiak is halal certified. That reflects Singapore’s mixed roots in everyday food and allows the stall to serve a wider base. The cooking draws influence from Teochew, Hokkien, Peranakan, and Malay kitchens. That range shows up in flavor choices and in the way the team talks about the food. It is not about one tradition, it is about many traditions meeting at the same table.

Recognition and collaborations

Kueh Ho Jiak’s profile has grown beyond the hawker center. The brand has collaborated with consumer names such as Leica and Pokka on events and special sets. These tie ups serve a simple goal, introduce kueh to people who might be more familiar with coffee chain desserts or imported pastries. When a photography brand or a drink maker showcases kueh at a launch or a gallery night, it places the snack in a new context.

Media recognition has followed. Kueh Ho Jiak appears in food guides and television features. The Netflix series Food Tales: Crazy For Kueh spotlighted the craft and the family story, bringing international viewers into the kitchen to see what hand shaping looks like in real time. In 2025 the business received the Spirit of Enterprise Established Honoree Award, an acknowledgment of the team’s contribution to local entrepreneurship. That award is a reminder that hawker work can be both a livelihood and a form of cultural stewardship.

The grind behind the glass display

Behind every neat display lies difficult work. Hawker hours are long. Ingredients are heavy. The heat in a small kitchen is constant. Retaining staff is hard when many other jobs offer more predictable schedules and air conditioning. Training is slow because there are no shortcuts for feel and rhythm. A newcomer needs time to learn how dough should sit in the palm, how much pressure to apply to a mold, and how to judge doneness by smell and sight.

These realities sit within a bigger conversation about Singapore’s hawker culture, which was inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. That listing highlighted hawker centers as living community spaces. It also brought new attention to the need for mentorship, skill transfer, and sustainable careers. A new wave of young hawker owners has entered the scene in recent years. Many focus on branding, social media, and expansion, while older hawkers worry about dilution of quality. Kueh Ho Jiak shows one path, aim for growth but guard technique. Keep standards high even as the business goes online and into workshops.

Winning over younger diners

Some younger customers used to brush off kueh as old fashioned. That perception can change quickly when the product in hand looks bright and tastes clean. Shapes like koi and bears work as a friendly entry point. A flavor like Lotus Biscoff or D24 durian draws curious first timers. Those first bites often lead to classics such as mung bean and peanut. The design is not a gimmick. It is a way to create a shareable moment with a food that many people have only seen at family gatherings.

Packaging and presentation matter too. Kueh Ho Jiak uses modern boxes that travel well for gifting and corporate events. The team is active on social channels, which helps explain flavors and show behind the scenes work. Workshops do similar work in person. When a child learns to press a mold or a parent tries shaping for the first time, they gain a personal connection to the snack. That memory stays longer than a single bite.

How to experience Kueh Ho Jiak

The stall operates at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, where walk in customers can pick from trays of fresh ang ku kueh and other classics. Popular flavors sell out quickly during holidays. Pre orders for special shapes or flavors are encouraged. The team’s online store handles islandwide delivery for gifts, office trays, and party sets. Corporate orders often include customized molds so logos or festive motifs appear on the kueh.

Hands on learners can book a class at the Chai Chee workshop. Sessions cover dough mixing, coloring with natural ingredients, shaping, and steaming. Small class sizes make it easier to get individual tips from experienced makers. Many participants attend as families or office teams. It is a practical way to connect with food heritage and to appreciate what goes into every box taken home from a hawker stall. For schedules and ordering, visit the official website at kuehhojiak.com.

Key Points

• Kueh Ho Jiak is led by founder Sandy Tan, who starts work before dawn at Tanjong Pagar Plaza.
• The stall’s signature is sweet potato ang ku kueh, made with natural colors and without preservatives.
• The business is a three generation effort, with Sandy’s daughter Elizabeth Chan managing digital operations and workshops.
• Kueh Ho Jiak runs a Chai Chee workshop with seven sessions a week for families and corporate groups.
• Flavor range includes Lotus Biscoff, D24 durian, haebeehiam sweet potato, and a mugwort and mung bean blend.
• The kueh is halal certified and reflects Teochew, Hokkien, Peranakan, and Malay influences.
• Collaborations with brands such as Leica and Pokka have introduced kueh to new audiences.
• Kueh Ho Jiak was featured in the Netflix series Food Tales: Crazy For Kueh.
• The team received the Spirit of Enterprise 2025 Established Honoree Award.
• Hawker work remains tough, but workshops, modern packaging, and an online store help sustain the craft and reach younger diners.