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At Kueh Ho Jiak, three generations of women shape dough, memory and meaning. Founder Sandy Tan’s artisanal approach keeps Singapore’s kueh heritage alive — a story of devotion, resilience and quiet mastery.

Sandy Tan, founder Kueh Ho Jiak, and her daughter Elizabeth Chan. (Photo: CNA/Dillon Tan)

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08 Nov 2025 06:22AM

There is a quiet poetry to the pre-dawn hours at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, where the city’s stillness yields to the rhythmic pressing of kueh — an act that, in Sandy Tan’s deft hands, bridges heritage and innovation with uncommon grace. At her intimate stall, Tan begins her day before 4am, orchestrating a meditative choreography of flour-dusted palms and sweet potato in jewel tones. It’s a ritual observed with unwavering dedication five days a week, pausing only on Thursdays and Sundays.

Tan’s devotion speaks to something larger. Ang ku kueh’s enduring appeal lies in its profound capacity to evoke nostalgia and cultural memory. More than confection, it represents a narrative woven from generations — festivals, family gatherings, each bite conjuring the wisdom of elders and the conviviality of shared tables.

Despite modernity’s relentless march and the fickleness of culinary trends, this traditional delicacy has remained resolute, refusing obsolescence. Instead, it emerges with renewed relevance, its cultural significance intact, captivating both established connoisseurs and curious newcomers — a testament to how tradition and contemporaneity need not be adversaries.

Sweet potatoes ondeh ondeh. (Photo: Kueh Ho Jiak)

Pandan kaya puteri ayu. (Photo: Kueh Ho Jiak)

At Kueh Ho Jiak, the philosophy extends beyond mere preservation. Evolution is embraced with intention. The ethos is elegant in its simplicity: to endure and flourish, to safeguard heritage for future generations, modernisation becomes not betrayal but homage. Their signature sweet potato ang ku kueh embodies this vision — vibrant hues derived from nature’s palette rather than synthetic additives, wholesome compositions untouched by preservatives. These kueh honour their provenance while speaking to contemporary sensibilities, inviting a new generation to discover the artistry within each morsel.

Tan’s daughter Elizabeth Chan and granddaughter, custodians of the next generation, join her during peak periods, shaping dough with the same patient reverence. Sustaining tradition requires more than honouring roots — it demands cultivating new growth. In today’s image-conscious landscape, gastronomes seek experiences that satisfy both aesthetic and epicurean desires. Thoughtful packaging, elevated presentation, and intelligent innovation become the vehicles through which heritage finds its place at the contemporary table.

Yet Tan’s mastery stems not from rigid formulae but from experiential wisdom. Her culinary education came from a collective of matriarchs — great-grandmother, grandmother, and a chorus of gracious older kueh-makers who would lean in to share their secrets: “agah-agah,” they’d murmur, that kitchen incantation meaning ‘estimate intuitively’ the flour or water. No precise measurements existed, only instinct. Through tireless experimentation, Tan has developed her signature approach — an alchemy of memory, warmth, and culinary intuition.

In Sandy Tan’s world, kueh-making transcends commerce —it embodies heritage, family, and continuous creation. (Photo: CNA/Dillon Tan)

Kueh Ho Jiak at Tanjong Pagar Plaza in 2017. (Photo: Kueh Ho Jiak)

Supporting Tan and her immediate family, a team of five part-timers forms the operation’s foundation — some at the Tanjong Pagar stall, others at the Chai Chee workshop, each contributing to this symphony of tradition.

The workshop itself has evolved organically. What commenced as four or five weekly sessions expanded to seven through word-of-mouth alone. Today, with streamlined online bookings, the rhythm is more calibrated. Each two-hour immersion attracts an eclectic clientele: young families seeking meaningful connection over shared craft, corporate teams pursuing authentic bonding experiences. Participants depart with eight specialty kueh — including edible mementos of their own creation.

Each two-hour immersion workshop attracts an eclectic clientele: young families seeking meaningful connection over shared craft, corporate teams pursuing authentic bonding experiences. (Photo: Kueh Ho Jiak)

Corporate Singapore has embraced Tan’s artistry enthusiastically. Collaborations with discerning brands — Leica, Pokka, the Singapore Airshow, GastroBeats — showcase her inventive spirit. She recalled with wry affection the exhaustion of preparing ondeh-ondeh for a Japanese corporation’s event, bowing repeatedly as hundreds of guests collected their desserts. The memory persists: fatigue, certainly, but more profoundly, the satisfaction of bridging cultures through humble confection.

Beneath the success, however, runs the perennial challenge of hawker culture. Punishing hours, tropical conditions, and the unglamorous realities of stall operations make staff retention perpetually challenging. “I was born in 1965, 10th in a family of seven girls and four boys. We grew up dirt poor, and sometimes I believe those born in the 1960s are quite hardworking and resilient. They can ‘tahan’ (bear) stress,” Tan reflected with characteristic stoicism. Air-conditioned food courts offering comparable compensation inevitably lure workers away. Sandy navigates these challenges with equanimity, perpetually adapting, unfailingly resilient.

Her kueh themselves represent cultural confluence, and are halal-certified. The puteri and salat varieties acknowledge Peranakan tradition, though Tan favours the more encompassing term ‘Nanyang delicacy’ — an honest recognition of the Teochew, Hokkien, Peranakan, Malay, and myriad influences informing her craft. The bestsellers — Lotus Biscoff, D24 durian, and Haebeehiam sweet potato varieties — appeal to palates appreciating both nostalgia and innovation, while the mugwort and mung bean blend remains a refined favourite.

Elizabeth Chan oversees digital operations for Kueh Ho Jiak, ensuring seamless experiences for local and international clientele. (Photo: CNA/Dillon Tan)

Through sustained efforts in reimagining kueh whilst preserving its essence, Kueh Ho Jiak has garnered international recognition, featuring in Netflix’s Food Tales: Crazy For Kueh. Such accolades serve not vanity but purpose: affirming that heritage reimagined with creativity and reverence resonates profoundly. It inspires not merely fellow enthusiasts but aspiring pastry artisans across Singapore and beyond — reminding them that exceptional pastry craft encompasses storytelling and cultural memory as much as technical mastery.

Today, Tan’s business comprises three complementary elements: a thriving e-commerce platform, the Tanjong Pagar stall, and the sought-after workshop. Her daughter oversees digital operations, ensuring seamless experiences for local and international clientele. Tan remains the soul of the physical spaces — a presence as familiar as sunrise — while both women conduct workshops and corporate engagements, transmitting knowledge to each eager cohort.

Savoury kuehs from Kueh Ho Jiak. (Photo: Kueh Ho Jiak)

“In the beginning, (some) people thought I was ‘siao’ (crazy) — who’s going to eat ang ku kueh that’s not ‘ang’ (red) in colour? But I was set on interpretating traditional kueh for the modern world, yet respecting the past, using sweet potato and glutinous flour,” Tan explained.

Her determination crystallised through encounters with younger consumers. “We were at a hipster event and teenagers were queuing for ice cream and macaroons. I offered them free kueh samples. But they made a face. When I asked why, someone said that kuehs were for the elderly. It made us even more determined to preserve the heritage or our future generations will not know about kuehs,” Tan reflected.

D24 Durian kueh bingka. (Photo: Kueh Ho Jiak)

This drive has earned recognition: Kueh Ho Jiak received the Spirit of Enterprise (SOE) Awards 2025 Established Honoree Award. The programme has celebrated over 550 exceptional Singaporean entrepreneurs across 17 years, honouring visionaries behind iconic brands including Charles & Keith, PropNex, and Ya Kun Kaya Toast.

“The SOE recognition gives us the strength and encouragement to keep our business moving forward. This is why receiving award means so much to us,” she acknowledged.

In Tan’s world, kueh-making transcends commerce. It embodies heritage, family, and continuous creation, pressed each morning into sweet potato dough’s supple embrace — a narrative that unfolds daily, box by precious box, across Singapore. “I’m doing something that I like, chasing my passion for kueh-making, and not just for making money,” she said.

Source: CNA/bt