I hope everyone has had a wonderful Chinese New Year reunion dinner and a festive and fun celebration for the first few days of Chinese New Year. I looooove Chinese New Year, it’s the occasion that brings family and friends together, and it’s a tradition that reminds all Chinese of our root, culture, and civilization. Never mind the obnoxiously loud and cheesy Chinese New Year songs, the bright red and gold Chinese New Year decor, and the endless foods and offerings for the many prayers and rituals. They are what make us Chinese, and we should embrace all these unique practices for generations to come.
While I am always excited about the reunion dinner and the many courses of traditional Chinese New Year dishes, I have to confess that it’s the leftover that really tickles my taste buds. Yes, I am talking about chai buey, or 菜尾, literally meas “leftover.” In Penang, especially in my Nyonya family, the day after the first day of New Year is when we make a huge pot of chai buey—a soup or stew concocted with all the leftover ingredients from the reunion dinner. It’s generally consisted of meat (chicken, roast pork, duck), vegetables (preferably fresh “mustard green/gai choy/ 芥菜” or kiam cai/picked salted mustard green), and all the other leftover from the reunion dinner, including steamboat (hot pot). The chai buey is infused with tamarind juice, bean paste (taucheo), some dried red chilies, with some peeled assam keping (optional). You then stew the chai buey over low heat to bring out all the flavors of the leftover ingredients, and the end result is a pot of mouthwatering, appetizing, and utterly delicious stew that I can eat for days…
This is my chai buey that I made a couple of days ago with some leftover roast pork, mushrooms, and other leftover Chinese New Year dishes. The great thing about chai buey is that it just gets better overnight or days later as the flavors break down and continue to develope with time. My late mother would keep chai buey for up to 3-4 days, while she kept adding fresh mustard greens to the soup. Everyone in my family loves this dish—the soup goes so well with steamed white rice and sambal belacan, and the dish is full of hidden treasures, if you are willing to dig in and find the goodies.
As chai buey is made of leftover foods, there is really not a proper recipe to create the dish. It’s really flexible and you can use your taste buds to create your own version of chai buey and use the key seasoning ingredients below to bring out the flavors:
- Tamarind juice—soak a golf-ball size tamarind pulp in 4 cups of water and extract the juice
- Yellow bean paste or taucheo—this gives you the earthy and salty taste in the stew/soup
- Dried red chilies—remove the seeds of the dried chilies and dump them into the soup. A great chai buey should be slightly spicy.
- Mustard green or gai choy (芥菜)—we love this vegetables in chai buey, nothing can replace it. In Hokkien, it’s called “kua cai.”
- Water—since this is a soupy stew, you should add water because the best part is sipping the sour soup!
For the perfect balance of flavors, use some salt and sugar (optional) to achieve your desired taste.
Now, tell me if you love chai buey?
Note: Chai Buey can also be found at the many economy rice stalls in Malaysia, and some chicken rice stalls also serve chai buey. I have to warn you that it’s not the most appetizing and photogenic looking stew/dish, but once you try the flavor, I am sure it will win you over. Enjoy!
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve had this before,I could taste it through the screen,CNY leftovers makes for wonderful dishes don’t they.=)
David – this is my favorite comfort dish that reminds me of home.
I’ve had great success in making this in a slow cooker. It saves a lot of time and the flavors blend really well after cooking for 6-8 hours.
Slow cooker, that’s a good idea.
This is one of my all time favourite dish. I can have it for days & days without getting sick of it. Like you said, it gets better overnight or days later. Since I am residing overseas, I hardly have a chance to make this dish. When I desperately crave for it, I go out to Chinatown to buy some BBQ meat and gai choy to make a pot. Yes, it does sound like a waste not to use leftovers but have to satisfy craving……all is worth it, hehehe!!! The next time I make it, I will use some yellow bean paste too…I don’t normally have this as an ingredient but worth giving it a shot. Anything just to make the dish even more tastier and irresistble. BTW, how much of this paste do we need to add….is one tbsp enough to start off with? Cheers!
Yes, this is what I do too, buy roast pork from Chinatown and make chai buey. It’s the cheated version but it works because my late mother also used to make it like that, with the leftover roast pork from prayers. For the taucheo, you can use 1 or 2 tablespoons to start with. It really adds depth and flavors to the chai buey, try it. :)
I tried the Roast trotters version.. turns out that it taste superb! It tasted better when you pre-roast/ saute the meat withh garlic and pepper first, before simmers with water…
Thanks for your tips.
Never had this before but looking at the ingredients, they’re all familiar to me. I can imagine why you like this dish. Back home, we have a sourish soup with pickled mustard green and spare ribs similar to the Filippino’s sinigang.
Yes, we also have another dish called Kiam Chai Ark (salted mustard green with duck) but the soup base is completely different, but yes, sourish and similar taste structure. YUMMY.
I absolutely love this. My mom and aunts always cook them after a family wedding banquet with the leftover from the restaurant. Agree that there can be a detailed recipe because it depends on what leftovers are available :)
Ellie – those wedding banquets leftover makes the best CHAI BUEY. I am drooling just thinking about it. YUMMY.
This is my first time commenting even though I have been an avid reader of your blog. Thank you thank you for posting this. My mom used to make this but I had no idea what it’s called. I didn’t even have an inkling on how to search for it on google. This is wonderful and I will bookmark it.
Ping, glad that you found this chai buey on my site.
It used to be called Kiam Chai Buey in Penang.. in the 60/70s the cook for the wedding reception will recycle all the leftover for this dish, guest could then take a portion back for their dinner later..great way to recycle leftover
Correct, Vincent. I looooove those chai buey from wedding banquets leftovers. Growing up as the youngest in my family, I have had so much GREAT chai buey from the wedding, and my mother would then give them away to neighbors and friends. So much hidden treasures inside them, and the taste is always soooooo much better and sweet.
omy freakin good, i love chai boey..i didn’t know it was made from leftovers though, i think the ones served in restaurants/hawkers are not leftovers…and i know my mother’s friend also made it before not from left-overs but specially made..
The ones served at restaurant may not may not be leftover. If you buy from economy rice stalls, there are probably some leftovers.
I think I need to stop visiting your website now because it makes me feel so home sick! I can see all the delicious dishes you cooked but can’t taste them physically :(
I live in Cirencester, UK, the town which has a couple who won £56millions lottery few days ago. If I have that sort of money, I probably setup a Malaysian restaurant & bakery locally so that I can have my meal there everyday. Anyway, enough of dreaming and get back to reality!!!
Thanks for sharing chai buey pictures & recipe. I shall make the effort to cook them soon for my wife & kids to eat. In cooking this dish, did you mix all the ingredients in a pot, bring them to boil, lower the heat and then add the kua cai? For how long you need to cook this dish in low heat?
p/s: Just kidding about stopped visiting your website. I am a fan on your facebook.
HS – LOL, you are so funny. That’s exactly my intention, my site is a channel to bring back the memories, tastes, and smells from home. Food conjures up so much emotions in me, it’s just amazing. I usually boil the soup first (with the meat and leftover) and then I add the kua cai the last. Then keep boiling on medium heat to make the kua cai really tender. The best. My family’s favorite part of the kua cai is the bottom of the young stems, they are always the first ones to go. LOL.
Hi Bee!! Gong Hei Fatt Choy!!! Aaah This recipe is just in time for all the CNY leftovers!!! I have my hubby pick up some “Gai Choy” on his way home from work today … plus with the snow coming down … this is the prefect dish!!! Can’t wait to dig in!!!
Tricia – that’s great. Thank God we can get gai choy easily here, what would we do without it????
My Chai Buey are finally all gone. Everyday, I would add new gai choy. The last 2 days … there are only gai choy … just couldn’t let my hubby throw away the soup/stew!!!
Thanks for the recipes. The last time I had this soup was at least 15 years ago.
Do you have craving for chai buey now that you see it?
I just looove this dish. It’s simple to make and it tastes lovely.
Correct, there is no real recipe, just throw everything inside. Hehe.
What a coincidence! My mum called me yesterday to inform that she had just made chai-buey (we call it chap chai) and asked me to come over so that I can ‘tapau’ some home. My mum likes to make it a little more soupy (but still full of flavour and kaw!) because we just luuurrrrve the soup. This is another post CNY must!
Yeah. I know in certain places they are called chap chai. To us Penangites, chap chai is a completely different dish.
I love this! Goes so well with just rice!
I know! I just just slurp the soup and eat with plain white rice.
OMG! Just looking at the picture is making my mouth water!! Gosh do I miss Penang and Chai Boey!! YUM!
Another superb blast from the past, Bee. Absolutely love Kiam Chye Buey. Craved for it when I was pregnant. Had to have it everyday!
*Slurping into keyboard*
I bet, the sour sour taste is very appetizing!!!
HI
Came across your site while sourcing some recipes online and wow that chai buey looks divine and I am sure its taste fantastic. I love this dish or should I say crazy over this dish. When I was living in KL my mum used to make them everytime after the food leftovers from cny. I havent eaten them in 9 yrs now since my mum passed away. I cant get any of this in Australia and when I saw your posting it brought back so much fond memories of this wonderful dish. I know chai buey is make from leftovers but can I use fresh ingredients like vegies and roast pork etc etc. Would greatly appreciate if you can give me the recipe for this dish. Thanks
Sonny – yes, you can make this from fresh ingredients. Go to Chinatown and get 1 pound of roast pork, cut into pieces, then add 4 water to boil, then add taucheo, dried red chilies, and tamarind juice (about 1 cup with golf-ball size and soak for 30 minutes to fully extract the juice). Then add mustard green or kua cai. Add more tamarind juice if not sour enough, not salty, add more taucheo or salt. Not spicy, add more dried red chilies. That’s all. Good luck.
Hi just want to express my thanks for the recipe. Finally got round to doing the chai buey at the weekend and it turn out fantastic. THe flavors were all there and the taste were pretty close to what I would get back home so very happy with the outcome. Thanks again.
I’m cooking this right now and I just can’t wait to dig in…yummy!
Chai boey is one humble but FANTASTIC dish with many die-hard fans!! Great job in posting this up, Bee!
It’s not possible to be indifferent to kiam chai boey bec it stimulates all your tastebuds. Just had them during CNY, and craving it again. I love it after a day when everything turns kinda mushy, and the flavours all come together. It’s the most deeply-satisfying soul food for me.
I reckon Kiam Chye Boey is a good trademark for typical Penangites wherever we are in this green planet, besides assam laksa & char koay teow. That is a surest dish my 2 daughters will adore everytime CNY is over. Just a suggestion, i usually add large onions to create the subtle sweetness they exude into the broth. I also add a couple of assam keping to the assam jawa. Each gives it’s own flavour, tanginess & zest. Many thanks RM for including this really really special Penang dish. Most of my Singaporean friends were amazed what Penangites can do to simple overnight leftover food, and sedap pulak.
this is by far my favorite dish from home!! Every time she makes it, i’m never around during the process.. so thank you for posting this recipe! i’m so excited to be able to make it myself.
Hi Bee, bit late with this but this is very interesting. I’ve never come across this dish but it’s a great idea. I mean, I practice this in general anyway but this is a great solution to use up all the leftovers in a melting pot. YUMMY. I’m going to link to this in my blog. Thnx for the idea.
I just had this yesterday with my economy rice! :-D
I love the sourness and spiciness of the soup. The one I had used leftover stewed duck’s legs. It was fantastic. I will be trying this out one of these days. only thing, I’ll be the only one eating it. Small small portion then. Thanks!
hi, do you have a recipe for bakwan kepeting? cheers(:
Hi M, sorry I don’t know what bakwan kepeting is.