KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — These humble rice bowl cakes go by many different names. In Cantonese, it’s known as woon chai koh but go south and it’s called chwee kuih in Hokkien. Literally translated to Malay, it’s kuih mangkuk.

The wobbly white cakes are made with a mixture of rice flour and water, which is steamed until it’s set. Usually it’s placed in rice bowls or even small aluminium saucer shaped containers before steaming.

Depending on preference, a little tapioca flour can be mixed with the rice flour paste to give these bowl-shaped cakes a smoother bite. Once the rice bowl cake has set, it’s removed from the container and topped with preserved radish or choy poh chopped into smaller bits.

The exact recipe for the topping differs from stall to stall. Some will add sesame oil, sweet sauce, chilli sauce or even dried small shrimps to amp up the flavours. In Kelantan, it’s known as kiam kuih, where it’s topped with fried minced prawns and fried shallots. Some families also add dried small shrimps to the mixture. Usually eaten as breakfast or a teatime snack, the rice bowl cake can be found at dessert shops, pasar malam or morning market stalls.

Kedai Kopi Khoong, 50, Jalan 21/19, Sea Park, PJ. Open: 7am to 1pm. Closed on Saturdays.

Look for the kuih mangkuk stall at this corner coffee shop and you will be rewarded with a wobbly woon chai koh with a generous topping of preserved radish, sweet sauce and chilli sauce. There’s also a dash of oil for added smoothness to every bite of the snack. Here the stall uses a rice bowl to steam the cake, hence it’s a pretty decent-sized portion. This stall is run by a pleasant old woman who has been around for about 30 years. She also sells fried noodles, bak chang and steamed pau. Other popular stalls in this coffee shop include the Kampar fish noodles.

Kedai Makanan dan Minuman PMK, 43, Jalan Kancil, Pudu, KL. Open: 2pm to 4am. Closed on Tuesdays.

This popular dessert shop is the only place that serves a Taiwan rice bowl version — stuffed with goodies like salted egg yolk, hard boiled egg, shiitake mushrooms and pork slices. Even its topping differs. The slightly firm rice bowl cake is garnished with a generous topping of crunchy fried shallots and deep fried dried shrimps. Here just a smidgen of sweet and chilli sauce is used since it’ll overwhelm the generously-stuffed snack. Pair your treat with a bowl of tong sui from this shop with choices like egg tea, sweet potatoes in a ginger broth or the usual black sesame paste and peanut paste.

Stall No. 12, Food Court at Jalan 17/1A, Section 17, PJ. Open: 6am to 2pm. Closed on Sundays.

Look for this tong sui stall in this small food court located next to the wet market and flats in Section 17, PJ. Aside from the sweet desserts, they also have woon chai koh sold in dainty portions. An order gets you four tiny woon chai koh generously topped with chopped preserved radish and chilli sauce. Sometimes, you may even get them slightly warm from the steamer if you come early. You can also enjoy steamed yam cake and stuffed chee cheong fun here. The char kway teow and fish ball noodles are also popular orders at this food court.

Chuan Lee Restaurant, No. 5, Jalan Bukit Section 11/2, Section 11, PJ. Open:9am to 3pm.

From Friday to Sunday, the yong tau foo stall at this popular restaurant sells woon chai koh. Here it’s packed in plastic containers, which makes it good for takeaway. The soft rice flour cake is paired with preserved radish. This corner shop restaurant also sells an excellent pork noodles with a clear broth filled with lots of ingredients like pork slices, pork balls, liver and minced pork patty. Other good eats include the Chinese style nasi lemak served with hae bee hiam or spicy dried prawns mixed with ground chillies.

Won Zai Go Stall at SS2 pasar malam, PJ. Open on Mondays.

Look for this stall with the banner “Won Zai Go” that sells these rice bowl cakes. Everything is packed for a quick takeaway together with the preserved radish topping. The stall also sells a pandan green coloured kuih kosui, the sweet rice bowl cake version with lightly salted fresh grated coconut.  This stall is also at the Cheow Yang pasar malam on Thursdays.