SINGAPORE – Bo bee kueh makes a cameo in the hit Teochew movie Dear You (2026), but its few short scenes have piqued the appetites of cinemagoers, lifting sales of its closest local relative here – koo chye kueh.

In the film about migration, love and family ties among the Chinese diaspora, protagonist Zia Lamgi turns to selling pan-fried bo bee kueh after a fire destroys her family’s inn in Bangkok. Her father jokes that the chive-filled dumplings boost a man’s stamina and vitality.

Jalan Kukoh Teochew Kueh’s co-owner Tan Choon Huay, 71, says: “My regulars asked if I had watched the movie, then asked for bo bee kueh.” Orders for koo chye kueh at her stall rose 10 per cent following the movie’s release in June.

Usually, soon kueh is the first item to sell out, at around 5pm. Now, her koo chye kueh sells out first – by 4pm – thanks to the Dear You effect, she says.

Bo bee kueh in Teochew translates to rice-free kueh, a reference to its wrapper being made without rice flour. This is according to an article credited to the Xiangqiao District Cultural Centre and Library on Chaozhou City of Gastronomy, a website run by the Chaozhou Tourism Association in Guangdong province.

To make the bo bee kueh wrapper, sweet potato flour is mixed with hot water to form a thick paste. More flour is stirred in until it forms a dough. In contrast, the skin of koo chye kueh is made from rice flour.

Sweet potatoes reached China in the latter half of the 16th century. By 1594, it became a well-known crop as a result of a Fujian governor propagating it for famine relief, writes anthropologist E.N. Anderson in his book, The Food Of China.

At Upper Aljunied Lane, Yoon’s Traditional Teochew Kueh co-owner Qara Yoon, 47, who watched the movie with her mother, executive chef Lim Lee...