Basic HTML Version
30 | FireFlyz
get
away
being roasted in order to draw out
its rich, smoky taste, while the shallots
are separately fried in pure sesame oil.
The mung beans and onions are then
mixed together to form the filling for
the
tau sar pneah.
Machines are used to knead the
dough, however workers still skillfully
form the pastry’s skin and insert the
mung bean fillings manually. This pro-
cess has remained unchanged since the
company started thosemany years ago,
in line with the brand’s “Hand Made,
Heart Baked” principle. The pastries are
vacuum packed individually as well,
thus you only open the packs when
it’s time to eat the pastries, ensuring
that the other ones in the box remains
fresh, almost as if you are eating them
fresh straight out of the oven.
At present, Ghee Hiang has two out-
lets – its original shophouse at Beach
Street in downtown Georgetown and
the other retail outlet cumheadquarters
at Macalister Road. The company has
recently opened up the doors to its
pastry factory by conducting tours that
will enable visitors to witness first-
hand and understand the painstaking
processes that go into the handmade
t
au sar pneah
and other treats that they
love. If you are in Penang, don’t forget
to add this into your itinerary. It’ll be
interesting for you and the kids to learn
the tradition, history and heritage of
Ghee Hiang while, of course, sneaking
in a bite of a freshly baked
tau sar
pneah
or two.
Traditional Bites
Besides tau sar pneah (Mung Bean Pastry), Penang has a variety of other pastries
and biscuits that have become tea-time staples for generations. Here are some
types that you can find in various bakeries around Penang.
•
Beh Teh Saw (Horse Hoof Crispy Biscuits)
A biscuit with a crisp crust and a soft, sweet filling. It ismadewith gooeymelted
molasses combinedwith sesame seeds enwrapped in a flaky skin pastry, created
by painstakingly kneading the dough tomany layers.The reason they are called
Horse Hoof Crispy Biscuits is because back in the old days, theway to bake the
biscuitswas by sticking them to the side of a clay oven. As a result, the biscuits are
thicker on one end and resembles a horse hoof.
•
Hneoh Pneah (Brown Sugar Pastry)
A flakywheat pastry containing a sweet fillingmade from the finest brown sugar,
baked till a perfect light brown colour. During baking, part of the filling invariably
oozes out resulting in a slight chewy texture.
•
Phong Pneah (White Sugar Pastry)
The Hokkien version of the Cantonese
Lou Poh Paeng
(Wife Cake), the pastry is
baked till it turns a lovely ‘off-white’ shade.This light pastry houses deliciously
melted purewhite sugar that tastes especially goodwhen served fresh off the oven.
•
Oriental Almond Cookies
Although theremay be various versions of this cookie around Asia, the ones in
Penang aremade from freshly grounded almonds, baked till golden brown and
crispy.
•
Coconut Tart
An original recipe of the owner of Leong Chee Kee Buiscuits Shop, the coconut tart
is a layered dough basewith a filling of moist sugared grated coconut. It’s topped off
with a swirl effect top crust and brushedwith egg yolk, and then baked in the oven
with the exchanging of the position for an even colour.The tart can only be found
exclusively here.
Baked to a golden brown
The pastries are
skillfully handmade
Egg wash to give the
pastry its beautiful colour
Hand Made, Heart Baked