Traditional Foochow Biscuits 福州光饼 @ Eng Hin in Yong Peng, Johor

Yong Peng is known as the "Little Foochow" of Malaysia because most of the Chinese here are Foochow people. Yong Peng is therefore Malaysia's centre for Foochow cuisine. Yong Peng also has bakeries making traditional Foochow cakes and biscuits. Eng Hin along Jalan Besar is one of the oldest and famous ones.

Kompia 光饼 is a popular traditional Foochow biscuit usually eaten as a snack with Chinese tea. Made with just flour, lard and sugar, kompia is like a Foochow type of bagel. There are many variations of kompia - there are plain ones, and those with fillings such as peanuts or even meat. These ones in the photo are plain ones with sesame seed topping.

At Eng Hin, all the biscuits are made right here at the shop. The entire process from making the dough to baking in the oven to packing for sale can be seen at the shop.

Preparing the dough. Nowadays, machines help prepare and cut the dough while the final touches of shaping the dough are still done by hand.

The original variety has a hole in the middle like a doughnut. According to legend, kompia were strung together with a string and wore around the necks of Foochow soldiers during Ming Dynasty China as combat rations.

The dough is baked in these modern ovens. Eng Hin has been around for more than 50 years and the old traditional tandoor style clay oven has been replaced by these efficient but less charming machinery.

The dough are baked till slightly browned.

These are kompia with peanut fillings. The skin and peanut fillings are soft and slightly sweet. Goes very well with traditional Chinese tea or nowadays also with a cappa coffee :-D

Restaurant name: Kedai Membuat Kuih-Muih Eng Hin
Address: 14, Jalan Besar, Yong Peng, Johor
Map: http://g.co/maps/qzdme
GPS: 2.011157,103.061274
Hours: 7:00am to 9:00pm (closed on alternate Thurs)
Non Halal

Date visited: 18 Apr 2012