Good grief! What month is it in the Chinese lunar calendar right now? If I’m not mistaken, it’s the 5th Month right now and it’s not even the 7th Month yet – the month of the Hungry Ghosts…and yet some people/ladies are already talking about mooncakes and making them.
The Mooncake Festival, also known as the Zhongqui (Tong Chiew Chek) Festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month with the eating of mooncakes that are available these days in all kinds of shapes and flavours and at shockingly astronomical prices. In keeping with the tradition, I may buy a few of the not-so-nice local-made ones which are usually nothing to shout about…or I can just eat our very own Sibu Foochow Tong Chiew p’ia (Mid-autumn biscuits) or Pek Quek p’ia (8th Month biscuits)…
A couple of weeks ago, my missus bought these very nice ones (Kinsen) which were made in Sarikei…
Yes, they’re already out in the shops…and some may even expire before the festival draws near, just imagine that! Unfortunately, she could not remember where she had bought them from (Gosh! Her memory seems to be failing her more and more these days. I certainly hope that she will not forget her way home one fine day!), so I went and bought these made-in-Sibu ones…
Tiang Chuon is one of the very old and established shops in Sibu and some say their loong ngor (kuih bahulu) is the best in town. For one thing, theirs are cheaper than the rest, at only RM3.80 a packet. However, in my honest opinion, they were not as nice, with hardly any fragrance from its lard content and were a bit too salty for my liking.
Then, I went and bought these…
Sin Hing Leong, also made in Sarikei and selling at RM4.00 a packet. As a matter of fact, I have been buying the ones from this particular confectionery for the past couple of years now…and I find that they are quite good.
Whatever it is, at around RM4.00 a packet, they’re definitely more affordable than those overrated mooncakes that are worth their weight in gold. No matter how nice they may be, one thing’s for sure, I am definitely not going to buy any again this year. Period.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Hehe, yet another thing that this katak di bawah termpurung has never heard of before….. π The biscuits look unpretentiously nice. You mentioned salty .. Are these savoury or sweet biscuits by the way ?
It’s a little bit of both. Something like peanut cookies – maybe not as sweet and a little bit saltier…with the fragrance of lard. It’s a Foochow delicacy, used to be available only around Sibu – like kompia and kampua noodles…but I hear they can buy these in the shops in Kuching now…
Morning STP!! see i woke up so early this morning! π just afraid im gonna be very busy later on and no time to blog hop! Sobs. eeee I also cant wait for moooncake festival!! π i dnt think i ever eat such biscuit at here. :[ shud go serbu the supermarket see got sell not! mwahaha
Wah! So sweet of you. I dunno if they have this in KK, only know they can buy in Kuching so no need to bring over for people when I happen to go over…
I dono why… I woke up this morning… hearing verses in my head, couldn’t get it out. =.= must be all the Bible reading I did before asleep… and since you are a Christian too… I feel compel to share with you, Cikgu.
“Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed for the Lord God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9)
Amen. Thank you and the same to you too. You hear voices or not? Muahahahaha!!! π Gee! I’m so bad…
That’s the creepy thing la. I dono I shud feel happy or freak out. I heard soft whispers in my ears this morning. This exact verse. i din know, so looked up in google. Really got such biblical verse. *pengsan* Was telling Claire about it too.
Shhhhh….better don’t tell people. They may burn you alive at the stake – like Joan of Arc! Muahahahahaha!!!! Gosh! God, forgive me! π
Nah… they dun do that anymore. These days… they send u to the nuthouse. LOL!
No, they do not barbecue people anymore. LOL!!!
cleff…maybe your hubi was whispering asking you to go cook breakfast la. :p
Hahahahahahaha!!!! Good one! “Get up, you lazy bum! Go make breakfast!” π
Ooo… I’m not quite into this…. π¦ hard to find nice ones. So I dun bother buying.
I know some very nice ones…but over RM10 a piece, no thank you. I wouldn’t die if I don’t eat and they are not exactly THAT nice!
RM10? That’s daylight robbery. Rm10 oredi can buy one whole can of biscuits!
You didn’t know? One mooncake may be around RM15, a lot more…if you want double yolk and what not…and one tin of 4 may easily come up to around RM50 or more! Some special gift packs…with Chinese tea and what not included…not need to say lah! Can reach RM100 even!
cikgu,
ijust bght single yolk mooncake from pasar rm5. Halal one. From Hussin Industries S/B. Bought before last year. Taste not bad.
Ya, I may buy the cheap local made ones…but not so nice. No lotus paste – the closest we have is pek dou sar! π¦
ahh i miss those biscuit like moon cakes…kuching ones are not always good and there are of course NONE to be found in penang π¦
Jusco is already selling mooncakes like nobody’s business…there are already around 5 or 6 mooncake carts set up. and colorful lanterns are already being sold..lol!
Oh? So early? And they’re supposed to keep till sometime around the end of September? Gee! I can imagine the amount of preservatives they must have inside!
I have never once in my life heard about 8th month biscuits,,,,, is it a must in corresponing tong chew chiak ?
Well, you’ve heard of it now. Sibu Foochow delicacy. I’ve eaten and loved these from small in conjunction with the mooncake festival…together with the local-made mooncake mooncakes – not very nice ones by today’s standards but we enjoyed them so much at the time.
Over here mooncakes are filled with sweet lotus and what’s not nowadays, all sorts of funny fillings.. yes, like the others, i have not heard or tasted the biscuits above.. but i would love to, one day.. :p any fillings inside?
Nope, they’re crumbly biscuits…slightly sweet, slightly salty…with the fragrance of peanuts and LARD! Yum! Hahahahahaha!
Like heong peah without the fillings?
Nope…nothing like heong peah. Wait lah! If I go to KL, I bring some for you… LOL!!!
Black pepper satu botol, please. Thank you veli much. LMAO!
Huh? A bottle? How big? Good grade ones – a small packet already over RM10.00… But for you, no problem. Sure I will buy if I go to KL. Just hope that I will remember. Old man, memory also going…going…almost gone! Hehehehehe!!!
Yala….those mooncakes are really overrated. Too sweet also. Don’t really fancy them. But this cookies, I’ve never seen before. Only know the Ipoh ‘chicken biscuits’.
Eh, u so bad. Laugh at your wife’s memory. We woman, after gave birth sure lost some memory one.
Those chicken biscuits – so hard. Not the same, the taste is different…and these are not as expensive! Chicken biscuits cost a bomb these days…one packet, inside only a few miserable bits. Only the packets look nice… As for the memory loss, not “some”…but getting very bad lately! Dunno if that’s the result of watching too much Chinese/Japanese/Korean series late into the night and not sleeping enough…
Pek Gwek tong chiew the best lah, ‘foochow shortbread’, very very nice indeed! So fast mooncake festival again?! Even the ‘longngor’pompia of Sungei Merah, all not so nice now π¦
Must remember to bring some to Kuching in September for you…and “loong ngor” too! I just bought some the other day, made in Sarikei – a lot nicer than those in Sibu, something like those we used to eat as kids. May post on it in a few days time…
Thank u! No need to bring too much,1pkt will do! π Need to leave room in the tummy for KNB’s banquet,’makan puas puas.LOL! Any request from Melb.?
No, no…nothing from there. Bought your skirt with elastic waistband yet? You need room…for expansion! Hahahahaha!!!!
Can you help me buy some pine nuts? Let me know how much ya? Thanks!
Hehehehehe!!!! No nuts for me, Stella, thanks… Quite happy with mine. Muahahahaha!!!! π
ok,gerrie. chek yr inbox. so STP,no ‘angmo’ nuts for u? hahaha!
No, no thank you… Hahahahaha!!!
Those moon cakes are for show and not much substance. Just look at those nice packaging and you know. Most people only buys them to give as gift.
Ya…I usually buy one box and give to my parents when the festival comes and that’s it! No more. Not even bothered to buy any for myself…
Wow. This is the first time that I heard about the month of the Hungry Ghosts. What I know is a similar celebration of the Halloween for the western countries.
With regards to the mooncake, I just only eat those every Chinese New Year here in my country. The mooncake is delicious, especially the ones being sold in China Town.
Mooncakes during Chinese New Year? You sure you’re not talking about the sticky cake called kuih bakul here? Not the same… Well, the 7th Month should be around mid-August to mid-September this year. Perhaps if you drop by the Chinese Cemetery in Manila around that time, you see some interesting activities going on. Just don’t bump into one of them (spirits/ghosts)! Hahahahahaha!
Wah! So fast talk about moon cake already? heheheheh
I saw some restaurant in KL also start selling moon cakes already.
Ya…still a long way to go. They just can’t wait to squeeze money out of us! LOL!!! π
Wonder if there is actually a ghost month celebration here. You know what, they should have it. My two housemates have been ‘disturbed’ this week O.o.
Oooo…your house haunted? I thought when the spirits see you, they would run for their lives already? Muahahahaha!!!!
What is this bro? Biscuit “kahwin” huh? Perhaps they accidentally added too much salt?
Dunno. Haven’t bought that brand for a long time. Usually bought the last one – from a nearby town here. That one’s nicer… “Kahwin”? Because of the double happiness Chinese character – not kahwin, cannot have happiness kah? Eat nice biscuits, sure happy one!
bought a packet -made in Sibu – not that nice. Update me if you got really nice ones.
Those two Sarikei ones are both nice… You can look out for them! Haven’t had any nice Sibu ones so far…
Will try one out this weekend! =)
You’re coming tomorrow? Go for breakfast Saturday???
I never like mooncake, i prefer those biscuits too.
You have in Singapore? I don’t mind lotus paste mooncakes with salted egg yolk(s)…but not at those prices.
oh… never see this before.. send one for me kekekke let me try please.
Where are you? If I sen to you, sure it will become pek guek hoon! All crumbled into powder form. LOL!!! If you go back to Kuching these days, can easily buy. Some shops at Padungan, I hear…
I think I’m gonna buy some to Kuching next time I dropped by Sibu for business trip again (hint: next week) π
How many days this time? A flying visit again? Usually when we went on a working trip ending on Friday, we would change the flight and stay on for two more days – come back on Sunday…or if it started on Monday, we would change the flight to Saturday. But we did not claim for food and lodging on the extra days. These days, you may have to pay something to change the flight though…