As the English proverb goes, “It’s the early bird that catches the worm.” Well, it’s only the middle of the 5th Month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar and the Mooncake Festival will be in the 8th Month on the 12th of September this year, to be exact…but these biscuits are already in the market…
These are what we called pek-guek pia (8th Month biscuits) or tong chiew pia (Mid-autumn biscuits) and are a Foochow specialty.
I used to like those from Sarikei, a neighbouring town here which is about an hour or so away by road but my sister gave me these the other day…
These are made in Sibu and the packaging is different this year with the biscuits placed in a tray. I guess that’s a good thing as it will probably prevent breakage in transit.
To my delight, they are really very good – with the fragrance of lard and the other ingredients like sesame seeds that go into the making of the biscuits. My sister also sent some to our cousins in Kuching and one even remarked that they’re nicer than Scottish shortbread – now you can imagine how nice these these biscuits actually are. LOL!!!
It certainly looks like this is the one for me this year…
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Umm… not really looking forward to mooncake festival cuz not a fan of mooncakes, but I’m definitely looking forward to bulan puasa… cuz uhuh… if u know me well, you will know why. ROFLOL.
Not going to the Ramadan stalls anymore – so many these days…every Tom, Dick or Harry will set up a stall and what they sell sucks big time – I don’t think they really know how to cook!
Oh…. I just like one particular bazaar ramadan. Been going there for 9 years, and the people selling the food there are very friendly and nice. I like bulan puasa…those ppl are generous too. If I go a lil bit late, they would go buy 1 free 1 on me… and sometimes, if I’m lucky, they will insist that I take it for free since bukak puasa time is almost near and they just want to pack up and go home. There’s once, a guy from bazaar selling bihun and drinks chased me. Scares me cuz keep shout “Tunggu, tunggu!” It was so loud! But in the end I discovered that he was chasing me and my husband cuz he wanna sumbat us food and drinks!
It is not just the food that I like, actually, but the semangat muhibbah they practice. They dun just give freebies and treat the Muslims nice, but non-Muslims as well.
I like such places, especially during ramadan… and love it more when I tink that we all are good to each other because of the 1Malaysia concept and stuff. It is nice, u kno…to feel the sincerity and people’s goodness not because it is politically motivated, but because they really want to and also wants to please God during ramadan.
Reminds me of my regular Malay kuih stall here. By lunch time, they may sell the nasi lemak – buy one, one free…but that day, I went…and I took two and the lady said never mind, tak payah bayar. So nice, sure people will keep going back for more….
@cleff- got minyak babi la..u kenot eat.
@cikgu- never saw this biscuit over here before. Taste sweet or taste salty?
Ya…if I bring to KL, no need to give her. Hehehehehe!!!! A little bit sweet, a little bit salty… 😉
I was an early bird today. Got up to pee then couldn’t go back to sleep. 5.00am *Sigh*. What time do you people wake up? Are y’all on a different time zone? 😀 These biscuits are certainly new to me. Never seen them, never heard of them. But, yeah they do look like shortbread and I LOVE shortbread. Can only IMAGINE how nice they are lor.
This one has a totally different taste and fragrance – while shortbread smells of butter, this smells of lard! Mmmmmmm….!!!! Hahahahaha!!! 😀 My posts are scheduled for 5 a.m. but I may wake up around that time or later… Cleff has not gone to sleep yet… LOL!!! 😀
Haha! Thanks for feeding my imagination with that extra piece of info. I can imagine better now.
There is also a bit of a nutty fragrance because of the peanut butter used in the making…and the toasted sesame seeds. All these contribute towards the overall taste of the biscuit – very nice!
LOL… yeah, i was not asleep yet at that time. LOL!
See! I know you so well… 😉
hey, in another 3 months, right? yes, it is a good idea to buy them and eat while they are fresh.. by the 8th month, the mooncakes are not that fresh, right? hahaha.. we all kiasu.. havent tried this type of biscuits before.. they look kind of crispy? minyak babi some more.. must be very tasty while fresh… are they manufactured only once a year or throughout?
Nope, you can’t get these biscuits throughout the year, only around the 8th Month…but it seems that these days, they are starting extra early…probably hoping to cash in on the opportunity to earn a bit extra. Unlike those “real” mooncakes, I don’t think these are meant to be kept for so long…so once sold out, they will bake fresh ones – no worries about preservatives.
Oohh another foochow specialty eh? I never even heard or saw this before.. Kek Bulan with minyak babi somemore! When are you coming over to KL? Bring me some! 😛
Yes, another one. Come, hop over for a couple of days. So many things here that you’ve never heard or seen before.
Oooo…the minyak babi part is the most enticing…lol!..sure very wangi and kaw-kaw taste. It reminds me of the peanut biscuit where you buy timbang kati from old fashion kedai runcit. You know, my local asian grocery shop already starts selling mooncakes since early May…I wonder how much preservative is in those mooncakes!! Lucky, if I tak makan mooncake, I tak merajuk 😦
Ya…those direct/catalogue sales here also promote theirs very very early. Really, I’m sure they add a whole lot of preservatives – like the very famous Jalan Petaling KL Kiew Brothers (Woe lai yea) BBQ pork (bak kua). Preservative allowed 200, they add 1000 – no wonder it can last so long. These business people have no scruples at all – as long as they can make money, they just do not care. May they all burn in hell! 😦
High 5, Shereen. I dun like mooncakes too. Too sweet lah.
I like the ones with salted egg yolks and thicker skin…so not so sweet.
oh, mooncake festival in sept? Ouch, I’m so not in touch with all these. But love the eating part though.
The peh guek pia in your photos looks appetizing. Does it crumble easily, or of a crunchy texture?
Texture like shortbread…but a bit kasar, not so fine. Yup…it’s in September – same day as your wedding or not? 😉
Early birds catch no worm the pia not rotted yet..hahaha
How to rot, once put up for sale, all gone! Sells like hot cakes! 😉
cant wait to get some mooncakes for myself.. 🙂
I don’t intend to… I’m sure they will be a lot more expensive this year. 😦
Ohhh… Didn’t know these are for the lantern festival. Made of lard?? High in saturated fat leh … Lol
Yum! Yum! Forbidden fruit is sweeter. Hehehehehe!! 😉
i didnt know about this too! i wanna try this! :p
Come! Come to Sibu…and drag witch and everybody else along. Food tour of Sibu! LOL!!! 😀
Wow, better thn my love Scottish shortbread?!! Certainly looks like my cuppa tea… just wonder what does it made of beside lard? Something to do with peanut?
There’s peanut butter and sesame seeds in it other than flour, sugar and lard, that much I know. 🙂
Ahhh!!!…Mooncake Festival, still a long way to go leh. Kiasu hor!!…another early celebration for you. Not really fond of mooncakes, maybe just a piece or two. They are too sweet but I like the pek tau sar and also the green tea tiong chiew pia from Cosway…the taste just nice, not too sweet. If I am not wrong, the one above is available throughout the year, rite?
Those are the “real” mooncakes – Cosway’s out already?…Usually available so very early that I wonder about the amount of preservatives they use… 😦 I’m not buying any this year – too expensive, cannot afford…and I can enjoy a lot of other nicer stuff with that kind of money. These biscuits are affordable and go well with tea/coffee – sold in Kuching but if not “mengandungi minyak babi” – sweeter and harder and not so fragrant, not as nice.
i m a very traditional teochew but i have not seen any biscuits like this over here, even in Muar ler…I love Scottish shortbread and if lard is added, it must be REALLY GOOD!!
They’re both nice – absolutely different in taste. It’s a Foochow delicacy and as far as I know, only available around Sibu and the towns around here…so probably you don’t have it over at your place.
Wah, got lard….sure taste good!
Yum! Yum! Slurpzzzz!!!!! 😀
I saw this in Sibu market one day, but never tried it. bet it’s nice from the pics you took. ur such a good angle photographer, u make anything looks good. 🙂
No lah! Just click…and leave the rest to luck…and good lighting! LOL!!! Should try these biscuits – nice…a bit like those almond cookies in Kuching – the big round ones with a peanut in the middle (from some shop in Padungan – they sell these Foochow mooncake biscuits too…but dunno whether their brands are nice or not). Those are nice too,the ones in Kuching. We have them here now but not so nice – never bother to buy. 😦
Geeez, I just had this last few days ago!!! And yeah, the packaging is different! The biscuits looked fresher though as if it had just being manufactured, not like the one I had not long ago. Quite dark in colour. 😉
These local-baked biscuits – quality control not so good. Sometimes hangus…so darker. LOL!!! Colour may also vary between bakers. They’ve just come out on the market so I guess no worries – should be quite fresh, I’m sure. 😉
Oh, this one taste good, go with coffee…nice!!
Ya wor, the other day i went for father’s day dinner at Oversea Restaurant, already saw them selling moon cakes, i was telling my sister in law, how come they sell moon cakes so early, now it’s only June!
Just imagine – they can last till September…all the preservatives. No, thank you! 😦
I don’t usually like these biscuit. however your description is making me drooling for it
Not all are nice… Some are, in fact, not worth the calories. Guess it’s the same with everything – must know which are the best and where to buy them…
ermmm….never seen this biscuit before..somehow it looks a bit like the almond cookie to me.
The Kuching ones are almond cookies – big round ones with a peanut in the middle. Those are available all year round…and when these mooncake festival biscuits were not available, we would buy those to appease our craving. I’ve seen them selling in Sibu…but I’ve yet to find one that is as nice as those we used to buy from Kuching. So far, not worth buying… 😦
Tsk… i know la u like this thing…all sweet stuff u like… come, bodek cikgu give u some la. LOL!
This isn’t really sweet – just a bit and a bit salty too… If it’s too sweet, I wouldn’t like either.
Anything made with love and lard is exceptional! huhu
+Ant+
Bad for the heart…. LOL!!! 😉
Actually I seen some of the biscuits like this in Penang. Hmmmmm, I wonder whether, do they sell it all the time? Or only when they sell it seasonal?
They have in Penang? Supposed to be sold around the time of the Mooncake Festival only. When we were kids, we would look forward to that time of the year when we could have these – not so much those sweet mooncakes with black red bean filling. Last time, where got lotus paste, salted egg and all that? But lately, it seems that they start making them earlier than usual but who’s complaining? LOL!!!
Wow, my traditional-chinese-half of family never celebrate this. Certainly 100 times better than mooncake (i don’t like moon cake).
It’s kinda off-putting to have “minyak babi” in such big letters in the front of the packet tho. Sounds savoury and fattening. Not chic. Hahaha
That’s probably mandatory in Malaysia…so that “people who are not supposed to eat it” will not buy by mistake. 😉 Nope, Foochow cuisine was never known to be chic – more quantity over quality…but time has changed so it is much nicer now than say…in the 50s or 60s.
yay.. I’m craving for cookies and hot choco last night while enjoying the rain outside..
finally.. I can blog hop again cheers!
nice to be back here
Rain! Gosh! It is so very very hot here – I just step outside the house for a while and I will be drenched – my sweat gushing from every pore like a mountain spring! LOL!!!
I love these things too!
It’s kinda like a different version of mooncakes. 😀
I ate almost a whole pack when I was a kid and was sick of it for a long time but I’m craving for it now.
Gosh, this is nostalgic. I don’t see this anywhere here.
Nice post mate!
Too bad I will not be hopping over to KL anytime soon or I could bring some for you. 😉
haha “minyak babi” that’s such an attractive ingredient!
The MAIN attraction, I must say. Those without the lard – not nice. Not fragrant at all. 😦
I saw this biscuit at Farley today,but never bought it….I don’t think now is the right time to eat as weather is so hot and sure I will get a sore throat if I have it.
Yup…this week has been real bad. I still have an unopened packet but due to the hot weather, I do not feel like opening it. I wonder when it will rain… 😦
This is my favorite. I like this type of mooncake very much. I think it is a must for every mid autumn festival.
I’m ok with it. Not in my top 3…but I do enjoy eating them.
Just brought 2 packets to Kuching upon request by my friends. She was born and raised up in Bintangor settle in Kuching before transferred from Sibu many years back. She missed the Sibu food. Another one is because his mother like it very much… according to him because this year his family not going back to Bintulu for the celebration, when seeing the photo I posted in facebook… he asked for it. I distributed my moon cake biscuit to them and left a bit for myself.
Actually, there are shops in Padungan selling…but I’m not too sure what brands – some may not be as nice…especially those yang tidak mengandungi lemak babi. LOL!!! 😀
I am not sure too. I just brought some to Kuching since I was at Sibu for the past week.
Never mind. Not heavy and not expensive. 😉