KUCHING: An integral part of the Chinese New Year celebration, which is just round the corner, is the tradition of enjoying cookies that symbolise prosperity and sweetness.
In the heart of the city, Hap Chen Hian Food Supplier, owned by Pauline Sim, the third generation in the family, has been a go-to destination for homemade cookies the past decade.
Sim said the homemade cookies available at her shop, which has been in operation for 10 years in Jalan Padungan, are baked with love by her family and close friends.
“Here, we offer a wide selection of cookies to cater to various tastes. From the classic pineapple tart and traditional ‘Kuih Momo’ to the popular ‘Kuih Bangkit’ (Tapioca Coconut Cookies), ‘Lek Tau Ko (Green Bean cookies), ‘Kuih S’, almond cookies, and cheese sticks.
“For those looking for more options, the shop also offers the ‘Kuih Sepit’ (Love Letters Biscuit) and cartoon-shaped butter cookies which are available in dragon, lanterns, and hello kitty designs,” she told New Sarawak Tribune at her shop recently.
She added the ‘Kuih Sepit’ comes in two variations – the traditional ones using coconut milk and the Mukah ‘Kuih Sepit’ using sago.
“All the cookies use premium Golden Churn butter, thus resulting in prices ranging from RM30 to RM40,” she explained.
As for the must-have cookies during the CNY, Sim recommended the pineapple tart, ‘Kuih Momo’, ‘Kuih Sepit’ ‘Kuih Bangkit’ and the ‘Lek Tau Ko’.
“Pineapple tart is a must as pineapple represents ‘ong’ and it means prosperity,” she said.
She said the other cookies often sweet as consuming sweet treats during Chinese New Year is believed to bring sweetness to life throughout the year.
“A must-have during CNY is also the ‘Acar’ (Homemade Vegetable Pickles). A good combination with the ‘Acar’ would be the ‘Keropok Udang’ (Prawn Crackers) or “Keropok Ikan’ (Fish Crackers).
“These items are among the bestsellers at our shop. The elderly too would not miss buying them,” she said, adding shoppers also would not miss buying the Javanese ‘Peyek’ (Deep Fried Cracker).
Besides the wide array of cookies, Sim said the shop also offers homemade ‘Kek Lapis’ (Layered Cake) in various flavours – chocolate, horlick and others.
As to whether prices for the cookies have changed this year, Sim said most of the items remain the same as last year, with a slight increase of RM1 for some.
Contrary to the tradition of serving eight dishes during CNY eve, Sim said there is no strict rule for serving eight types of cookies.
“No, it is not necessary to serve eight types of cookies as we do with eight dishes during the reunion dinner,” she said with a laugh.
She welcomes shoppers to visit her store which is open from 8am to 5pm daily.
However, two weeks before the CNY festive season, the shop began extending the operating hours until 9pm.
