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This time, I’ll go much more in depth about this famous in Ipoh biscuit shop. This shop was set up back then in 1949 by Ching Han Guan’s father who is a baker from China. This shop is currently being run by Ching Han Guan himself now.

Trust this old label.

Inside the shop, it was the typical traditional set up. Glass cases decorate the wall and huge glass bottles filled with various cookies such as peanut cookie, chocolate cookie and cream crackers. There are also ready packed biscuits such as the shop’s famous lotus meat floss biscuit (肉丝莲蓉), the traditional Heong Peah (香餅), Sa Ke Ma (薩騎馬) and Hap Tou Soh (核桃酥).

Cui Mah Fah

Forgotten what this is called. Inside is filled with gula melaka. My sister’s favourite.

Egg Biscuit (Kai Tan Peang) was flavourful and very "sung" too. Best served with a cup of ceylon tea.

Rice Biscuit (Mai Chang). One of my friend joked that eating three pieces of this is equivalent to a bowl of rice. lol

Sa Ke Ma. Enjoyed this sweet delight ever since I was a kid. I will always request my father to get some home whenever he went to Ipoh for business purposes many years ago.

Dragon Pearl Biscuit (Loong Zhu Peang). Looks exactly to Penang’s version of heong peah (Tambun biscuit) but both has their own specialty. However, I still prefer Penang’s Tambun biscuit, especially the one made by Lim Wah Thai at Gotlieb Street.

The famous Ipoh's Heong Fah Peang. Looks like mini Hup Toh Soh, but it is actually soft cookies with lots of sunflower seeds in it. I tasted the similar Heong Fah Peang from Foh San too, but I like this one more.

The gem of all biscuits. My favourite biscuit among all biscuits. Looks very plain and drab, but it is bursting with rich flavours and aroma.

There are three types of fillings if I am not mistaken but the best is still the one pictured above with Pandan Coconut filling. I bought this together with Mai Chang for each of my aunties and uncle. This cute little biscuit is so delicious that one of my cousin finished it in one day while watching television! (and got a tongue lashing from my uncle as a result)

When you got the chance to visit Ipoh, make sure you don’t lose the opportunity to visit this biscuit shop. Their biscuits might look drab and plain, but it is actually a hidden treasure. It is located on the same row as Yee Hup Biscuit shop and only 5 minutes walk from Lou Wong Beansprout Chicken Restaurant.

Kedai Biskut Ching Han Guan

钟汉元饼铺

145, Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah, 3000 Ipoh, Perak.

Open 9am till 6pm (8pm on weekends and public holidays)

Tel: 05-2545126

mooncakes =D

The Chinese Mid-Autumn festival is here again. It was also known affectionately as mooncake festival due to the fact that mooncakes only make their special appearance for this particular season. Mooncakes has evolved greatly in modern times with more distinctive flavours apart from the traditional lotus or red bean paste and mixed nuts with ham. Now mooncakes often comes with different flavours such as pandan lotus (pioneered by Oversea), yam, walnut, jingsa, green tea, coconut, mint, chocolate and even DURIAN!

For this year celebration, I am lucky enough to have mooncakes from Ipoh. Baked in a more traditional kitchen, one can’t complain about the amount of oil used in it. I bought four pieces of mooncakes from Ching Han Guan (钟汉元) while I am on my way back from my Penang-Kulim trip two weeks ago.

-Picture taken from wikistreetfood.com-

I bought four pieces from the uncle and 2 of them was the owner’s recommendation, which is the Mixed Nuts with Ham Bits mooncake (apparently Ching Han Guan is very proud of their Mixed Nuts mooncakes) and Meat Floss (Rou Xi) mooncake. The uncle’s recommendation is indeed a good one, the mixed nuts with ham bits definitely lives up to his fame. When you bite in the soft nut feeling (yes, it is soft because the various nuts are compressed by hand using molasses as bond instead of machines), there’s a sudden burst of “golden” taste lingers around the mouth. Fantastic. I had never enjoyed mixed nuts mooncakes but this one certainly makes me craves for MORE!

Mixed Nuts with ham bits

The lotus paste single yolk was opened to serve my aunties that came over for a visit. Both cant stop praising the and a bite instantly reminds them of the mooncakes they used to have during the 70’s and 80’s- laden with lard, oily but has a very nice fragrant and tasted smooth.

Lotus paste single yolk

My personal favourite, the pandan lotus or also known as “Golden Emerald” because of its semi translucent green coloured filling which resembles the emerald gemstone.

Golden Emerald

This certainly sounds weird. Till now, it is still in its packaging so I couldn’t comment much on this weird mooncake yet. However, my expectation to this is almost as high as the mixed nuts with ham mooncake.

Meat Floss (Rou Xi)

So how is your mooncakes? I’ll be glad to hear about your mooncake story too.