Chong Chon Biscuit Maker is nestled right in the middle of old
Kuching town and has been producing quality pastries for quite a while.
There is generally no one at the front of the shop in the morning, and
you have to shout a bit to get the proprietors from the back.
These are the common offerings that they have – pastries of Chinese
origin of all sorts, they’re famous for their sio pau (the ones with
flaky pastry). One little known delicacy they offer is Century Pie.
This is not normally available, you have to order it in the morning and
pick it up in the afternoon.
The afternoon is when the shop goes into full industry mode. Here’s
a shot of the proprietor posing for the camera while in the midst of
making pies. I picked up the two century pies I ordered in the morning
and also had an egg tart while I was at it. There’s no seating in here,
it’s a bakery, but coffee shops are abundant nearby where you can sit
and consume the pastries.
This is the Chong Chon version of an egg tart. It’s slightly baked
and the best way I can describe it is as a cross between a regular egg
tart and a Portuguese egg tart.
They’re very generous with the egg filling too, as you can see above.
Now, this is the real gem the shop produces – an acquired taste, the
century pie is made with century egg. It’s wrapped in paper, old skool
and they don’t advertise this product much. Century eggs are those eggs
that are glossy black, with a murky black egg yolk. The eggs are made
by packing it with all sorts of dirt and earth and fermenting it, so to
speak, for a while.
This is what the inside of the century pie looks like. It has meat,
veggies, gravy and other stuff in addition to the century egg.
Here’s a closer look at the best part of the century pie – the century egg! 🙂
