Malaysian grandma bakes her signature kai chai paeng biscuits for Lunar New Year

Making kai chai paeng is a labor of love,' says Loy (right).

The classic Chinese snack kai chai paeng, baked by school canteen operator Loy Siew Leng, 62, is a treat her family look forward to come Chinese New Year. And this year is no different.

The sexagenarian from Bentong, Pahang is still as enthusiastic as ever about making the snack, also known as little chicken biscuit, to usher the Year of the Snake next Wednesday. She has been making kai chai paeng for a decade, and this year, Loy wants to make 30 containers of it.

"CNY comes only once a year, and no matter how tired I am, I will still continue our family tradition of sharing this treat with friends and family," says Loy during an interview in Kuala Lumpur.

Sharing the recipe ensures the preservation of family tradition for future generations.

Loy recently visited her eldest daughter, homemaker Rachel Lee, 44, in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, to assist in preparing these traditional treats.In another corner, Lee's husband, content creator Mark Vong, 46; their son, Julius Vong, 14, and her nephew, Chong Qi Nuo, 12, were busy decorating the house for the celebration.

Kai chai paeng is a traditional sweet/savoury biscuit believed to have originated from Chinese immigrants in Perak in the mid 19th century.

The town of Kampar, in the silver state, is famous for this snack, which is loved for its nutty and buttery taste, with a hint of five Chinese spices.Despite being called little chicken biscuit, the recipe contains no chicken.

The name is said to be a reference to the chicken image that was once stamped on these biscuits.Kai chai paeng comes in two variations: the traditional kind which is compact and chewy, and the modern version which is light and flaky, similar to the texture of a puff pastry.

Kai chae paeng holds a special place in Lee's (centre) family, being one of their most loved Chinese New Year treats. Photo: Mark Vong

Loy’s version is the latter – a delicate, wafer-thin biscuit sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds. She first learned to make it from a cookbook years ago, she says. Over time, Loy has refined her recipe with the help of YouTube tutorials and advice from friends.

When asked why she favours the thin version of kai chai paeng, the soft-spoken senior explains: "Thin kai chai paeng has a delightful crunch and a light texture that melts in your mouth. My kids and grandkids love it because it has a mix of sweet and savoury flavours. Once you start eating it, you can't stop."

The wheat-based biscuit is prepared using ingredients like candied winter melon, five spice powder, nam yue (red fermented beancurd), garlic, egg, sugar, oil (or lard) and sesame seeds.

While this biscuit may not enjoy the same popularity as other Lunar New Year staples like pineapple tart (which symbolises prosperity), nian gao (happiness and promotions) or kuih bahulu (love and unity), it holds a special place in Loy's home during the festive season.

Crunchy delights

The grandmother of five makes this crunchy treat from scratch, even though it can be easily purchased from supermarkets or online e-commerce sites. Her passion for baking, she adds, goes way back.

Loy was born and raised in Balakong, Selangor before relocating to Kg Sg Dua in Bentong with her parents in the late 1960s. It was after her marriage that she began learning to make CNY treats like pineapple tarts, butter cookies, kuih kapit (love letters) and peanut cookies.

"Before I got married, I rarely stepped into the kitchen because my older sisters handled all the cooking and baking with our mother. But after starting my own family, I gradually learned to cook and bake," she recalls.

Making kai chai paeng is a labor of love,' says Loy (right).Mark (left) and Chong decorate their home for the Lunar New Year.L

oy is proud that Lee, her eldest daughter, has inherited her love for baking, especially kai chai paeng. "While the old-fashioned methods are time-consuming, preserving them is vital to honour our heritage," says Loy, who has four children.

She takes pride in preparing handmade biscuits, refusing to take shortcuts in creating her prized treats.

To prepare kai chai paeng, she begins by mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl. Next, the wet ingredients – vegetable oil, nam yue, and egg – are blended into a smooth paste.

This paste is added to the dry ingredients before sesame seeds and winter melon seeds are put in. The mixture is then kneaded into a smooth dough and is left to rest for 30 minutes.

Describing her biscuit as "a labour of love," Loy stresses the importance of precision and patience. "Getting the dough to just the right thickness and ensuring an even bake are crucial in achieving that perfect crispiness."

She shapes the dough into a long cylindrical roll and cuts it into small, evenly-sized balls, each approximately 12mm in diameter. The balls are arranged on a parchment-lined tray and flattened using an aluminum fondant smoother to a diameter of about 38mm.They are then baked on medium heat for around 20 minutes until they turn beautiful golden brown.

Nostalgic charm

Within 15 minutes, the aroma of kai chai paeng fills the air. A subtle combination of five-spice powder, fermented paste and caramelised sugar lingers, creating a fragrance that tantalises the senses.

For Lee, the aroma of kai chai paeng reminds her of her childhood in Bentong, growing up and making various types of festive treats for CNY with her siblings.

Lee adds a personal touch to the festivities by practising Chinese calligraphy.

"The smell of Mummy's freshly baked biscuits makes me hungry all the time (laughs). Growing up, my siblings and I were tasked with helping our mother arrange, bake and pack cookies in tins and containers. It was a tiring task as we had to help Mummy till the late hours.

"We'd joke around, steal bites of the biscuits when she wasn't looking and compete to see who could arrange them the fastest. Now when I look back, I think those moments were some of my most cherished memories," said Lee, adding it takes about three hours to make about 200 pieces of kai chai paeng.For the upcoming Lunar New Year, Lee has also prepared several containers of cranberry biscuits and dark chocolate almond biscuits. These modern treats are simpler to make, she admits, compared to the labour-intensive kai chai paeng.

"Rolling the dough requires a lot of physical effort and you need to get it right every step of the way. If the dough is not pressed evenly, it won’t be round and if you put too much force, it will break," explains the mother of one.

Despite these challenges, Lee continues the tradition of making a range of biscuits like kai chai paeng, pineapple tart and peanut biscuit from scratch because it is a cherished part of her family culture.

"Today, many people, including myself, choose simpler cookies like butter or chocolate chip cookies, which are easier to make. With pre-mixed packets available and the convenience of online shopping, these traditional cookies are slowly being forgotten," says Lee.

In the weeks leading to CNY, Loy says she likes to visit the night market in Bentong. There, she gets to sample different types of cookies and snacks, including savoury snacks such as crispy wanton with seaweed, lotus root crackers and chicken flavoured biscuits.

"Growing up, CNY snacks were much simpler. The focus was always on our family reunion dinner, where my mother would cook many dishes to welcome the new year. There was little emphasis on cookies and snacks back then. In the 1960s, my five siblings and I enjoyed eating simpler snacks like lemon puff biscuit, ice gem biscuit, chocolate wafer biscuit, and sugar-coated cream crackers.

"Back then, biscuits were sold in large, reusable square tins. Nowadays, CNY biscuits are attractively packaged in decorative boxes, which can be expensive."

Despite the convenience of ready-made snacks available at night markets and online platforms, Loy believes there's nothing more satisfying than making CNY treats from scratch. She usually starts baking two weeks before Lunar New Year, dedicating her nights after work to make the biscuits.

"It is always nicer to make them. CNY is always about giving and sharing, and what better way to do this than to share our homemade treats with loved ones," says Loh, as she continues making her signature snack.