Kuih bangkit maker reveals her secret

IPOH: The best way to bake kuih bangkit or tapioca biscuit is the conventional way – with charcoal.

So says kuih bangkit maker Janet Han, who has been baking the sweet confectionery for 28 years for Chinese New Year celebrations.

Han, 57, says traditional nyonya kuih bangkit baked using charcoal taste better than those made in ovens.

“Charcoal-baked kuih bangkit are also more fragrant than oven-baked ones,” said Han at her house in Housing Trust here yesterday.

“One can differentiate a charcoal-baked biscuit from the oven-baked ones by looking at the cracks on the surface of the biscuits,” she said, adding that she has been baking the sweet confectionery with her best friend Seng Mooi Mooi, 61, after learning the trade from her mother-in-law years ago.

Kuih bangkit, named so because it expands when baked, is a sweet whitish biscuit that bursts into powdery bits when bitten but melts in the mouth soon after.

Han said the main ingredient for the biscuit are sugar, eggs, coconut milk, tapioca and corn flour.

She noted that fewer people used charcoal to bake the biscuit because it involved a lot of work and was messy.

She also said the dough must be soft and hand-kneaded.

Some of her regular customers had even requested to have their kuih bangkit slightly burnt for a more “fragrant bite”, she added.

She also makes kuih kapit (love letters) for the festive season and all her confectioneries are always sold out.

She noted that most of her customers would order between 10 and 50 tins of her kuih bangkit and kuih kapit, sold at RM18 each.

Han said she only took orders in November and December every year and would not entertain anymore beyond that.

“We are short of hands since my two daughters went to work in Kuala Lumpur a few years ago, and there are so many things to be prepared for the biscuits,” she said.

Those who want to place their orders for next year can call 05-254-2279.