Good CNY Goodies vs Bad CNY Goodies in Singapore

Singaporeans do care a lot about what they eat. Whether or not for health reason or for common, long queues at food stalls in Singapore is never an uncommon sight! If one would invest so much time into queuing just for an ordinary lunch or dinner, imagine the trouble one might not mind to go through for a not so ordinary cause. 

Chinese New Year is a well valued public holiday and festival in Singapore. With regard to Chinese New Year and food, it is common tradition that we indulge in loads of CNY Goodies! Buying deliciously good Chinese New Year Goodies is important to many not only because they care about eating only the good stuff. Many also see it as a form of being an excellent host!

Having been baking these delicious delicacies for decades, we dare say that we are the experts when it comes to CNY Goodies. Here are a list of of popular CNY Goodies and tips on how the best CNY Goodies in Singapore should taste:

Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple tarts are extremely unique and loved by almost everyone who celebrates CNY. A pineapple tart consists of the crust and the inner pineapple filling. Should either one of them be below par, the entire delicacy is ruined.

  • Crust has to be buttery, light, and not overly flaky.
  • Filling has to be soft and savoury. If it is hard, the filling was probably purchased as an instant product.
  • There cannot be too much or too little jam. It has to be of a balance.
  • Overall, it should melt in your mouth upon your first bite. It cannot be too sweet and the sweetness should come from the natural fragrance of pineapple jam. Bad pineapple tarts have a tough chewy crust with thick and over sweetened filling. 

Kueh Bangkit

Kueh Bangkit is a well loved delicacy not only during the period of CNY. Our non-Chinese friends in Singapore may also sometimes enjoy Kueh Bangkit during their own festive holidays.

kueh bangkit singapore by cny goodies singapore (4)
  • Upon opening the container, you should be able to smell a very therapeutic fragrance of pandan and coconut
  • The Kueh Bangkit should not crumble in your fingers when you pick them up. It should be very light as the composition of Kueh Bangkit is supposed to be very airy. 
  • It should melt in your mouth upon your first bite and transform into a semi-solid solution that you can consume.
  • A bad Kueh Bangkit would taste like a crunch coconut cookie that is hardy and does not emit any fragrance.

Hae Bee Hiam Roll

Hae Bee Hiam Roll is also known as Spicy Prawn Crackers. They are well loved on ordinary days and can be commonly found at your local supermarket or convenience store. But how do we know if we are having the best?

sambal prawn cracker by bing liang bakery cny goodies singapore (3)
  • They have to be very crunchy.
  • They have to be spicy. The spicier the better!
  • There has to be the fragrance of Hae Bee Hiam and not just pure spice.
  • A poorly made Hae Bee Hiam Roll is soft or does not taste spicy

Kueh Lapis

These layer cakes are usually sold as a square cake, each weighing 1 kilogram. The ones from traditional outlets such as Bing Liang taste a lot more different than those from your convenience stores. 

  • The butter used in baking your Kueh Lapis is the key. Ask your seller if they are using premium grade butter. Most commercial outlets use economical butter and some even use margarine. This will determine the overall texture and taste of your cake.
  • Regardless of whether it is prune or chocolate flavour, it cannot be too sweet and has to strike the right balance with the non flavoured layers of the cake.

Salted Egg Goodies

In the year 2019 in Singapore, it seems like everything tastes better when salted egg yolk is added. But really, how much is too much?

fish skin cracker by bing liang bakery cny goodies singapore (3)

Salted Egg Yolk is an ingredient that is meant to accentuate the taste of the original CNY Goodies to become something new. If it tastes as a separate compound, the baker must have gotten it all wrong!

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