Traditional Fuzhou Biscuits Eng Hin At Yong Peng In Johor, Malaysia 探店柔佛州永平镇: 永兴福州饼家, 让人唇齿留香的福州饼

Yong Peng is a small town in Johor Bahru, Malaysia which is most prominently identified for its Fuzhou/Foochow heritage. The Foochow people arrived here from Fujian, China in the early days as workers at the tin mines in Ipoh and Taiping. Better known as “Little Foochow”, it has since become a stronghold in Malaysia for the perpetuation of the regional culture which originated from the district in southeastern China. Kong Piah is a popular traditional Fuzhou/Foochow biscuit usually eaten as a snack with Chinese tea. Made with just flour, lard and sugar, the bun is like a Fuzhou/Foochow type of bagel. There are many variations of Kong Piah - there are plain ones and those with fillings such as peanuts or even meat. 

I recently visited a Fuzhou/Foochow bakery located at Yong Peng. It's the only bakery in town and the attraction here is their Kong Piah. Made from unleavened dough, it's usually served plain or stuffed with meat. The ones made at this bakery are either plain or stuffed with peanuts and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Traditionally it's cooked like a naan bread, i.e at the sides of a clay oven (like those that are used to cook tandoori chicken or naan in Indian restaurants) with charcoal at the bottom. It's said to be hot flaky when you take it out straight from the oven. The bun has a slightly chewy texture while the stuffed peanuts and sesame seeds are not too sweet. I personally like it and feel that it would have been more awesome if it come out piping hot from the oven and dip in the local coffee.

提到光饼, 可说是无人不知, 无人不晓, 更是中国福州人的美食代表之一. 光饼的魅力并不像一般美食所强调的色, 香, 味俱全, 但其口感及美味却是令福州人欲罢不能, 尤其是长者们每早与故友在咖啡店喝茶之时, 口中必嚼片光饼, 再配上一杯温热的咖啡乌, 人生一大乐趣莫过于此. 光饼作为中国福州的特色小吃, 有着400多年的历史. 时光流转, 在物质丰富的年代里逗人胃口的食物实在太多, 粗饱的光饼也渐渐地不怎么令人垂涎, 但是仍有不少福州人惦念着这股朴实醇厚的味道.

以福州人居多马来西亚柔佛州的永平镇, 素有 “小福州” 之称, 传统福州佳肴及美食更是闻名遐迩, 吸引不少来自州内外的人士慕名来到这里一尝福州菜的美味. 位于柔佛州永平街的 “永兴福州饼家”, 由创办人一手创立, 当年他把从中国带来的制作福州饼手艺在这片土地上发扬光大, 让西马柔佛州也能找到这源自于中国福州古田的风味美食. 

这家走过逾半世纪的福州饼家, 传承的不仅是历经三代人的制饼手艺, 更是维系着家族成员紧密关系的聚集点. 一家人不分彼此亲力亲为, 让烘烤得金黄香酥的传统福州饼一代接一代出炉, 在这老店内散发着浓浓的香气. 烘制福清光饼的材料包括面粉, 食盐, 白糖, 肉馅, 洋葱及芝麻烘制而成的饼块, 烘烤后的光饼色泽光润且口感香脆, 色香味具备. 我庆幸能有机会在这里亲眼近距离观赏光饼的制作过程, 还拍照留念.

多年来, 永平尤其福州人与这间饼面家有着分割不开的情感, 老字号饼面家更见证了永平由一个宁静小镇, 走向繁华发展的历史篇章, 也成为马来西亚绝无仅有的传统福州饼家. 每当开店营业时, 从第二代的伯父叔婶至第三代的儿媳孙子, 都会在店内忙得不可开交, 众人劳心劳力一心只想好好守护这份珍贵的 “传家之宝”.

据说光饼在福州人心中有着无可替代的地位. 清明节或是先人的忌日, 福州人供奉祖先时, 光饼是必备的供品. 这种拥有着优越品质和光荣历史的传统小吃, 不能失传.

At Eng Hin, all the biscuits are made right here at the shop. The entire process from making the dough to baking in the oven to packing for sale can be seen at the shop.

我没有预料到看上去朴实无华的小小光饼, 制作出来需要经过和面, 发面, 起炉, 搜剂, 压面, 搓条, 分剂, 研饼, 弹水, 降温, 贴饼, 洒水, 扇风, 抢面, 收火, 铲饼, 串饼, 总共 17 道严格的工序.

而最艰苦最关键的几道工序, 都是炉子里的工夫. 光饼炉是个约两米高的长方体, 上半部分倒扣了一口半椭圆形的缸. 烤制光饼时, 需要光饼师傅裸手把一个个饼坯贴到烧到上百度的炉壁上, 一不小心就会把手臂烫伤.

你想想, 炉堂中央的火苗, 要能将炉壁四周不同方位的一百多个饼面都烤成统一的浅咖啡色, 而且这个色是焦色, 不是色素的色. 这火候有多难掌握? 这是需要几年时间, 几百万个光饼的经验积累才能做到.

Sadly, modernisation has taken over in the recent years as Eng Hin use big metal ovens to bake the traditional delicacies instead of a charcoal fire oven. 

令人垂涎三尺的永兴福州饼.

Wheat flour, salt, yeast, sesame seeds and water are the only ingredients needed to make kong pith. The ingredients are mixed before it is rolled into small dough and baked in a huge churn.

Preparing the dough. Nowadays, machines help prepare and cut the dough while the final touches of shaping the dough are still done by hand.

永兴福州光饼的中间有一个小孔, 制作光饼的工具跟一般的擀面杖不同, 一头是擀面杖, 一头是一个给光饼打眼的工具. 制作光饼关键的工序在烤制. 光饼的烤制是非常辛苦的事情. 炉内烧起炭火, 达到一定的温度之后灭掉明火, 迅速将做好的饼坯贴在炉内.

永兴饼家早期以全手工方式制作福州饼及面条, 但是由于需求量过高, 他们于1989 年改而以现代化机器及烘炉制作, 但却仍然坚持现做现卖的特色. 饼店生意多年是纯手工制作, 不但制饼程序繁重, 所制作出来的福州饼数量也十分有限, 饼家才计划采用机器生产方式代替手工以提升生产量, 开始着手处理设计机器的工作.

The best part of this shop is you get freshly baked biscuits that are hot from the oven, literally. Or at least, you won’t get overnight biscuits. The biscuits are made and baked next door and you can bring your kids to see first hand how they make those top-selling biscuits by hand.

光饼不含任何添加剂, 成分就是四种 “面, 水, 盐, 食用碱", 但它是实实在在的健康食品. 光饼纯手工制作, 老面发酵, 烤至快焦而未焦, 所以暖胃而不上火, 能调节肠道, 平衡人体酸碱度. 科举时代赶考的学子, 以及飘洋过海谋生的游子, 都要带上光饼. 遇水土不服, 肠胃不适, 啃一块光饼就好了.

饼全部贴好, 关上炉门烘烤之前, 还要在炉中洒水, 在光饼的制作过程中, 这是非常讲究的一个步骤. 先用手将水滴弹进去, 如果能够发出均匀的 “扑扑” 声, 就说明到位了. 如果温度太高饼胚会落下来, 如果太低会粘在上面. 关上饼炉不一会, 特有的香味便若隐若现地钻进鼻孔. 贴饼到烤饼, 只需半个小时, 待到饼面呈漂亮的咖啡色, 还闪着光泽, 就大功告成了. 这个叫才出炉的光饼. 福州人一听到才出炉的光饼, 口水就流下来了, 当你看这个质量标准, 每一块面上都是油光发亮, 可能会怀疑是不是涂上油了, 但答案是没有, 它这个完全靠它传统工艺做出来的. 实际上泼在上面的是水. 水的功夫做成这样的.

The dough is baked in these modern ovens. Eng Hin has been around for more than 50 years and the old traditional tandoor style clay oven has been replaced by these efficient but less charming machinery.

现在永兴福州饼家做光饼的也是用特制的光饼炉烤出来的电烤箱. 这个炉子呈长方体, 约 2 米高. 这个是高炉, 传统的高炉, 里面是钢, 不是铁. 是专门做光饼的一种钢, 下面是木炭, 饼一块一块贴上去, 等下木炭吹着以后, 它就慢慢地烤, 就成为光饼. 这个光饼贴上去起初是白白的, 面粉, 烤了以后, 慢慢慢慢就红起来, 说明这个光饼已经到位了. 说起来, 发酵的时间, 酸碱综合, 气候, 火候, 要配合起来, 才能做出好的光饼.

全手工制做时期的福州饼只有3种口味, 在使用机器后我还有更多时间去研发新口味的福州饼, 后来以征东饼加入麦片改良而成的新口味也十分受落, 获得顾客热烈反应.

The original variety has a hole in the middle like a doughnut. The dough are baked till slightly browned.

目前的机械化生产模式, 并不能代替人手烘烤光饼, 而机械生产以电烘制的光饼口感, 肯定较人工以火炉烘制来得出色. 虽然不排除传统手艺将随着市场需求, 而踏上小型工业列车, 我仍希望未来面市的烘制光饼的机械, 仍可保留古早味及与时并进的发展脚步, 让华裔后代仍可吃到各籍贯的传统小吃.

A simple pastry that originated from the Foochow community has been a unifier of sorts in Malaysia, for the past 50 years. When the Foochows came to Malaysia in the 1900s, they brought with them the recipe to fulfil their crave for this staple food, which looks like mini roti nun, except that it is coated with sesame seeds on top. As it is a cheap and nutritious food to fill the belly, kong piah is not only popular among the Foochow community, but also a favourite among other local communities, as well as Singaporeans who crave for them whenever they are in Yong Peng area.

有时候, 食物传递的不仅仅是美味. 福州光饼, 好吃而朴素, 它的背后还有福州人代代相传的历史故事, 寄托的是福州人的乡情. 就象坚守传统工艺的永兴福州饼家, 不管以后店面怎么变, 但永兴福州饼家的做法和招牌是永远不会变的.

当我在细细观看光饼制作的过程中, 我还悟出了许多人生哲理: 光饼的朴实让我懂得, 好的食物, 好的事物不应该是很复杂的, 也许它就是那么简单, 但是越简单的东西对品质和技术的要求越高. 人生就像做光饼, 每个人都能学会做, 但不是每个人都能做出色. 一炉好的光饼它需要精心的准备和酝酿, 而且每一个过程都力求完美, 这就让我明白我们做每件事都要从一开始就要做好, 做到漂亮.