10 Most Addictive Chinese New Year Snacks Of 2017
Finger-licking good snacks, from bak kwa to pineapple tarts
By Samantha Francis for Weekender Singapore
The best part about the Lunar New Year? Getting our hands deep in the jars of delicious festive snacks, obviously.
Whether you’re a fan of smoky and caramelised bak kwa, buttery pineapple tarts, or melt-in-the-mouth kueh bangkit, we’ve rounded up the best snacks for you to try.
Photo: Old Seng Choong
1. Old Seng Choong Pineapple Tarts
Looks like Old Seng Choong has outdone itself again by introducing pineapple tarts (from $23.80) in flavours like rose, yuzu, coconut and ‘chargold bak kwa’. No surprises here, our favourite is black and gold dusted pastry, which conceals bak kwa studded pineapple filllings. Savoury and sweet, too good!
Available on www.oldsengchoong.com
Photo: PrimaDeli
2. PrimaDeli Hainanese Chicken Rice & Laksa Cookies
Chinese New Year snacks can’t get more local than these Hainanese Chicken Rice and Laksa Cookies ($19.80). The former makes its debut this year and is made with PrimaDeli’s famous Prima Taste Hainanese Chicken Rice Paste. What you get are crunchy and aromatic cookies with the slightest hint of chicken rice chilli.
Available at PrimaDeli outlets.
Photo: Antoinette
3. Antoinette Chocolate Love Letters
The only thing better than classic, eggy love letters? When it’s coated with a layer of Valrhona Caraibe 66% dark chocolate, so that each bite is a crisp, bitter-sweet mess that leaves you craving for more. Enrobed in gold dust, Antoinette’s Chocolate Love Letters ($20) make a great festive gift for your loved ones.
Available at Antoinette outlets.
Photo: Dough Empire
4. Dough Empire Little Rooster Pineapple Tarts
Possibly the most adorable pineapple tarts in town, these homemade, buttery Little Rooster Pineapple Tarts ($28) resemble pint-sized roosters and come with pineapple filling within.
Available at Kapok.
Photo: Yang Yang
5. Yang Yang Almond Cookies
Yang Yang’s Almond Cookies ($19.60) ranks among the best I’ve tried, with its melt-in-the-mouth texture and rich, almond flavour. Having been around for more than 50 years, these cookies are made from time-honoured family recipes and created from natural, preservative-free ingredients.
Available at pop-ups including Takashimaya CNY Fair (B2 Atrium).
Photo: Goodwood Park Hotel
6. Goodwood Park Hotel Spicy Salted Egg Yolk Lotus Root Chips
If you’re as addicted to salted egg yolk chips as we are, you’ll appreciate this slightly healthier rendition by Goodwood Park Hotel. These homemade Spicy Salted Egg Yolk Lotus Root Chips ($36.15) are coated with salted egg yolk crumbs and spiced with chilli padi and curry leaves.
Available for takeaway at The Deli, Goodwood Park Hotel.
Photo: Tai Sun
7. Tai Sun Prawn Roll
Keep the conversations flowing this Chinese New Year with classic snacks on the ready. Homegrown brand Tai Sun, known for their wide range of nuts and mixes, also does delicious prawn rolls (from $14.20). Each crispy morsel is packed with the spicy-sweet flavours of hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimp sambal) — shiok!
Available at major supermarkets.
Photo: Harrianns
8. Harrianns Kueh Bangkit
Year after year, we find ourselves hankering after Harrianns’ Kueh Bangkit ($19.90). Light and not too sweet, these white and powdery coconut cookies melt quickly in the mouth, leaving a lingering almond flavour. The fact that they come in the prettiest shapes, make them perfect for gifting too.
Available at Harrianns outlets.
9. Lim Chee Guan Bak Kwa
With snaking queues paying testimony to its popularity, Lim Chee Guan is indisputably one of the best bak kwa brands in Singapore. They’ve been around since 1938 and their signature sliced pork bak kwa (price TBC) offers a nice balance of smoky sweetness and charred, caramelised edges.
Available at Lim Chee Guan outlets.
Photo: Bakerzin
10. Bakerzin Original Pineapple Tarts
Although Bakerzin has introduced exciting new flavours like Fish Floss and Lemongrass for their pineapple tarts this year, we found ourselves craving the original ($22.80). Each one comes in an auspicious ingot shape, with crumbly pastry giving way to homemade pineapple jam with each mouthful — truly one of our favourites every year.
Available at Bakerzin outlets.
