IPOH  March 30, 2014 ― They may not give off the lovey-dovey vibes but they have been married for decades and faced the challenges of running a business together for decades.

That business is a confectionery that has since grown to a double shoplot along Clare Street (now renamed to Jalan Mustapha al-Bakri).

The Ngs’ pride and joy ― Sin Eng Heong ― started way back in 1961 in the neighbourhood of Pasir Pinji. Baking various traditional biscuits for a good number of years before the brand came into prominence, Mr Ng honed his skills and ultimately started Sin Eng Heong.

Today, the shop is synonymous with excellent Ipoh kaya puffs (I’ll stick my neck out and proclaim this the BEST kaya puff in Ipoh any day!).

He still runs the show supported by his wife whose demeanour may be mistaken as slightly cold (or arrogant) but in reality Mrs Ng is a sweetheart with a strong commitment to raise her family well and build the Sin Eng Heong brand with her husband.

Their daughter Elaine now operates the sales and marketing department of the growing business with her husband whom everybody refers fondly to as Ah Leong. So this has become a family business handed down to the second generation. Elaine’s kids (though they are still young) charm customers who have to wait in line for their orders.

Wait. Did I mention about waiting in line? Yup. If you so happen to come on weekends or public holidays, or a combined stretch of public holidays (hurray for being a Malaysian?), then please take that toilet break earlier and be prepared to wait in line.

Especially if the one in front of you decides to go crazy with his orders of 100 pieces or more. Don’t laugh, I’m serious.

The smaller than palm-sized kaya puffs here are the reason enough to detour off the expressway if you’re heading north or south. Customers tend to not hold back and buy more than enough to feed a small village.

And since every single puff sold at Sin Eng Heong is still made by hand (rolling your eyes in disbelief now?), you have to appreciate the fact that good things only come to those who wait.

The Ngs have been going through this laborious ordeal of turning out up to 4,000 (!) pieces of kaya puffs daily; patiently seated on the high stools or standing facing the large wooden board and kneading the dough continuously.

Their creamy kaya (egg coconut jam) is cooked from scratch as well; and I have to admit that they found the right balance of sweetness that brings out the fragrance of the coconut milk and pandan leaves. Though I have heard complaints about the overly-sweet fillings which I find to be occasionally true, they are perfectly cooked most of the time.

The decade-old Sin Eng Heong bakery was built up by Mr Ng (left). Despite her standoffish manner, Mrs. Ng supports her husband through hard work (right).

There are a few deft hands running the production line (if you can even call it that), painstakingly mixing the dough, kneading and shaping them, before filling the puffs with the prepared kaya, then sealing the puffs with their fingers; which explains the uneven shapes and sizes. To me; this showcases the originality or trademark of a good kaya puff from Sin Eng Heong.

Sink your teeth into a piece of the fluffy kaya puff and be transported by the crumbly crust which reveals the creamy, delicious kaya filling within.

From left : The creamy kaya filling is perfectly balanced in terms of sweetness with an aromatic pandan flavour. Rows of kaya puffs ready to be baked. Each kaya puff is shaped by hand with slightly uneven shapes that marks an artisan’s work.

​The flaky pastry baked to a golden brown is infused with the goodness of lard oil (making this a non-halal snack) for that added lightness and crisp.

Priced at a very reasonable 90 sen (about US$0.30) each, devouring five pieces at one go is not uncommon, especially if one is a fan of sweet snacks.

The perfect complement is a hot cup of coffee or tea. As far as kaya puffs go, Sin Eng Heong’s version could very well be one of the best in the country.

A lot of love goes into each puff as every component from the dough to the kaya filling is made by hand.

Aside from kaya puffs, Sin Eng Heong also sells other pastries like salted egg yolk biscuits, lotus paste biscuits and the famous Ipoh “heong peng” (fragrant biscuits).

* James Tan loves good food and blogs at Motormouth From Ipoh (www.j2kfm.com).

KEDAI BISKUT SIN ENG HEONG No. 64, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri (Jalan Clare) 30300 Ipoh, Perak. Telephone: 05- 2439659, or 012-4534596 (Elaine). Opens daily from 9am – 8pm. Sundays: 9am – 6pm. GPS Coordinates: 4.594916,101.084855