tie pian and Second Sister

This is a yellow, disc-shaped deep fried pan cake with meat and oyster stuffing. It has been popular for hundreds of years in China and was brought over to Sibu by the early Foochows led by Wong Nai Siong.

The skin of this cake is crispy and is made from a mixture of rice and soya bean which has been milled together (today in an electric blender and in olen days in the original stone mill)

Ni Mui or Second Sister pedalled an open trishaw to sell green bean soup, peanut soup, and porridge besides tie pian. She would be on the road from eight in the morning until two in the afternoon. She had this business until her daughter graduated. Then later there was a tragic twist to her life.

If you lived in Sibu in the 60's you would not have missed this cheerful and enterprising lady. She should have been well honoured for her pioneering spirit!


Recipe:

1.Immerse rice, soybean respectively with the water for 3 hours to 4 hours.
2. Blend or mill the rice and soybean to form a thick batter. Add some peanut milk for good taste.
3. Add salt to taste
4. Mince pork for the stuffing.
5. Cut some spring onions
6. Chop some oysters or prawns and seasons to taste
7. Heat oil for deep frying
8. Dip a wrought iron ladle into the batter.
9. Fill half the spoon with the batter and add a bit of the meat, onions and oyst ers. Then cover the stuff with more batter.
10. Put the ladle in the middle of the hot oil and after a short while the pan cake will slide out of the ladle.
11. When golden turn the cake over and cook until the side is golden.
12. When both sides are golden in colour, the cake is ready to be taken out of the oil.
13. Drain well.
14. Serve as an excellent breakfast.