ShinChan brought back this pack of munchies for me (or so he claimed) when he came back from Taiwan. So, why did I ever have any doubts that this snacks was specially brought back for me? If you have got a good eyesight and you can read chinese, you could see that the pack actually says 'goes well with beer' (second vertical line from left). Alcohol is no-no to pinkcocoa. Now you get the picture? :p
♥ candied almond crunchies or crisps
This is a very more-ish taiwanese snacks. I couldnt stop when I started. You definitely need a sense of self-control here. ;-p
In direct translation, this is called "almond-fragrance slice" (xing ren xiang pian). This is actually another version of ma hua (hemp flower), a deep-fried dough of flour, eggs and sugar coated in chewy sticky maltose in shape that resembles hemp flower. This almond version, however, is in rectangular shape. I guess it's so that the almond flakes could coat easily.
♥ soft chewy maltose coating
The bite-size almond-pastry pieces are crunchy and crispy yet soft and very chewy. Actually, it's crunchy when you take a bite. You could hear a wonderful crunching sound when you bite into it. The soft chewy bit comes from the thick sticky maltose coating. Each time you chew, you feel the crunch first and then the chewy part sets in. Very nice! I like it even without beer. hehe. It goes well with a pot of tea too.
It reminds me of san qi ma, a chinese snacks of deep-fried egg dough coated in caramel or maltose that comes in small blocks or cubes. But san qi ma has a more egg-ish taste and sometimes with a slight greasy taste. This almond crunch pieces are actually denser but gentle to the teeth except for the chewy bits. You get some maltose stuck to your teeth.
It's not overly sweet too that's why you cant stop when you start. So, here I am trying to type with my one hand because the other hand is busy feeding me this yummy almond crunchies!
♥ candied almond crunchies or crisps (xing ren xiang pian) from:
Jin Ri Mi Ma Hua Zhi Jia
(direct translation: The House of Jin Ri's candied hemp-flowers crackers)
no. 12, lane 7, zhong-xing area
zhong-xing street, taichung-west
taichung city
tel: +886 4 23052099
ps. jin ri in mandarin = today
I never like sa qi ma be4 in M'sia, coz very sweet. But last time when in Taiwan, my fren bought one, and I tried. Nice nice, the eggy flavour is good, and I like the fluffy texture. Just tat very sticky, keep ur teeth stick together. :P Got normal flavour n nori (seaweed) flavour, both nice.
ReplyDeleteI love san qi ma and I wish I can try some of this candied almond crips. Does it really go well with beer?
ReplyDeleteST
http://cheateat.typepad.com
hi ff
ReplyDeleteyeah, I think sa qi ma needs to a good balance of the eggy-taste, fluffy texture and the greasy taste. Taiwan has really yummy sa qi ma. I think I will love the seaweed one you talked about. hehe.
hi ST
I think it should goes quite well with beer. You cant stop eating this if you start. So I guess you can just down a couple of bottles of beers when eating them :)