Bing Cheng Mian Jian Guo – Delicious Nostalgic Snacks For Everyone!

As the years go by, it is getting increasingly harder to source for places that sell old school memorabilia, much less, snacks.

Although I am considered a millennial, I was lucky enough to have enjoyed the times where, internet connection required a dial up, and after school fun meant going to the playground or longkang (drain), to catch fish. I too was also lucky enough to get a taste of some of the nostalgic snacks that our ancestors used to have back when they were my age. 

One such traditional snack would be the min chiang kueh. Commonly found in Southeast Asia, it is a type of pancake, filled with filling, before being folded into half, and then served. It’s usually eaten out of a bag, unlike their western counterparts, which is eaten with a knife and fork.

Under the min chiang kueh category, you can further split it into two different types. One features a thick, chewy texture, and the other is thinner, and crispier. Bing Cheng Mian Jian Guo serves the latter.

The stall, which has been around for 10 over years, is run by Uncle Tommy Lee. He shared that he decided to make min jiang kueh for a living as this, too, was his childhood snack. 

Uncle Tommy comes from Alor Setar, which is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. According to him, its located just further up of Penang, which most Singaporeans are more familiar with. He came to Singapore when he was 19, in search for a better life for his family.

On where he learnt the art of making min jiang kueh, he shared that he learnt it about 20 years ago, from an uncle in his hometown. The uncle was about to retire, and wanted to pass on the tradition to someone. Uncle Tommy decided to seize that opportunity to learn, and soon started selling min jiang kueh in Singapore.

Diners can choose from a variety of toppings such as peanut ($1.10), coconut ($1.10) and even sweet corn ($1.10) to be sandwiched between their pancakes. The min chiang kueh at Bing Cheng Mian Jian Guo is freshly made upon order, which ensures that everything is piping hot and fresh. Definitely a delicious mid-day snack, or a satisfactory bite for anyone who’s filling a little tam chiak!

Because everything is made to order, it may take a while for Uncle Tommy to whip up the min chiang kuehs. But trust us on it, it’s definitely worth the wait!

We tried three flavours – chocolate ($1.40), cheese ($1.50) and butter sugar ($1). The min chiang kueh shell was thick and chewy, with a crispy edge that shattered very easily. Talk about a mix of textures!

My favourite was the cheese version. The square cheese slice reminded me of what I used to eat when I was a child! The pancake was sweet and savoury and tasted just like good old comfort food.

Out of the lot, I felt that the butter-sugar was the most traditional version. It’s a simple and unpretentious pancake but carries with it so much nostalgia.

Uncle Tommy, who is 66-years-old this year, shared that his son was also running a min chiang kueh stall at Kampung Admiralty. Called Yuan Ge, Uncle Tommy said that he plans to move over to his son’s stall when the lease here is over. I think it’s great to see that there are more young generation hawkers willing to recreate and sell old-school snacks, to ensure that the tradition doesn’t fade!

Tthe min chiang kueh makes for a great afternoon snack. If it’s in between meal time and your child (or yourself) is craving for a munch, why not get a quick bite at Bing Cheng Mian Jian Guo? It will be an enjoyable experience for everyone. 

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Previously, we covered another good pancake at Ang Mo Kio, you may also want to check that article out!