Traditional Teochew mooncakes incorporate lard into both the skin and the fillings, the pronunciation of lard in Teochew language is “la”, hence the name “La Piah”. Its crust is thin and flaky, its fillings thick and soft; it is round and shaped like a drum, and baked to a golden hue. Another Mid-Autumn Festival delicacy is “La Ko”, a steamed glutinous rice pudding with lard, sugar, and the addition of black sesame. There is also deep-fried yam paste mooncake, consisting of crispy layered crust, filled with soft and smooth yam paste encasing a salted egg yolk.
In Kuala Lumpur, Cantonese style mooncakes are trending, Teochew mooncakes are hardly seen, except in Setapak. Established over 113 years, Setapak Teochew Restaurant not only sells hot food, but also make traditional pastries. Till this day, they do their best to maintain the authentic taste their ancestors brought over from Shantou, China. Lard is still being used in the making of La Piah, La Ko, and yam paste mooncakes. La Piah fillings include red bean paste, mung bean paste, preserved vegetable paste, mixed fruit paste, mixed preserved vegetable with mung bean paste, and mixed fruit with mung bean paste; La Ko fillings include mung bean paste and yam paste.
85-year-old Ng Soo Teng is the third generation owner of Setapak Teochew Restaurant, now that he handed over the reins to the fourth generation, namely his 51-year-old son Ng Kheng Siang, but he still helps out every day regardless of the weather. The father and son share a similar career path, started working in the restaurant after graduating from high school, and underwent rigorous training by the previous generation to learn noodles-making, pastry-making, as well as culinary skills. Their business philosophy focuses on quality over quantity, insisting on using premium quality ingredients, enforcing strict food preparation process, maintaining the high quality of foods, actively listening to customer feedback, so that customers keep returning.
Every year, from the end of the sixth month of the lunar calendar till Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes are in great demand, therefore it is the busiest period in the shop. Manpower mainly consists of family members, even though there are a few employees, the key processes are still being handled by Ng Kheng Siang personally. La Piah, La Ko, and yam paste mooncake production starts in the wee hours, happening in the kitchens on both the ground floor and the first floor. After working through the night, they move on to prepare ingredients for the restaurant, then opening and start hot cooking. Signature dishes include homemade Hokkien noodles, stir-fried white rice cakes, spicy white vermicelli, traditional Teochew fare such as steamed pomfret fish and pomfret fish porridge, as well as snacks including homemade fish ball, fish cake, and meat roll.
Over the past century, changes occur along with the times. The types of fuels used in cooking gradually changed from charcoal stove, wood-fired stove, to modern gas stove and electric oven. Each change presented a challenge to maintain the authentic taste. Uncle Ng is optimistic about the changes, as it reduces manual labor and food safety issues. Even though some procedures are being handled by machinery, human supervision is still required in heat control, as well as adjusting the ratio of water according to the water absorption capacity of different batches of ingredients.
Setapak Teochew Restaurant has taken root in Kuala Lumpur for over a century, running both a restaurant and a pastry bakery within the same premises, continuing to serve authentic flavors over several generations, as well as maintaining a cultural legacy.
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【Establishment History】
The founder of Setapak hailed from Shantou, China. In the early 20th century, he came to Ampang and worked as both a tin miner and a pig farmer. In 1912, he took over an eatery in Setapak, and opened Song Kee Eatery in partnership with his brother-in-law, selling Teochew porridge, stir-fried noodles, and pastries. They hired fellow Teochew people as helpers, and provided them with food and shelter, helping each other out while making a living in Malaya.
As times change, the families flourished and branched out, the brother-in-law withdrew his share. After the third generation, Ng Soo Teng, took over, the eatery shifted to the current premises in 1993, and rebranded as Setapak Teochew Restaurant. Till this day, the founder’s portrait and the original Song Kee signage are hung in the shop, carrying the family’s collective memories and core belief.
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【Locality Info】
Setapak is located in the northeast part of Kuala Lumpur, about 7km from the city center. In the early days, it is considered an outskirt area on the way to Pahang. According to historical records, Setapak is already inhabited since 1862, strewn with tin mines and rubber plantations. In Chinese, the place name is a Hokkien homophonic with a nearby stream named Sungai Belongkong.
In Malay, ‘tapak’ means ‘step’ and ‘setapak’ means ‘one step’, probably referring to the close proximity of the suburb to Kuala Lumpur. Another explanation of the origin of its name traces to its historical roots. The earliest inhabitants of Setapak were the aborigines and the Minangkabaus. On 12th April 1884, the Frank Swettenham, the Resident of Selangor pleaded for the re-appointment of Batu Tapak as the headman of the aborigines living in that area, hence the name Setapak in honour of the headman.
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【Teochew Mooncakes Info】
『La Piah / Traditional Teochew Flaky Mooncake』
A type of Teochew mooncake that is baked, with a flaky and crispy crust, thick and soft fillings; round and shaped like a drum, baked to a golden hue.
The pastry crust is made up of water dough and shortened dough, where the shortened dough is wrapped in the water dough and rolled thinly.
The fillings are of the sweet type, such as red bean paste, mung bean paste, preserved vegetable paste, mixed fruit paste, mixed preserved vegetable with mung bean paste, and mixed fruit with mung bean paste.
The preserved vegetable paste is made using sweet preserved vegetables, stir-fried for two hours to get rid of moisture.
The mixed fruit paste is made using lard, candied winter melon, dried tangerine, orange peel, sunflower seeds, white sesame, and sugar.
『La Ko / Glutinous Rice Pudding』
A type of Teochew mooncake that is steamed, with a bouncy skin and soft, smooth fillings. There are black and white variations, where the skin of the black variation contains black sesame.
Made using steamed glutinous rice flour mixed with lard and sugar.
Filled with mung bean paste or yam paste, but no longer the traditional mixed fruit paste due to modern dietary changes.
Traditional mixed fruit paste: Fatty pork is marinated with refined sugar over an extended period, until the pork appears translucent and yields a bouncy texture. Usually paired with two pieces of dried tangerine and two pieces of candied winter melon.
『Yam Paste Mooncake』
A type of Teochew mooncake that is deep-fried, consisting of crispy layered crust, filled with soft and smooth yam paste encasing a salted egg yolk.
The pastry crust is made up of water dough and shortened dough, where the shortened dough is wrapped in the water dough, rolled and folded repeatedly, curled into a stick, and cut to yield spiralled layers.
Yam paste is a traditional Teochew dessert, a must-have at Teochew wedding banquets, symbolising “sweet from the beginning till the end”. Steamed yam is crushed into paste form, mixed with sugar, lard, candied winter melon, gingko nuts et cetera.
『Five Spices』
A savory variation of Teochew mooncake, with a crispy crust, and its filling is sweet with a pleasant savory taste. Made up of flour, sesame, sugar, salt, spices, lard, and onion.
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