Mochi @ Tang Yuan Dessert , Taman Cheng Lai, Butterworth

Have you had mochi so fresh that it was literally made to order? Well I have, and it was a stupendous experience. From one local haunt to another, and this time it is Butterworth, Penang.

AN outside kitchen, it cannot get any more authentic

Famed by locals but sort of unknown to outsiders like myself, Taman Cheng Lai has a wai sek kai like no other. Just like in Pudu and PJ, it has its fair share of amazing treats and usual hawker suspects. One thing that took the cake, almost literally is a dessert stall which has the humble name of "Tang Yuan Dessert".

Such a colourful menu. Note the very center. 

This dessert stall is located in a shop lot along this wai sek kai and specialises in Hong Kong and Taiwanese style desserts. If you like your tong suei ( sweet soup desserts for you non Chinese speakers) this is the place to be. They are also very well known for other delectable confections and stuffed mochi is one of them. 

Steaming hot. 

And they take it very seriously. How seriously? Lets say that they are made to order and it will come piping hot and steam still permeates when you gobble. We ordered a set of 2 glutinous rice balls, one coated in peanuts and another with black sesame. And after a brief wait, the morsels were then served to a waiting hand, armed with chopsticks. 

Delicate!

The mochi balls were so soft that they literally tear off when lifted, exposing its decadent filling inside. The peanut coated one was filled with black sesame, and in some inverted fashion, the sesame coated one was filled with peanuts. Be that as it may, it was a very satisfying dessert.

What amazing fillings. 

The mochi was chewy and still warm. The fillings were smooth and yet still as a bite, and both the peanut and sesame fillings had a sweet yet salty flavour. of course, they were nutty and aromatic. The outer coating had a fantastic crunch and was liberally covered with sugar. So there were different ranges when it came to the crunch factor. 

Messy ! Messy!

That was not all as we then ordered another plate, as one plate just would not cut it. We then ordered the peanut stuffed one with the peanut coating and the sesame stuffed one with sesame coating. This one was still special as there was some pumpkin in the peanut stuffed mochi. A floral sweetness soon followed from the pumpkin, which was very nice. I still preferred the original white coloured glutinous rice.

More goodies coming this way. 

A special mention has to be made to the coating. Not only are they well done, they were also generously given, easily flooding over any plate that it came with. And with a price tag of RM4 for 2 balls, that is a steal. 

Those balls are the fillings for the mochi. And at the background, taro balls for other desserts. 

An amazing sweet experience, this would not be the last time I will be coming to Seberang Jaya for a meal. In fact, we had some lok lok before this dessert experience. If you would like to see more of that, do stay tuned. In the meantime, if you are keen on trying this delicate morsel, the address is as follows:

27, Lebuh Kurau 5,Taman Chai Leng,
Butterworth, Penang,

Check out this sign. You better not miss it.