The five spices are fennel seed, star anise, Chinese cinnamon, licorice root (or sichuan pepper) and cloves. Different Chinese sin seh in Sarawak will have their own proportions of these spices. Some may have more star anise to make their blend very fragrant. Others may have more fennel seeds. While even others add their own secret spice.
"Wife cake" is the literal translation of Low Paw Beng, from Cantonese dialect.
The sweetheart cake, though it has such a long history, is still popular among many in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
There are two lovely legends that attempt to explain the origins of the Sweetheart cake. One tells the tale of a couple that lived a very poor life, in imperial China. They loved each other and lived in a small village.
Suddenly, a mysterious disease spread. The husband's father became very sick. The couple spent all of their money in order to treat the man's father, but he was still sick. The wife sold herself as a slave in exchange for money to buy medicine for her father-in-law.
Once the husband learned about what his wife did, he made a cake filled with sweetened wintermelon and almond. He dedicated this pastry to his wife, whom he'll never forget and sold it. His cake became so popular that he was able to earn enough money to buy his wife back.
There is another version where the man went searching for his wife after he earned enough money to buy her back. In his search, he had a cup of tea at a local teahouse, when he suddenly recognised the pastry they were serving with the tea. They were reunited at the teahouse.
the Foochow Pong Bian may be a version of the Wife's Pastry.
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