Bian Niik Skin

Bian niik (wantan) is a very popular, traditional Foochow breakfast dish. It is so good that it has even attained the status of  street food delicacy. Today, although many housewives can make bian niik from scratch they still prefer to have it in the coffee shop in Sibu.

Bian niik wrapping is quite an art.

In the olden days, not many frugal Foochow housewives would bring their children out for breakfast in the coffee shops of Sibu. It was not then a social norm.

In my family history, we also did not have breakfast in the coffee shops in Sibu. My mother, being a very young widow and having to stretch the proverbial dollar, had a special preparation for bian niik. she did not wrap up like the way it is done in the photo.

We actually bought only the dried bian niik skin (in plastic packets) from Chai Hong, the shop of the Chiong family, situated just opposite the entrance of Brooke Drive/Tiong Kung Ping Road.

My mother would make a nice soup with a bit of minced pork, chopped spring onions, seasonsed with salt ad pepper. Then she would put in a whole packet of the bian niik skin..and soon we would have bowls of bian niik on our table for breakfast or for lunch.

It was a wonderful meal, very delicate skin...and we would be slurping away....We thank God for a very resourceful mum.

Under Movement Control Order 2020, I replicated my mother's recipe and made bian niik skin soup, with bare essentials for a very delectable lunch.