KAJANG, Nov 9 — When is too much of a good thing... a very good thing indeed?
I am pondering this exact question as I tear the fluffy, still warm bao into half. The exterior, while an appealing peppery colour speckled with black seeds, is plain enough.
Yet it’s the filling that enthralls me — a wholesome blend of emerald green, almond white and obsidian. Pandan infused lotus paste with aromatic flecks of white and black sesame seeds.
This Pandan Lotus Bao is delicately fragrant and an absolute delight. I could easily eat half a dozen more of it, despite its hefty size, if it weren’t for the other bao flavours I have yet to try.
That we happened to stumble upon the shop that sold these baos entirely by accident is simply a beautiful bonus. The shop in question is Tarkshi Baker House in Kajang.
Located at one of the nondescript lots at Gerai Medan Selera along Jalan Bukit, we certainly didn’t notice the Tarkshi Baker House at first. Truth be told, if we hadn’t parked right opposite the shop (we were in the neighbourhood for coffee at a café nearby), we wouldn’t have even seen it.
Thankfully we did and we are equally grateful for our curiosity (or gluttony, as it were) when we noticed the sandwich board at the entrance advertising the colourful baos they offered.
Once inside, we marvelled at the basic but efficient setup: towers of traditional bamboo steamers stacked up on the right; trays of steamed buns on the left, ready to be packed once they have cooled down.
Owner Tan Chin Nee was friendly and helpfully explained the different types of baos to us. Besides the aforementioned Pandan Lotus Bao, they also had three other sweet or sweet-ish bao flavours: classic Red Bean, healthy Pumpkin Multigrain and a slightly indulgent Salty Black Sesame.
Not sure which to get? Instead of getting a quartet of a particular flavour (something regulars do as each customer has their own favourite bao), Tan suggested we try their Si Da Tianwang Bao Combo Pack.
The name might sound familiar: Si Da Tianwang is Mandarin for “Four Heavenly Kings” which would make this the Four Heavenly Kings Bao Combo Pack.
Impressive sounding and well deserved, for you and your family members might be soon fighting over who gets the Pandan Lotus Bao and who gets the Salty Black Sesame when you get home.
For while some customers eat their bao of choice at the shop, hot and fresh from the steamer, most will buy the buns to bring home and eat later. Tan tells me I only need to steam the baos for five minutes if they are at room temperature, 10 minutes if taken directly from the freezer without thawing.
Besides these four sweet “Heavenly Kings”, the shop also offers two types of savoury baos. The first one was the one that caught our attention immediately due to its name: Jinsha Huasheng Bao or “Golden Sands Peanut Bun” which sounds both poetic and majestic.
The “golden sands” here is actually peanut butter or peanut paste, which is mixed with finely chopped roasted peanuts and coarse sugar. It is a refined version of the traditional fa shang bao (peanut bun); as good as the original elsewhere, just tastier.
And it is really a matter of taste. Each bao might appear to have more “skin” than “stuffing” at first glance but the ratio seems to be just right, especially when the bread part is so fluffy and delicious on its own.
Freshness is another contributing factor as to why these baos taste better than those I have had from other shops. Tan and his wife are always busy making new batches of bao in their kitchen. It feels both artisanal yet industrious.
A couple of days later, we decided to steam some of the baos we bought for teatime. As Tan had recommended, we only needed 10 minutes of steaming for buns that are taken directly from the freezer.
They were as good as the baos we had at the shop. My personal favourite is the Teochew Vege Bao. Simple, yes, but the mundane mixture of julienned jicama, Chinese turnips and carrots just hits the right spot.
Indeed, not just this flavour but every bao we had tasted... heavenly.
Tarkshi Baker House 達熙飽天下
A-5, Gerai Medan Selera, Jalan Bukit, Kajang, Selangor
Open daily (except Mon closed) 7am-2pm
• This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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