Starchild: Why Malaysian kids love teatime treats

Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, 9

Teatime is a special time of the day when we get to enjoy delicious treats after school. In Malaysia, we have so many exciting varieties of late afternoon food. But, did you know that people all around the world also enjoy teatime?

In Japan, people enjoy snacks like onigiri, which are rice balls usually filled with ingredients like tuna, pickled plum, or salmon, and wrapped in seaweed. Another popular treat is dorayaki, sweet pancakes filled with red bean paste.

Asher Wang Qi Chuen, 6Over in Egypt, teatime often includes koshari, a hearty mix of rice, lentils, chickpeas, and pasta, topped with tomato sauce and crispy onions. For those with a sweet tooth, there’s basbousa, a syrup-soaked semolina cake topped with almonds or coconut, commonly served with tea or coffee.

One of the favourite Malaysian teatime snacks is pisang goreng. These sweet banana fritters are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The bananas make them sweet, and they are best when eaten hot and fresh from the wok.

Another tasty treat are curry puffs – with it’s flaky pastry puff filled with spicy potato, chicken, or sardine, the curry puff these snacks have a burst of flavour with the right amount of spicy and savoury.

Have you ever tried apam balik? It’s like a pancake but filled with crushed peanuts, sweet corn, and sugar. Sometimes it is crunchy, and sometimes it is soft, but it is always delicious!

For a cool treat, ais krim potong is perfect! These ice cream sticks come in different flavors like red bean, durian, and coconut. They are great for hot afternoons.

Recently Starchild asked readers to send in letters on their favourite teatime treats. Here are their letters.

Wong Jie Ern, 8

“My favourite tea time snack is a cracker shaped like a heart. They come in three colours: Red, yellow and green. I always have it during my tea time at daycare. My mom prepares them for me. I really like that they are crunchy,” says Wong Jie Ern, eight.

Wong Cheng Yang, 10

“I love my tea time snack even though it is unhealthy. My favourite is soft and munchy marshmallows! Marshmallows are sweet and addictive. I always have it during my tea time. It is so nice,” says Wong Cheng Yang, 10.

“My favourite tea time snack is waffles with ice cream. What can be tastier than combining my two favourite treats together? I have happy memories of my dad bringing me out to enjoy this dessert with my sister,” says Asher Wang Qi Chuen, six.

Older sibling Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, nine, prefers sweet treats to savoury snack during tea time.

“When thinking of local traditional teatime snacks – bubur cha cha and mochi come to mind. I enjoy the taste of sweet potatoes cooked in fragrant coconut milk that my grandma sometimes cooks. It is so delicious! And bouncy mochi with peanuts is so nice to chew and savour.”

ITEM: Did you know that Malaysia’s national flower is the beautiful hibiscus?

It’s also called the bunga raya. While our national flower is known for its bright red petals, the hibiscus comes in many shades like pink, yellow and purple.

The hibiscus represents bravery and unity, which are important values in our country.

Now, let’s get creative! Grab your pencils, crayons, or markers and draw your own hibiscus flower. You can make it as big and bright as you want! Don’t forget to add the five petals and a long stamen in the middle. Tell us some fun facts about hibiscus flowers. You could also tell us what the petals symbolises in a Malaysian context. We want to feature your letters and drawings for Malaysia Day on Sept 16.

Email your contributions to [e-mail] by Sept 6. Please put “STARCHILD: Hibiscus” in the subject line of your email.

Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200dpi. Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone contact, and address. Instead of handwritten letters, please type out your letters.