Cakes fit for the Jade Emperor

At the stroke of midnight today , the skies in Penang will erupt with thunderous fireworks in celebration of the Jade Emperor's birthday .

In the days leading up to this important date on the Hokkien calendar , even hypermarts nowadays know how to put whole sugarcane stalks up for sale .

This morning and afternoon , saw a frenzied crowd in the inner city , making last minute bids to scoop up various items to place on the altar as an offering .

Rather caught up in their enthusiastic buying I decided to snap some pics at this single cake ( known locally as kuih ) stall just to show you what people here buy for that purpose .

As I ducked left and right , up and down , in and out , trying to take some pictures , this lady too decided to snap that purchase of hers .

Is that a satisfied look of love on her face or what ?

On the far right , huddled together in plastic packets is the small Kuih Bahulu or Tan Koh .

Made from eggs and sugar , very crusty and yummy .

Then there's this glutinuous rice with 5 red dates stuck on a paper plate known as Bee Koh . 

Various pink  Mee Koo ( steamed tortoise buns ) with Chinese characters , some round , some with a star like the one below .

Some locals will slice it up and turn it into a type of french toast for their own consumption after the ceremony .

There are two sizes of this other steamed kuih known as the Huat Kuih / Fatt Koh .

This one is in tiny plastic cupcake containers .

No pic of the larger sized one but it looks similar .

Ang koo in various shapes .

They only have the one with that yellow beans filling here .

Not only are these cakes fit for the Jade Emperor , mortals like us can also enjoy it with a cup of hot tea .

Ever seen 3 types of ang koo with the same filling ?

Yeah , now you have .

As you can see , it is not just confined for a Heavenly king but we too can eat it if we wish to do so .

Location : Penang