#kompia

Kompia or Kompyang aka Fuzhou Bagel, originates from China and popularised by the Foochow community in Sibu. It has two main flavours: salty and sweet. Some bakers would fill the kompia with beef and chicken, but locals would question their halal status. Luckily, Kompia House, a small bakery based in Kuching, has made it easier for people with some doubts. I have tasted their kompia, and it’s really good. Really, really good. Especially their kompia filled with daging masak hitam. So tender, so juicy. Ya Allah, sedap.

They are one of the vendors at the Kuching Food Festival, but I didn’t buy their kompia because we (me and my friend) thought it was best if we only got something we had not tried yet. But I have only tried daging hitam and butter-flavoured kompia. How about cheese and garlic, red beans, kaya, and biscoff? Maybe they wanted me to buy them, maybe they wanted to be pursued. I was thinking of their freshly baked kompia with crunchy bits on top of it and that soft and sweet bread. I can only think of how they melt in my mouth.

https://whattocooktoday.com/guang-bing-kompia.html

A few weeks ago i tried making this traditional foochow (福州）snack called kompia (光饼）. My grandparents and dad grew up eating this! And my dad really loves it. But unfortunately we can't get it in sg so i really wanted to try my hand at it. So lo and behold i finally tried it!

It actually tastes really similar to a bagel. And made almost the same way, except that you don't need to parboil the bagel in water prior to baking it. And the steps / shaping is much simpler -- just roll, flatten the dough round, and punch a hole in the middle. Oh but one of the most distinctive features is that this is baked in a clay oven (and you get a clay charcoal smoke smell to it) [no such traditional oven so i used my normal convection oven -- it's ok, tasted the same, and the eater hardly smells the smoke]

I read a few sources they mentioned that this is army food. And there's a hole in the middle of the kompia is so that they can string the buns and carry them around easily. Plus they last for really long (traditional kompia is really dry and hard actually) because y'know #warfood.

Here's a little intro to this traditional food :)

https://youtu.be/qqrMUuez1C0

Anyways here's the recipe:

2 cups bread flour

1.5 tspn yeast

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

160g water

1 tbsp oil

White sesame seeds

Steps:

Make the dough

Place bread flour, yeast, salt, sugar + 1 tbpn oil into a large mixing bowl and mix

Add in the water gradually

Knead the dough for about 10min until the dough is really smooth and stretchy. When you gently stretch the dough, it's almost translucent (aka windowpane stage). If the dough tears right away, the dough needs more kneading.

Proof

Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl coated with a bit of oil. Cover with a wrap and let it rise at room temperature or a warm place. It will double in size, about 30min or longer. (I actually let it rise for 1.5hrs because my grandma was too lazy to get out of her nap so i waited for her to continue hahahah)

Shape and bake

Preheat oven or air fryer to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. After proofing, punch the dough down to release air.

Roll the dough into a long log and cut into about 8-9 pieces. Keep them covered and work with one dough at a time. Use your palm to flatten the dough into a disc, about 1/2 inch thick and 4-5 inch in diameter.

Sprinkle sesame seeds on top (and press them in a little so that they will actually stay after baking). Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Bake the bagel for about 13-15 min at 425 F for about 13-15min or until golden brown. Baking time might be shorter in an air fryer or if your oven is small.

Remove from oven and let them cool completely on a cooling rack.

Store

Once the kompia have cooled completely, you can store them in a container or resealable bag or bread box for about 2-3 days. Anything longer they may get harder and stale. For longer storage, freeze them by placing them on a baking sheet and pop in the freezer for 1hr, then transfer to a freezer bag. They can be kept for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Reheat

To reheat, preheat oven at 350 F and bake for about 5min or longer if you want it crispier. For frozen bagel, you may need to add 3-5min extra to baking time.

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Voila! The below is what i got. Haha my dough shaping skills are pretty bad. But it's ok i'm really just testing for taste first. It's the first time i'm shaping dough and working with yeast! And thank God it turned out fine!! :)

Everyone said it tasted and smelt right (even though i didn't have a clay oven). Yass!

Actually it just really tastes like a bagel. Just harder and tougher (on the inside since bagels are really hard on the outside)

   Kompia or kompyang, is a bread product originates from Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian Province of China.  Kompia can be found and taste at Sitiawan, Perak. Kompia is a local delicacy snack which famous for its crispy skin and crunchiness while it served hot! It comes with two type of filling , may choose for thin and crispy type filled with chopped onion and lard , you definitely love the…