June 1, 2010

A Heng Hua Lunch in Sibu

Recently three of us went to a coffee shop in Sibu to try the Heng Hua's Ginger Egg Soup and their stir fried Heng Hua Mi Hun.

The soup was really lovely and had been given added value because of the rice wine vinegar.

According to my friend Goh Kwong Ging (Daughter of the late Goh Heng Ann) her mother used to cook this soup whenever any member of the family became exhausted from over work....This is a famous Heng Hua antidote.

The stir fried mi hun was on the sweet side but very very delectable.It is a real skill to fry this dish.



Nowadays more and more products are available in Sibu - this mi hun is sold in this coffee shop (near the Methodist Message Office).

Thanks to Meng Lee and Yi Fang for the nice meal.

15 comments:

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Do you remember our Pri School beehoon? The coarse noodle in soup selling for ten cts a bowl? Later when I was teaching in kai Chung school, my Foochow colleague told me that if you have Gastric, you mustn't eat that kind of noodles.

I got all excited, I found out a famous Foochow. may be you already knew. I am surprised my teacher didn't say it, otherwise I am sure I would remember that non important fact. ( Psst! won't tell youu who my teacher was.)

Lin Zexu (simplified Chinese: 林则徐; traditional Chinese: 林則徐; pinyin: Lín Zéxú; Wade-Giles: Lin Tse-hsü; Foochow Romanized: Lìng Cáik-sṳ̀; Styled: Yuanfu (元撫); (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850) was a Chinese scholar and official during the Qing dynasty.

He is most recognized for his conduct and his constant position on the "high moral ground" in his fight, as a "shepherd" of his people, against the opium trade in Guangzhou.

Lee said...

Hi Sarawakiana, never knew there are so many different Nationalities living where you are. Must be interesting to be able to know them, not to mention their delicious food as in the pics here.
I too am learning....and from you and your eloquent and enriching postings.
Have a nice day, Lee.

Mee Ling said...

畺蛋湯是興化人獨有的?從不知道也。

beng said...

you have been to every nook and corner in Sibu.. even places i have never heard of :)

Ensurai said...

Mee Ling
Thanks for this first visit to my blog! I have to go to my source of reference (MLei) to verify the claim....but I am sure the other dialects also have this egg and ginger soup but without the sour rice wine vinegar.
The pork leg with sweet vinegar with mushrooms etc is definitely a Hakka dish but today the Hokkiens in some parts also claim that it is theirs too...WE may have to go back to the original villages to check out then. I must do some references with Putien people in China..Sorry about this omission.... But the Henghua's really fry excellent mi hun....

thanks.

Ensurai said...

Bengbeng

No I don't think so...still trying to find the unusual places with different kinds of menu....when friends make interesting suggestions...

Where can you get the biggest bao in Sibu? Do you have big ones like Yeh Tze Mei's (KL???) as big as a plastic bag...size 52 Cup D? this is really true in KL!! But then how many people know this?

Ensurai said...

Ann
The famous Foochow Ling Tzeck Su (My version of Foochow spelling) is indeed very famous but he is not well recorded in many of our Chinese books or in Malaysian history books. In his life time (he was anti Colonialism) and was in fact banished by the Manchu government to Western China because he was opposed to the importation of Opium etc...
I am really proud of him....and there are monuments and a "living" museum in Fuzhou city dedicated to him. Recently he has become again a social hero...he is now a "patriot" etc....the tides of history change with time...

I will be writing an article about him in this blog...amazing Foochow man really.

Ensurai said...

Ann
Of course I remember the Coarse Primary School Mi Hoon at 10 cents a bowl. It was still unaffordable by many. I once dropped my coin and did not have a snack. I learned about hunger and "carelessness" that day.
By the way the family that ran the canteen is now millionaires...one or two of the sons are giants of construction companies in Bintulu I heard...never met them as our paths do not cross.

Somehow the coarse vermicelli or hoon ngang is my favourite...but I am not sure about the gastric part. I only know that hoon ngang is a better choice for me and not the yellow mee.

Ensurai said...

Dear Uncle Lee
thanks for visiting. I was away travelling for a few days.
We do have lots of different Fukien dialect groups here....mainly Amoy (Hokkien) and Foochows (ming Ching and Kutien) and also from the south - the Putiens (or Heng Huas). Hakkas are from Western Fujian...Cantonese are also found in Sibu and Miri (where I live now).

Miri has more Hakka and Cantonese eateries.

If I may say so...I love Siao Lung Baos in Shanghai eateries. But I do make my own Jiao Zi.

Mumble jumble said...

O my the Heng Hua Ginger egg soup. Its so comforting to drink as it warms up your body. Can you cook it when I come home?

I think you should write more about the differences of the dialects in a post. It would definitely help me explaining to some of the west malaysians here what Foochow and the Heng Huas are.

Apparently the younger generation do not know that Foochows exist. I'm so proud to be half Foochow :D

I sometimes get "What language is that?" or, "You speak Japanese??"

Ensurai said...

Free Bird
This Heng Hua Ginger Egg Soup cooked in red rice wine vinegar is a favourite of our neighbour Ah Huong...She is Heng Hua through and through.

Ok to write but not easy...

The west Malaysians know Foochows as Hockchiews..the City A1 people...Ding Dong Ling Gong...surnames.

Heng Huas come from Gopeng??Kota Tinggi?

The Foochow dialect can be downloaded from Youtube now....

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

CY,

One of the tuckshop boys is my classamte from pri 1 all the way to form 5. This boy went to US and I didn't hear from any one that he is rich.

Ensurai said...

Ann
He has loads of brothers. They all have the middle name Kek...so many people think that it is good feng shui...same sound as Sikh....(sik kek..)

I think the one in US is also quite ok....

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

http://annsnowchin.blogspot.com/2010/06/stewed-beef-tendon.html

CY,

Do Foochows eat beef tendons? I just cooked some, first time in my time. I cyber send you some. Because I bought 8 pieces, no one else is eating it.

Ensurai said...

Dear Ann

what a delightful thing to do...I will go and read it...

WE foochows like anything that is POH...and beef tendon is good for muscles...may be that is why Chinese New Year time we would cook at least once using beef tendon.

Other days if we can afford we can boil or braise beef tendons with some beef and black mushrooms and fungus....lovely actually.

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