April 30, 2014

Hua Hong Stories : Stone Grinder or Mill

I do not have a photo of my Great Grandmother's stone grinder, so I have grabbed on from Google here.



It was possible that my great grandfather brought a stone grinder with him to Sibu when he left China with his two sons, Tiong Kung Ping and Tiong Kung Eng. Or it was also very possible that they bought one a few years after they landed in Sibu . In the 1920's - 1930's the Foochow rubber tappers had prospered and stone grinders were popular items of homes, in fact, almost a necessity according to our elders.

However, my mother was very appreciative of the stone grinder in Hua Hong house and she reminded us  kids often that the stone grinder belonged to Dui Gung or Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother and we must never forget their legacy.




Grinding rice to make a batter was almost an every day activity in a Foochow household during the 1900's till 1970's when the electric blender became a very affordable domestic appliance.

My  China born Great Grandmother was a good kuih maker with original recipes from fujian, China.

My own grandmother also made quite a bit of nyonya kuih, since she was born in Java and educated in Singapore.

However my aunts and uncles would remember that it was our Second Grandmother Wong who made the best kuih in the 1930's . She made a lot for sale even and my young aunts and uncles would carry them in baskets to sell to the employees of the Ice Factory.

When my mother married into the family, she inherited the stone grinder, as she lived with my great grandmother for more than 6 years. By that time Second Grandmother Wong had passed away in Hua Hong. Great Grandmother lived with my mother for 7 years. Our cousin Yew Ping was helping to look after Great Grandmother until she got married. She was married to a Lau from Tulai.  Great Grandmother later moved to live with my grandfather in Sungei Merah. She left the stone grinder with my mother.

Today, this stone grinder is in Kuching, with my mother. It has moved house, from China, to Hua Hong, to Brooke Drive, to Airport Road and finally to Kasuma Resort, Kuching.

It would be nice to have family gathering around the stone grinder, have family members working on it, and waiting for the creamy white rice milk to drip into the pail. But then time has  really passed and the art of making our own rice batter has now been technologically changed.

We actually don't even have to blend our own soaked rice nowadays and who would even think of preparing a wet rice batter early in the morning before even the cock crows? We can buy Powdered Rice,or rice flour in supermarkets so easily.






April 29, 2014

Tengayen at Bario Food Festival

Tengayen is a type of wild spinach that grow in shrubs.

It is a much favoured vegetables of the Orang Ulu of SArawak who usually cook it in a soup.

I had my first taste of this vegetable, which some people would also call the Asparagus of the Highlands of Sarawak during the three day Food Festival of Bario.

Many stalls were set up serving different kinds of food. Some stalls offered seats and tables, while others just offer take away. Each Kelabit village was represented by a stall.

A huge range of farmed and wild fruits (jungle products) were on sale and  and some were served as cooked dishes To me every thing was  more like a kind of living exhibition.

This kind of festive atmosphere also helps the younger generations meet many relatives, friends who they have not seen for several years. It is also an eye opener for local and foreign tourists. Homestays provide accomodation as no hotel is available in Bario.

But most importantly the festival provides a platform for visitors and the younger generation "to better understand the “gold mine” inside the forest which must be safeguarded against deforestation and extinction."




Today, Orang Ulu Food stalls can also be found in Miri, and Kuching. You can look for “kikid luang” (fish porridge) and “ kikid labo” (meat porridge), “nuba laya” and “senape” (Bario rice dishes wrapped in palm leaf), “labo senutong” (meat steam cooked in bamboo with tapioca leaf, wild herbs mixed with local spices), “akap” (river snail), “lanau” (wild Kelabit asparagus), “bua kabar” (Kelabit pineapple), “kelatang” (bettle grubs), “uet” (coconut grubs), “tengayen” (wild Kelabit spinach)  and “labo pull” (smoke or grill meat arrange in satay style) and “abang” (Kelabit vegetable)


April 28, 2014

How to make your own lard Foochow style

Many years ago, when my grandmother Tiong Lien Tie, came to visit us, sometimes staying as long as a month, she would help my mother cook wonderful meals and prepare lard for us. She thought that good Foochow food must be prepared with lard.


She was a very meticulous cook and would slice the pork fat early in the morning. And then when all the breakfast was cleared and we kids were in school, she and my mother would cook the fat in a kuali slowly. It was a kind of safety at home, to prepare lard when the kids were not in the house. She did not want any one of us to be scalded by hot oil.
As the fat was cooking in the kuali, my mother and my grandmother would prepare lunch, which could be two vegetables and a soup, and another dish of fish or meat. We often had black pomfret when my grandmother was around. Mother would buy the best food for her. We loved her coming, because as my brother would say,"If grandmother is with us, we have better food."
The lard will harden and my grandmother would keep it in an enamel cup which has a lid. (It was called Nga Kii Bui, because that kind of cup was mainly used to hold the water when we brushed our teeth. If the lard was a large amount, my grandmother would keep the lard in a big enamal pot, either a green or blue one, made in China.  When placed over the Foochow Stove,this lard would keep for a long time. Somehow lard never seems to go rancid. Today of course we keep our lard in the fridge.
The best part of the lard making was the crispy residual ...which we call Yiu Char in Foochow. Today, many chefs use this to add fragrance to Hokkien Noodles, or Dian Bian Hu or even Mee Sua.


Whenever grandma made lard, she would "harvest" a lot of the yiu char which she would store in a large glass receptacle like Horlicks or Nescafe bottle. She was very good in recycling .  The bottles will keep the yiu char very crispy and they were eaten like condiments, dipped in soy bean sauce. As children we loved watching her carefully picking some of the yiu char for us from her bottle or stock!! And we were also so disciplined that we would never "steal the yiu char from the bottle". Today I would be more cheeky and pick some from the bottle, which would be very bad for my health!!

April 27, 2014

Sungei Merah : Land Rover and Kiong Ann Brickyard

Land Rovers were mainly driven by the Government officials, especially the Police, and Public Works Department enginers. They were also driven by the British army personnel. Perhaps because they were hardy, they were popular, besides the Bedford buses, lorries and vans. I cannot remember the first makes of the saloon cars owned by the rich people of Sibu. May be there was a Vauxhall and an Austin. Probably there was a Morris Minor too.

But I was proud that my Grandfather ordered my father to get a Land Rover when he started the Kiong Ann Brickyard in Bukit Aup.

My father drove the Land Rover for over 8 years until he passed away in 1965. It was a very strong and hardy car.

There were not many cars on the roads in Sibu then. So people would always remember who could drive and who had what car. There was a great deal of respect for those people who owned cars.


April 26, 2014

Sibu Post Cards : Merrido Hotel

How many of you still keep post cards of your own home town? I am from Sibu and I used to buy lots of postcards from a special shop called "Long House". Most of the postcards in those days were black and white. And I have sent some to my hostel mates in West Malaysia to show them that Sibu was not a village but a town with high rise( 4 storeys only) buildings and quite a few cars!!

And in those days, the photographer's name was not acknowledged. so I have always wondered who took this photo and which company produced this post card.

PC (2)


The Merrido Hotel is no longer in existence but the building is still standing in Sibu. One day I will go back to Sibu and take a photo of this building. It is situated at Wong Nai Siong Road and to the left of the Sibu Post Office which is at the corner of the Wong Nai Siong Road and Jalan Kampong Nyabor.

When we were young the Merrido Hotel was a very "happening place" and lots of young men built their dreams of playing in bands and becoming famous like members of the Rolling Stones or the Beatles.

Young girls all dreamed of becoming the best singing stars in the world.Image may contain: cloud, sky and outdoor

Timber tycoons paid for lots of drinks while entertaining their clients and Taiwan Singers made a fortune out of the generous business men.

The 1960's were the years of timber boom in Sibu. People's lives changed for the better or worse in those flashy years and in the 1970's I left Sibu for my tertiary education in West Malaysia, being one of the first Foochow girls to gain entry to MU. Our fates were thus sealed in the academics : flashy night clubs were not for us as we stuck our noses in our books.

And as rock music faded from our horizon we became lost in our own struggles in life in so many different ways.






April 25, 2014

Sibu Tales : Red Hair Hill

The Red Hair Hill in Sibu was a popular Pioneering Settlement and is known in Foochow as the Ern Moh Long. Perhaps it was because during the Rajah Brooke period, this hillier part of Sibu had a few Officers' quarters. But we are not really sure of the origin of the name. Perhaps the first Roman Catholic priest lived her? I am still trying to find out about the origin of the name.

Many Foochow families settled there and planted pepper and rubber for many decades since 1901. In those days, the Foochows would walk many hours to reach their homes from Sibu town. Later, they had bicycles. Cars arrived in the scene only in the 1960's. Perhaps there was a bus route too in those days, managed by Lanang Bus Company.

However, after the Japanese Occupation the area was most famous as an area where the CCO were active and many of the rubber tappers were suspects of passing food to them , from 1956 to 1974. So surveillance was stringent and curfew actually prevented some of the economic progress of this area.

A few Foochows were shot dead there and the security forces were always coming this area during those years. One of my Methodist School seniors (Madam Hii) became the first woman to be arrested and placed in detention in Kuching . Later Ms Chieng Choon Hua joined her in Kuching . It was a tough time for many families because sympathisers could be detained without trial. In 1974 many of them were released from detention. (Today, there is a Friendship Complex in Sibu built for these detainees and returnees.)Image result for Bukit Lima, Sibu, Sarawak, British Allied Camp
In 1966, the Ern Moh Long became very famous for another interesting happening. It became the centre for the British surveyors who were mapping Sarawak. During the Confrontation period, it was also a place where many Communist Guerillas hid. Many of the Foochows also moved away during that time.



The Methodist Church contributed to this area's development. It built two churches and a primary school. Wang Ming Tong is the earlier one, and Ai Ming Tng is a newer one which used recycled materials from Masland Church . Kiew Nang School was built by the Methodist Foochow Pioneers. In 1996, Mr. Hii Sieh Toh retired from this school as Head Master.
Image result for Methodist Church Wang Ming Tong, Sibu
Wang Ming Methodist Church, Sibu

Many of the old scenes have disappeared from Ern Moh Long. And in fact not many people remember even its old name. The pepper gardens are all gone. the rubber trees have been cut to make way for roads , shops and houses and schools of course.

In recent years not many people can recognise the exact site of the older Ern Moh Long because development and progress have change this area completely.

The biggest change is the presence of a huge supermarket, Farley, which is now a landmark in Jalan Salim. 15 years ago, no one would believe that Bukit Lima/Salim Road/Ern Moh Long would have that kind of development. There were only a few wooden houses, and the Sibu Swimming Pool.

Image result for Farley Supermarket, Sibu
Farley Supermarket (Google)
From local knowledge (thanks to some Sibu friends), the young boss of Farley is Lau Siew Huai.(刘守淮)who has 8 brothers and 2 sisters. Another brother is the owner of 天然photo shop in Bintulu,(刘守资)another brother has a hardware shop,(刘守奇 ). And yet another has a electrical shop(刘守文) all in Bintulu.

Their father,  a Foochow entrepreneur who used to sell eggs along Tiong Hua Road from his bicycle brought Farley to its present height of success with the help of his 8 sons!! That's a fantastic rags to riches story.

(This is still under construction....waiting for more photos...)

April 24, 2014

Nuba Laya - Mashed Rice wrapped in leaves

One of the most interesting leaf wrapped food in Sarawak is called Nuba laya. The leaves used are called Daun Long in Iban,isip or itip in Kelabit.




Rice is cooked and when it is still hot and of a certain consistency, the cook with stir it until it is like mashed potatoes. So it is actually "mashed rice". This nuba laya can be drier or wetter depending on the taste of the family. However the drier nuba laya can last longer.

the various Indigenous Communities always enjoy the best of their home grown rice. When the newly harvest rice is milled, they will usually prepare their leaf wrapped rice to entertain guests, to give to friends or even just to enjoy eating them during meals. Nuba laya can be taken to the farms too by the farmers and they can even be taken to West malaysia for loved ones. Rice prepared in this way can last at least two days without refrigeration.

Nuba laya is usually cooked by loving mothers from the Lun Bawang, Kelabit and Kayan communities.

Other kinds of leaves used for making other kinds of food in Sarawak are the Simpor, banana and nipah leaves.
another kind of rice wrapped in simpor leaves, but this is Tapai or sweet fermented rice.

But commercially, it can be found in Canaan Cafe, Summit Cafe and Canopy Cafe.

This rice is a popular staple amongst the local and foreigners. Side dishes from the Kelabit and Lun Bawang Communities go very well with this rice. One can use the leaf as a plate and that is actually an excellent idea, and safe washing and at the same time water is not wasted.

April 23, 2014

Chiu Ik Ding : From Immigrant to Beautiful Bride

My aunt, Chiu Ik Ding was suddenly taken to be with the Lord, all too soon, and too young too.

We all mourn her passing. She is survived by her husband, two sons and a daughter.

aunt Ik Ding was a gentle woman who had great faith in God, like like her mother, our dear Goo Poh, sister of our grandfather. She was self sacrificing and in the last two years of her life, she served as a volunteer at the Methodist Message Office as a packer. She was very popular and every one loved her. She would come, rain or shine, bringing an umbrella at all times.

Aunt Ik Ding was born in China, when my Goo Poh and her husband went to China to seek medical treatment before the Japanese War. Unfortunately they had to remain in China because all forms of communication between China and Sarawak were broken by the Second World War. Thus my Goo Poh had all her children in China during those years.



When transport from China to Sarawak was available, Aunt Ik Ding, who was below one year of age, however, was left behind in China because it was thought that she was too young to travel to Sarawak after the war. She was left with a teacher (in the photo) and a great friend of my Goo Poh and it was very much later, she came to Sibu. It was not easy to get all the documents done to permit mother and daughter to be reunited.

My Goo Poh and many capable relatives tried their very best to "repartriate" Aunt Ik Ding to Sarawak, so that she could be reunited with her Nanyang family. In the end after many years and many letters to the Chinese Government, she was able to leave China (below the age of 12). (We have to remember that China had become a Communist country in 1949.)

I remember seeing her for the first time. She had such long hair, plaited and so pretty. She had the fairness of a "film star" , at a time when I had never actually seen a film star. I remember, we children, who were studying in the Methodist Primary School, would go and stare at her and some even pointed out, "she is from Dong Sang", as if she was some kind of exhibit. We should be ashamed of ourselves for being so "sanba" - people who had never seen the world.

My Goo Poh loved her and tried to give her all sorts of food to make her grow a little more flesh, because was she was so thin. Goo Poh was such an excellent mother.

The first few years of Aunt Ik Ding's stay in Sibu must have been tough as it was definitely tough for any one who was displaced. She was the first China-Sarawak migrant that I have ever met. I was really curious. Sibu must have been very hot and humid for her. But she thrived excellently.

She studied in Ling Chu Ming School and I remember her cycling to school and returning to the Methodist 50th Anniversary Building, where Goo Poh and she stayed.

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After her secondary school, a man was chosen to be her husband by a match maker, a graduate and a teacher. Goo Poh was happy that Aunt Ik Ding was to marry into a scholarly family.

Goo Poh and Dr. Chiu Nai Ding,(Grand Uncle or Jiik Gung) gave her a grand wedding. It was a proper Xin Fu Yuen Church Wedding.

Her wedding gave us kids a lot of food for thought : here was a beautiful young girl who came from China,adjusted herself in a new Sarawak culture,  studied, learned some skills and became a beautiful bride, all dressed up in white, looking so grand and like a princess.

We all grew up in Sibu, and her children often came to visit Goo Poh. It was a wonderful extended family as we loved our Goo Poh too, who was the unifying element of our Tiong family after our grand father passed away.


My mother, my siblings, my children and I miss her gentleness and warm loving kindness.


P/s Remembering all the weddings we saw from our primary school windows -- I did enjoy watching them. Weddings were such grand occasions for school children of the Methodist Primary School as the school was just next to the church. We would check out the wedding dress, the grand car, decorated with ribbons and the brass band which made such a din!! It was difficult for the teachers to get the students not to look through the windows. 

(It was the same for funerals. But then some teachers would tell the students that they would have nightmares if they looked at the coffins.)

Did my school mates have the same thoughts?

April 22, 2014

Sibu Tales : PIneapples at Bridge Road

Living in Sibu in the 1960's meant that we had many opportunities to eat plenty freshest of fruits from Kapit, Sarikei, Kanowit and even Matu Daro, as the riverine boats could bring them in, fresh from the farms within the day of harvest.
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The Sarikei Pineapple, the special variety of  yellow skinned pineapples which have a conical shape, with varying sweetness, has been an iconic fruit for us in Sibu since then. Another pineapple known as Nenas Paun is a favourite amongst the Malay community. It is heavier, dark green in colour and rounder in shape. It is also good for cooking. Nowadays, a new pineapple, called the Nenas Sawit , has taken the state of Sarawak by storm.

However, Pineapple has lent its name to Sarikei where there is a  bright yellow and golden statue in the middle of the town. Sarikei  is known as Pineapple Town of Sarawak. The claim is very correct because it is still producing a lot of this pineapple. And Sibu continues to enjoy the fruit.
Photo from Sarikei Time Capsule (Thanks to Daniel Yiek)




This special fruit, the Sarikei Pineapple, today is grown in Miri at Saba Orchard amongst many other pineapple gardens in Miri and its outlying areas. But the pineapples grown here are very sweet, probably due to the alluvial soil. Those grown in peat soils are less sweet according to a pineapple expert. Hence the Saba Orchard calls it the Lambir Pines, as the soil in Lambir area is different from the soils of Sarikei, thereby creating its unique taste and texture.








The Sarikei Pineapples like all other pineapples have little flowers when they first grow.. In fact not many people have seen the pineapple flowers. Most flowers from the Sarikei/Lambir pines are lavender or purple in colour. I have to find an orange flower with my lenses.



The Sarikei/Lambir Pines have slender leaves and have more thorns than the Nenas Paun, which is a different variety.

A third variety Sarawak people enjoy in Miri are the special Nenas Sawit.

And finally, the most expenive pineapples are the Bario Pineapples which cost RM8.00 at present market price, because they air flown from Bario. This special pineapple looks like the Nenas Paun but being grown specially in the hilly soils of Bario, and is a different variety because of its texture and sweetness, it is known famously as Bario Pineapples.


But I would always remember how we had those pineapples from Sarikei at RM5 ringgit for SIX!! And the boat men would even skin and give them to us with the stump still one....those healthy teenagers with good teeth would eat them like a huge lollipop after a good game of hockey in the evening.No photo description available.

Pineapples are cold fruits which can even encourage miscarriage according to Chinese beliefs. Those young and newly married women a long time ago were not encouraged to eat pineapples.When menstruating Chinese girls are not allowed to eat pineapples.

The  fruit may be eaten after surgery to reduce inflammation. In fact there is some research on bromelain, purified from pineapple stem or fresh juice.." provided in the diet over six months, decreased the severity of colonic inflammation in mice with experimental colitis.[..... has some potential against cancer mechanisms "(Wikipedia)

But today, it is considered one of the best fruits in the world and is often used  as part of salads, rojak and cooking of fish and meat. Eaten on its own pineapples are awesome. When cooked, I love it in curries and even stir fried with tumeric and lots of onions!!







April 21, 2014

Durians in Luak Bay...





This year unexpected the durian trees in Miri started to flower in March. And this may indicate the effects of global warming on Sarawak. Many of the trees are in full bloom now and the expected harvest is in the month of August, provided no strange thunderstorms  create havoc .
Image may contain: plant, flower, tree, outdoor and natureThis year has been quite exceptional because we are getting durians even in April, which does not actually happen. Today the global climatic changes have created unusual fruiting seasons in our state.
Image may contain: plant, flower, tree, outdoor and nature


Ten years ago in Sibu, Limbang, and Miri, the durian season was only at the end of the year. I remember it was always good to look forward to the holiday season when we could have our King of the Fruits - Durians at very reasonable prices.
It is even possible to have two seasons of durians nowadays!!

I have a special passion to take photos of durian flowers and would go to great extent to get them!! Even going into someone's garden, get permission and take the photos.

These durian flowers have no odour. Perhaps I do not have a good sense of smell, although I can identify several perfumes which are very famous and the various common chemicals.
No photo description available.
A friend commented that the chief pollinator, the Brown Bat is no longer plentiful. Probably having been eaten to extinction!!

April 20, 2014

Myanmar : Preserved Roselle Plant

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Roselle is called the ribena plant in Sarawak. The fruits are boiled to make a lovely cooling drink, usually served at home. It is popular among all the races in Sarawak.

It is interesting how the leaves and stems are salted and dried in the sun in Myanmar. It is sold as a preserved vegetable in the market. Good for stir fries and soup.

We must try to do the same.

Myanmar : Ringing the Bell of Justice

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April 19, 2014

Myanmar : Moth Ball Seller

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Selling Moth Balls in Yangon.

It was interesting to walk along the streets of Yangon. Especially in the market area. That would be my favourite place in any city I visit. I am not interested in shopping malls.

so here is one interesting encounter whichproves my point.

This English speaking Indian guy who wears a singlet and a sarong, wanted to change some Indian currency with me. But I did not have any Indian currency with me.

He told me some interesting facts about Yangon and how he found he could make a living just buy selling moth balls. If he went back to India, he would surely starve to death.

My friend is very amused when he sticks out his red tongue.

Selasih



Basil grows very easily every where in SArawak. The leaves are useful when we make salads and once in a while, we can chop the leaves up and make a great omelette.

The seeds are used by the Malays to make a good drink . Add to Air Bandung, the seeds would swell up and they look like tadpoles.

It is very cooling to drink air bandung with basil seeds. This drink will relieve stress too .


When I was a young child in Sibu, I would always look forward to the the Puasa Month so that I could enjoy the selasih (the little tadpoles) in the red grenadine drink. We could buy that in the small sundry shop in our neighbourhood.

Besides, my neighbour, our Kak, would always call us to enjoy this drink in her house during Raya with all the lovely cakes she made.
Image result for selasih from basil and air bandungNo photo description available.



Many years alter in Miri, I was able to buy my own selasih and make air bandung with those tiny little seeds, to refresh my childhood Raya memories.

That is indeed a lovely part of my beautiful memories, growing up in Kampong Nyabor, Sibu.

Sungei Merah Stories : Paring An Apple for your loved ones

What about some mud skipper soup?








http://www.wikihow.com/Pare-an-Apple


I often think of the days when my grandfather and my father visited each other and they got on so well together. My father was past 50 and grandfather was already in his 70's. This also meant that grandfather married later than most Chinese men of his age.

His marriage to my father's mother was arranged by Rev James Hoover who have met a lovely Chong family in Singapore. The brother, Mr.JB Chong was likely to be engaged as an English Teacher in Sibu in 1909 and he had a sister of marriageable age. Rev. Hoover thought of my grandfather.

The match was a good one because both my grandfather and Grandmother Chong were very hardworking people. She presented my grandfather with a lovely fair skinned boy and the whole Sibu Foochow community was delighted.

Grandfather had loved his first born as most Foochow men would. And as children we enjoyed his visits. We also enjoyed our visits to Grandfather in Sungei Merah.

 One of the loveliest memories I have of my father and grandfather having a good conversation together was when my father visited him when he was ill not long before he passed away.

Father brought some apples for Grandfather and he carefully pared one apple for grandfather. In those days, paring an apple for a loved one was a very tender communicative moment. It was an act of love.

You see, in those days, paring of apples was a done thing and most Fujian men could pare apples very well. Today it is not a skill many people have.

I have tried paring apples myself but I would never do as skilfully as my father. My mother said so too. Today, we eat all our apples with the skin.But I do wonder if you pare an apple for someone would it be appreciated as much as my grandfather and father did.

Do you pare your apples before you eat?








Nang Chong Storires : Two Men Saw

In the 1950's to 1960's life in Nang Chong was still very slow and steady.

The economy was post war sluggish and every farmer and rubber tapper was getting their act together, recovering from the very disastrous Japanese Occupation.

My mother's family was mourning for the unexpected passing of my grandfather. Grandmother Lien Tie successful reached Sarawak after having been stranded inChina during the war years. She arrived in Sibu with my second uncle, Lau Pang Kui and his bride, Ting Ing Nga, a Fuzhou born beautiful, and college educated young lady.

Once again the Foochows took to their rubber gardens and started tapping. And within ten years, they saw a rubber boom created by the 1954 Korean War! But it was also the same year that our family




lost our brilliant youngest uncle, Lau Pang Teck,an English speaking (from Sacred Heart School) agriculture graduate from Serdang. He chose to take up an engineering degree course in Beijing and he also felt that the new Communist China was the country to be.Against all good advice he left Sibu on the Soon Bee.

So my Third Uncle, Pang Sing, was left to look after our grandmother and his own growing family.

Uncle Pang Sing had only three years of education,his childhood completely traumatised by the Japanese Occupation and he was too old to continue his studies after the war.

One of the best skills he had was using the two men saw, or double handled saw. He, being a very strong man, would slowly work on the log along, He would slowly push the saw to one end and then slowly pull the saw back towards himself. And patiently for days he would saw in this way under the rubber smoke house.

It was painfully slow but then the results were beautiful. The whole family derived a great deal of satisfaction seeing the logs cut and ready for the smoking of rubber sheets.

The family depended so much on this simple tool and the strength of my uncle to bring in a reasonable cash income. $2 per pickul of rubber sheets smoked. Each session, probably once a month, my uncle earned around $180.00 gross.

April 18, 2014

Sibu Tales : Salted Mustard or Gong Chai


 “If we could eliminate the concept of town and return to live in small villages, all world problems were solved.”
Rossana Condoleo

 
Gong in Foochow means a big earthern jar. Chai means vegetables. The Fujian people would pickle or salt their summer vegetables so that they could have enough preserved vegetables during the Autumn and Winter.

One of the favourite preserved vegetables the Foochows of Sibu love is the Gong Chai, or simply Jar Preserved (salted) vegetable. But the vegetable is the huge species of braod leaved mustard green only available in Fujian of China. Some people call it Heart Mustard, others call it Swatow Mustard. The Foochows call it Gua Chai.

Visiting my favourite Wet Market hawker for my preserved mustard greens. You need not buy half portion. She can cut the portion you want, so you need only to spend one ringgit or so. As we do not really need a lot if we just want to steam some fish.


This preserved vegetable is a good item to have at home.

When a visitor drops by unexpectedly, this vegetable can be prepared with some pork (meat or rib bones) to make an excellent soup. Another good soup is preparing it with fresh fish. And another good dish is using it to flavour steamed fish Together with some tofu, and steamed, it is a dish good enough for kings.

A good stir fry with some chillies can pep up the table too.

But what is most wonderful is its presence at the table when we have porridge. It is a must have as a condiment whenever we have porridge. The saltiness, the sourness and the great appetising flavours are beyond measures.

Even when it is cleaned, marinated in sugar and chillies, it is just a good cold salad by itself.

Eating this preserved vegetable always reminds me of the days when my maternal grandmother came to visit and we would always have the awesome rib bone soup with gong chai.


Perhaps you would like to make your own homemade pickled vegetable?

Heart Mustard Cabbage 包心芥菜

1/2 kg swatow mustard green
1 tsp sea salt

Solution for pickling
100 gm rock sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
2 cups boiled water.


Soak the vegetable in a basin of water for about half an hour. Cut the vegetable vertically into two equal portions (trim away any brown spots) and wash it under running water until clean. Make sure the areas in-between stems are also washed.
Massage the mustard green (especially on its cut surfaces) with 1/2 tea spoon of salt and let it stand for about an hour. This helps draw out bitterness from the veggie.
Mix salt, sugar and water for pickling in a pot, swirl over heat to melt them down completely. Remove from heat, let cool and mix in vinegar.
Bring about 3 to 4 cups of water in a pot to the boil; put the salted mustard green (but discard any juice) in the pot to blanch. The water shall stop bubbling as soon as it is loaded with the vegetable. Wait till the water boils up again, about 1 to 2 minutes, then dish up the mustard green. Drain excess water, let cool and cut each half vertically into two equal portions.
Get a sterilized bottle or jar (with cover) which is large enough to contain both the solution and vegetable (mine is about 1 liter in volume). Plunge in the cooled mustard green into the bottle, and pour in the solution. Make sure the vegetable is fully submerged in liquid. Cover.
The mustard green shall turn yellowish the next day. Wait another 2 to 3 days at room temperature for the flavors to develop further before serving (see below). For storage, transfer to fridge.

If you do not like to use vinegar, you can use 1/4 cup cooled porridge water .




April 17, 2014

Drinking Culture in Myanmar

http://birma.com/drinking-and-nightlife-in-myanmar

I had an opportunity to travel to Myanmar with a group of Dayak business people. While there I saw a lot. some probably not seen and felt by ordinary tourists.
No photo description available.
One special feature of Burmese life was of particular interest to me.

The people of Myanmar are mainly Buddhist, so in general, drinking is not a problem and on an average women don't drink.

Officially, those aged 18 years and below are not allowed to buy or sell alcohol.

But like many Asian countries, there are a lot of people bending the law and enjoying alcohol, but not openly.

And in most official functions, alcohol is not served. That is cool to me.


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Liquor and wines are cheaper than beer.

Vegetable Oil - Canola OIl

Foochows of Sibu came from Fujian in the 1900's and they brought the making of cooking oil culture to Sibu. Although Canola (yiu chai) cannot be grown in huge areas in Sibu, the Foochows have been making cooking oil from lard, sunflower seeds, peanuts and coconut.

Canola oil is produced from the seed of many varieties of the rape plant(Brassica napus L.) or field mustard/turnip rape (Brassica rapa subsp. oleifera, syn. Brassica campestris L.). This is a bottle of canola oil from Wesson Company. 



Malaysia has gone into the production of cooking oil to reduce the importation of many different kinds of oil from other countries.

However the Foochows continue to prefer oil made from canola or sunflower seeds.

Improved technology has also reduced the cost of producing cooking oil, especially oil from oil palm so housewives do not have to make their own cooking oil. It would be cheaper to buy.

Zhang Qian 张骞 and Sesame Seeds

Perhaps the first time you heard the word Sesame, was when you read about Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. "Open Sesame" became a catch word during our childhood in fact and by saying that in English, we could get a lot of treats! We played games too and used the password to get doors opened.

Of course in those days I did not know anything about Sesame Oil or Muai Yiu, the Chinese name for Sesame Oil. I only know "how to eat". Not so clever.


But, do you know that the small sesame seed was connected to the Zhang Clan?

“The Chinese, wishing to declare war on the Xiung-nu [and] to wipe them out...desired to establish contact with the Yueh-chih; but the road to them led through the territory of the Xiung-nu. The emperor called for volunteers.” -Sima Qian, Records of the Historian
 Chang-Ch'ien (or Zhang Qian) was quick to volunteer and soon he was  dispatched by the emperor Wu-ti to establish relations with a Central Asian tribal group that spoke an Indo-European language.  however he was inprisoned by the Great Khan and he managed to return to China only after 13 years. He brought back his Xiongnu wife and son to China. His travels were not a failure but an achievement.

He opened up the Silk Route, introduced the great horses of the Steppes to China, brought grapes and alfafa to China.

But most importantly, he brought back the incredible Sesame Plant.
The history of Sesame is very rich and interesting. The Hindi word for oil (Tel (तेल)) is also derived from sesame oil (from Sanskrit Taila (तैल), which means obtained from Tila (तिल) Sesame).The Telugu word for sesame seeds is నువ్వులు. Prior to 600 BC, the Assyrians used sesame oil as a food, salve, and medication, primarily by the rich, as the difficulty of obtaining it made it expensive. Hindus used it in votive lamps and considered the oil sacred.
 The sesame plant is not very tall. It is an annual growing to up to 3 feet tall. The leaves are dark green, roughly about 5 inches long. The flowers are pale pink and about an inch long. One plant can only yield 1 Tablespoon of seeds only!!

Interesting the seeds vary in colour : red, black, brown, or creamy white seeds.

The Egyptians and Persians of Biblical times ground it into a kind of flour, from which they made bread. The Romans crushed the seed and used it like butter for a spread on bread.

The special paste of sesame seeds is called TAHINI.

Halva is a special sweet candy made from sesame seed paste.

The Foochows use sesame oil for many dishes. Most importantly for cooking of chicken for new mother's confinement  diet and also for the famous South East Asian Chicken Rice.

I took this photo in Fuzhou during a very awesome food tasting session. Fuzhou Kompia burgers, meat and chives.
Photo by Steve Ling: Sibu Kompia
My favourite source of toasted sesame seeds is the Kompia with lots of them. The Foochow Bridal Biscuits or Leh Pian is only good if there are lots of sesame seeds on them!! Or the Mang Chiew Gor with lots of sesame seeds.

Today lots of salads use toasted sesame seeds as garnish as well as to give them a crunchy and nutty taste. There is nothing better than biting into sesame seeds when one eats a good cold jelly fish salad with a Thai sauce.


We have to thank our Zhang Ancestor, Zhang Qian for his courageous journey (138 BC) into the West and for bringing back the awesome Sesame plant!!


Family's Grieve, Malaysia's Loss

Malaysia lost one of her greatest sons, Karpal Singh.












We must not forget how he impacted the lives of Malaysias for more than 50 years by being the Fearless Tiger of Jelutong.

If only we can all uphold our country's Constitution at all times.

Rest in peace, dear borderless and fearless Hero.














April 16, 2014

tapak kuda laut

Image result for Brunei dollar note tapak kuda
Brunei $20 note with tapak kuda laut

The Brunei currency notes feature flowers selected by the Treasury. The notes are plastic,very slippery and smooth. They often jump from one's feeble hand. They also don't stick together easily.

This $20 note features the pretty purple beach flowers known locally as tapak kuda laut.Image result for tapak kuda laut


It belongs to the same family as the kangkong, this plant is called Goat's Foot or beach morning glory in English.

This plant is found in the upper sandy beaches and can tolerate sea water and sea air.

Being very hardy it protects beaches.

In Australia, it is used by the Aborigines as poultice to cure sting ray and fish stings.

(Note: A superhero Steve Irwin was stung at his heart by a sting ray when he was filming for his tv series. May he rest in peace)

Soh Mien on First Day of Lunar New Year

 Today 10.2.2024 is the first day of the New Lunar Year of the Dragon. Yes I have cooked the chicken and made the soh mien. Happy New Year!!...