Sibu Tales : kek cher

My mother and her neigbhours in Brooke Drive had small backyard gardens and one of the most popular vegetables they grew was the ketola or petola. In those days we called this vegetable kerk cher or chern moh. It was very much later when I went to do some work in Chongqin that I learned its new and lovely name, the silk gourd.

In Chongqin, the silk gourd was shredded and add to the making of porridge together with any corn from the cob in the summer. The people there believe that this porridge would be very cooling for the heaty summer days. Indeed I had a lot of porridge in Chongqing.





The Foochows love this vegetable and we cook it in many different ways, as soups, as a stir fry but it is best cooked with eggs.

Many people do not eat this vegetable because they say that it smells too much of soil and others say it is too cooling. Again it is a dialectic preference. I suppose we Foochows are hardier people.

Interestingly the gourd has to be peeled with a scraper (sometimes made with just a thick tin plate) and then cut in a slant. According to my mother it is the best way to enjoy the vegetable and its inner parts. We must however know how to choose the vegetable by looking at the skin. If it is too old, then the skin becomes too thick.

My mother would sigh and say, " What a thick skin, and nothing inside to eat..."

Sibu Tales : Ikan Bertutu

The ikan bertutu or Ngong Tumbuoh (silly fish) is now a highly priced fish. Its flesh is white and very fresh. It tastes better than cod.

Called Marble Goby (Oxyeleotris marmorata) it is found in fresh and brackish waters of Sarawak, especially in the 3rd and 4th divisions. Most of them are 12 inches to 20 inches long.

It is now found in the wild and some people have tried to farm it. The Chinese love the fish because it has a fine texture and is very tasty. Besides many people believe that it has healing properties and are steamed for its soup for patients after surgeries and difficult child birth.

Its flesh is best when steamed quickly with a light sauce and lots of ginger slices.

During the 1950's when we first moved to Kampong Nyabor in Sibu, and our house was next to a kampong rubber garden, my father would trap ikan bertutu especailly when it was the rainy season and the small ditches would be filled up. Sometimes each morning he could trap up to 5 fairly good sized fish and sell them in the fish market. He could only get about 5 Straits Dollars in those days.

We were once told that in one occasion a dear friend who had just been discharged from the hospital snapped up one of his morning catch. He was quite pleased with himself. My father was a keen fishermen and he loved the throw net especially.

Sarawakian Local Delights : Young Chempedak and Ensabi

Young cempedak when dropped or taken off the tree is made into a vegetable or sayur. Shredded into small pieces with a parang, and soaking in a basin of water, the young fruit is sold in small baskets to the customers. 

One small basket of shredded cempedak is good for a family of five.

A very tasty dish can be made from this immature fruit by frying together belacan, pounded ikan bilis, onions, garlic and ginger and ensabi, the local young green musard.

Bon ape tit!!

Sarawakian Local Delights : Mushroom and Local Indigenous Vegetables

White mushrooms from the secondary forests of Sibuti

Kulat Sawit. Oil Palm Mushrooms

Photo from my friend's kitchen, Ruaskitchen, Miri.

Before the arrival of oil palms in Sarawak, the lovely oil palm mushrooms were never found in the secondary jungles of the state. These mushrooms actually grow on the stalks of the fresh fruit bunches of oil palms, after they have been processed by the oil mills.

The mushrooms are particularly juicy and sweet. They make good soups, and stir fries.

Another mushroom which is also very tasty is the white mushroom, also found in the secondary jungles of Sarawak. 

Mushrooms are usually cooked with another vegetable like cucumber leaves or paku. This is a very nice dish to present to guests who drop by. It is also a very presentable dish in an eating stall which sells indigenous food in Miri.

Sarawakian Local Delights : Engkabang

The Engkabang is a valuable oil seed found in Sarawak.

It is a special species found in Borneo Island, sometimes also known as kawang, engkabang jantong, kawang jantong and tengkawang hantelok. Although on record many trees are only classified as medium height trees, many people have found some extremely tall engkabang trees in Kapit and Limbang areas.

Its wood is light red in colour and is categorized as a red meranti.

It bears illipe nuts which yields oil similar to cocoa butter. At one time, the Rajang river is most famous for the export of the engkabang fruits to Singapore.

Fallen fruits on the forest floor are snapped up by wild boars and other animals, including river fish if they fall into the rivers. Many hunters in the past would gather around flowering engkabang trees in the hope of shooting some wild animals.

Colonial Era of Sarawak : German Chairs

Part of the social history of Sibu was the importation of the beautiful "German Chairs" for official functions and social events.

The few restaurants and especially the various associations all had those lightweight wooden chairs.

Even coffee shops also used them as part of their every day business. It was so ubiquitous that these chairs even acquired the name of kopitiam chairs!

the Kopitam chair is based on the bentwood Chair No.14 designed by Austraian Michael Thonet, the master furniture maker who started a global sensastion in the 1880's. These bentwood chairs are made from beechwood which was light and easily bent. And they are very lasting too.

It is interesting why we know this kind of chairs as German Chairs.

Nang Chong Stories : Sweet Potatoes

The sweet potato is now one of the most popular root vegetables in the world.

It was first introduced to the Chinese by the Father of Sweet Potato of China, Ting Jing Loong  (1543-1619)of Changle. He was a high ranking official who started a business in Luzon Island. Having a critical mind he found the sweet potato of Luzon drought tolerant and easy to plant. In spite of the ban imposed by the Spanish Government on the export of sweet potato, he managed to smuggle out the vines. He twisted the potato vines into absorbent rope and smuggled them back to Fuzhou for cultivation.

The Foochows migrated to Sibu, Sarawak in 1901, under a programme signed by Wong Nai Siong, the charismatic Foochow leader and the Rajah Brooke of Sarawak.

One of the most important crop the Foochow pioneers brought to Sibu was the sweet potato among other vegetable seeds, fruit tree cuttings and natural rice seeds because the Foochows are basically agriculturists. When time became better, some of them returned to China and brought the yellow beaked duck and the hardier serati to Sibu. The Foochows being rabbit eating people also introduced rabbits to Sibu. ( Source : Oral Stories of the Lau Kah Chui family of Sibu)

During the Japanese Occupation, the sweet potato saved many lives as it could be planted without the Japanese soldiers knowing and when rice could not be grown openly and in wide expanse of land. The Japanese had a rice tax which was very prohibitive at the same time. Many survivors of the Japanese Occupation like my mother still cannot bear to look at sweet potatoes because of their trauma.

Besides the sweet potato the Foochows also relied on the Melanau for sago starch which they cooked with some vegetables. This helped them "fill their stomachs".

The Dollar Princess of the Baram

The British Governor General of South East Asia,  Malcolm MacDonald was the one who called her the Dollar Princess as she was the wealthiest person of the Baram before the Second World War. Her long house was visited by the third Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Vyner Brooke and  later by Sir Malcolm MacDonald and the Governor of Sarawak Sir Arden Clarke after World War Two.

Her wealth came from the ownership of many birds' nest caves in the middle Baram. Many birds' nest caves can be found along the small tributaries of the Baram like the Anau, Kejin, Meterek, Sepayang, Malaoi, Temala and Salai.

She was the late Penghulu Lalang Batang from Long Laput Baram. She was also the mother in law of the late Temengong Oyung Lawai Jau of the Kenyah people.

In 1956 Malcolm MacDonalt published a book called "Borneo People" which describes his travels in Sarawak, a land he called, "rivers are the highsways and byways in roadless Sarfawak.." It was a very apt and accurate description of Sarawak then.

Kacang Ma : Chicken steamed with Motherwort

Steamed Ginger Chicken with home brewed tuak and some kacangma (for flavour) Motherwort grows wild in Fujian.

About half a kilo of fresh ginger is pounded and the juices are squeezed out for this dish.

The remnant of the ginger is used with some sesame oil to fry the chicken pieces  from one whole chicken until they are all seared. When the meat is seared, it is placed in a deep bowl . The ginger juice is poured over the chicken and the pounded/blended dried Kacangma leaves are mixed with the chicken pieces like in the photo.

The chicken is then steamed in a steamer for about one hour.

The soup and meat would be very delicious. This dish is good for new mothers as it would help clear the after birth blood and keep the uterus healthy.

Sibu Tales : Foochow Mothers' Tales about the Placenta

The birth story of a lovely girl with big eyes and a mop of hair.

We have been living in a fairly big town for some years by then when a third child was expected. Her paternal grandmother was suffering from breast cancer and she had been seen at the Lau King Howe Hospital and by the late Dr. Fan. The prognosis was not good at all. Any time she could go.

Usually for busy ASIAN fathers, any childbirth would be in the hands of the expectant mother. And child birth in most culture is no big deal. the Penan mother had in the past gone into the jungle to deliver her own child, without any one in attendance.

I was in the middle of teaching that day and the baby decided to come in the middle of a lesson. Luckily it was not dramatic. So off I went, quietly to the maternity clinic with the help of my colleague after giving all the instructions to the school clerk and my departmental colleagues.

The private clinic midwives were good especially my aunt Lau Fong Fei, who informed my mother and sisters about the impending birth, which could be any time in the evening. The labour pains started nonetheless. There was no recess time for labour pains.

The whole maternity ward, well air conditioned, a luxury at that time, was empty except for myself, as the other bed was vacant. It was a bit frightening but I could hear people walking and sounds of babies crying. I could even hear new mothers being discharged from an outer office, all in Foochow of course. Giving birth in a maternity clinic was a luxury not many women could afford and it was also for a mother who was certain that there would be no complications.

Then it was time for me to be wheeled into the labour room. One hour later the unnamed baby was born at about 3.30 pm .

My mother and aunt Fong Fei were confident that the baby would be born naturally and easily. My mother and sister came, not with the chicken soup but with a condensed milk tin filled with the best Kopi-kaw for me, a Foochow style of coffee shop coffee to go . It was a luxury to sip the hot kopi kaw with a straw. That is one hot drink I can never forget.

I remember my mother asking a very Foochow question, "Did the placenta turn in side out?" My dear aunt said,"Yes." The baby was my third daughter, and that answer "yes" meant that my next baby would be a boy. 

I fell into a deep sleep dreaming about the House of Commons in London.

Another Foochow belief about the placenta was its colour . The colour should either be purplish red or dark red to almost black. These would be the healthy placenta which meant that the baby had "good food". Mothers whose placentas were a bit rough, darkish in colour and bubbly in texture would be told by the midwives that they had bad diets and had not given the foetus good nutrition. However it was really hard to generalize because no one really did a research on the nature of placentas in Sibu in those days.

Many mothers-in-law would want the placenta of their grand children to be taken home to be buried. So that was one of the difficulties that government midwives would face. Biologically and scientifically placentas belong to the babies. They can be methodically disposed of in the hospital. But culturally, families' requests needed to be adhered to. There was some mystical beliefs in keeping the placentas well, in different ways .

Placenta Capsules

Then of course most recently, people spread rumours that placentas were sold to Japan and Korea to make beauty products. That caused a lot of uneasiness among new mothers. But I would not know what happened to Sibu maternity wards. Did they really ask the new mothers to bring home their babies' placentas?

The retention of the placenta had caused the deaths of many Foochow women. So this kind of fear led to a lot of distress among not only Foochow women but generally women in Sibu.

Disappearing Miri : The Tamu Salt Fish Mongers

One of the best memories I have of shopping in Miri many years ago was the buying of very good salted fish and I found out that several of them were Foochows. As the years went by more and more Foochow salted fishmongers appeared in the Tamu Muhibbah.

But recently I wanted to find one special old lady who had come from Sarikei. Her dried prawns were always very good and she would give me a good price. I was very sad when the ladies told me that she had passed away.

A few years later, some of them moved away and I started to realize that Tamu Muhibbah would never be the same again.  This was because the Tamu had to be renovated and the food stalls had to move away.  The salted fish mongers had to bring their own packed lunch from then onwards.

Another friendly salt fish monger told me that she too, if she could afford it, retire from selling salted fish.

"Travelling is too easy now. People are going to SArikei and Matu DAro to get their sources themselves!" she exclaimed.

But I still feel that any tamu should continue to sell salted fish and other dried products. It is so much a part of the Sarawak scene.

Miri : Hailam Chicken Rice by Choon

Isn't it nice to be able to cook chicken rice like a professional? I learned it from a full blooded Hainanese lady who became a close friend of mine in Miri.





Just before I retired I met a new friend Choon. She is a widow and provides after birth care to many women in Miri and Brunei. She told me that was how she paid for her terrace house and paid for her children's education.

One day we got talking about Hainanese Chicken rice. so she volunteered to cook for me when she was free. I was so happy to hear that.

On the day of the appointment she came to my house and we went out shopping.  We had a good time shopping and cooking the Hainanese rice, her way.






Even the chilli sauce was so special.

I am ever grateful to her for teaching me how to cook good chicken rice. She told me that one of the most important factors is to make sure we have a good and fat chicken for the soup.

Today, you can learn how to cook chicken rice from youtube easily.

Nang Chong Stories: Perilla of Mum's Childhood Days

Two childhood memories of my mother . Here I am sharing them with you.

Perilla Leaves for simple ailments

When my mum,her siblings and her first cousins were young, they were often given a special concoction made from the simple perilla, called in Foochow Jie Ru Poh Hor (Perilla Mint) It was the common cure in those days. My mother remembers that each time they were sick, my maternal grandmother, and her sister in law "Mu Oh"  would brew perilla mint as the concoction of them to get well. And the whole kitchen would have that lovely minty aroma, very unforgetable and very pleasant. She feels even today, no scents for rooms could beat that perilla mint scent.

Sibu in the 1930's were short of doctors and the only hospital, Law King Howe Hospital was still in its infancy. And most parents, if they could help it, just use herbs to make their children get better. the seeds of the perilla were brought over from Minqing when the pioneers first arrived in Sibu.

Kitchen Helpers

Since my grand aunt had so many young children and many workers for their rubber garden, the meals had to be taken care of by another helper.

My grand uncle, Lau Kah Tii, therefore asked his only sister's daughter and her husband to come to Nanyang to help out in the kitchen.

My mother remembers her as a kindly cook, who also had her own children to look after. It was not easy for her to cook food for more than 20 people every day. But she managed.

She would get up every day, carry water from the river and start cooking the first meal without fail. It was porridge for all. Lunch was exactly at noon and then dinner was at 5 p.m.before darkness fell. Whenever my mother remembers this part of her children she would have that dreamy look in her eyes. She would sigh and said, "What a good woman this cousin was. She never lost of her temper and she was so subservient to every one. She had the real Chinese virtues of a lady. Today we do not have women of her breeding any more."



The Lau Mansion, the biggest house in the Rajang Valley for more than 4 decades from 1920's to 1960's had a wonderful kitchen manned by a wonderful cook from China. The painting here reminds my mother of the stove and the hardworking first cousin of her.

Today this aunt of ours is long gone. She was known as Ik Chiong Soh (her son was called Hii Ik Chiong), and only her grandchildren are still around today.

May God bless the hands which prepared food and medicinal brew for children in those long ago days.

Nang Chong Stories : An Extra Kitchen

This photo of cousins from 6 families (My grandmother had 9 children)

My youngest aunt, sister of my mum, rented a unit from my grandmother. But she did not wish to share a kitchen with her brother.

So my grandmother asked a carpenter (who happened to be her own father in law) to come and build a fairly large kitchen, which jutted from the left side of the house. In those days wood was plentiful and easily obtainable. Even the belian posts were easily purchased. So according to a relative the kitchen was built in days!

Soon we had a new play place to the left of the wooden bridge that led to the kitchen and the side door of the main house. This wooden bridge also opened up a special access to the shop unit of the house operated by our uncle Wong Dien Ching. This shop was a convenience store of the old style.

The new kitchen had a big open, platform where two diesel tanks were placed to collect rain water for cooking  and washing (my aunt did not have to go to the river to wash clothes and take her bath) and a big Foochow stove was constructed. The kitchen over looked the padi field belonging to my grandmother and uncles. A beautiful bench was built , adjacent to the half wall. No window was necessary. We often looked at the padi field and we could see everyone who was on the cement path from the inland. Students coming home from school had to use the cement path.

Today the building is gone and part of the land for the house is under water. The erosion caused by the wash from the express boats was very destructive.

Only good memories are left.

Sarawakian Local Delights : Pineapple and Pork Stir Fry

 

The tenderloins of wild boar or ordinary pork can be specially prepared and cooked with pineapple slices.

Slice of bombay onions, one or two small tomatoes and fresh limes are used for this dish to make the sauce taste like pineapple and lime jam. The end result is a really aromatic and tasty tropical dish. If you like to have more sauce, just add half a cup of water. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.

Garnish with spring onions and chillies.

Nang Chong Stories : Kwan Mui Chiar

The Foochow term for outboard engine is Kwan Mui Chiar which means "Lift the Tail Engine". This is the exact meaning of this engine.

When my aunt married Uncle Hii, she was elated because as a teacher she had to walk at least half an hour to reach her primary school Uncle Hii had just returned from his studies and he was not sure what he should do at first but in the end he decided to take up a temporary job of an English teacher in the secondary school. This secondary school was an extension of my aunt's primary school. So the two of them could go to work together.



However my Uncle's father was a generous man for soon he bought a speedboat with a good outboard engine for the couple to use.

Thus my uncle and aunt and three cousins all went by speed boat to the school. In those days it was a luxury to go to school by speedboat.

Sibu Tales : Clouds and Labaan Bridge

Sibu, Labaan has always been a nice place for many foochows to visit. One very interesting feature which young people would like to see was the whirlpool which was very legendary there in the 1960's.

According to local oral history there, it was this whirlpool which brought a lot of good luck to the settlers here in the past. Many rich people originally came from Labaan or Lor Ma Ang  e.g. the late Datuk Seri Wong Soon Kai.

Labaan is now famous for a bridge which was built recently. Jambatan Lebaan or Batang Lebaan Bridge is a major bridge connecting Sibu and Tanjong Manis. It is 1.24 km or 1 mile long and is the fourth longest bridge in Malaysia across a river and also the third longest bridge in Borneo. The longest bridge in Borneo is the Tayan Bridge in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia (1.4Km)

Sungei Merah - Huang Jeng Ann - the First Foochow Chemistry Graduate

The Wong family of Sungei Merah was foremost and well respected under their matriarch who ruled the family with a very firm hand. the Patriarch was Wong Ping Chuang who arrived in Sibu with Wong Nai Siong, together with his wife, whom every one called affectioately Ping Chuang Soh. Later, we children called her Moo Moo.

The sons were smart and the daughters pretty.

In 1928 

fire razed Sibu and most of the bazaar was gone in a matter of hours, since the shophouses were wooden.

However a heartwarming legend lived on . There were perhaps other good stories but this particular story was well circulated.

Old Jeng Ann Moo (Mother of Jeng Ann) was sleepless and she could not understand why . So the next day she walked all the way to Sibu and visited Hock Chu Huo where Wong King Huo was the towkay. She decided to take out all her money from his safe. The towkay was surprised by the request but he adhered to the maxim that his customers were always right.

Old Jeng Ann Moo went back to Sungei Merah with her cloth bag of cash. That night she slept well with the knowledge that her cash was safe with her and under her pillow. She woke up to a day when news broke out that Sibu had been turned to ashes.

It was this kind of background that Huang Jeng Ann was born into. He lived a good life with a mother who tapped rubber and who made a lot of money, bought a lot of land. He and his brothers were like little princes in a dynastic household, and they were the envy of the young generation of Sg. Merah.

They were educated in both English and Chinese, a rare choice, for English was only for selected students from good families.

Jenn Ang and his brothers were sent to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing to study. They all graduated with degrees. Jenn Ang being the eldest became one of the the first Foochow Sibu young men with a university degree. His graduated  in Chemistry.

Jenn Ang returned in 1937 and started off as a teacher of Tung Hua School in Sibu and then was appointed Principal in 1938.

Pin Chuang Moo Moo was well respected and held her formidable position as one of the leading business persons and landowners in Sibu before the Second World War. She held on to her rubber plantations of many acres and employed many tappers to work on her land.

Sibu Tales : My Father's Salted Chicken

My father travelled a great deal as a photographer, journalist, a banker (only a few years) and business man.

Upon from his return to Sibu, he would always bring a new recipe or two to try out and my mother would be his willing apprentice. This would follow a few trials by the two of them in the kitchen. My maternal grandmother would only be too happy to enjoy some of their successes.

Sometimes when my maternal grandmother brought the chickens from Nang Chong, my father would take one to cook his favourite dishes. Thus the village reared, corn fed and free range chickens were very welcome by my family.

Foochows would bring a token of live chicken whenever they visited their relatives, whether they stayed for a day or a week. This was called MING NENG or FACE FRONT, a gift. My Ngie ma never failed to bring her gifts.




Since we all liked chicken in those days, my father would introduce a new chicken recipe to the family.

One of the dishes he brought back was the salted chicken recipe. He even bought the grease paper which he needed for the new dish. Later we discovered that we could buy grease paper from Kim guan Siang, a favourite supermarket in Sibu.

Thus our family learned how to cook this special salted chicken dish from my father.

China Series : Eating Hu Chiu

My maternal grandmother used to tell us about her life in Minqing, China.

One of the tasks she had to do as a child was to trap and catch padi field eels, called Hu Chiu.

during a visit to Minqing I saw eels being sold in the market and when I visited the farms, I saw the eel traps.

The traps are made of bamboo and are rather small tubular gadgets. They can be used over and over again. Sometimes during the months of low tide in the farms, the eels can even be caught by hand.



Eating eels in China.

Sibu Tales : Wells

When the Foochow pioneers first arrived in Sibu, they had three choices of water : river water, rain water and well water. Wherever there were opportunities to dig for well water, they would not hesitate to do so especially those who lived further away from the river banks.

Government supplied water only existed after 1958 after widespread occurrence of cholera which took many lives.

" Cholera has been in existence in Sarawak for many years and since 1873 many major epidemics have occurred. The epidemics usually occur during the dry months of May, June and July and the population affected are those in coastal areas. As in other outbreaks the areas affected were those which had poor environmental sanitation, poor water supply, poor refuse disposal and indiscriminate disposal of faeces. "( Yadav H1,Chee CM.)


Many older people can still remember using well water in Sg. Merah, and Kwong Hua area.

This well has been recently "refurbished" for church use in Kwong Hua area. It was probably dug in 1903 when the Foochow pioneers first arrived.d caption

Well water is often considered cleaning and tastier than river water. When the Rajang became very polluted this well continued to give forth good clean water.

Today if well water is still available, it is not a bad idea to continue to use the water for some domestic use.

We continue to believe in a God whose grace is sufficient for us.

Sibu Tales : Roasting a whole Pig Head over a Stove

Recently a few of us very tired mothers decided to purchase a stove top "mini oven" called "Happy Call" and we shared recipes.

One of us decided to demonstrate how to cook a whole pig head using the new gadget. And indeed she did it.

The resulting dish was delicious. Soon all of us tried to do the same recipe, but using different ingredients. It can be as simple as just salt, some cinnamon and pepper. And you have a tasty pig head for dinner.

The Happy Call can be turned after half an hour of cooking and it does not have to be opened. You can tell how much more cooking needs to be done by using your nose. However it is easy to test the dish by opening the gadget.

It is definitely a no sweat kind of appliance to buy. And it is easy to wash and keep. Enjoy!!

Sarawakian Local Delights : Sambal Chilli Tempe

Tempe is perhaps a new food item introduced by the Indonesians to Sarawak. However many people like it very much especially when it is cooked as a sambal with ikan bilis.

Onions are sliced and stirred fried. Then a chilli paste is added . When almost caramalized, the fried tempe and fried ikan bilis are added to the sauce. If the sauce is too dry, some vinegar and sugar can be added, to taste.

This is a simple dish. but it takes time to deep fry the tempe slices and the ikan bilis.

Enjoy!!

Sarawakian Local Delights : Peanut Cracker

As more and more Indonesians come over to work in our oil palm estates, we get more influenced by Indonesian cuisine. Today we often get these peanut crackers from the small stalls operated by the wives of the workers.

Estate workers hold their own market days when they receive their salaries which are usually paid out twice a month.

This is the recipe for this Indonesian peanut crackers.

Makes 30-40 crackers

1. Grind the following
    3 garlic cloves

    2 candlenuts
    5 g coriander seeds
    1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2. Combine (1) and all of the following"
    1/2 tbsp salt
    24 kaffir lime leaves
    250 g rice flour
    300 cc coconut milk
    400 cc water, dilute with 50cc coconut milk
    250 g peanuts, raw
    1/3 tsp lime water (optional)
3. Heat cooking oil over medium heat. When the oil is warm, pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the warm oil.
4. Drain on paper towel and keep in airtight container.

Sarawakian Local Delights : Banana Flowers and Lalis Shoots

Lalis is a bitter jungle plant which looks like rattan. Food foragers will cut the right length of the stems and carry them home,usually for their own food, or for sale in the tamu.

The lalis is then shredded into small slices with a parang, after its skin is peeled off. The slices are blanched in some water with salt. It is then drained and cooled.

Banana flowers are then prepared to be cooked together with the lalis. The two vegetables are stir fried together with some dried prawns or dried fish and then some curry powder or just tumeric powder is added to spice up the dish.

finally about 200 cc of coconut milk is added. Add more water if the dish is a bit too dry.

Nice. Bitter,and even sweet to some people who love lalis but fragrant and appetising.

Sibu Tales : Nanjing's Salted Duck

My grandfather was happy proud to be able to afford to send my father and his third brother to Nanjing/Shanghai to study. They left Sibu as junior students after studying in the Anglo Chinese Boys' School established by Rev James Hoover in Sibu. Both of them also learned a lot of English from their maternal uncle and aunt, Mr and Mrs. JB Chong.

My father upon completion of his Middle High School,continued to study in Beijing,  having qualified for Yen Ching University. Third Uncle went back to Sibu to help my grandfather in his business in Mee Ang Rice Mill, Binatang.

My father was thus exposed to many cuisines while studying in China. Furthermore, over the years my father continued to like cooking and introducing new dishes to my mother and friends. Perhaps he was one of the earliest foodies in Sibu. He actually taught my mother whom he married after the Second World War, how to prepare the Nanjing Salted Duck besides many other dishes he learnt from China.

My mother reared a lot of ducks when we were living in Pulau Kerto and my father was manager of the Hua Hong Ice Factory. We had lots of duck to eat and my father enjoyed teaching my mother how to prepare many different dishes he had learned to eat in China.

Photo from Google. Korean Version of Nanjing Salted Duck

The Nanjing Salted Duck  (Chinese: 盐水鸭) has a great history, perhaps dating back to the 14th century but it grew more famous during the Qing Dynasty.

According to my mother, my father told her that in China the Nanjing Salted Duck was best eaten in Mid Autum when Osmanthus (gui hua) was blooming and could be added to the marinade for the duck.
One of my aunts' is named after the flower. Nanjing is also known as the Duck Capital of China. 

The duck is marinated with salt and pepper for several hours and then cooked in a pot of water. It is then pickled in the cooking brine for several hours after which it is hung to dry in an airy place. The duck is then returned to the soup pot and again more ingredients are added like ginger, onion and star anise. The duck is simmered again for 20 minutes to 45 minutes. Finally the duck is cut into strips and served.

Today one can easily buy this dish vacuumed packed on line or in souvenir shops in Nanjing and many cities in China.