Sibu Tales : Ngor Ngii (Manchong)

When the Foochows first arrived in Sibu 1901, they had brought with them in little cloth bags seeds of fruits and rice to start their new life as agriculturalists. They even brought cuttings of bamboo to plant (according to my then 18 year old paternal grandfather, Tiong Kung Ping). It was also very possible that some even  brought banana suckers.

Bananas were called Hiong Jiu (Fragrant banana) in Fujian and my Ah Kung always said that he loved Hiong Jiu better than the Chang Nga Jiu in Sibu. Chang Nga Kiu is Cavendish and later known as Lau Hieng Ding Jiu. (Another post, to be continued)

My maternal grandmother had stories about eating salted fish every day because during the Monsoon, or Landas of several months, they had to depend on salted fish and rice. Rubber prices were some times down and there was rubber restriction in the production. The Rajah even had an officer to check the tapping of rubber!!

Sundays were often off days so that the Foochow tappers produced less rubber. Those were the Sundays when the Methodist Churches were full of worshippers.

And then my grandmother would be eating different kinds of salted fish with her rice. She told us that for many days they would just be having rice with salted fish and salted vegetables and whatever vegetables which could grow during the raining season. Even foraging for midin was hard because of the pelting rain. 

Salted fish was part of the Foochow life, when they had to tighten their belt.

But today salted manchong is way too expensive for most people. Fresh manchong is one of the top fresh fish in Sarawak.

It is not just a fish loved by the Foochows, it is a fish loved by all races in Sarawak. Some machongs can weight up to 200 kg!!    Manchong (aka ikan kurau in West Malaysia is recognised by 5 "whiskers" or threadlike rays just underneath the pectoral fins)

Ikan manchong or Ngor ngii is also known as Indian threadfin cod. Hai lien or ikan senangin is the more common threadfin cod, which is usually smaller.

Ngor Hu (ngii) is of great value to many Chinese because it is served as a suitable food for new mothers in their confinement. Ngor Hu Soup is excellent with mee sua and is popular in the Straits Settlement and especially Singapore.

Teo chiew porridge is often served with slices of the two types of threadfin.

I used to laugh when Hokkiens said the Indian Ngor Ngii was Wu Ngor (black) and Senangin was Peh Ngor (White).

Indeed the senangin is fairer than the manchong. But do we have to be politically correct too about fish?