Yellow Tumerica Flavoured Tofu in Miri

 Tumeric or yellow ginger is a good colouring to use to collour tofu. It is also a good colour, as yellow means wealth and prosperity/

When Chinese New Year arrives many Chinese gates and walls are painted yellow.

One of the colours to help make tofu fragrant is tumeric yellow, the colour derives from pounding yellow tumeric with mortar or pestle and rubbing the juice into the solidifiying tofu. It also gives the tofu a good taste

Types of Fried Kuih Tiaw in Miri

 There are many ways of frying kuih tiaw.

In Malaysia we have Penang kuih tiaw with clams. The Cantonese in Kuala Lumpur fry their kuih tiaw in a hot wok with beansprouts and eggs, slices of pork and prawns. The Foochws in Sibu being more frugal fry kuih tiaw with a bit of beaten eggs and beansprouts and perhaps minced pork.

Then there is the famous tomato sauce kuih tiaw which has lots of ingredients. It is indeed very tasty. Most people have said that the best tomato sauce kuih tiaw is found in Bintulu.

Marudi is also very famous for its Marudi kiaw tiaw which is home made kuih tiaw fried with a few eggs, some bean sprouts and dried prawns and slices of pork.

In the city of Miri, one can get all these different types of kuih tiaw and many more. Miri is a cosmopolitan city and besides many people from all over Sarawak have chosen to settle down in the city. We can even get Limbang kuih tiaw, Kuching Kuih Tiaw etc...

I usually go to the two stalls in the Miri Central Market for my kuih tiaw. One stall has been operating for more than 50 years. the other one is newer and the two stalls, although competitors, the cooks and the servers are very courteous and helpful.

As to why I choose this stall most of the time (I have to give business to the other one too) is because I like the taste of the sauce, and the meticulous way the cook prepare the kuih tiaw for you. Also the secret lies in the sauce and the minced pork which the cook will douse over the hot and fiercely fried kuih tiaw from the wok. Enjoy!!

Miri : Prices of Pork Going UP!!

 Pork is an essential food for the Chinese. Mirians have been thrown into despair since Christmas 2022.

The price of pork has gone up, purportedly caused by shortage of supply and the asftermath of the African Swine Fever which swept through Asia and Sarawak. It was reported that thousands of pigs have died in September 2022 and Sarawak might not recover from the epidemic.

Christmas period and January ahead of the Chinese New Year saw the local population fearing the worst to come. The pork market has been silent too.

Even the Miri Abbatoir has to close down.

Prices are going up. And Mirians have to adapt to frozen pork from Kuching and even overseas.

Miri : Fish Head Mi Hoon

How I miss t his dish....

I heard that it was in Hong Kong that a head chef decided to add evaporated milk t o make his simple mi hoon more interesting.

Now it is a dish that has a legend and its popularity is growing in Asia.

It is a popular dish in Miri, found in several shops in Krokop and Miri city itself.

I have the seafood and milk flavours. Great fusion !!

(Perhaps it was because of t his dish that fish head now fetches premium price all over the world. They used to be given free to customers who came to buy fish.....aha!!)
 

Miri : Bubuk ,Times are changing

 

Times are changing.

Krills used to netted by a triangular net called PAKA in the shallow waters of the Luak Bay. For more than 20 years I watched fisher folks, usually husband and wife  go down to the shore and net the krills.  It was an annual joy for me. Taking a walk to the beach in the early morning was refreshing.

The added joy was seeing many people enjoying catching the tiny shrimps which came on shore by the school!! The water would be a be pink and fisherfolks knew that it was time, after the Lunar new year.

Some fishermen came from as far as 20 km or more just to net about 15 kg of the shrimps to make shrimp paste or belacan.

2 or 3 kgs of krill would make only 1 kg of belacan. So 15 kg of bubuk would be enough for a small household to use for a year.  Those who would like to sell some belacan would try to net more. So during a good season, the fisherfolk would come every day to net as much as possible. It is not easy to push the paka against the sand. The heat would often be too much for even the very strong.

The Krill season is after the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. In the past the Luak Bay would be full of onshore fisher folks looking for krill or bubuk. Nowadays with the pandemic, few people would come down to the shore to net the krills. Furthermore in the last few years, powerful boats have taken over the simple fisherfolks' joy. Once these boats dot the sea to net the krill, very little of the krill would reach the shore.

Local fishermen with their own boats, and towkays' Indonesian labourers now go out to the sea further away from Miri with bigger pakas and more powerful boats to net the krill. The Paka is attached to the fast moving speed boats. More bubuk can be netted that way. And cleaner too according to most customers.

I miss going to the beach to watch the husband and wife team walking along the shallow water, trying to net their annual catch. Times are really changing.

Like many farmers' wives, t he fishermen's wives are also saying that they can buy their bubuk fritters and fresh bubuk from the market, no need to break their back. They too are accepting the changes of lifestyle.

Making of Jiaozi

 

A bit of flour? A bit of home grown chives in the back yard? You can have a good fellowship with young and old.

the making of jiaozi with a group of friends or relatives is memorable. It is a legacy one can pass on to the younger generation.

There are many stories to share while making them besides great stories about eating them.

Recently, there is a remarkable scene of making jiaozi in Crazy Rich Asians.

The making of jiazi however is more Northern Chinese in culture.

These are my personal experiences of making jiaozi.

Jiaozi or chives dumplings are not commonly made by Foochow women in Sibu.

The first time I made jiaozi was in Chongqing where I was working with the Methodist Mission for a month.

There I learned to make the wrapper or skin from my friend's mother in law. It looked so simple but it was a great skill.

She was able to make hundreds in just a short time.

The next time I made jiaozi was in Miri when I was invited by a group of Mainland Chinese girls for a fellowship. That was the first time I had a gathering with young North Eastern Chinese girls, who put a five sen in some of the jiaozi.

I taught two nieces from my husband's side to make them one Chinese New Year. I suppose if we have a bit of flour, and some chives in the garden, we can make chives jiaozi easily.

To day in Miri Tin Tin Jiaozi is very famous. The stall owner is from Mainland China.

A plate of Tin Tin Jiaozi is RM10.00. You can have a whole plate of meat, or chives, or a mixed plate of meat and chives. It is a good breakfast.

It is good to share a plate of Tin Tin jiaozi with my Lau cousins. Lovely chats and reminisces and coffee with jiaozi give one a lovely morning fellowship.

Foochow Style Liver Soup

In the 50's and 60's in Sibu most Ming Chiang Foochow mothers would depend on a small slice of liver to replenish their blood and energy. Being very frugal they would not spend extra, if they could help it. However those who were very anemic would often have to buy liver from the butchers. And of course every one in the meat section would recognise their frailty.

My grandmother, ngie mah, loved to get a slice of pork liver whenever she was in Sibu. And she made sure that some of us girls would get a share. She was conscious that those of us who were menstruating would be in need of a bit of extra iron. She also liked to cook extra liver soup for her daughters and daughters in law who were in confinement.

Later in the 70's when I was teaching in Sibu a friendly coffee shop owner's wife would always make a good liver soup for me. And I would always remember her for being so kind and caring. She passed away recently. Her understanding and kindness was very rare among business people.

She would always say to me, " Order this liver soup. Good for the hardworking teacher ."

And then she would add extra meat balls and minced pork with lots of spring onions. 

I am glad that today it is also quite easy to get this dish in Miri as there are now many Foochow food stalls.

A bowl of liver soup cooked by a relative for another relative is such a loving gesture. It does not cost much.

In Krokop 5 there is a Lu family which serves good Foochow style liver soup. Mrs. Lu used to run the Hua Leong Coffee Shop in town. My family would order our different kinds of noodles and then a special bowl of liver soup with wantan with lots of spring onions, instead of just having Ching Tong. (Clear SOUP).
Some traditions must not be forgotten.

Miri : Ikan Lumek

The Chinese call this fish Tahu Fish because it seems to have no back bones. It can be cooked as a soup with lots of spring onions and ginger. It can be fried like KFC chicken.

I love the smoked ikan lumek. Hammer (or pounding) some roasted smoked lumek and before eating, dip into a lovely Sarawakian dipping sauce.

Roasted smoked ikan lumek goes well with cold beer at sunset.

These days retirees especially miss having drinks and a bit of roasted lumek in the evenings.

The MCO has said NO to social gatherings. Stay Home. Stay Safe.

Miri : Lontong

Lontong is a soupy,rice dish. Malaysians like to say that the dish is originally from Johor, I first ate it in Johor years ago when I visited a varsity mate in Johor Bahru . Ever since I do order it whenever I see it on the menu. However no every one casn do it at home because it takes time to make the pressed rice cubes.

The Indonesians however also claim that lontong is from their country.

the rice is partially cooked and then pressed and rolled up in banana leaves to be steamed again. Then when needed it is cut into cubes. This is also called nasi emptt. It is quite a skill to make nasi empit, especially early in the morning when one is hardly awake!! I really admire the ladies of yesteryears who woke up early to make it.

The soup is coconut based and would include dried prawns, loads of vegetables like cabbage, carrots, foo chook (bean curd sheets), tempe, boiled potatoes and strands of tang hoon. I love the extra heat which comes from a serving or two of pounded dried chillies sambal. The coconut based soup should not be like a thick curry. It should be light, sweet and refreshing, with a bit of heat.

At times I wonder if my Chong grandmother ever cooked Lontong Chap Goh Meh(Javanese and Singapore cuisine) for the family. My Chong grandmother was born in Java and went to Singapore to study.

Indded, in our family, my grand aunt or Goo Poh often served a vegetable curry very similar in taste to the soupy lontong (without the pressed rice). As a child I enjoyed her soupy "Foochow" curry.

My father had also good taste buds. He would eat a dish for the first time and replicate the dish at home, creating the new dish with my mother.

I would have loved to ask my Grand Aunt and father about Lontong Chap Goh Meh.

Miri : Footlong Yiu Tiau

Miri has one of the best original cruller or fried bread stick shops in Sarawak. Mr. Tang , the Foochow owner, went to Taiwan to learn how to make them from the original Ing Ho Yiu Tiau masters and since returning home he has made a name for himself. His wife resigned from a good government job to help him in the coffee shop while his mother lends a hand.

His yiu tiau or bread stick is really a foot long ad it is crunchy and airy inside. The foot long yiu tiau or chakoi or yiu chak gui is the original length.

These days he has more following as the foreign sailors have discovered his bread sticks and lovely coffee. Government servants drop by and enjoy the breezy lane space his coffee shop uses. Although the five foot way is narrow, few cars pass by, so it is quite al fresco dining in the morning.

I made a nice cucumber salad with mayo, sometimes with a bit of ham, chicken slices to go into the "heart of the yiu tiau".

One yiu tiau filled with cucumber salad is a meal by itself.

Home made chicken Satay (Oven baked) and Avocado Dip

My avocado tree which I started to grow as long ago as 1994 was barren for about 20 years. Then it started to go a bit west because of recurrent burning on its eastern side. As the fires continue to burn its trunk bent more and more to the west, until, it has a very strange bent trunk. Five or six years went on and it still did not bear fruit. We were about to cut it and it suddenly started to flower. At first it had only four or five fruits and may be only six. We got very excited but we did not prune it although friends did say that it had too many leaves.

Following that harvest we did not burn our rubbish, leaves, etc near the tree by the river bank. It has been fruiting in the last four years.

Praise God.

We give away our fruits, send them to Kuching (even by bus to my mother) and make and freeze avocado dips.

Waiting is an art.

Home made chicken satay with avocado dipping sauce.

Miri : Peach Resin

At a restaurant we recently had a very nice dessert made of peach resin or prunus persica. In Chinese it is 桃花淚，桃脂，桃凝，桃油，桃樹膠. A good Chinese chef can always create a wonderful dessert using peach resin as one of the ingredients.

Peach resin is secreted from the peach tree. The secretion forms amber like crystals on the tree. It is mainly found in China and is used by many TCM practitioners. Peach resin contains  collagen, galactose, rhamnose, amino acids, etc. For hundreds of years the Fujian people would go up the hills to look for this resin, to give themselves a treat or to earn a bit of extra cash. Just like the way the Penans and the other native people in Sarawak look for GAHARU, or even damar.

Today many people love to eat peach resin because it is rich in collagen, which improves the smoothness of skin. Besides, it helps to promote bowel movement,improves skin elasticity, nourishes and adds moisture to the skin and most of all it is good for the stomach. Many people in the know love to order it as a dessert.

When the resin is bought in the Chinese medicine shop, it looks like dried jells. Rinsed and soaked over night (and black impurities removed), the size will increase 10 times usually.

A good dessert is made by boiling the jells with snow fungus and almond for 10 minutes (birds nest if you can afford it), ;longans, and barley . It can be served cold.

It also helps to nourish the blood and to some people it is also a skin tonic.

Over Time Down Time

Miri has a nice place for some kueh chap. the service is good and the place clean and well decorated. What is most important is the service, whether from the owner or from the taff, is extremely polite.

It is what the service industry all about. The service is prompt, the staff cheerful and the food is good. The customers like to stay on and on.

An on a rainy day, it is a good place to be in. compliments to the chef too. We will be back!!

Miri Food : Cantonese Kuih Dried Sand or Gang Sha

This is a very special Chinese new year treat from the Cantonese people.

It is very light sweet and it is coated with soy bean powder. Not many people know how to make this now. And one has to order them long before Chinese New Year. One tin today is about RM100.00. If you don't place an order (usually Sarikei) you will be disappointed during Chinese New Year.

We used to eat some when we had a Cantonese neighbour in Sibu. It was the blacksmith Cheng Family. My mother got along very well with Mrs. Cheng, who is now residing in Canada.

It is amazing how food and eating some of it can bring a lot of good memories to us.

Mrs. Cheng used to call my mother quite often when she moved to Canada. She and her famiy (except the husband) all spoke good Foochow.

My Malaysian Beef Bone Soup 2019

It is Fasting Month in Malaysia so most of us would like to try to cook beef bone soup or sup tulang (usually using a pressure cooker) Fresh beef bones and fresh beef can be bought on Fridays in the Malay Beef Stalls in the market. But now there are lots of good beef in the supermarkets, even air flown from foreign countries. It is not so difficult to get good fresh beef. Buy a kilo of meaty bones and boil until tender (or use pressure cooker). Sautee the following ingredients with some cooking oil some finely chopped shallots some garlic, two knobs of ginger, smashed. Prepare the following 1 stalk of celery - sliced 1 stalk of parsley - chopped cube 2 or 3 potatoes one fresh chilly - cut into half Add the sautéd ingredients into the pot and lower the heat. Add  beef soup spices (you can get in the supermarket)
Simmer until the meat comes off the bones. Add sliced celery.  Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Dish and serve while still hot!

Miri : Door to Door Food Service

Sam Gay - Three Teeth / Jarang Gigi

It's a croaker!! The Chinese call it Shuang ya (two teeth), but in Miri it  is called sam gay or three teeth or ikan gelama or Gelama Jarang Gigi.

It is a very popular cheap fish. Grilled and fried, it is a tasty fish. It is also nice if it is wrapped in leave and grilled. Sometimes we shallow fry it first and then make a tou cheo sauce for the dish. Add some pineapple cubes and tomatoes.

It is a good fish to grill when we organize an outing. Not many fine bones.


Scientific Name: Otolithes ruber  (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
English Name: Tigertooth Croaker
Mandarin Name: 双牙(Shuāng yá)
Local Malay Name: Ikan Gelama Gigi Jarang, Gelama Bulat, Tenkerong Panjang
Local Hokkien: Sum Geh
Local Teochew: Sum Geh
Main Diagnostic Features: 1 or 2 pairs of strong canines at front of one or both jaws. Body slender and cylindrical. Caudal fin rhomboidal
Size: Maximum standard length at 70 cm, commonly to 40 cm.
(Source : http://www.talkaboutfish.com/red-fishes-basses-congers-etc/croaker)

Our Nasi Kerabu Lady @ Pasar Tani in Miri

Miri : Making of Sun Dried Noodles

There is a Wong family in Miri which makes sun dried noodles. They started making these Chien Mien Gang when they first moved to Miri and discovered that Miri's gas supply was almost free.

So the parents who had just moved to Miri, started to get together flour, eggs and some rattan trays to make their noodles. Soon after they obtained their markets for the then fast expanding timber business in the 60's they invested in very sturdy home based machinery. From then on, their business was smooth running. And soon two generations are helping each other in this business of making dried noodles.


It was the cheap gas which made them go ahead with their business.

Work started early in the morning and as soon as the noodles were made they were made into rounds or buns to be sun dried in their yard. The Miri sun was good according to Mrs. Wong.

Flour was also cheap in those days so they could make a lot of noodles to to be sent to timber camp canteens, Limbang, Lawas, Brunei and even Sabah and Kapit! Foochow family friends helped a lot.

Mrs. Wong also said that sometimes they sent to Bintulu and all the nearby timber camps.

Chien Mien Gang is a good product and many people are very impressed by this hardworking Foochow family of Miri. Even though competition is tough from instant noodles, this Foochow staple continues to be well appreciated by Foochows all over Sarawak.

Miri : Hong Kong Style Sausages

Chinese New Year is around the corner. Many shops would be selling Chinese New Year goods.

One of the best shops in Miri would be selling a lot of stuff from Hong Kong, Singapore and Sabah.

But nowadays with the economy having a down turn many housewives are keeping their purses closed and count every sen they use.

I am glad most of my friends are sincerely looking forward to a new year with sensible eating and good fresh food. Too much of those expensive sausages, preserved meats are really not good for seniors like us. And they are not really good for children too.