Yesterday was the 7th day of the Lunar New Year (“renri” 人日, or “yan yat”). I can’t believe I completely missed the memo. So why is the 7th day so important? I was told that it signifies the day all human beings were created. This day came about when Nüwa, the goddess who created the world, made living beings throughout the first month of the traditional Chinese calendar called “Zhengyue”.
On the 1st day of Zhengyue, she made chickens.
On the 2nd day, she made dogs.
On the 3rd, boars.
On the 4th, sheep.
On the 5th, cow.
On the 6th, horses.
Finally, on the 7th, human beings.
The custom dates back to the Han Dynasty in China, and gained importance after the Three Kingdoms period and Jin Dynasty. You can read about all the traditions on Wikipedia, but for now, I’d like to leave you with this bowl of mee sua (wheat vermicelli noodles) that I made with a recipe passed down to me from my mother. Traditionally, we toss yee sang (a Cantonese-style raw fish salad) on this day to celebrate, but in my family, mee sua has a long-standing tradition as “birthday longevity noodles”.
My mother is from the Foochow clan, so she typically uses ang jiu, a Foochow red wine made from a fermentation of Chinese wine yeast and red yeast rice, to make this dish. After I gave birth, she made me this (apparently the high ginger and wine content is great for expelling “wind” in the body, post-delivery). This year, I decided to use yellow rice wine for a mild, sweeter taste instead. In Malaysia, I used to source mine directly from Sitiawan. In between young or old ginger, I went with the young one, as it’s juicier and less “spicy” or “heaty” compared to old ginger, although the older folks will tell you aged ginger is always the best for unrivalled warmth. Also, the quality of the sesame oil is important—opt for toasted sesame oil because it lends a more flavourful, nutty taste. You can serve this bowl of soupy goodness with red eggs or without, but the red eggs add a special meaning to the dish; they represent birth or a new start, and the red colour is auspicious. I like to add red dates or goji berries for tonic; they’re considered quite “neutral” (not too heaty or cooling) in traditional Chinese medicine. Scroll below for the recipe!
Serves 4 – 6 pax
Ingredients
- 4 bundles of dried mee sua (flour vermicelli, or any other long noodles)
- 2 whole chicken legs, blanched in boiling water for 5 minutes to get rid of impurities, then rinse in cold water
- 500ml chicken stock
- 400ml Chinese yellow rice wine, divided
- 50g young or old ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft; stems removed
- 10 red dates, pitted
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- Hard boiled eggs
Steps
- Heat sesame oil in a wok or pot over medium heat. Add sliced ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add shiitake mushrooms and sauté for 30 seconds. Then pour in 200ml of Chinese yellow rice wine, as well as chicken stock. Top up with a little water if necessary.
- Gently lower the chicken legs into the wok or pot. Add red dates or goji berries. Bring it back up to a boil.
- Turn the fire down to a simmer and cover to cook for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from the wok / pot, then season the soup stock with salt and pepper.
- On the side, prepare a pot of boiling water. Blanch dried mee sua for 1 minute, stirring to loosen it, then take out and drain.
- Scoop the soup stock into a bowl, add chicken and mushrooms, and top with the noodles, sliced ginger and eggs. You can add some blanched vegetables such as bok choy or choy sum as well. Eat the noodles immediately upon serving, as the mee sua will soak up the soup quickly.
If you made this recipe, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!
