Striped Material for Foochow Men's Pajamas

source: http://www.fundkandjunk.com

 

Foochow men are very fond of wearing cotton pajamas. They will get into them as soon as they can when they arrive home according to a friend of mine. And it is also a "must pack" item when they go travelling. One guy I know cannot sleep if he does not wear them.

The most popular material for their pajamas is this striped material which is still available in most textile shops in Sibu! This kind of material has been around for more than 50 years!! Most of these cotton pajamas are home made so they have special meaning to the men wearing them.

Some how in the evenings I just can sense that I will see a Foochow man wearing his pajama bottoms in his garden. And sure enough I will pass by a house and catch a glimpse of a man wearing a striped pajamas bottom. My kids used to shout..."here we go...another one....and another one there...." it is just such a happy nostalgic scenario.

In Search of Mr. Soon Lee Guan

I have been trying to get in touch with Mr. Soon Lee Guan, a prolific photographer from Sibu. I called his home number in Sibu a few times but perhaps he is no longer using the number or he is travelling.

He is another man who owns two or perhaps even three Rollifex cameras.

Any one interested in black and white photos of Sibu and Sarawak of the 50-70's should try to find him and his albums in Sibu.

I managed to "re-photograph" these two photos from the souvenir booklet which shows his portfolio. This wonderful collectible belongs to a Foochow friend from Marudi,who keeps the book as a precious gift!!






A well known Sibu photographer, Soon Lee Guan, has travelled widely throughout Sarawak. He has special eyes for local colours and culture.

The little I know of Mr. Soon is that he has taken a lot of photos which show the culture of the Ibans, Kayans,kelabits, and Melanaus . He could have a lot of obstacles during his journeys. And I can imagine the dangers he might have met.

Our society should appreciate a courageous and intellectual photographer like Mr. Soon. Today only a few are following his footsteps. On the other hand, many of the scenic landscapes, cultural features and social lifestyle are disappearing.

So his photographs should remain well archived by our museums. And someone should write his biography!

Three Wheeled Pedal Cart

Photo by Sarawakiana. May 2008. Sibu.

The people of Sibu should be very proud of this 50's innovation. This is a three wheeled pedal cart or trolley which many men made a living from. And I am sure it has helped many to see better days.

It is used to deliver goods of all kinds. While trishaws (also three wheeled) transport human beings, this special vehicle devlivers everything that can go on it. It only needs the leg power of a strong man. When I was younger I used to see even a pig being delivered by this kind of cart!! The most popular usage of this vehicle is for the delivery of electrical goods. But it can also be used as a fun vehicle. Several of my friends could use it and see the sights in the town especially in the evenings!! But it does need a strong person to pedal it.

With prices of fuel going sky high this Sibu made vehicle may make a comeback.

If you look carefully the back part is the hind part of a bicycle and that is welded to a trolley sitting on two wheels in the front. There are even ledges for some people to sit. So goods and humans can go together.

Made in Sibu!! Wonderful idea!!

Blacksmiths of Sibu - All Gone Now

There were a few blacksmiths in Sibu in the 50's and 60's. They did not make horseshoes and there were no horses in Sibu. They also were not exactly found in Blacksmith Road. These black and white photos were taken by Philip Hii in the 60's. So we are very fortunate to have them.

They were small operators and used a lot of charcoal fire. They mostly made changkuls, parangs ,hoes, huge hammers and even the kitchen choppers. Sometimes they would repair engines of bygone days.

One interesting article they made was the ring for stoves. Another was the base for the charcoal stoves. I am sure they also made the various farm implements.

It is a pity we do not have a good record of their life and work.

Rattan Clothes Basket

A photo by Stephenlnc.

We used this kind of clothes basket to keep clothes in for repair or for recycling. A pair of scissors would be in the basket with other things like threads and needles.

In some families, this kind of basket was for keeping babies' clothes. Sometimes the basket was hanged up so that ants would not crawl into the clothes. That is why you can see a smaller handle on the bigger handle.

Apart from these two uses, I would not know what else it was used for.

This kind of basket was very sturdy and hardy because the best rattan was used. That is why it can stand the test of time.

What did your family use it for?

Sibu's Own Peng Guan Distillery

丙源貿易有限公司, Syarikat Peng Guan Pencarakan Sdn. Bhd. ( )
No.16, Market Road, P.O.Box 151,
96007 Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Tel: 084-331768, 084-330421, 084-311549 Fax: 084-321748 E-mail:
Contact: 孫春福 ( Soon Choon Hoo )
Category: 製造業 (Manufacturing,winery)

The Peng Guan Distillery in Lanang Road was started by Khoo Peng Loong and the Soon family. This distillery has been around for more than 50 years!

If it can be upgraded, and slightly refurbished, it could become one of the tourists' interest areas. With growing wide interest in wine drinking, Sarawak rice wines can become popular. Rebottling the Bai Jiu and improving its taste and quality, the distillery can even make it into the global market.

When we were young, we were often very keen to visit the distillery and learn more about it. But teachers being conservative would never make Peng Guan Distillery a part of our educational tours.

From what we generally know from our parents, our wines in China are traditionally made from grains like rice, kaoliang ,wheat, barley, millet and sorghum. But wines from the Fujian province from where the ancestors of the Sibu Foochow came from are made from glutinous rice.

Traditionally, the making of rice wine is rather simple. The glutinous rice is polished and then steamed.

However, in a large factory, the process is slightly more scientific.

Different kinds of acids are used in order to destroy the microbes found in the process of making wine, which if not destroyed will spoil the production. According to some wine connoissuers, this also gives the various wines a unique taste.

Water is an important component in the wine making process. So in order to bring out the best wines, often spring water is used. Therefore in many parts of Fujian, places with special fragrant natural water would encourage wine making. The pH and mineral content of the water would enhance the flavour of the wines.

It is therefore often claimed that the Ibans in the past made good rice wines because they used very clear natural mountain water.

The wine making process also requires a liquor starter or "starter cake" (麴餅; pinyin: qū bǐng) or "liquor medicine" (酒藥, 酒药; pinyin: jiǔ yaò), the liquor starters for Chinese wine are cakes or pastes containing a complex mixture of various yeasts, molds, and bacteria, which are used to inoculate the grains. The starter converts the grain starches to sugars, and sugars to ethanol. Certain starters also acidify the grain mixture. Each brewery uses a different type of starter cake that was made at their facilities from previous starter cultures, which are handed down from generation to generation. Larger factories often use pure cultures of each organism in a starter instead of the actual cakes themselves.

There are three main types of starters:

Small starter (Chinese: 小麴, 小曲; pinyin: xiǎo qū): Rice that had been cultured predominantly by molds of the Rhizopus (Chinese: 小麴菌, pinyin: xiǎo qū jùn or 根霉菌, pinyin: gēn meí jùn) and Mucor (Chinese: 毛霉菌, pinyin: maó meí jùn) genus, as well as yeast and other bacteria. The mixture generates less heat, so they are mostly used in the tropical South of China.
Large starter (Chinese: 酒麴, 酒曲; pinyin: jiǔ qū, or 麥麴, 麦曲; pinyin: maì qū): Rice that had been cultured predominantly by Aspergillus oryzae (Chinese: 麴菌, 麴霉菌, 曲霉菌, pinyin: qū meí jùn, Japanese: 麹菌, koji-kin) , other molds, yeast, and bacteria. Almost all famous alcoholic drinks in China belong to this type. Wine made from a small starter is usually finished using large starters for flavor.
Red starter (Chinese: 紅麴, 红曲; pinyin: hóng qū): Rice that had been cultured with yeast and Monascus purpureus (Chinese: 紅曲菌, pinyin: hóng qū jùn) or other red rice molds of the Monascus genus. This starter gives the wine a purple red colour and is used to give wines a unique colour and flavour.
The starter is either mixed in water using only the filtrate of the mixture, or the starter is dried, ground, and applied directly in the form of a dry powder. Although the manufacturing process requires only one type of starter for fermentation, many Chinese wines are brewed their liquors from two of more types of starters.

In Peng Guan distillery, little is really known to the outside world. But it has been producing adequate distilled liquor to satisfy the consumers' needs in Sarawak. On purchasing of a bottle of liquor from Peng Guan, you need to check the alcohol content, which may be very, very high.

The high alcohol content comes from one extra step called distillation. Once distilled the rice wine becomes a more potent alcoholic drink called baijiu (白酒; pinyin: bái jiǔ; lit. "white liquor"), which can sometimes be as high as 70-80% alcohol.

The production of baijiu is so similar in color and mouthfeel to vodka that some foreigners refer to it as "Chinese vodka" or "Chinese white vodka." However, unlike vodka, baijiu is generally distilled only once (as opposed to five or more times for some vodkas) and less thoroughly filtered, which gives each liquor its own unique and sometimes penetrating (or even somewhat harsh) flavour and fragrance.


(adapted from Wikipedia)

The Night Soil Man

A Sprague photo from China showing a lady carrying two pails of night soil with a bian dan to her vegetable garden. Of course this is no longer a "done" thing in Sarawak. But in the 50's and 60's, public sanitation was not yet standardised and very little was known about Preventive Medicine.





















Drawing of Night Soil Men, taken from State of Large Towns in South Staffordshire, page 18

I am wondering how many people of Sibu who are now in their 50's and above can remember the most undignified and lowly, humble occupation of " night soil man " - a man who took away human waste in the most unholy hours of three or four in the morning.

Any man who went home late would have met a man carrying pails of night soil on his bian dan (bamboo pole). Any murderer would have him as a witness. I am sure many a night soil man had kept mum on what he saw in the early hours of the day. If they had kept a diary, they would have lots of stories to tell us.

There were very few night soil men who helped keep Sibu clean of human waste. They definitely did not have gloves to wear or any vehicle to help them. They were paid, I remember by each house or shop owner. they brought their own corrugated steel pails (tiak turn) and poured the human waste from the basin into their pails and had "it" carried away. It was definitely as "smelly" job. We also paid him for new basins when our old ones got worn out. Thus we did not even have to handle the new night soil basins.

And definitely they,were never accorded any thanks properly. they were men of the night and kept away from any lime light.

It would be good at least to remember that Sibu had once some people who were willing to do the dirty job of removing human waste. Sibu for that matter did not suffer greatly from cholera epidemics and other sicknesses. It was indeed a wonder.

We used to recognise one man whom we called "Dan Sei Apek",or the "Apek who carried Shit" and each month he would come around to collect only a few miserable dollars for all his solitary and night labour.

And of course if we woke up very early to study, we could "smell" the apek coming and going. We should not have complained so much at that time about him, who kept Sibu clean.

Our special outhouse in Kung Ping Road, was demolished in the early 60's when Sibu District Council called for all houses and shops to use flush toilets.

Do you remember all these?

Different Ways of Cooking Fish

Eating fish and seafood is an expensive hobby. But one can still get a good bargain in Sarawak and especially in Sibu where eating fish will not cost you a bomb.

My advice is that you need to become friendly with a friendly restaurant. Patronise that restaurant and make friends with all the cooks there. Be nice to the captain especially.

To be cheated of a good fish dish puts a bitter taste in your mouth forever. Nobody likes to be cheated any way.

It is also good to know the different styles of cooking fish. So when in Sibu, ask for the suitable type of cooking the fish you have chosen. Eating out sometimes calls for some research before hand too. Also in this way, you will not have to dig too deep into your pocket. Prices can be exorbitant. Empurau for example is now more than 300 ringgit per kilo. Frighten me to death really. I am afraid I like my green papaya with ikan pusu better. Ooooops.

Cooking Styles

The following are some of the popular ways of cooking fish in Sarawak.

In Chinese restaurant, fresh fish is normally steamed and you need to ask the captain about the freshness of the fish. Otherwise, you must request for deep fried fish.

These are the different types of steaming :

Cantonese SteamedSteamed with soy sauce.

Teochew SteamedSteamed with tomato, plum and salted vegetable.

Steamed with GingerSteamed with chopped ginger. Popular for freshwater fish eg Grass Carp and Tilapia.

Steamed with Sauce. Steamed with chopped fermented bean and chilli sauce. Popular for Tilapia fish.

Tomyam SteamedSteamed with tomyam sauce, a la hot and spicy.

Nyonya SteamedSteamed with mild curry.

Sichuan SteamedSteamed with chopped dried chilli.

Different kinds of fried fish
Pan Fried. Only available at home or western restaurant as it takes too long for Chinese restaurant.

Deep Fried.

Fried with bean sauceOnly available in teochew fishing village style restaurant.

Fried with Belacan (shrimps paste)Only available in limited number of restaurants e.g. Tai Tong and Golden Pheonix at Hotel Equatorial.

Fried with Ginger and Spring OnionA popular way to cook Aroan fish.

Other types of cooking

CurryCooked in coconut based curry.

BakedIn either tin foil or banana leaf.

Sweet and SourOnly popular for mass cooking of fish (e.g. for banquet).

Braisedeg braised kong puo style (onion and dried chilli), normally for fish that has muddy taste e.g. walking catfish.

Cook in bamboo or what the Sarawakians call Pansur.


Extra Notes : Freshwater Fish

Up until late 1980's, with the exception of Goby and Sultan fish, fresh water fish was not fit for restaurant. Due to shortage and rised in price of sea water fish, fresh water fish is gaining acceptability in restaurant.Most freshwater fish served in restaurants are live and aquacultured namely tilapia, catfish, Goby, bighead carp (for fishhead) and glass carp. River fish tend to have muddy taste but meat is firmer, and cost more. Live fresh water fish in restaurant cost about 2 to 3 times more than fresh/frozen fish.

When did Chinese Women Start to Wear Trousers?

(http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/richardandlisa/images/13Melakashoesforboundfeetsmall.jpg)

My grandmother looked a little like the lady in the picture. She wore the same kind of clothes. However, as my grandmother had straightened her feet and let them grow, she did not have those three-inch brocade shoes.

We were young and full of questions.

One question we asked grandmother was "When did Chinese women start to wear trousers?" Of course at that time we were asking only in the literal sense. (When we grew older, we understood from family tales that our grandmother wore the trousers /pants, metaphorically as well as literally)

Grandmother said, "As far as I remember, we Chinese women have always worn trousers. Only the very educated would wear Western clothes , that is, blouse and skirt. So you understand why I don't wear dresses. I am not educated." Although my grandmother never went to school, as she was "bought" by our grand uncle Lau Kah Tii in Fuzhou , China, as a child bride, she was smart enough to listen to school children reading aloud. She could memorise the lessons read out. And furthermore, she had a wonderful memory of all the Foochow verses and phrases, proverbs and sayings often quoted by people. We used to be very entertained by her during the TV-less days and asked for "encore" all the time. She was in a way very educated to all of us.

She was a good tailor like my grandfather, Lau Kah Chui. She would lay out the material and properly measure the material, and then had everything cut very properly and neatly. Then she would hand stitch her trousers and blouse. One would never know that her clothes were handsewn. Her stitches would never break and each seam would stay neatly in place. Her cutting was so emaculate that some modern designers would be envious.

We were very curious about trousers then because we children had nice European dresses with frills and ribbons and nice materials like viole. We were so impressed by her brocade that we set out on the discovery of how the trousers came about in China.

While most of my aunts occasionally wear modern well cut trousers, only one did wear samfoo and cheongsam until she passed away. She was our Second Aunt, wife of our second uncle, Siew King. Other aunts who have been living overseas naturally wear dresses with great style. Two of our aunts who live in Hong Kong are exceptionally beautiful and youthful. They wear modern Chinese styled samfoo, or a great samfoo top with embroidered skirt for parties.

However there were not many books to give us the answers during our younger days.

But for modern day children, if you are interested, below is an excellent article from Wikipedia

A painting of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, showing the long robes and official headgear of the emperor. This type of headgear, along with the headgear of officials and merchants, was made of black-colored silk.There were many types of clothing and different clothing trends in the Song period, yet clothes in China were always modeled after the seasons and as outward symbols of one's social class.

Coal used for heating one's home was scarce and often expensive, so people often wore clothing with extra silk-floss and fur-lined coats in the winter. The clothing material preferred by the rich was silk, and for special occasions they had silk robes with gold brocade. The clothing material used by the poor was often hempen cloth, but cotton clothes were also used, the latter being most widely available in the south. The types of clothes worn by peasants and commoners were largely uniform in appearance (with color standard of black and white), and so was the case for the upper class and elite. In fact, wealthy and leading members of society followed accepted guidelines and ritual requirements for clothing. In the upper class, each stratified grade in the social hierarchy was distinguished by the color and specific ornamentation of robes, the shape and type of headgear, and even the style of girdle worn. This rigid order was especially so during the beginning of the dynasty. However, the lines of hierarchy slowly began to blur as the color purple, once reserved solely for the attire of third rank officials or higher, began to diffuse amongst all ranks of officials who bore the color indiscriminately. Along with lower grade civil officials in the government protesting the rigid regulations for attire, the wealthy members of the merchant class also contributed to the disintegration of rules for ceremonial attire worn only by certain members of society. Yet there were still visible distinctions between civil officials and the class of rich merchants and business owners; the officials were distinguished by their long robes reaching to the ground, while merchants often wore a blouse that came down below the waist with trousers. Pants and trousers were introduced to China during the Warring States in the 4th century BC, and were not exclusive to merchants; every soldier wore trousers as part of his uniform, while trousers were also worn by the common people. Although most men were cleanshaven, soldiers, military officers, and professional boxing champions preferred side-whiskers and goatee beards, as they were a sign of virility.


A painting of court ladies and one man on horseback, dressed in upper class outing apparel, a 12th century painting by Li Gonglin, as well as a remake of an 8th century original by Tang artist Zhang Xuan.The attire of Song women was distinguished from men's clothing by being fastened on the left, not on the right.

Women wore long dresses or blouses that came down almost to the knee. They also wore skirts and jackets with short or long sleeves. When strolling about outside and along the road, women of wealthy means chose to wear square purple scarves around their shoulders. Ladies also wore hairpins and combs in their hair, while princesses, imperial concubines, and the wives of officials and wealthy merchants wore head ornaments of gold and silver that were shaped in the form of phoenixes and flowers.

People in the Song Dynasty never left their homes barefoot, and always had some sort of headgear on.Shops in the city specialized in certain types of hats and headgear, including caps with pointed tails, as well as belts and waistwraps.Only Buddhist monks shaved their heads and strolled about with no headgear or hat of any sort to cover their heads. For footwear, people could purchase leather shoes called 'oiled footwear', wooden sandals, hempen sandals, and the more expensive satin slippers.

In many ways we were thankful that Grandmother was wise enough to allow her feet to grow into normal size (not too big actually) and she could walk normally. This was indeed a big blessing because she had to do so much in her life for her children and grandchildren. But in retrospect, we were glad that her children and her grandchildren later blessed her with good materials for her blouses and trousers. She was always very appreciative of such feminine gifts.

My Grand Mother's Foochow Lacquerware Pillow

This picture is of the famous bodiless Fuzhou lacquerware http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_whyc/2006-10/31/content_87956.htm

My maternal grandmother, Tiong Lien Tie, always used a hard pillow and could not enjoy any of those plush, soft feather pillows. She left a special hard pillow (similar to the one in the picture) to me. A real treasure, it has always been a kept well by me in my house (wherever I moved to)for the last 20 years. This pillow must be more than 70 years old now. My beloved grandmother passed away in 1984 at the ripe old age of 84

Unknown to many, this is a Fuzhou Lacquerware Pillow. In fact many Foochow grandmothers who were China-born would have used such a pillow. It was always amazing to me to see my own grandmother sleeping on such a hard pillow like Yang Kwei Fei or any other famous beauties we could see in the movies.

My grandmother used to tell me that this pillow was very handy. She could bring it every where she went and she did not have to wash it, or even sun dry it. And the most beautiful benefit of this pillow was that the bed and the pillow would never smell bad. My grandmother's fragrance often lingered on, in the rooms and places she had been to. Today I can still catch that fragrance when i think of her. She would always carry that scent of bai yu lan (or magnolia) with her.

So I am just so very happy to be able to share with you some information on this special product , made especially easier by information provided on the net. You are always welcome to visit me and see this lacquerware pillow or take pictures of it.

Here goes:

Source : http://www.chinavista.com/experience/qiqi/qiqi.html

Lacquer is a natural substance obtained from the lacquer tree which has its home in China, a country still leading the world in lacquer resources. Much of the country is suitable for growing the tree, but most of the output comes from five provinces-Shaanxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan.

Raw lacquer is the sap of the lacquer tree, which hardens in contact with air. A tree becomes productive 3-5 years after planting, and entails hard work on the part of the tapper. He can only get the latex in June and July each year and must tap it in the predawn hours before the cock's crow and sunrise. For the sun would reduce the moisture in the air, stopping the flow of the latex.

Lacquerware has a long history which extends back to the remote ages in China. From the neolithic remains at Tuanjie Village and Meiyan Township (both in Wujiang County, Jiangsu Province) were unearthed in 1955 a number of lacquer-painted black pottery objects, two of which, a cup and a pot, were discovered intact and found to bear patterns painted in lacquer after the objects had been fired. They are the earliest lacquered articles ever discovered in China and are now kept in the Museum of Nanjing.

Before the invention of the Chinese ink, lacquer had been used for writing. Twenty-eight bamboo clips found in a Warring States (475-221 B. C. ) tomb at Changtaiguan, Xinyang, Henan Province, bear a list of the burial objects with the characters written in lacquer.

Lacquerware is moisture-proof, resistant to heat, acid and alkali, and its colour and lustre are highly durable, adding beauty to its practical use. Beijing, Fuzhou and Yangzhou are the cities leading in the production of Chinese lacquerware.

The making of Beijing lacquerware starts with a brass or wooden body. After preparation and polishing, it is coated with several dozen up to hundreds of layers of lacquer, reaching a total thickness of 5 to 18 millimetres. Then, gravers will cut into the hardened lacquer, creating "carved paintings" of landscapes, human figures, flowers and birds. It is then finished by drying and polishing. Traditional Beijing lacquer objects are in the forms of chairs, screens, tea tables, vases, etc. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, an enthusiast for lacquerware, had his coffin decorated with carved lacquer.

Yangzhou lacquer articles are distinguished not only by carvings in relief but by exquisite patterns inlaid with gems, gold, ivory and mother of pearl. The products are normally screens, cabinets, tables, chairs, vases, trays, cups, boxes and ashtrays.

Fuzhou is well-known for the "bodiless lacquerware", one of the "Three Treasures" of Chinese arts and crafts (the other two being Beijing cloisonne and Jingdezhen porcelain).

The bodiless lacquerware starts with a body of clay, plaster or wood. Grass linen or silk is pasted onto it, layer after layer, with lacquer as the binder. The original body is removed after the outer cloth shell has dried in the shade. This is then smoothed with putty, polished, and coated with layers of lacquer. After being carved with colourful patterns, it becomes the bodiless lacquerware of extremely light weight and exquisite finish.


http://www.chinavista.com/experience/qiqi/qiqi.html Fuzhou bodiless lacquerware is moisture-proof, resistant to heat, acid and alkali, and its colour and luster are highly durable, adding beauty to its practical use.

Fuzhou bodiless lacquerware was created by Shen Shao'an during the Qing Dynasty. He was inspired in restoring the inscribed boards at temples and invented the technique. The bodiless red lacquered bowl Shen presented to the Qing measured 10cm in height, 10.8cm in diameter, with a thickness of less than 1mm. Emperor Qianlong was so delighted that he wrote a poem inside the bowl.

The technique of manufacturing bodiless lacquerware was passed down from generation to generation in the Shen family. After Shen Shao'an, the most successful lacquerware craftsmen were were Shen Zhenggao (1866 ~1928) and Shen Zhengxun, the fifth generation after Shen Shao'an. The bodiless lacqueware they made was sent to an international commodity exhibition in Paris in 1898, and won a golden medal. In the following years, their work won many awards from international exhibitions, as well as the approval of Empress Dowager Cixi. Fuzhou bodiless lacquerware thus became a favorite gift among royalty, government officials and foreign guests. Nowadays, bodiless lacquerware can be found in many famous museums around the world

.

Source :
Constructed by Chinadaily.com.cn
Copyright © 2003 Ministry of Culture, P.R.China. All rights reserved

Foochow Desserts

One of my favourite Foochow desserts is Peanut Soup. It can be eaten warm or cold. In the 50's there were not many shops offering this dessert as a cold dessert. It was sold mainly by women like Ni Mui to the construction workers or other labourers from their bicycles or tri-cycles.

Then in the 60's and 70's peanut soup was sold in some coffee shops or some special shopes which specialised in it and other cold desserts like green bean soup, chendol and ice kacang. Today in the Food Court on the first floor of the Central Market in Sibu a huge bowl of peanut soup with some sago pearls can be your dessert of the day, especially on a hot hazy day.

Peanut soup is actually very simple to make.

First, carefully selected peanuts are dipped in boiling water for deshelling.

Then they are stewed with mild flame until they totally soften. Last add sugar and some washed sago pearls and continue stewing the soup for half an hour.

Older folks usually prefer this peanut soup hot as they find it nutritional and more "yang" for their constitution.

What are the benefits of taking peanut soup? It is commonly known that this soup is good for general health. It can take away one's cough if one is suffering from a heaty cough. Besides peanuts is full of protein. A large number of people also believe that peanut soup helps to improve one's appetite and can help someone who is weak to become strong again. It is good also for detoxing every now and then.

Dato Ling Beng Siong vs Dato James Wong in Council Negri

A very interesting anecdote happened about forty years ago when Dato James Wong (SNAP)was the Limbang member of the Council Negri and Dato Ling Beng Siong, Bawang Assan Member was the Minister of Social Welfare.

If my friend's recollection was accurate (he was there as legal observer), they were having a debate on the expenditure of the Nazaruddin WAlk in the Museum grounds, Kuching. The Honorable Member Dato James Wong asked whether the Minister of the concerned Ministry was aware of how much money had been spent on the Nazaruddin Walk and if the money spent had been deliberated carefully, without causing much distress on the budget of the state.

The Speaker of the Council Negri was Dr. Sockalingam and Sidi Munan was a translator of Iban to English in case some one could not understand Iban.

The following exchange took place in the Iban language. Dato Ling Beng Siong did not speak much English but was fluent in Iban, and Dato James Wong could speak English, Malay and Iban. The two were extremely fluent in Iban as they were timber merchants. This explained the very unusual debate in the Council Negri which conducted its affairs in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Iban. This language policy still remains to this day.

Dato James Wong to the following effect in Iban : Kati nya udah sukat? (Have you measured the area?)

Dato Ling Beng Siong fluently answered in Iban : Udah. Nuan uleh meda kediri kian.(You can go there and see for yourself.)

The exchange which took place in Iban could be understood by most of the members of the Council Negri and created a great deal of laughter. Only Dr. Sockalingam could not understand Iban and he was very much in the dark. He asked for a translation. But Sidi Munan replied, "Mr. Speaker, Sir, the two Honorable Members of the Council Negri could understand each other perfectly, so there is no necessity for any translation."

That brought the August House down.

This can only happen in Sarawak, our beloved state. I have no intention to defame any one. But it remains an interesting fact that our honorable members of the Council Negri then were very humourous and were carrying out their work cordially.

Apam Balik/Ban Chang Kuih

Ban Chang Kuih from www.cynthiafoo.com/category/malaysia














This morning I am feeling nostalgic for street food from kindly urban old men who spoke in welcoming gentle tones to get respectable old ladies who came from the villages to buy a few pieces of their breakfast cakes. They did not have to pull their customers' arms like in Petaling Street, KL. They would just sit there,fanning themselves with a small palm leaf fan in their rough cotton shirts and loose pants.

I cry out for the fragrant smell of old time soy bean milk. It was the type that was really thick, undiluted, unadulterated soy bean milk, rich with all the second class protein only a simple soy bean could produce. And I long for a whiff of the peanut-y , sugary and roasted aroma of a special Chinese peanut and soy bean spread sandwiched between two nice slices of thick ," dunlop pillow texture" of an one inch apam balik.

Ah, my vivid memories of forty years ago Sibu breakfast, either sitting on a low stool next to a low table,al fresco style, or a bundled breakfast spread brought back by a loving grandmother, just arrived from Sg. Maaw after travelling two hours by a slow motor launch from six in the morning when the eerie mist was still heavy on the Rejang River.

Do you still remember the man who had a small box stall along the alley behind Mr. Louis Wong's shop (Chop Yu Chiong, No 10 Island Road) at the end of Market Street, and just opposite the block was Hock Soon whose proprietor never had any other hair cut except a crew cut? The breakfast man operated in a space which was less than five by three. An almost impossible outlet but he was there for many years, throughout my childhood and even my early twenties. After I moved away from Sibu, I did not see him any more. He must have passed on but at a very old age.

This man had only one table beside his box stall and he sold soy bean milk, two types of cakes - apam balik, thick, full of nuts and sugar and nine layer cake, beautifully pink and white, fragrant, soft and in very accurate clear layers. He served his bean milk in the famous green floral Chinese ceramic cups. And he had no stove with him. If we went early, the soy bean milk would be hot,and of course freshly made. Later in the early afternoon the milk would be just luke warm. The box stall was made up of a glass box with a lid which opened from the top, for his cakes at the top. This moveable glass portion sat on top of the waist high wooden box, if I remember, which was green in colour. Inside the wooden box he kept his many bottles of soy been milk.

Each day he might be making only about twenty to thirty dollars but that seemed to be enough for him. It could have been his past time, it could have been his only livelihood. I often wondered about his welfare. In today's world, full of MBAs, this man might have created a franchise and spread to San Francisco or Melbourne. But alas, in those days, simple folks were only thinking of what they could earn in a day.

My grandmother liked his apam balik and she would always buy a dollar's worth which fetched six pieces in those days. For good measure my grandmother would also buy another dollar of the nine layer cake (six pieces also) and a bottle of soy bean . The bottle was recycled soy bean sauce bottle or beer bottle. The top was the cheap cork which one could buy by the dozens in those days for a few cents.

It was unbelieveable that a man could spend his whole life earning a little from just selling kuih and soy bean out of a box stall.

This box stall probably was kept in Mr. Louis Wong's shop when he went back in the mid afternoon as I did not notice that he had a tri-cycle or a trolley to pull his stall away. He would start his stall as early as five in the morning and then finish or what we call, "fold up the shop" by noon. He was another memorable "breakfast" person of Sibu.

I must say that he should be recognized as one of the earliest micro-credit ,health food hawkers of Sibu. He was a nice person with a kind word for old ladies and children. He never shoo-ed me away whenever I was a bother, asking lots of questions.

Here is a recipe for modern Apam Balik:

200g Plain Flour
60g Rice Flour
110g Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
240ml Milk with 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
80ml Carbonated Water

4 tablespoons dry roasted peanuts and crushed roughly
more brown sugar
some roasted soy bean and rushed too

10-inch non-stick Crepe Pan
peanut Oil or margarine

This is a very traditional breakfast kuih and I am sure it is not Foochow in origin. So I continue to wonder how this hawker /Apek became an apam balik man of our childhood.

(NOte : The coffee cups are still available. If you are lucky, they can be found in the nice little supermarket run by the Wong family quite near Hock Peng's Hotel and Apam Balik is available in most of the pasar malam stalls in Sibu. But the apam balik of today is a very thin version. It will not have the thickness and the texture of the old days...I think there is a secret in its making. Or else why would we go back again and again to chomp on a slice or two, perhaps every day!!! Good memories often come with a slice of warm good heartedness heartedness. Cheers.)

Charcoal and its Uses in Sibu

According to Philip Hii these two men were charcoal businessmen of Sibu. Look at their white shirts and short hair.




This is an unusual but collectible photo by Philip Hii. This unusual structure was the "store" for charcoal. Charcoal would be unloaded from the river boats and sales would then begin. All the unsold charcoal would be placed in this store for sale every day until new charcoal arrived by boat again.






Photo by Wong Meng Lei (Rejang Basin) What a luxury -a 60 year old charcoal stove!!










The Foochows in particular and the people of Sibu in general continue make use of charcoal for many purposes and for many different reasons today. In my own case, cooking over charcoal fires still gives me the satisfaction of producing the best tasting food one can ever get.

If you visit Sibu any time now, you can find many coffee shops still toasting their bread over charocal fires to make their famous roti kahwin. Kaya, the famous coconut milk and egg sweet sauce is still being prepared slowly over a low charcoal stove. And coffee beans are still being roasted in a homemade roaster placed over a simple charcoal fire perhaps right at the back of a coffee shop in the small lane.

Charcoal is still the best fuel for roasting the local banana leaf fish,pulut pangang and mutton,beef or chicken satay. Its fire can easily be controlled and just a small stove is enough to cook a few hundred satays. It is the only way to cook good traditional Malay satay and pulut.

Besides,if you can remember, charcoal was used to heat up the old fashioned brass irons ,for ironing clothes made of cotton and linen,to boil huge tanks of water for laundry and in some shops, the charcoal fire continued to burn for the whole day so that the porridge was warm . In some shops the coffee pots were kept hot for customers and towkays and their family members.

I remember how my late father deftly helped my mother prepare the charcoal fire, whether in the big Foochow stove or the smaller clay charcoal stove. I felt that at those times my father left his "personality of a business man "behind and played the role of a life partner, helping around the house, giving a helping had and emjoying the slow paced family life. He was showing his less chauvinistic side and enjoying it.

The two of them alawys talked in very soft and gentle tones, very different from the normal voice levels of husband and wife today. Perhaps it was because my father was a very soft spoken man. Sometimes I could hear them share a little joke and laugh, the way only very understanding couples laugh.

And sure and soon enough, the crackling of the charcoal would be heard and I could smell that unique and marvellous fragrance of a glowing organic charcoal fire.

I still have a charcoal stove which I use as a standby when gas runs out. But sometimes, when I need to use some of the traditional pots I trust my charcoal fire to burn properly and surely for me. From now on too I must make sure that I have a box of charcoal ever ready for any emergency. Talk about keeping the hearth warm!!

For modern day uses, most youngsters and young married couples also use charcoal for their b-b-q fires. But probably they will buy the smokeless charcoal bricks from the supermarkets. Although there are lots of high-tech gadgets around, the simple charcoal barbeque pit will beat them all.

Although there is no longer a real charcoal factory in Sibu, I can still refer to a good charcoal factory in Kuala Sepetang, located in North Peninsular Malaysia, to relate how charcoal is made today. So read on.......

The mangrove forest around Kuala Sepetang is a vital factor for charcoal making in this part. The Chuah's charcoal factory has been in existence since the 1930's.

Mangrove trees which are over 30 years old are harvested, and new ones planted in order to replenish the supply. That area is not to be tocuhed for another 30 years.

The trees are then transported with the high tide into the factory. Trees are then stripped off their bark and then sent to the igloo like cones where the baking process starts.

These cones are all handmade without any architecture drawing design. The master building simply builds them still "out of memory and experience".

A cone is used for around 15 years. Once the cone is finished, the logs are brought inside and heated. The process is in fact very simple and complicated at the same time.

It's all about the right temperature, so the process have to be monitored 24 hours a day.

The logs are standing up inside the cone on stone. Then the cone is almost closed apart of a small hole where a fire is burning. This fire heats up the cone and water will start to vaporize from the logs. Inside the cone there is now a temperature of 220°C.


The first stage of this process takes around 8 to 10 days. The log condition inside the cone is determined by the feel of the smoke that comes out of the holes of the cone. Mr. Chuah and his workers have such an experience that they can tell on the feel of the vaporized water how the condition of the log is.

After 10 days the cone is completely shut off and the baking process continues on a temperature of around 83°C. This takes another 12 to 14 days. Then the cooling process starts, this takes another 8 days before the hole in the cone is opened.

All the water is now vaporized out of the wood and the charcoal should look shiny black. The workers now get the charcoal out of the still hot cone and it is sorted, put in bags or transported in a whole log. Most of the charcoal of Mr. Chuah's factory is exported to Japan. A minor part is used in Malaysia.

Producing charcoal is a time consuming process. Most of the process is manually done. People in Kuala Sepetang, Matang and other small villages in the area have a living from the mangrove charcoal factory.

Note : More later when I can get hold more information on charcoal making.

Source : My Island Penang HomePage

Another blog you should visit : http://seavacation.blogspot.com if you are interested in his visit to a charcoal factory in Westmalaysia. Enjoy!

Gambier

To most of my Malay friends gambier is just an ordinary product which older folks eat with their sireh and pinang. But there is a rather mysterious usage that most women do not know.

Actually,gambier or Kan Mi (Foochow),unknown to many, is a word whispered amongst the Foochow men. In Sibu this product is not as openly sold as in Kuching. The shops in India Street Kuching display packets of gambier openly on the low tables in the available spaces in the five foot way. Women, children , young men and old men do have fun looking at them. Some of course will buy them.

Some friends have written about them and praised them.

So gambier is very oriental, very Sarawak. And it seems that the natives of Borneo have been keeping this precious knowledge for many centuries.

Gambier Sarawak has also found its way into the e-market and folks as far as New York know about it.

This herb ,which is very similar to the hibiscus plant, is used by the people of the Philippines, Indonesia, West Malaysia and Brunei. It has been used to cure external minor injury, help men with their disabilities and sexual inadequacies and even reduce tooth ache!!

Apparently one pack of the processed gambier ,on the net costs US$5.00. that's quite a hefty sum. In Kuching you can get one packet I heard for about 10 ringgit. Please do be advised that I am not promoting it!

And I do caution any one against using it.

According to a very precious volume of "Centenary of Teochew in Sarawak" ,this plant was a popular cash crop during the Rajah Brooke era. And about 20 Singapore Chinese actually invested in this crop,at first with Brooke encouragement. But somehow, after a few years, these Singapore merchants lost money and then lost faith in the then Brooke government. They then left Sarawak and abandoned the cash crop in 1873.Only the Teochew in Kuching area grew a little of the crop. The Malays who have the habit of eating sireh and pinang, have to buy the imported gambier from Singapore.

In the past when the Foochows first came to Sibu, Sarawak, they too grew gambier alongside rubber. But when rubber became the golden crop they forgot all about this plant.

Additional note from Wikipedia: Scientific note on Gambier The scientific name for Gambier is Uncaria gambir (Kingdom: Plantae;Division: Magnoliophyta;Class: noliopsida
Order: Gentianales ;Family: Rubiaceae ;Genus: Uncaria ,Schreb., 1789

Uncaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae, native to Asia, Africa, and South America. They are known colloquially as Gambier, Cat's Claw or Uña de Gato.

Malaysian Gambier (U. gambir) is a large tropical vine with typical leaves, which are opposite and about 10 cm long. At the base of the leaves is a cat-like claw, so the South American U. tomentosa is called Uña de Gato. There is also a Chinese species, U. sinensis. The flowers also originate at the base of the leaves; each pair of leaves may have a pair of globular inflorescences.


Uses
Cat's claw (U. tomentosa) and the Chinese species are used medicinally. The glycosidic compounds have recognized anti-inflammatory properties, while the alkaloids increase the reactivity of lymphocytes, granting higher response to viral infection. Cat's claw has two varieties depending on whether the alkaloids have four rings or five. The five-ring alkaloid variety is medicinal and is called "savéntaro" by the Asháninka.

Gambier (U. gambir) is used in Malaysia for chewing with areca and betel, for tanning, and for dyeing. It contains many catechins which are known to have many medicinal properties and are components of Chinese herbal remedies and certain modern medicines. To make gambier, the leaves are first boiled in water. They absorb it and turn brownish in color. The leaves are then pressed mechanically to squeeze and extract liquid. This liquid is then dried into a semi-solid paste and molded into cubes, which are dried in the sun. Gambier is generally packed in 50 kilogram multilayered packing (PP Bags inside and gunny bags outside).


From another source: www.scrd.net/.../c_nat/extraits_veg/gambier.htm



Gambier trees grow near rivers and forests. Leaves and branches can be collected after one year. Three to four harvests are done every year. Bark could also be collected but it has the effect of killing the tree.


HISTORY
Gambier was of great importance for tanning during the XIXth century. At its zenith, 49,000 tons were imported by European tanners and chemicals companies in 1896.
After the discovery of other extracts such as Quebracho and the predominance of chrome tanning in the XXth century, it became into disuse.
With the recent fashionability of « Eco Friendly » tannage, Gambier culture is becoming again interesting as it is one of the softer extract in the market.
We could mention here that Gambier is sometimes misused to name derivatives of cutch which grow in India and Birman. Actually this above extract belongs to Acacia Catechu family and is mainly suitable for medicine, chewing, since it will give a too strong brown shade in tanning.


COMPOSITION
Gambier belongs to catechic group. It contains catechic, epicatechic group along with anthocyanidol which give the characteristic reddish brown shade of Gambier. Impurities are glucoside and silicate compounds which are added when the liquid Gambier is pourred into mould or to facilitate the spray dryeing.

PROPERTIES
Gambier extract, when used alone, gives a reddish brown shaded leather with full hand, mellow touch and soft character.
The relatively high percentage of glucoside enhances the glazability of the leather and gives the advantage of avoiding grain crackiness. That’s why Gambier extract is the best solution for producing box calf, glazed kid, burnish leather.
On the other hand, full vegetable tannage with Gambier only will give too much spongy leather of strong brown color.
Another particularity of this extract is that it is an excellent auxiliary for dyes, specially the black ones.
Gambier of Acacia Catechu family is commonly used to « cut » the blue tone of black dyes and mordant the fiber of collagene to enhance the reactivity with basic dyes and the dispersion of anionic dyes.
Depending on which brand and origin used, each commercial product will highlight some special qualities of the Gambier.


COMMERCIAL BRANDS
RETAN FG 211 / RETAN FG 212
The most versatile Gambier extracts for soft retannage. The fairly content of insoluble gives a nice fullness to leather. Due to the small size of particles, RETAN FG 211 and RETAN FG 212 penetrate very fastly into the inner layer of the leather. Compared to RETAN FG 211, RETAN FG 212 has a tendency to give a softer leather.

RETAN FGC
It is harder than other qualities but still softer compared to the other vegetable extracts families. RETAN FGC gives an average softy but not stretchy leather what makes it particularly recommended for shoe upper and glazed kid. In the final stage of retanning of the wet blue leather, using 1-2 % RETAN FGC provides extra gloss as well as improvement of finishing process adhesion.

RETAN GL / RETAN GP/SP
These Gambier are specialities and high technology is required to provide such extracts in liquid form to the tannery without the formation of phlobaphene or insoluble catechin polymer.
RETAN GL and RETAN GP/SP are the best for high quality leather. They give very pleasant touch, extra gloss and could be used in finishing mixture in the case of burnish and glazed articles. RETAN GL is one of the only vegetable extract which could be used in garment and glove manufacturing as it does not affect the « run ».

RETAN CPCI
These extracts belong to Acacia Catechu family. They have very good affinity for textile, natural fibers and of course leather what make them very interesting for improving levelling and yield of dyeing.

RETAN PTK / GAMBIER GPG
These are Gambier extracts which have the characteristic of increasing the viscosity of the retanning bath. They could be used to notably increase the thickness of poor leather such as baby lamb, loose kid and calf.

Fermented Soya Beans and Soya Bean Milk

My paternal grandmother Siew used to ferment soya beans as part of her routine to keep household expenditure in check. My maternal grandmother Tiong also made a lot of salted and fermented soya beans. And I remember that some of cousins used to get her to post some of it to them when they were in boarding school. These salted beans were great to eat with piping hot porridge,and especially when one was homesick.

I remember my maternal grandmother having a medium sized urn in the back room where she would keep her salted soya beans for many days to ferment. The resulting fermented soya beans would be aromatic and tasty. The Koreans and the Japanese also have their own way of making fermented soya beans. Each nationality thus have their own special taste.Today, as I have grown older,personally, I like the saltier Chinese brown soya bean paste but the Japanese commercial types are also very very tasty. The world has also fallen in love with miso like I have. The Korean soya bean paste , after the new wave of Korean Cinema took Asia by storm,is particularly good for stir frying of very tender beef.

However when I was much younger I used to dislike the smell and hence would not touch the horrible brown stuff. I had considered it a rotting vegetable. One of my cousins even said that the brown stuff actually tasted (or was it smelled?) like ear wax...yaks...

The Foochows have always been very resourceful and we make all sorts of things from the wonder bean, so to speak. It is actually a wholesome food just by itself.

When young I had liked soya bean milk instead of cow's milk most of the time. the only cow's milk I liked was the condensed sweetened form. I loved soya bean sprouts and of course tou foo. Any thing made from soya bean was cheap so a resourceful housewife would have plenty of its various products at home.

The increasing popularity of soya foods is mainly attributed to the large amount of health benefits which are associated with the use of soya beans. The role of soya in the prevention of chronic diseases continues to be a top priority for scientist around the world.

The media, especially the Internet has helped its popularity to rise even further. Magazine writers, food experts and health gurus have said a lot of wonderful things about this wonder bean.

In fact every where, especially in the United States, soya bean has been grown in a large scale.

In China, the soya bean has been cultivated and used in different ways for thousands of years. Soya was considered as one of the 5 holy crops, besides rice, wheat, barley and millet.

Soya beans are very versatile: soya beans can be used as whole soya beans, soya sprouts, or processed as soya milk, tofu, tempeh, soya sauce or miso. Soya is also used as ingredient for non-food products, such as candle wax and biodiesel. Soy candles are becoming more popular because they burn longer and healthier.


The FDA, USA, has confirmed that foods containing soy protein may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Only people with soy allergy (about 0.5 percent of the population) should avoid eating food containing soy protein. Over the past years, there has been an increasing interest in the antioxidant effects of soya and in particular the health benefits of isoflavones. Soya is very important for vegetarians and vegans. Soya has a high protein content and soya is rich in vitamins, minerals and fibers. The easiest way to consume soya is by drinking soya milk.


One of my favourite soya bean products today is tempe, which actually has an Indonesian origin.

Below is a sandwich spread recipe using

Ingredients
400 g tempeh
2 Tbs Tamari
4 Tbs Tahini
2 Tbs oil
3 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs parsley, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
1 onion, chopped
1 carot, grated

Servings: 4

Miso is not prepared in the same way as we Foochows prepare our fermented soya beans. But it is quite near it, if you cannot buy Foochow fermented soy beans or make your own.

Here is a description of miso I have taken from the Internet for your reference: Most misos are made from soya beans.

Miso is an interesting food ingredient: miso is easy to use, it enhances the flavour of the food and it has interesting nutritional values. Miso is unchallenged in its versatility and can be used in soups, sauces, dressings and toppings.

Miso can be used in place of salt or shoyu in most recipes. Miso is gaining popularity as a healthful ingredient. Miso offers a nutritious balance of natural proteins, carbohydrates, essential oils, minerals, vitamins and isoflavones.
In vegetarian diets, miso is very important because it gives savory richness to meals. Miso can also be used in low-fat cooking: it contains only 5% fat and no cholesterol.
Miso soup
Of course, miso is best for its soup: miso soup. In Japan miso soup is made by combining hot dashi with miso. In Japan miso soup is not just eaten at dinnertime but most people have miso soup as the first meal of the day. It is impossible for miso soup to be boring. With using different ingredients, you can make a different miso soup every day.
Miso varieties
Although we recommend a certain type of miso in each recipes you can substitute is with other varieties: one teaspoon of a dark miso is roughly equivalent in salt content to 2 teaspoons of a light variety. Here are some miso varieties :
Red miso (aka miso, sendai miso, inaka miso) is a rich miso with a strong and salty flavor. Red miso is made from barley. It is mainly used in soups, stews and braised dishes.


Hatcho miso has a very pungent and salty taste. It texture is thick and grainy. Hatcho miso is made from soybeans only. It is used in small amounts to add richness to soups and broths.


Shinshu miso has a yellow colour. This miso has a mellow and salty flavour.


Below is a list of all the different versions of Soya sauce
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese: 1. 醬油
2. 豉油
3. 荳油
Simplified Chinese: 1. 酱油
2. 豉油
3. 豆油

Japanese name
Kanji: 1. 醤油
2. 正油
Hiragana: しょうゆ

Korean name
Hangul: 간장

Vietnamese name
Quoc Ngu: xì dầu, nước tương or tương


What is it then this wonder sauce called Soya sauce ?

It is a fermented sauce made from soybeans (soya beans), roasted grain, water and salt. The sauce, originating in China, is commonly used in East and Southeast Asian cuisine and appears in some Western cuisine dishes, especially as an ingredient in Worcestershire sauce.

Basic production overview

Soy sauce is made from soybeans.Authentic soy sauces are mixed with yeast or kōji (麹, the mold Aspergillus oryzae or A. sojae) and other related microorganisms. Authentic soy sauces are made from whole soybeans, but many cheaper brands are made from hydrolysed soy protein instead. These soy sauces do not have the natural color of authentic soy sauces and are typically colored with caramel coloring.

In addition, traditionally soy sauces were fermented under natural conditions, such as in giant urns and under the sun, which was believed to contribute to additional flavours. Nowadays most of the commercially-produced counterparts are fermented under machine-controlled environments instead.

Soy sauce should always be kept refrigerated and out of direct light. An opened bottle of soy sauce that has been left unrefrigerated could become slightly bitter.

Although there are many types of soy sauce, all are salty and earthy-tasting brownish liquids used to season food while cooking or at the table. What some westerners can only describe as a flavorful, kind of sweet taste is a distinct basic taste called umami by the Japanese and "xiān wèi" (鲜味, 鮮味 lit. "fresh taste") by the Chinese. Umami was first identified as a basic taste in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda of the Tokyo Imperial University. The free glutamates which naturally occur in soy sauce are what give it this taste quality.

Small quantities of Soy Sauce may be included in take-away meals such as Japanese Sushi and Bento boxes. These portions are often attractively and creatively packaged.


Making soy sauce at home
Just like other processed soy products such as miso, soy milk, tofu and others, soy sauce can be made at home. The traditional method requires mixing a yeast and grains with soybeans or Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) with the soybeans.


Types
Soy sauce originated in ancient China and has since been integrated into the traditional cuisines of many East Asian and South East Asian cultures. Soy sauce is widely used as a particularly important flavoring in Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and Korean cuisine. However, it is important to note that despite its rather similar appearance, soy sauces produced in different cultures and regions are very different in taste, consistency, fragrance and saltiness. As such, it may not be appropriate to substitute soy sauces of one culture or region for another.


Chinese soy sauce

A bottle of Chinese soy sauceChinese soy sauce (jiàngyóu/chǐyóu, 酱油/豉油) is primarily made from soybeans, with relatively low amounts of other grains. There are two main varieties:

Light/fresh soy sauce ("Shēngchōu"; 生抽): A thin (as in non-viscous) opaque dark brown soy sauce. It is the main soy sauce used for seasoning, since it is saltier, but it also adds flavour. Since it is lighter in color, it does not greatly affect the color of the dish. The light soy sauce made from the first pressing of the soybeans is called Tóuchōu (头抽 or 頭抽), which can be loosely translated as first soy sauce or referred to as premium light soy sauce. Touchōu is often sold at a premium because of better taste (similar to extra virgin olive oil). In addition, the classification Shuānghuáng (雙璜) refers to the double fermentation process employed, to further add complexity to the flavour. These latter two more delicate types are usually for dipping.
Dark/old soy sauce ("Lǎochōu"; 老抽) : A darker and slightly thicker soy sauce that is aged longer and contains added molasses to give it its distinctive appearance. This variety is mainly used during cooking since its flavour develops under heating. It has a richer, slightly sweeter, and less salty flavour than light soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is partly used to add color and flavour to a dish.
In traditional Chinese cooking, one of the two types, or a mixture of both, is employed to achieve a particular flavour and colour for the dish.

Other types:

Thick soy sauce ("Jiàngyóugāo", 醬油膏 or 蔭油膏): Dark soy sauce that has been thickened with starch and sugar. It is also occasionally flavored with MSG. This sauce is not usually used directly in cooking but more often as a dipping sauce or poured on food as a flavorful addition.
Dark soy paste (huángjiàng 黄酱): Although not really a soy sauce, it is another salty soy product. It is one of the main ingredients in a dish called zhajiang mian (炸酱面, lit. "fried paste noodles").
In Singapore and Malaysia, soy sauce in general is dòuyóu (豆油); dark soy sauce is called jiàngyóu (醬油) and light soy sauce is jiàngqīng (醬清). Angmoh tauyew (紅貌豆油), lit. "foreigners' soy sauce" is the Hokkien name for Worcestershire sauce.


Hawaiian soy sauce
A unique type of soy sauce produced by Aloha Shoyu Company since 1946 is a special blend of soybeans, wheat, and salt, historically common among local Hawaii residents.


Indonesian soy sauce

Kecap manis Indonesian thick and sweet soy sauce is nearly as thick as molasses.In Indonesia, soy sauce is known as kecap (a catchall term for fermented sauces), from which according to one theory the English word "ketchup" is derived. Two main varieties exist:

Kecap asin
Salty soy sauce, which is very similar to Chinese light soy sauce, but usually somewhat thicker and has a stronger flavor; it can be replaced by light Chinese soy sauce in recipes.
Kecap manis
Sweet soy sauce, which has a thick, almost syrupy consistency and a pronounced sweet, treacle-like flavor due to generous addition of palm sugar. It is a unique variety; in a pinch, it may be replaced by molasses with a little vegetable stock stirred in.
Kecap inggris ("English fermented sauce"), or saus inggris ("English sauce") is the Indonesian name for Worcestershire sauce. Kecap Ikan is Indonesian fish sauce.


Malaysian soy sauce
Malaysia, which has cultural links with Indonesia, uses the word 'kicap' for soy sauce. Kicap is traditionally of two types: kicap lemak and kicap cair. Kicap lemak is similar to kecap manis but with very much less sugar while kicap cair is the Malaysian equivalent of kecap asin. However the Indonesian style kecap manis has now its Malaysian equivalents due to the increasing number of Malay producers in what used to be a Chinese dominated industry. Kicap is an important condiment in Malay and Malaysian Chinese cuisine. Kicap has also entered the Malaysian Indian cuisine. A popular dish is the Indian Muslim 'daging masak hitam' which is basically beef or mutton stewed in a sweet spicy kicap-based sauce. Some people add some kicap to their rice and curry to spice up the meal. Many Malaysian children's favourite dish is rice with kicap and fried eggs.


Japanese soy sauce

Koyo organic tamari sauceJapanese soy sauce, or shō-yu (しょうゆ, or 醤油, 正油), is traditionally divided into 5 main categories, depending on differences in their ingredients and method of production. Japanese soy sauces include wheat as a primary ingredient, and this tends to give them a slightly sweeter taste than their Chinese counterparts; they also have a somewhat alcoholic, sherry-like flavor. Japanese and Chinese soy sauces are not really interchangeable in recipes; Chinese dark soy sauce comes closer to the Japanese one in overall flavor, but not in the intensity of the flavor or the texture.

Koikuchi (濃口)
Originating in the Kantō region, its usage eventually spread all over Japan. Over 80% of the Japanese domestic soy sauce production is of koikuchi, and can be considered the typical Japanese soy sauce. It is produced from roughly equal quantities of soybean and wheat. This variety is also called Kijōyu (生醤油) or namashōyu (生しょうゆ) when it is not pasteurized.
Usukuchi (薄口)
Particularly popular in the Kansai region of Japan, it is both saltier and lighter in color than koikuchi. The lighter color arises from the usage of amazake, a sweet liquid made from fermented rice, that is used in its production.
Tamari (たまり)
Produced mainly in the Chūbu region of Japan, tamari is darker in appearance and richer in flavour than koikuchi. It contains little or no wheat; wheat-free tamari is popular among people eating a wheat free diet. It is the "original" Japanese soy sauce, as its recipe is closest to the soy sauce originally introduced to Japan from China. Technically, this variety is known as miso-damari (味噌溜り), as this is the liquid that runs off miso as it matures.
Shiro (白, lit. "white")
A very light colored soy sauce. In contrast to "tamari" soy sauce, "shiro" soy sauce uses mostly wheat and very little soybean, lending it a light appearance and sweet taste. It is more commonly used in the Kansai region to highlight the appearances of food, for example sashimi.
Saishikomi (再仕込, twice-brewed)
This variety substitutes previously-made koikuchi for the brine normally used in the process. Consequently, it is much darker and more strongly flavored. This type is also known as kanro shoyu (甘露 醤油) or "sweet shoyu".

Shoyu (Koikuchi) and light colored shoyu (Usukuchi) as sold in Japan by Kikkoman, 1 litre bottles.Newer varieties of Japanese soy sauce include:

Genen (減塩)
Low-salt soy sauces also exist, but are not considered to be a separate variety of soy sauce, since the reduction in salt content is a process performed outside of the standard manufacture of soy sauce.
Amakuchi (甘口)
Called "Hawaiian Soy Sauce" in those few parts of the US familiar with it, this is a variant of "koikuchi" soy sauce.
All of these varieties are sold in the marketplace in three different grades according to how they were produced:

Honjōzō hōshiki (本醸造 方式)
Contains 100% naturally fermented product.
Shinshiki hōshiki (新式 方式)
Contains 30-50% naturally fermented product.
Aminosanekikongō hōshiki (アミノ酸混合 方式)
Contains 0% fermented product; is a modified vegetable extract. This is referred to as "liquid aminos" in the US and Canada.
Tennen jōzō (天然 醸造)
Means no added ingredients except alcohol.
All the varieties and grades may be sold according to three official levels of quality:

Hyōjun (標準)
Standard pasteurized.
Tokkyū (特級)
Special quality, not pasteurized.
Tokusen (特選)
Premium quality, usually implies limited quantity.
Other terms unrelated to the three official levels of quality:

Hatsuakane (初茜)
Refers to industrial grade used for flavoring, powder.
Chōtokusen (超特選)
Used by marketers to imply the best.
Perhaps the most well-known producer of Japanese soy sauce is the Kikkoman Corporation.


Taiwanese soy sauce
In Taiwan, only light soy sauce is used and this is referred to as jiangyou (醬油); the terms shengchou (生抽) and laochou (老抽) are not used. In addition to soy sauce made from soybeans and wheat, there is a variety that is made from black beans. Soy sauce made from black beans is generally more expensive because it takes longer to make, but it is claimed to have higher nutrition value and aromatic flavour. The history of soy sauce making in Taiwan can be traced back to southeastern China, in the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong. The cultural and political separation between Taiwan and China since the end of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, when China ceded Taiwan to Japan, had brought yet another unexpected evolution of soy sauce making in Taiwan. In addition, Taiwan is the only place where black bean soy sauce has been commercialized in large-scale, and exported to countries like Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, USA, Canada, Germany, and the UK.


Korean soy sauce
Korean soy sauce, or Joseon ganjang (조선간장) is a byproduct of the production of doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste). Joseon ganjang, thin and dark brown in color, is made entirely of soy and brine, and has a saltiness that varies according to the producer. Wide scale use of Joseon ganjang has been somewhat superseded by cheaper factory-made Japanese style soy sauce, called waeganjang (hangul: 왜간장/倭간장). However, the Koreans strongly held onto their native culture and resisted the Japanese attempts to suppress the rich Korean culture, during the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula, and the use of Joseon ganjang is an example of this.


Vietnamese soy sauce
Vietnamese soy sauce is called xì dầu, nước tương, or sometimes simply tương.


Filipino soy sauce
A popular condiment in the Philippines, it is calle toyo, and is usually found beside other sauces such as patis and suka.


Health

Positive
A study by National University of Singapore shows that Chinese dark soy sauce contains 10 times the antioxidants of red wine.[1]


Negative
Soy sauce does not contain the beneficial isoflavones associated with other soy products such as tofu or edamame. It can also be very salty, so it may not be a suitable condiment for people on a low salt diet. Low-salt soy sauces are produced, but it is impossible to make soy sauce without using some quantity of salt.


(Ref : Wikipaedia)