Sibling Bonding : Foochow Style

When we were young and being happy and free was our privilege, we roamed the hills behind our maternal grandmother's house on our bicycles till late in the evenings or the time for us to jump into the river for a good swim before an early dinner. We would have great fun and then rush to the table for our evening meal before our third uncle took out his kerosne pump lamps to be lighted. The smell of the kerosene would fill the air and we would have that restive feeling that the time had come for story telling and jokes. As the darkness fell, we would crowd together on the bench between the main rooms and the kitchen, to wait for uncle or grandma to start telling us about the past.

Growing up with cousins and uncles and aunties was the way of the Foochows and it allowed great bonding and lending a hand to every one so success could come easily to all Foochows who wanted to succeed. I remember at that time, almost every one could succeed in one way or another before 40. Thus it was expected that being a member of the clan one could expect an uncle to help one to "reach the shores" or succeed.

Gathering together for a simple meal was all it took to help us children bond. I remember that one of the children's favourite meal was a simple rice vermicelli in preserved vegetable soup. The preserved vegetable would have been home made too. Rice Vermicelli is called Hoon Ang in Foochow and it is the biggest size of meehoon. The Foochows like it especially because we like to bite into something that is fuller in body, with the original taste of rice still in tact.

Life was neat, simple and food was all home cooked. So whenever we talk of food in those days, we would be talking about the homes we shared.

Today with the availability of the Internet, knowledge about cuisine is widespread so we come to know a lot more about it. It can be cooked in different ways too and they are often eaten as part of a soup dish, stir fry, or salad. Rice vermicelli are particularly prominent in the cuisines of China and Southeast Asia, many of which feature a notable Chinese culinary influence. Though not as popular as other foods like idli or dosa, rice vermicelli also feature in the cuisines of South India and Sri Lanka, where they are called sevai or idiappam (the latter also called "string hoppers").

One particularly well known, slightly thicker variety, is called Guilin mǐfěn (桂林米粉), comes from the southern Chinese city of Guilin, where it is a breakfast staple. In Yunnan, such noodles are called mǐxiàn (米线).

And so with greater knowledge, our styles of cooking also change.

Grandmother's preserved vegetables.

Our aunts would grow a lot of greens in the backyard. These greens would be harvested very quickly after only about a month and they would be washed and dried.

When they were dried my grandmother would rub salt and the red wine lees into the vegetables. After that, the vegetables would be placed layer by layer in a big urn. Water used to wash rice would be added to the vegetables. After about two weeks, when the vegetables turn a little stinky and brownish green, we would have the first taste of our preserved vegetables. If some taste was still lacking, my grandmother would add a little more lees to increase the sourness, or a little more salt to add to the saltiness.

Preserving vegetables was a great task and we children realised how important it was to preserve and prepare our vegetables. Our table would never be empty and scarce.

We loved our grandmother for her faithfulness in preparing food for us.

May be here we should look at some rice vermicelli varieties:

laksa noodles Notes: These rice noodles look like white spaghetti. They're used to make laksa, a noodle dish popular in Indonesia and Malaysia. Don't confuse the noodles with laksa leaves, a kind of mint that's often used to season the noodles. Substitutes: rice sticks OR bean threads OR Chinese wheat noodles (as thin as possible)


medium rice sticks = Thai flat rice sticks = dried rice noodles = rice fettuccine = Mekong rice stick = ban pho (Vietnamese) = banh pho (Vietnamese) = ho fun (Chinese) = hor fun (Chinese) = haw fun (Chinese) = lai fen (Chinese) = laifen (Chinese) = sen lek (Thai) = kway teow (Malaysian) = kway tio (Malaysian) = gway tio (Malaysian) = kui teow (Malaysian) = kuey teow (Malaysian) Notes: These rice noodles are especially popular in Southeast Asia. They come in different widths; the thinner ones are best for soups, the wider ones for stir-fries. Before using, rice sticks should be soaked in hot water until they're soft and transparent. They can then be used in soups, or add along with some broth to stir-fries. Substitutes: wide rice noodles OR rice vermicelli OR fettuccine OR bean threads OR somen



rice flake noodles = kuay chap = kuay jabb = banh uot mien Notes: These big, flat rice noodles look like tortilla chips. They're used in soups and stir-fries. Before using them, soften them in hot water, then boil or stir-fry them briefly, usually not more than a minute. Substitutes: wide rice noodles


rice sticks = rice stick noodles Notes: They come in many shapes and sizes, but they can be roughly classified as thin, medium, and wide. Thin rice noodles are used in soups, salads, and spring rolls. Medium noodles are the most versatile, and can be used in soups, stir-fries, salads, or as a bed for meat or fish. Wide noodles are best used in soups, stir-fries, and braised dishes. Before using rice noodles, soften them in hot water. This will take anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour, depending upon the thickness of the noodles. After they've softened, boil or stir-fry them briefly, usually not more than a minute. It's easier to stir-fry noodles if you break them into shorter lengths.




rice vermicelli = sen mee (Thai) = mi fen (Chinese) = mei fun (Chinese) = mai fun (Japanese) = maifun (Japanese) = mee fun (Chinese) = pancit bijon (Tagalog) = pancit bihon (Tagalog) = bijon (Tagalog) = bihon (Tagalog) = bihoon (Tagalog) = banh hoi (Vietnamese) = bee hoon (Malay) = beehoon (Malay) Notes: These are used throughout Asian in soups, spring rolls, cold salads, and stir-fries. They're similar to bean threads, only they're longer and made with rice flour instead of mung bean starch. Before using, soak the dried noodles in hot water until they're soft (about 15 minutes), then boil them briefly (from 1 to 3 minutes) and rinse with hot water. You can also deep-fry the dried noodles until they're crunchy and then use them in Chinese chicken salad, or as a garnish or bed for sauces. Substitutes: thin rice sticks OR bean threads OR flat rice noodles (wider) OR vermicelli



thin rice sticks = thin rice stick noodles = thin sticks = bun (Vietnamese) = pancit palabok (Tagalog) = sen yai (Thai) Notes: These are used throughout Asian in soups, spring rolls, cold salads, and stir-fries. They're similar to bean threads, only they're longer and made with rice flour instead of mung bean starch. Before using, soak the dried noodles in hot water until they're soft (about 15 minutes), then boil them briefly (from 1 to 3 minutes) and rinse with hot water. You can also deep-fry the dried noodles until they're crunchy and then use them in Chinese chicken salad, or as a garnish or bed for sauces. Substitutes: bean threads OR flat rice noodles (wider) OR vermicelli


silver pin noodles = mee tye bak = nen dzem fen = loh shee fun = rat-tail noodles Notes: These are thick, round rice noodles that are usually homemade. Substitutes: laksa noodles



wide rice noodles = jantaboon (Thai) = chantaboon (Thai) = shan shui ho fun (Chinese) = sha ha fun (Chinese) = sha he fan (Chinese) = sen chan (Chinese) Notes: These thick rice noodles are popular both in Southeast Asia and China. Soak the noodles in hot water until soft, then either boil them or add them along with some broth to your stir-fry. Substitutes: medium rice noodles




river rice noodles = rice ribbon noodles = vermicelli sheets = sha he fen = fen noodles = sha ho fen = chow fun guo tiao = kuay taew = khao pun = hu tieu = hieu tieu = hu tieu Notes: These chewy rice noodles are popular in southern Vietnam, where they're often served with seafood. They're usually sold as fresh sheets, which are either left whole or sliced into various widths. Rinse them in warm water before using, then add them to stir-fries or soups, or use the sheets to wrap meat fillings before steaming them. Substitutes: medium rice sticks



(some parts adapted from Lori Alden)