ON THE first day of the Chinese New Year, villagers in Putian city in south-east China traditionally tuck into a plate of fried mee sua which is left uncut.
The strands of thin rice vermicelli are left as long as possible as this symbolises longevity.
Among other ingredients like toasted peanuts and lala (clams), the mee sua comes with crispy seaweed which the coastal city in Fujian province is well known for.
HOT ORDERS: (From top) Heng Hwa lor mee, crispy batang and fried beehoon are among the bestsellers in Xing Hua Restaurant in Race Course Road. -- ST PHOTO: JOSEPH NAIR
This is what Mr Li Jin Kun, who hails from there, serves at Xing Hua Restaurant, a coffee shop stall in Race Course Road.
His fried mee sua ($3) is among his bestsellers, as is his Heng Hwa fried beehoon ($3).
The mee sua, which he imports from Putian, is fried with a rich stock made by simmering chicken and pork bones for hours.
Small prawns, also imported from Putian, lala and pork slivers all add to make the dish very tasty.
Mr Li, 45, says Heng Hwa cuisine is characterised by light natural flavours that come from the ingredients.
For example, his lor mee ($3) is deceptively plain-looking but a lot of ingredients - lala, oysters, slivers of braised meat and small dried shrimps - go into it.
The result is a full-bodied broth that is so delightful that I drained every drop in my bowl.
The noodles in the lor mee are made to order and are not yellowish like the version here. Almost milky white, they look somewhat like thick beehoon but have more bite and taste less floury.
Do also check out the deepfried batang (Spanish mackerel, $2 per slice). It is so popular it can be seen on almost every table.
The fish is well-seasoned, thinly sliced and then deep-fried till it's so crispy it almost crackles when you bite it. It is so good it is eaten on its own and not served with any sauce.
There's also the tau kee kailan ($6), which is fried beancurd skin with vegetable. The beancurd skin is crunchy and tasty, having absorbed the stock used to fry the kailan.
Business is so good that Mr Li opened a restaurant selling the same food in Syed Alwi Road three months ago.
Xing Hua Restaurant 276 Race Course Road
Tel: 6392-5730 Open: 11am to 9.30pm, closed first Wed of the month Rating: ***
