Tell me again…

That day when my daughter was leaving to go back to Sungai Petani, I got up early in the morning to cook some chicken soup so that she could have some mee sua (Foochow string/thread longevity noodles)…

…before she left. Usually, we would have that for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries or to welcome somebody or when he/she is leaving…and I would observe this as well, more in keeping with the tradition than anything else though there may be people who believe that in doing so, they will be blessed with longevity, good fortune or prosperity.

I had a post on how to cook this before here…but never mind, no harm going through all of that again. Well, firstly, you have to cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and marinate it in the traditional Foochow red wine…

You will also need to slice some ginger…

…and soak some shitake mushrooms and wolfberries in hot water…

…and when they’ve gone all soft, drain away the water.

Heat a bit of sesame oil in the wok and when it is hot, throw in the ginger slices and fry till slightly brown. Then, put in the chicken together with the red wine that has been used to marinate it. Stir occasionally and let it cook till all the juices have come out of the meat…

Add water and red wine…

…in proportions according to taste and put in the shitake mushrooms and the wolfberries as well.

Bring it to boil and let it simmer for as long as you like. The longer you let it simmer, the nicer or sweeter the soup…

You may transfer it into a pot like what I did, if you wish…instead of doing it all in the wok and keeping the soup there. Finally, add salt and msg according to taste.

Then you cook the mee sua and some hardboiled eggs. Once they are ready, place the mee sua in a bowl and pour the chicken soup over it. Peel the eggs and serve them with the mee sua alongside a few pieces of the chicken…and perhaps, a shitake mushroom as well, if so desired.

If the traditional Foochow red wine is not available where you are, you can do without it and when you serve the mee sua, you can add a spoonful or two of brandy to it and eat – it will taste very nice too.

As a matter of fact, you can just cook the chicken, with or without the red wine, and eat it as the soup dish with rice, together with some other dishes, and I can assure you that you will enjoy it a lot too. This is so very easy to cook so I do not see how anybody can say that they simply do not have the slightest idea how to go about it. Come, give it a try…