福建蝦麵 - Hokkien prawn noodle

Good hokkien prawn noodle is hard to come by in Melbourne. So I decided to try cooking it myself last weekend. I found a properly good recipe but it is a bit too time-consuming so I simplified the recipe but the results were surprisingly good.

The secret to making a great prawn noodle soup is in the stock. Here, pork fat, pork belly (or ribs), prawn heads and shells are patiently browned and caramelised before being turned into a rich and well-coloured stock.

Step for prepare prawn noodle:

1. Heat wok over high heat. Add oil and pork fat cubes. Gently fry the pork fat until it is crisp and brown. The pork fat will release more oil and flavour the oil nicely. Remove, drain well on paper towels, and set aside. Next, with the same oil, turn the heat to medium-low, gently fry the shallots until brown but not burned. Remove, drain well on paper towels, and set aside.

2. With the same wok and oil, turn it up to medium-high, brown the pork on one side. Add dried chillies while browing the pork on another side. Once done, remove and place them in a stock pot. Set aside.

3. With the same wok again, add prawn heads and shells to the wok, frying slowly until shells are caramelised and well-coloured. Remove and add to stock pot. Add 6 cups of water, salt, peppercorns, and star anise to stock pot. Bring to the boil then turn down to a leisurely simmer. Simmer for at least 2 hours or more until stock tastes richly flavoured (you can reduce it further if required). Add palm sugar and soy sauce to taste. Simmer another 30minutes. Strain stock. Keep the pork. Slice or shred the pork for toppings later.

4. Now, poach the prawns in the simmering stock till cooked, about 1-2 minutes. Drain them and set aside. Cut the fresh chillies, place them in a small bowl with some light soy sauce. Cook Hokkien noodles in large pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Drain well. Divide both into two deep bowls.

5. Top the noodles with prawns, sliced/shredded pork, fried shallots, fried pork fat cubes and spring onions. Bring the prawn and pork stock back to the boil. Ladle the stock over each bowl of noodles and serve immediately with the fresh chillies in soy sauce for dipping (optional).

Ting Zhou Cheng Huang Temple (中國福建汀州城隍廟)

In here, you will see the pictures of Cheng Huang Temple in China Hokkien Province, Ting Zhou City. This Temple was also known as Bao En Temple (報恩殿), meaning Returning of Gratitude to Parent.

Ting Zhou Cheng Huang Temple was built in AD769, which was about 1300 Years ago, during Tang Dynasty Da Li Period (始建於唐大歷四年即公元769年) and other record was in Tang Dynasty Tian Bao Period (唐天宝元年即公元742年).

In Hokkien Ting Zhou City, Bao En Temple is considered as a very Important Landmark of in the Area.

According to Records, the Cheng Huang who was being bestowed and appointed to stay-guard for Duty in this Temple was known as Wang Shen Zhi, one of the Ancestors of the Wang aka Ong Clan in Hokkien (閩王王審知).

Besides dedicating Altar to Cheng Huang Lord Ong, in this Temple, there are also Altars dedicating to the Parent of Lord Ong and also the Wife of Lord Ong. A very Special Taoist Temple that strongly promote the Culture and Teaching of Filial Piety and Harmony at home.

In Ting Zhou Cheng Huang Temple, you will be able to see the alot of Antiques being pass-down from different Eras and inside the Temple, you can still see alot of Old Traditional Taoist items being used, such as the Dou Deng (斗燈) aka Lamp of Dipper Stars.

Introduction Of Hokkien

Hokkien originated in the Southern regions of Fujian province, an important centre for trade and migration, and has since been spread beyond China, being one of the most common Chinese languages overseas.

A form of Hokkien akin to that spoken in southern Fujian is also spoken in Taiwan. The ethnic group for which Hokkien is considered the native language is the Holo or Hoklo, the main ethnicity of Taiwan. The correspondence between language and ethnicity is not absolute, as some Hoklo have limited proficiency in Hokkien while some non-Hoklos speak it fluently.

There are many Hokkien speakers also among overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. Many ethnic Chinese emigrants to the region were Hoklo from southern Fujian, and brought the language to what is now Indonesia (the former Dutch East Indies) and present day Malaysia and Singapore (formerly Malaya and the British Straits Settlements). Many of the Hokkien dialects of this region are highly similar to Taiwanese and Amoy. Hokkien is reportedly the native language of up to 98.5% of the community of ethnic Chinese in the Philippines, among whom it is also known as Lan-nang or Lán-lâng-oē ("Our people’s language"). Hokkien speakers form the largest group of Chinese in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.