Zhong Xing Foo Chow Fish Ball & Lor Mee (中兴福州鱼圆·卤面)

Many hawkers guard their recipes with their lives. But when there was no one to take over the business, they can either close down the shop or… sell the recipe!

 

I am sure you have read the news about Kay Lee Roast Meat Joint putting its roast meats recipe and shop premises on sale for a cool $3.5 million. The owners of Kay Lee decided to sell the business as they want to retire. The amount includes S$1.5 million for the shop space and S$2 million for the recipe and the eatery’s name. While it may be seen as a crazy thing to do, it is probably the best way to still keep the tradition going.

 

Before the news about Kay Lee Roast Meat Joint came out, there was actually another news published in Shin Ming Newspaper in February, about this popular Fuzhou stall “Zhong Xing Foo Chow Fish Ball & Lor Mee” sharing that there won’t be anyone to take over the stall after they retire.

 

It was very disheartening to read about it. Afterall, Singapore’s Fuzhou community is actually very small, hence it was already not easy to find a stall which sells traditional Fuzhou food.

Zhong Xing Foo Chow Fish Ball & Lor Mee started in 1942 in China Street. Current owner of the stall, Madam Wong, has been helping her father for more than 20 years. After her father passed away, Madam Wong and her husband manage the stall and relocated the main branch to Silat Avenue last September.

 

Her brother has also opened another branch in Maxwell Food Centre from 1987. He would travel to the main branch everyday to prepare the ingredients together with Madam Wong before he goes to Maxwell Food Centre.

 

Fuzhou fishballs ($3) is a deceptively simple snack but yet, the process was indeed very long and tough if done in the traditional way. Madam Wong said, they manually make the yellow tail fish minced meat from scratch everyday. They can sell up to 600 Fuzhou fishballs a day.

 

Another traditional Fuzhou food that is available in this stall is the “Rou Yan”(肉燕, $3.50), a dumpling wrapped in “Yan Pi”(燕皮). “Yan Pi” looks like dumpling skin, but it is actually made of lean pork and starch, then pressed into paper-thin and then sundried. Pork, chestnut, spring onion, prawns and fish are minced together and wrapped with “Yan Pi” which gives a crunchy taste to it.

Another worth trying Fuzhou cuisine is the Lor Mee ($3). Madam Wong said, traditional Fuzhou Lor Mee has black fungus and enoki mushrooms added to it.

However, to accomodate to local taste, they stopped adding these two ingredients from the 1960s, and replaced with generous portions of pork belly, fried fish and fried sharkmeat instead. The noodles are springy, and the pork belly is fragrant. Gravy is good enough to slurp till the last drop, vinegar and garlic with chilli combo is pure haven.

 

It was definitely not easy to find the stall as it was hidden among many HDB flats and an old folk’s home. But I guess good food is worth to find.