I was there at 11am and the venue was packed with people from the Hakka community and visitors from all over the island. All the food stalls were doing a roaring business, and several stalls had already sold out their food. The Food Fair was supposed to end at 3 pm but by 12 noon, most of the food was sold out!
Late comers were disappointed. There will be another Food Fair next year. Come early. :)
Traditional Hakka food like the Hakka Thunder Tea, Ginger Chicken Stew and Hakka Abacus dish are must-haves at this fair.
Don't expect thunder to strike when you eat this Thunder Tea. In Hakka 'Lui' means to grind (mix) while in Mandarin it means 'Thunder'. :P
I have yet to try this famous Hakka dish which is supposed to be good for my health and is recommended to be eaten on a regular basis.
Famous Hakka Abacus Seed Dish
How can you miss this popular dish if you want to get rich!? :P This traditional Hakka dish is eaten during festive celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival for prosperity. Nowadays it is easily available in certain parts of the island.Huat (Prosperity) every day!
Traditional Hakka Ginger Chicken Stew
I managed to grab the last bowl of this healthy Ginger Chicken Stew!! hehe..... I drank this traditional Hakka stew a long time ago, made by the Hakka mother-in-law of a cousin. She passed away and I have not tasted this dish until now.
This particular bowl of Ginger Chicken Stew was so strong that I was practically walking on air (drunk, mabot) after drinking it. Oh, and I was perspiring like crazy due to the abundant ginger in the stew. :P It was good for my health.
Many of these nutritious and tasty dishes sold at this food fair are specialties of the members and are not easily available on the market.
I bought the Hakka cookbook (recommended retail price S$16) published by Nanyang Khek Community Guild and some popular Hakka preserved dried vegetables and red mushrooms. I am going to learn how to cook some Hakka dishes. Yeah!
Nanyang Khek Community Guild
20 Peck Seah Street Singapore 079312 TEL:62210605 62226590
Wordless WednesdayFirst Commenter -Tekkaus
My late mum is a hakka, I'm sure she'll be happy to attend this event.
ReplyDeleteHa :D I saw one very familiar dish over there. Is that "lei cha"? A type of hakka tea right? :p
ECL,
ReplyDeletecan we come over and help you eat your Hakka dishes when you are cooking them? :D
haha...thunder tea! I used to hate that, but after tried several times, I start to like it very much! :) nice blog you have here. hehe...
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a food fair with nutritious and delicious food.
ReplyDeleteI need to learn from you how to be some sporty and resourceful to invite so many people to take the photo with you! What skill did you use? Cheers.
The 雷茶 and 算盘子 are very nice! :D
ReplyDeleteIts Great!
ReplyDeleteI have tasted the Abacus seeds,also known as shawn pang chi in Hakka. They are yummy and delicious.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting food fair. Is Chicken Rice a Hakka dish ECL?
ReplyDeleteI can't remember exactly what its called but the speciality was often sold next to the Char Siew Fan stall and I think it had ginger or garlic involved in the rice preparation.Loved it!
Hi ECL, happy monday!!
ReplyDeleteYou have so much activities to attend to all the time =)
stanley,
ReplyDeleteSo after eating the Abacus (算盘子)dish, you can count very well lor! :P
I find that those sold in hawker stalls contain too much flour.
day-dreamer,
ReplyDeleteI have yet to try the 客家擂茶 but the 客家算盘子 is a yummy dish.
oceanskies,
ReplyDeleteIt's an educational trip for me because I discovered so much of Hakka culture in this fair.
I'm truly amazed at the wisdom of the older generation.
Next time, come with me on such trips to see how I work. :)
sgshortstories,
ReplyDeleteYou didn't go to this food fair?
jean,
ReplyDeleteIt was an interesting food fair where you can learn so much from another dialect group.
Chicken Rice is a Hainanese dish.
Which rice dish are you talking about? Can you describe the ingredients?
Tekkaus,
ReplyDeleteSo did you learn any Hakka dishes from your late Mom? You should pass down this Hakka culture to your future generations.
The 'lei cha' is a traditional Hakka dish. I hope you know how to make it. :P
Lina,
ReplyDeleteYes, come and try my cooking! I need testers. :D
Hi Gabriel,
ReplyDeleteI'm still not brave enough to try the greenish Thunder Tea. :P
But I know I will .... one day.
Happpy Tuesday, Ayie! :)
ReplyDeleteI have too many activities to attend and I do have a hard time picking and choosing which to attend.
I attended some of the activities but was too busy or lack space to post them. My apologies to the organizers.
I don't know much about Hakka food except for Hakka yong tau foo and "lui cha". The latter is an acquired taste.
ReplyDeleteI was describing the rice of the Hainanese Chicken Rice dish that I thought was prepared with ginger or garlic so you answered my question ECL.The rice was really special and fragrant.Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOoh delicius. it looks like a great gourmet time was had.
ReplyDeleteFood food food! Have fun at the fair ECL! And enjoy the rest of the week. Dropping by this wet Wed morning brrrr! :)
ReplyDeleteHow come you are always at the food fairs?
ReplyDeleteLove to try some of that stew. Sounds good.
ReplyDeleteHow fun AND tasty. Happy WW:)
ReplyDeleteI have tried the abascus seeds cooked by a hakka friend. Its made from yam root. Its really delicious. But I have not try the thunder tea. I love the red mushroom and have not seen it here for ages. Boil it with chicken soup and the soup will taste good.
ReplyDeletei'm not too familiar with Hakka dishes. the abacus seed dish seems delightful. Happy eating!
ReplyDeleteI think food is an important part of a societies culture, so I would have loved to go to a food fair like this. Very exotic and a great way for a Norwegian like me to try new things you know!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to go but was busy. Do you know where can i buy this book now? Should have asked you to help me to buy one and then collect it from you...sigh...
ReplyDeleteI am hakka people too
ReplyDeleteEcl-Happy weekend
ReplyDeleteAll looks so yummy! Would want to taste this exotic chicken ginger stew!!!
ReplyDeleteMust be very healthy!