Monday, November 23, 2009

Hakka Food Fair - RT

Nanyang Khek Community Guild is organizing a series of activities to celebrate its 80th anniversary. I attended  its Hakka Food Fair on Sunday.



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. :)


 Hakka Thunder Tea

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

First Commenter -Tekkaus

32 comments:

  1. My late mum is a hakka, I'm sure she'll be happy to attend this event.

    Ha :D I saw one very familiar dish over there. Is that "lei cha"? A type of hakka tea right? :p

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  2. ECL,
    can we come over and help you eat your Hakka dishes when you are cooking them? :D

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  3. 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...

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  4. It looks like a food fair with nutritious and delicious food.

    I 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.

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  5. I have tasted the Abacus seeds,also known as shawn pang chi in Hakka. They are yummy and delicious.

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  6. What an interesting food fair. Is Chicken Rice a Hakka dish ECL?
    I 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!

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  7. Hi ECL, happy monday!!

    You have so much activities to attend to all the time =)

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  8. stanley,
    So 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.

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  9. day-dreamer,
    I have yet to try the 客家擂茶 but the 客家算盘子 is a yummy dish.

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  10. oceanskies,
    It'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. :)

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  11. jean,
    It 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?

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  12. Tekkaus,
    So 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

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  13. Lina,
    Yes, come and try my cooking! I need testers. :D

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  14. Hi Gabriel,
    I'm still not brave enough to try the greenish Thunder Tea. :P

    But I know I will .... one day.

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  15. Happpy Tuesday, Ayie! :)

    I 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.

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  16. I don't know much about Hakka food except for Hakka yong tau foo and "lui cha". The latter is an acquired taste.

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  17. I 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!

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  18. Ooh delicius. it looks like a great gourmet time was had.

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  19. Food food food! Have fun at the fair ECL! And enjoy the rest of the week. Dropping by this wet Wed morning brrrr! :)

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  20. I 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.

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  21. i'm not too familiar with Hakka dishes. the abacus seed dish seems delightful. Happy eating!

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  22. I 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!

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  23. I 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...

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  24. All looks so yummy! Would want to taste this exotic chicken ginger stew!!!
    Must be very healthy!

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