Some of you might know that last week was my birthday. I didn't celebrate it, but maybe I might go for a meal at a restaurant... soon. Anyway, at home, I made myself a traditional Teochew birthday 'meal' - longevity noodles with a hard boiled egg. Longevity noodles, are thin wheat noodles/vermicelli (chang shou mian, or mian xian) made by hand (there you go, that's artisanal for you). I know the Hokkiens eat this too, but here's the catch!
Teochews eat them in a sweet soup! Yes, noodles in sweet hot soup, with an egg! Of course, you don't go sick and make a hot syrup soup; just add about 2 tbsp of sugar into a regular bowl of hot water, cook the noodles seperately, and add to this hot soup, and an egg. (You also do not need to finish the soup.) I guess this was to symbolise lots of sweet beginnings and endings in the new birth year. I should call home and tell my parents I made this for myself. They would be so proud of me.
How does it taste? Well, to be honest, quite nice! Besides the fact that Teochews have a sweet tooth. The noodles are thin enough not to jar the taste, and they are in fact lightly salted, so in the end, you get a sweetish-salty taste which is most interesting.
I don't have to teach you how to boil egg? Ok boil enough water to cover the egg(s). Add some salt OR some simple vinegar (2 tbsps to 1 litre maybe)? Gently lower the eggs (which should be at room temp), and set a timer for 10 mins. And I'm serious about the timer. Fish them out, and run under cold water, or into a bowl of ice water to cool down. Peel carefully when cooled. Hallmarks of a well cooked hard boiled egg? Absence of greenish/greyish ring between the yolk and white, and all round is firm and cooked through, not dry.
Try it for your birthday.
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