The DIY-savvy folks of Sg Merah

COFFEESHOP owner Toh Ka Ting remembers his grandfather made Hin Hua mi hoon (vermicelli) at their old homestead in Sungei Merah.

The young Hin Hua businessman said in the old days, the Hin Huas and Foochows in Sungei Merah were DIY-savvy, making their own tools, furniture, utensils and even sustenance like their own brand of mi hoon.

Ka Ting learned from an old uncle, Tiong, who grew up in Sungei Merah, that generally, residents like his (Ka Ting’s) grandfather, Toh Hock Liang, made everything themselves in those day.

Making mi hoon was not an easy cottage industry but it did happen in Sungei Merah. As Ka Ting understood from his uncle, the mi hoon maker would get up as early as 2am to grind rice (with the traditional stone grinder) to make wet rice flour, which is one of the main ingredients.

After the flour was set, the mi hoon maker would painstakingly cut out strands of vermicelli from it and boil them in hot water. Next, the mi hoon maker and his family would put the mi hoon in rattan trays to dry in the sun.

It’s an exhausting process but that was how the Sungei Merah folks worked – keeping their nose to the grindstone for long hours every day. They were not only hard-working but also thrifty. With their rich-deserved savings, they bought properties and built up family wealth.

Ka Ting said his uncle believed since Hin Hua mi hoon was hard to come by in supermarkets nowadays, it shouldn’t be any surprise if people who loved it were longing for the old days when this flour-based food could be easily obtained, freshly made, from home.

“Back then, kids, including me, would listen and obey when our mothers told us to run along the dirt road of Sungei Merah to buy from the mi hoon maker in the neighbourhood,” Ka Ting added, quoting Tiong.

After a generation or two, the immigrant population in Sungei Merah remain hard-working but face various 21st Century challenges – in particular, the urban drift when the younger generation up sticks to work and live in towns and cities, not only leaving the old folks behind but also causing a brain drain from their community.

 

Cotton white suit

Kah Ting’s grandfather was remembered most for the way he dressed. He always wore cotton white suit when he went out. A kind-hearted Methodist born in Putian, Fujian Province, China, he was newly-settled in Sungei Merah when he started his business.

The elder Toh was hard-working, good-natured and well liked.

Ka Ting himself grew up by the banks of Sungei Merah.

“We lived on the eastern side of the river. I remember when we had chicken for meals, fish like ikan enseluai would swim around in large numbers, attracted by the chicken blood and offals floating in the river.

“We kids would try to catch the fish usually with a rod or a bucket. We were too small to cast a jala (throw-net). But there were adults who could do it. And they were able to catch quite a bit of fish.”

He said when the tide was low, the river would turn “red”– caused by decaying vegetable matters upstream.

But when the tide was high with the water flowing in from the Igan, things like logs and weeds would float upriver, and amazingly, the water would become so clear you could see the riverbed, he said.

Ka Ting remembers at high tide, women and children would bathe in the river, wash their possessions, including of their “precious” bicycles, and carry water home in tins.

 

Heritage dishes

For 18 years, Ka Ting has been operating the Fellowship Tea House, next to the Methodist Message Office at Jalan Osman in Sibu town, serving customers, including Methodist Church pastors, church workers, students and business people.

Two months ago, he decided to move to the shoplot, owned by his family, in Sungei Merah.

Many of his regular customers, including his former neighbour, Wong Meng Lei, and good friend, Steve Ling, still enjoy down time at his tea house, ideally situated next to the Lovers’ Bridge and along the Sungei Merah.

Ka Ting has introduced three specialties to the menu – Hin Hua mi hoon, two-in-one mee sua and mi hoon or chat hoon (Putian ca fen) and Hin Hua hand-made noodles (pah mi) which are popular with visitors.

I enjoyed trying out the three dishes. The chef doesn’t use soy sauce or other seasonings and the food is fresh and delectable.

Visitors to Sungei Merah, one of the two better known Hin Hua population centres in Sarawak – the other being Bintawa near Kuching – should take the opportunity to try Hin Hua cuisine.

The original Hin Hua mi hoon is made by hand and dried manually in the sun from early morning. It’s believed this makes the mi hoon translucent, silky, fine and chewy but not brittle.

This is the kind of Hin Hua mi hoon Ka Ting’s grandfather made but sadly, his skill has been lost to the present Sungei Merah community.

According to a resident, the authentic Hin Hua mi hoon should be cooked with superior stock, made from boiled pork bones and old chicken (hen) meat.

Another said many ingredients (at least more than six) were needed to make the mi hoon tasty with an advice attached – No MSG should be added.

Chat hoon – which is on Ka Ting’s menu – is a mix of mee sua and mi hoon, served in delicious soup with an assortment of veges, seafood and pork.

According to tradition, this dish is served to a couple after a quarrel. The two different noodles represent the two partners and it’s believed after eating the chat hoon, the couple will “kiss and make up.”

The third dish we had at the Tea House was hand-made noodles. The chef explained the Hin Huas did not include soy sauce in the recipe.

I find Ka Ting’s new place very airy and clean – with a pleasant atmosphere. No one smokes even though Ka Ting hasn’t put up a “No Smoking” sign.

Sungei Merah businesses are now having a bigger market because of better transport and roads. In the old days, the bazaar was very quiet at night. Today, the night scene is fairly vibrant and businesses open longer hours.

Instead of going out to Sibu town, where parking may be a big problem, more customers are flocking to Sungei Merah, especially when the service and food are good.

The bazaar used to be a centre for car repairs and other mechanical support services but has now expanded into other businesses due to the enterprising nature of its people.

Floods

According to a resident, Minah J, the Seduan or Red River seldom breaks its bank unless there are a few days of continuous heavy downpour to raise the water level above normal.

She cannot remember if the shops have ever been flooded. Apparently, the buildings are situated on higher ground – beyond the reach of swelling river water during a deluge.

Many housing estates around Sungei Merah which used to be flooded at the end of the year, now seem flood-free. This has resulted in a happier residential community.

Minah J said she was also happy to note Sungei Merah now has new and trendy shops like the one, owned by Ka Ting.

She enjoys going to the gym and there are several in Sungei Merah. After gym, she and her friends would stop by the Tea House and relax by the riverside or take a leisurely walk before heading home.

She also noted more people would be able to enjoy the lovely sunset if there were sufficient park benches.

 

Hin Hua-Iban relations

For many decades, the Ibans who are close neighbours of the Sungei Merah Hin Huas and Foochows, have been coming to the place to buy ammunition for hunting.

They also looked for scrap metal or metal spare parts from Hin Hua towkays and mechanics, and would recycle the metal to make things like knives and parangs. As time went by, this kind of cooperation died out.

Today, many Ibans continue coming to Sungei Merah, dropping by eateries like Ka Ting’s Tea House to enjoy noodles and other dishes. The Ibans feel at home because a lot of Hin Huas speak fluent Iban.

One local businessman who wished to remain anonymous, related a bit of Sungei Merah history.

According to him, many Hin Huas and Foochows, especially those who came from China as late as the 1930’s, tapped rubber by renting rubber trees and land from the Ibans.

Some even rented land to plant padi. After roughly 10 years, they would buy their own rubber gardens, usually from friendly Ibans or Melanaus. Land after World War II was only 50 dollars an acre.

The new Sungei Merah bazaar is getting trendier and more vibrant. With a historical river running through the middle of it, the place has attracted foreign travellers for a historical and cultural – not to mention food – experience.