By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Nov 18: Sixty-one-year-old food stall operator Helen Ho Suok Eng, known as ‘Ah Suok’ by her peers, has been delighting customers with her authentic Foochow-style dishes, crafted with Chinese herbs and wines.
Armed with her family’s traditional recipes, Ho, who is from Sibu, decided to refine the recipes by doing thorough research to suit customers’ tastes before diving into the culinary world.
Two decades later, Ho’s stall is known for serving Foochow-style dishes like ‘mee sua’, ‘patin pork leg’, and ‘ding bian hu’ along with side dishes and snacks such as the popular ‘kompia’.
“Since I am from Sibu, I try to make my Foochow dishes as authentic as possible, and I am happy that I was able to do it for two decades.
“Mind you, a lot of research went into these dishes to give them that extra ‘punch’. Even now I still hone and aim to improve my recipes. It is a continuous process,” she chuckled.
She added that her goal is to study a combination of herbs to add to her dishes as an alternative way to improve one’s health.
“I love to share good food that is also healthy,” she said.
She added that the broth in her ‘patin pork leg’ dish is made of eight herbs and is good for people whose palms and feet are always cold.
According to her, these herbs could help to balance up the ‘qi’ (energy) and are also beneficial for women who are menstruating.
She shared that many of her friends and customers from outside of Kuching would visit her stall when they were in the city as they craved her dishes.
Ho was also thankful for the support she has received from her family which enabled her to keep serving authentic Foochow dishes.
“I never had to do this alone. Even though my siblings have different careers, they have always been there for me.
“I hope that my son can continue my legacy as he is helping me with the stall. He is learning and we work well as a mother-and-son team,” she said.
Ho’s Ah Souk Mee Sua stall is at Double Happiness Café Green Heights Commercial Centre. It operates daily from 5.30am to 2pm except for two days a month. For more information, call 012-893 8189. — DayakDaily
