Chop Hing Huang @ Sibu

Chop Hing Huang

22, Jalan Blacksmith

Sibu, Sarawak.

Open 7am-10pm.

Closed on Sundays

Dian Mian Hu – which means “wok noodles” – is another popular Foochow dish, and an uncommon one at that.

To make the rice flour noodles, Kin Chiong Lai, who has been selling dian mian hu for the past 40 years, first half fills his wok with stock. As it comes to a boil, he pours runny rice flour batter around the top of the wok.

As the batter sets, he gently scrapes it off the sides with a spatula and lets it fall into the boiling stock. He then adds light soy sauce, fried shallots, cuttlefish, black fungus and fish balls and cooks them for a few minutes.

The silky-smooth noodles are eaten with a soup spoon, as they are too delicate to hold with chopsticks. The soup is light and subtle.

Traditionally eaten at breakfast and supper, the noodles draw a large crowd here even at lunchtime. Kin makes a fresh batch of the batter by grinding the soaked rice with an old stone mill. Small batches of the batter are made throughout the day to ensure freshness.

The entrance to Kin’s shop is located in the side lane; the place is very much a hole-in-the-wall, with just a few tables and chairs. It can get rather warm, so diners do not linger.

Rating: 7 /10