Ulu Yam Lam Mee in Vancouver

Preparing for the Loh Mee

The sleepy town of Ulu Yam in Selangor, Malaysia seems to have laid claims to some of the best recipes for some of the cuisines the are synonymous to the Hakka clan. If you actually visit this predominantly Chinese town, there are no such cuisines served in any of the coffee shops nor in the restaurants. I guess the name of the town when added to the cuisine name makes it sound authentic. Just like Char Keow Teow. Want the cuisine to sound authentic? Just add the word Penang to the cuisine.

Loh Mee

Then, removing the towns and cities the cuisines were named after, there are actually such cuisines. Not originating from Ulu Yam as suggested, are more authentic Hakka cuisines. Like the taro root noodle, thick gravy noodle (loh mee), and the simple steam talapia with ginger noodle. At least these are some of the authentic Hakka cuisines that I have experienced with. These noodle cuisines are simple but really tasty and flavourful.

Home Cooked Loh Mee

This morning, my wife prepared the thick gravy noodle for brunch and it has been a long while since the last time we had eaten this Hakka noodle cuisine. She started with a pot, boiling a piece of the pork loin (about two pounds) with four cups of water and five spoons of dark soy sauce for about fifteen minutes. Add in a couple of shell peeled hard boiled eggs. Once the the pork is cooked remove from the pot, slice it thin slices. The eggs are removed and sliced too. Then, thicken the broth with corn starch and eggs. Lastly, add a spoon of rice vinegar into the thick gravy. Stir well, then serve on a plate or bowl of cooked noodles. Garnish with the slice pork, slice eggs and fried tofus.