Fuzhounese Red Yeast Chicken Soup

Kuching, Malaysia— Joshua Teo

I'm ethnically Chinese from Kuching (Cat City), Borneo, Malaysia. Growing up, during Lunar New Year, the first thing we did was go to my eldest uncle's house for red yeast chicken soup with longevity noodles. On our birthdays, my dad would make the same dish for us, with an egg added. Eggs and longevity noodles symbolize rebirth and prosperity. Red is also an auspicious color — you can see it in the chicken and eggs, which are dyed red — so the dish always felt special.

This year, I learned how to make it from my dad and made it myself because I really missed home, and also to celebrate my birthday. I'm glad I got to share it with everyone. My dad cooks by instinct, and now I do too, so the measurements can be a bit wonky, but as long as it tastes good, we're set.

Ingredients

1 party pack of chicken winglets and drumlets 1 bulb of garlic 3 whole medium-sized ginger pieces 5 tablespoons Fuzhounese red yeast 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons sesame oil Fuzhounese red wine Salt Eggs and longevity noodles (optional, for birthdays)

Method

1) Peel ginger and garlic without slicing or dicing them. 2) Fry aromatics with vegetable oil and sesame oil until fragrant. 3) Add red yeast and fry until fragrant. 4) Add chicken and fry for 5 minutes. 5) Add water to boil. 6) Add salt and red wine to taste.