UNINESS

Ho Yoke Kee : Traditional Cantonese Candies

Traditional Cantonese candies embody ancient wisdom. They preserve the shape and taste of the original fruit, albeit more exquisite. Before the invention of the refrigerator, slicing fruits and vegetables to boil with sugar and then air-dry could extend their shelf life without causing wastage and make them more delicious. The Cantonese use homophones to give candies auspicious meanings, making them a must-have festive snack during Chinese New Year. Candied coconuts mean three generations living together; candied ginger slices mean longevity; candied green peppers mean attracting wealth; candied carrots mean a house full of gold and jade; candied lotus seeds mean having children; and candied horseshoes mean getting things done successfully. Traditional Cantonese candies are also used in worship as offerings to welcome wealth and blessings, hence also known as fortune candies or five-color candies.

In Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur, which used to be a dominant Chinese settlement, only Ho Yoke Kee, a long-established street vendor that has been operating for decades, is still manually making and selling traditional Cantonese candies. On one side of the stall is a steamer filled with a hill-like pile of various rice dumplings, whereas on the other side is a wide selection of traditional Cantonese candies. From 6AM to 6PM, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo Yap Nyat Foong and Chong Yoke Yean take turns looking after the stall, while the third-generation successor Ho Chee Keong is in charge of preparations.

Ho Yoke Kee was originally named Ho Dui Kee. The founder, Ho Dui, came to Petaling Street from Dongguan, Guangdong, China in the first half of the 20th century and settled down in Petaling Street, selling lotus roots and other fruits and vegetables to make a living. Facing the unsold lotus roots, fruits and vegetables, he came up with the idea of making them into candies according to the traditional method of his hometown. Later, his son Ho Yoke and his daughter-in-law Yap Nyat Foong inherited this skill and worked together. When the stall had enough manpower, they expanded goods variety and started selling dessert soups and rice dumplings.

Although they have been street vendors in the same location for many years, they were unlicensed and had to evade the city council’s frequent crackdowns. They successfully obtained a license in the 1980s, and the stall was renamed Ho Yoke Kee, still in use today.They mainly sell rice dumplings and only a few types of candies. As Chinese New Year approaches, the variety of candies increased to more than a dozen types. During peak business period, the original stall sells rice dumplings, and they set up another stall selling in Cantonese candies for customers to buy by catties. Preparations must be done one to two months in advance in order to have sufficient supply.

Upon entering the kitchen, all the steps, from preparing the ingredients, such as peeling and splitting the coconut, grating and cutting the coconut meat, are all done by hand. The prepared ingredients need to be blanched to sterilize and remove impurities. Sugar is poured into the heated copper wok to boil into syrup to coat the ingredients. The most difficult variable to control during the cooking process is the heat. The viscosity of the syrup needs to be checked from time to time, as well as stirring constantly to avoid burning. Finally, the sugar-coated ingredients are placed in a bamboo tray and allowed to dry naturally until crystallization forms on the surface, which takes three days to complete.

Ho Chee Keong grew up living in Petaling Street, helping his parents at the stall, and was nicknamed “Rice Dumpling Keong” by the neighbours. After his father passed away, his mother struggled to take care of the family livelihood single-handedly. He made good use of the skills he had learned from childhood to help shoulder the burden of supporting the family, and gradually found an interest in his daily work. His grandfather Ho Dui passed away a few years before he was born, but the art of making Cantonese candies has been passed down from generation to generation. Only in recent years he made some adjustments to reduce sugar, in line with the modern concept of healthy eating.

The process of making rice dumplings and Cantonese-style candies is cumbersome, time-consuming and labor-intensive, but Mr Ho does not feel that life is hard, because the entire family work together and the days are filled with the fragrance of rice dumplings and the sweetness of candies.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2024 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

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Ripples: Yap Hong Ngee at 80 – Looking Ahead

A touch of red at the end of the golden-green spiral sparked curiosity in the sparrow and it hopped over to take a closer look. Mr Yap Hong Ngee’s Chinese ink paintings are bright and funny, reflecting his inner child. In conjunction with his 80th birthday, “Ripples: Yap Hong Ngee at 80 – Looking Ahead” was held at the Oriental Art & Cultural Center in Kuala Lumpur from 4th to 12th November 2023, where 138 paintings were put on exhibition, both old friends and new ones were welcomed to meet and exchange views.

Three years ago, the epidemic hit and disrupted our peaceful lives. Mr Yap likened it to a huge stone thrown into the lake of the heart, causing ripples in the form of concentric circles. When he stayed at home in compliance with the movement control order and was bored, he expressed his feelings through his paintbrush, which resulted in a series of works. Later, when he planned this exhibition, he used ripples as the theme to connect three recurring elements in the paintings: stones, sparrows, and flowers.

Mr Yap draws inspiration from trivial things in life, blends personal experience into the paper, and imbues them with deep meaning. Stones symbolize solidity and permanence; sparrows are lively and chirping; flowers and plants symbolize the changing seasons, fragile and fleeting life. The painting that seems to be completed in three or two strokes within moments showcases the artist’s skills accumulated after years of experience. The subjects of the paintings are easy to understand, and the inscriptions are made up of straightforward or inherently funny words, which not only attract the attention of the audience, but also trigger them to think and explore.

Looking at a painting from different perspectives will give you different views. Although Mr Yap has been famous for many years, he has always remained humble and believes that his works do not need to be perfect, just as his conduct in life should be moderate. He does not seek to fill up the picture when he paints, as he believes that there is the possibility of development if there is space, leaving blank spaces for the audience to fill in. In Mr Yap’s opinion, if a painting can attract people to stop and take a second look, reflect on it and make their own assumptions, it is a great piece of work that touches people’s hearts and resonates.

Despite being elderly, Mr Yap still looks forward to the future with a positive attitude. In conjunction with his 80th birthday, this exhibition serves to invite people from all walks of life to celebrate his continuous efforts in art and painting. He set a personal goal to hold at least one art exhibition every year to motivate himself to stay active Having been painting for more than sixty years, Mr Yap has never intended to retire. Even if he can no longer hold a paintbrush, he will find another way to express and present his artwork. Perhaps this is why his paintings always reveal a tenacious vitality and contain strong emotions.

Ripples encircle stones, sparrows and flowers. One after another, color and ink paintings gather the ordinary bits and pieces of life to create meaning. Paintings notwithstanding, Mr Yap Hong Ngee’s excellent advice is “be yourself”. Experience and cherish every moment in order to lead a fulfilling and happy life.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2023 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

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Kim Hock Bakery

The morning mist gradually dispersed under the gentle sun rays, at the same time in Ayer Tawar New Village, thick white smoke slowly rose from the rear end of a double-storey wooden house next to the community garden. Locals are familiar with this sight, knowing that it is not a fire, but a sign that Kim Hock Bakery is open today. The second generation owner, Hwa Kia Hwa, piled rubber wood and dried coconut shells into the wood-fired oven, then lit the fire at 9A.M. for four hours of pre-heating.

The oven stands at two metres high, three metres wide and three metres deep. It is built with red mud bricks and cement. Its inner insulation layer is made of heat storage materials such as broken glass and coarse salt. Firewood is kindled within the oven, the temperature rose, allowing the oven walls to absorb and store the heat. After cleaning out the remaining ash, the residual heat is used for baking. Unlike ordinary ovens with adjustable heating elements, it is heated only once to sustain the whole day, which is only enough to bake a few batches of bread.

Hwa Kia Hwa grew up surrounded by the bread aroma, and helped his parents after school. After graduating from high school in 1968, he intended to pursue other careers, but at his father’s request, he inherited the family business and learned traditional bread baking skills. His father passed away in 1979, his mother continued to work until she breathed her last, Hwa Kia Hwa and his three younger sisters (Puah Yuat Mooi, Puah Guat Soon, and Puah Juan Nam) jointly manage the bakery for decades. It is still a family-run production, without employing workers. Hwa’s son Alvin worked outside for some years before choosing to return and take over as the third generation successor.

The wood-fired oven is difficult to handle due to inability to measure or control the temperature, relying on accumulation of experience to gauge the temperature and to predict how long the baking process may take. Puah Juan Nam uses a long-handled wooden peel to transfer proofed bread into the oven, fully utilizing the space to neatly arrange 42 baking pans. When baking is completed, she has to endure high temperatures to slowly and skilfully removing the breads. She alone is able to master this important task, hence nicknamed “The Oven’s Nanny”.

Due to limited capacity and heat efficiency, Kim Hock Bakery bakes four rounds of bread daily, at a fixed production rate using 75 kilograms of flour plus other ingredients. In early days, bread dough is mixed by hand, a toilsome task. In the 1970s, a custom-made mixer was installed to ease the burden. The remaining procedures are still carried out manually, such as stir-frying desiccated coconut fillings on the wood-fired stove, bread shaping, placing onto baking trays to proof, inserting fillings and packaging. Such is their way of bread-making. The best-sellers are Hainanese white loaf, coconut buns, and red bean paste buns. Recently, new items such as pumpkin buns and muffins are also introduced.

Apart from regular customers and occasional tourists, Kim Hock Bakery established long-term business relationships with traditional coffee shops, mamak stalls, and traditional grocers in the vicinity. In the past, the founder had to deliver breads on a bicycle, riding more than ten miles in distance. It was not until they acquired a car in the 1970s that the delivery process became easier. Roti Kok has a high market demand, which they find it hard to meet despite daily production of minimum 200 packs.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, tight market competitions caused sales to plummet. Fortunately the siblings work together hand in glove to overcome the difficulties. Trending food nostalgia coupled with media exposure drove up demand for traditional bread. Although the wood-fired oven has become a signature attraction, Kim Hock Bakery now faces another challenge: firewood shortage. What once were vast rubber estates in the nearby areas are now planted with palm instead. Rubber wood has to be sourced elsewhere, which led to increased costs.

Food aroma is comforting. Kim Hock Bakery, as the only Hainanese family within Ayer Tawar New Village where FuZhounese makes up the majority, keeps up a comfortable daily life by baking bread with their wood-fired oven, allowing nostalgic flavours to continue their legacy.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2023 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

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