Zhu Chang Fen aka Chee Chong Fun

Just finish watching a food program by Michelle Chia on Zhu Chang Fen. She has actually gone to China, Guang Zhou, to try out all the different variety of Zhu Chang Fen or Chee Cheong Fun as it is called in Cantonese. Looks really yummy..

Some tips on making good Chang Fen is to use young rice grains and grind them to make a paste suitable for steaming. But with modernization, most of the Chang Fen are made using ready rice powder mix with water and some oil to get the consistency one required to make it. After that, it is drizzled with some special sauce (eg: sesame oil., soya sauce, sweet sauce, etc) to add flavour to the otherwise plain “rice rolls”.

I’m amazed by the wide variety of fillings that was used. From the most traditional plain ones to those with Char Siew (roast pork) and prawns, there are now you tiao (fried dough fritters), durian, eggs, minced meat and spring onions ones! You name it and I think they will have it! Sometimes you really have to take your hats off to the creativity of the hawkers, how innovative they can be in order to survive : )

I still remember that when we were younger, we used to get those really plain Chee Cheong Fun as breakfast. Why? I really do not know. Maybe it was sweet and appetising to kids? Maybe it was cheap and a little can feed and fill many mouths and stomachs? We really do not know the answer. Mum could not answer us too. Haha. They had no fillings inside, only sweet sauce and sesame seeds on top. So when my friend’s mum served us some, it kind of brought back some childhood memories.. : )

A quick snap of what I ate. Plain and simple but lots of memories..