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Birthday Mee Sua (Longevity Noodles)
Update (19 Aug 2014): First posted in Aug 2009, now updated with new photos and improved recipe.
It’s the SO birthday tomorrow, and last weekend I cooked him this bowl of birthday longevity noodles (aka long life noodles, or 长寿面, “Chang Shou Mian”) in advance. For the soup base, I used my favourite chicken soup recipe from Teczcape. My family loves the chicken soup as it tastes homely and boosts immunity (with shiitake mushrooms, garlic, onion and ginger).
See Also:
- Recipe: Mum’s Egg Mee Sua Soup
- Recipe: Red Glutinous Wine Mee Sua
- Ingredient Spotlight: Mee Sua (Flour vermicelli)
I served the chicken soup with mee sua, baby abalones (birthday treat) and hard-boiled quail eggs.
Longevity noodles are eaten by Chinese on birthdays and special occasions such as Ren Ri 人 日 (7th day of the Lunar New Year, commonly known as “everyman’s birthday”). The long strands of noodles symbolize a long life. Therefore, when eating the noodles, one tries not to break the noodles using the chopsticks or teeth, but instead chew on the noodles when they are inside the mouth. Quite a challenging task if you’d asked me ;) Instead of mee sua, you can use other long noodles such as bee hoon, udon, soba, yee mien and even spaghetti. The noodles can be dry (stir-fried) as well. Sometimes the eggs are dyed in red food colouring as red symbolises auspiciousness. As for the soup broth, anything goes – you can use any type of soup stock, including instant ones.
This is such a nice tradition! I’ve never tried abalone, but I’d love to taste it. Your noodles look delicious.
Very scrumptious longlife noodle. I have not cooked this before, should try one day. It’s nice and special to make something relatively traditional for birthday.
Wow…… You still add “Abalone” in your longevity noodles!!!!!! Can I have a bowl as well……. “B” is so lucky to have you preparing this wonderful dish for him……. :lol:
it’s my last can of abalone. Mum nagging me to open it before it expires, haha
wow cool. i’ve never had these noodles before and i really wanna see if i slurp it all up without breaking it :) anyway noobcook, i’ve left you a blog award on mine. do check it out when u can. xx
Thank you for the award diva :)
Noodles are the one must on my birthday – it’s the only superstition I still adhere to! :D
really! I think I hadn’t eat that on my birthday for more than a decade :|
I have yet to try cook mee suah in this way. Thanks for sharing.
NC, how long are these noodles? And what happens if the noodle doesn’t make it to one’s mouth in one big slurp?
Perhaps I’d be better off not knowing the answer to that.
But, just to be safe, I would demand two of those beautiful bowls up there .
At least, I’d die happy.
Don’t worry, I think that happens quite often ;) haha you’re so funny :D
I love longevity noodles but haven’t had one during my birthday. Maybe I need to learn this and cook some for myself. Your bowl of noodles is topped with so many goodies! Definitely taste super delicious! ;p
Yummie, have not had those noddles for a while…looks delicious the one that you feature.
What a deluxe and thoughtful version of longevity noodles, they are well-presented in the ‘Cock Bowls’ ! I have also got two of them, which is now sitting in my cabinet, and they has become one of my collections.