Most of us would be familiar with Putian by way of the eponymous Putien, the One Michelin Star restaurant in Singapore specialising in Putian cuisine.
But, beyond its delicious food, did you know that Putian, a city located in Fujian, China is also home to legendary Shaolin monks.
If you haven’t been to Putian, fret not, as the Singapore Puxian (Hinghwa) Network is bringing the city’s delicacies and centuries-old culture directly to you at Orchard Road.
For six days from Mar. 12 to 17, 2024, get to eat, breathe, and live Putian’s centuries-old culture at the inaugural Hinghwa Food and Cultural Festival at Ngee Ann City’s Civic Plaza.
To whet your taste buds, here’s a sneak preview of what to expect at the festival.
Award-winning Hinghwa cuisine
Starting with Putian cuisine, also known as Hinghwa cuisine, which is a reflection of Fujian’s coastal and mountainous landscape.
Putian dishes feature unique seafood and produce grown in the region, prepared using simple methods to spotlight the actual taste of the ingredient.
Putian and its signature Lor Mee. Image by Fiona Tan.
And the results are pretty spectacular.
If you need any convincing, just look at Putien.
The restaurant has defended its One Michelin Star award for seven consecutive years since clinching it in 2016 and has even gone international.
5 must-try foods
If you haven’t tried Hinghwa cuisine, or would like to sample more of its delicacies beyond the famed Putian Lor Mee, the good news is that there will be more than 30 Hinghwa delicacies at the festival.
All the dishes are made with the finest and freshest ingredients sourced directly from Putian, China.
We tried all of them and here are some, but not all, of our favourites.
1. Hinghwa Bee Hoon with Soy Milk
Hinghwa Bee Hoon with Soy Milk. Image by Garey Gan.
While bee hoon (rice vermicelli) prepared in soy milk might sound like a peculiar combination, the combination actually makes sense as both are typically eaten together during breakfast.
In the case of Hinghwa Bee Hoon with Soy Milk, a dish unique to Putian, the raw rice vermicelli is cooked in fried eggs and soy milk, stir-fried, and served topped with fried seaweed and roast peanuts – accoutrements typical to Hinghwa cuisine.
Hinghwa Bee Hoon cooked in eggs and soy milk. Image by Fiona Tan.
If you’re not a fan of soy milk, fret not, as it can’t be tasted in the dish. Instead, its addition lends a light fragrance and richness to the dish, adding another dimension to the dish’s savouriness.
You should also give this dish a try as Hinghwa’s bee hoon is unlike the kinds you find locally – the noodles are finer, but still retain a bite, and have a rice fragrance, owing to the fact that they are completely made of rice flour.
Hinghwa Bee Hoon is unlike any other. Image by Fiona Tan.
The thin wispy noodles are mostly produced by hand before they are dried in the sun, and are routinely tested for their texture and mouthfeel to ensure they are of tip-top quality.
2. Hinghwa Bian Rou Soup
Hinghwa Bian Rou Soup. Image by Fiona Tan.
If wanton soup and seaweed soup came together and had a baby, it would be the Hinghwa Bian Rou Soup.
Bian rou (Chinese for flat meat) is a type of meat wanton that is typically served together with soup and eaten only on special occasions in Putian.
The meat filling is wrapped in Yanpi, a special type of wonton skin unique to Hinghwa cuisine that consists of meat mixed with sweet potato flour, pounded for hours into a fine texture, before it is rolled into a dough.
The result: A silky and slightly chewy bite-sized wanton served in a hearty, savoury bowl of soup that warms you up from the inside.
Would definitely eat this again. Image by Fiona Tan.
3. Hinghwa snacks
From L-R: Hinghwa Crispy Oyster, Oyster Cake, Crispy Fried Seaweed Oyster, Hinghwa Crispy Pork. Image by Fiona Tan.
If you’re feeling a little peckish, Hinghwa snacks are definitely worth a try.
The Hinghwa festival will showcase numerous 30 Putian snacks, such as Braised Abalone Skewer, Hinghwa Crispy Oyster, Hinghwa Crispy Pork, Hangjiang-style Spring Roll, Hinghwa Pancake, Salt Baked Pork Liver, Pickled Olive Skewer, and Braised Pig Intestine Skewer.
If you’re feeling spoiled for choice, you can consider trying the Hinghwa Pan-fried Bun, Fried Seaweed, Oyster Cake, and Crispy Fried Seaweed Oyster.
The fillings of the Hinghwa Pan-fried Bun contain a mixture of thick vermicelli noodles and rich and juicy pork meat, all encased in a thin dumpling wrapper skin that is pan-fried to golden brown perfection on both sides.
A garlic sauce is drizzled over top to cut through its richness.
From L-R: Hinghwa Pan-fried Bun, Hangjiang-style Spring Roll, Braised Pig Intestine Skewer, Pickled Olive Skewer, and Braised Abalone Skewer. Image by Garey Gan.
Snack lovers, be warned. The Fried Seaweed is extremely dangerous in the best way possible.
Light, crunchy with a slight aroma and lightly salted, the seaweed melts in your mouth and leaves you going back for more – until you realise you finished all of it.
The same could be said about the Crispy Fried Seaweed Oyster.
If you’re averse to briny and fishy-tasting food, fret not, because there’s none of that in the Crispy Fried Seaweed Oyster.
The oysters, roughly the size of a coin, have a subtle sweetness that complements the savouriness of the seaweed, making for a balanced and well-rounded snack.
From L-R: Crispy Fried Seaweed Oyster and Oyster Cake. Image by Garey Gan.
As the star ingredient, the taste of the oysters is more prominent in the palm-sized Oyster Cake, but just slightly.
The oysters, which are sweet and have a slight brininess from the ocean, are mixed in a batter that is fried until it reaches a light and crisp texture.
4. Fumao Pork Puff Pastry
Image by Garey Gan.
Try the Fumao Pork Puff Pastry and taste a piece of history.
The pastry has withstood the test of time and is prepared using the same recipe used over 126 years ago and passed down four generations of bakers.
The sweet and savoury pastry is packed chock full of ingredients, such as pork meat, peanuts and winter melon, all encased in a paper thin and skin coated with fragrant white sesame seeds, and tastes unlike any pastry you can find in Singapore.
5. Sweets and drinks
Image by Fiona Tan.
Since no meal is complete without dessert and a refreshing drink, you can find an assortment of sweet treats and quenchers at the Hinghwa festival.
Image by Fiona Tan.
This includes a creamy Peanut Soup and a nourishing Snow Fungus and Longan Soup, both of which are typical Chinese desserts but still delicious nonetheless.
Image by Fiona Tan.
Tea lovers can look out for the Fujian Tie Guan Yin and Golden Oolong Tea while non-tea lovers can opt for the Bayberry Tea with Iced Berry Cubes, Homemade Barley, Chinese Loquat Tea, and Red Mushroom Tea.
The Red Mushroom Tea is a must-try, it’s light and sweet with a very slight mushroom taste.
Image by Garey Gan.
Red mushroom, also known as oriental truffles, is extremely rare and only grow under very specific weather and soil conditions and for a limited number of days.
They can only be found on the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian Province during a short 15-day window during the rainy season, where they briefly sprout after a downpour, before withering a few hours later, when they can no longer be harvested.
Activities and performance
Hinghwa cuisine, albeit absolutely delicious, only scratches the surface of all that Putian has to offer.
Established more than a millennium ago, Putian, also known as Henghua or Hinghwa, Hin Ann and Puxian, has a rich culture that has earned it multiple places in history.
Meet Shaolin monks
And the most famous of them all is Putian’s fabled Southern Shaolin Monastery, popularised by martial arts films and literature.
Image from Putian Southern Temple Shaolin Monks.
While its origins and history are widely disputed, the Southern Shaolin Monastery is deeply rooted in the martial arts culture of southern China.
Witness a piece of history and meet some real-life Shaolin monks who will be putting up action-packed and adrenaline-charged martial arts performances at the Hinghwa festival.
Image from Putian Southern Temple Shaolin Monks.
Watch Puxian opera
Besides martial arts, Putian is also known for its opera, a long-lasting art form with historical roots in the Tang and Song dynasties.
Festival-goers are in for a treat as award-winning performers from the Puxian Opera Theatre will be performing well-known operas, such as “Ta San Xing” and “Chun Cao Chuang Tang Tai Jiao” (transliteration of 踏伞行 and 春草闯堂·抬轿 respectively).
Image from Puxian Opera.
Other performances and activities
Besides overseas performers, local singers of Hinghwa descent Joanna Dong and Nathan Hartono will also be making an appearance, opening the inaugural Hinghwa festival on Mar. 12 by performing their hit songs.
An all-women ensemble from Putian – Singapore Putian Traditional Music – will also be performing Putian’s traditional folk music, Shiyin Bayue, using wind, string, and percussion instruments.
Image from Singapore Puxian (Hinghwa) Network.
The festival will also feature live painting sessions by Putian artist Huang Feng Rong (transliteration), who has won many awards for his pieces and has been invited to perform around the world in places like France, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
The festival will also feature calligraphers, and showcase products made from Putian, such as jewellery from the over 100-year-old Hua Chang Zhu Bao (transliteration), intricately carved wood statues from renowned Chinese arts and crafts label Pu Zuo (transliteration), and classical Chinese furniture.
If you liked the food at the festival, Putian’s famed dried produce, such as its dried longan, tea, and loquat paste, will also be available for sale.
About Hinghwa festival
As mentioned, this is just a sneak preview of what’s in store at the inaugural Hinghwa festival.
Head down to the festival at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza anytime between 11am to 10pm from Mar. 12 to 17 and discover the wonders that Putian has to offer.
The festival is free for the public to attend. Food and dried goods can be purchased with coupons, which will be sold in denominations of S$20 at the Hinghwa festival.
If you want to avoid the queues at the Hinghwa festival, you can also pre-purchase your coupons from the Puxian (Hinghwa) Network by calling them at 8727 2510, or emailing them at puxian.sg@gmail.com.
There is also a coupon promotion from now till Mar. 11, where you get an additional S$20 coupon if you purchase S$100 worth of coupons.
To find out more, click here.
Image from Puxian (Hinghwa) Network website.
The author of this sponsored article by Puxian (Hinghwa) Network loved the Peanut Soup, Shan Li “Ca Fen”, Hinghwa pan-fried bun, and crispy fried seaweed oyster to list a few.
Top image by Garey Gan and Fiona Tan