Traditional Hakka Dishes

At Plum Village Restaurant, you can eat the representative delicacies of the seven districts and counties of Meizhou: Steam Radish balls, Wuhua stuffed tofu, Jiaoling pickled wine lees and soup, Pingyuan braised pork belly with preserved vegetables, Xingyu braised pork, Dapu abacus, Fengshunchun dishes, some are not on the menu, must be reserved.

The most familiar Hakka dish is Hakka yam abacus. Mr Lai said that this is because most of the local Hakka people are from Dapu County, Guangdong Province, and abacus is a well-known traditional snack in Dapu County. His hometown is in Meixian, and famous with radish balls. Since there are few Hakka people in Meixian, this hometown dish is rarely seen. On the other hand, in Indonesia and Hong Kong, due to the large number of Hakka people in Meixian County, radish balls are generally popular there.

Started in 1983, Plum Village is the oldest Hakka restaurant in Singapore. It has been in its Jalan Leban location ever since, and looks the same as it did before.

Owner Lai Fak Nian, 76, learned the cuisine in the 70s from a Hakka chef from Hong Kong. Today, he sticks to the recipes, but has simplified the kitchen processes. Last year, his son Jimmy quit his accounting job to join him. "But it's too early for me to take over as I haven't learned everything," says the 48-year-old.

The restaurant has a strong following. "We usually see three generations eating together, so it would be a pity to close this place down," says the younger Lai, who acknowledges that the business is getting tougher because of a manpower crunch and rising costs. "It's hard to keep the place running," he says, adding that his teenage daughter sometimes helps out. "In a way, the restaurant is also a legacy to pass down to her."

His father has no intention of retiring anyway, and wants to educate the younger generation about Hakka food culture. "It's my dad's mission to promote Hakka heritage, so I've given up trying to get him to retire," says Lai with a laugh. His father still does the cooking from scratch whenever his chefs return to China on vacation, tirelessly prepping in the kitchen from early in the morning.

For Chinese New Year, Plum Village will roll out classics such as traditional Hakka pen cai filled with duck, chicken, pig's trotter, yong tau fu and more. Menu highlights include the iconic suan pan zi or abacus seeds made with yam, as well as the more uncommon radish-and-minced pork dumplings.

To modernise the business, Lai is beefing up Plum Village website, so it can also take online orders. To be launched after Chinese New Year, the refreshed website will enable customers to place their orders online and pick up their orders at the restaurant.

The website will also be a source of information on Hakka culture. "My father used to conduct cooking classes, where he would share the history of the food. So it would be good if he continued to do that, at the same time, the information online will get more people interested in our heritage.