The quintessential Penang Nyonya festival dish: julienned jicama stir-fried with shredded dried cuttlefish, pork and aromatics, served wrapped in lettuce leaves with sambal belacan. The dish most associated with Nyonya festive gatherings.
Jiu hu char is the quintessential Penang Nyonya festival dish, julienned jicama (bang kuang) stir-fried with shredded dried cuttlefish, pork and aromatics. The umami of Chinese dried cuttlefish combined with the local jicama-and-sambal serving style is pure Penang-Nyonya fusion, and the dish is the one most associated with Nyonya festive gatherings. It is served wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves with sambal belacan, and is a near-mandatory dish at Nyonya celebrations.
Sweet, crunchy jicama bound with the deep umami of dried cuttlefish and pork, the shallots running through, wrapped in a cool lettuce leaf with a dab of fiery sambal. Eaten as a wrap, it is fresh, savoury and moreish.
The dried cuttlefish is soaked soft, then shredded fine, so its umami distributes through the dish. The jicama is julienned (not grated) so it keeps its crunch even after stir-frying. The pork is rendered first to release its fat, the aromatics are fried in that fat, then the cuttlefish, jicama and a little water are added and cooked uncovered so the water evaporates and the flavours concentrate. The lettuce-wrap serving keeps the dish fresh at the table.
Variations
A richer version adds dried shiitake mushrooms. Some cooks include prawns.
On the Palate
Where Jiu Hu Char sits in the Malaysian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
6 steps · 40 min
- 16 min
Soak 80g dried cuttlefish in hot water 30 minutes; drain and shred fine.
- 210 min
Julienne 600g jicama, 100g carrot and 100g cabbage into thin matchsticks.
- 36 min
Slice 200g pork belly; fry in a dry wok until it renders its fat and browns.
Watch outRender the pork belly in a dry wok until it browns and gives up its fat — that rendered fat is the base you fry everything else in.
- 45 min
Add 6 sliced shallots and 4 cloves minced garlic; fry 3 minutes, then add the shredded cuttlefish and fry 2 minutes.
- 515 min
Add the jicama, carrot, cabbage, 200ml water, 1 tbsp light soy and 1 tsp sugar; cook uncovered 15 minutes until the jicama is tender and the liquid has reduced.
Watch outCook uncovered until the jicama is tender but the liquid has reduced away — the julienne should keep its crunch, so let the water cook off rather than stewing it soft.
- 64 min
Serve warm with fresh lettuce leaves and a dish of sambal belacan for wrapping.
