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Abacus seeds
TypeMain course
Place of originChina
Main ingredientsTaro, tapioca flour
Sixtybolts/sandbox
Traditional Chinese算盘子
Simplified Chinese算盘子
Literal meaning"abacus seeds"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinsuànpánzǐ
Hakka
RomanizationNgiong Tew Foo
Pha̍k-fa-sṳNgiòng-theu-fú
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingsyun3 pun4 zi2

Abacus seeds (Chinese: 算盘子 or abacus beads is a Hakka Chinese dish consisting of dimpled, disc-shaped dumplings made with taro and tapioca flour. The dumplings are boiled then stir-fried with minced pork, shiitake or wood ear mushrooms, dried shrimp, dried cuttlefish and firm bean curd.

Due to its association with the abacus and counting money, the dish is eaten during festivals such as Chinese New Year to signify wealth and prosperity.[1][2] The dumplings' round shape is also said to signify reunion and good health.[3]

It can be found in parts of China, Malaysia and Singapore, and in cities with a large Hakka population.[1][3]

History

Abacus seeds date back to the Song dynasty. It was prepared by Hakka women for the men of the village to carry with them when they ventured out to look for work. The dish was both a food and also a symbolic wish that the men would find success and earn more money to count with an abacus.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Conceicao, Jeanne Louise (June 2016). "Hakka community". Singapore Infopedia.
  2. ^ Lim, Celeste (February 8, 2021). "Learning my Hakka grandmother's top secret abacus seeds recipe". Youthopia.
  3. ^ a b Lee, Khang Yi (January 8, 2017). "Our five favourite places for Hakka abacus seeds in KL, Cheras and PJ". Malay Mail.
  4. ^ Yang, Kayla (June 1, 2021). "Culture in the Cuisines - Heirloom Recipe of Hakka Abacus Seeds (Suan Pan Zi)". WADD.