Family pulls together to keep handmade noodle tradition alive in Malaysian town

A family in the small Malaysian town of Sitiawan on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula has made a name for itself by continuing to use traditional methods of making mee suah noodles. They stretch the noodles by hand and leave them out to dry in the sun before they are ready to serve up with dishes made using red yeast wine and chicken. Mee Suah, commonly known as “thread noodles” or wheat vermicelli, were introduced to the Southeast Asian nation generations ago by immigrants who came mostly from Fuzhou in China’s Fujian province. Today, Malaysians are fond of slurping up mee suah noodles in one gulp or serving the long strands at Lunar New Year or at birthday meals as a symbol of longevity.