Hong Kong Food & Culture: From Dim Sum to Dried Abalone “This book is a must-read for every foodie who wants to gain a broad understanding of the diversity of Cantonese food in this exciting city.” - Richard Ekkebus, Amber “I was astounded by Adele’s amazingly comprehensive writing.” - Danny Yip, The Chairman “It is well researched, visiting many parts of the city — from local restaurants to small producers, purveyors, suppliers and makers of local products.” - Alvin Leung, Bo Innovation hat makes Hong Kong such an STEAMED EGG exciting food destination is that with flower crab W there are so many different styles of restaurants to choose from. Here is a 花蟹肉碎蒸蛋 fah1 hye5 yook6 sui3 jing1 dahn2 10-15 min 10 min 4-5 persons list of the main ones you’ll come across. Steamed egg is one of the simplest, tastiest dishes to make at home. In Cantonese culture, eggs appear regularly as a dinner item — and what better way to prepare them than with a quick beat and steam? This recipe is slightly more sophisticated than the typical household dish, working in a prized flower crab as centerpiece. Just remove the crab for the original recipe. INGREDIENTS 3 chicken eggs 雞蛋 gai1 dahn2 Peanut oil 花生油 fah1 sung1 yau4 1 flower crab 花蟹 fah1 hye5 Granulated sugar 砂糖 sah1 tawng4 100g minced pork 肉碎 yook6 sui3 Salt 鹽 yeem4 METHOD 1. Rinse flower crab and remove internal organs. Marinate minced pork with peanut oil, sugar, and salt for at least 10 minutes. 2. Crack eggs into bowl. Add about 200mL of water (or at a ratio of 6 cracked eggshell halves of water for every egg). Add a little oil and salt. Beat eggs until bubbles begin to form. 3. Place minced pork and flower crab onto plate and add in egg mixture. Wrap plate in plastic wrap, and poke several holes at top of wrap. Place steaming rack into wok and add water. Heat over high heat until water boils. 4. Put plate into wok and steam for 10 to 15 minutes. 103 29 COMMON HONG QI, BLOOD, FLUIDS HERBAL TEAS KONG FOODS AND OTHER 涼茶 lurng4 chah4 AND THEIR TCM MEASURES PROPERTIES Here is a sample list of foods, along with their place in the TCM In TCM, there are numerous references to “Qi” Streetside herbal tea shops (涼茶鋪 lurng4 chah4 po2) concoction found at the shops. The recipe varies spectrum. Please treat this as a reference only and use your own (氣 hay3) — literally, “air” in Chinese — which selling dark-colored brews in pre-poured bowls and from shop to shop but could include ingredients like discretion and judgment when it comes to healthy eating. is pretty much a catch-all term that can be cups are many Hongkongers’ first point of access to chrysanthemum flower (菊花 gook1 fah1), luohan guo interpreted as one’s vital energy, life essence, specialized TCM remedies. (羅漢果 law4 hawn3 gwaw2), bamboo leaf (竹葉 jook1 or life source. Qi can also be loosely associated yeep6), and mulberry leaf (桑葉 sawng1 yeep6). The The herbal teas are also known as cooling teas with one’s breath, or the flow of the breath extremely bitter tea is supposed to relieve sore throats, (涼茶 lurng4 chah4) for their inherently through one’s body. (Remember: don’t stress inflammation, and help with common cold and body-cooling properties — although they are typically about the definitions and just go with the flu symptoms. served hot or lukewarm in temperature. flow — pun intended.) One can be deficient There’s also the five-flower tea (五花茶 mm5 fah1 chah4), in Qi, and the Qi can stagnate, “sink” or be Although not a specifically Cantonese concept, herbal tea which can be made from bombax (木棉花 mook6 meen4 PORK SCALLION rebellious (moving in all sorts of directions). shops are much more popular in southern China due to 豬肉 ju1 yook6 蔥 chohng1 fah1), chrysanthemum flower, honeysuckle (銀花 un2 Some of the same patterns that manifest in the region’s hotter and more humid weather. fah1), frangipani (雞蛋花 gai1 dahn2 fah1) and kudzu WARM | SALTY WARM | PUNGENT (SPICY) Qi can also be applied to the blood and fluids vine (葛花 gawt3 fah1) — although the recipe can differ Helps loosen the bowels; Helps with flu and cold symptoms; circulating within the body. Naturally, there Different herbal teas serve different functions. The from shop to shop. This tea is supposed to help with nourishes the blood opens up skin’s pores are types of foods that can be taken to help lift 24-herbs tea (廿四味 yah6 say3 may2) is a typical fatigue and indigestion and can also act as a diuretic. (upward), lower (downward), float (outward) or sink (inward) said Qi, blood, and fluids back SEAFOOD 水產 sui2 chahn2 PEANUT to balance. RECOMMENDED SOUPS FOR 花生 fah1 sung1 EACH SEASON To determine one’s diagnosis, TCM doctors The wet market’s seafood section is easily the liveliest fish are sold by slivers. Fish heads are popular for NEUTRAL | SWEET, BITTER would typically conduct a checkup by section — buckets and water tanks are filled with making broths and soups. swimming fish, live clams, wriggling prawns and all sorts Helps with dry cough, constipation “reading” one’s body for physical clues; Prawns (or shrimps) (蝦 hah1) both large and small of edibles from the sea. Nearly everything is sold fresh. listening to one’s voice and breathing; asking are another popular wet market item. If you visit early Experience Hong Kong’s fascinating food culture through the eyes of local questions to assess one’s general health; and Some of the fish are sold pre-butchered and de-scaled, enough, the silvery-blue crustaceans should still be finally, checking one’s pulse. The doctor would while others are killed to order. The many varieties live and moving about. The prawns are typically assess the amount of “spirit” (神 sun4) one of grouper fish (石斑 seck6 bahn1) — or garoupa, as steamed or wok-fried whole, with heads and shells possesses, and other telltale signs like one’s it’s commonly called in Hong Kong — are the most still attached to the bodies. Fresh wet market prawns artisans, restaurateurs and streetside hawkers. Read about Yin and Yang food body shape and the color of one’s face and esteemed by far. But the choices are endless when it cannot even be compared to the bland, frozen tongue. It would take a whole other book to comes to fish: take your pick of grass carp (鯇魚 wahn5 varieties found in supermarkets. LEMON WATERMELON describe the art of TCM diagnosis. But the key yu2), pomfret ( 魚 chawng1 yu2), yellowfin sea bream 檸檬 西瓜 Then there are the lobsters (龍蝦 lohng4 hah1), crabs theory, the impact of colonialism on cha chaan teng dishes, the origins of dim ning4 mohng1 sai1 gwah1 takeaway is this: whatever conclusions a TCM (黃腳鱲 wawng4 gurk3 lahp6), red snapper (大眼雞 dye6 doctor makes regarding one’s health, a set of SPRING SUMMER AUTUMN WINTER (蟹 hye5), clams (蜆 heen2), razor clams (蟶子 sing5 jee2), COOL | SOUR, SWEET COOL | SWEET ahn5 gai1) (pictured) and tiny whitebait (白飯魚 bahk6 foods or herbal remedies along with perhaps JOB’S TEARS PEARL WINTER SNOW PEAR SOUP PORK STOMACH WITH eels (鱔 seen5), squid (魷魚 yau4 yu2) and things you Helps with constipation, dry Rehydrates, cools the body 雪耳雪梨糖水 fahn6 yu2), just for example. Hongkongers love to some acupuncture or other Chinese physical BARLEY SOUP MELON SOUP PEPPER SOUP might never otherwise encounter. Most are kept alive sum. Learn handy Cantonese terms and classic Hong Kong-style recipes along coughs, swelling 薏米水 冬瓜湯 sute3 yee3 sute3 胡椒豬肚湯 eat their fish whole whenever they can, preferring to therapy would be recommended to set one and slaughtered on the spot. yee3 mai5 sui2 dohng1 gwah1 tawng1 lay4 tawng4 sui2 woo4 jiu1 ju1 toh5 tawng1 steam, pan-fry or even deep-fry their catch. Bigger back to balance. the way, for a fully immersive journey. 223 149 Hong Kong Food & Culture: From Dim Sum to Dried Abalone is a 352-page hardcover dedicated to exploring the city through its rich food and culture. Each chapter delves into a different topic: Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbs & spices, “We use a special Cantonese sauces, dim sum, and wet markets are all covered in the 14-chapter needle to offering. Interviews with fascinating local figures like noodlemakers, ceramic sew up the goose to HANDMADE bowl painters, dried seafood sellers, fish ball manufacturers and dim sum chefs seal the STRANDS sauce, and the government has stopped issuing charcoal grilling grace the end of each chapter, along with classic Cantonese recipes that are easy then we licenses. So for new restaurants like us, we use gas or electricity.” Noodle maker Fat Kee (佛記 futt6 gay3) has been in blow air “Our geese come from southern Guangdong business for more than 90 years, and is currently and are called domestic swan geese (黑鬃頭鵝 hahk1 run by third-generation proprietor Nelson Law. Fat to replicate at home. There are also full Cantonese translations for key words in johng1 tau4 aw2),” Kam continues. “They have long Kee makes most of its own products at a factory in into the necks and are smaller in size. They have just the right Shau Kei Wan, producing rice flour noodles and lye amount of fat and fatty meat. They have thicker skin. water noodles for restaurants around the city. There each chapter, for studious readers who want to make sure they purchase the right goose.” For Chiu Chow-style marinated goose, a larger-sized are also several retail outlets offering fresh and dried goose is usually used.” goods to end consumers.