Fresh lotus root looks a bit scruffy on the outside. This rhizome of the lotus plant resembles a string of fat, ivory-colored sausages. To reveal its beauty, peel and thinly slice the root crosswise to see it blossom into lacy snowflakes. When lightly cooked, they’re crisp and slightly sweet and crunchy. When thicker chunks simmer in broth or stew, they take on a starchy quality somewhat like a slightly sweet firm potato.
I lightly blanch the thin slices in boiling water, then rinse and drain them. I cook half using the recipe for Stir-fried Lotus Root and Pork in The Hakka Cookbook (page 79). It’s easy and satisfying. In this simple dish, stir-fry soy sauce-marinated thinly sliced pork with lots of green onions, a few slices of chile, and garlic. Add the the blanched slices of lotus root and a sauce mixture of water, soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, cornstarch, and bean sauce or hoisin sauce. Eat with rice.
For easy pickles, I immerse the blanched thin slices of lotus root in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, water, and salt. I use the recipe for Pickled Carrots an Radishes (page 60) in The Hakka Cookbook as a guideline for the pickling liquid. Add a few slices of ginger or chiles, if you like. Chill the pickles at least 2 days or up to 2 weeks. They’re deliciously crisp, tangy and sweet. Enjoy!
A chance encounter introduces me to a Hakka writer. In my last post, I wrote that I rarely found Hakka characters in books or stories. Recently I got an email message from Loren, a friend in New York. She met a Chinese woman, Jeannie Tseng, walking her dog in Central Park. As they talked, Tseng described her family history as a Hakka, migrating from China to India.
When asked about her cooking traditions, Tseng said her favorite cookbook was my book, The Hakka Cookbook. When Loren told her she knew the author, Tseng was so excited to meet a live connection to her favorite book. When Loren told me this story, I was surprised, flattered and honored. Stories like this make me feel that all my work was worthwhile.
I find that Tseng is also a writer and a creative writing teacher. She shared some links to her stories about the Hakka. I love them because they offer a window into Hakka culture and family. Check out these stories. Wasted Rice Child published in The Massachusetts Review reveals generational differences in an immigrant family. Number Eight Daughter won first prize in the Fall 2021 Story Contest in Narrative. The story depicts the life of a girl born to poor parents who sell her to a rich family as a future wife to their son. Enjoy reading the work of this Hakka writer, Jeannie Tseng.
My daughter recommended this book to me, Black Cake, a novelby Charmaine Wilkerson. What caught her attention was the inclusion of a Hakka character. I rarely find a Hakka character in a novel so I immediately put a hold on the book. Although the focus is not on the Hakka father, his betrayal changes the life and future of his biracial daughter. Her life becomes a intricate web of lies. An audio recording left to her children after her death reveals long buried family secrets.
I couldn’t stop listening to the audio version of Black Cake. This novel spans generations and moves from the Caribbean, to London, and finally California. Many issues run through the book—family betrayal, racial and gender identity, loyalty, love, cultural diaspora, sibling relationships. There are many characters, but the author deftly wraps up their connections in the end in a symbolic black cake. Revealing the secrets the cake brings the family together.
Hakka from the Caribbean may especially appreciate the cultural notes about life of the Chinese in the West Indies. The author cites my Hakka friends, Paula Williams Madison, author of Finding Samuel Lowe: From Harlemto Chinaand Jeanette Kong, film maker in the acknowledgements.
Shaded area indicates the concentration of the Hakka population in 1550.
For most of my life, I never understood what was so special about the Hakka. Popo (my grandmother) insisted, “You should be proud to be Hakka.” Research for my book showed me the answer–the Hakka history. As I learned about their long unique history of migration and how they coped with it, I began to understand how it shaped Popo’s independent, tenacious, hardworking spirit. And how these qualities taught her and other Hakka how to survive where others failed.
Our Hakka History
The ancestors of the Hakka originally lived in Henan, along the Yellow River, in north central China. This area was once considered the cradle of the Han, or Chinese culture. Around the 4th century B.C., invaders forced them out of their home. In a series of five mass migrations, war, flood, famine, and drought, sent the Hakka to the south and other remote regions.
The Hakka found shelter in Jiangxi, southern Fujian, and neighboring Guangdong Province. They lived there in relative isolation for almost 400 years (907 to 1279). During this period of relative seclusion they solidified their language, culture, and identity.
Dangerous bandits in Fujian forced them to move across the border to northern and eastern Guangdong Province. The local Cantonese had settled the fertile parcels of lowland. Only scraps of poor hillside land were left for the new migrants. They worked hard and were able to survive where others had failed. Locals labeled the unwelcome newcomers “Hakka” meaning “guest family.” By the sixteenth century, the Hakka began to call the area centered near Meixian in Guangdong and the Jiaying Prefecture (now Meizhou City) as their homeland.
The Hakka spread throughout Guangdong, central and eastern Sichuan, eastern Guangxi, and Taiwan. Through their hard work, they prospered and some become landlords. The local Punti (mostly Cantonese) resented their success. Fighting broke out resulting in the West River Wars and the Taiping Rebellion. This turmoil sent the Hakka all over the world. Now, their estimated worldwide population is over 75 million.
The Hakka Spirit
The history of the Hakka shaped their character and spirit. Chinese society long treated these homeless migrants with contempt. As a result, the Hakka became experts at pulling up stakes, moving on, and starting over. They established settlements in areas where others failed. Eventually they earned respect for their pioneering successes.
It wasn’t until 1933, that the status of the Hakka changed. For centuries, society persecuted the landless migrants. In 1933, Luo Xianglin’s genealogical work showed the Hakka are descendants of the Han dynasty (206 B.C. to 22 A. D.) the Chinese ethnic majority, the Han. This elevated the Hakka to the same status as those who treated them as lower class.
With a shared history of hardship, Hakka proudly see themselves as strong and independent. History tells them work and persistence will bring success.
Happy Chinese New Year! Khiung Hee Fat Choy ????! It’s a time of renewal and feasting. In 2022, February 1, marks the start of the Year of the Tiger. On the Chinese horoscope, each year is dominated by an animal sign: Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey rooster, dog, and pig. Each animal has special characteristics. This is the year of the tiger. Some horoscopes predict this year symbolizes spontaneity, novelty, and determinism.
A family reunion feast is central to the Chinese New Year celebration. The table is traditionally filled with foods that send auspicious messages to attract wealth, luck, success, unity, longevity.
As I plan the menu for our family’s new year feast, I’m looking through The Hakka Cookbook for ideas. I like our meals to be a cooperative effort, sort of an organized potluck plus cooking lesson. It’s easier to share cooking duties and hopefully everyone can learn something new. For my grandchildren, I try to include one cooking activity. In the past, we have made won tons, dumplings, and pot stickers. This year we may make Stuffed Tofu (pages 31, 33). The Hakka invented stuffed tofu when they could not find wheat flour in their new home in the south to make the dumplings they ate in the former home in northern China.
Natalie Com Liu’s Tofu Topped with Pork from The Hakka Cookbook page 33Noodles with Mushroom Pork Sauce from The Hakka Cookbook page 104
Noodles represent long life. I like the dark, umami-rich flavor of Noodles with Mushroom Pork Sauce (page 104). Or perhaps we’ll cook Garlic Noodles and Shrimp (page 193), sort of a Hakka-style Chow Mein. Fish is a must-have on Chinese New Year table. The fish brings surplus and abundance to the new year. I like the Steamed Fish with Green Onions (page 39) or the Braised Fish in Black Bean Sauce (page 137). Steaming or braising keeps the delicate flesh moist and is so easy. A green vegetable represents growth in business. I love the simplicity of the stir-fried Chinese Broccoli in Sweet Rice Wine (page 230).
Hakka Salt-baked Chicken from The Hakka Cookbook (page 64)
Possibly we may cook the famous Hakka Salt-baked Chicken (page 64) or some of the easier variations. For a special dish, consider making the Braised Chicken stuffed with Preserved Mustard Greens (page 233). Or maybe we’ll buy a Chinese roast duck.
For me, Chinese New Year is about food and family. Khiung Hee Fat Choy ????! Happy New Year!
Symbols of good luck and prosperity for Chinese New Year
Give The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from around the World, recognized as the Best Chinese Cookbook in the World in 2012, to Hakka family and friends. The book outlines the Hakka history and defines Hakka identity. Or give the book to a cooking enthusiast who loves Chinese food and history. It’s a great holiday gift for the Chinese foodie.
The Hakka Cookbook was recognized as the Best Chinese Cookbook of the World by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awardsin 2012.
Through recipes and stories told by Hakka from all over the world, discover the unique Hakka history, culture, and cuisine. Find 140 recipes, including Hakka classics such as stuffed tofu, lei cha, and salt-baked chicken as well as easy Chinese comfort food. The beginner cook will find sections on cooking techniques, equipment, and ingredients. Paintings created by artist Alan Lau gracefully illustrates the book.
Check this link for sources on where to buy The Hakka Cookbook. It is widely available online. Some of the major sellers are Amazon.com, Books Kinokuniya, and University of California Press. Or ask your local book store to order The Hakka Cookbook for you.
July 31, 2022: Unfortunately this restaurant looks like it has closed. Please let me know, if it has moved or re-opens
Closed????
Please let me know if it has moved or reopens.
It’s rare to find a Hakka restaurant in Northern California. We were lucky last week when we discovered Hakka Cuisine located in Fremont, California. Although I read about the restaurant in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Chinese Regional Guide a few years ago, I had not yet tried it. I’m so glad we stopped by when we were in the area. Although we only tried a few dishes, Hakka Cuisine will bring me back with its comforting home-style dishes. With strong direct flavors, a bit of salt and fat, and generous use of all parts of the pig, this menu echos traits often found in Hakka cuisine, especially in Taiwan and Canton.
Hakka Salt-Baked Shredded Chicken
An earthy sauce made with camphor-scented sand ginger (aka ground galangal) generously coats coarse shreds of moist chicken attached to bits of smooth, silky skin. Hidden underneath, a bone-in wing and a section of the back bone, prop up the mound of boneless chicken and offer the bone lover, as I am, gnarly pieces to chew on. Other restaurants usually serve this Hakka classic as bite-sized pieces of bone-in chicken with a meager portion of sauce on the side. I like Hakka Cuisine’s easier-to-eat and more flavorful saucy presentation. I’m a bone lover, so I even appreciate the extra bones to chew on. Nothing fancy about the accompanying cabbage dotted with roasted peanuts, it is just simple comfort food that I can’t stop eating.
Hakka Salt-Baked Shredded Chicken
House Special Braised Pork Belly
Chunks of pork belly braise in a dark sauce until soft, succulent, and infused with a sweet salty flavor. The glossy morsels melt in our mouths. Sop up the plentiful sauce with the rice and cabbage.
House Special Braised Pork Belly
Hakka Pork Dumplings with Egg Skins
The pork dumplings with the egg skins catch my eye on the menu. I have seen similar dumplings posted on Facebook but have never eaten them before. Small, rather thick egg pancakes loosely enclose a pork filling. The dumplings float in a comforting, deeply satisfying white broth, laden with carrots and bean thread noodles, enlivened with white peppercorns. The flavor of fried egg imbues the broth with warm familiarity.
Hakka Pork Dumplings with Egg Skin
More to try
We can’t wait to return to try more…perhaps the Pan-fried Stuffed Tofu, Steamed Pork Ribs with Sticky Rice, Emperor Chicken with Scallion Sauce, Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables, Lion Meatballs, Golden Braised Pork Feet and so much more. Explore the menu.
Hakka Cuisine menu
July 31, 2022: Unfortunately this restaurant looks like it has closed. Please let me know, if it has moved or re-opens. Hakka Cuisine 43755 Boscell Road (near Auto Mall Parkway) Fremont, CA 94538 510 668 0898 https://www.orderhakka.com/
Chinese men with long braids are Cantonese. Men with short hair are Hakka. Photo from Generational Roots: 19th Century Chinese Migration to America. Part 1 Hawaii.
Want to learn about the 19th century Hakka migration to America? View these two webinars presented by Dr. Brian Dillon, professor, archeologist, author, anthropologist, and historian. He has studied Chinese-American history for decades, as did his father, Richard H. Dillon, a noted historian and author. Dr. B. Dillon, who is Irish, doesn’t speak or write Chinese. But he married into a Chinese family in Hawaii. His wife is Hakka. Dillon accompanies his narrative with a highly informative slide show.
Generational Roots: 19th Century Chinese Migration to America -Links to Chinese migration webinars: Part 1 Hawaii:Part 2 California:
Tsung Tsin Hawaii sponsored these presentations. Valuable resources and tips to find your own Chinese roots offer a path to your family history. Each webinar runs about one hour. They are packed with information about the Hakka migration and are totally worth your time.
Photo from Generational Roots: 19th Century Chinese Migration to America. Part 1 Hawaii.
Did you know in the 19th century Chinese migration…
Most Chinese immigrants came from the southern Guangdong province.
Hawaii welcomed the Chinese immigrants. Most were Hakka. Many settled and married Hawaiian women.
Chinese came to California to get rich. They were mostly Cantonese. The host society treated the Chinese badly.
California led the way with anti-Chinese sentiments.
Author Mark Twain defended the Chinese.
Author Jack London stole fish from Chinese fishermen.
The Chinese men in America who wore queues (long braids) were Cantonese (Punti) to show honor to the Emperor.
Chinese men with short hair (no braids) were Hakka. They were the rebels.
The Chinese in California built the railways, dry laid stone walls, and water tunnels.
Chinese cooks in California logging camps were considered the best in the business.
I just registered for Toronto Hakka Conference 2021. You should too if you want to learn about your Hakka roots and unique history.
In 2004, when I first started research for The Hakka Cookbook, I scanned the internet looking for any information on the Hakka. Google results were meager, but yielded more leads than I had seen most of my life. Following leads and contacts, led me to my first Toronto Hakka Conference 2008.
As I sat in the auditorium filled with Hakka Chinese, I felt at home. I had never been surrounded by so many Hakka in one place. I grew up in a small town in Northern California, Paradise, where we were the only and first Chinese family. Even when I left Paradise and met other Chinese I still didn’t quite fit in. I couldn’t understand their dialect. Years ago many Chinese didn’t know who the Hakka were. Finally, at the Toronto Hakka Conference, I felt like I belonged. These were my people. We shared the same roots.
The Toronto Hakka Conference only takes place every 4 years. Due to COVID travel restrictions, the sixth conference scheduled for 2020 has been moved to July 11 to 12, 2021. This virtual conference will take place via Zoom so anyone from around the world can easily participate. Learn about the Hakka diaspora, genealogy, and meet Hakka from all over the world at the Toronto Hakka Conference 2021. Check out the preliminary program here.
I’ll miss the in-person networking but the broad virtual access greatly expands the audience. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your Hakka network and knowledge with so little effort. No travel expenses, just register in advance. There’s a low registration fee, around $50, with a reduced rate for students. Click here to register.
Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens from Zhong Shan Restaurant
Last year, the owners of Ton Kiang, a Hakka restaurant with a long history in San Francisco, retired. Today Zhong Shan Hakka Restaurant closes. Chef/owner Jin Hua Li, who I featured in The Hakka Cookbook, has been one of my favorite Hakka chefs. I first met him in 2011 just a few months before I submitted my cookbook manuscript. I knew very few restaurants that served Hakka food. This one proudly announced it in their name, Hakka Restaurant. The menu offered many of the popular dishes served at most Chinese restaurants, but under “Chef’s Special” many Hakka dishes were listed.
Hakka Restaurant became our go-to restaurant in San Francisco for banquets and meals with family and friends. Over the years some of our favorite Hakka dishes were the Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens and the House Special Pan Fried Tofu. The restaurant drew local neighborhood customers as well as outliers as their reputation grew.
A couple of years ago, I heard that Chef Li had retired but now was opening a new restaurant. Apparently retirement grew boring. Chef Li and his wife, Bonnie returned to the business with Zhong Shan Restaurant on Taraval. Our favorites remained on the menu but there were new dishes to try. We had eaten several banquets there and was looking forward to returning once the pandemic ended.
But just last week Serena Dai, the San Francisco Chronicle food editor called to ask about the restaurant and its impending closure. Apparently they sold the restaurant. We went last Friday to order my husband’s favorite Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens, Salt-Baked Chicken and some extra dishes for my daughter. Hopefully, Chef Li will come out of retirement once again.
Fortunately, we still have access to good Hakka food when eating out. A San Francisco friend who has eaten at both Zhong Shan and Li’s first location said that the original Hakka Restaurant continues to serve good food. Chef Li had sold the restaurant to his sous chef so the food maintains much of the quality of the original chef. Hope to be back to Hakka Restaurant at Cabrillo and 45th Avenue soon.
