Category Archives: Hakka food

A Hakka feast

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Minced Pork with Lettuce Wraps

I discovered the Hakka Restaurant when I was almost done with the research for my book. Luckily I was able to include talented Chef Jin Hua Li and a couple of his recipes in my book. When the San Francisco Professional Food Society (SFPFS) asked me to put together a menu from the Hakka Restaurant for their Traveling Table, a program that explores the bay area’s unique restaurants, I was happy to share his delicious food with them. Here’s the menu.

Minced Pork with Lettuce Wraps
Bamboo Pith Seafood Soup
Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens
House Special Pan-Fried Tofu
Fried Pumpkin Strips coated with Salted Egg Yolk
Chicken Stuffed with Preserved Greens (recipe pg. 233)
Stir-fried Chinese Broccoli with Rice Wine (recipe pg. 230)
Clams with Spicy Salt and Black Beans
Home-Style Steamed Sea Bass
House Special Eggplant
Steamed Rice

The lettuce wraps uses a well-seasoned pork as a simple filling for crunchy lettuce leaves. The mild soup, focuses on natural flavors and offers a light contrast to the more robust flavors in the meal.  The House Special Pan-Fried Tofu and the Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens are Hakka classics. The Chicken Stuffed with Preserved Greens is one of Chef Li’s specialties, order a day in advance. The chicken is filled with a savory mix of preserved mustard greens, mushrooms, and pork, then braised.

Chicken stuffed with Preserved Mustard Greens at the Hakka Restaurant

The steamed fish is topped with a shower of typical Hakka ingredients pickled mustard greens and shreds of pork. Both the clams and eggplant dish reflect adaptations to local tastes as the Hakka migrated. The clams exude a spiciness reminiscent of Sichuan province.  The clams are deep-fried in their shells then stir-fried with fermented black beans, ground pork, chiles, garlic, and sometimes Sichuan peppercorns.  The tender eggplant tastes mildly sweet, sour, hot and aromatic with basil and cilantro, hinting of Thai seasonings. Hakka settled in both these areas, China’s Sichuan province and Thailand.

Everyone loved the meal. I think you will, too. The Hakka Restaurant is located at 4401-A Cabrillo Street (corner of 45th Avenue), San Francisco, CA 94121. Tel. 415. 876. 6898.

How to make wontons

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Ready to make wontons? Start with a great filling. I have a delicious option in The Hakka Cookbook, page 148. Ground pork is flecked with dried orange peel (use fresh, if you don’t have dried). Tianjin preserved vegetables (use soy sauce as a substitute) contribute a savory saltiness.  And chunks of water chestnut pebble the filling with crunchy texture. Use the mixture as a filling for wonton or pat it into even layer and steam to make a juicy pork hash, Chinese comfort food.

For wonton, wrap the filling in a square pasta-like wonton skin, available in supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. There are many ways to fill wonton. My three-year grand daughter proved that to be true as she created her own technique for filling them. When boiled, it doesn’t make much difference. When I wrote the recipe to make wontons, I tried to find the technique that would be the most easily understood without photos. Unfortunately, the publisher had no budget for photos but you can see them here.

Place filling in center of wonton skin. Fold skin over filling to make a triangle. Pull ends down and seal tips with a little beaten egg.

For fried or boiled wontons, try this method: Place a wonton skin on a flat surface with a corner facing you. Cover the remaining skins with plastic wrap to keep moist (this is important, if they dry out they will crack when folded). Mound 1 level teaspoon of the pork filling in the center of the wonton skin. Fold the bottom half of the skin over the filling to make a triangle. Moisten one side corner of the base of the triangle with a little beaten egg. Now this is where it gets tricky without visuals. Pull the side corners down below the filling and overlap; press to seal. They should sort of resemble a tortellini with a triangular flap. I wanted to say “resemble a nurse’s cap” but nurses no longer wear white starched caps with wing-like flaps.

Place filling in center of wonton skin. Gather wonton skin up and around filling. Squeeze gently so filling sticks to wrapper.

If this seems too complicated, you can simply drop the filling in the center of the wrapper. Bring the wonton skin up around the filling, gather the skin around the filling and gently press the moist meat to the wonton skin so it sticks. I think this method is better for boiled wonton, but they can be fried. They’re just not as pretty as the first method when fried.

The filled wonton can be placed on flour-dusted baking sheets. Cover them so they don’t dry out. When done filling the wonton, cook, refrigerate for up to 8 hours, or freeze. When solid, pack the frozen wonton in containers, ready to boil whenever you need a quick meal or snack.

 

 

 

A Hakka cooking party

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Linda, Nancy, and Ruby proudly display the dishes they cooked.

Gong Hee Fat Choy!  Happy New Year!  Chinese New Year is almost here. It arrives this Sunday, February 10. In the next couple of weeks family and friends will gather to share food and good wishes. In The Hakka Cookbook, you will find many recipes for specialties served for the New Year celebration.  Look under the Hakka Classics for recipes such as Salt-Baked Chicken or Steamed Pork Belly and Preserved Mustard Greens. But if you’re short of time or inexperienced in Chinese cooking, there are many other easy dishes you can cook for a festive meal. For me, the most important part of the celebration is getting together and reaffirming family unity and friendship.

Here are two suggestions for easy Chinese parties that anyone can manage. In the February 2013 issue of Sunset Magazine, look for Build your own bowl by Amy Machnak, pages 84 to 87. The easy noodle buffet party is based on recipes adapted from The Hakka Cookbook.

The second option is a cooking party. It started when a friend suggested we get together and cook from The Hakka Cookbook.  Last weekend, eleven of us gathered at Karen and John’s home in Paradise, California, where we cooked and ate a multicourse meal from the book. I designed the menu using seven easy recipes from the book.  I proposed instead of trying to cook all the dishes at one time, that we would cook and eat the dishes in several courses, as they were ready. Less stressful for the cooks. People could claim one recipe to make or we could take turns cooking. Karen volunteered to shop and prep most of the ingredients. I would bring ingredients she could not locate and a couple of woks for stir-frying.

You could easily duplicate this plan for your own party. This menu works well for six to eight people.  We increased the amounts for a few dishes for our larger group, or you could add more dishes. We cooked rice in a rice cooker, which kept the grain hot throughout our leisurely meal. There was plenty beer, wine, and tea to sip throughout the afternoon. The meal ended with tangerines, cookies, Chinese sesame candy, and candied coconut.

We gathered around noon. It soon became evident, only the women were interested in the cooking as the guys settled outside with beers. Didn’t matter, we gals had a great time reminiscing about old times (we’re known each other since kindergarten) as we cooked our way through the menu.

The Hakka Cooking Party

Melanee serves steeped chicken to wrap in lettuce leaves.

First course: Steeped Chicken (p. 22) with Fresh Green Onion-Ginger Sauce (p. 66).  Or use this adapted recipe at specialfork.com  Melanee claimed this dish. The chicken and sauce could be up to a day made ahead and brought to the party, ready to eat on demand. She served the moist shredded chicken with lettuce leaves, as a pick-up appetizer.

Second courses: Cumin Beef  (p. 183)  We had extra beef so we doubled the recipe. However, because it is important not to overload the wok when stir-frying thin meat slices, I cooked the beef in three batches (6 to 8 oz. each) so the slices would brown, rather than stew in its juices. After the initial stir-frying, I returned all the cooked beef to the pan with all the seasonings for a final blending of ingredients.

Stir-fried Snow Peas and Tofu (p. 48).  This mild flavored vegetarian stir-fry offers a contrast to the spicy cumin beef. It’s a study of contrasting textures with crisp peas, spongy tofu, and crunchy black fungus.

Third course: Cauliflower and Beef in Black Bean Sauce (p. 27) Phyllis took a turn at the wok and stir-fried this easy meat and vegetable dish. Ruby said she was surprised she liked it because she usually doesn’t like cauliflower. The black bean sauce really adds flavor to this rather bland vegetable.

Karen cuts cauliflower for stir-fry.

Fourth courses: Braised Pork Spareribs in Bean Sauce (p. 203). Since the ribs took longer to cook than most of the other dishes, I cooked them the night before and brought them ready to reheat. I increased the recipe by half since it was just as easy to make more. The savory sauce was delicious over rice.

Chinese Broccoli and Sweet Rice Wine (p. 230). This simple vegetable dish takes only minutes to cook. Ruby learned to cut the vegetables so all pieces are the same size.

Shrimp with Fried Garlic and Chiles (p. 78). Nancy fried bits of garlic and spicy chiles to top stir-fried shrimp.

We ate from noon to five, cooking, eating, and drinking. I directed the cooking and gave hands-on lessons on stir-frying, woks, and ingredients. We found when there’s a lot of cooks, it’s best to have all ingredients prepped ahead of time. Then cooking moves quickly without too much concentration. Everyone agreed they learned a lot, ate well, and would do it again.

To design your own cooking party, follow this easy plan. Have each person or couple be responsible for one dish. The dish could be completely made ahead ( if it works for that dish), or prepped for cooking on site. You can use this menu or design your own based on your own tastes. People take turns cooking and serving their dish. It is sort of like a cooperative home-style Chinese banquet.  Enjoy and have fun!  Gong hee fat choy!

 

 

 

Save your culinary history

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Natalie Com Liu cooks her Hakka dishes in her kitchen in Lima, Peru as I record her recipes.

Zester Daily invited me to write a piece for Soapbox.  I struggled over the subject and wrote several different drafts. Eventually I settled on “recording your culinary history.” I was inspired by a blog post written by Pat Tanumihardja for The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook a few months ago.

A few days after I filed the post, I learned about the unexpected death of one of my Hakka contacts in Toronto. That reminded me of another contributor, a young chef from Beijing who had also passed away a few years ago. Life passes quickly. I’m so glad I was able to record part of their history while they were still here.

If you always wanted to know how your grandmother, father, or great-aunt cooks their special dish, ask them now. With Chinese New Years coming up soon, it’s the perfect opportunity to capture some of those special dishes. Spend some time with them. Watch them cook, take notes, shoot photos or a video, and taste their food. Record their stories and history. They will be flattered and you will be able to pass on their culinary legacy. Pretty soon, you will be writing your own family cookbook.

A lesson in soy sauce

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Power to women! A few days ago, I gave a master class on Hakka Cuisine at the WCR (Women Chefs and Restauranteurs) National Conference in San Francisco.  This group of professional women in the restaurant business celebrated their 20th anniversary. It was an honor to meet such smart, strong, and supportive women. They reminded me of Hakka women, known for their hard-working characteristics and strength.

In my class, I provided a short tasting on different types of soy sauce, a primary ingredient in Hakka dishes. I thought I would share this information with you. Soy sauce is a seasoning liquid brewed from naturally fermented soy beans and wheat. It gives a deep flavor and rich color. The basic types are:

Soy sauce types: all-purpose soy sauce: Kikkoman or Pearl River Bridge Light Superior Soy Sauce; Koon Chun Black Soy Sauce; ABC Sweet Soy Sauce (kecap manis)

1. All-purpose soy sauce.  I simply call it soy sauce in the book. The Japanese soy sauce, such as Kikkoman has a higher percentage of wheat which mellows the sauce. Chinese soy sauce, such as Pearl River Bridge Light Superior Soy Sauce, contains a higher percentage of soy beans which produces a stronger flavor.  In Asia, this type may also be called light (not referring to sodium), white, or thin soy sauce.

2. Dark or black soy sauce. This soy sauce ages longer and is blended with a little molasses which lends a slight caramelized sweet finish. It is darker and has a stronger flavor which enhances the color of stews and braises. For a quick substitute, use 2 parts all-purpose soy sauce and 1 part molasses.

3. Sweet soy sauce. Often used in Southeast Asia. This dark, thick, syrupy sweet soy sauce is blended with palm syrup. The Indonesian version is called kecap manis. The Hakkas in India make a similar sauce and call it red sauce. They boil soy sauce, sugar, and fragrant seasonings such as ginger, lemon grass, tangerine peel, star anise, and cinnamon until the sauce is thick and glossy (recipe on page 269). Add the dark, intense, sweet sauce to noodles, stews, meats, and stir-fries, or use as a dipping sauce. For an quick alternative for cooking, mix equal parts dark (preferable) or all-purpose soy sauce and packed brown sugar.

 

 

Hakka pickles, bred from frugality

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Frugality is instilled in most Hakkas. It’s a characteristic that likely helped them to survive when they lived in poor isolated areas. They learned to be resourceful with what they had. It’s a trait I have. I find it difficult to throw anything out if there is another good use for it.

After making more than ten batches of Pickled Mustard Greens for a tasting for a 180 guests in December, I was left with lots of sweet-sour pickling solution. Instead of pouring it down the sink, I kept the sugar/vinegar solution in clean yogurt containers (I recycle those, too) in the refrigerator. I had some leftover cabbage, the common round green cabbage. I decided to pickle it. I blanched bite-sized pieces briefly in boiling water, just like the broad-stemmed mustard greens, rinsed it with cold water and immersed it in the sugar-vinegar solution, and placed it in the refrigerator. After a few days, the cabbage was crunchy and sweet-sour. It lacks the pungency of the mustard greens, but still is a delightful pickle although the color is a bit pale. With red cabbage, the color is deep purple and the liquid turns pink.

Cut watermelon radish into thin slices and drop into vinegar-sugar mixture to make easy sweet-sour pickles.

I have also pickled other vegetables. My latest find at the farmers’ market was watermelon radishes. These large green-tinged white radishes don’t look like much on the outside, but cut it open to reveal the red interior that resembles watermelon. Peel, cut in half lengthwise, then thinly slice and immerse in the pickling solution, and refrigerate for a few days. No need to blanch first. The liquid will turn pink.

Treat jicama the same way, except I cut the jicama into sticks. Do the same thing with cucumbers, except I use the cucumbers unpeeled. With vegetables with a high moisture content such as these, blanching isn’t necessary. Once the pickling solution tastes watery, discolors, or gets cloudy, I’ll dump it. Probably can reuse it once or twice. So far, I’ve reaped a bumper crop of new pickles just by being frugal.

 

A party for The Hakka Cookbook

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Susan Yan, Linda L. Anusasananan, and Martin Yan

A few days ago, my good friend Jerry DiVecchio hosted a book party for me. I worked with Jerry for more than three decades at Sunset Magazine. She taught me how to write and develop recipes, a skill that came in handy when writing a cookbook.

We invited a lot of old friends, many in the media, some from Sunset Magazine, and some fellow Les Dames members. Joyce Jue who wrote some generous words for the book jacket came. Martin Yan, who wrote the foreward for the book, and his wife Susan arrived during the latter half of the party. With his busy travel schedule and the opening of his new restaurant, M.Y. China, I’m lucky he could attend.

Jerry suggested I cook several recipes from the cookbook for the party. What do you serve to celebrity chef Martin Yan?  I struggled with the menu, because it had to meet so many criteria. The menu needed to be no maintenance, meaning I didn’t have the time to fuss with the food during the party. I had to make the food completely ahead and transport it. The food had to hold up for a few hours. Preferably there would be little last minute cooking. We scheduled the party during dinner hours, so it needed some substance. We expected about forty people. This is what I came up with. Follow along with your cookbooks.

Hakka Walk-Around Party for 30 to 40

Pickled Mustard Greens and Pickled Cucumbers (p. 147, double recipes)

Pickled Carrots and Radishes (p. 60, double recipe)

Garlic-Chile Eggplant Sticks (p. 56, double recipe)

Chef Soon’s Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (p. 45, optional)

Steeped Chicken Breast (p. 22, cooked 3 lb. chicken) with Fresh Ginger-Onion Sauce (p. 66, triple recipe) in Lettuce Leaves or on a bed of shredded Chinese Cabbage

Hakka Pork Sliders (adapted from Steamed Black Bean Pork p. 165, slider recipe follows)

Sesame Cookies (purchased) and Orange Wedges

The Game Plan:

Pickled cucumbers, radishes and carrots, and mustard greens

The pickles could be made several days ahead. The eggplant could be also made a day ahead; allow to warm to room temperature for serving. Shortly before serving, sprinkle with cilantro. I had some pickled red chiles and sprinkled them over the top for a pop of color; you could also use chopped red bell pepper.

The pork belly is not essential, but I had food professionals as guests, so I aimed to impress. It takes time to make so I spread the work over several days. I steamed it completely the day before the party, then reheated it in the steamer until hot in center, 30 to 45 minutes, at the party site. If you were doing the party at home, you can also just assemble the dish ahead, then steam a couple of hours before serving. This dish needs to be served hot so set it on a warming tray. Serve with sliced small buns or rolls for sandwiches, if desired.

I cooked and shredded the chicken and made the ginger-onion sauce a day ahead. The morning of the party, wash and crisp the lettuce leaves as directed on p. 201. Mix the chicken with the zesty ginger sauce. However, for the next party, I skipped the lettuce cups and placed the chicken on a bed of shredded Chinese cabbage or lettuce.

The sliders were adapted from Steamed Pork with Black Beans (p. 165). Since I needed to keep it hot for a few hours, I thought a crock pot would be the perfect solution. I doubled the recipe and cooked it in the slow cooker for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. It worked beautifully. You can cook it up to 3 days ahead, cool, remove fat, transfer to smaller containers, cover and chill. Reheat the meat in the slow cooker, covered over high heat until hot and bubbly, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Then reduce heat to warm setting. Serve with split baked rolls and people can assemble their sliders throughout the party.

Hakka Pork Sliders

Follow recipe for Steamed Black Bean Pork (p. 165) except double the ingredients, Cut the pork into about 3-inch chunks and brown meat, in batches, if needed. Transfer the meat to a 6-quart slow-cooker. Add the black bean mixture to pan and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Pour black bean mixture over pork. Cover the slow-cooker and cook at high heat until very tender when pierced, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Skim off and discard fat. With forks, break pork into coarse shreds or chunks. Serve in small baked rolls. Makes 5 to 6 dozen small sandwiches.

 

 

Global view of Hakka Cuisine

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Chinese characters for Hakka Cuisine. Calligraphy by Chitfu Yu

At the Toronto Hakka Conference I was asked to give a presentation on Modern Hakka Cuisine. I’ve collected many photos from my travels and decided to show what I saw and tasted around the world. Everywhere I traveled, I asked people what is Hakka food.  I received answers such as honest, earthy comfort food of the working man. Other descriptions included strong robust flavors, fatty, salty, lots of pork and soy sauce, preserved vegetables, cured meats, rice wine and its residue. Food is hearty, direct, and satisfying.

As I traveled,  I realized that the Hakka cuisine was far more diverse than its common perception. True, many of the descriptions applied to the roots of this cuisine, but through migration, creative chefs, changing life styles, and regional influences, the definition of the cuisine had greatly expanded. Hakka food had dark soulful dishes such as kiu ngiuk moi choi (pork belly steamed with preserved mustard greens) but it also had dishes that emphasized the natural essence of the ingredients with uncomplicated fresh presentations. The cuisine is much like its people. It has traveled the world and adapted to new environments, local ingredients, and prevailing tastes to become a varied cuisine. Yet it still maintains its roots.

In the area around Meizhou, the Hakka heartland, the food was the most traditional with many classics such as salt-baked chicken, stuffed tofu, fried eggs with preserved vegetables. As it left its mountainous homeland, the cuisine seemed to blossom with new ingredients, more seafood, fresher options.

Red Chiles by Alan Lau

In some regions such as in Sichuan province, chiles made a bold statement.  Inventive chefs created new specialties and adapted to local ingredients. Others lightened dishes to appeal to a changing lifestyle and the younger generation. Back home, the food seemed to take on a California freshness.

Yet I’m surprised even in its migration, the heart of Hakka food still retains its soulful roots and many traditional dishes tastes remain relatively unchanged. This traveling kitchen is a work in progress, growing as it travels.

Hakka tastes in London

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Just back from London. Ate at Four Seasons, a Chinese restaurant famous for its roast duck. My sister-in-law, a flight attendant, says all the Thai flight crew order duck over rice.  They present the duck Thai-style, cut-up over rice with a dark salty-sweet sauce, accompanied with a tray of Thai condiments. My Thai husband loved it.

I was drawn to the Hakka dishes on the menu. Although it wasn’t a Hakka restaurant, Hakka classics such as steamed pork belly with preserved mustard greens (kiu nyiuk moi choi) and salt-baked chicken (yam guk gai) appeared on the menu. They weren’t labeled Hakka but were popular with the Chinese customers.

Pork belly steamed on a bed of preserved mustard greens in a dark savory sauce

Although I didn’t get to London for my cookbook, it makes sense there would be a Hakka presence in Great Britain. Many Hakka immigrated to British colonies such as India, the West Indies, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. Some may have later migrated to the United Kingdom. The Chinatown looks like most throughout the world. A few compact blocks are packed with restaurants selling dim sum, roast ducks, and fresh seafood. There are small noodle shops and Chinese bakeries. Although I didn’t meet any Hakka there, I could taste the Hakka presence in the food.