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Story behind New York Times article

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Last September, just before The Hakka Cookbook was released, my very excited publicist forwarded a message to me from Mark Bittman, writer for the New York Times. “I’d like to do a story about/with you, with some cooking. I’ll come out there to do it (unless you have a better idea), assuming you’re game. We’ll run it in the Times Magazine – whaddya think?

Wow! I thought. To be noticed by the New York Times is a great honor and a big deal. We chose a date, which is a hurdle since Mark is a busy man. We selected November 4. After numerous messages we decided on three recipes to cook. Then on October 29, 2012 Hurricane Sandy hit New York City. With the news of destruction and flooding I was sure he would need to cancel. At first he said he still planned on coming, but a few days later, he canceled because he could not leave the city.

We rescheduled for January 9, 2013. He was coming by himself. No photographer which was a bit of relief, didn’t need to worry about appearances. He wore his biking shorts, I wore my slippers. He is a very down-to-earth kind of guy. Got out his laptop to take notes while I cooked. After each dish, he tasted a small spoonful. He said he had already eaten breakfast and wasn’t very hungry and we could save the food for dinner. Being a food writer, too, I understand that a bite or two is all you need, although a non-professional host might have been disappointed in his tiny tastes.  Later I found out that he had been working on VB6, Eat Vegan before 6:00, a book on following a strict vegan diet during the day, then after 6 pm restrictions are gone as long as you eat modest quantities. Two of my dishes had small amounts of lean pork cooked with vegetables. The third recipe was Braised Chicken Wings in Bean Sauce. Perhaps I should have cooked Braised Tofu and Vegetable Clay Pot instead. Anyway he seemed to like the food.

He told me he thought the story would run in late February or early March. Those dates passed. Since I had a long career at Sunset Magazine as a food writer, I knew promising stories often do not run for many reasons out of the writer’s control. By May, I had thought my story might have hit a dead end, but a week before I departed for China I heard from a NY Times research editor about fact checking and illustrations. A good sign. A few days later, in the Hong Kong airport I read a message from my publisher with the link to the story, The Nomad’s Kitchen in the New York Times. I read it quickly and posted on Facebook and Twitter.  In a few hours, I would be in China for two weeks where there’s no access to the New York Times, Facebook, or Twitter.

Now I’m back and finally see the print version. Thanks Mark Bittman and the New York Times!

Tea with Hakka Food

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Yearning Tea Plantation in Meizhou China

A few weeks ago, Winnie Yu, one of the owners of Teance Fine Teas in Berkeley, California hosted a book signing event for The Hakka Cookbook. In the zen-like atmosphere of this tea shop designed by Fu-Teng Cheng, the tea shop staff served several recipes from my book with premium teas while  I talked about my Hakka journey. The enthusiastic audience was relaxed and totally engaged. Perhaps that is the magic of drinking premium teas with food, it soothes the soul and creates energy.

Speaking at the tea bar at Teance Fine Teas in Berkeley, California.

Winnie says, “Appreciating artisanal teas is a lot like appreciating great wines.” For our event, she served mostly fine oolong teas, semi-oxidized and roasted teas that seem to go with a wide variety of foods. I think of oolong, similar to a Pinot Noir, with lovely aromas, complex flavors, and a full-bodied palate. The oolong teas can range from greenish and floral to darker and fruitier. We started with Old Grove Shuixian with dark cinnamon notes that we drank by itself while we waited for guests to assemble.

Behind the scenes, samples from The Hakka Cookbook to serve with tea at Teance.

We sipped the full-bodied Tieguanyin Light Roast with Salt-baked Shrimp (page 62) and  Garlic Chile Eggplant Sticks (page 56). Phoenix Almond Oolong with the taste of almonds complemented the neutral Steamed Rice Cake (page 174) with the sweet-sour-medium hot Pickled Red Chiles (page 72). We tasted the spicy-sweet Taiwan Beauty with the Chewy Rice Morsels in Sweet Peanut Powder (page 97).  With the robust flavored Braised Taro in Bean Sauce (page 219), we drank a Red Plum Black tea, a darker, fully oxidized tea.

This book event reminded me of our afternoon at a tea plantation on our scouting trip in China. In the mountains of Meizhou, we visited the Hakka owned Yearning Tea Plantation. There we tasted the local dancong tea, an oolong tea noted for its ability to soothe the throat. The company logo, a flying wild goose, represents the Hakka fleeing from the north to the south, a fitting tribute to tea and the Hakka.

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.

Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook in the World

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A couple of months ago I was notified that The Hakka Cookbook was the USA finalist and on the shortlist for the Chinese Cuisine category in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. The award ceremony would take place in Paris. At first, I thought Paris seemed an expensive trip to go for an award I was unlikely to receive. Yet, I might never have another chance for this experience. Any excuse to visit Paris seemed good enough, win or lose.

Last weekend we sat in a ballroom packed with people, some dressed in backless gowns, Japanese kimonos, or Russian costumes. Finalists were from all over the world— Malaysia, Australia, Mexico, Ireland, China, Turkey, India, South Africa. People were just as excited as if they were at the Academy Awards. As the awards were announced, the winners came to the stage, received a large certificate (sorry, no golden statue), and a brief chance to thank their supporters.

Shock, disbelief, joy–these emotions flooded through me as I heard the host of the ceremonies announce, “We have a tie for first place for best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook in the World.” I looked at the screen on stage and my book, The Hakka Cookbook appeared alongside China’s finalist Da Dong Artistic Conception of Chinese Cuisine. I couldn’t believe it, my modest book, which took years to find a publisher was awarded Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook in the World for 2012. My husband was so shocked, he almost forgot to take photos as I walked to the stage to receive my award certificate.

The day after the awards, I compared the finalists in my category. Interestingly, the two first place winners were complete opposites. I would almost consider the book from China an art book. Big and beautiful with glossy pages of lush color photos of stylized dishes, it seemed to be made for the coffee table rather than the kitchen. Recipes were chef-oriented. The Hakka Cookbook, the only finalist without color photos, used duo tone paintings by my brother, Alan Chong Lau, to illustrate the pages. Detailed recipes for comfort food was written for home cooks. Yet the book also contained history, and stories about the Hakka, a people and cuisine rarely written about. Perhaps the judges awarded both of us for innovation in different ways, we both explored new territory in unique presentations. Whatever the reasons, winning made my trip to Paris, even sweeter.

My favorite woks

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Stir-frying in an enamel clad cast-iron wok. Twenty-five year old carbon steel wok rests in foreground.

At my Hakka cooking party, I brought woks for stir-frying. Although we could have used a 12-inch frying pan, I find the wok far superior. With its bowl-like shape and great heat conductivity, the wok is one of the most versatile pans there is. Use it for stir-frying, braising, deep-frying, steaming, pan-browning, boiling, and smoking.

My friends questioned me about the woks. Many had admitting once owning a wok, but gave it away. Think of a wok like a cast iron frying pan. You need to scrub it, then season it with oil to seal the pores. Use it often and it develops a non-stick patina. Once you get the hang of it, you will use the wok for everything.  Besides Chinese stir-fries, I use the wok to make spaghetti sauce, stews, and even popcorn. It will last forever. It’s the best pan for camping trips, versatile and rugged.

“Which wok should I buy,” they asked. The wok should measure about 14-inches across. This is a good size for most home ranges. With gas burners you can use a flat or round bottom wok. Round bottom woks need a ring to stabilize the pan when used for steaming or deep-frying.  With electric burners, choose the flat bottom wok.

I brought two woks. One is a traditional carbon steel round bottom wok with one long wood handle and a short handle on the opposite side. The long handle is easy to grasp when stir-frying and sits on my gas burner. However, for most people a flat bottom version of this wok might be preferable. My wok is more than twenty-five years old and has a dark patina from frequent use. About seven years ago, Tane Chan of The Wok Shop in San Francisco gave me a two-handled enamel-clad cast iron flat-bottom wok which I use almost everyday.  Both are priced under $25.

To season these woks, scrub them well, inside and out. Coat the surfaces  (no need to coat enamel exterior) with a light film of neutral flavored vegetable oil. If there are wood handles, remove or wrap with a damp cloth and foil. Bake, upside- down, in a preheated 425° F oven for about 20 minutes. To remove the metallic taste,  place wok over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and cut-up onions or Chinese chives and stir-fry, pressing vegetables into the pan, until about two-thirds of the pan turns black, 10 to 15 minutes. Throw out vegetables. Wipe off excess oil and you’re ready to stir-fry.

You need to use your wok, preferably often, to develop a patina. People give up on woks too soon.  Don’t scrub it too hard or you will remove the seasoning. Simply soak the pan until stuck-on food is soft, then wipe off and rinse. I dry the pan over a hot burner to make sure it is thoroughly dry. Storing a wok damp may cause it to rust. A wok should not be shiny and bright like a stainless steel pan. It’s a work in progress. The color of your pan will change as it is used and eventually develop dark color and natural nonstick finish.

An easy way to restore the patina is to pop corn it it. Simply place the wok over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, Add about 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1/3 cup popcorn kernels. Cover the pan and shake pan often until popping subsides, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour out popcorn. The popcorn spreads the oil all over the pan evenly. Repeat, then wipe out excess oil. Your bonus is popcorn to snack on.

When buying your wok, also get a domed lid, curved wok spatula, and if buying a round bottom wok, get a wok ring. A good source to buy your woks is at The Wok Shop which is also online. My friend Tane Chan can guide you.

 

 

 

Dedicated to the Hakka around the world

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I dedicated this book to Hakka all around the world. That’s why I was so touched to read a post on Maya in the Morning by Maya Leland, a fellow Hakka who received The Hakka Cookbook as a gift.

In Roots uncovered, she writes about our shared history and most importantly she relays her own family story of migration from China to British Guyana to Jamaica. Her daughter-in-law even cooked one of the more exotic dishes in the book, Spiced Goat Stew with Preserved Lime Sauce, a recipe from a Hakka Jamaican who now lives in Toronto.

Reading blogs and reviews like this fulfills one of my goals for writing The Hakka Cookbook. Hopefully the book makes Hakkas as well as the world to be more aware of who we are, our unique history of migration, our strong character, and our food.

Thanks Maya.

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.

 

 

Mustard greens are in

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Last week, I gave a presentation at the ACCT dinner in San Francisco. They wanted a small taste of a recipe from the book. When I heard 180 people were attending, I turned to one of the easiest recipes in the book, Pickled Mustard Greens (p. 147). I have used this recipe often for book signing events, because it can be made ahead, served cold, and provide a small taste to great many people.

Use broad-stemmed mustard greens for pickles.

The key to the recipe are the mustard greens. The ones used for pickles have big broad leaves and thick wide stems are generally most available in cool weather months. Sometimes they are called dai gai choy. Since they are sold mostly for pickles, sometimes the leaves are trimmed off. The heads and stems may be straight, but are often curved into a semiclosed heart.

Just a week before the dinner, I was surprised to find these greens at the San Mateo Farmers Market where I shop every Saturday. The Hmong farmer was so pleased that I bought six big heads, that she brought them again the following week. She said that although she grows them, she didn’t usually bring them to this market because she didn’t think people would buy them. She also pickles them to eat at home. If you can’t find them at the farmers’ market, most Asian markets carry them in the winter.

This recipe comes from Hawaii resident Margaret Lai who grew up in Tahiti where the Hakka made up the majority of the Chinese population. Her easy pickles have a strong sweet-sour punch and are far crisper than purchased pickles.

Pickled Mustard Greens

Makes 3 to 4 cups

3/4 to 1 1/4 pounds broad-stemmed Chinese mustard greens

2/3 cup rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt or table salt

1. Pull apart the mustard greens and separate the stems. Cut the stems and thicker part of the leaves into 1-inch pieces to make 4 to 5 cups. Wash and drain the greens. Reserve leaves for soup or other stir-fries.

2. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, bring about 1 1/2 quarts water to a boil. Add the mustard greens to the boiling water. Stir to separate. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.

3. In a bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the mustard greens. Cover the bowl and let stand at room temperature overnight. Transfer the mixture to a smaller container. Cover and chill until the pickles are yellowish-green and sweet and tangy, 2 to 3 days. Store in refrigerator up to 2 to 3 months.