Come to Hakka cooking demo and talk

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Join me for at the Menlo Park Library Monday, August 13 at 6:30 pm for a slide show and cooking demo on Hakka Soul Food. Learn about the Hakka Chinese and how their unique history of migration influenced their food. Afterwards, I will demo 3 or 4 recipes. Tasting will follow. The event is free. Hope to see you there!

Cooking Demo: Hakka Chinese Soul Food

August 13, Monday, 6:30 pm

Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma Street, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Contact: 650. 330. 2501

Email: John Weaver  jnweaver@menlopark.org

 

Long beans and pork stir-fry

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Popo (grandmother) loved to garden. One of my favorite vegetables was her Chinese long beans that measured almost two feet long.

Last weekend at the farmers’ market long beans (aka yard long beans) were back in season. This variety is related to black-eyed peas or cowpeas so they have a heartier bean flavor than common crunchier green beans. I bought a bundle of the slender dark green beans (they can also be light green) and cooked them as Popo (grandmother) would in this easy stir-fry with pork and a dark savory bean sauce.

Look for the ground bean sauce in Asian markets. Other names for it are bean sauce, brown bean sauce, yellow bean sauce, bean paste, mo chi jiang, meen see, mo see chiang) This thick, pasty sauce is made from ground fermented soybeans. It has a salty, pronounced fermented bean flavor, akin to soy sauce. For an alternative, you could use hoisin sauce which is a sweetened spiced version of bean sauce. Eliminate the sugar in the sauce, if used.

Stir-fried Long Beans and Pork (page 21 of The Hakka Cookbook)

Makes 2 servings as a main dish or 4 servings as part of a multicourse meal

Sauce:

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (shaoxing) or dry sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

 

Stir-fry:

8 ounces long beans

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 to 8 ounces ground pork

1 tablespoon ground bean sauce

1/2 cup water, or as needed

 

1. For the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the water, wine, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch.

2. For the stir-fry: Trim off the stem ends from the beans and cut the beans into 1/2-inch lengths.

3. Set a 14-inch wok or 12-inch frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and rotate pan to spread. Add the onion and garlic; stir-fry until the onion is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the pork and stir-fry until the meat is browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the bean sauce to coat the pork. Add the water and beans. Cover and cook until beans are barely tender to the bite, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the sauce mixture and add to the pan. Stir-fry until the sauce boils and thickens, about 30 seconds. With a frying pan, the sauce may be thicker. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin sauce. Transfer to a serving dish.

 

A Village with My Name

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A village with my Name by Scott TongI recently read A Village with My Name, A Family History of China’s Opening to the World (2017, University of Chicago Press). The author Scott Tong is a public radio journalist. In this book, he tells the story of China’s turbulent history and view of the West through five generations of his own family. While stationed in Shanghai to open the first China bureau for the business show Marketplace, he connects with family members who had stayed in China, while his parents fled to the United States.

Through his investigative reporting skills, he traces the history of China through his own family history. As his relatives share (often reluctantly) untold stories and painful memories Tong tells a story from their different perspectives of those who had lived through events such as the toppling of Qing monarchy, Japan’s occupation during WWII, and the Great Leap forward. It’s a story of survival, resilience, opportunity, and exploration.

With his personal narrative following real people, this is an engaging read for anyone interested in understanding China’s history and how it shaped modern China today.

Click here for an interview with Tong.

Eating Hakka food in a Fujian tulou

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What is it like living in a Hakka village? On our recent trip to China, we spent one day and night living in a Hakka tulou and eating Hakka food for a true Hakka experience. We slept in the 138 year-old Tulou Fuyulou in Fujian province. We ate all our meals here–home-style fare with satisfying simplicity.

Our Hakka Meals

For lunch, simple stir-fry dishes appeared on the table such as tomatoes with eggs, eggplant with bits of pork, chicken with mushrooms, and beef with green peppers. The soup paired local bamboo shoots with mustard greens and sliced pork. We loved the dumplings stuffed with bamboo shoots and mushrooms. The host said the chewy dumpling dough contained  mashed cooked taro and tapioca starch. The Hakka classic steamed pork belly with preserved mustard greens (kiu ngiuk moi choi) arrived last. My favorite dish was the eggplant which resembles the recipe for Braised Eggplant, Pork, and Mushrooms in The Hakka Cookbook (page 93).

After a few hours exploring the village, we returned to eat dinner. The chef allowed us to watch him in the kitchen as he and his staff cooked our dinner. He dipped small whole smelt into a batter and deep-fried the tiny fish until crisp, just like my mother did in California. For the soup, the cook heated frozen precooked beef balls in a light broth or water.  She poured the boiling hot broth and meatballs over chopped celery, green onion, and a small handful of chopped fresh squid in a large serving bowl. The boiling liquid instantly cooked the raw ingredients.

To prepare Ginger Duck, the chef chopped half a steamed duck into bite-sized pieces and stir-fried the duck with garlic, lots of sliced fresh ginger, and green onion. He added a little light and dark soy sauce, and a generous splash of water. A drizzle of cornstarch slurry to the cooking liquid lightly thickened the sauce as it came to a boil.

 

 

 

 

A couple of stir-fries followed. Soy sauce lightly seasoned potato sticks with pork strips. Blanched bamboo shoots, pickled mustard greens, and green onion cooked together for simple vegetable. Local greens with slightly bitter leaves wilted briefly in water, then a beaten egg was drizzled in the liquid, to create egg flower-like swirls. We sipped the local sweet rice wine to end another satisfying meal of Chinese comfort food eaten at a Hakka tulou.

A visit to the Hakka tulou

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Chuxi Tulou Cluster

Last week, I visited some of the earthen structures built by our Hakka ancestors known as tulou (??) located in Yongding County in Fujian Province in China. The large tall structures with thick load-bearing rammed earth walls were designed to keep out bandits and house a group of families. Many are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Chuxi Tulou Cluster

During the Cold War, it is said when viewed from space their unusual shapes and sizes looked like missile sites or nuclear reactors. On the ground, inspectors found that they were simply large homes for a group of Chinese families.

Many were designed with a distinctive round shape. Built in a circular shape to thwart bandits, these multi-story homes were virtually earthen fortresses. Their round shape made it easier to defend with no corners for enemies to hide behind. The tall height gave them a better vantage point to attack their enemies. Thick walls kept bullets and attackers out.

Families lived together, each usually occupied a vertical section of the round, sort of like a pie-shaped wedge. In most of the  tulou we visited, the bottom floor was the communal area with kitchen and ancestral hall. Upper floors were for sleeping and storage.

Zhenchenglou at Hongkeng Tulou Cluster

We spent the afternoon and night at Hongkeng Tulou Cluster to experience the life in a Hakka village without the crowds. Early in the morning, we visited the double-ring Zhenchenglou tulou built in 1912 built by a tobacco knife trader.

We slept at the138-year old Tulou Fuyulou Changdi Inn. At this square-shaped tulou, we ate Hakka meals in the courtyard, tasted the family’s local teas–oolong, orange, and flower–and slept upstairs in the bedrooms retrofitted with Western toilets. As we toured the village, we saw families cooking dinner, tending their vegetable gardens, children playing, and mustard greens drying in the courtyards. It’s a quiet life. These days mostly seniors and children occupy the village. Most of the young people have gone to the big cities to work and make money.

The Chuxi Tulou Cluster, inhabited in the 14th century by the Xu clan dates back to the Ming dynasty. This picturesque Hakka village contains primarily round and rectangular shaped tulou. Unfortunately the oldest and largest one, Jiquing Lou, was closed for renovation when we there.

 

 

Salt-baked chicken in Dill Magazine

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Last year I read an article about a new start-up magazine called Dill. The mission of this handsome publication was to journey deep into the cuisines of Asia in a detailed and nerdy way.

Surprisingly,19-year old Shayne Chammavanijakul, a college sophomore from Chicago started this quarterly with little publishing experience aside from working on the high school paper. The founder often spent summers in Thailand visiting family. A few years ago she devoted time learning from her Hakka Thai grandmother. As she cooked and talked with her, she realized that there were many untold stories about food, culture, and immigrant experiences.

Chammavanijakul, with the help of family, friends, and publishing professionals such as Editorial Coordinator Tippy Jeng designed this magazine for people who wanted to read in-depth stories on authentic Asian food and recipes that were not watered down for the masses.

With my Hakka roots, a career in publishing, and a Thai husband, I sensed we shared a connection and sent Chammavanijakul a copy of The Hakka Cookbook. As a result, in the recently published second issue of Dill, look for recipes from The Hakka Cookbook for Salt-Baked Chicken and three sauces: red chile-bean sauce (new recipe from Fah Liong), fresh ginger-onion sauce, and sand ginger sauce. The article runs from page 118 to 121.

With heavyweight paper, beautiful photos, and professional writing the magazine compares to a soft cover book and is priced accordingly. If you love Asian food, this is the magazine for you. To buy a copy of Dill, click here.

Hakka classic: chicken and mushrooms

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Dark, savory, and sweet describes this ginger-scented stew of chicken and mushrooms. It’s a Hakka classic with many variations. My mom braised big bone-in pieces of chicken and earthy shiitake mushrooms in soy sauce and sugar until dark and glossy.

In this quick and easy version, Fah Liong, originally from Indonesia, uses a sweet soy sauce known as kecap manis and boneless chunks of chicken thigh (page 204 of The Hakka Cookbook for original recipe). Look for the Indonesian soy sauce in Southeast Asian sections of Asian supermarkets. For a quick alternative to kecap manis mix 2 tablespoons dark (aka black) soy sauce and 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar. Or make my recipe for Sweet Soy Sauce on page 269 of The Hakka Cookbook.

Soy-braised Chicken and Mushrooms

Makes 4 servings as a main dish or 6 to 8 servings as part of a multicourse meal

12 dried shiitake mushrooms

3 1/2 cups hot water, or as needed

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons thinly slivered fresh ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons kecap manis (or 2 tablespoons each dark (or black) soy sauce and packed brown sugar)

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

3 greens onions, including green tops, cut in 2-inch lengths

 

1. Rinse the mushrooms and soak in the hot water until soft, 20 minutes to 2 hours. Squeeze excess water out of mushrooms and reserve soaking water. Remove and discard mushroom stems. Cut caps in half.

2. Trim excess fat off chicken. Cut chicken into about 1-inch chunks.

3. Set a 14-inch wok or 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, ginger, and garlic. Stir-fry until garlic begins to brown. Add the chicken and stir often until it begins to brown 4 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1 1/2 cups of mushroom-soaking water, pouring carefully so sediment stays behind. Add sweet soy sauce and bring to boil.

4. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender when pierced, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer meat and mushrooms with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl. Skim off and discard fat from pan juices. If pan juices measure more than 1 1/4 cups, boil, uncovered, until reduced to that amount. If juices measure less than 1 1/4 cups, add water to make that amount and bring to a boil. Stir in salt to taste, pepper, and green onions. Pour over chicken.

A feast at the Hakka Restaurant

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Hakka restaurant

 

Last night, we enjoyed a pre-Chinese New Year’s feast at the Hakka Restaurant in San Francisco. With a group of ten we had enough people to try some of their special order specialties.

My friend Yin-Wah told me that Chef Jin Wah Li makes a soup that no one else makes in the city. The description sounded a bit unusual, but she assured me it was delicious. The chef’s wife also claimed it was her favorite soup. So I pre-ordered the “pig stomach stuffed with chicken soup”.Hakka RestaurantHakka restaurant

A huge white tureen came to the table. The server lifted out a football-shaped packet to a platter. She slit open the pork stomach wrapper to reveal a whole chicken. Then she ladled the clear golden broth into bowls. She explained that the chicken-stuffed-stomach, along with chicken feet, white peppercorns, ginger, and dried longan (aka dragon eye, a fruit similar to lychee) had steamed together for 5 to 6 hours to create this complex broth. The essence of chicken imbued the broth, with an underlying spiciness from the peppercorns, balanced by a faint fruity sweetness. Each spoonful represented the work of a masterful chef. Although the chicken and pig’s stomach were offered for eating, I felt most of their flavor had transferred to the broth.

Stuffed duck is another listed specialty. We had tasted the duck years ago with a barley stuffing and wanted to try something different. An unlisted option offered a rice stuffing. The duck arrived with rice studded with savory treasures such as Chinese sausage and dried scallops. The chef had browned the stuffed duck, wrapped it in lotus leaves, and steamed it until the duck fell apart when nudged with a fork. Delicious!

We also pre-ordered lobster noodles. A generous portion of lobster chunks were stir-fried with noodles. Fingers were needed to coax the sweet lobster meat out of the shell.

Hakka Restaurant

Steamed Sea Bass with Pickled Mustard Greens and Pork

 

 

 

 

 

Other dishes we ordered that are usually on the menu or wall photos:

Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens (a must-have favorite)

Stir-fried Pea Greens

Clams with Spicy Salt and Black Bean Sauce (another favorite)

Salt-Baked Chicken

Steamed Sea Bass in Two Flavors (with pickled mustard greens and pork)

 

Hakka Restaurant, 4401-A Cabrillo Street (corner of 45th Avenue), San Francisco, CA 94121 Tel. 415 876 6898

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The Illustrated Wok

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Last spring, the editors of The Cleaver Quarterly invited me to contribute a recipe to their new project,The Illustrated Wok, a cookbook with hand-drawn Chinese recipes from around the world. I was honored to be included in this collection of 40 celebrity chefs, authors, and food writers. Each recipe would be paired with an illustrator. I suggested my brother, Alan Lau, who painted the art for The Hakka Cookbook, illustrate my recipe for Sweet Tangy Bitter Melon Pickles.

I was amazed at the speed this book was put together. By the November, the book had been funded by kickstarter backers, produced, and printed. I received my copy in December and I am delighted with the results.

Each recipe offers a new voice, a surprise, and a different presentation. Some recipes are illustrated with spare elegant black brush painting, others exude color and humor with comic book graphics. Some introduce fantasy and whimsy to the recipes.

Recipes are categorized in headings based on ingredients, technique, type of dish, or geographic origin. Chefs bring fresh perspectives and often global flavors to traditional Chinese dishes. Recipes do not follow a set consistent style. Each is written in the voice of the contributor. Just reading the stories and savoring the art is almost as satisfying as actually cooking and eating the recipes. Buy the book here.

 

 

 

Thai Rooster bowls with Hakka roots

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In January, photos of charming Chinese bowls with a distinctive colorful rooster pattern caught my eye in the Bangkok Post’s feature article. Little did I know, that these rooster bowls had Hakka roots.

The story was about Yupin Dhanabadeesakul, a woman who was following her Chinese immigrant father’s footsteps in their family ceramics business. Her father, Simyu Sae-chin migrated from Guangdong to Thailand during China’s civil war. He was a ceramic craftsman and when he discovered kaolin clay near Lampang, he opened a ceramic factory and crafted bowls hand painted with a colorful rooster, the same design he used in China. When I read about his Chinese roots, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was Hakka.

Yupin Dhanabadeesakul , owner with Hakka roots, still works in the family ceramics factory

Almost a year later, I found myself in Chiang Mai, not far from Lampang. I remembered the article about the rooster bowls and suggested we visit the Dhanabadee factory. There is a museum, factory outlet and workshop where you can paint ceramic objects with your own design. Our grand children painted elephants while their parents shopped. While their painted ceramic elephants were fired in the kiln, we went on a fascinating tour of the museum that highlights the family company’s history and the production of the ceramics.

I was surprised to see Yupin, the daughter of the founder featured in the article, humbly working on the production line, trimming clay bowls. After our tour we asked if we could take a photo with the owner. She gladly agreed. My husband asked her in Thai if she was Chinese Hakka ( ?????? Jeen  Kae.) She answered yes, but her father wanted to make it easier for his children to assimilate in his new country so he gave his children a Thai name. Even with her Thai name, Yupin epitomizes the spirit and tenacity of the hard-working Hakka woman.

Dhanabadee Ceramic Museum Address 543 M.1, T.GLOUYPAE, A.MUANG, LAMPANG 52000 THAILAND Tel. (+66) 05435 4011-2