Eating Hakka food in a Fujian tulou

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.

Hakka in Toronto

Poster#1 THC2016 copyI’m working on my presentation for the upcoming Toronto Hakka Conference. Of course, I will be talking about food.

I will be in Toronto a few extra days and wonder where to eat. Do you have any suggestions for restaurants with Hakka chefs in the Toronto area? Would love to know where you eat and what your favorite dishes are. What’s new? I know many Hakka chefs come from India but have heard there are some with Jamaican roots. Please share your suggestions with me!

Visit Toronto Hakka Conference to register and see the program. From July 1 to 3, participants have a chance to meet Hakka from all over the world. Listen to experts speak about subjects ranging from Hakka genealogy, food, dialects, history, and much more. The Toronto area holds a concentration of Hakka from that spans the globe. At my first conference in 2008 I connected with many Hakka and interviewed them for The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from around the World.

Hakka tastes in London

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.