Spicy Eggplant (aubergine) with minced pork, basil and mint

Thumbs up for this delicious and nutritious Hakka dish that is easy to prepare. The myraid of flavours makes it a good companion for a meal with rice and soup. You can imagine this must be very popular in the old days where meat was expensive and scarce.

Peel and slice eggplant. Soak them in salty solution if not cooking immediately. Drain well. Deep fry cut eggplant pieces (with out without flour or batter) in sufficient amount of heated vegetable oil. Healthier alternatives are to steam the eggplant for a few minutes or slow bake in the oven for 30 minutes till soft and cooked.

Wash. drain and air dry mint leaves and basil leaves from 2 to 3 stalks each. Set aside for later use.

Fry chopped garlic and onions till fragrant. Add minced pork marinated in light soy sauce and pepper and fry till well cooked.

Return cooked eggplant to the pot. Add oyster sauce, chopped chillies, spicy bean sauce and sesame oil. Give the mixture a quick stir on high heat. Finally, add mint and basil leaves as garnishing before serving.

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A simple Hakka meal for guests

A meal served at Zheng Cheng Lou at Yongding County, South China : rice and dishes.

From top left : Mei Cai Kou Ro; fried fresh water fish; steamed fish ball; salted chicken; marrow stew with meat, fried tofu and melon soup (centre).

Link :

http://oneworldtalk.freeforums.org/hakka-cuisine-t158.html

以家常便饭待客

Spinach Soup - packed with minerals and vitamins

Red Spinach Soup

A nutritious and delicious soup that is easy to cook is none other than mom's favourite spinach simmered in anchovy broth. In Hakka, it's pronounced as "han choy soon" or "hyin choy tong" in Cantonese or "heng chai turng" in Hokkien.

Firstly, wash and drain Asian spinach leaves. The stalk must be skinned so that it would not be too tough and fibrous.

If making the anchovy stock the old fashioned way from scratch, wash dried anchovy (jiang yu in Chinese or ikan bilis in Malay), add to a pot of water and bring to the boil. Filter in through a fine sieve and use only the clear stock for making soup. You may add more water to the residue and boil a second round of stock.

Dried anchovy powder in muslim sachets are available in Korean or Japanese supermarkets. They are a better alternative to processed ikan bilis granules which are more likely to contain artificial flavouring, colours, MSG and preservatives.

Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Sesame oil is optional. Serve while the soup is warm.

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Pan Fried Bitter Melon

Earlier, I shared my aunt's recipe of bitter gourd with ribs and bean sauce.

http://hakkafood.blogspot.com/2009/01/aunties-special-bitter-gourd.html

Here is another recipe for those who prefer crunchy rather than soft bitter melon, stir frying would yield the desired results. It takes a shorter time to cook this dish that is refreshing especially in summer time.

• Soak bitter melon slices in salt water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain.
• Dry fry bittermelon in medium heat till slightly dry. Push to the side of the pan or dish up.
• Caramelise brown sugar. Add a little oil and fry chopped garlic.
• Return bitter melon to the centre of the heat.
• Add prawn or chicken slices and fry till cooked.
  The texture of the melon should be a little crunchy.

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Poon Choi or pen cai - Basin Vegetable dish for Chinese New Year

Poon Choi, also known as pen cai or Big Bowl Feast, is a traditional type of Chinese dish with layers of different cooked ingredients.

It was said that pen cai was invented during the late Song Dynasty. When Mongol troops invaded Song China, the young Emperor fled to the area around Guangdong. To serve the Emperor as well as his army, the locals collected all their best food available, cooked it, and put it in wooden washing basins.

Despite it's humble beginnings, pen cai has been given an exotic makeover with many five star restaurants serving it as an exotic and expensive dish during Chinese New Year with chicken, oysters, abalone, prawns, mushrooms and vegetables.

www.fehd.gov.hk/.../poon_choi.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poon_choi

http://forums.chef2chef.net/viewtopic.php?t=502909

Fried Radish Meat Balls 萝卜丸

- Wash radish, peel the skin and shred thinly. Set aside.
- Wash dried shrimp, chop finely, pan fry or bake with a little oil till fragrant. Cool.
- Dice soaked mushroom or black fungus roughly.
- Put radish, minced pork, shrimp, mushroom, tapioca flour, seasoning, egg, in a mixing bowl.
- Stir the mixture till sticky.
- Using a round spoon, scoop some mixture and shape into balls.
- Either steam over boiling water for 15 minutes over medium heat or pan fry with cooking oil till golden brown.

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Hakka hometown Okra

Steamed spicy okra (lady's finger)

This is my uncle's recipe : not a hint of tartness or gluey texture.

The secrets lie in the slicing of the okra lengthwise and the concoction of sauces with dried shrimp and chilli.

Wholesome home fried Pumpkin

A nutritious savoury stir fry dish of steamed pumpkin, diced meat and salty vegetables. Pumpkin seeds are said to be aphrodisiac.

Hakka Steamed Rice Cake : pronounced Bun

Cao Pun

A Taiwanese Hakka rice cake

Glutinous rice dough mixed with fragrant "ai cao" herb.

A savoury filling of yam bean, salty radish and dried shrimp.

Soon Pun

My friend's mum used to make this traditional steamed pun to sell. Unlike the typical "soon kueh" of Hokkien extraction, Hakka "soon pun" is made with yam flour, hence it's greyish rather than white color. The filling is the product of your imagination and creativity : shredded yam bean, wood fungus, bamboo shoot, carrot, dried shrimp, peanut, ...

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Homemade Assorted Stuffed vegetables - Yong Tofu - Niang Doufu 酿 豆 腐

Hakka Stuffed Tofu

The story was told that Hakkas who migrated from central China, tried to improvise making jiaozi (meat dumplings) using tofu instead of wheat flour pastry which is a scarce in southern China. Today, niang doufu (yong tofu) has become popularized in Chinese restaurants throughout the world.


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Traditional and authentic yong tofu filling contains minced pork, salty dried fish and fish paste. Starch is added to bind the meat which is whipped into a bouncy consistency. Seasoning is basic, using salt and pepper, and possibly spring onions and cut chilli.

One is not limited to stuffing only tofu products. It is really up to the imagination of the cook and the availability of ingredients to create different delicious morsels.

Niang dofu is usually deep fried so that it could keep longer. They are then cooked in boiling soya bean and anchovy stock or oyster sauce gravy. The dipping sweet and chilli sauces add another layer of flavouring to the dish.