Forum on Penang Hakka folks

CHUNG Ling High School, Chinese daily Kwong Wah Yit Poh and the Penang Philomathic Union all have one thing in common — Sun Yat-Sen and the Penang Hakka community.
Their history and connection are among the topics that will
be discussed during the upcoming ‘Hakka Study and Research and the Chinese Communities of Penang’ forum at Han Chiang College on May 2.

The forum will be the second joint effort between the college and the National University of Singapore (NUS).

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He added that the Federation of Malaysian Hakka Associations also had high hopes of establishing a Hakka Village Cultural Centre in Balik Pulau soon.

The Hakka studies and research forum will start at 9am at the Han Chiang College hall. It will kick off with a dialogue session with Han Chiang and NUS academicians at 9.20am.

Three research papers on the Hakka community will be presented by post graduate NUS students at 10.45am.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/4/29/north/3758855&sec=North

Most people have the impression that most Penang residents are Hokkien and Peranakan. There is however a sizeable number of Penangites whose ancestry could be traced to Hakka origins but most have learnt to speak Hokkien for convenience.

Taro / yam braised meat -- yu tou kou rou 芋头扣肉

Tantalising taro arranged alternately with double cooked belly pork

Cooking the belly pork entails various stages. Ensure that you prepare hours in advance. Firstly, the pork has to be marinated in soy sauce and five spice powder for at least an hour. Drain the sauce before frying the fatty portion in a hot frying pan. Quickly transfer into a pot with the marinade and bring to the slow boil. Add 2 cloves of garlic. Lower the heat and simmer with lid on till tender and fragrant. This should take at least an hour or two. Then cool the meat. Remove and slice into smaller pieces.

Meanwhile, panfry the taro (yam) till slightly golden brown (half cooked).
Arrange taro and pork belly slices alternately in a large bowl. Adding fermented red beancurd will lend the dish more flavour, aroma and colour. Use fu ru sparingly as it can be very salty.

Steam over boiling water in a large pot or wok covered for 45 minutes to an hour. Ensure that water does not dry up or it may damage your cooking utensils or could even be dangerous. To tell if it's ready, the yam and meat should be quite soft and amalgamated. Place a large dish over the bowl and press tightly. Quickly invert the bowl and put on the table. Remove the bowl which has served as a mould while cooking.


This is a very popular dish among Hakkas who lived in Guangzhou. It is an adaptation from trademark Hakka dish salty mustard braised pork belly.

Another recipe : http://hakkafood.blogspot.com/2009/01/taro-yam-braised-belly-pork.html
Mei cai kou rou : http://hakkafood.blogspot.com/2009/03/mei-cai-kou-ro.html

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Different recipes for rice wine making and dishes - drunken chicken soup

Chicken Rice Wine Soup is a great comfort food in cold winters and post-natal convalescence.

Unlike most soups, the meat has to be stir fried with garlic, ginger and rice wine in medium heat till fragrant and three quarters cooked. Add sesame oil and proportionate amount of water as desired. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes and it is ready to be served with steamed rice.

This recipe is attributed to my mother.

Please refer to an earlier post : http://hakkafood.blogspot.com/2009/03/hakka-rice-wine.html

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Hakka Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup is a popular post natal "confinement" dish because it is high in protein and a variety of nutrients such as omega3, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.. Please note that black beans are round and not the same as kidney beans used in Mexican cooking.

Black beans could be pre-fried in advance. Beans that are not soaked or fried before cooking tends to produce a strong bean taste and are not easily digestible.

Fry black beans in a heavy skillet or wok without oil in medium heat. Keep stirring to prevent the beans from burning. This could take about 30 minutes. Be patient and do not overheat the beans.

Parboil pork ribs or pig tail briefly in medium hot water. Do not let it overboil. Remove from heat and refresh with cold water.

In a large stock pot, submerge meat in cold water and bring to the boil. Add black beans and chicken stock. Continue boiling with the lid covered, checking that it does not overflow. When it is boiled, turn down the heat and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes. Add salt according to taste.

Stuffed Doufu in Hot Claypot

Dongjiang (Tong Kong) in Guangdong province, Meixian district, is known for its clear mountain waters which are said to be excellent for producing the best snow white and succulent doufu (tofu). Hakkas in Dongjiang have mastered the art of cooking tofu. This dish is cooked in a claypot to retain all the heat and flavours until it is ready to be served.

Cut 2 blocks of firm and silky tofu into rectangular bite sizes.

Blend mince lean pork, fish paste, dried shrimp, salted fish by chopping and blending vigorously with chopsticks. Alternatively, use an electric blender. Add salt, pepper and starch solution at every 5 minute interval.

Scoop a dollop of minced meat and press firmly on top of each beancurd, taking care not to dent it. Fry in oil till cooked.

Heat up frying pan with vegetable oil. Saute garlic, spring onion and ginger in this sequence. Bring 3 TBS of chicken stock to the boil in a claypot. Add garlic, spring onion and ginger.

Put in the vegetables : carrot, spinach or cabbage and simmer. Add the cooked beancurd. Drizzle a little soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce.
Cover and bring to a gradual boil.

References to other types of stuffed tofu :

Compare this with fried tofu http://hakkafood.blogspot.com/2009/04/pan-fried-niang-dou-fu.html

and assorted stuffed vegetables and beancurd variations http://hakkafood.blogspot.com/search?q=niang+dofu

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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Toasted Rice Biscuit and Roast Rice Tea

炒米饼 Cao Mi Bing (Toasted Rice Biscuits) also known as "powdery crisp" in some parts of China should melt in the mouth instead of rock hard.
My regrets not getting the recipe of this Chinese New Year must-have from my late granny. I have a hazy idea of the recipe and searching the internet for clues have not helped much either.

According to traditional recipes, white glutinous rice grains are sieved and washed to remove impurities. Drain and air dry before dry frying (without oil) in a large wok or flat pan till golden colour. Similarly, mung bean flour should be fried till fragrant. Add fine castor sugar, vegetable oil or fragrant oil to the flours. Blend well. Some recipes recommend boiling the sugar into a carmalised syrup which I can imagine would be more difficult to combine with the flour. Adding a little beaten egg will help to bind the biscuit. Press the mixture into biscuit moulds and knock it out on the baking tray. In the old days, the cookies are baked in a charcoal fuel cooker.
Rice biscuits are now easily available in the grocery stores all around the world. Rice cookies from Macau contain ground Chinese almonds (apricot kernels) and groundnuts, making it more fragrant and crunchy.

Roast Rice Tea

A comforting beverage during winter and for women after delivery. Roast rice tea is quite similar to Japanese or Korean green tea with roast rice (minus the tea leaves). It has warming properties and leaves a pleasant after taste. Dry fry rice grains as in the above method of preparing toast rice biscuits. When cooled, store rice grains in an air tight bottle. A teaspoon of rice grains is sufficient to make a cup of tea

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