I
n justa fewhundredyears,HongKonghasgonefroma smallfarming
andfishingcommunitytoaninternationalfreeportandglobalfinancial
centre. It is regularlythemostvisitedcityintheworld– withmorethan
25 millionpeopletravellingtothecityeveryyear.
Foodis anintegralpartofanycountryorcity'sculture,historyandlifestyleand
HongKongis noexception.HongKong’scuisinehasbeencharacterisedas a fusion
ofEastandWest,reflectingtheculturaldiversityandtheinfluenceofitsChinese
roots,theyearsofBritishColonyandthecurrentdaycosmopolitan“worldcity”.
Asaninternationalmetropolitanhub,HongKongbringstogetherdifferent
cuisinesfromallovertheworld.Elevatedbyitsincrediblydiverselocalfood,
HongKonghasbeenpraisedasa foodparadisefordecades.
You’llfindsomethingincredibletoeatinHongKongat anytimeofthe
day,andthereis somethingforeverytypeofdiner– fromhumble,traditional
breakfastslikecongee;orquickandsatisfyingnoodlesforlunch;totrendy
streetsidetreatslikebubbleteaandeggwaffles;andfeastsofroastmeatsandthe
highest of high-end Michelin-starred dining experiences the world has to offer.Porkandcabbage dumplings
MAKESABOUT 40“Thesearea stapleontheyumchatrolley,andprobablyoneofthemostwidely
enjoyedChinesefoodsamongWesterners,”saysArChanChan.Picturedp1066 driedshiitakemushrooms
2 tbspdriedshrimp
285 gmwombok(Chinese cabbage),
finelychopped
2 tbspcanolaoil
225 gmmincedpork
2 tbsplightsoysauce
1 tspmincedginger
1 tspcastersugar
1 tbspShaoxingricewine
1 tbspsesameoil
⅛ tspgroundwhitepepper
30 gmfinelychoppedspringonion
DUMPLINGSKINS
200 gm(1⅓cups)breadflour
100 gm (⅔ cup) plain flour1 Soakdriedshiitakein250ml(1 cup)
watertorehydrate(6hoursorovernight).
Strainandreserveliquid.Soakdried
shrimpin3 tbspwatertorehydrate(30
minutes).Finelydiceshrimpandshiitake.
2 Mixcabbageand1 tspsalt,thenset
asideuntilsoft(30minutes).Drainthen
squeeze out any excess water.3 Heatcanolaoilina largefryingpan
overhighheat,addshrimpandshiitake
andsautéfor2-3minutesuntilfragrant.
4 Mixporkwithsoysauceand1 tspsalt,
stirringuntilsticky,thengraduallyadd
upto3 tbspofreservedshiitakesoaking
liquid.Continuemixinguntilmeatmixture
hasabsorbedalltheliquid.Addginger,
sugar,Shaoxingwine,sesameoil,pepper
andspringonion,thenaddcabbage
andmixwell.Storeinfridgeforatleast
3 hourstoallowflavourstodevelop.
5 Tomakedumplingskins,combine
floursand1 tspsaltina bowl,thenadd
180-200mltepidwaterandmixuntilwell
combined.Kneadinbowlfor5 minutes.
6 Turnoutontoa cleanbenchand
kneaddoughbypushingit awayand
rollingit back,thenturningit 90degrees,
pushingawayandrollingback,andso
on,foranother5 minutes.Rolldough
intoa ball,coverwithplastic wrap and
restfor 15 minutes.
7 Afterresting,kneaddoughfor
a further 5 minutes until smooth.Rolldoughintoa ball,coverwithplastic
wrapandrestforanother 30 minutes.
8 Rolldoughintofourcylindersandcut
eachcylinderinto 10 evensizedpieces.
Rolleachpieceintoa thinround.Cover
rolled-outskinswitha cleandampcloth.
9 Holda roundofdoughwithyourleft
hand,dampentheedgewitha little
waterandadd1 tspoffilling.Pleatthe
dumplingbypushingthedumplingskin
withtheindexfingerofonehandand
pressingtosecurethepleatwiththe
indexfingeroftheotherhand.You
shouldbeabletoachieve7-8pleats.
10 Repeatwithremainingdoughand
filling,coveringdumplingsasyou make
themsotheydon’tdryout.
11 Pourwaterintoa largesaucepanto
a depthofabout3cmandbringtothe
boil.Lightlyoila largebamboosteamer
topreventstickingandlinewithbaking
paperorindividualdimsumpapers.
12 Workinginbatches,adddumplings
tosteamerina singlelayer,thencover
andsteamuntilcooked through (6-8
minutes). Serve hot.108 GOURMET TRAVELLER