Chinese Dumpling Soup (上湯水餃)

The dumplings in soup (上湯水餃) are really flavoursome as you'll have more ingredients and more texture in the fillings if you enjoy it in a traditional Hong Kong noodle restaurant.

Every time I went into a noodle shop in Hong Kong, I’d definitely order either wonton or dumpling noodle soup. Are there any big differences between these two noodle soups? The fillings of both are mainly pork mince and prawns. But for dumplings in soup (上湯水餃), there are some extras, wood ears, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. More ingredients mean more delicious.

Wood ear has a crisp texture. So you can imagine how balanced the texture of each dumpling you’d enjoy of every bite. When it comes to making your own dumplings in soup, you can skip anything except the wood ears. I just feel wood ear is the signature ingredient that makes these dumplings so special.

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Cake Wrapped in Paper (Hong Kong Cupcakes)

Cakes baked in paper are very popular in Hong Kong. You can easily get them from many bakery shops there. Armed with this recipe, you can bake some for yourself or your family at home.

If you have a chance to travel to Hong Kong, I recommend you to have a go for it. You won’t be disappointed except you buy the not-the-good ones. I guess you can’t find them anywhere else except in Hong Kong.

I used to go to an old café with my father to have afternoon tea when I was a little kid. The café was very cozy and would sell freshly baked cakes and breads around 3 to 4pm.

Although the café was not big, their cakes baked in paper (纸包蛋糕) was very popular that attracted many customers. A long queue would line up in front of the entrance of the café.

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Beef Brisket in Clear Broth (清湯牛腩)

This beef brisket in clear broth dish goes perfectly with vermicelli or egg noodles. Just add a few bunches of Chinese bok choy and cook in the soup. Then you and your family can enjoy a tasty light meal.

I had luck to spot this lean beef brisket from a nearby Asian butcher. Why not got some back home and cooked up for hubby as he’s a big fan of beef brisket?

Every time I cooked beef brisket, I’d make the traditional flavoursome stewed beef brisket in Chu Hou sauce, a fool proofed dish for anyone who wants to try Hong Kong cuisine.

This time I tried another classic beef brisket soup dish that I grew up with and it’s still popular in Hong Kong. The cooking method for both mentioned dishes is similar. As for making this beef brisket soup dish, the key to success is preparing a delicious clear soup base, not a cloudy one.

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Twice Cooked Pork (Cheater’s Version)

This Twice Cooked Pork, along with Mapo Dofu (麻婆豆腐) and Kung Pao chicken (官保雞丁) is one of my favourite Sichuan-style Chinese dishes. The English name of this dish is well translated from its original Chinese name (回鍋肉 Hui Guo Rou ), that literally means "meat that has been returned to the pot".

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Imitation Shark Fin Soup

Imitation shark fin soup is a very popular snack sold by street hawkers in Hong Kong. Why? Now you can make this delicious street food at home.

In Chinese wedding banquet, guests can enjoy 8 to 10 expensive dishes. It would definitely include a shark fin soup. Not only does this soup take a long time to cook, but also is shark fin tremendously expensive. That’s why this soup won’t be on a family’s daily menu.

Yet many Chinese like this soup very much.

According to Wikipedia in Chinese, many hawkers started selling this soup on street many years ago. Initially they sold genuine shark fin soup in early days as they could buy broken parts of shark fins from restaurants. Then they cooked shark fins with dried black fungus, egg and water chestnut flour. It’s widely accepted by Hong Kong people. The soup was sold in little bowls.

So it’s called 碗仔翅 in Chinese Cantonese (literally translated into English that is “Shark Fin Soup in Little Bowls”).

Nowadays, the hawkers use cellophane noodles instead of genuine shark fin simply because no restaurants would do so anymore as the price of shark fins has been growing up.

Thus, Imitation Shark Fin Soup has come into place. People still love this imitated version, as it tastes delicious, not expensive and easy to prepare.

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Scallion Pancakes

Scallion pancake (aka green onion pancake) is a classic Chinese snack, traditionally pair with a cup of soy milk. It's soft, tender inside and crispy outside. It'll make you want more for sure.

What’s your favourite for lunch?

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Black Sesame Mochi (芝麻麻糬)

Ever realized that black sesame mochi is a party pleaser? Yes, we're just like Japanese people, very fond of mochi. 

This was the snack I brought to a family gathering on weekend. I’ve just got a packet of pure black sesame powder in my pantry. It’s good to make some aromatic, delicious mochi with it and share with my friends.

Black sesame powder has the same health benefits as seeds, lowers cholesterol levels and enhances digestions as it contains high fiber content. Chinese people believe that black sesame powder also can prevent black hair from turning into grey too soon.

For myself, I like the aroma of black sesame seeds and powder. It can’t be easier to make this mochi snack. You can quickly cook the mochi dough in a microwave oven, then get it coated with some black sesame powder. There you go. This snack was a big hit in our gathering. Its aroma, chewy texture and taste are the attractiveness.

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