Hong Kong’s best kept secrets: authentic Middle Eastern vegetarian food on Lamma

An Israeli chef living on Lamma Island serves authentic Middle Eastern vegan and vegetarian food in her garden.

Ayelet Idan has been hosting vegetarian alfresco brunches for the past year and word of her tasty and authentic Middle Eastern dining experiences is spreading fast, her events attracting foodies from Hong Kong and abroad.

Those who sign up for her brunches can sample tasty dishes such as marinated eggplant with pomegranate kubbeh, shakshuka (eggs in spicy tomato sauce), essabaha – rustic hummus, stuffed onions and herbs and sumac salad, semolina cake in cardamom and orange sauce. All of this is served under a bright orange flame vine in a sun-drenched garden with a table setting that would make Martha Stewart proud.

A vegetarian for more than 30 years, Idan says her passion for cooking stems from her grandparents. “I grew up eating my grandmother and great grandmother’s food that was influenced from their home countries Ukraine, Egypt and Turkey. They used a lot of fresh herbs and spices, and I was taught the importance of using fresh seasonal ingredients.”

Prices for the brunches vary between HK$400 and HK$500 and include a variety of dishes, drinks, Turkish coffee and dessert.

As well as hosting brunches, Idan gives Middle Eastern vegan cooking classes, teaching Hongkongers to make dishes such as cauliflower and tomato baked with hot tahini sauce, bulgur pastry stuffed with mushrooms and pine nuts and lentil and pomegranate salad.