Dim sum dishes are so much a part of Hong Kong life it's easy to imagine they have been around forever. But diners might be surprised to learn some dim sum delicacies have a relatively short history compared to foods such as noodles. At Shu Kee, a dilapidated shop in Shamshuipo that easily goes unnoticed, three of the most popular dim sum dishes were created 50 years ago to boost its sale of beancurd sticks.
Opened in 1948 by Kung Cheong-ki's father, Shu Kee's old-fashioned and well-worn interior fits snugly in the old and cosy neighbourhood. It was a grocery store originally, but according to Kung, his father soon realised the most popular food in his shop was beancurd sticks, an important (and cheap) ingredient in many Chinese dishes for Taoist and Buddhist festivals. He narrowed the focus of his shop to sell only beancurd sticks. However, sales weren't sufficient for him to make a good living. Few housewives used the sticks (partly because they did not know how to cook them) and restaurants could use them only for one dim sum dish: meatballs with beancurd sticks (shan joke ngau yolk). So in the 1950s, Kung's father teamed up with some dim sum chefs to create three more dishes: fresh beancurd stick rolls (sin joke kuen), fried beancurd stick rolls (fu pei kuen) and chicken roll with beancurd sticks (gai cha), all of which became instant hits in teahouses and remain the most popular dishes today.
The recent trend towards healthy eating has drawn more housewives to Shu Kee to buy beancurd sticks, which are high in protein and lower in fat than dairy products. 'They now know how to cook them, which is actually not difficult,' Kung says, 'and also because they know beancurd sticks are a healthy food.'
Despite his shop's success, Kung wants to keep a low profile. Unlike other beancurd stick manufacturers he does
not sell his products in supermarkets. 'If people want to buy my beancurd sticks they know where to find me,' he says.
Shu Kee, 236 Yue Chau Street, Shamshuipo, tel: 2386 7776; open 8am-7.30pm.