https://www.scmp.com/rss/322873/feed From India to China to Indonesia, senior food and wine editor Susan Jung tells you how to prepare delicious Asian dishes such as curry puffs, XO sauce, beef rendang, kimchi, and shrimp toast. Learn how to make these and dozens more dishes on this page. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Susan Jung Susan Jung Annatto, also known as achiote, is a spice known more for its colour than its flavour. The seeds of the annatto tree are dried into hard reddish-brown pellets, which are used as a natural dye (including for lipstick, hence it is also called “the lipstick tree”) and food colouring. The shades range from golden yellow to deep red, depending on the concentration. It is sometimes used as a much cheaper substitute for saffron, purely for its colour because the two spices taste nothing alike. The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3347128/how-cook-annatto-saffrons-subtler-stand-and-3-simple-recipes-use-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3347128/how-cook-annatto-saffrons-subtler-stand-and-3-simple-recipes-use-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Grace Brewer Grace Brewer Sep arrived in Hong Kong in 2022, presenting chef Dobee Lam’s vision of Vietnamese cuisine through the lens of Hong Kong’s restless culinary energy. Tucked into the heart of the city, the interior of the restaurant channels the lantern-lit streets of central Vietnam while leaning into local ingredients and live-fire cooking. Lam, whose career spans some of Asia’s top kitchens, helms the wood-fired ovens with a craftsman’s focus, delivering tasting menus that balance bold flavours with technical... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3342064/dish-focus-ga-quay-hoi-sep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3342064/dish-focus-ga-quay-hoi-sep?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 04:00:37 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung The celery we get in supermarkets comes in the form of long, clean, tidy stalks that are eaten as a vegetable; sometimes the aromatic leaves are attached. The plant, though, also yields tiny pieces of fruit called celery seeds, which are used as a spice. Although the seed is small, the flavour is strong – and, surprise, celery-like. It is used in alternative medicine. According to the University of Maryland Medical Centre, in the United States, the seeds are used as a diuretic and to treat... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3338463/celery-seeds-many-uses-flavouring-bloody-marys-and-indian-food-treating-gout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3338463/celery-seeds-many-uses-flavouring-bloody-marys-and-indian-food-treating-gout?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 08:15:09 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung When I think of pomegranates, I tend to dwell mostly on the crimson, jewel-like fruit, which looks beautiful when scattered across dishes, giving the food a bright, sweet-tart flavour; it also makes one of the most refreshing juices. But the seeds and surrounding flesh of sour pomegranates, as opposed to the sweeter types that are eaten fresh, can be dried and used as a sour spice in Indian, Pakistani and Middle Eastern cuisines. Often called anardana, the dried seeds give the familiar... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3336206/how-use-dried-pomegranate-seeds-or-anardana-stewed-dishes-salads-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3336206/how-use-dried-pomegranate-seeds-or-anardana-stewed-dishes-salads-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Chef Ren Dingxu, head chef at the Dubai branch of Hutong, a popular Chinese restaurant from Hong Kong, grew up surrounded by spicy food. Ren was born and raised in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province – which he describes as “a city where the air itself carries the aroma of spice” – and became a master of cooking the region’s signature fiery, numbing cuisine. Sichuan dishes are part of his identity, he says. “Spice is not just about taste; it’s an attitude, a kind of vitality.” One... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3335830/how-spice-attitude-hutong-chef-and-his-new-menu-available-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3335830/how-spice-attitude-hutong-chef-and-his-new-menu-available-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 04:15:15 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung When people use citrus to cook with, they rarely consider using the fragrant leaves as well. Most are too tough to eat, but they can still be useful, as long as they have not been sprayed with pesticides. When I was a pastry chef, we used fresh lemon leaves to make decorative chocolate versions: we would paint tempered chocolate on the shiny side of the leaf and then chill it. The leaf was tough but flexible enough to peel away, leaving its imprint on the hardened chocolate. You can use other... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3334981/how-use-lime-leaves-thai-fried-chicken-dish-your-friends-will-love?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3334981/how-use-lime-leaves-thai-fried-chicken-dish-your-friends-will-love?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 07:15:09 +0000 Andrew Sun Andrew Sun “Come, I want you to have a look at my office,” says Marian Chin, stepping into her kitchen and pantry in Kuching, Sarawak. Each shelf is lined with jars and bottles of herbs, spices, preserves and other indigenous foods found only in the jungle of the East Malaysia state. As a food activist, researcher and editor, Chin has been at the forefront of cataloguing her homeland’s rich biodiverse culture. Located in the northwest of the island Borneo, Sarawak is home to rainforests, rivers, jungles... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3334857/woman-bringing-indigenous-sarawak-food-world-marian-chin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3334857/woman-bringing-indigenous-sarawak-food-world-marian-chin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 03:00:20 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Tamarind is a rather ugly fruit; in its natural state, the thin-shelled pod resembles old, dust-covered dog droppings. The taste, though, is anything but dry and dusty; it is sour and sweet. It is used as a seasoning in Africa, Southeast Asia and India, where it is usually available fresh, as a paste and as a thick, dark syrup. When buying fresh tamarind, look for pods that are swollen and full, rather than thin and flat, as this means they are ripe and therefore sweeter and less acidic. For... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3332606/tamarind-ugly-delicious-how-use-sour-sweet-fruit-make-thai-crunchy-fish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3332606/tamarind-ugly-delicious-how-use-sour-sweet-fruit-make-thai-crunchy-fish?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 07:15:09 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Lemongrass is a useful plant. It is used as an insect repellent and also yields citronella oil, which is said to soothe the stomach, ease depression and stimulate the mind. Of course, it also has culinary uses. The thick, tough, juicy stalks of the lemongrass plant are used as a flavouring in many Southeast Asian cuisines. The flavour is somewhat like lemon, but more subtle and complex. Lemongrass is usually sold as stalks that are about 30cm (12 inches) long. Most of the plant needs to be... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3330416/lemongrass-recipe-how-make-vietnamese-rice-noodles-lemongrass-chicken?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3330416/lemongrass-recipe-how-make-vietnamese-rice-noodles-lemongrass-chicken?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 07:15:15 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang I think about food constantly, not in a passive way, but obsessively. I plan my next meal while still chewing the last bite of a repast. I always carry snacks: dried fruit or roasted nuts, just in case. When I travel abroad, I eagerly sample local cuisines and take cooking classes whenever I can. At home, I scout for new restaurants and often host dinner parties featuring my experimental dishes. Sometimes I wonder how I came to have this fixation. The answer, I suspect, lies in my childhood,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3326683/my-food-obsession-has-deep-chinese-roots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3326683/my-food-obsession-has-deep-chinese-roots?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung The phrase “wild ginseng hunter” does not have quite the same manly ring as “big game hunter”, although I am not sure about what is so macho about using big guns to kill animals – many of which cannot even be used for food – to the brink of extinction. But hunting wild ginseng is not exactly a stroll in the park. The wild plant – which is harvested for its root – grows in unpolluted, mountainous areas that are often difficult to reach, and it takes a sharp eye to find because it blends in with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3328921/how-use-ginseng-make-delicious-chicken-soup-and-roots-supposed-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3328921/how-use-ginseng-make-delicious-chicken-soup-and-roots-supposed-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 07:15:09 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Ginkgo is so often misspelt as gingko (including by me) that the Oxford English Dictionary now accepts the spelling variation. According to the Oxford Companion to Food, “Ginkgo biloba is the sole survivor of a group of primitive trees.” A living fossil, the trees you find now are almost the same as the fossilised specimens that date back to the Jurassic era. The ginkgo “nut” is actually the kernel of the ginkgo fruit, which has a lingering, extremely pungent and disgusting odour often compared... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3325655/ginkgo-fruit-stinks-and-its-nuts-are-toxic-delicious-how-eat-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3325655/ginkgo-fruit-stinks-and-its-nuts-are-toxic-delicious-how-eat-them?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Pandanus amaryllifolius, also known as pandan or screw pine, is a long, slender, tough green leaf with a lovely, pleasant aroma and a delicate but distinctive taste. You can find fresh or frozen pandan leaves at shops specialising in Thai, Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian ingredients. Look for leaves that are supple and bright green, rather than those that are turning yellow or brown. Some shops also sell small bottles of pandan extract, although these often taste artificial. To make your... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3323192/how-use-pandan-versatile-leaf-can-transform-both-sweet-and-savoury-dishes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3323192/how-use-pandan-versatile-leaf-can-transform-both-sweet-and-savoury-dishes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung While few people would turn down a juicy, ripe, sweet mango, an unripe one – hard and tart – needs a bit of work to appreciate. In Thailand, unripe mango is made into what is known as green mango salad (although the colour of the fruit does not necessarily indicate its ripeness; unripe mango can also have a yellow to reddish tint). For this dish, after being shredded, the mango is mixed with fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, chillies and other flavourings. In Indian cuisine, unripe mango is made... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3321649/how-green-mango-used-indian-and-thai-cuisines-and-its-medicinal-properties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3321649/how-green-mango-used-indian-and-thai-cuisines-and-its-medicinal-properties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Chun pei is one of the few flavourings that gets more expensive as it ages. This “old skin” is made by leaving tangerine peel out to dry in a breezy, sunny place until it is completely desiccated, then putting it in an airtight jar. Rather than losing flavour as it ages, as with many spices, chun pei becomes more complex and potent. When used in restaurants, the description of the dish will often state how old the chun pei is, especially if it is aged peel. Shops that carry a range of chun pei... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3321021/how-dried-tangerine-peel-or-chun-pei-used-chinese-cooking-and-recipe-idea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3321021/how-dried-tangerine-peel-or-chun-pei-used-chinese-cooking-and-recipe-idea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung If you were to say “nigella” to most foodies, they would probably think of British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson rather than the spice. Nigella seeds – which come from the Nigella sativa plant and go by other names, including black cumin, kalonji and kalo jira – look like small, sharp, jet-black sesame seeds. They do not have much aroma until they are cooked, either by toasting in a dry skillet, baking or lightly frying in oil, which is then imbued with their flavour. They have a crumbly texture... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3320161/how-unleash-nigella-seeds-aroma-and-their-reported-health-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3320161/how-unleash-nigella-seeds-aroma-and-their-reported-health-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Aug 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Erika Na Erika Na Hoisin sauce is a thick, fragrant condiment that originated in southern China’s Guangdong province. Its name hints at its origin – hoisin means “seafood” in Cantonese – yet the sauce contains no seafood. It is entirely vegan, made from fermented soybeans, sugar, vinegar, garlic and spices. The resulting umami flavour is savoury, slightly sweet and spicy. Hoisin sauce resembles oyster sauce in colour and texture, but their flavours differ. Oyster sauce lacks the prominent sweetness of hoisin, and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3319242/what-hoisin-sauce-how-chinese-condiment-spread-asia-trader-joes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3319242/what-hoisin-sauce-how-chinese-condiment-spread-asia-trader-joes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Sesame seeds give you a lot of bang for your buck or, to put it more elegantly, a lot of flavour for their size. The tiny seeds of the Sesamum indicum plant, which have a very high oil content, are even more flavourful when toasted. This is easy to do with a small, inexpensive Japanese tool called (what else?) a sesame-seed toaster: a flat pan with a mesh hinged lid that you lock into place after putting in the seeds. The lid allows you to shake the pan vigorously without the seeds jumping out... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3319419/how-sesame-seeds-and-their-healthy-oil-add-flavour-dishes-including-chinese-dessert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3319419/how-sesame-seeds-and-their-healthy-oil-add-flavour-dishes-including-chinese-dessert?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung The spice we know as Sichuan peppercorn is not actually part of the pepper family, although it is used in the food of China’s Sichuan province (as well as in a few other cuisines). The spice is very fragrant but the effect on the tongue is less a flavour than a tingling sensation that numbs. The Sichuan peppercorn is the fruit of a type of prickly ash that belongs to the citrus family – and because it can carry citrus canker bacteria that has the potential to decimate the citrus industry in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3318511/how-sichuan-peppercorns-give-dishes-numbing-mala-flavour-and-recipe-idea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3318511/how-sichuan-peppercorns-give-dishes-numbing-mala-flavour-and-recipe-idea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Fresh coriander, which before moving to Hong Kong I had always known by its Chinese name, yuhn sai, or its Spanish name, cilantro, is one of those flavours you either love or hate. I know some people who feel nauseated if a dish has even the slightest amount of this pungent herb. I love it, and buy it by the handful from the wet markets. Many vegetable vendors throw in a few stems for free if you buy enough from them. Although it is also called Chinese parsley, coriander cannot be used in place... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3317307/how-cook-coriander-herb-you-either-love-or-hate-3-recipe-ideas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3317307/how-cook-coriander-herb-you-either-love-or-hate-3-recipe-ideas?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Curry leaf is not, unfortunately, the bouillon cube of the plant world – it does not magically turn an ordinary sauce into a curry-flavoured hit. The thin, delicate leaves do, however, smell like Indian curries and, when used in a complex spice mixture, add a strong fragrance and a distinct, slightly bitter flavour. You can buy inexpensive bags of fresh curry leaves in specialist Indian produce shops, while pricier jars of dried specimens can be found in upscale supermarkets. Do not bother with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3315853/all-about-curry-leaves-how-cooks-use-them-and-recipes-make-most-spice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3315853/all-about-curry-leaves-how-cooks-use-them-and-recipes-make-most-spice?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Of all the spices, pepper is probably the most ubiquitous. Green peppercorns, white peppercorns and black peppercorns come from the same plant – the Piper nigrum vine. The stage at which they are picked and how they are processed determines the colour. The green peppercorn is the unripe fruit and it can be used fresh, dried or pickled. It is aromatic and hot, but not as strong as black or white peppercorns. Black peppercorns are also unripe, but the fruit has been processed, fermented and dried... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3315156/where-does-pepper-come-all-about-spice-plus-delicious-pepper-crab-recipe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3315156/where-does-pepper-come-all-about-spice-plus-delicious-pepper-crab-recipe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jun 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Many people think of mustard first as a plant or a condiment rather than a spice, but it is actually all three – and more. Some of the plants we eat as mustard greens or other types of brassica also yield the mustard seed, which is then made into the condiment (of which there are many variations) or mustard oil, and can even be used to treat certain types of illness. Mustard seeds tend to be classified by colour – such as white, yellow, brown or black. Brown and black seeds are much more pungent... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3312223/all-about-mustard-seeds-how-release-their-power-and-recipe-make-most-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3312223/all-about-mustard-seeds-how-release-their-power-and-recipe-make-most-them?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jun 2025 07:15:06 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Turmeric is, to my palate, indelibly associated with Indian cuisine, which is why, when I taste it in non-Indian dishes, it comes as a bit of a surprise. I remember tasting it once at a cheap Spanish restaurant in Hong Kong, where the cooks substituted it for the much more expensive saffron – only the colours are similar; the flavours are a world apart. I also tasted it at Cha Ca La Vong, in Hanoi, Vietnam, where the spice was a key part of the restaurant’s signature dish of fish with rice... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3310108/all-about-turmeric-how-cooks-use-it-and-recipe-makes-most-spice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3310108/all-about-turmeric-how-cooks-use-it-and-recipe-makes-most-spice?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung Chilli is a spicy spice, but how hot it is depends on the cultivar – some types are mild, while others can burn on contact with the skin. They also differ in spiciness according to the conditions in which the plant has been grown, how ripe the chilli fruit is when it is harvested and whether the hottest parts of the chilli are used. Dried chilli is much hotter than fresh because the flavour is concentrated. Chilli is used in sauces and pastes, where it is almost always mixed with other... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3310087/all-about-chilli-how-cooks-use-it-and-recipe-makes-most-hot-spice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3310087/all-about-chilli-how-cooks-use-it-and-recipe-makes-most-hot-spice?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 May 2025 07:15:06 +0000 Susan Jung Susan Jung The young ginger in the markets in late spring is very different from the old ginger that is available year-round. Yes, they are both a rhizome and come from the same plant but the former is harvested when the shoots are off-white with pink tips. Young ginger is moist and tender with a very thin, edible skin and mild flavour. It is often eaten as a vegetable or made into a pickle. Old ginger has been allowed to mature on the plant and the skin is thicker, the flesh fibrous and the flavour hot... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3309090/all-about-ginger-young-and-old-how-pickle-it-and-recipe-makes-most-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3309090/all-about-ginger-young-and-old-how-pickle-it-and-recipe-makes-most-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 May 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Easter is coming, so cue the egg puns! Ahead of the brunches, chocolate and roast dinners you’re sure to indulge in this weekend, we’re highlighting a slightly different Easter tradition. Once a forbidden food during the 40 days of Lent, eggs became a treat to tuck into on Easter Sunday, and were eventually crafted out of chocolate in celebration of the spring holiday. More than just a protein-packed breakfast staple, eggs are used creatively by many across Hong Kong’s F&B scene. So, besides... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3306590/6-signature-egg-dishes-worth-celebrating-hong-kong-easter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3306590/6-signature-egg-dishes-worth-celebrating-hong-kong-easter?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Apr 2025 09:00:29 +0000 Douglas Parkes Douglas Parkes Paella may seem an odd choice of signature dish at a Japanese restaurant but it perfectly reflects the journey of Censu’s founder, chef Shun Sato. Born and raised in Japan – where he developed a particular affection for his grandmother’s house in Sendai, which inspired the interior design at Censu – Sato leveraged his culinary career to travel the world. After stints at prestigious restaurants in Tokyo, he spent seven years in Sydney before moving to London to lead the team at Aqua Kyoto for two... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3300181/dish-focus-fxxking-paella?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3300181/dish-focus-fxxking-paella?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2025 04:00:25 +0000 Every Indian restaurant has its own recipe for butter chicken – but few have a version as special as Leela in Hong Kong. Some places serve it overwhelmingly creamy, at others it is noticeably sweet and a few, like Leela, serve it with a distinctly smoky flavour. One of the most popular Indian dishes around the world, butter chicken can also be found on menus under the name chicken makhani or murgh makhani. The classic recipe is often credited to the founders of the restaurant Moti Mahal, either... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3286326/dish-focus-why-smoked-butter-chicken-leela-stands-out-rest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3286326/dish-focus-why-smoked-butter-chicken-leela-stands-out-rest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2024 04:30:08 +0000 Ta ta, Tabasco! So long, sriracha! Today, more titillating chilli sauces are trending thanks to their umami flavour and irresistible combinations of sweet, spicy and savoury. For many years, the international commercial hot sauce market was dominated by American brands such as Tabasco and Frank’s, known for their tangy mix of peppers and vinegar. The rise in interest in Asian food and chefs such as David Chang of Momofuku in the US has since brought more of the region’s flavours into the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3271078/bored-tabasco-5-asian-influenced-chilli-sauces-try-fly-jing-poons-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3271078/bored-tabasco-5-asian-influenced-chilli-sauces-try-fly-jing-poons-london?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jul 2024 06:00:15 +0000 “Food that is cooked by our mothers and grandmothers is not just nourishment, it’s a repository of family food culture and nostalgia and a legacy that we need to hold on to,” says Shruti Taneja, the 35-year-old founder of Nivaala, a platform dedicated to celebrating culinary legacies. Taneja, who is based in Delhi, India, started Nivaala (which means “morsel” in Hindi) to preserve and archive family recipes – some oral and others recorded in smudged notebooks stained with spices and relegated to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3244594/indian-start-helping-preserve-family-heirloom-recipes-its-too-late-enabling-people-publish-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3244594/indian-start-helping-preserve-family-heirloom-recipes-its-too-late-enabling-people-publish-them?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2023 03:20:14 +0000 30 Years in the Kitchen (1956), by Chan Wing, is a collection of vintage cookbooks featuring traditional Cantonese recipes written by a chef with 30 years of professional experience. ArChan Chan Kit-ying, head chef at Cantonese restaurant Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong’s SoHo neighbourhood, who took up the job in 2021 after 13 years cooking in Australia and Singapore, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I read it back when I was in Australia. I grew up in Hong Kong and only moved to Australia... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3231887/how-old-chinese-cookbook-collection-changed-one-hong-kong-chefs-life-empowering-her-cook-modern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3231887/how-old-chinese-cookbook-collection-changed-one-hong-kong-chefs-life-empowering-her-cook-modern?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Aug 2023 09:15:09 +0000 “Somebody said I must have starved to death in a former life,” says Susan Jung in her signature deadpan. We’re sat at her vast wooden dining table after a long lunch of fiery som tam (Thai papaya salad), fluffy steamed rice and three generous plates of fried chicken, chased up with oozing Camembert, a loaded fruit platter and a casual tasting of her favourite Japanese potato snacks (Hula’s Maui chips, sour cream flavour), but she is still very much concerned that I did not have enough to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3218733/it-just-unleashed-inner-me-how-fried-chicken-became-focus-first-cookbook-susan-jung-ending-her-25?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3218733/it-just-unleashed-inner-me-how-fried-chicken-became-focus-first-cookbook-susan-jung-ending-her-25?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Apr 2023 03:15:17 +0000 The humble egg. So basic, yet so very versatile. Both building block and complete structure. A trope, ripe with symbolism. So very viscous, and occasionally a little voyeuristic. A chef’s dream, and to many, a necessity. More than an ingredient, it is a cultural notion that has fascinated humankind for centuries. It is also the subject of the first in The Gourmand’s new series of books published in conjunction with Taschen. Many tomes have been dedicated to the enduring kitchen staple – from... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3216797/why-egg-such-important-ingredient-taschens-latest-book-gourmands-egg-reveals-humble-foods-role-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3216797/why-egg-such-important-ingredient-taschens-latest-book-gourmands-egg-reveals-humble-foods-role-art?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Apr 2023 06:00:22 +0000 Succulent pieces of chicken are coated in a soy sauce mixture, pan-fried until crisp, and finished with a thick sauce of ginger, garlic, coriander and green chillies. The dish, known as chicken Manchurian, is omnipresent on the menus of Indian Chinese restaurants around India, and is an integral part of what is called “Chindian” cuisine, which is hugely popular across the country. Typically, Chindian cuisine features spicy gravies, noodles and fried rice, as well as deep-fried spring rolls –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3216668/chicken-manchurian-story-indias-chinese-inspired-iconic-fusion-dish-and-rise-chindian-cuisine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3216668/chicken-manchurian-story-indias-chinese-inspired-iconic-fusion-dish-and-rise-chindian-cuisine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Apr 2023 04:45:17 +0000 It’s now an iconic Chinese-American food, but General Tso’s Chicken was actually invented in Taiwan and named after a Chinese war hero as an homage to Hunan, a province in China.  The key to this dish is getting the sauce right. It should be a balanced combination of savoriness, acidity, and sweetness.  If you’d like to follow along, we have the recipe here: Recipe (Serves two people) For the sauce: Light soy sauce x 1 tablespoon Dark soy sauce x 1 tablespoon Ketchup x 1.5 tablespoons Rice... https://www.scmp.com/food/general-tsos-chicken-basic-chinese-dish/article/3212068?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/general-tsos-chicken-basic-chinese-dish/article/3212068?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Mar 2023 08:03:46 +0000 I have an issue with bacon. Don’t get me wrong. I really like cured pork belly at home, with breakfast, in a club sandwich, crumbled into a Caesar salad, or rendered for frying potatoes. Versatile and savoury, it adds a flavour kick to everything it is paired with. But it is precisely because of its deliciousness, ability to boost taste and tendency to dominate less robust ingredients that I don’t tend to order anything with bacon when I dine out. In my mind, adding bacon is too easy a way to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3210918/bacon-delicious-its-overused-short-cut-chefs-add-flavour-without-getting-creative-how-about-using?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3210918/bacon-delicious-its-overused-short-cut-chefs-add-flavour-without-getting-creative-how-about-using?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Feb 2023 03:45:10 +0000 In 2019, Kevin Wong won the S. Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Asian regional competition in Tokyo. The young Malaysian chef went on to clinch third place at the S. Pellegrino Young Chef Academy global finals last year in Milan. This year, the 29-year-old became the chef-owner of new restaurant Seroja, which opened in Singapore shopping centre Duo Galleria in October. “The S. Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition gives a platform for young chefs to shine,” Wong says. “The judges are some of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3198959/asias-best-young-chef-winner-singaporean-ian-goh-showcasing-his-hainanese-heritage-and-importance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3198959/asias-best-young-chef-winner-singaporean-ian-goh-showcasing-his-hainanese-heritage-and-importance?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 03:15:10 +0000 A few months back I invited a few colleagues to my home for dinner to celebrate a milestone at work. Initially I was unsure about what to order, but since I was having them over the first time, butter chicken was the natural choice. Between platefuls of basmati rice and buttered naan bread, the five of us polished off two boxes of the velvety dish. We may all be from different parts of India and have our own preferences when it comes to food, but we were all united over our love of butter... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3198854/butter-chicken-indian-comfort-food-unites-cultures-its-history-and-how-todays-chefs-use-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3198854/butter-chicken-indian-comfort-food-unites-cultures-its-history-and-how-todays-chefs-use-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 08:15:09 +0000 It’s a dish that stems from humble origins, though its name does little to stoke an appetite. Mapo tofu is said to have originated in Chengdu in the late 1800s. Ma translates to “pockmarks”, while po refers to an older woman. Together these reference the dish’s inventor, Mrs Chen, an elderly woman with smallpox scars. As the story has been retold over the years, this remark is remembered as something of an endearing nickname. Whether that’s true or not, Mrs Chen was revered for the dish, and her... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3195193/what-mapo-tofu-and-where-did-it-get-its-ugly-name-top-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3195193/what-mapo-tofu-and-where-did-it-get-its-ugly-name-top-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Oct 2022 01:00:14 +0000 In the introduction to Mum’s Kitchen – Back to Basics (2021), Hong Kong-born Dominica Yang writes that she found a treasure when she was cleaning out her childhood family home. It wasn’t gold or jewels: it was her mother’s handwritten recipes. Her mother, she writes, was an excellent cook and hostess. “My mum was the kindest mother and the most hospitable hostess, and as the Chinese would always say, we can always add a pair of chopsticks. She was known for always hosting the most delicious,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3170132/finding-mums-recipes-led-cookbook-how-make?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3170132/finding-mums-recipes-led-cookbook-how-make?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2022 20:15:14 +0000 For this, my last recipe column for the South China Morning Post, I’m giving you a dish that so many people have asked for: crunchy fish. It’s the creation of Tass – our Thai helper, who makes delicious kung chae nampla (raw shrimp salad), pad thai, grilled pork neck and fried shrimp salad. She makes variations on crunchy fish for every dinner party we have, and invariably, there’s nothing left on the serving platter. Thai crunchy fish Tass likes to use white sea bass (which is in the croaker... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3169982/how-make-thai-crunchy-fish-dinner-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3169982/how-make-thai-crunchy-fish-dinner-party?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Mar 2022 20:15:14 +0000 The Philippines is heaven for pork lovers. Probably the most impressive dish is lechon, where a young pig is roasted whole until the meat is succulent and the skin is crisp, then served as the centrepiece to a feast. But pork is used in many other dishes, and no part of the animal is wasted: the blood and innards are made into dinuguan, a stew which is far more delicious than it looks; the head and other extremities left over from lechon can be chopped up and used for sisig; the meat is used to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3168166/how-make-lechon-kawali-filipino-style-crispy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3168166/how-make-lechon-kawali-filipino-style-crispy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Feb 2022 20:15:19 +0000 Lamb doesn’t feature much in Cantonese cuisine, because people think the flavour is too strong. It is eaten in other parts of China, though, where often it is cooked with distinctive flavours to balance the taste. Young lamb has a much milder taste than older lamb, so choose smaller chops for this recipe. Lamb chops with black beans, cumin, chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and vegetables You don’t absolutely need to “French” the chops – trim the meat from the top part of the bone – but it looks... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3167393/how-make-lamb-chops-black-beans-cumin-chillies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3167393/how-make-lamb-chops-black-beans-cumin-chillies?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:15:22 +0000 Mapo tofu is one of Sichuan’s most well-known dishes. A plate of well-cooked mapo tofu is aromatic, soft, and numbingly spicy. That fiery sensation, which is quite addictive to some, comes from peppercorn, a local spice from the region. The dish was created by a grandmother during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912). If you’d like to follow along, we have the recipe here: Recipe 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (We used canola oil) 1 block of tofu 1 pot of salted water  100g (0.2 lb) ground pork 4... https://www.scmp.com/food/mapo-tofu-basic-chinese-dish/article/3167416?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/mapo-tofu-basic-chinese-dish/article/3167416?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Feb 2022 09:45:31 +0000 It took a Filipino galantine, cooked by her lola (grandma) Josefina, and called simply chicken relleno (stuffed chicken), for chef Angela Dimayuga to appreciate that her culture’s food could be as sophisticated as the European cuisines in which she had been trained. Recruited to open a New York branch of the San Francisco-based Mission Chinese Food, the Filipino-American chef turned to her grandma for lessons. “This cookbook – and my true life as a chef – began when my lola Josefina decided to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3166703/filipino-american-turned-her-grandma-recipes-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3166703/filipino-american-turned-her-grandma-recipes-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Feb 2022 20:15:13 +0000 One of my favourite Thai “salads” (although it’s a bit short on vegetables) is kung chae nampla – raw shrimp (or prawns) served with a fiery dressing. The dressing should be on the far edge of your spice tolerance, because, as with every good Thai dish, the “hot” element is balanced by the sour, salty and sweet flavours. To make each mouthful even more delicious and complex, there’s bitterness provided by bitter melon, which also serves to cool the palate. Thai raw prawn salad (Kung chae... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3166509/how-make-thai-raw-prawn-salad-sweet-shrimps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3166509/how-make-thai-raw-prawn-salad-sweet-shrimps?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Feb 2022 20:15:13 +0000 Grandma’s red braised pork belly, or hongshaorou, is a classic sweet and salty Shanghainese dish. Here’s how you can make it at home. Chinese people around the world love making and eating red braised pork belly. To them, the dish reminds them of home. It’s a plate of tender and juicy pork covered with a thick glossy coat of sauce that pairs well with rice or noodle.    If you’d like to follow along, we have the recipe here: Recipe Oil Rock sugar  500g (1.1 pound) of pork belly with skin on 3... https://www.scmp.com/food/grandmas-red-braised-pork-belly-basic-chinese-dish/article/3166537?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/grandmas-red-braised-pork-belly-basic-chinese-dish/article/3166537?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:53:39 +0000 Jer jer (sometimes spelled je je) is a cooking style that gets its name from the sound the ingredients supposedly make as they sizzle in a clay pot. Often, it refers to chicken served in a clay pot, but it is also used for vegetables. This is a great dish for the Lunar New Year. It takes just a few minutes to cook, and is absolutely delicious. For a New Year feast, you might want to use Chinese lettuce (or small heads of romaine) – cut through the stem into four wedges – because sang choi is... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3164936/how-make-chinese-sizzling-vegetable-pot-jer-jer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3164936/how-make-chinese-sizzling-vegetable-pot-jer-jer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jan 2022 20:15:12 +0000 Preparing a Chinese festival feast back in the old days must have been a daunting task. Can you imagine grating radish for loh bok goh (steamed radish cake) by hand, instead of with a food processor, or grinding glutinous rice to make tong yuen (sweet glutinous rice dumplings), instead of buying a pack of glutinous rice flour? In Chinese Feasts & Festivals – A Cookbook (2006), S.C. Moey writes: “It is often said that the Chinese live to eat. Happily for them, China’s rich history and culture... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3164249/how-make-lucky-chinese-lunar-new-year-dishes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3164249/how-make-lucky-chinese-lunar-new-year-dishes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jan 2022 20:15:18 +0000