https://www.scmp.com/rss/325585/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Russian and Eastern European food is a rarity in Hong Kong, but it deserves recognition and attention for its contribution to the city’s culinary culture. Many Russians fleeing the country’s communist revolution in 1917 landed in Hong Kong, bringing with them borscht, chicken Kiev and shashlik – dishes that you can still find today on the menus of old-fashioned Western-Chinese restaurants in the city. Olena Smith and Oksana Shevchuk, sisters from Ukraine, came to Hong Kong in 2005. “It was a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3111425/russian-and-eastern-european-food-borscht-and-dumplings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3111425/russian-and-eastern-european-food-borscht-and-dumplings?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Nov 2020 04:15:53 +0000 Giant trays of freshly baked buns and bread are whisked from the back kitchen to the display counters at Kam Wah Cafe in Mong Kok, in the heart of urban Kowloon in Hong Kong. A tantalising buttery aroma wafts through the room, as customers line up outside the bing sutt (“ice room”), which specialises in drinks and snacks, eager to order their favourite pastries. Bina Chan, wife of the owner, is inundated with orders. She dabs chilled butter in the popular pineapple buns – named for their look,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3101754/original-fusion-cuisine-think-borscht-sizzling-steaks-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3101754/original-fusion-cuisine-think-borscht-sizzling-steaks-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2020 04:39:14 +0000 Visitors to the Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong Kong’s Diamond Hill neighbourhood find themselves surrounded by lush greenery, a quiet broken only by the chirps of birds, and winding paths that transport them to a Zen-like world. Life seems to slow down and unfold at a deliberate pace. Chi Lin is modelled after the Jiangshouju Garden of the Tang dynasty (AD619-907), a traditional Chinese landscaped courtyard in Shanxi province that still exists today. The nunnery encompasses multiple architectural... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3097180/buddhist-food-how-healthy-vegetarian-dishes-full-seasonal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3097180/buddhist-food-how-healthy-vegetarian-dishes-full-seasonal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Aug 2020 04:15:10 +0000 More people in Western countries are choosing to abstain from eating meat and seafood, either some or all of the time. In India, it has long been a way of life for millions. Around three in 10 Indians follow a vegetarian diet, according to a 2016 National Family Health Survey. Indian vegetarians tend to be lacto-vegetarian, eating milk, cheese and other dairy products, while excluding eggs from their diet. Being such a vast country, the ingredients and cooking styles of vegetarian food vary... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3091334/food-their-medicine-how-ayurveda-influences-south-indian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3091334/food-their-medicine-how-ayurveda-influences-south-indian?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jul 2020 04:15:14 +0000 In Hong Kong, no big meal feels complete without a bowl of red bean sweet soup. Served hot in the winter and lukewarm when the weather turns mild, tong sui – “sweet water” – dessert soups made with ingredients such as red bean, black sesame and peanut paste are popular with people all year round. While some shops put a modern twist on tong sui, Kai Kai Dessert in Jordan, Kowloon, prefers to keep things old school. “We cling to traditional flavours, trying to replicate versions imprinted in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3083165/beans-peanuts-ginger-sweet-soup-desserts-chinese-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3083165/beans-peanuts-ginger-sweet-soup-desserts-chinese-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2020 04:15:15 +0000 Cart noodle vendors used to be a common sight in Hong Kong. The dish—which gets its name from the small wooden carts pushed by vendors—experienced a golden age in the 1950s, when almost every street corner had a cart noodle vendor. Diners could customize their bowls with their choice of noodles and toppings, which were scooped into a container and topped up with hot broth. It was considered a fast and cheap meal. These days, you won’t be able to find noodles sold from carts anymore. A... https://www.scmp.com/food/hong-kong-cart-noodles/article/3082955?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/hong-kong-cart-noodles/article/3082955?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2020 10:03:39 +0000 Cart noodle vendors used to be a common sight on the streets of Hong Kong. The fast-food dish of cart noodles, or che zia mian, reached its glory in the 1950s, and got its name from the small mobile carts pushed by vendors selling noodles with a wide selection of ingredients. Diners could customise their bowls by choosing the types of noodles and other ingredients, which were put into a container and topped up with hot broth, for an inexpensive, fast takeaway meal. You won’t find cart noodles... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3077947/real-hong-kong-street-food-how-cart-noodles-have-survived-21st?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3077947/real-hong-kong-street-food-how-cart-noodles-have-survived-21st?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2020 07:00:12 +0000 In other parts of the northern hemisphere, cities are blanketed in snow, flights are delayed or cancelled due to frozen runways, and cold weather warnings are telling citizens to avoid going outside if they can avoid it. In Hong Kong in early January, it’s 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit). Although this would be considered balmy weather in other places in the world, people in the city are wearing fur coats and heavy scarves. They’re also seeking out Hong Kong’s warming winter... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3047210/lamb-casserole-congee-snake-soup-claypot-rice-winter-food?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3047210/lamb-casserole-congee-snake-soup-claypot-rice-winter-food?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2020 04:15:13 +0000 It’s 6pm in Hong Kong and as the last glow of sunlight disappears, it’s time for most people to start winding down. But for Lam Kee-sing, the busiest time of the day is just starting. Lam is the chef-owner of Sing Kee, one of the few remaining dai pai dongs – street food stalls – in the city. At the stall’s location down a narrow alleyway on Stanley Street, in Hong Kong’s Central business district, the air is filled with the familiar orchestra of roaring gas burners, sizzling food and the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3042554/why-hong-kongs-surviving-dai-pai-dongs-are-still-loved-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3042554/why-hong-kongs-surviving-dai-pai-dongs-are-still-loved-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Dec 2019 23:30:11 +0000 In Yau Ma Tei, a bustling area of Hong Kong, food stalls stand side-by-side, enticing diners with a heady aroma from the dishes they are boiling, steaming and frying. Rising above the medley of fragrances is a pungent odor that suddenly hits the nostrils. As it intensifies, the rotten smell rapidly envelopes the whole street. It comes from a woman who is chowing down on tofu that she bought a nearby stall. Leaning forward to prevent the sauce from staining her shirt, she sinks her teeth into the... https://www.scmp.com/food/hong-kong-street-food-westerners-love-and-hate/article/3031523?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/hong-kong-street-food-westerners-love-and-hate/article/3031523?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Oct 2019 10:09:38 +0000 In Yau Ma Tei, a bustling area of Hong Kong, food stalls stand side-by-side, enticing diners with a heady aroma from the dishes they are boiling, steaming and frying. Street food hunters nudge their way forward in the queue, surveying the offerings with craned necks. Some scarf down their food on the go, while continuing their quest for more delights; others prefer to stop and relish the snack, before resuming their food journey. Rising above the medley of fragrances is a pungent odour that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3031288/hong-kong-street-food-westerners-love-and-loathe-egg-waffles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3031288/hong-kong-street-food-westerners-love-and-loathe-egg-waffles?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Oct 2019 21:01:03 +0000 Outsiders often think of Sichuan cuisine, known as chuan cai, as only being hot and spicy. “That’s a misperception,” says Zhong Yong, a Sichuan chef at Sijie Sichuan Cuisine in Causeway Bay. “Chuan cai is a mixture of spicy, salty, sweet and tangy.” “Seasoning is the soul of chuan cai, affording every dish a distinctive voice and character,” adds restaurant manager Sam Lam Hin-yu, who helps his mother, the si jie (fourth daughter) the establishment is named after. Lam says that all spices and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3012462/more-hot-spices-sichuan-snack-restaurants-hong-kong-offer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3012462/more-hot-spices-sichuan-snack-restaurants-hong-kong-offer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 May 2019 08:59:49 +0000 Chefs from China’s Shanxi province have magic hands that can turn a humble lump of dough into noodles of varied shapes, lengths, widths, thicknesses and even colours. Their noodle-making skills especially for dao xiao mian (knife-shaved noodles) – are attracting attention from chefs and food lovers in Hong Kong. Wong Shui-yin, a young noodle maker at Shi Wei in Wan Chai, is shaving a fat slab of dough into strands of noodles – a routine job for him but it invariably attracts a lot of camera... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3003456/chinese-regional-cuisine-shanxi-knife-cut-noodles-and-where?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3003456/chinese-regional-cuisine-shanxi-knife-cut-noodles-and-where?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2019 05:15:19 +0000 Chinese New Year is not a time for dieting. All across China, people are feasting and drinking, celebrating with extravagant meals as a reward for their hard work over the past year, and with high hopes for the new. Home cooks start preparing for the most important reunion dinner at least a month in advance. Inyears past, when meat and seafood were not readily available or affordable in China, the festival was the only time when frugal home cooks would spend more than usual on luxury proteins to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2184434/chinese-new-year-auspicious-dishes-around-china-accessible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2184434/chinese-new-year-auspicious-dishes-around-china-accessible?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jan 2019 04:45:15 +0000 While the spicy food of China’s Sichuan province is well known for its burning numbness, chefs from Hunan province have their own take on using chillies. “Hunan’s version stresses fragrance with a mild sourness,” says Xie Tianjiao, owner of a Hunan diner Shu Xiang Men Di (known in English as Cafe Hunan), in Hong Kong. Xinjiang food and where in Hong Kong to eat it Xie, who was born in Yongzhou, Hunan, is knowledgeable about the flavours of her home province in central China. “The tang of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2183312/chinese-regional-cuisine-hunan-food-and-where-find-spicy-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2183312/chinese-regional-cuisine-hunan-food-and-where-find-spicy-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jan 2019 04:33:12 +0000 In Shunde cuisine, nothing is more important than freshness and an umami taste – summed up in one Chinese word, xian. Cantonese food is heavily influenced by the cuisine, which is also known as Shun Tak. A town in the Pearl River Delta in southern China, Shunde is blessed with a rich variety of freshwater fish. The cooking style dates from the Qin and Han dynasties 2,000 years ago, came to prominence during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and has flourished in recent... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2167794/chinese-regional-cuisine-shunde-food-and-where-best-eat-it-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2167794/chinese-regional-cuisine-shunde-food-and-where-best-eat-it-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Oct 2018 04:45:21 +0000 There’s a group of Shaanxi people living in Hong Kong who consider it their second home. They have a shared mission – to introduce the culture of the western Chinese province to the city. Neil Han Liang is one of them, and he has chosen food as the medium to raise Shaanxi’s profile in Hong Kong. He started Chang’An Taste in Hung Hom in 2016 and has since opened two more branches. Where to find the best food in Xian, China’s ancient capital He has strict standards for almost every dish he serves.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2162679/chinese-regional-cuisine-shaanxi-food-noodles-galore-and-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2162679/chinese-regional-cuisine-shaanxi-food-noodles-galore-and-best?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Sep 2018 00:15:30 +0000 “Shandong food reflects Shandong people’s personalities – straightforward, generous and down-to-earth,” says Wang Hongchun, a native of the eastern Chinese province who runs a restaurant serving Shandong food in Hong Kong. “Dishes are served in hearty portions, lightly seasoned, without garnishes. Very humble ingredients can be rendered into a fulfilling meal,” Wang says. Take mu xu rou for example, which is a stir-fry of sliced cucumber, egg, wood fungus, day lily and sliced pork. “It can’t be... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2157843/chinese-regional-cuisine-shandong-food-defiantly-humble-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2157843/chinese-regional-cuisine-shandong-food-defiantly-humble-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Aug 2018 05:00:45 +0000 When you’re eating a good bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle soup, slurping the noodles, chewing on the beef meat and gulping down the broth gives you not only a warm body, but a warm heart. At least that is the hope of Marco Hon Mo-yuen, the owner of Iron Cow, which specialises in the dish. Since it opened four years ago, the original shop in Tsim Sha Tsui has expanded to three others across Hong Kong and garnered a large following in the city. Four decades as a Cantonese cuisine innovator: Tsui... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2149485/taiwanese-beef-noodle-soup-why-its-must-try-dish-and-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2149485/taiwanese-beef-noodle-soup-why-its-must-try-dish-and-best?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Jun 2018 05:05:46 +0000 In the past, Xinjiang in China’s northwest was a key staging post on the Silk Road that spread Chinese culture, and spices, to the West. In recent years the unique tastes of the desert region, where Turkic Uygurs are the biggest ethnic group, have spread south, to Hong Kong, as more restaurants serving its cuisine open. “I have a complex about Xinjiang food … I was so nostalgic about the tastes of my hometown that I opened a restaurant,” says Wu Mengying, owner of Tin Saan Restaurant. “I take... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2146561/chinese-regional-cuisine-xinjiang-food-and-where-hong-kong-eat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2146561/chinese-regional-cuisine-xinjiang-food-and-where-hong-kong-eat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 May 2018 10:49:07 +0000 In days past, they were treated as outsiders by the societies they lived in. Today, their food and gastronomy are firmly on the map of Chinese culinary culture. They are Hakka – a word that means “guest families”. In the past, Hakka people were largely Han Chinese migrating from the north of China to the south, fleeing war and poverty. Shenzhen village plays host to Hakka descendants – including Jamaican/African Americans An estimated 65 per cent of the world’s Hakka people now live in Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2142212/hakka-cuisine-hong-kong-brings-diners-tears-and-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2142212/hakka-cuisine-hong-kong-brings-diners-tears-and-why?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Apr 2018 10:30:00 +0000 Gathered around a table in a small restaurant, a group of women eat a late lunch after a morning and early afternoon spent feeding customers. Their chatter is punctuated with laughter. They are not related, but call each other “sisters” as they share the same root of origin – Guizhou province in southwest China.  The establishment, Wan Wan Xiang in Causeway Bay, specialises in Guizhou-style beef rice noodles, and is the brainchild of the women.  “This is my favourite home food! It’s called zhe... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2137175/chinese-regional-cuisine-guizhous-spicy-and-sour-dishes-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2137175/chinese-regional-cuisine-guizhous-spicy-and-sour-dishes-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Mar 2018 05:03:22 +0000 Yunnan province in southwest China prides itself on its colourful ethnic minority groups, picturesque landscapes and rich biodiversity. It is also a destination for health-conscious food lovers to explore, many of whom are drawn by the chance to get a true taste of nature. One thing they search for in particular is the province’s best-known crop: wild mushrooms. More than 5,000 types of mushroom can be found in Yunnan – nicknamed the “kingdom of mushrooms” – thanks to the province’s regular... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2134288/chinese-regional-cuisine-yunnan-noodles-and-unique-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2134288/chinese-regional-cuisine-yunnan-noodles-and-unique-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2018 11:15:15 +0000 “I remember that day – someday in May – two persons walked in and ordered our signature dishes. They looked just like usual customers and we entertained them just like we normally did,” recalls Eddy Lee, the owner of Chiu Chow Delicacies. They turned out to be Michelin inspectors who rate restaurants and compile the annual Michelin Guide to Hong Kong and Macau. Top five roast goose restaurants in Hong Kong “They handed their business cards to my colleague when paying the bill. They requested to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2127489/chinese-regional-cuisine-secrets-chiu-chow-dishes-south-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2127489/chinese-regional-cuisine-secrets-chiu-chow-dishes-south-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jan 2018 05:00:00 +0000 It’s long been said that Hong Kong people – with their palates accustomed to Cantonese cuisine – dislike the fiery and numbing flavours associated with Sichuan food. But if that’s the case, why the growing popularity of the cuisine all across the city, both in everyday and upmarket restaurants? Chuan Po Po is an example of the former. Opened by husband and wife Kent Wong Wai-hung and Candy Lu in 2011, it started as a humble food stand tucked away in a mall in the Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2123250/chinese-regional-cuisine-sichuan-chefs-reveal-secret-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2123250/chinese-regional-cuisine-sichuan-chefs-reveal-secret-their?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:15:45 +0000 Humphrey Tai is a manager and one of the owners of 3.6.9. Restaurant Shanghai Food in Wan Chai, but he insists on preparing and making the wonton and xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) himself. This way, he says, he is sure that the dishes are true to the traditional flavour and style. “The key to making xiaolongbao is to ensure that the skin is neither too thin nor too thick, and the ratio of lean to fat meat should be just right,” he says. Michelin Guide Shanghai 2018 unveiled: Ultraviolet joins... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2117934/chinese-regional-cuisine-shanghainese-where-find-some-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2117934/chinese-regional-cuisine-shanghainese-where-find-some-best?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Nov 2017 05:00:15 +0000