https://www.scmp.com/rss/330311/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Malaysia will halt exports of 3.6 million chickens a month from June 1 and scrap the approved permit requirement for importing wheat until production and prices stabilise, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said. The government set a ceiling price of 8.9 ringgit (US$2) per chicken and said it would recognise more slaughterhouses abroad in a bid to boost local supplies and curtail rising prices, according to a statement on Monday. The measures come days after Ismail abolished the approved permit... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3178842/malaysia-stop-exporting-millions-chickens-amid-shortages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3178842/malaysia-stop-exporting-millions-chickens-amid-shortages?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 May 2022 12:10:36 +0000 In February, retired English football player David Beckham revealed that his wife, fashion designer Victoria Beckham, has eaten the same meal every day for 25 years. “Since I met her, she only eats grilled fish, steamed vegetables, she will very rarely deviate from that,” he said on the River Café Table 4 podcast, on which chef Ruthie Rogers – co-founder of London’s famous River Café – talks to celebrities about food. The former Spice Girl isn’t the only famous Brit with a routine diet. On most... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3176607/bella-hadid-victoria-beckham-and-jennifer-aniston-ate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3176607/bella-hadid-victoria-beckham-and-jennifer-aniston-ate?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 May 2022 11:45:18 +0000 With over 50 Michelin-starred dining venues across the city, Hong Kong boasts some of the world’s best fine-dining experiences that range from the surprisingly affordable to ultra-exclusive and overpriced. Thanks to Covid-19, the city has had to endure more than its fair share of draconian anti-pandemic restrictions such as an evening dine-in ban that has only just been lifted. As a result of the reduced service hours coupled with sky-high rentals, many high-end restaurants have suffered losses.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3176700/extraordinary-power-hong-kongs-two-dish-rice-meal-boxes-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3176700/extraordinary-power-hong-kongs-two-dish-rice-meal-boxes-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 May 2022 04:15:16 +0000 After a car accident in India paralysed his father in 2013, then-graduate student Somdip Dey emptied his savings to help his parents with medical bills. He turned to dumpster-diving to reduce living expenses, in addition to working part-time and studying at the University of Manchester. As a hungry young man observing his fellow students discarding groceries, he felt heartsick. “Many students living in student accommodation who went home at the end of term would throw away their groceries, most... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3176066/indian-scientist-who-turned-dumpster-diving-invents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3176066/indian-scientist-who-turned-dumpster-diving-invents?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 May 2022 04:00:28 +0000 China’s alternative protein market is expected to see rapid expansion, with a growing number of start-ups, owing to increasing interest from consumers and investors amid Beijing’s policy support to diversify the country’s protein sources and meet its carbon neutrality goals. The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, especially China, is one of the most critical regions for transforming the global protein market, according to a report released last week by the Good Food Institute (GFI), an international... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3174624/chinas-alternative-protein-market-sees-rapid-expansion-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3174624/chinas-alternative-protein-market-sees-rapid-expansion-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Apr 2022 04:53:38 +0000 To safeguard their health during the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, many Indians have been turning to traditional wellness practices such as yoga and Ayurvedic treatments – including bolstering their immunity by eating grains, herbs and spices. A surprise ingredient that has lit up the internet is green banana flour, produced from unripened bananas that are chopped, dried and then ground. Its popularity soared after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi endorsed the ingredient on his monthly... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3174365/benefits-green-banana-flour-new-superfood-and-wheat-flour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3174365/benefits-green-banana-flour-new-superfood-and-wheat-flour?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Apr 2022 08:15:13 +0000 When an Indonesian radio station posted a podcast on Twitter and asked the question “Do you know your delicious meat contributes to climate change?”, it raised a ruckus among social media users. There were hundreds of comments pointing out that Indonesians already do not consume as much meat as their neighbours or those in the West, and should not be made to feel guilty for what little they ate. In 2018, Indonesia’s annual meat consumption per capita was 11.6kg, lower than Thailand’s 25.8kg or... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3174484/does-vegan-friendly-indonesia-need-feel-guilty-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3174484/does-vegan-friendly-indonesia-need-feel-guilty-about?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Apr 2022 03:30:23 +0000 Kalpana Sunder Kalpana Sunder Moringa supplements and powders have been touted as superfoods in the West in recent years, appearing in expensive supermarkets and restaurants, but a typical Indian diet has for centuries included highly nutritious elements of the moringa “miracle” tree, also known as “tree of life”. Parts of this slender, delicate but fast growing evergreen, common in much of India – in the south most backyards have one – regularly features in curry and sambar, a popular lentil dish. Almost every part of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3173876/moringa-enjoyed-indias-modi-and-cubas-castro-increasingly-favoured-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3173876/moringa-enjoyed-indias-modi-and-cubas-castro-increasingly-favoured-west?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Apr 2022 04:00:19 +0000 Aiming to make “meat” sourced from protein-rich plants appealing and accessible for all, Asia’s first plant-based butcher is riding the wave of the booming alternative protein scene. Love Handle is a two-storey butcher and dine-in deli on trendy Ann Siang Hill in Singapore’s Chinatown. With high ceilings, chic decoration, black and white floor tiles, and a long metallic bar, it brings an edge to Singapore’s growing plant-based movement. Love Handle wants to make plant-based meat that attracts... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3171715/how-asias-first-plant-based-meat-butcher-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3171715/how-asias-first-plant-based-meat-butcher-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Mar 2022 05:15:19 +0000 French cuisine has long epitomised the ideal of fine dining, with Japanese food increasingly revered for the purity of its ingredients, technique and flavour. European, North American and Asian dishes in general are largely familiar to a global audience, and Latin American cuisines have won growing global acclaim. But African food? “It’s pretty much the last frontier. The other continents have been heavily explored at the gastronomic level for generations,” says Ghanaian chef Selassie Atadika,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3171521/will-african-cuisine-ever-reach-world-stage-more-michelin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3171521/will-african-cuisine-ever-reach-world-stage-more-michelin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Mar 2022 07:36:42 +0000 Luxury dining can be many things, but primal is usually not one of them. There is, however, a growing number of top chefs around the world embracing the raw unpredictability of nature by swapping the scientific precision of a standard professional kitchen for a wood-fired live flame. While often retaining the starched tablecloths of fine dining, and losing none of the obsessive attention to detail of their gas-fired colleagues, these chefs are responding to a yearning for days past, of time... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3168364/why-worlds-top-chefs-are-returning-wood-fired-fine-dining?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3168364/why-worlds-top-chefs-are-returning-wood-fired-fine-dining?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Feb 2022 00:00:11 +0000 At least once a week, Satish Mishra, 54, and his Delhi-based family of five dine in a multi-cuisine restaurant that offers not only South Indian and Mughlai food on their menu, but also pizza, Chinese, and Continental cuisine. Service is quick and efficient and the food is tasty. The marketing professional’s teenage children choose fast food like pizzas and burgers, while he and his wife have their comfort food of rotis and curries. Mishra’s elderly mother is happy with her dosas with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3168558/chicken-makhani-fried-rice-and-bruschetta-indias-multi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3168558/chicken-makhani-fried-rice-and-bruschetta-indias-multi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Feb 2022 08:00:24 +0000 The New York Times pulled a video Friday showing a Taiwan-based writer making a “Singaporean chicken curry” after furious critics in the city state said it resembled sewage rather than a local dish. Singaporeans are fiercely proud of their culinary traditions, which fuse influences from the country’s multi-ethnic population, and are sensitive to botched attempts by outsiders to portray their cherished dishes. The controversy began when The New York Times posted a video this month on its... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3166729/singapore-curry-video-removed-after-backlash-nyt-responds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3166729/singapore-curry-video-removed-after-backlash-nyt-responds?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Feb 2022 10:25:02 +0000 Leading Indian Chef Ranveer Brar has ignited a national discussion on making coriander India’s “national herb” soon after posting a photo of himself holding up a placard on his Instagram account where he has 1.7 million followers. ‘Petition to make dhaniya (coriander) the national herb’ read Brar’s post. No sooner was the message displayed than foodies from across the country jumped in with their responses to the plea. “Yes, yes, yes” responded one follower to the chef’s suggestion, while... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3166377/indian-celebrity-chef-ranveer-brar-spices-discussion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3166377/indian-celebrity-chef-ranveer-brar-spices-discussion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Feb 2022 07:47:34 +0000 Japan hit its target of 1 trillion yen (US$8.67 billion) in annual food exports in 2021, a 25.6 per cent increase on the previous year, thanks in large part to big-spending Chinese consumers snapping up high-end products ranging from whisky and sake to scallops, beef, fruit and vegetables. Mainland China resumed top spot in Japan’s export list for the first time in seven years, surpassing Hong Kong and with the United States remaining in third place. Exports of food, farm, forestry and marine... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3166259/mainland-china-was-top-importer-japanese-food-2021-surpassing-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3166259/mainland-china-was-top-importer-japanese-food-2021-surpassing-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Feb 2022 10:30:14 +0000 Do you want to stay young and healthy even if it means drinking a fermented tea that tastes like sweet-and-sour vinegar? Then kombucha is for you. Celebrities including Lady Gaga, Zoe Kravitz, Kourtney Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow and Halle Berry have been obsessed with the probiotic-packed fermented drink in recent years. Kombucha is produced by combining sweetened tea with “Scoby” – an acronym for symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast – and leaving it to ferment for 10 to 40 days, depending on... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3164029/kombucha-and-health-benefits-tea-drink-loved-lady-gaga?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3164029/kombucha-and-health-benefits-tea-drink-loved-lady-gaga?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jan 2022 07:15:19 +0000 Eat Just, an American start-up backed by Li Ka-shing’s Horizons Ventures, aims to scale up and expand after receiving approval to sell more of its cell-grown chicken products in Singapore. While the San Francisco-based company originally produced vegan egg substitutes, its Good Meat division sells chicken breast. Instead of coming from a live animal, the meat is cultivated in a bioreactor from a small cluster of cells. In December, Singaporean authorities approved the sale of Good Meat’s latest... https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3162328/lab-grown-meat-start-eat-just-backed-hong-kong-billionaire-li?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3162328/lab-grown-meat-start-eat-just-backed-hong-kong-billionaire-li?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jan 2022 02:00:16 +0000 Squid Game may be over (for now) but South Korea keeps churning out the hits. The latest is Single’s Inferno, a dating show that’s something of a mix between Love Island and Terrace House. Since launching on Netflix in December 2021, the show has taken the world by storm and ranked among the top three programmes in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Malaysia. Of course, it’s not just K-dramas and K-pop groups that have soared in popularity over the years. So too has the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3162552/how-do-you-drink-somaek-koreas-favourite-cocktail-k-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3162552/how-do-you-drink-somaek-koreas-favourite-cocktail-k-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jan 2022 21:00:12 +0000 Home to temple ruins recognised by Unesco, adored by Instagramers and revered by Thais as the ancient seat of kings, the city of Ayutthaya now has another claim to fame: its culinary culture has been put on the global foodie map by the prestigious Michelin Guide. For both Ayutthaya and the rest of the country it is a major boost after two years of tourism lost to the pandemic. Covid-19 has cut deeply into this city, once renowned as an easy getaway for the international visitors who flocked to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3162093/thailand-hopes-post-covid-tourism-boost-michelin-guide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3162093/thailand-hopes-post-covid-tourism-boost-michelin-guide?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jan 2022 01:00:28 +0000 The shift to plant-based dining has been gathering strength over the last decade, but it took a pandemic for the world of fine dining to finally cross the Rubicon. With restaurants closed, chefs had time to take stock, and the enormity of the Covid-19 crisis pushed them to visualise a different future. The year 2021 will surely be remembered as a watershed. In June, one of the world’s most respected luxury dining establishments, Eleven Madison Park, turned almost entirely plant-based. Chef-owner... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3161667/why-fine-dining-restaurants-are-ditching-meat-plant-based?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3161667/why-fine-dining-restaurants-are-ditching-meat-plant-based?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jan 2022 01:00:20 +0000 Legend has it that a farmer spotted his pig digging at the root of a tree. After eating what looked like mushrooms, the pig was found passed out. Upon investigation, the farmer discovered the aromatic tubers … or now as we know them, truffles. “The story is true,” says Luca Stanzani, vice-president of Appennino USA, world brand ambassador of Italy’s Appennino truffle. Truffles have long been known to various civilisations. There are recorded recipes that have ancient Egyptians eating the tubers... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3158331/why-are-truffles-so-expensive-and-are-black-or-white-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3158331/why-are-truffles-so-expensive-and-are-black-or-white-best?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Dec 2021 00:00:22 +0000 Vicky Lau, chef-owner of two-Michelin-star Tate Dining Room in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, enjoys cooking with all types of seaweed, but one of her favourites is kombu. Widely consumed in East Asia, the thick, waxy, rubbery kelp lends a unique savoury, umami flavour to Japanese soup stock (dashi) and seasonings, thanks to its high concentration of glutamic acid, a common amino acid found in vegetables and animal proteins. “We always have good-quality kombu stock in our restaurant; it gives an... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3157051/how-seaweed-stand-out-fat-free-superfood-aids-heart-gut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3157051/how-seaweed-stand-out-fat-free-superfood-aids-heart-gut?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Nov 2021 21:15:15 +0000 As a so-called writer, I’ve come to loathe one aspect of my profession that has thrived with the digital age: listicles. This portmanteau comprises an article made from a list. If you’re anywhere online, they appear, teasing you with random but curious headlines – “10 things you didn’t know about Keanu Reeves”, “Eight undervalued stocks to buy now”, and “Look 21 again in seven easy steps”. Of course, lists have always been around. Moses predated the listverse when he came down Mount Sinai with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3155548/why-i-loathe-lists-especially-best-restaurants-lists-forever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3155548/why-i-loathe-lists-especially-best-restaurants-lists-forever?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:45:18 +0000 During a recent casual conversation, I was asked whether I was into the new keto diet. “Into it? I don’t even know what it is,” I replied. As one of the lucky people who has never had to diet, I generally distrust any kind of health fad or weight-loss supplement. When I was younger, I ate whatever I wanted and burned off the calories running around, playing ball and working summer jobs. “Why couldn’t others do the same?” I always thought. Of course, everyone’s metabolism is different. But most... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3147184/why-health-trends-keto-diet-are-best-left-lululemon-wearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3147184/why-health-trends-keto-diet-are-best-left-lululemon-wearing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Sep 2021 21:15:11 +0000 When it comes to splurging on the most expensive culinary extravagances known to mankind, one would naturally expect to get the rarest of ingredients, artfully plated in one of the world’s top restaurants. Few serious foodies would expect something like a humble hamburger or a modest milkshake to command gourmet price brackets. However, over the last few years, a handful of inventive chefs have upscaled and embellished some of the most common comfort foods, elevating them beyond the humdrum high... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3142961/worlds-most-expensive-fast-food-us200-french-fries-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3142961/worlds-most-expensive-fast-food-us200-french-fries-new?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 2021 04:06:39 +0000 Tiziana Di Costanzo makes pizza dough from scratch, mixing together flour, yeast, a pinch of salt, a dash of olive oil and something a bit more unusual – ground acheta domesticus, better known as cricket powder. Di Costanzo is an edible insect entrepreneur who holds cricket and mealworm cooking classes at her West London home, where she also raises the critters in a backyard shed with her husband, Tom Mohan. Her start-up, Horizon Insects, is part of Europe’s nascent edible insect scene, which... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3141618/bug-burgers-cricket-chips-beetle-beer-edible-insect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3141618/bug-burgers-cricket-chips-beetle-beer-edible-insect?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jul 2021 06:45:10 +0000 The Netflix documentary Seaspiracy claims that, with current fishing practices, there could be no more fish in the oceans by 2048. While some marine scientists say a fishless ocean is an unlikely scenario, related issues such as overfishing, microplastics found in seafood and other types of pollution are serious concerns for people who are mindful of the seafood they eat. One of these is David Yeung, founder and CEO of Hong Kong’s Green Monday Group and OmniFoods, which three years ago... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3140042/seafood-and-chicken-next-plant-based-food-entrepreneurs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3140042/seafood-and-chicken-next-plant-based-food-entrepreneurs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jul 2021 23:17:14 +0000 When Five Guys opened an outlet in Shanghai in April, not only was its first in mainland China, it was also the first shop that the American burger chain, which has nearly 1,700 stores around the world, opened anywhere since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out more than a year ago. It seems that the pandemic has been a mixed blessing. Danny Lee, Five Guys’ regional managing director for Asia Pacific, says that while they have had to put in additional measures due to the coronavirus, landlords are a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3138297/overseas-restaurant-chains-take-advantage-chinas-dining-boom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3138297/overseas-restaurant-chains-take-advantage-chinas-dining-boom?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jun 2021 23:15:07 +0000 At Meta, a one-Michelin-starred modern Korean-inflected eatery in Singapore, our main course arrives – strip loin resting on a bed of rice cooked with burdock, seasoned with cold-pressed sesame oil and topped with wisps of a never-before-seen seaweed. “We use many Korean ingredients in this dish – the rice, burdock, cold-pressed sesame oil and gamtae, a seaweed found in the southern and western coasts of South Korea,” explains chef-owner Sun Kim. Would you eat durian? 4 smelly Asian foods that... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/well-being/article/3136097/are-k-pop-and-k-dramas-spurring-popularity-native?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/well-being/article/3136097/are-k-pop-and-k-dramas-spurring-popularity-native?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jun 2021 01:00:19 +0000 The pandemic didn’t just severely limit non-essential travel – but also exploring the world through your taste buds. So instead, many have resorted to creating what they crave at home. However, sometimes it’s difficult to pull off the distinct and authentic flavours – and odours. That’s especially true with street food. There might be local delivery options available for some, while others remain elusive outside their native countries. Check out this list of foods that pack a punch in terms of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/well-being/article/3135288/4-smelly-asian-foods-taste-amazing-stinky-tofu-luosifen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/well-being/article/3135288/4-smelly-asian-foods-taste-amazing-stinky-tofu-luosifen?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 May 2021 00:45:25 +0000 The last two years have been hard for the F&B industry in Hong Kong. Protests and months of restricted openings or, in the case of bars, outright closures have left many establishments struggling to survive. Just last month Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, estimated that 35 per cent of businesses in the bar industry had closed and called the situation a “nightmare”. Unsurprisingly, owners of bars that have remained buoyant have sought alternative ways to keep staff in work and tills... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3131725/how-covid-19-helped-hong-kong-finally-embrace-cafe-bars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3131725/how-covid-19-helped-hong-kong-finally-embrace-cafe-bars?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Apr 2021 04:42:07 +0000 In the whirlwind of glamour and excess that is Bollywood, it’s not unusual for stars to want to add a few more strings to their bow. Earlier this year, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas added “restaurateur” to her already long list of talents. Chopra-Jones’ new eatery Sona is an upscale Indian restaurant in the heart of New York City – but she is not the only Indian star to dip her toe into the culinary world. Model-turned-actor Arjun Rampal had early success with his Delhi nightclub, Lap, which closed in... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3130666/dinner-virat-kohlis-place-indian-celebrities-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3130666/dinner-virat-kohlis-place-indian-celebrities-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Apr 2021 00:00:16 +0000 When Alex* and Louis* started their Facebook page about siu mai, the popular Cantonese dim sum item, it was for the love of the steamed dumplings sold as humble street food as well as in luxe restaurants across Hong Kong. “We saw a page about potato crisps and it was fun, and we like the fish version of siu mai a lot, so we formed a page too,” Louis tells local media. Their page, called Hong Kong Siu Mai Concern Group and started in November 2019, is listed under the category of “trade unions”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3129885/siu-mai-or-egg-waffles-hong-kong-foodies-cut-through?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3129885/siu-mai-or-egg-waffles-hong-kong-foodies-cut-through?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Apr 2021 00:00:27 +0000 Sourdough bread is not the only baked good that people have discovered – or rediscovered – while stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Home bakers in Hong Kong have also fallen for the humble bagel. Ring-shaped bread dates back to the Middle Ages in Europe, but the bagel as it is known today is associated with Jewish immigrants to Britain, the United States (New York, in particular) and Canada (especially Montreal). It has never gained much of a foothold in Hong Kong – but recently a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3128459/bagel-making-takes-instagram-and-chefs-try-novel-flavours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3128459/bagel-making-takes-instagram-and-chefs-try-novel-flavours?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Apr 2021 23:15:17 +0000 Grace Wu and Jenny Leung first met as 12-year-olds at St Francis’ Canossian College in Hong Kong. Though they have since been living in different countries for decades – Wu left the city when she graduated from secondary school in 1990 and went to the United States to study – common interests helped them stay connected, including a love of food and food culture. Now the long-term friends are organising an international cooking class fundraiser through their website World Kitchen Club. Set up in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3127408/you-can-learn-yoga-interactively-online-so-why-not-cooking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3127408/you-can-learn-yoga-interactively-online-so-why-not-cooking?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Mar 2021 23:15:17 +0000 The road to worldwide success and recognition for Chinese caviar brand Kaluga Queen (KQ) has been a long and winding one. Set up in 1998 in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, KQ, which today accounts for one-third of global caviar production, had to overcome doubts about its products coming from a country more associated with food scandals than haute cuisine. After two decades of overseas promotion, the breakthrough came in 2018 when Lufthansa struck a deal with KQ to be its sole caviar supplier... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3124809/how-queen-elizabeths-seal-approval-helped-chinese-caviar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3124809/how-queen-elizabeths-seal-approval-helped-chinese-caviar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Mar 2021 20:45:16 +0000 Plant-based meat alternatives – from burger patties and sausages to minced pork and even shrimp – are an increasingly common sight on supermarket shelves and dining tables across Asia. Indeed, a recent study projects that the market for meat analogues in Asia-Pacific will grow by 25 per cent over the next five years. Most of these products are derived from mainstream ingredients such as soy, wheat, peas and gluten – and for good reason. For instance, the Impossible Burger is chiefly made from... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3123877/microalgae-meat-substitute-gives-singapore-food-tech-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3123877/microalgae-meat-substitute-gives-singapore-food-tech-start?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Mar 2021 18:30:05 +0000 One morning in February, a cyclist chugged his way up the curves of Rio de Janeiro’s most popular sport cycling road. The familiar scent of jackfruit, vaguely cloying and ripe with peril, wafted through the air. Without warning, a fruit plummeted from the heavily laden canopy of Tijuca National Park. It hit the cyclist on the head, cracking his helmet and sending him sprawling. Jackfruit are abundant during the southern hemisphere summer, but many Brazilians are loath to eat their flesh.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3123935/jackfruit-nutrient-packed-food-poor-or-nasty-invader-so?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3123935/jackfruit-nutrient-packed-food-poor-or-nasty-invader-so?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Mar 2021 08:02:58 +0000 Plant-based food is a major world trend this year, and if you are not convinced, just look around your neighbourhood – chances are there’s a vegan restaurant that’s popped up, or at least a plant-based menu or dishes featured at your go-to eatery. Take a look at some of Hong Kong’s latest vegan options with February’s rundown of new restaurants, rejigged menus and treats for the upcoming Lunar New Year. 10 new Hong Kong dining offerings just in time for Lunar New Year Grain of Salt Newly opened... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3121101/where-eat-vegan-and-vegetarian-food-hong-kong-lunar-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3121101/where-eat-vegan-and-vegetarian-food-hong-kong-lunar-new?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Feb 2021 08:36:07 +0000 Global gin consumption, driven in part by Chinese interest, has been growing faster than that of any other alcoholic drink category since 2018. China’s alcohol market statistics indicate that revenue generated in the gin segment amounted to US$70 million in 2019, and that the Chinese gin market is expected to grow annually by 2.5 per cent from 2021 onwards.  Blossoming Chinese interest in the juniper-based drink has been stoked by local distilleries that trade on unique regional flavours,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3118427/why-will-china-drink-and-create-more-gin-2021-chinese-gin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3118427/why-will-china-drink-and-create-more-gin-2021-chinese-gin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Jan 2021 07:18:50 +0000 Every year, we round up some of the most impactful and, shall we say, eccentric food trends in China. Last year saw a wave of instant hot pot, boba on everything, and brown sugar milk tea. This year is a mix of the old—White Rabbit and hot pot made a comeback—and new (fake fruits are in). Shock-factor and photogenic foods remained evergreen (we see you, boba pizza), but here are some other things that stood out in 2019. This list was inspired by things we saw on our travels and buzz from the... https://www.scmp.com/food/chinese-food-trends-2019/article/3042455?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/chinese-food-trends-2019/article/3042455?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Dec 2019 09:58:24 +0000 At some point, you have to start asking whether you really should put boba in everything. Just in time for Halloween, Domino’s Pizza in Taiwan has released a Frankenstein creation called “black sugar pearl pizza,” complete with mozzarella cheese, tapioca pearls, mochi balls, and a generous dose of honey. Not to be outdone, Pizza Hut in Taiwan at the same time began sales of its own boba pizza. Along with the standard bubbles and mozzarella cheese, its version comes with a drizzle of... https://www.scmp.com/food/dominos-and-pizza-hut-release-boba-pizza-taiwan/article/3035309?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/dominos-and-pizza-hut-release-boba-pizza-taiwan/article/3035309?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2019 06:09:41 +0000 Whenever a bubble tea shop becomes Instagram-trendy in China, you can count on scalpers to be there reselling a drink for many times its retail price. Like paid line-holders in the States, scalpers—known in Chinese as 黄牛 (huangniu), or “yellow cattle”—have become ubiquitous at limited-edition pop-ups, from White Rabbit bubble tea stands to just regular bubble tea stands that have inexplicably become famous. And the latest shop to be besieged by these “yellow cattle” is a Taiwanese chain that was... https://www.scmp.com/food/jay-chou-machi-machi-bubble-tea/article/3030936?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/jay-chou-machi-machi-bubble-tea/article/3030936?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2019 08:01:37 +0000 A Los Angeles ice cream shop broke the internet last month when it introduced an ice cream flavor made with real White Rabbit candy. But the scoop shop, Wanderlust Creamery, might have shot itself in the foot with its popularity. After catching wind of the story, a spokesperson for the maker of White Rabbit candy in Shanghai told the Shanghai Morning Post on Sunday that it would be investigating whether there was any trademark infringement. Images of the White Rabbit ice cream on the shop’s... https://www.scmp.com/food/white-rabbit-ice-cream-thing-and-white-rabbit-isnt-happy-about-it/article/3001061?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/white-rabbit-ice-cream-thing-and-white-rabbit-isnt-happy-about-it/article/3001061?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Mar 2019 11:40:31 +0000 The Oscars of the Asian food world were held in Macau this year, bringing together a gaggle of chefs, restaurateurs, and food writers at the Wynn on a late evening in March. The heavily sponsored event is called Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and aside from the Michelin Guide, is the most visible restaurant ranking ceremony in the East.   For veterans of the four-year-old event, there were a lot of regulars and familiar faces. Gaggan Anand, whose contemporary Bangkok eatery has been named Asia’s... https://www.scmp.com/food/why-best-restaurant-china-french-one-again/article/2155689?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/why-best-restaurant-china-french-one-again/article/2155689?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jul 2018 11:15:15 +0000