#1 samgyaetang 参鸡汤

6 of us had a lot of fun in hong kong 10-14.1.2016. ^^

weather was good to us except for rain on the first evening & second morning (so we had a leisurely dimsum breakfast at tao heung mongkok 稻香旺角).

great hikes & walks at cheung chau, dragon’s back, peak circle walk & lamma island, and we had excellent food at daipaidongs and the tao heung group restaurants, a fairer price restaurant chain.

our only bad & forgettable meal was when we kena waylaid into the wrong tai yun 泰源??(we think).

6 homecooked dishes + 1 dessert

so, coming back, naturally i went about recreating several great dishes we had in hong kong (see above menu).

6 homecooked dishes + 1 dessert

& here they are (above photo..the rice came later, not in photo).

#1 samgyaetang 参鸡汤

my chicken soup was very tasty (though maybe still not as intense as the wonderful glutinous stuffed chicken soup we had at tao hueng tsimshatsui) & chicken very tender as my friends noted.

i stuffed the chicken with 3 tbsp glutinous rice (soaked in water for 1 hr according to one internet samgyaetang recipe), 3 cloves garlic & 3 dried red dates, sliced ginger, 2 spring onions.

i boiled the small 1kg chicken with chicken stock i made the day before, added 3 more red dates & sliced ginger & spring onions, salt (to taste) & boiled medium for 45mins, then turned over medium low for 30mins.

seems that the glutinous rice in the recipe was too little, would have been better with more so texture of soup will be better. will try 1/2 cup next time.

#2 black bean sauce bittergourd with fake kurobuta回锅猪项肉豆屎苦瓜

we had black bean sauce bittergourd with kurobuta at the accidental find yue bo 鱼宝食馆.

it was very good. 🙂

i used a cheap marbled pork collar to fake the kurobuta. i put it in 90degC oven for 2 hrs to convert the tough connective tissues to flavourful gelatine, then added it to the black beans bittergourd dish like a double-cooked pork 回锅肉.

my friends liked this dish very much. firstly the bittergourd had the special flavour but not bitter as i brined it with sugar the day before & the black beans & slow braise made it very tender & tasty, and the pork collar was excellent, flavourful & tender.

#3 pork + liver sausage fried kailan 腊味芥兰

i had the pork + liver sausage fried kailan 腊味芥兰 for the first time at fu kee 富记粥品.

so i decided to buy some fairly good pork & liver sausage, steamed them & then fried & added chicken stock to bring out the 腊味 flavours then added the kailand stems & leaves & later oyster sauce & corflour the usual way.

i think my version was as good today maybe better than fu kee 富记粥品’s 腊味芥兰, very flavourful indeed.

#4 dried mustard leaves belly pork 梅菜扣肉

we did not have 梅菜扣肉  in hong kong. this my first try & in any case a good opportunity to get friends to try..it was very well done. ^^

i varied a 梅菜扣肉 recipe i read on internet.

i placed the belly pork in a 90degC oven for 2 hrs (together with my pork collar to save electricity), instead of boiling it in water for 35mins according to the recipe.

i then seared the skin & sides & added 1/2tbsp dark sauce to coat the belly pork. & sliced the belly pork when cool.

then i melted 1 tbsp sugar, added 1 tbsp oil & fried the 梅菜 & added 1/2cup chicken stock.

then i placed the 梅菜 on the sliced belly pork & placed in the steam oven for 75mins.

the 梅菜 was just perfect, texture, colour, taste, everything & the belly pork 扣肉excellent, so tender & tasty! ^^

#5 salted fish minced pork 咸鱼饼

salted fish minced pork 咸鱼饼 was another great dish we had at yue bo 鱼宝食馆.

the salted fish minced pork 咸鱼饼 was good, as usual.

today i experimented 1/2 on belly pork (which was sous vide at 90degC for 2hrs) & lean pork..turned out they tasted quite the same. my friends couldn’t really tell. me too. 🙂

#6 steamed minced garlic prawn rice 蒜蓉鲜虾蒸饭

the lotus leaf steamed minced garlic prawn rice 蒜蓉鲜虾蒸荷叶饭 was another great dish at yue bo 鱼宝食馆

#6 steamed minced garlic prawn rice 蒜蓉鲜虾蒸饭

this one though i had some difficulty getting it right!

i used chicken stock to cook the rice in the rice cooker.

then i added some soy sauce mix (similar to those used for fun cheong & also for adding to rice) & added to the cooked rice.

& i had lots of minced garlic.

still the taste was not comparable to the one prepared by yue bo 鱼宝食馆

#7 lotus seeds ginkyo nuts mango cheng chow 白果莲子芒果凉粉

& we also had wonderful dessert at Hoe Kee dessert 浩记甜品馆.

#7 lotus seeds ginkyo nuts mango cheng chow 白果莲子芒果凉粉

of course i won’t try to make the almond paste 杏仁糊，walnut paste 核桃糊, black sesame paste 芝麻糊 etc。

but lotus seeds mango cheng chow 莲子芒果凉粉is something i can do.

i cooked 1 packet of lotus seeds 莲子 & 1 packet of ginkyo nuts白果 with 4 tbsp brown sugar & reduced.

i let it lightly boiled for 1.5hrs to 2hrs, a friend brought the mangoes, so it was just an assembly of the 莲子白果 on the mangoes & cheng chow 凉粉.

lunch was a display of all the food we liked & enjoyed while in hong kong (except the 梅菜扣肉 dish). it was wonderful to be able to relish the fun food moments in hong kong.

c.h.e.f andy