By Christine Salins.
Hong Kong is a food-lover’s paradise. It’s the bowl of beef sa cha noodles washed down with a hot cup of signature Hong Kong milk tea at one of the city’s countless cha chaan teng. It’s the bamboo baskets filled with dumplings placed onto white tablecloths at a Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant. It’s the table of friends hungrily dipping crab claws and wagyu beef into an aromatic hotpot while drinking cocktails at midnight.
We might not be able to travel right now but we can recreate some of the magic of Hong Kong’s vibrant food scene with this colourful book. Hong Kong Local, published by Smith Street Books, RRP$39.99, is packed full of delicious yet approachable recipes, along with cool photography of the city’s street life.
The book celebrates the traditional and contemporary Cantonese cuisine that is cherished by locals and adored by visitors, while embracing the influences that continue to shape the city’s food scene.
You’ll find recipes like the hugely popular Har Gow (shrimp dumplings) and Char Siu (barbecued pork), favourites like Lemon Chicken and Salt & Pepper Squid, the egg tarts that you’ll see in bakeries all around the city, and simple but superb dishes like the Steamed Scallops here.
This is simply the best way to eat scallops or razor clams; it’s usually served as a starter.
The scallops are flavoured with fried garlic and soy, and the noodles soak up all the delicious juices.
The author of Hong Kong Local, ArChan Chan, grew up in Hong Kong and gained a love of food while watching her grandmother cook. She moved to Australia to study Culinary Arts and worked in a number of top Melbourne restaurants before being appointed head chef at popular Melbourne venue, Ricky & Pinky’s. She now heads the kitchen at LeVeL 33 in Singapore.
STEAMED SCALLOPS WITH GLASS NOODLES
Serves 4
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fried garlic (recipe below)
20 g glass noodles, soaked and drained
8 fresh scallops on the half shell, rinsed
2 tablespoons thinly sliced spring onion, green part only
1 – Place the soy sauce, sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the minced garlic and fried garlic.
2 – Cut the noodles into 5 cm lengths. Place a thin layer of noodles onto the scallop shells, underneath the scallops. Spoon the garlic and soy sauce over the top.
3 – Pour water into a large saucepan to a depth of about 3 cm and bring to the boil.
4 – Arrange the scallop shells on a steamer tray or plate (without overlapping), then cover and steam for 1½ to 2 minutes or until the scallops are just cooked. Depending on the size of your steamer you may need to do this in two batches. Sprinkle with spring onion and serve hot.
FRIED GARLIC
20 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 litres canola oil (or other cooking oil)
4 cm piece ginger, sliced
3 dried bird’s eye chillies
pinch of fine sea salt
1 – Rinse the garlic in water for 2 minutes, drain well and spread out on paper towel to dry for 15 minutes.
2 – Pour the oil into a wok or large frying pan and heat to 160°C or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in 30–35 seconds. Add the ginger, then the garlic and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring gently, for 30 seconds, then add the dried chilli, stirring so it doesn’t all clump together. Cook until the garlic is lightly golden, then strain into a clean saucepan. Spread out the garlic mixture on paper towel to drain and cool. As it cools it will become crispy. Season with salt, then store in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 4 days.
Recipes extracted from Hong Kong Local by ArChan Chan, published by Smith Street Books, RRP$39.99. Photography © Alana Dimou, Food Stylist © Bridget Wald.
